Bumble on hot tubs, mascot races, community engagement, and treading on egg-shells

David Hopps23-May-2022A familiar voice will be missing when the Vitality Blast begins its 20th year. David Lloyd, the commentator who has symbolized the tournament’s distinctive mix of deadly serious sport with a little fun on the side, will no longer play a leading role.Lloyd’s commentary career came to an abrupt end over the winter – he became collateral damage when the debate over racism and Azeem Rafiq was at its most feverish. He made some private observations about the challenges of integrating Muslim players into club cricket, pertinent yet trenchantly expressed. That confidence was broken, Rafiq bared his soul in his appearance before the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee in November and wheels began to turn. Apologies were made on all sides, understanding reached, wounds healed, but a few days before Christmas, Lloyd’s “retirement” was announced.If he is bitter about the circumstances of his departure, he is wise enough, human enough, to leaven it with good humour. He also knew deep down that the tone of cricket commentary was shifting and, as his 75th birthday loomed, it was not playing to his advantage, not even to one of the finest raconteurs the game has ever known.”I grew up with Elvis and the Stones and there was a poor man’s Elvis at the time called PJ Proby who was most famous for splitting his trousers on stage,” he mused. “He once had a No. 1 hit with a song called ‘I Apologise’. He’d make a fortune now.”I will miss working on the Blast incredibly, just as much as Test cricket, but it is a different age and you can’t get away from that fact. And it’s not my style to watch your Ps and Qs. Somebody else can do that.Related

