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The senior allrounder on how Australia are preparing for the T20 World Cup, focusing more internally than on the chasing pack

Valkerie Baynes01-Oct-2024It’s the US$2.34 million question: who can end Australia’s dominance of the Women’s T20 World Cup? But Ellyse Perry, who has played in all of them and is therefore preparing to make her ninth appearance at the tournament, believes the competition has always been wide open and that might just be the key to Australia’s success.”Particularly the T20 World Cups, I don’t think they’re ever not open,” Perry told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s such a fickle format and the way that the games fall is really unpredictable a lot of the time.”I just think that every team is playing more consistently now, so you’ve got to be in the right place at the right time sometimes and we’ve been fortunate that that’s gone our way a lot in the past, but I think, like any other tournament, it’s wide open at the start.”Related

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Australia have long played like champions, winning six of the eight Women’s T20 World Cups to have been staged so far, including the past three in succession and three more on the trot from 2010 to 2014.But, by Perry’s account, they have also prepared like champions, focusing more internally than on the chasing pack.”Most of it has really just been focused around what we can control as a group, where we can spend time and effort improving and the best things that as a collective we can lean into to make sure that we’re in the best possible position,” she said.”I don’t think you can really worry too much about any other team or what they’re doing. You’re only reacting then, as opposed to trying to just find the best space and opportunities that exist for the team.”

It’s a great challenge for everyone and I think as a group we’ve had a little bit of change over the last couple of years, so the chance to go out there and test the work that we’ve been doing is really coolEllyse Perry

Without the retired Meg Lanning, Australia are now led by the experienced Alyssa Healy. And, while they appear to have moved on from influential spinner Jess Jonassen since Sophie Molineux’s recovery from injury, they have also introduced some fresh faces with the likes of allrounder Annabel Sutherland and top-order batter Phoebe Litchfield.Australia have looked more beatable in the format since their 2023 World Cup triumph than they have in a long while, however, beaten by England 2-1 in the T20 leg of last year’s Ashes series and losing match each to West Indies and South Africa at home. They won their most recent series, hosting New Zealand, 3-0 but twice suffered batting collapses and were bowled out for only the second time since early 2020.Ellyse Perry has been part of six Women’s T20 World Cup wins with Australia•Getty Images”It’s going to be really tough and really competitive if international competition’s anything to go by,” Perry said. “In the last 12 months it’s just been some great cricket played by lots of different countries and obviously in different conditions as well and teams are going to have to adapt really quickly.”So it’s a great challenge for everyone and I think as a group we’ve had a little bit of change over the last couple of years, so the chance to go out there and test the work that we’ve been doing is really cool.”Despite Perry’s experience in the tournament and her standing in the game – she was recently named No.1 in ESPNcricinfo’s top 25 players of the 21st Century – the T20 World Cup retains a sense of unfinished business for her. Her highest score of 42 came in 2016, when Australia lost their crown to West Indies, and her impact was limited from down the order in 2018 and 2023, while her home campaign in 2020 was curtailed by injury.”I really, really enjoyed the opportunity more than anything” – Perry on her time at the Hundred•ECB/Getty ImagesBut she was speaking on her way to the airport in August, travelling home from the Hundred, where she scored 203 runs at an average of 29.00 and strike rate of 125.30 and took eight wickets for Birmingham Phoenix. That was after topping the run charts at the WPL with 347 at 69.40 and 125.72. She was also in the top-five batters at the most recent edition of the WBBL with 496 runs at 45.09 and 131.56.It is in the franchise leagues that Perry, now 33, has enjoyed a resurgence in her short-form game, new learnings keeping things fresh for a player who made her debut aged just 16.”I really, really enjoyed the opportunity more than anything,” Perry said of her time at the Hundred. “A chance to be a part of a different competition with some fresh faces that I hadn’t played with before was just really enjoyable. From that perspective I’m just incredibly grateful for the chance to be a part of it and certainly learned a lot along the way too.”Every time you get some exposure and opportunity to play really high-level cricket, it’s just great. You try things that you’re working on or just batting with different people or being out in the middle with different people, you always pick up new things.

