All posts by h716a5.icu

India’s replacement opener entered the record books when he hit a 131-ball 210 against Bangladesh – here’s the story in numbers

Sampath Bandarupalli10-Dec-2022126 – Balls Kishan needed for his double-century, the fastest in ODI cricket.The previous fastest in men’s ODIs was 138 balls by Chris Gayle, against Zimbabwe in 2015 World Cup, while the quickest double in all ODIs [across men and women] was Amelia Kerr’s 134 ball effort against Ireland in 2018.0 – Players to convert their first ODI century into a double century before Kishan. The previous highest score for the first century was 194* by Charles Coventry, against Bangladesh in 2009 in Bulawayo.24y 145d – Kishan’s age on Saturday, making him the youngest player to score a double-hundred in men’s ODIs. The previous youngest was Rohit Sharma, who was 26 years and 186 days old at the time of his first double in 2013 against Australia.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – Kishan is now the first batter to score a double-century in ODI cricket against Bangladesh. The previous highest score against Bangladesh was the unbeaten 194 by Coventry.0 – Number of individual ODI scores in Bangladesh higher than Kishan’s 210. The previous highest score on Bangladesh soil was by Shane Watson, who scored an unbeaten 185 in 2011 in Dhaka.34.6 – Team overs when Kishan reached 200 in Chattogram, the earliest point any batter has completed the landmark in ODIs. The previous earliest was in 43.3 overs by Virender Sehwag when he scored 219 against West Indies in 2011.156 – Runs scored by Kishan in boundaries during his 210-run knock. Only two batters have scored more in boundaries in an ODI innings – 186 by Rohit against Sri Lanka in 2014 and 162 by Martin Guptill against West Indies in 2015.The 290-run stand between Ishan Kishan and Virat Kohli also made it to the record books•Associated Press103 – Balls Kishan needed to reach the 150-run mark – the fastest individual 150 by an Indian in men’s ODIs. Sehwag held the record for bringing up his 150 in 112 balls against West Indies in 2011.290 – Partnership runs for the second wicket between Kishan and Kohli, the highest for any wicket in ODIs against Bangladesh. The previous best was the unbeaten 282-run opening stand between Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock in 2017.68.6 – Percentage of runs scored by Kishan during the 290-run stand with Kohli, the highest contribution by a single batter in a 200-plus runs partnership in men’s ODIs (where data is available). The previous highest was 65.6% by Tom Latham, who scored 145 out of 221 with Kane Williamson against India last month. The Kishan-Kohli stand is also the second-fastest 200-plus stand by run rate in men’s ODIs.409 for 8 – India’s total in Chattogram, is now the first 400-plus ODI total against Bangladesh and the first by any team in Bangladesh. The previous highest against Bangladesh was 391 for 4 by England in 2019, while India’s 370 for 4 in 2011 was the previous highest in Bangladesh.

A sight no Tigers fan wanted to see occurred on Wednesday during the club's 6–2 victory over the Mets. Lights-out relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan, one of the Tigers' savvy trade deadline pickups and one of the best relievers in all of baseball since the July 31 deadline, appeared to suffer an apparent injury while warming up in the bullpen. The Tigers broadcast showed Finnegan firing a warmup pitch in the bullpen, then squatting down in discomfort. Finnegan then walked through the Tigers dugout and headed down the steps towards the clubhouse.

Will Vest began wamring up in the bullpen in Finnegan's stead, with the former eventually entering the game in the top of the seventh inning, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless in relief. The Tigers announced that Finnegan experienced right groin tightness while warming up, according to Cody Stavenhagen of .

In 14 1/3 innings pitched since his acquisition by Detroit, Finnegan has yet to allow an earned run and has struck out 19 batters.

The Tigers have some decisions to make, none bigger than the organization’s plans for back-to-back Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.

Does Detroit go all in on making a World Series push in Skubal’s last year before he hits free agency? Make a trade now to garner assets should the big righthander decide to walk, perhaps? Or, can the Tigers try to extend him although he’s likely to see the richest contract ever for a pitcher next offseason?