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“My first T20 game was down at Hove with Charles Colvile. It reminded me so much of how 40-over cricket had taken county cricket by storm a generation earlier. The counties backed it up with gimmicks and at that particular one there was a fun fair. Charlie was always saying ‘all the fun of the fair’, it was one of his fall-back lines, and he said to me ‘I see the screamer’s here’. I said: ‘Is she really? I’ve not seen her for ages’. Imagine doing that now.”The hot tubs stay in my memory. The Worcester one was full of models and I had to go and chat to them. At Leicester they made it a more mature hot tub and it was bubbling up to which I said ‘Is that a machine or is it you?’ Different times.”Lloyd tells how the pressure on commentators used to be the reverse.”When Mark Nicholas went to Channel 9 years ago, he thought he was doing fine. Then the call came through on the red phone, a direct line to Kerry Packer. The big boss. The man who caused the explosion in one-day cricket. Mark thought that he was doing great and was summoned to see him. ‘I want you to entertain me,’ said Packer. ‘You’re boring me rigid.'”Anything went and that has been unbelievably reined in. You were encouraged then to take it to the limit. Take a risk. Now you have to be PC. I was on egg-shells a bit by the end. There was more of a danger of a call from upstairs.”Lloyd’s love affair with cricket remains as strong as ever. He is as proud a Lancastrian as ever, and is excited to be part of Lancashire’s in-house coverage, Lancs TV, this summer, but he now lives in North Yorkshire on the other side of the Pennines. The rural life suits him.He has made a miniature cricket ground in his back garden, big enough to stage an U-13 game, complete with old-fashioned pull roller, groundsman’s hut and a wooden bench where he can tell old stories till the end of time. “I’m getting some tins for the scoreboard,” he said, with a relish that is impossible to resist. There has always been a touch of eccentricity in Bumble. It is what gives him his life force.Consider this for an eccentric notion. David Lloyd – with the weight behind him of 407 first-class matches and 288 List A games, over 21 seasons, spells as a first-class umpire and England coach, and rounded off with a 22-year commentary stint that made him one of the most loved figures in English cricket – thinks the Blast is a better T20 tournament than the IPL.No wonder he often used to go to the pub in disguise.”I think the Blast is the best T20 competition in the world – not for its quality necessarily, but for its longevity, the joy that it brings to spectators in the UK culminating in one of the greatest days in the cricket calendar – Finals Day – which I used to dread. Fourteen hours, full on, with a mascot race when I didn’t have a clue what they were doing and the Hollies Stand where they don’t know what day it is from 10 o’clock in the morning.Performing as Johnny Cash, alongside Andrew Flintoff’s Elvis, during Finals Day at Edgbaston in 2017•Getty Images”I have worked on the IPL, but it is a private enterprise and benefiting already wealthy people. The T20 Blast is for the people and bringing money into the game. That’s a major factor for me in saying it is the best. The IPL fits an Indian audience because the players are Gods out there, but it is deadly serious. If I am doing a T20 game I’ll have a hoot. Blokes messing up and having a laugh, although serious enough that everyone cares about the outcome. I embraced the competition straightaway and could see that it is fun and entertainment.”Now the Blast is under pressure, part of a county game that feels under siege. Attendances were at record levels before the disruption caused by Covid, but since then the Hundred has been heavily marketed and a few county officials are looking at advance Blast ticket sales this summer with a little concern. The future of the professional game in England is impossible to predict.”The Hundred is fun and has brought new interest. But the problem is it doesn’t fit, it messes up too many other things. If you look at the three main players – ECB, Sky, BBC – ECB like it because it brings a shed-full of money, Sky’s viewing figures are high, and it gets the BBC into the game, a game that is short and that fits their schedules. But it kills county cricket.”Lloyd’s fondest memory of the Blast is the climax to the 2010 final when Hampshire’s Dan Christian called for a runner then inadvertently ran a leg-bye off the last ball himself. Somerset’s fielders could have pulled off a run-out, but nobody wised up to it and if the umpires hadn’t eventually called dead ball, the players might still have been out there, 12 years later.”I am commentating but, in my head, I am umpiring as well. Somerset look demoralised and eventually the umpire had to call dead ball because they didn’t appeal for the run-out. It reminded me of a similar occurrence at Derby when Ole Mortensen did exactly the same. Pete Willey was umpiring and he told a fielder to throw the ball to the keeper, and take the bails off. There was a matter-of-fact appeal. That’s out. ‘What?’ said Ole. He could swear a bit. ‘I’m in, he’s in, he’s in, we’re all in.’ ‘Yeah, but you should be in at that end.’Michael Vaughan is interviewed by Lloyd as he takes part in the mascot race•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesChat to Bumble about cricket and, in between a torrent of old tales from his playing days – Ken Higgs never having a shower, and David Steele nipping off the field during a South Africa tour because he had just spotted a mate in the crowd he hadn’t seen for years were among those that spilled into his mind on this occasion – it is not long before his bugbear about the pace of the game gets an airing.”When they started T20, the players themselves were unsure about it so it was a bit of a softly-softly approach and it was seen as a bit of a giggle. But it was a quick game. You had to be out there quickly as a batsman. Now the players have just said they’ll take as long as they want because there is no punishment, they’ll just swan around.”It was a better game when you had to get in to bat. You should have a ticking clock and if they don’t get to the crease in time, just bowl. The Laws of the Game say that when the bowler gets to the end of his run the batsman has to be ready. I’d add to that, if you’re not ready, just bowl.”I am perplexed that players don’t understand that the game needs pace. Everything has improved out of sight except the pace of the game. I’d implore players to put it right. I would think that umpires are told to cajole and try to move things on, but there is no comeback when they don’t. There are many reasons why cricket isn’t on terrestrial TV, but one of the reasons is the length of time it takes – they can’t schedule it. It has to finish on time.”There was still a chance to nudge him gently away from a string of tales of an old Derrick Robins tour of South Africa, and back to the Blast.One of his wishes is to see a Roses T20 match at Scarborough – although it will only happen if he volunteers to stump up the fall in revenue as a result. “That’s my favourite cricket ground in the world. I used to love the barracking when I played there for Lancashire. ‘Get back over’t bloody Pennines!’ Bluey Bairstow would march into our dressing room, telling us what pubs we’d be going to afterwards and how we’d all finish up in the chip shop.”A more feasible wish is simply for the counties to fill the grounds. He is influenced by too many low-key Blast nights at the more quiescent counties, where building up an atmosphere on commentary has been a thankless task. He watches non-league football at York City these days, but he also cares deeply for his home-town club, Accrington Stanley, one of the most famous names in football history, where the chairman, Andy Holt, “does community”. And, for Bumble, community matters.”People rubbish the Hundred and defend the Blast but, having done matches at Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Northants, there are 3,000 there. Market it better. Get your bars and hospitality working, have a fan zone before the game: £2.50 a pint, two live bands, if we win it’s a £1 a pint – just like we do at Accrington Stanley. Fill your ground, somehow. Your players deserve it. Get them into the ground. It’s a great night.”ESPNcricinfo LtdBumble picks his ‘Entertainers XI’1. Alex Hales
“An assassin, made for T20. Big levers and hits it a long way.”2. Luke Wright
“Reminds me of the old comedian Norman Wisdom, and he comes from Sussex as well. Little cheekie chappie, fantastic longevity.”3. Aaron Finch
“He once hit two simultaneous sixes at Old Trafford and hit the top of The Point. Extraordinary. A happy-go-lucky, powerful cricketer.”4. Samit Patel
“Never far away from a disaster. Great watching him. And he has lovely touch, power and supreme confidence with bat or ball.”5. Liam Livingstone
“He is from Cumbria. A tough lad. If there’s any bother he’ll sort it out.”6. Moeen Ali (captain)
“One of my favourite cricketers. He makes me chuckle. He reminds me of a league cricketer – he gives it a tonk, he bowls a bit and enjoys what he’s done. He is a terrific human being.”7. Andrew Flintoff
“I’m not leaving him out. More comebacks than Frank Sinatra. And one of the great crowd pleasers.”8. Shahid Afridi
“Another one to fill grounds. He thinks every ball should be hit for 10.”9. Phil Mustard (wicketkeeper)
“Got to have ‘The Colonel’ behind the stumps. I think he comes from a foreign country. Pick him up on the stump mic and you hadn’t a clue what he was saying.”10. Mark Wood
“There’s little more exciting than an ability to bowl at 150kph. And he’s a tee-totaller: just imagine how quick he’d be if he had a drink.”11. Luke Fletcher
“Epitomises county cricket. A complete throwback to when I played. Sweating and kicking, and looks like he gets a bit thirsty, but knows what he’s doing.”

The shot isn’t working for him – or his team, so there could be a case for him to shelve it and find another way

Mohammad Isam13-May-2022Halfway through the first innings of the Gqeberha Test against South Africa in April, Mushfiqur Rahim was battling towards his first fifty in eight Test innings. He wasn’t looking completely out of form but the fact that he had only three half-centuries since the start of 2021 was a concern. Mushfiqur had moved to 47 with the visitors teetering in the presence of their last recognised batting pair.Simon Harmer was brought into the attack for the first time on the third day at this point with two possible overs remaining before lunch. It shouldn’t have been a make-or-break time for Bangladesh, but Mushfiqur suddenly decided to go after the offspinner.First ball, Mushfiqur didn’t time his sweep perfectly, but the ball floated away towards backward square-leg for a boundary. It got him to his fifty. Next ball, Mushfiqur went back to block a ripping offbreak and was hit on the pads. South Africa had lost all their reviews by that time, so he survived.With just ten balls remaining before the lunch break, Mushfiqur could have either rotated the strike or shut shop. Instead, he went for a reverse sweep against Harmer’s around-the-wicket angle. He missed it by a distance, and was bowled, as Harmer roared in approval.On TV commentary, Mark Nicholas, only minutes ago, had praised Mushfiqur for his professionalism. It was the fourth time Mushfiqur had got out playing the reverse sweep in just over a year. Bangladesh were in a difficult position on all those occasions .Bangladesh were eventually bowled out minutes after the lunch break. Mushfiqur then played another extravagant shot during Bangladesh’s blowout next morning when they were all out for 80 in the fourth innings. Rather than celebrating how the tour started, it ended with Mushfiqur’s shot – and by extension his mindset – being heavily questioned by fans and media alike.

