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New Zealand are still without some of their regulars, while Pakistan have some big issues to address even though it’s the format they are the most consistent in

Danyal Rasool26-Apr-2023When Pakistan cricket fans urged the side to experiment during the T20I series because it “doesn’t matter”, they meant something along the lines of “it doesn’t matter because New Zealand are missing most of their first-choice players, and Pakistan have all of theirs available; so go out, have fun and take risks – the T20 World Cup is 18 months away, the scoreline is immaterial”.But New Zealand clawed back from a 2-0 deficit to get one hand on the trophy after Mark Chapman’s heroic exploits earlier in the week, and Pakistan are beginning to find out that there’s nothing in their cricket that “doesn’t matter”. The criticism in the inquest that followed – both from the fans and the media – wasn’t really too extreme, as it can be. After all, when a side that played the T20 World Cup final just five months prior follows up a series loss to Afghanistan with a split series against New Zealand, who offloaded most of their best players in India en route Pakistan, it must mean something.But there’s little time for Pakistan to worry about that, or indeed for New Zealand to exult in their feats of the past ten days. For the five games coming up in the 50-over format really do matter, offering some of the last real-match practice ahead of the ODI World Cup in the autumn. New Zealand, again, are without some of the players they will have at their disposal for the World Cup, and so have another opportunity to test their bench strength. But with Kane Williamson a high-profile doubt for that tournament, finding someone who can somewhat adequately fill those huge boots might represent priority number one.

Lack of ODI time a worry for Pakistan

For Pakistan, simply the opportunity to play a bit more ODI cricket against a quality side is welcome. Since the end of the last World Cup, Babar Azam’s side has played just 23 ODIs; they played 82 in the preceding World Cup cycle. The last time Pakistan took part in fewer ODIs between two World Cups was the 1979-1983 cycle, and even that included 25 games. Some of that has to do with the postponements and cancellations the Covid-19 pandemic forced, but ODI cricket’s gentle decline from relevance appears to have hit Pakistan’s scheduling especially hard. Even the games they have played haven’t often come against the highest class of opposition; they include six against Netherlands and Zimbabwe, a further three against West Indies during the off-season in Multan, and another three against a completely second-string England side.Pakistan would want Mohammad Rizwan to replicate his T20I form in ODIs•AFP/Getty ImagesBut that doesn’t mean this is a weak ODI side; if anything, Pakistan have greater role clarity and offer more consistency in this format than any other. They won a home series against the No. 1 ranked Australia a little over a year ago, boast a top three that could hold its own against any in world cricket, and eye-watering depth in the pace-bowling attack. There’s quality in the legspin department thanks to Shadab Khan – and recently even Usama Mir – while Mohammad Nawaz’s utility to the side, particularly as a lower-order batter, has grown. They were within one win of rising to the top of the ODI rankings just three months ago, but ended up falling short when New Zealand launched a comeback to take that series 2-1.That remains one of just two series Pakistan have lost in the World Cup cycle, but there remain issues to address. Pakistan are still trying to find a way of sorting out a suspect middle order to balance the burden of run-scoring more evenly through the team; in the period between the two World Cups, no team has relied on its top three more than Pakistan. Haris Sohail was brought back in from the cold to help alleviate that problem, while Agha Salman offers potential of providing some of that stability. Pakistan will hope Mohammad Rizwan can begin taking to this format with the same adroitness as he has the other two formats, and want allrounders Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf and Shadab to fill in some of the gaps.

New Zealand’s chance to lock World Cup contenders

It might appear New Zealand are in a better space with much less pressure and fewer expectations, but this close to a World Cup, any team would wish to have its full squad available. A stronger New Zealand side, after all, did walk away with the series trophy in Pakistan three months ago, and doubling up on that would bring calm to a side that has been extremely dominant this cycle at home, but crumbled frequently against stronger opposition away.Mark Chapman earned an ODI call-up following his T20I century•PCBThat win in Pakistan is something of an outlier; every other New Zealand series win this cycle has either come in New Zealand, or against Ireland, Scotland and – relatively more notably – West Indies. While home form, which includes two series wins against India, is nothing to be sneezed at, it will bear little relevance to the World Cup in India itself. When New Zealand visited India immediately after that Pakistan triumph, they were swept aside 3-0 relatively comfortably.But New Zealand will be encouraged by how well some of the reserve players held up against Pakistan in the T20I series. This close to a World Cup, the incentive to hit another level and book a spot at that tournament will be high. There was little in Chapman’s recent T20 matches to suggest the quality he displayed in Pakistan, and he was instantly rewarded with an ODI berth. That puts him in immediate contention for the World Cup, and if Chad Bowes or Rachin Ravindra – who have showed flashes of form in the T20Is – can replicate their performances, these ODIs may offer New Zealand a lot more cover for their bench over the coming months.New Zealand may have a lot of players in India at present, but even the ones here will fancy a trip across the border in six months. The T20I series may have been shared and will soon be forgotten, but you won’t catch too many claiming this ODI series doesn’t matter either.