The amount of women that are getting opportunities to play cricket as a career and hopefully inspire a new generation of cricketers, not just young girls but young boys, is quite phenomenal reallyEllyse Perry

“We all feel really passionately about the countries that we’re from, but at the same time I think there’s a lot more to it than that and just the chance to share different bonds with different people across the course of your career is a real privilege and you can make lifelong friends out of that.”Friends will become rivals again when the tournament begins in the UAE on October 3 with that US$2.34 million winners’ cheque on the line, Australia will be opening their campaign against Sri Lanka in Sharjah on October 5. It is the first time women will receive equal prize money to the men at an ICC event, which forms part of an ever-changing landscape in the game, which Perry couldn’t have imagined when she started out.”It was probably hard to imagine,” Perry said. “It just kept evolving at such an amazing pace and yeah, it’s probably a good thing that I couldn’t imagine that either because it doesn’t limit the possibility of what’s the potential for the next five or 10 years.”To be a part of it has been amazing and also just really cool to see the amount of women that are getting opportunities to play cricket as a career and hopefully inspire a new generation of cricketers, not just young girls but young boys, is quite phenomenal really.”

Will Delhi Capitals look to bring back former captain Rishabh Pant? And is Mohammed Shami the obvious choice for Gujarat Titans?

Dustin Silgardo19-Nov-2024What is the right-to-match (RTM) rule?
Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, each team was allowed to retain up to six players, with a maximum of five capped players and a maximum of two uncapped Indian players.For the eight teams that did not use all of their six retentions, they can now use right-to-match options on players from their 2024 squads to fill up the remaining slots. The limits of five capped and two uncapped players still apply, so teams that have retained five capped players can use their RTM option on only one uncapped Indian player. And if a team has retained two uncapped players, they can use their RTM options on only capped players. If a team uses a RTM option on one of their former players at the auction, the last bidder will be allowed to raise the bid one final time, and the choice of whether to continue with the right-to-match option and match the bid then lies with the team using the RTM option.
Delhi Capitals
Players retained: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abhishek Porel

Purse remaining: INR 73 crore
Right-to-match options: 2The big question for DC ahead of the auction is whether they will use a right-to-match option on former captain Rishabh Pant. While DC did not retain Pant, there is talk that they still want him at the franchise. DC can use both their right-to-match options on capped players, so they could also target Khaleel Ahmed, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mukesh Kumar, Anrich Nortje, Mitchell Marsh or Harry Brook.Khaleel spent three years at DC and consistently provided powerplay wickets. That he is an Indian left-arm seamer also makes him someone worth using a right-to-match option on. While Mukesh is not the most spectacular T20 bowler, his death-bowling numbers over two seasons with DC have been fair. His name only comes up in Set 16, though, so DC may not have a right-to-match option remaining then. Nortje was one of DC’s retentions in 2022 after two strong seasons with them, but he had a shocker in 2024. He has regained some form since but is still a risky pick.Among the batters, Fraser-McGurk, who is in Set 3, is the name that stands out after his eye-catching first season. His international form since then, though, has been underwhelming. With Australian coaches at two other franchises, the bidding for Fraser-McGurk might go quite high, which will make the right-to-match option handy. Marsh and Brook have both failed to impress in the IPL but are proven internationals.If DC somehow reach the latter stages of the auction with a right-to-match option still in hand, they may look at 24-year-old uncapped seamer Rasikh Salam Dar, who had an impressive debut season in 2024. He is in Set 11.BCCIGujarat Titans
Players retained: Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan

Purse remaining: INR 69 crore
Right-to-match options: 1 (capped)Will Gujarat Titans use their lone right-to-match option on Mohammed Shami? He was the Purple Cap winner in 2023 and played a crucial role in GT’s run to the final in both 2022 and 2023 before missing the 2024 season with injury. Injuries and age are the main concerns surrounding Shami. He played his first competitive match since 2023 just ahead of the auction and took seven wickets across two innings for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in a first-class game. That show of fitness could be the deciding factor in GT going for him.If GT don’t use the right-to-match option on Shami, the other options are David Miller, who is in Set 2, and Noor Ahmad, who is in Set 7. Miller, 34, had a disappointing 2024 season but was in fine form during the recent Caribbean Premier League. Noor, meanwhile, topped the wicket charts in the CPL and at 19, might be seen as an investment for the future.

As Steven Smith brings the curtain down on his ODI career, here’s a look at some of his standout innings

Andrew McGlashan05-Mar-2025

101 vs Pakistan, Sharjah, 2014

This is probably not an innings that will leap into the memory of many, but it was a very significant moment in Steven Smith’s career. It was his first ODI hundred (and, in fact, in List A cricket as well) having not passed fifty in 27 innings to this point as he was shuffled around the middle order. Smith had moved to No. 3 a few weeks previously in Zimbabwe when Michael Clarke had suffered a hamstring injury and in this innings came in to bat in just the second ball of the match. He went on to bat through 44 overs, compiling 101 off 118 balls with just 36 of them coming in boundaries. “An important phase in the life and times of Steven Smith began on this balmy evening in Sharjah,” noted.Related

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65 vs Pakistan, Adelaide, 2015

The World Cup quarter-final was remembered for Shane Watson vs Wahab Riaz, but at the other end it was as though Smith was playing a different game. “In terms of fluency, watching Smith and Watson batting together was like seeing Winston Churchill trying to converse with Manuel from Fawlty Towers,” was how ESPNcricinfo reported the partnership of 89 which put Australia on course for victory. Somewhat surprisingly it was Smith who fell, lbw to Ehsan Adil, for 65 off 69 balls.