****

So why did Mushfiqur try the reverse sweep few minutes before lunch? On the face of it, here’s a senior player who trusts his own game plan, and was just trying to put off Harmer who had just come into the attack for the first time in the day. But this is also a senior player who was the last recognised batter in a game that was delicately poised.Veteran coach Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, whom Mushfiqur had last week invited to work on his batting, said that the reverse sweep usually comes out when Mushfiqur is bereft of options, particularly when he is not in good form.

“Mushfiq is a fantastic reverse sweeper which has got him a lot of runs in the past. If you are a left-handed batter, you will be under pressure if you are cover driving in the first 20-30 balls. It is okay when you play that shot after you made 50 or 60.”Russell Domingo

“It is a matter of personal choice,” Fahim said. “He also knows that he can benefit from it if he can make it work. When the easy options to score runs are fluent and open, then usually batters don’t go for those shots. But when the options are few and form isn’t great, then maybe a batter goes into those shots to get out of a situation. I am expecting him to score in his natural way. I don’t think he would need to get into those options.”Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo said that Mushfiqur plays the reverse sweep well but he should consider a few key questions before bringing it out.”If you say that the opening batsman getting out cover driving, you stop cover driving or playing through midwicket getting out lbw,” Domingo said. “If it is a shot you are confident in, and believe in, you know it’s a good option. There’s nothing wrong in playing it. I think the timing of playing the shot is important. When do you play the shot? Why you are playing the shot, is it to manipulate the field?”Mushfiq is a fantastic reverse sweeper which has got him a lot of runs in the past. If you are a left-handed batter, you will be under pressure if you are cover driving in the first 20-30 balls. It is okay when you play that shot after you made 50 or 60.”Fahim said that he has been working with Mushfiqur about a more technique-related issue and believes it would be only a matter of time for the form to be restored.”Sometimes when a batter goes away from his natural game, from his basics, it affects his form,” Fahim said. “Confidence can be lost, and that has an influence on his basics. Then you tend to try different things to come back, which ultimately doesn’t always work. So we were focused mostly on the basics.”His advantage is his experience of over 15 years. Once he can overcome his technical issue, he will start scoring runs. He knows how to score runs. When his flow returns, he will be as fluent as always.”

****

The dismissal at Gqeberha was the second time Mushfiqur got out playing the reverse sweep in Tests since 2014. The first was against West Indies last year in Dhaka, while batting on 54.But it seems like this shot has caused him problems across formats in recent years. Generally, he has timed the ball well when trying to play the reverse sweep, having struck 38 fours in 107 attempts, getting out a total of nine times.Four of those dismissals have come since February 2021. He has also struck just two fours out of the 18 times he attempted the shot. Before this period, he was finding boundaries 40% of the time he was hitting a reverse sweep. In the last 18 months, it has dropped to 11%.To make matters slightly more complicated, after he got out to a reverse sweep in an ODI in May last year, he said it was one of his favourite shots and if the chance comes, he would play it four or five times in a match. Since he has also often played that shot in high-pressure moments, the statement hasn’t aged well.More than what he has said, however, it is also surprising that a batter of his experience and calibre continues to play a shot that isn’t really working for him. It is not working for his team either, and Mushfiqur might want to rethink his shot selection.The Waugh brothers shelved the hook and pull in the 1990s when it wasn’t working for them. Sachin Tendulkar famously didn’t play a cover drive during his Sydney double-hundred. It didn’t reduce them as batters, but probably helped them during a lean patch. Perhaps Mushfiqur, who is known for his training intensity and single-mindedness as a cricketer, will also figure out how to get over this mental barrier.

The allrounder says West Indies should be wary of Zimbabwe, Ireland and Scotland in the first round of the T20 World Cup

Deivarayan Muthu25-Sep-2022Fearlessness and clarity of thought, Jason Holder says, have transformed him into a versatile white-ball player. From being thrashed by AB de Villiers in the 2015 World Cup game in Sydney, where he went for 104 in ten overs, Holder has added more strings to his white-ball bow and is now among the most sought-after allrounders in T20 cricket.Holder can not only bowl with the new ball but also nail yorkers at the death. With the bat, he can finish the innings as well as construct it up the order and disrupt spinners with his long reach. After Barbados Royals’ regular captain David Miller and regular wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock returned home to tune up for the India tour, Holder was promoted to No. 5 against Guyana Amazon Warriors. He responded with an unbeaten 40 off 33 balls on a Tarouba track where no other batter passed 20.Related

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“I think I’ve come a long way,” Holder told ESPNcricinfo, reflecting on his evolution. “I was actually sharing the experience I had in one-day cricket down to AB de Villiers when he played in Johannesburg first and then in the 2015 World Cup in Sydney. I think at those times I was probably a little bit timid, and I understand that to be successful in and amongst the big dogs in the game, you need to be brave and clear.”I think clarity goes a long way in anything you do – in sport and probably life. Having a clear mind to execute – it definitely helps in a big way. I think back then and [during] my development over the years, one thing that is probably talked about is my bravery – being able to put my hand up in tough situations and get myself through. I mark myself pretty hard after a performance but I’m not one of those persons to beat myself up; I understand that life is full of setbacks and life is full of disappointments but it’s more or less about how you rebound from it. And I think the biggest thing to take from the experience is learning. Once I learn from an experience, it’s just more or less about trying not to repeat the same mistakes and that’s where the learning takes place.”