Chasing teams have not yet had a distinct advantage this season, and there have been a lot of no-balls bowled

Shashank Kishore08-Apr-2023With the introduction of Impact Players, teams naming XIs after the toss, and DRS for wides and no-balls, as well as the return to the home-and-away format after three years, here are the standout trends from the first week of matches in IPL 2023.

The Indian flavour to Impact Player rule

Barring Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad, who picked three overseas players in their starting XI and brought in a fourth later in the game, the other sides have largely used Indian players as their Impact Player. This rule has therefore opened the door for several players, who would have otherwise struggled to break into the XI.Dhruv Jurel was signed by Rajasthan Royals last year but warmed the bench for an entire season because Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler were their designated wicketkeepers. But the Impact Player rule has allowed specialists like him to come into the game at any point. On IPL debut Jurel, 22, displayed some audacious hitting to make an unbeaten 15-ball 32 that nearly helped Royals pull off a heist.Related

• How amateur Suyash Sharma signed up for KKR's magical mystery spin tour

• The rise and rise of B Sai Sudharsan

• Dhruv Jurel: the Impact Player who waited a while to make an impact

• Dhoni: No-balls and wides are hurting CSK 'really bad'

B Sai Sudharsan, just 21 years old, didn’t get an opportunity to start in Gujarat Titans’ opening game, but an injury to Kane Williamson forced them to bring him in during the chase. His cameo impressed the team management so much that he was slotted into the first XI for their next match. Sai Sudharsan responded with a match-winning 48-ball 62 as Titans, the defending champions, notched up two straight wins to open their campaign.In an age where his contemporaries are either commentating or playing in one of several leagues that have mushroomed for retired players, Amit Mishra might have found a niche for himself in the IPL at the age of 40. Among the last buys at the end of this year’s auction for INR 50 lakh, Mishra was named in Lucknow Super Giants’ starting XI when they were bowling first against Sunrisers Hyderabad on a tailor made black-soil pitch at home. He used his bowling smarts superbly in a Player-of-the-Match performance and subbed out as soon as his spell was done.

No chasing advantage so far

Last year, only three of the first ten games were won by the team batting first. Playing across just four venues in Mumbai and Pune, where conditions were largely similar, had teams following a largely similar ‘win toss and chase’ mantra.This year, six of the first ten games have been won by the team batting first. This is the first season since 2019 to be played in the regular home-and-away format, and teams are playing to their strengths at home.The Super Giants, for example, have prepared different surfaces in Lucknow, to be used depending on the opposition. Against Capitals minus Anrich Nortje, they unleashed Mark Wood on a fast, bouncy red-soil deck and he responded with a five-wicket haul to rout the chase. Against Sunrisers, whose line-up was full of right-handers, they used their spin trio of Krunal Pandya, Mishra and Ravi Bishnoi to point-precision on a black-soil deck that turned and stopped. They picked up 6 for 57 between them in 12 overs.Krunal Pandya, Amit Mishra and Ravi Bishnoi were unleashed on a slow and low pitch in Lucknow•BCCI

Legspinners back in business

Yuzvendra Chahal took a four-wicket haul in his first game to subdue the Sunrisers. Karn Sharma has made the most of his chances in Wanindu Hasaranga’s absence for RCB. Varun Chakravarthy, out to rediscover the form that made him an IPL sensation two years ago, brought out his trademark ripping googlies and carrom balls to stun RCB.Rashid Khan has continued to do Rashid Khan things, with teams now needing to take chances against him too because he’s got a formidable Titans pace attack to back him up.Suyash Sharma, lost in the mire that is Delhi cricket, was so unknown that even Nitish Rana, who comes from the same region, hadn’t heard of him until he joined the Knight Riders camp. On debut, Suyash, nerveless and confident for a 19-year-old, made a splash after coming in as an Impact Player.Overall, this is the most impact legspinners have had in the first ten games of a season over the past three years. They have picked up 33 wickets at an average of 14.4 and an economy of 7.00.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The no-ball problem