105 vs India, Sydney, 2015

The best players perform when it really matters, and following the Pakistan encounter, Smith was without doubt the central figure in propelling Australia into the final with a masterful 105 off 93 balls, capping a season where he had tormented India across Tests and ODIs. His footwork stood out while 77 of his 105 runs came through the leg side. A few days later he would hit the winning runs at the MCG.Steven Smith lit up the SCG twice in three days in late 2020•Getty Images

164 vs New Zealand, Sydney, 2016

This would remain the highest score of Smith’s ODI career as he dominated New Zealand with 164 off 157 balls. There was a steady progression to his landmarks: a half-century from 70 balls, another 50 to reach the century and then just 28 to bring up 150. The innings came in a year that brought him 1154 ODI runs at 50.17. He had been given a life on 13 when BJ Watling dropped a tough chance down the leg side and would turn an uncertain 92 for 4 into an imposing 324 for 8. To cap Smith’s day, he took an astonishing catch to remove Watling – one he would recall as the best of his career.

105 and 104 vs India, Sydney, 2020

We are coupling these innings together given they came in the space of three days and, remarkably, both off 62 deliveries as India’s attack were put through the sword early in the Covid summer of 2020-21. Smith had been searching for his hands, and found them in no uncertain terms. However, in the first of the centuries he was saved by millimeters on 15 when an lbw against Ravindra Jadeja was overturned. A few overs later, he took three boundaries in four balls off Jadeja to supercharge his innings. Across the two knocks, Smith flayed 209 off 130 balls as Australia amassed 374 for 6 and 389 for 4. To add to the astonishing nature of the back-to-back hundreds, Smith had been in doubt for the second match just hours before it started with a bout of vertigo.

Keith Stackpole often set the tone for Australia’s innings in the early 1970s, with his steely presence and bat that spoke volumes

Greg Chappell24-Apr-2025Australian cricket has farewelled one of its most combative and charismatic characters with the passing of Keith Stackpole on Tuesday. A fierce competitor, courageous opening batter, and fiercely loyal team-mate, Stackpole’s influence during a formative period in the game’s evolution was as significant as it was deeply felt by those fortunate enough to share a dressing room with him.Keith’s Test journey began in the middle order, but it was his shift to the top of the order that defined the cricketer – and the man – he would become. It wasn’t just a tactical move; it was transformational. His temperament was perfectly attuned to the demands of facing the new ball. He relished the responsibility, often setting the tone for Australia’s innings with a steely presence and a bat that spoke volumes.What truly set Keith apart was his fierce love of fast bowling. The quicker they came, the more alive he became. His cross-batted strokes – especially the pull and hook – were trademarks, and he never blinked at short-pitched hostility. But it wasn’t just about technique; it was his intent. Defeat stung him personally. He wore responsibility like a badge and took it upon himself to alter the course of matches.Related

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There’s a story, often retold, that speaks volumes about the man. It was Jamaica, 1973, just before the West Indies series. Word had spread about a young Jamaican quick, Uton Dowe – touted as the next Wes Hall. When news came through that Dowe would be rested for a warm-up match, most of the touring side breathed easier. Not Keith. He was genuinely furious – pacing the dressing room, lamenting the missed chance. He wanted to face Dowe, to test himself, to measure the mettle of this rising force.When the first Test came round and Dowe took the new ball to the roar of Kingston’s crowd, Keith was ready. The first ball was short; Stackpole sent it racing to the boundary. He went on to smack seven fours in a fiery innings of 44, dismantling the youngster’s confidence – and with it, his career. It was Stackpole in full: courageous, combative, and utterly unwilling to let reputations go unchallenged.As Ian Chappell’s vice-captain, Keith was steadfast. He gave unwavering support, both on and off the field, and the two forged a friendship that lasted decades. He would not abide criticism of his skipper and was a pillar of strength during Australia’s rise in the early 1970s.Of all his performances, his knock at The Oval in 1972 remains etched in memory. With the Ashes on the line and Australia needing 242 to draw the series, Keith launched into the English attack of John Snow, Geoff Arnold, Tony Greig and Derek Underwood. He belted a commanding 79 – bold, belligerent, and calming to those watching on. It helped secure a pivotal win and symbolised so much of what he brought to Australian cricket: nerve, heart, and a flair for the moment.To his beloved wife Pat and the entire Stackpole family: the thoughts and deepest sympathies of the cricketing community are with you. Keith Stackpole’s legacy won’t just live on in statistics or archives – it endures in the hearts of those who played with him, watched him, and knew what it meant to have “Stacky” at the top of the order.Vale, Stacky.