“Ramon Simmonds has really impressed me… To just see his composure under pressure and then him having the confidence to execute slower balls and yorkers to big players at big stages of the game is quite impressive”

Holder prides himself on being a senior player who shows the way for the youngsters in the Royals set-up. Having seen the progress of Ramon Simmonds from close quarters, he gave the 20-year-old left-arm seamer a glowing appraisal. Simmonds is only in his first CPL season but has fronted up to bowl the tough overs for Royals and the management is so impressed by him that their franchise (Paarl Royals) scooped him up for the SA20 too.”The main thing for them [youngsters] is to understand themselves and that’s something I had to work out coming up as a youngster as well,” Holder said. “For me it’s important, I help pave the way for them to understand themselves. Once I do that, I think the execution becomes a lot easier for them. Someone like Ramon Simmonds has really impressed me, particularly because this is the first time I’ve played with him. To just see his composure under pressure and then him having the confidence to execute slower balls and yorkers to big players at big stages of the game is quite impressive to me. I think he has talent that not many people can boast of at such a young age. Once he continues to develop, the sky’s the limit for him.”Obed McCoy, the other left-arm quick, has also been central to Royals’ run to the playoffs, forging a potent partnership with Holder. McCoy and Holder have taken a combined 27 wickets so far with their bag of variations.”Obed has obviously been around now for a couple of years and his skill level is right up there,” Holder said. “He’s probably one of the most skilled bowlers that we’ve produced in a very long time, and it is showing – he has been successful around the world. He has played in the IPL, county cricket, he has done well in the Caribbean as well. Again, if he continues to develop, and understands himself, then nobody can really stop him.Holder is among the leading wicket-takers in CPL 2022•CPL T20 via Getty Images”He has got the talent and all the deliveries you could think of. So, it is important for me to continue to help them. Whatever they ask, just try to have answers for them. If I don’t have answers at a particular time, [I] try my best to find them and help them as much as I can. It’s like being a parent. I don’t have any children but I see them as my little sons (). So, it has been great so far and I’ve enjoyed it – not only on the field but off the field as well.”Holder backs Pollard, Sammy’s calls for a local T20 tournament
Holder has added to the chorus for a local T20 tournament in the Caribbean that could act as a stepping stone for the CPL. Trinbago Knight Riders captain Kieron Pollard and St Lucia Kings head coach Daren Sammy had earlier called for a domestic T20 tournament, in addition to the 6ixty and the CPL, that would help expand West Indies’ talent pool.

“Ireland, Scotland and Zimbabwe by no means are pushovers. We’ve got to take it as seriously as we possibly can and just make sure we get into the next phase of the tournament”

“I 100% agree [with Sammy and Pollard],” Holder said. “I think we need to play more T20 cricket. If you look around the region, the only T20 cricket we play is the CPL cricket. There should be a stepping stone to the CPL and that way we will see a lot more local talent being exposed. I think it will be fairer on franchises to actually see the full set of talent we have here in the Caribbean. Trust me there’s a lot more talent in the Caribbean that we’ve not had the privilege to see and if you have a stepping-stone tournament leading up to the CPL, I think it gives you a great opportunity to see a wider bundle of talent.”Holder also hopes to see more age-group tournaments and camps to groom talent although that would be a financial strain on CWI.”Along with doing that [staging a local T20 tournament], maybe more development camps, maybe more camps to bring the young talent we have and just try to develop them. It’s tough on Cricket West Indies, yes, and it’s a heavy burden in terms of financial costs, but if we can find some sponsors to have more camps and more age-group tournaments and more age-ground workshops, then I feel we can really hone in and develop the talent that we have here in the Caribbean. A lot of people have talent, but talent doesn’t get you anywhere. You’ve put in hard work and development around it to really reap the benefits of talent.”Holder is one of the most sought-after allrounders in T20 cricket•Getty ImagesWI should be wary of Zimbabwe, Ireland and Scotland – Holder
Holder has warned his West Indies team-mates against complacency in the first round of the T20 World Cup, where they will face Scotland, Zimbabwe and Ireland.”We’ve got a task to uphold in terms of qualifying first [for the main round],” Holder said. “More or less, we have to focus on the qualifier [first round]. Ireland, Scotland and Zimbabwe by no means are pushovers. We’ve got to take it as seriously as we possibly can and just make sure we get into the next phase of the tournament.”West Indies left out Andre Russell and Fabian Allen for the T20 World Cup, but Holder is pleased with the depth in the squad and sees the qualifier round as an opportunity to build early momentum in the tournament.”I think it’s good in a way that we’re playing the qualifiers,” Holder said. “West Indies teams of the past have proved that we get better as we go along. To have the warm-up phase of the tournament and then to go into the actual group stage after qualification, I think it’s going to be to our betterment in the sense we get more cricket. The talent we have got – depth in terms of resources and batting and bowling – we’ve always been pretty athletic in the field, so I’m looking forward to that challenge. But before that, I want to finish off strongly with the Royals and lift that [CPL] trophy.”