More no-balls have been bowled after ten games this season than at the same stage in any other IPL season. In fact, far fewer no-balls were bowled across three seasons combined (2012-2014) than this one so far. It has certainly frustrated an otherwise calm MS Dhoni. “We are bowling too many extra deliveries,” he said after the 12-run win at Chepauk against Super Giants, and even mock-threatened his bowlers that “they will have to be ready to play under a new captain”.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The spin surprise at the death

Spinners have not only taken more wickets in the death overs (overs 17-20) of the first innings this season, but have also had the best economy as compared to their performance after ten games in the previous two seasons.This year, spinners have taken six wickets in the eight overs they’ve bowled at an economy of 7.40. The corresponding numbers for 2022 are: one wicket in three overs at an economy of 7.70. In 2021, spinners picked up four wickets in four overs at an economy of 9.00. With inputs from Shiva Jayaraman

Alan Gardner, Andrew McGlashan and Vithushan Ehantharajah get together to discuss England’s victory at Headingley to keep the Ashes alive

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2023England pulled one back in the Ashes with a tense three-wicket win at Headingley, keeping their chances of reclaiming the urn alive with two to play. Mark Wood was Player of the Match and man of the moment, while Chris Woakes hit the winning runs on his comeback to prevent Australia taking an unassailable lead. On this week’s Switch, Alan Gardner was joined by Andrew McGlashan and Vithushan Ehantharajah to discuss Wood’s rockets, an unexpected Mitchell Marsh hundred, whether England’s allrounders can bring a better balance and which team has more issues going to Manchester.

India have run their hosts close on each of their last five visits, and the pitches there always keep them in the game. Still, they are yet to close out a Test series in the country

Sidharth Monga22-Dec-2023India’s previous Test series in South Africa is unfortunately remembered most instantly for their meltdown on the field and the outpouring of pent-up frustration into the stump mics. The refrain was that the broadcasters were allegedly doing all within their powers to help the home side. “A whole nation against 11 guys,” KL Rahul shouted in the vicinity of the stump mics.It was an uncharacteristic outburst from a team built on cold, calculated professionalism because you couldn’t hope to achieve anything through such a meltdown. Perhaps it was the frustration of coming close to a first series win in South Africa yet again and watching it slip away. Perhaps India felt the broadcasters were scrutinising their maintaining of the ball a lot more than they did the hosts’. It is not an entirely fantastical thought: broadcasters can provide the only evidence for ball-tampering, and no home player has ever been caught so far.Whatever India might have felt at the time about the host broadcasters, that host country has not been hostile to them. Of their last five Test tours to South Africa, spanning 16 years, India have won a Test on four of them and come pretty close to winning on other tour too, taken the series to a decider on four occasions, and been in the series lead twice.Related

• Bavuma: India's bowling attack 'nullifies the advantage' we have

• Rahul's chance to master two formats at the same time

• Elgar to retire from Tests after India series

• Kohli leaves South Africa, likely to be back for first Test

Despite having won the last two Test series in Australia, India can’t claim to have been as consistently competitive in any of the countries that are traditionally difficult for Asian teams to tour – Australia, England, New Zealand being the others – as they have been in South Africa. In fact even during the dark cricketing decade of the 1990s – one away Test win in 10 years – India were once thwarted from closing out a Test in Johannesburg only by an electric storm.South Africa doesn’t limit these pleasantries just to India. Apart from Australia and England, who generally enjoy playing there, Sri Lanka have also recently won a series 2-0 in South Africa. Since the start of 2006, when India started touring South Africa more regularly, England and South Africa have a similar win-loss ratio at home of 2.4 and 2.1 and are in the middle of that table.It’s not because South Africa are not a good team anymore but because the country offers some of the most sporting conditions among dominant home sides. The conditions in South Africa don’t take the opposition bowlers out of the game. Not every team can hope to have the kind of bowling needed to win in India and Australia, but visiting bowlers are often competitive in South Africa and England. Even England, of late, has been taking spinners out of the game. In South Africa, though, the visiting spinners can find something once you move out of the Highveld.

Basically the country assists the widest variety of bowlers. Australia can eliminate swing bowlers, but South Africa can’t. New Zealand can necessitate swing bowlers, but South Africa can’t. From nibbly seam movement at 135kph to genuine swing to raw pace, everything tends to work.