Quite the conundrum, which Tigers brass have been close to silent on when asked. President of baseball operations Scott Harris spoke at Major League Baseball’s winter meetings and although he would not discuss the Skubal rumors directly, he provided an interesting response when asked about the organization’s strategy regarding outside offers with a decision ahead.

“The clearest way I can answer that is I don’t believe in untouchable players at any level,” Harris said via MLB Network. “It’s not a commentary on Tarik, it’s more of a blanket approach to building a winning organization. My job is to make this organization better, which means that I need to listen to every opportunity no matter how likely or unlikely it is to actually happen. I got to listen because we got to get better as an organization. That’s our approach, we don’t have everything figured out, but it’s led to a ton of success in a very short period of time.”

Harris was asked about Skubal’s future directly, where he wouldn’t discuss or speculate on trades for his ace or any other players. You can listen to his comments in full below:

He left plenty open for interpretation, but the fact that the Tigers will listen to trade offers surrounding Skubal (or any player for that matter) will make some ears perk up. That doesn’t mean Detroit will deal debatably the best pitcher in baseball, but the front office won’t hang up as Skubal consistently hears his name in rumors.

The Tigers have made the playoffs two years in a row and dealing the dominant ace would certainly change things heading into next season. A move that sends Skubal elsewhere would be shocking and a tough pill for Tigers fans to swallow. But, as he enters his last season under team control, letting Skubal walk for nothing but draft compensation would be tough to swallow, too.

With only one year left on his deal, it’s tough to see Skubal netting a massive haul on the trade market. However, maybe another team is willing to give up a considerable amount to bring in one of baseball’s premier starters if there’s a strong chance of retaining him once his contract expires.

Whether Skubal is truly available remains to be seen. What’s certain, though, is Harris will listen once the phone rings.

The Mets saw first baseman Pete Alonso walk in free agency as the five-time All-Star agreed to sign with the Orioles on a five-year, $155 million deal on Wednesday. This is the second key player the Mets have lost this week, after closer Edwin Díaz joined the Dodgers on a three-year, $69 million deal. Earlier this offseason, the Mets also traded longtime outfielder Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien.

Both Nimmo and Alonso were homegrown players that had spent their entire careers with the Mets prior to this offseason. Not only did the Mets let Alonso walk, but they did not even issue a formal offer to him once they saw that the years and dollars from other teams’ bids went beyond their “comfort zone.” This notably comes a year after they signed Juan Soto to a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million deal.

Read More: The Seven Ripple Effects of Pete Alonso’s Mega Deal With the Orioles

With three key players already leaving the team, the Mets are already seeing multiple significant shakeups take place, and a number of fans aren’t pleased with these moves.

Mets owner Steve Cohen, who apologized to his fanbase at the end of September after his team failed to make the postseason, acknowledged those concerns on Wednesday. He said in a text to Jon Heyman of the , “I totally understand the fans’ reaction. There is lots of offseason left to put a playoff team on the field.”

Read More: How Mets Can Replace Pete Alonso at First Base

Cohen’s message seems to indicate he is confident they have plenty of time to make the moves needed to compete. The pressure will certainly be on for Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns to make the moves necessary to replace those players and better the team for next season. The Mets began the season at 45–24, the best record in baseball, before falling off and failing to make the playoffs altogether. They’ll need better results next year to help appease the fanbase.

A Barbados champion who enjoyed getting stuck into bowlers and living life to the fullest