Netherlands’ coaching consultant had spent seven days in an induced coma after going into cardiac arrest in the UK in April

Tristan Lavalette29-Oct-2022On the long journey from Sydney to Perth, Ryan Campbell found himself struggling to focus on watching films during his flight.So, instead, he decided to stare at the flight path and his emotions stirred when he realised the plane was flying over Kalgoorlie, Western Australia’s famous gold-mining town where he spent some of his formative years.”There was this calmness that I felt. I’m home,” Campbell, the former Australia wicketkeeper-batter and Netherlands coaching consultant, told ESPNcricinfo.Two days ahead of the T20 World Cup game between Netherlands and Pakistan at Optus Stadium, Campbell returned home to Perth for the first time since April. Back then, Campbell had enjoyed a long-awaited homecoming after two years due to WA’s strict Covid-19 hard border.”It was the first time I saw mum and dad since Covid-19. I saw mates and watched the (AFL team) Dockers play,” Campbell said. “I was fit and healthy.”But just days after he left Perth, Campbell went into cardic arrest in the UK while playing with his two children in a playground. He was given CPR at the scene before spending seven days in an induced coma.Related

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He was given only a seven percent chance of survival, but rallied and has since made a full recovery.”That’s why everyone who had seen me in Perth couldn’t quite believe what happened to me literally just a few days after I left,” Campbell said. “They were all shocked.”Having endured so much, Campbell, who has children aged seven and four, savoured spending time with close mates at a bar shortly after arriving in Perth on Friday. Some of them hadn’t seen him since his near-death experience.”It’s great to be back, almost a bit surreal,” he said. “When we were in Geelong [for the first round], I had a reunion with friends. Guys from Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne flew in.”It was emotional to see them, emotional for them too. Grown men were in tears and giving me hugs. I’m lucky to have those people around me.”

“Grown men were in tears and giving me hugs. I’m lucky to have those people around me.”Ryan Campbell, the former Australia player and current Netherlands coaching consultant

His mates like to rib him by dubbing him the ‘Prince of Perth’ due to Campbell’s popularity as a flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter. He had also carved an effective opening partnership with Mike Hussey during WA’s heyday in the late 1990s. He was a prominent figure in the local media after he retired from cricket in 2006 before heading abroad.But that moniker might not be a stretch of the truth with Campbell, who played two ODIs in 2002, warmly embraced by several patrons at the popular watering hole.”There were times I didn’t think I would ever be back in Perth,” he said. “I’ve spent five years in the Netherlands and the five before that in Hong Kong, but I’ll always call Perth home. I’m the most proud person of this wonderful state.”Ryan Campbell forged a strong opening partnership with Mike Hussey during Western Australia’s heyday in the late 1990s•Getty ImagesWhile in Perth he’ll also catch up with his parents, having not seen his dad since April. “We’ll talk a lot of rubbish and what’s going on,” he said. “Of course, he’ll have an opinion on the cricket, as he always watches it.”On the Netherlands’ team bus from the airport to hotel, Campbell excitedly pointed out the city’s landmarks to his wide-eyed players who were mostly making their first visit to Perth.”I’m like a proud dad wanting to show off their babies,” he said. “On the bus I was pointing out the stadium and the Swan River. The guys were in love with it already.”Having passed the head coach reins to Ryan Cook, the T20 World Cup is a swansong for Campbell with the Netherlands after almost six years. With his young family entrenched in the Netherlands, with his children speaking fluent Dutch and proudly supporting the Netherlands at the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Campbell was uncertain about his next move.”My family is very settled in Europe. The kids are in school. We’ll only move if there is something set in stone,” Campbell said. “The romantic in me would be keen to coach in Australia but it’s tough to get a job there. If it means in the UK or somewhere else, so be it.”Before then, Campbell is helping steer the Netherlands’ T20 World Cup campaign, which started by them memorably navigating through the first round.After losses to Bangladesh and India in the Super 12s, Campbell’s local knowledge is hoped to help muster a highly competitive effort against a wounded Pakistan, whose semi-final dreams are hanging by a thread.No matter the result, watching his adopted country play at the 60,000-seat Optus Stadium will cap a memorable return to Perth for Campbell.”In my dream of dreams, I would love to see Scorchers fans dressed in orange and throw their support for the Dutch,” he said. “I can’t wait for the guys to play at the stadium in front of the passionate Perth fans. It will be an amazing experience.”

Their planning has been immaculate, but this isn’t tour; it’s the hardest one in world cricket

Alex Malcolm07-Feb-20234:22

Ian Chappell to Australia batters: ‘Even in India, you should play the way you play’

Pat Cummins was asked at his opening press conference of the tour whether Australia were on a mission to win in India. Whether, like Australian teams of the past, the final frontier theme was being dusted off and rebranded 22 years since Steve Waugh first coined the phrase. His answer was nonchalant.”We’ve had some really good tours in last year, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, this is just another one,” Cummins said.Just one. That’s what an India Test tour feels like now to the Australian team in some ways. Despite not touring here for a Test series since 2017, most of the Australia squad and their coaching staff are here every year and sometimes twice. Some were in Nagpur, the site of the first Test, only five months ago for a whirlwind three-match T20I series.Scott Boland, Lance Morris and Todd Murphy are the only Australians in the squad who have not toured India in some way shape or form. But even Murphy went to the MRF academy in Chennai last year while both he and Boland toured Sri Lanka in 2022.Related