Basically the country assists the widest variety of bowlers. Australia can eliminate swing bowlers, but South Africa can’t. New Zealand can necessitate swing bowlers, but South Africa can’t. From nibbly seam movement at 135kph to genuine swing to raw pace, everything tends to work. While lateral movement doesn’t entirely die, the major source of jeopardy in the second innings is usually uneven bounce.A seam bowler such as Vernon Philander bowling in the mid-130s can be a terror but, equally, swing at high pace like Dale Steyn’s works. Hit-the-deck bowlers come into their own as matches progress because of the cracks opening. There can be enough in Durban and Gqeberha – sometimes even in Cape Town – for spinners to win you Tests, as Rangana Herath and Harbhajan Singh have shown.All this makes batting difficult, but runs come quickly when the conditions settle down. More importantly, the conditions reduce the home advantage by giving the visitors various ways to attack you. To the other extreme of competitiveness, sometimes incomplete attacks can also succeed because you don’t have to keep coming back for good spell after good spell.In many ways, playing in South Africa is like playing in England, which is why these two teams travel to the other country well. Except that it rains much less during the South African summer. Add to the sporting conditions the picturesque grounds with grass banks and fun activities in the stadium from the plunge pool at Centurion to the steel band at St George’s Park, and South Africa is not far from being the best place to watch Test cricket.The St George’s Park steel band in full flow•Getty ImagesIndia, in particular, have managed to find bowlers who regularly keep them competitive in South Africa. Since November 2006 – and this includes series against some great South African sides – India’s bowlers have averaged only five runs more than South Africa’s in South Africa. The corresponding number is 10 in England and seven in Australia.That’s perhaps why it hurts India the most that South Africa is the only place where they haven’t won a series. That’s possibly why they collectively let themselves go in January last year. How much Test cricket is decided by bowlers, though, was apparent in how the series last year came down to the taller South Africa bowlers deriving more out of the pitch in the second innings of the last Test. This was when South Africa were believed to be ripe for the picking, with the biggest name in their batting being Dean Elgar.How many of these Indian players would get such a chance again, they must have wondered. Luckily for them, the Future Tours Programme released later in the year had them touring South Africa the following year itself. Quite a few of that team now have another shot at being the first ones to win a series in South Africa. If anything, their batting looks reinforced, which they will hope offsets the absence of Rishabh Pant. India are fortunate that Jasprit Bumrah is back but unfortunate that Mohammed Shami won’t be available. South Africa have their own fitness concerns with their bowlers.Despite being reduced to just two Tests, this series once again promises to be one where India will be more than hopeful, as they have been on their last two tours to this country. And like the previous tours, you won’t bet against South Africa finding bowlers to hold the fort. It could come down to fine margins again.

All the runs in domestic cricket, “that constant support from myself to myself”, and a maturity that’s taken time coming have lifted Parag to the next level

Shashank Kishore29-Mar-20244:17

Moody: Parag showed us what he’s capable of doing

Riyan Parag had nailed it. Standing deep inside the crease, he picked the length early and walloped the pull front of square. Parag’s eyes were on the ball, in total self-admiration of the connection he had made. Anrich Nortje looked away without looking up.Parag had already hit Nortje for a sequence of 4, 4, 6 and 4 earlier in that over, the final one of the innings. This six, however, took the cake for savagery, swagger and aesthetics all rolled into one. It was as if he knew what was coming. He was ready when the ball – a bouncer at 144kph – was halfway to him, some 0.3 seconds earlier.The over cost 25 and Parag finished unbeaten on 84 off 45 balls as Rajasthan Royals made 185. Astonishing as it may sound, Parag is one of only two batters with over 1000 T20 runs at No. 4 with a strike rate of over 150 and an average over 40. Only once prior to this knock had he batted at this position in the IPL.Related

• Riyan Parag: 'I wanted to know more about my game, because I've been lost inside those 22 yards too many times'

• IPL 2024 trend – the high-impact emergence of the uncapped Indian player

• Shane Bond on Riyan Parag: 'He reminds me of Suryakumar'