Ian Chappell02-Jul-2020I wrote the first of a number of “Dear Everton” columns in December 1979. The columns afforded an opportunity for levity and were addressed to a mythical Caribbean character named Everton Valentine who had migrated to Notting Hill in London. I chose the name in honour of two great characters of West Indies cricket: champion batsman Everton Weekes and left-arm spinner Alf Valentine.I only met Alf once, when, along with Rod Marsh, I was invited to his home in Jamaica in 1973. It was an enjoyable evening listening to Alf regale us with stories of the 1960-61 tied-Test series. Earlier in the week we had chatted with the legendary George Headley, whom the locals honoured by referring to Sir Donald Bradman the “white Headley”.ALSO READ: Sir Everton Weekes, the last of the three Ws, dies aged 95A couple of weeks after those memorable evenings, I had the great pleasure of meeting Everton. This is where my admiration for the man commenced, and it only grew through the next 47 years.When Australia toured the Caribbean in 1972-73, Everton was involved with Alexandra’s, a successful nightclub in Bridgetown. He was also a radio commentator, working on cricket matches with the silky-voiced Tony Cozier. It was through “Coze” that I met Everton and also discovered he was a champion bridge player who used to visit Canada to play in tournaments.Everton Weekes (middle) with team-mate Roy Gilchrist (left) and Jim Laker at Lord’s in 1957•PA Photos/Getty ImagesI caught up with Everton again in 1991 when I was working as a television commentator for Australia’s tour of the West Indies. Richie Benaud was also working on that series and he told me on a number of occasions that he thought Everton was the best of the three Ws. Benaud’s opinion was later backed up by the great Australian allrounder Keith Miller, who played two series against Weekes – in 1951-52 in Australia and 1955 in the Caribbean.What a series that must have been in 1955. Australia had a magnificent four-pronged pace attack with Miller, Ray Lindwall, Bill Johnston and Ron Archer. West Indies countered with four champion batsmen in Weekes, Frank Worrell, Clyde Walcott and a young Garry Sobers. All four batsmen went on to be knighted. In that five-Test series they amassed 1733 runs between them, including six centuries.ALSO READ: Ian Chappell’s all-time New South Wales XI v all-time Barbados XIIn 2000 I had the great pleasure of travelling to the Caribbean with my wife, Barbara-Ann, to honour Sir Garry as a “Barbados Living Legend”. Everton, along with a number of other Barbados champions, was at the black-tie function and he looked really well at 74.”You look good, Everton,” I greeted him, “what are you doing to keep in shape?””In the morning, Ian, I swim with Wes [Hall],” replied Everton with his trademark grin and a drink in hand. “In the morning the fluid is on the outside, in the evening it’s on the inside.” This typified Weekes – a grin, a drink and a joke and he was in his element.Later that evening, around 4am, Barbara-Ann tapped me on the shoulder and suggested it was time to get some sleep.Weekes (left) and Andy Ganteaume in front of a display honouring Sir Frank Worrell during a ceremony in Port-of-Spain, 2008•Lynne Sladky/Associated Press”How are you getting home?” asked Everton, a Banks beer in hand. “We’ll just get a cab,” I replied.”You won’t get a cab at this hour,” he said. “I’ll drive you home.””What about the breathalyser?” I gasped.Everton took another sip of his beer and quipped: “Ian, we’re too civilised to have a breathalyser in Barbados.”ALSO READ: Tony Cozier: Ninety years of Everton Weekes (2015)He is one of only two men for whom I have broken my golden rule to never drink alcohol while I’m working. I have done so on two occasions. The first was for Lindsay Hassett in 1988 and the second was with Everton in the mid-nineties. They were a great pair of characters who could easily weaken the strongest resolve.It was sad to hear of Everton’s passing at age 95, but he wouldn’t abide any long faces. Everton Weekes was a great Barbados champion who epitomised living life to the full.

And why did the Mumbai Indians pick Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock for the first Super Over?