One year and two presidents since the Awami League government fell, the board still has many issues to address

Mohammad Isam15-Aug-2025When the Awami League government fell on August 5, 2024, there was hope that Bangladesh would finally undergo widespread and comprehensive reform. Or at least those public-facing institutions with public-facing problems would. Like the BCB, the richest sports body in the country. General consensus was that it hadn’t lived up to its wealth or its potential.Two weeks after deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country, one of her favourites, Nazmul Hassan, was no longer the BCB president. Hassan fled the country, as did several BCB directors with close links to him and the Awami League government. Faruque Ahmed, Hassan’s replacement, lasted nine months, before being replaced by Aminul Islam in June this year. Both are former Bangladesh captains, hand-picked by the sports ministry to run the BCB. Faruque’s exit was acrimonious. Aminul is trying to make the best of a limited timeframe as board chief.The next board elections are to be held by October 9, but there is still no proper clarity over the candidates. The chance for serious reform, through much needed constitutional amendments, is all but over. Earlier this year, a constitutional reform committee, mandated to diversify the composition of the board directors, stopped working after the Dhaka club representatives protested against one of their proposals: currently, the BCB constitution allows for 12 board directors from Dhaka-based clubs alone, while the rest of the country, represented by eight divisions and 64 districts, only has ten directors; the committee wanted to rectify this inequality. Now the polls will be held with the existing constitution in use.BCB has also given up on investigating the Hassan-era controversies and scandals. The board’s anti-corruption department is finishing an investigation into a Dhaka Premier League incident, while an independent commission appointed to look into corruption allegations in the BPL is about to submit its report. The country’s anti-corruption commission is investigating broader allegations of financial misappropriation and unfair practices in the BCB under Hassan. The BCB itself hasn’t launched any investigation on Hassan or anyone from his board. The ACC’s inquiry could be just the tip of the iceberg.Elections based on the existing constitution means the next board will be lumbered with the same issues of previous eras. The board will continue to be heavily dominated by the Dhaka clubs, with little say for the rest of the country. In some ways, this lopsided governance structure is emblematic of the BCB’s strange little world. It is what runs cricket in Bangladesh, and many feel that because of it, political influence will continue unabated in the running of cricket.