• Parag: I have the power to deal with yorkers, short balls

• Parag comes of age to keep Capitals, and away teams, winless

The only other man to have such numbers was watching from afar, awed by what he had just seen. Four years ago, Suryakumar Yadav had been in Parag’s shoes, doing unreal things that earned him the admiration of his seniors. Then India head coach Ravi Shastri was among those wowed by the pyrotechnics.”Surya Namaskar. Stay strong and patient,” Shastri had tweeted, perhaps in an effort to console the man who had missed out on national selection despite having had the kind of IPL he had that year: averaging 40.22 and striking at 155.36 as a finisher; 235 of his 480 runs came in death overs alone, faster than Hardik Pandya and just a shade slower than at Kieron Pollard’s strike rate of 210.25.The same Suryakumar was now watching on TV, gushing about what he’d just seen. “Met a guy at NCA few weeks ago,” his post on X read. “He came with a slight niggle. Completely focused on his recovery and with great discipline working on his skills. And I was not wrong to tell that to one of the coaches there ‘He is a changed guy’. Riyan Parag 2.0. Watch out.”

Met a guy at NCA few weeks ago. He came with a slight niggle. Completely focused on his recovery and with great discipline working on his skills. And I was not wrong to tell that to one of the coaches there ‘He is a changed guy’
RIYAN PARAG 2.0
Watch out

— Surya Kumar Yadav (@surya_14kumar) March 28, 2024

The spinner explains he decided not to take a domestic contract with WA to maximise playing opportunities globally while he remains intent on playing for Australia

Alex Malcolm20-Apr-2024Ashton Agar has become the latest Australian player to make the bold decision to become a freelance global gun-for-hire, and he couldn’t be more excited about it.But the 30-year-old says he remains committed to trying to play for Australia in all three formats, including Test cricket, and playing domestic cricket for Western Australia when he’s available despite opting not to sign a state contract for 2024-25.The decision was made following lengthy and collaborative consultations with WA’s general manager of high performance Kade Harvey, WA coach Adam Voges, Australia coach Andrew McDonald and chairman of selectors George Bailey after Agar did not receive a Cricket Australia contract for 2024-25.Related

• Takeaways: Why Fraser-McGurk and Smith missed out on T20 World Cup selection

• Agar, Stoinis, Behrendorff and Tye go freelance without WA contracts

• Stoinis and Agar lose CA deals while Bartlett earns full contract

• 'Blank page' for Australia's Test batting reserves and Agar's strong World Cup chance

• From Test No. 2 to going home: the bizarre handling of Ashton Agar

It was driven partly by the lack of cricket Agar played at the back end of last summer following the BBL. He found himself playing just three Marsh Cup games and grade cricket after the BBL finished in late January, as Corey Rocchiccioli had established himself as WA’s No.1 Sheffield Shield spinner.Agar did briefly head to South Africa to try and play as a replacement player in the SA20 but did not get an opportunity, before his contract with CA and WA meant he was required to return for the end of the Marsh Cup.Not taking a domestic deal for next summer will free him up to play overseas during the Australian domestic season given he won’t be under contract, as tournaments such as the SA20, the ILT20, the PSL and the BPL all fall in the summer window.”The timing was right,” Agar told ESPNcricinfo. “There’s a lot of things that have been taken into account here. Obviously coming off my Cricket Australia contract and not playing the last couple of games for WA in the red-ball space and just assessing the cricket landscape over the last couple of years and seeing the way that cricket is trending and the way my cricket has been trending, this decision just made a lot of sense to me.”To not take a state contract gives me the flexibility to take opportunities that may pop up around the world.”It allows me to still play for Western Australia. But it doesn’t lock me into just playing state cricket. And I think as someone with aspirations to play at the highest level, which is international cricket, for as long as possible, playing cricket as much as you can is the only thing that gets you there.”WA will still support Agar in terms of allowing him to be part of their squad when he is in Perth. He will have access to the facilities, coaches and medical staff, which is something he is incredibly grateful for.