Deivarayan Muthu18-Oct-2020Why did the Mumbai Indians pick Sharma and de Kock for the first Super Over?
When the Mumbai Indians had two of the biggest hitters in world cricket in Pollard and Hardik Pandya, did they err by sending out de Kock and Rohit Sharma, who was ill and later didn’t come on to the field for the second Super Over?de Kock has four half-centuries in his last five innings and Sharma has also been in form this IPL, but Pollard and Pandya perhaps would’ve been better equipped to handle Shami’s yorkers. Both batsmen have the tendency to stay very deep in the crease and manufacture enough power to put even the yorkers away.Pollard’s case was even stronger as he has struck at 238.88 at the death this season; only AB de Villiers (243.47) has a better strike rate during this phase. In addition to that, Pollard hasn’t been dismissed this season since the Mumbai Indians’ first match.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn the previous Super-Over finish at this venue, Virat Kohli said he nominated himself along with de Villiers because he felt that he could help the Royal Challengers Bangalore chase down eight with just singles and doubles on a bigger ground. It was a high-risk plan, but de Villiers found the fence to tip it the Royal Challengers’ way. Sharma and de Kock might have gone in with a similar plan, but it didn’t work for the Mumbai Indians.Why didn’t Bumrah bowl the second Super Over for the Mumbai Indians?
The reason is simple: according to the playing conditions, any bowler who has already bowled a Super Over in the match is “ineligible” to bowl any subsequent Super Over. Also, any batsman who gets out in a Super Over can’t bat in Super Overs that follow. So, Bumrah, Shami, de Kock, Pooran and Rahul weren’t part of the second Super Over.Why was Krunal promoted to No. 5?
Because the Mumbai Indians wanted to throw the Kings XI’s legspinners M Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi off their lines and lengths. And the Mumbai Indians usually prefer to have Pollard and Hardik batting at the death.In the IPL, Krunal has hit 233 runs off 145 balls against legspinners at an average of 32 and strike rate of nearly 155 while being dismissed seven times. On Sunday, Krunal went after Ashwin, taking him for 14 off eight balls. Bishnoi, who is predominantly a googly bowler and, hence, relishes bowling to left-handers, then had him holing out for 34 off 30 balls.ESPNcricinfo LtdKrunal had batted at No. 5 against the Rajasthan Royals too, who also had two legspinners – Rahul Tewatia and Shreyas Gopal – in their XI. However, in that game, he got only 12 off 17 balls.Where has this aggressive Rahul been?
This IPL Rahul has been subdued at the top, barely taking any risks in the powerplay. It was his partner and good friend Agarwal who was going after the bowlers in the first six overs. However, on Sunday, Agarwal got off to a slow start and was bowled by Bumrah for 11 off ten balls.Rahul, meanwhile, flew out of the blocks, hitting Boult over the top both on the off side and leg side for boundaries. He then cleared his front leg and drilled the left-arm seamer straight past him for four more. All in the same over. Out of the 51 runs, the Kings XI scored in the powerplay, Rahul hit 32, his joint-second-highest powerplay score in the IPL since 2019.Perhaps Gayle clicking at No. 3 freed up Rahul. Or maybe with the Dubai pitch tiring, Rahul wanted to maximise the powerplay in the face of a challenging target.

Playing 100 Tests, and taking 400 wickets, are extremely rare feats for a non-Asian spinner, but then Nathan Lyon is no ordinary spinner