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In 2013, a five-member bench of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court ruled in favour of holding that year’s BCB elections on its amended constitution. The BCB and the National Sports Council (NSC) were in favour of two crucial amendments: that the BCB president would be voted to power by the directors and not the board’s general body, and that the NSC could appoint three directors (as opposed to one previously). These were meant to be aligned with the ICC’s Woolf Report recommendation in 2011, pushing back against government interference in boards, though the NSC quota was anything but.Hassan made history as the BCB’s first elected president in 2013, though he did, of course, come in via the NSC quota.Nazmul Hassan was always happy to talk to the media•BCBWhen Hassan fled in 2024, the same quota became the trapdoor through which Faruque was made president. And the NSC used the same process to remove Faruque in May this year when he fell out with the government body. Aminul replaced him as the NSC’s representative in the BCB, before the directors elected him as the president.Two months on from taking charge, an interim stint he likened to a T20 innings, Aminul spoke about the surprise offer to become the board chief, and his big plans for reform. An experienced administrator, Aminul is implementing a code called the “triple century”, based on 100% trust, 100% reach (through the country rather than just the pockets), and 100% performance.”I came to Dhaka to attend my nephew’s wedding, and then I became the board president,” Aminul, who otherwise lives in Melbourne, told ESPNcricinfo. “I left a permanent job as the country comes first for me. I began a charter called the ‘triple century’. I want to decentralise cricket. I want to make BCB into a world-class organisation. The country’s best HR firm has already started working on structuring the BCB.”Already, the former Bangladesh captain and their first Test centurion has impressed with his administrative skills. He has questions for every department. Aminul has also engaged a top HR firm to audit the board’s practices. He has also stayed clear of the limelight, hardly engaging with anything other than strictly business. It is a break from AHM Mustafa Kamal or Hasan who spent most of their time talking to the camera. Faruque too didn’t show much proclivity towards atoning BCB’s administrative woes. All of this has reportedly made Aminul one of the BCB president candidates at the elections. He has reiterated that the elections will take place on time, but feels he is at a disadvantage.”I don’t have the ability or [financial] scope to participate in the elections. I don’t represent a [Dhaka] club, neither do I come from a district body. I can only become the board president if the new body of directors [voted through the election] vote me [into power],” he said. “I don’t, however, want to get into a competitive situation. A person has to be qualified to become a BCB president. I think I have the qualifications, having been a cricketer, administrator and coach, but I don’t know if I am the candidate or not.”Faruque was also hoping for a go in the elections, although it is understood that he has stepped back. The name of Tamim Iqbal, the former Bangladesh captain, is also doing the rounds as a possible candidate.The most interesting name is that of Syed Ashraful Huq, the former BCB general secretary who has also served as the Asian Cricket Council’s chief executive in the past. Ashraful is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Bangladesh cricket, the man who formulated the plan for Bangladesh’s Full Member status at the ICC. Although Ashraful hasn’t been in the board since 2000, he was with the ACC till 2014 and has expressed an interest in becoming the next board president.Faruque Ahmed had a short stint as BCB president•BCBThere is concern, however, that the BCB elections might be a bit premature, given that the country’s general elections are scheduled for February 2026. What if, for example, the newly elected government is not politically aligned with the new BCB president and directors? What chance does that board administration have in that situation?Former BCB director Sirajuddin Alamgir feels that constitutional reform would have reduced political influence and that the current system will simply ensure the status quo. The districts and divisions will choose their councillors (members/voters) who have local political backing, rather than experienced organisers – that’s the way the BCB is structurally formed, with deep ties between the board and the government of the time.”We were hopeful that there would be amendments in the constitution, because otherwise it will be old wine in a new bottle,” Alamgir said. “The current system will continue to ignore authentic sports organisers from around the country. Representation from districts and divisions will be dictated by those in power. This keeps the cricket structure weak.”Bangladesh’s cricket needs new blood. It needs new ideas from the new generation. There has to be a radical change in how cricket is run in the country.”

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Alamgir and others like him want to see radical change because of how poorly the BCB was run over the last 15 years and how politicised it was. Hassan was an Awami League member of parliament throughout his tenure as BCB president, and was made the country’s sports minister in 2024. It was a highly conflicted arrangement, being a sports federation head (as the BCB chief) and the sports minister at the same time. He was his own boss.Shakib Al Hasan, an influential figure in Bangladesh cricket, was an Awami League MP•Getty ImagesBCB directors were all either Awami League MPs or relatives of prime minister Hasina or other party leaders. Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza were Awami League MPs too. This is how entrenched the BCB was with the Awami League. It made Hassan the undisputed king of cricket, and the BCB an unusually powerful body.All of this power, however, was sucked out on August 5 when Hasina fled the country. The Awami League government was overthrown by a student-led revolution, with an interim government taking charge.It was also the end of BCB’s unchecked power. Once Hassan and 14 directors fled, the board headquarters became so chaotic that the sports ministry had to intervene. They handed their two BCB directors’ quotas to Faruque and Nazmul Abedeen Fahim. Fahim, a renowned coach and former BCB employee, became the cricket operations head.”They left a damaged cricketing culture,” Fahim told ESPNcricinfo. “The BCB is far removed from fairness, spirit and integrity. It has hurt our overall cricket. We can develop infrastructure in three or four years, but we have to pay the price for the loss of culture. Infrastructure is in a pitiful state. We can’t provide our national teams with a tenth of the facilities that other countries can. We roam around Dhaka, Sylhet and Chittagong looking for good conditions for training camps. The women’s team is now training in BKSP [near Dhaka] where training is off for two days when it rains.”So entrenched was the BCB with the Awami League that they would ignore good facilities to support their politics. They didn’t use the stadium in Bogra as it is the birthplace of Ziaur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Awami League’s main political rival. Bogra hosted six international matches in 2006.”Rather than developing infrastructure, we have wasted facilities in Fatullah, Bogra and Khulna,” Fahim said. “We are trying to revive these stadiums. We are building a few new facilities.”Fahim also has a dim view about Hassan’s famous boast about the BCB’s reserves of BDT 1200 crore, which had revealed the BCB’s misplaced priorities. “Instead of being proud of having a big account in the bank, we should have boasted about having 50 grounds, 20 indoor facilities and 100 bowling machines around the country. These would have helped the players.”For the record, the BCB doesn’t own a single stadium.