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India as a venue no longer holds the fear of the unknown. Australia know so much that they scrapped playing a tour match, knowing full well it would be a waste of time as it was in 2017.They know exactly what to expect and have been preparing accordingly since May last year. That included planning for a pre-tour camp in Sydney for the spinners to get out of T20 mode into Test bowling mode, before a specifically designed four-day intense camp in Bengaluru at tailor-made training facilities in Alur.They flew in local net bowlers, one who mimicked R Ashwin’s action, to bowl tirelessly for hours on end to Australia’s batters in heavy spinning tracks.The quicks got the feel of the SG balls in their hands and programmed on their lengths and lines while Australia’s fielders worked assiduously on their close catching, knowing how important taking their chances would be in a spin-heavy series.Each batter has been left to their individual devices to work out a method that will suit them. Proactivity will be at the forefront of their minds but picking the right moments to attack will be key to their success.Tactically too, they know the lessons of the past. The 2004 team bowled with in-out fields to slow down India’s run rate and control the tempo of the game. There are no unknowns for this Australian team. They have planned meticulously.But everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Australia haven’t been punched in the mouth yet, but they’ve been hamstrung before the fight has begun with best-laid plans thrown into chaos.Injuries to Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have thrown several spanners in the works on the eve of the first Test.Steve Smith and David Warner inspect the pitch during a training session•Getty ImagesThey have also hamstrung themselves in some respects. After investing four Test matches in Mitchell Swepson in Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year as Nathan Lyon’s spin partner, he is now third in line as the selectors remain undecided on whether to pick Ashton Agar or Todd Murphy for one of the most important roles in the Australian team.Green’s potential absence has caused a significant headache too, as it would any team. There is indecision on who replaces him at No.6 due to concerns about the left-right balance of the batting order. For all the meticulous planning, Australia are getting to the line unsure of their best team for conditions they knew were coming.Their aging openers, Usman Khawaja and David Warner, likely on their last tours of India have also complained of fatigue coming into the series.The reality is this isn’t just tour. It is the hardest Test tour in world cricket. Since Australia’s 35-year drought-breaking win in 2004, only one visiting team has beaten India in a series in India and that was England in 2012.Australia have played 14 Tests in India since 2004 and won just one. They haven’t beaten India in a series anywhere since 2014-15, losing consecutive Border-Gavaskar trophies in 2018-19 and 2020-21 at home.This is a different Australian team in many ways. Freer, looser, calmer and better. They will point to their success in Pakistan and Sri Lanka as a marker of how far they have advanced as a group.Australia players train in Nagpur two days ahead of the first Test•Getty ImagesBut as good as the hard-fought 1-0 win in Pakistan was, the subsequent 3-0 triumph by England in Pakistan suggests that series could have been won more easily with some better catching, particularly in Karachi.The Sri Lanka series too was not quite a triumph. The 1-1 draw gave Australia the best preview possible for what might be presented in India. They succeeded on a raging turner in a lottery of a game in the first Test in Galle, batting proactively and taking their chances just as they did in Pune in 2017. But they failed on a flatter surface in the second Test. They won the toss and lost by an innings despite hundreds from Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith. It was shades of Chennai in 2013 where they posted 380 thanks to a Michael Clarke century after winning the toss and lost by eight wickets.Australia are likely to qualify for the World Test Championship final no matter the result of this series. But in reality, this is not a series with no consequence for this group. This isn’t just series and they need to avoid getting punched in the mouth.

The wicketkeeper-batter talks about his injury mishap, leadership growth and adapting between formats

Tristan Lavalette16-Dec-2022Josh Inglis admits he’s not obsessed with every minute detail of batting like certain high-profile national team-mates, preferring to stick with a crash and bash style that has powered him to the fringes of Australia’s teams across formats.”There are those guys who absolutely love batting…like Marnus [Labuschagne] and Steve Smith. I enjoy playing the game aggressively and scoring runs in that way… that’s what I love to do,” Inglis told ESPNcricinfo.”Sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn’t and you look a bit stupid but that’s okay.”Inglis’ big hitting penchant will be on show during the BBL season, where he looms as the batting talisman for injury-hit Perth Scorchers and is likely to be available throughout their title defence.Power hitters Mitchell Marsh and Phil Salt have been ruled out for the season with injuries, while Kurtis Patterson, Colin Munro and Laurie Evans have not returned from last season’s title-winning team for various reasons.Related

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There will be more pressure on the diminutive Inglis but – like his fearless batting – he remains unruffled having been given firm backing to trust his attacking instincts.”I quite like that [more responsibility]. I’m one of the more experienced batters in the line-up now,” said England-born Inglis, whose favourite batters to watch as a youngster were Kevin Pietersen and Michael Clarke.”They [Scorchers’ hierarchy] don’t tell me how to play…I have the backing to play how I want to play. I do chat to [Adam] Voges [Scorchers’ head coach] on how to tinker with batting to suit situations. I’ll probably be needed to be flexible where I bat, which I don’t mind.”Having generally batted for Scorchers at the top of the order, taking the aerial route during the powerplay with great success, Inglis is set to strengthen a weakened middle-order with overseas replacements Faf du Plessis and Adam Lyth likely to open.Although with both those batters only available for half the season before departing to cashed up new leagues in South Africa and the UAE, Inglis will probably be required to revert back to the top at a later stage.His flexibility at shuffling around the batting order, where in the middle overs he’s often sweeping spinners and running hard between the wickets, has made wicketkeeper-batter Inglis an alluring prospect for national selectors, who rate him highly.The 27-year-old made his T20I and ODI debuts this year and has been part of Test squads previously. But his versatility with the bat has proven a mixed blessing for Inglis, who is seen as a successor for an ageing Matthew Wade in Australia’s T20 team.”It’s why I’ve been picked in international squads because I can cover both bases,” Inglis said about being able to bat in different positions. “But you never can nail down the one role, so it’s a good and bad thing. I do like batting in either role though and feel like I have the skillset to perform both well.”In a clear indication from Australia’s hierarchy of his standing, Inglis last month captained a strong Prime Minister’s XI team against West Indies in Canberra. It was his first time in charge of a team since leading his grade club Joondalup around six years ago.