“Playing for Australia doesn’t mean you have to have a state contract at that time. You just need to be putting your best foot forward for whichever team you’re playing for.”Ashton Agar is committed to play for Australia despite not taking a WA contract

He would also still be eligible for an upgraded state contract if he plays four Marsh Cup games and will still put his hand up to play Shield cricket if the opportunity arises.”My chats with Kade Harvey and Adam Voges have been that whilst I’m not going to be a WA-contracted player, when I’m available to play one-day cricket, I’ll still play one-day cricket for WA and they will support me as a WA cricketer,” Agar said.”I’ve been told I’m going to have that support network around me and I’m super grateful to Western Australia for allowing me to still have that privilege. That means a hell of a lot.”I think the beauty of this decision, it allows me to be available for everything. Obviously, if there’s a white-ball [franchise] opportunity that comes up I’m able to take that now. But if there isn’t and I am available to play a Shield game for WA, of course I would take that opportunity. This decision is all about playing as much cricket as possible.”Agar feels no ill will towards Rocchiccioli’s rise, especially after the offspinner has spoken emotionally and glowingly of Agar’s influence on his own career. Despite making the choice to go freelance, Agar still wants to help the younger generation of WA spin bowling talent when he’s around.”I really love that role of trying to mentor guys like Corey Rocchiccioli, like Hamish McKenzie and even Cooper Connolly to an extent as well,” Agar said. “It’s something that’s really exciting for me.”Agar has taken inspiration from Tim David who has forged an exceptional freelance career without holding an Australian domestic contract. David has become a staple of Australia’s T20I side even after being allowed to miss what would have been his first series for Australia in early 2022 to fulfil a contract in the PSL.Australia’s current selection panel have shown they have no issues picking players who aren’t part of the domestic system, with David making his ODI debut last year having played just one Marsh Cup game.Agar’s situation, however, is more akin to that of Matthew Wade who was able to mix Shield and Marsh Cup commitments for Tasmania in recent years with franchise opportunities, while still being part of Australia’s T20I team including being a stand-in captain.The selectors have also shown they are prepared to pick white-ball specialists for Test tours in certain conditions without playing Shield cricket. Glenn Maxwell was called up for the Sri Lanka tour in 2022 without playing Shield cricket and was very close to playing. Maxwell would likely have been on the India Test tour last year had he not broken his leg and he remains in the frame for the Sri Lanka Test tour next year despite not playing any Shield cricket last summer.Ashton Agar in his delivery stride•Getty Images and Cricket AustraliaAgar has not played a first-class match since his last Test in January 2023. He did go on the tour of India but came home after not being selected for the first two Tests to get some games in for WA ahead of the ODI series. Rocchiccioli’s emergence has made it difficult to find opportunities since.Whilst Agar understands the realities of the decision to go freelance, he is confident that he would not be precluded from selection for an overseas Test tour even if he was not playing Shield cricket.”My chats with Andrew McDonald and George Bailey have all been about playing as much cricket as possible,” Agar said. “Playing for Australia doesn’t mean you have to have a state contract at that time. You just need to be putting your best foot forward for whichever team you’re playing for.”Taking this step probably means I’m going to be playing a bit more white-ball cricket than red-ball cricket. And that’s just the reality of this decision. But the Australian selectors have shown over recent history that they’re willing to pick guys based on conditions and that’s a really exciting thing.”If there was a subcontinent tour and my skillset was required, and I was playing well at the time, then I think maybe I still would be a chance for that and that’s quite an exciting proposition regardless of how much red-ball cricket I’ve played at the time.”Agar is essentially betting on himself and is invigorated about exploring what opportunities could come his way. He is currently preparing for the T20 World Cup at home in Australia and appears set to be part of Australia’s 15-man squad as the second spinner alongside Adam Zampa. He did explore flying to India to train with an IPL franchise but the travel schedules of the teams made it too difficult.He is hopeful of potentially signing an MLC or Hundred deal for later in the year but now also has the flexibility to sign deals in the SA20, ILT20, BPL or PSL either side of his BBL deal with Perth Scorchers.Agar has taken inspiration from watching Sunil Narine batting at this year’s IPL•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesHe is also working hard on his batting with personal batting coach Viv Paver and WA’s batting coach Beau Casson to become a true allrounder in T20 cricket. Agar’s batting potential has been evident since his stunning 98 on Test debut in 2013. His best BBL innings, 68 off 34 in 2016, came batting at No. 5 and he has even opened the batting for his country in two T20Is in 2022, as Australia looked for ways to find him a role in the top seven to give them a fifth specialist bowler in the XI.He said he learned a lot from that experience and has taken inspiration from watching Sunil Narine’s late-career batting renaissance in the IPL this season.”I love seeing him opening the batting and playing with such freedom,” Agar said. “I think we’ve actually got quite similar bat swings. Getting that opportunity would probably be the next step. Having a real crack at the top of the order would be something I’d love to do. But there’s a hell of a lot of work that has to go in into that.”I really think I can bring value to teams with the bat. But it’s up to me to keep putting in the work. This opportunity now gives me the chance to specialise a little bit more: take it away from the red-ball style of batting and really get specific on what I need to do to be a really effective hitter in white-ball cricket all throughout the order.”