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When Aminul became board president, matters were so bad that he said the situation was akin to have been hit by an earthquake.”After an earthquake, you first try to find the surface under your feet. You face barriers everywhere you move. When I became the BCB president, everything was new to me. Nothing was working properly,” he said. “At the same time, [former English Premier League footballer] Hamza Chowdhury came to play for Bangladesh. Sports fans started saying that they are done with cricket. That cricket is dead. We didn’t get a broadcaster for the Zimbabwe Tests. A cricket board has governance and an organogram. A manager has people working under him in each department. Nothing was working. I didn’t know how many people worked under me.”It reflected on the field. In Aminul’s first two months in charge, Bangladesh were beaten by Sri Lanka in a Test and an ODI series, but won the T20I series. They beat Pakistan 2-1 at home, too, in a T20I series. They had begun the year by losing eight out of ten matches across formats.Bangladesh’s men’s team had a poor start to 2025, but recently won T20I series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan•AFP/Getty ImagesBut of late, despite the up-and-down results, Fahim said he had noticed better dynamics within the team, including between the captain, the coach and the selectors. Importantly, he said, a more relaxed relationship between the board and the players had helped. That was always an issue when Hassan, who was notorious for getting involved in dressing-room issues and even selection, was around.”It is not visible but the Bangladesh team is ,” Fahim said. “The environment within the dressing room is such that you couldn’t tell that there are players with three different levels of experience. The captain treats everyone equally.”There’s great understanding between the players and the coaches. Between the coach and captain. Among the coaches also. I think the biggest change is the relationship between the selector, coach and captain. There’s harmony among this trio. There’s respect for each other.”The board doesn’t force them into accountability on a daily basis. We are with them through thick and thin. The cricket side of things is now the most important aspect. They are starting to pay less attention to what’s being said. Of course, this is a gradual process.”It’s only natural that what goes on in the BCB will influence the team on the field. The men’s team performances are as much a national mood indicator in Bangladesh as they are a reflection of the cricket board’s functioning. There’s hope that the October elections will bring a little more stability in the board, and therefore in the country’s cricket. How long the stability lasts, and how much it changes the bigger picture, though, remain in doubt.

With the top order coming unstuck on the big night, it fell on Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube to win it for India, and they did just that

Shashank Kishore29-Sep-20252:49

Was Haris Rauf’s 17-run over the turning point?

Shivam Dube is a T20 World Cup winner. But the impact of his cameo – a 16-ball 27 – in the final against South Africa in Barbados was lost amid the euphoria of Suryakumar Yadav catch and the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja soon after.He had been picked to play a certain role: destroy spin in the middle overs. Because, between January 2023 and April 2024, Dube’s numbers were elite. He had hit 367 runs in 26 innings at a strike rate of 166 while being dismissed just five times. But after that, his numbers began to drop alarmingly. Between May 2024 and midway through the Asia Cup, the strike rate had dropped significantly, to 120, while he had been dismissed 13 times.Also, hardly bowling in IPL 2025 because of the Impact Player rule didn’t help his cause. Dube needed big performances at the Asia Cup.Related

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But his three innings leading into Sunday had brought him only 17 runs. And then he was faced with his toughest job yet: a quad injury to Hardik Pandya needed him to step in as a frontline bowler after the team chose batting insurance in the form of Rinku Singh ahead of an extra bowler in Arshdeep Singh. Then Suryakumar handed him the new ball. He didn’t do badly – 3-0-23-0 was respectable enough.Set 147 to win, Dube wouldn’t have known that his biggest contribution was to come yet. He played his part with a match-defining 33 off 22 balls, which was arguably at par with, if not better than, his Barbados cameo.

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Tilak Varma’s twin hundreds in South Africa last November ought to have put to rest any doubts over his ability as a top-order batter. But when his strike rates were questioned at IPL 2025, and he was even retired out on one occasion, it seemed like a mini setback.A county stint in England brought the confidence back leading into the Asia Cup. And through scores of 31, 29, 30*, 5 and 49*, he had shown sparks of that old consistency. Yet, there was a sense that the one defining knock hadn’t come.On Sunday, in Round Three against Pakistan – in a final, no less – with India’s top order having floundered and the scoreboard reading 20 for 3, there was that defining knock, an unbeaten 53-ball 69 that helped India get past the wobble to blaze past the finish line.