My set up didn’t feel right, the confidence and belief wasn’t there. When you don’t score runs, you go searching. The chopping and changing was not ideal to get into rhythm

With Australia amid a dearth of leadership candidates in white-ball cricket, Inglis appears to be getting groomed in the hope of becoming a potential option down the track if he can carve out a permanent spot.Perhaps unsurprisingly, Inglis sought an aggressive approach during the drawn pink-ball match on a flat Manuka Oval pitch with inventive fields and rotating his bowlers.”I spoke to coach [Andre Borovec] that I didn’t want the game to drift at any point and wanted to keep the game moving. I wanted to make the West Indies batters think differently,” Inglis said. “I feel like being a ‘keeper is a leader without the title, so it wasn’t too much different from usual, but it was nice to get the brain thinking. They [the selectors] must see something in me and want me to develop.”Under highly-regarded Scorchers skipper Ashton Turner, Inglis will be able to further his development and learn from one of the most astute tacticians in the BBL.”He has full confidence in the players and let’s that be known. I’ll definitely be watching how Ash goes about it, he’s so smart and a great operator,” Inglis said. “Faf too. It would be silly not to tap into his expertise and experience in leadership and batting.”Josh Inglis captained the Prime Minister’s XI against West Indies•Getty ImagesBut those best-laid plans would have been scuppered had a freak golf accident on the eve of the T20 World Cup ended his season, as Inglis initially feared.When a regulation tee shot on a par three caught a bit of turf, his five iron snapped in his right hand and sliced his palm and ring finger.”There was so much blood. I could see the flesh inside the wound. I was thinking there isn’t any way this isn’t a bad injury,” Inglis recalled. “I was absolutely shattered because I knew my World Cup was done and thought my season was over.”Fortunately, Inglis escaped tendon damage and the injury only sidelined him for a couple of weeks although he was replaced in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad by state team-mate Cameron Green.”I was really lucky not to have suffered a major injury,” said Inglis, who only started seriously playing golf during last year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE due to many of his team-mates’ fondness for the sport. “I haven’t played golf since. I’m a bit sheepish although I live near a beautiful course and drive past it every day, so I want to get back on the horse. I need some new clubs though.”Since his return from the injury, Inglis has mostly struggled with the bat apart from a match-winning 85 off 70 balls to lead Western Australia to a tight victory over South Australia in the 50-over Marsh Cup.Switching between formats, while also being a reserve during Australia’s ODI series win over England last month, proved “difficult to get into rhythm” as Inglis tinkered with his batting set up in a bid to end a frustrating rut.”I had a different set up for white and red ball cricket,” he said. “I moved my hands out in white ball cricket for swing room mainly for my power hitting. “In red-ball cricket, I brought my hands in but it felt off. My set up didn’t feel right, the confidence and belief wasn’t there. When you don’t score runs, you go searching. The chopping and changing was not ideal to get into rhythm.”I’ve found a middle ground between the two set ups and want to stick with that for now. I’m really looking forward to concentrating on playing T20 cricket for the next month and a half.”Inglis knows a big BBL season could provide the perfect platform for what might be a breakout international year for him with Australia faced with blockbuster tours of India and England, while the 50-over World Cup will be held in late 2023.The next T20 World Cup is also only 18 months away with Inglis in the frame for a permanent position amid a possible transition for Australia post their disappointing early exit at the recent event on home soil.Josh Inglis’ T20 World Cup hopes were shattered by injury•Getty Images”I don’t know if Wadey is retiring. Just waiting to see if that position comes up,” Inglis said of incumbent Wade. “He’s been batting at seven, I might go up to four or five. I’ll just be happy to be picked regardless. I’ll do whatever job is required.”The hectic schedule means there probably won’t be room for Inglis to explore opportunities at the upcoming IPL.”Fingers crossed I’ll be in India as the back up ‘keeper for the Test and ODI tour,” Inglis said. “If I was to play in the IPL, that means I would be away for four months straight. That’s tough on my partner and I’m not keen on that idea.”While all that is ahead, Inglis’ immediate focus is on Scorchers’ season-opener against arch-rival Sydney Sixers at Optus Stadium on Saturday.The grand final rematch will double as a celebration for Scorchers’ memorable triumph last season, where they had to spend 50 straight days on the road due to Western Australia’s Covid-19 border closures at the time.”It feels like we haven’t played at Optus for an eternity,” Inglis said. “It will be special and hopefully we can do well and play some exciting cricket for the fans.”

Leach injury less than a fortnight from the Ashes has thrown England’s planning up in the air