There was no animosity between the sides this time, but it was still an engrossing game

Shashank Kishore21-Apr-20241:17

Tom Moody analyses Starc’s final over against RCB

KKR versus RCB at Eden Gardens is often an eventful contest.There was the infamous 49 all-out in 2017, and more recently ‘lord’ Shardul Thakur scored a brazen half-century to pull off a stunning rescue act.On a sweltering Sundary afternoon, KKR and RCB played out another memorable game in Kolkata, and though nearly 450 runs were scored it wasn’t your regular IPL run fest. In the end the contest was decided by… well, the barest of margins. With a wicketkeeper from England diving full length to break the stumps and run out a batter from New Zealand, who was attempting a second run off the final ball to take the match into a Super Over.The heartbreak was once again RCB’s to suffer as their season hurtles towards an early conclusion with their seventh loss in eight games. And yet, this hit different, because it was different from their feuds with KKR in the past.Only a month ago, KKR’s mentor Gautam Gambhir had said the “one team I wanted to beat every time and probably even in my dreams was RCB.” But there he was, on the eve of the match, displaying camaraderie for the second time this season with Virat Kohli, whom he has had several feisty altercations with in the IPL.Related

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• How RCB finished so near and yet so far against KKR

• KKR survive Karn scare to win by one run

• Du Plessis: 'Your decision making is clearer when you are winning games'

The contest came alive nonetheless through Phil Salt’s salvo in the powerplay, RCB’s exceptional catching, and an exchange of blows that ensured that neither team stayed in control for too long. There was a flashpoint at the start of RCB’s chase when Kohli’s cameo – which included a no-look six off Mitchell Starc – was cut short by a high full toss that he felt should have been a no-ball, but the flaring of tempers died down once it was clear the decision was based on technology and not human intervention.A 102-run stand for RCB’s third wicket between Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar threatened to decide the game far too early. An ask of the nature of 86 off 54 balls with eight wickets in hand should have been straightforward in this extremely high-scoring season, but it is rarely so between RCB and KKR. Four wickets in the space of two overs, and the visitors were reeling.Dinesh Karthik, who had scores of 53 not out and 83 in RCB’s most recent defeats, brought the game down to 31 off 12 balls. One big over away from ending a run of five successive defeats. A finishing test a day after he expressed his desire to play the 2024 T20 World Cup for India. But when Karthik fell for an 18-ball 25, RCB still needed 21 off the final over with only two wickets in hand.Mitchell Starc stood at the top of his mark. He’d been expensive all season and he’d gone for 36 in his first two overs on Sunday, but surely with Karn Sharma and Mohammed Siraj at the crease, the game was beyond RCB?Mohammed Siraj is distraught even as KKR celebrate their dramatic one-run win•BCCIOn a pitch where pace-off seemed the way to go, Starc trusted his Plan A: pace-on. He went full and he went fast, but he missed his lengths. The first ball of the final over to Karn was in the slot outside off stump and disappeared over the cover boundary. The second was similar too; this time it grazed the edge of Karn’s big swing but the TV umpire decided the ball had bounced just before Salt collected it behind the stumps.Yorker anybody? Or what about the bouncer? Sweat pouring off his face, his purple jersey clinging to his skin, Starc was on his haunches two balls in. He rose to deliver more of the same. Karn stayed inside his crease, cleared his front foot, and slammed the third and fourth deliveries over extra cover and point for sixes.With only three to get off two balls, and RCB’s hopes as high as they’d been all day, Starc found his length and delivered a yorker-length delivery. Karn connected with the toe of his bat and Starc bent down low to grab a sharp return catch with just one hand. Under pressure in oppressive conditions, he had managed to cling on when it mattered most.It seemed to have taken plenty out of Starc but he managed to bowl a tight last ball, yorker-length and tailing away as Lockie Ferguson squeezed it to deep cover. The throw to the wicketkeeper was poor and it took an outstanding take and dive from Salt to break the stumps and leave RCB one run short of where they needed to be.It was a strange contest, with 12 scores more than 15 but none higher than 55, the most in that range in any IPL game. And though it didn’t have the headline performance that lingers in the memory, it did have the fight and the finish to further embellish the RCB-KKR rivalry.