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Between the end of the IPL and the start of the Asia Cup, Dube had prioritised fitness to help improve his pace. He also worked on his variations, while also fine-tuning several facets of his batting. His specific target areas were to get better against spin and be effective against high-pace, short-pitched bowling. Essentially, it was a proper reboot.2:55

Aaron: ‘Dube is one of those priceless players’

Last week against Bangladesh, the spin-basher aspect of his game was tested when he was promoted to No. 3 to be a good match-up against left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed and legspinner Rishad Hossain. But when he was out for 2 off 3, miscuing a googly to long-off, there was a sense he had missed out again.On Sunday, Dube was held back. To be a finisher, rather than an enforcer.India had relied all tournament on Abhishek Sharma’s big starts that covered for the underwhelming returns from Shubman Gill and Suryakumar.In the final, Abhishek was out in the second over, leading to a proper top-order meltdown.Dube had a job to do when he walked out with the side needing 70 off 46. It was the kind of situation where a cameo would only do so much, but a false shot could prove catastrophic. He needed to be the consolidator and the finisher.And so he stood, facing up to scoreboard pressure, the pressure of the occasion and the charged setting, and the pressure of having to prove himself again.Dube scratched around early – three off five balls – and then nearly ran out Tilak before something clicked. Haris Rauf’s high pace and width allowed him to flick a switch as he slapped the bowler through the covers to break the shackles. Suddenly, the shoulders loosened and he was away.It helped that Tilak managed to accelerate too. Getting 47 off 30 wasn’t going to be a cakewalk, but Dube had at least got his eye in. And the moment Abrar Ahmed bowled length into him, the elite spin-hitter from 2023 took over. Dube unlocked the six-hitter he has always been known to be, muscling one with the spin over deep midwicket.When Rauf returned, his famed bat-swing and long levers helped make sweet connection with a low full toss as he clobbered another over deep midwicket to bring the equation down to 17 off 12.Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube’s brisk stand took India to the doorstep of victory•Getty ImagesEvery time India needed a big hit, he provided one to ease the pressure on Tilak. Dube was reasserting himself in the role he had been picked for. But when he fell, caught at long-off, with India needing ten off six balls, he was distraught.Sat on the edge of the steps to the dressing room, face looking down as his forehead rested on the bat handle, Dube wasn’t making eye contact with those around him.Two balls into the final over, when Tilak walloped Rauf over deep square for six, Dube was still distraught, running through the what-ifs possibly. It wasn’t until Rinku hit the winning runs that the pent-up energy burst forth – there was wild fist-pumping, high-fives, back slaps. Dube was back on his feet.He hared out of the dressing room, not particularly running in any one direction – the elation was visible.

****

Dube’s relief was as palpable as Tilak’s joy at having seen this chase through, but he was nearly not the man for India on the night.In the 14th over, after he had done the hard yards and given himself, and India, a chance to breathe, he lay flat on his stomach, scrambling every possible inch he could with his long reach to make the crease with a full-length dive.As the dust off the turf flew into his face, he didn’t want to look up the replays on the big screen. Tilak might have thought that his bat had dangled in the air briefly before he was inside the crease. Unaware, of course, that there was a minuscule portion of his blade that was in safety zone.2:03

Chopra: Tilak understood the need of the hour

It helped that Mohammad Haris may have been a tad late to break the stumps. Tilak had a second chance. He had been on a near run-a-ball 37 at that point, but with the equation down to 64 off 36, he needed to change gears.That started in the following over, when he backed away to first slap Rauf past mid-off for four, and then play a nonchalant pick-up flick to send the ball over deep-backward square-leg – a shot that was all hands and Rauf’s pace. That 17-run over brought it down to 47 off 30.This was when Dube began to feed off Tilak’s form. But with Dube gone, with an over left, it was all left to Tilak. When he hit the second ball – a slower delivery on a length – off Rauf deep into the stands at backward square-leg with a ferocious pull, Gautam Gambhir’s stoic expression changed to full-blown fire, the coach thumping the desk in front of him wildly.And when the job was done, Tilak went on a celebratory run, towards the dugout – pointing to the India crest, saluting the fans and the dressing room… And just like that, any inkling of doubt had gone far away. He was India’s hero on the night, who had unlocked the finisher in him, in the most extreme pressure, of the kind he hadn’t faced in international cricket until that point.For Dube, it was a night that yet again served as a reminder of what he could still bring to this team. With the ball in the powerplay and with the bat under pressure. For Tilak, it was the night he stopped being the promising kid and became the man for the big occasion.

Scotland are heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup after Scott McTominay, Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean all scored incredible goals to inspire the Tartan Army to a 4-2 victory over Denmark in Tuesday's do-or-die qualifier. The hosts needed all three points, whereas the Danes would have qualified with a draw. And in a frantic see-saw battle until stoppage time, Scotland emerged triumphant.