Andrew Miller04-Jun-2023Joe Root (and an all-seam attack)It’s probably the obvious option given how short-notice this injury is, plus the clear concerns over Stokes’ knee, which had already left Leach’s role looking vulnerable within a four-man attack. Root’s attacking offies, habitually delivered from round the wicket with a flat trajectory and an emphasis on overspin, have already claimed 54 wickets in the course of his career, and he’s deeply familiar with England’s bowling plans, having turned his arm over in all but two of England’s 13 Tests since Stokes became captain. His presence would allow England to recall each of James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood without a complete clear-out of the seam attack that did the needful at Lord’s.Rehan AhmedEngland surely wouldn’t be that crazy, would they? Hold my Bazbeer! Rehan doesn’t turn 19 until August, when the Ashes will have been and gone, and for all that holding roles aren’t really Stokes’ thing, the control that Leach offers with his slow left-arm is a distinctly different skill to the magic and madness of red-raw legspin. And yet, there Rehan was in Karachi in December, claiming seven wickets in a fairytale debut, and even emerging as the first official “Nighthawk” in England’s gleeful romp to victory. His time will surely come, but once again, the doubts over Stokes rather undermine his credentials. Unless he plays as an allrounder, of course…Rehan Ahmed enjoyed a successful Test debut in Pakistan•Getty ImagesWill JacksEngland’s other debutant spinning success of the Pakistan tour. Jacks hadn’t expected his call-up until the eternally luckless Ben Foakes keeled over with the sickness bug that almost delayed the Rawalpindi Test, and within three days, he’d picked off a first-innings six-for. He might not have bowled so many overs had his fellow debutant Liam Livingstone not limped out with a knee injury, but he fulfilled his brief admirably, albeit with some of the most optimistically flighted deliveries you could hope to witness. That diet of ‘hit me’ balls served a purpose on one of the most lifeless pitches in world cricket, but it might not prove quite so successful against Smith, Labuschagne et al at Edgbaston. Last season for Surrey – effectively his first as an allrounder after head coach Gareth Batty encouraged him to add the string to his bow – he claimed the workmanlike figures there of 1 for 93 in 36 overs.Matt ParkinsonThe man in possession … sort of. At least, when it comes to replacing Leach at short notice. This time last year, Parkinson was plucked off his sofa to make his Test debut, on the opening day of the Lord’s Test against New Zealand, after Leach hurtled after a straight drive in front of the pavilion, and concussed himself as he tried to save a boundary. He was the first concussion sub in England’s Test history, and though Stokes and Brendon McCullum deserved full marks for the clarity of their decision-making, Parkinson’s performance was somewhat underwhelming. He did at least claim his first Test wicket with the last ball of New Zealand’s innings, but not only has he never been picked again, he’s slipped so far out of favour at Lancashire that he was last month loaned out to Durham in a bid for some Championship action.Matt Parkinson bowls on his Test debut•Getty ImagesDom BessAll aboard the Bess Bus? We can only wait and see. Here’s another man who has benefitted from Leach’s prior misfortune, in this case the broken thumb in 2018 than earned his then-Somerset spin-twin Bess a maiden Test cap at the age of 20, and he showed his ticker from the outset, albeit more visibly with the bat, with a battling fifty in England’s defeat to Pakistan at Lord’s, and a further 49 as a nightwatcher one match later. There’s little doubt that he’d make an outstanding Bazballer – and when England turned their fortunes around in South Africa in 2019-20 with a team of greenhorns including a young Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley, Bess was in the thick of it claiming five of the top six in the first innings at Port Elizabeth. His form and fortunes crumbled during Covid, and he was virtually unselectable on the tour of India, but in a dressing-room that’s overflowing with positive vibes, there’s reason to believe he could thrive once again.Jack CarsonIf Josh Tongue’s surprise call-up for Lord’s is any indication, then Sussex’s young spinner Carson ought not to leave his phone on silent in the coming days. Tongue’s modest haul of 11 wickets in four Championship games for Worcestershire this summer didn’t deter the selectors, most particularly Rob Key, who had witnessed his exploits for England Lions in Sri Lanka, including a five-for in the unofficial Test in Galle. And Carson, likewise, was in the wickets on that trip, claiming 4 for 94 in a spirited Bazball-style attempt to set up a run-chase (that proved a touch too ambitious in the end). He’s been in the wickets this summer too, including five first-innings scalps against Yorkshire at Hove last month. Liam Patterson-White was also in the Lions mix, but has since picked up a solitary scalp in five matches for Nottinghamshire.Liam DawsonHampshire’s ever-ready bench-warmer, a man possessing of one of the weirdest England careers of all time. The last of his three Test appearances came against South Africa way back in 2017, and he was picked for three 50-over caps against Australia in November having most-recently played the format in October 2018. Yet he still collected a World Cup winner’s medal in 2019 after being drafted in as a Mr Dependable back-up, and was also a travelling reserve for the T20 World Cup last winter too, after a similarly lengthy time in the wilderness. He seems utterly unperturbed at his lot in life, and would come into the Test set-up with some impressive red-ball form. His most recent outing for Hampshire in May reaped second-innings figures of 6 for 61, as Northants were routed by an innings.Moeen Ali last played Test cricket in 2021•AFP/Getty ImagesMoeen AliIs this the moment for Mo? Though he officially retired from Test cricket last year, Moeen Ali was clearly tempted by the prospect of a comeback for last winter’s Pakistan tour, after being courted by McCullum in the early weeks of his tenure as coach. In the end, his white-ball commitments made it all too much of a hassle, but if ever there was a window to dip back in, it is now. After all, the Hundred doesn’t begin until the day after the Ashes are over, and having just won the IPL with Chennai Super Kings despite barely lifting a finger in the competition’s closing stages, he might conceivably be itching to get stuck in. That said, Australia has never been a favourite opponent of Moeen’s. In 11 previous Ashes Tests, his 20 wickets have come at a costly 64.65, and though he’s only five away from the 200 mark, he may well decide – rather like his fellow white-ball stalwart, Jos Buttler – that that ship has sailed.

CSK will be playing a full season at home for the first time in four years, and the Chepauk faithful know their chances to soak in that feeling are running down

Alagappan Muthu and Deivarayan Muthu02-Apr-2023He is everywhere right now. He always is, especially in April and May. On billboards which seem to fit nicely with his larger-than-life persona. On the backs of the autos that zip through our streets. Well, on streets (see below) as well. At a plush hotel, near the Marina Beach, where the 12th anniversary of his iconic World Cup-winning six was being celebrated. On murals and stands at Chepauk, which he calls home. An entire city has become a tribute to MS Dhoni. It feels like Chennai knows something that we don’t. Or maybe we do and just don’t want to say it out loud.Chennai Super Kings’ intra-squad practice match that was thrown open to the public just an hour before the start last week provided a peek into the revelry that Chennai could finally experience this season. Only the C,D and E stands were originally available for the fans, but they got filled up quickly on a weekday and the new stand was also soon taken over by fans.

For all the super fandom and the #Yellove happenings! Turn on the television for The Super Kings show on SS 1/1 HD! #WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/IvTiEhuS0X

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 21, 2019