• Tartan Army heading to first World Cup since 1998

  Scotland’s meeting with Denmark had barely begun when one of the most extraordinary goals ever scored at Hampden Park sent the crowd into delirium. It came from McTominay, a player long admired for his engine and commitment but not typically spoken about in the same breath as audacious acrobats. Yet here he was, suspended in mid-air, executing a bicycle kick so clean that even Cristiano Ronaldo would have be proud of it.

  The move began with Ben Gannon-Doak reading an attempted Danish clearance. He stepped in with confidence and turned away from his marker with elegance. He then floated a left-footed cross into the penalty area, a delivery that looked harmless enough until McTominay scored the wonder goal. 

  However, only minutes after his decisive combination of anticipation and artistry had helped conjure McTominay’s wonder strike, Gannon-Doak collapsed to the turf clutching his hamstring. He buried his head in his hands as the medics rushed on, a stretcher in tow. He had been electric from the opening whistle, and his withdrawal sucked much of the early electricity out of Scotland’s performance. McLean, steady and experienced, came on in his place. But the shift in dynamic was undeniable as Scotland had lost their spark.

  A tense and absorbing night at Hampden took a dramatic turn early in the second half when Denmark were awarded a VAR-assisted penalty, sparking the first major twist of a frantic 45 minutes. In the 53rd minute, Gustav Isaksen burst toward the edge of the Scotland box, spinning away from Andy Robertson before tumbling under a late challenge. The on-field referee waved play on, but the replays triggered an immediate VAR review.

  After several minutes of deliberation, the verdict arrived, and it was a penalty for Denmark. Scotland’s frustrations grew as Craig Gordon dived left while Rasmus Hojlund calmly curled the ball into the opposite corner. Just as Denmark seemed poised to tilt the match in their favour, the game flipped again. With 61 minutes on the clock, John McGinn spun past Rasmus Kristensen. The defender dangled a leg, and McGinn hit the deck theatrically. The referee, convinced by the tumble, produced a second yellow card and Denmark were down to ten.

  Three minutes after the red card, Clarke rolled the dice. Off came Ryan Christie and Lyndon Dykes; on came two out-and-out strikers, Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland. It was a declaration of intent that Scotland were going for the win. And the gamble paid off. In the 78th minute, Scotland won a corner on the left. Lewis Ferguson whipped in a devilish delivery that skimmed off Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at the near post. Shankland reacted instinctively, nudging the ball in from point-blank range. 

  But the joy lasted less than three minutes. Down to ten men but refusing to wilt, Denmark pieced together a wonderfully composed move. Hojlund held the ball brilliantly, Isaksen’s cross caused panic, and after Scotland failed to clear, Mattias Kristensen teed up Patrick Dorgu on the edge of the area. He opened his body and stroked the ball past Gordon to complete a finish full of class. 

  But Scotland clawed their way back again when Tierney scored from 25 yards out in stoppage time. It was an extraordinary strike as he curled the ball into the top corner to send Hampden Park into a frenzy. However, the icing on the cake was McLean's strike from the halfway line as he chipped Kasper Schmeichel, who was way off his line. 

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  The MVP

  McTominay produced a moment of individual brilliance to put Scotland in front. It is a goal that would have gone straight into his career highlight reel, and he would be thankful to Tierney that his sublime strike went in for a winning cause.

• The big loser

  Kristensen took his first yellow card to stop McGinn after he was pick-pocketed in a dangerous area in the first half. And just after the hour mark, he emerged second best in a duel once again, and the referee flashed a second yellow. A 10-man Denmark gave their all but ultimately laid down their weapons in stoppage time as Tierney and McLean took centre stage. 

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  Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Philadelphia Phillies were enjoying a 6-0 lead over the Chicago White Sox in the sixth inning on Tuesday night when announcers Tom McCarthy and John Kruk took a bit of a detour. McCarthy offered an on-air birthday shoutout to his former high school basketball teammate, who apparently was a force on the offensive glass.

"He was a heck of a basketball player," McCarthy said. "Played at Rider and Monmouth. It's all because I missed a lot of shots and he cleaned them up."

"I don't want to say anything, but there's someone here in Chicago that does that a lot," Kruk chimed in.

This was an obvious reference to Chicago Sky star Angel Reese, who routinely has her game diminished by accusations that she has inflated rebound figures because she cleans up a lot of her misses. McCarthy predicted that they'd be getting some tweets about this particular exchange.