S Rajesh14-Jan-2021Among specialist spinners from outside Asia, only two – Shane Warne and Daniel Vettori – have played 100-plus matches in the history of Test cricket. That stat encapsulates the significance of what Nathan Lyon will achieve at the Gabba on Friday. Should he take four wickets in the game, he will also join an even more exclusive club – non-Asian spinners with 400-plus wickets – which currently has only one member: Warne.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhile 100 Tests or 400 wickets is a special achievement for any player, both are landmarks which a bigger group of cricketers have reached: 67 have played 100 Tests, and 15 are in the 400-wicket club, including five spinners. Lyon’s achievement is remarkable because it is extremely rare for a spinner from a non-Asian country to last long enough, and have enough success, to bring up those milestones. Lyon started with a wicket off his first ball, and five in his first innings, and while it hasn’t all been smooth sailing over the next decade, it has largely been characterised by consistency and control: in the 10 years from 2011 to 2020, only twice has his annual average exceeded 35. And an average of 29.14 in his last 36 Tests indicates that his stats are moving in the right direction, despite poor returns in the ongoing series against India.ESPNcricinfo LtdOver the last 40 years, the pickings for non-Asian spinners have been surprisingly slim, in terms of career longevity and wickets. Only four have taken 250-plus wickets, five have breached the 200 mark, and just seven have more than 150. Admittedly, conditions in Australia don’t make the spinner as redundant as they do sometimes in England, New Zealand or South Africa, but even so, these are all teams whose bowling attacks revolve around pace. Spinners in these line-ups have usually had much shorter careers. Warne was a wizard and in a league of his own, but for the rest, it has generally been a struggle to find a regular place in the Test line-up.Lyon has generally played as a member of a four-bowler line-up, and has done his job well, picking up nearly a quarter of the bowler wickets. His 23.5% sits well when compared to the other fingerspinners in the group. Warne and Stuart MacGill have higher percentages, but MacGill played only 44 Tests, while Swann took 25.9% of England’s wickets in the 60 Tests he played. For comparison, R Ashwin has taken 30% of India’s bowler wickets in the 74 Tests he has played, while the percentages for Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble are 26.3 and 30.7. Rangana Herath, too, took 30% of Sri Lanka’s wickets in the 93 Tests he played, but all those percentages pale when compared with Muttiah Muralitharan’s 40.4%.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn the decade in which Lyon has been playing Test cricket, Australia has been one of the toughest places for spinners: spinners collectively average 46.64 in Australia since Lyon’s debut, which is the poorest among all countries which have hosted at least five Tests, except New Zealand (50.18).ESPNcricinfo LtdLyon has found a way to succeed in these conditions, relying on overspin and bounce, more than huge turn, for his wickets. It helps, obviously, that Australia have been dominant at home in this period with a 36-7 win-loss record; their pace attack has generally been relentless in home conditions, while the batsmen have been far more prolific at home than away. Those factors have obviously helped Lyon’s success rate by allowing him to usually bowl with attacking fields to batsmen under pressure. But even so, the fact that Lyon has outbowled other spinners so convincingly says a bit about his quality: exclude his numbers, and the average for the rest of the spinners in this period balloons to 62.16.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn fact, one of the disappointments for Australia in the ongoing series is the way Lyon has been outbowled – at least in terms of numbers – by Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. It is true that catches have been dropped off his bowling and he hasn’t had luck going his way, but the cold numbers show that Lyon has conceded 57.66 runs for each of his six wickets compared to Ashwin’s average of 28.83 and Jadeja’s 15. Collectively, the India spinners have averaged 23.7, which is 33.9 runs better than Lyon’s average. Never before has Lyon been outbowled so comprehensively by the opposition spinners in a home series.ESPNcricinfo LtdBowling in Australia has obviously been his strength, but his numbers in Asia are improving too. In his first eight Tests in the continent – three Tests each in Sri Lanka and India, and two in the UAE against Pakistan – Lyon averaged 49.11, and leaked 3.84 runs per over. The UAE tour, especially, was a nightmare: he returned figures of 3 for 422 in 110 overs.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn his last 11 Tests here, though, those stats have improved considerably: 69 wickets at 24.50, including 22 wickets in two Tests in Bangladesh, and 19 in four matches in India. The economy rate has dropped from 3.84 to 2.80. And if we do a similar comparison between Lyon and the opposition spinners in Asia, the improvement in the last three series is significant. Overall, in the 99 Tests Lyon has played, the opposition spinners have averaged 38.99 to Lyon’s 31.98.ESPNcricinfo LtdLike all offspinners, Lyon relishes bowling to left-handers: he averages 24.16 against them compared to 36.52 against right-handers. His tally of 146 wickets of left-hand batsmen is second since his debut among all spinners, next only to Ashwin’s haul of 193.ESPNcricinfo LtdHowever, the two batsmen he has dismissed most often are both right-handers – Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, both 10 times each. Pujara averages a healthy 49.90 against him, but given that he averages 75.23 overall against spin, Lyon hasn’t done too badly. Rahane, on the other hand, averages only 31.80 against him, which indicates Lyon has had the better of him in their head-to-head battles. A 11th – or 12th – dismissal of either of these batsmen would be a fine way to celebrate his 100th Test, and perhaps his 400th wicket.

How good was that innings from Sanju Samson? Big names from around the IPL weigh in

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2021

Really happy for @IamSanjuSamson great knock. Top class #RRvPBKS

— Jasprit Bumrah (@Jaspritbumrah93) April 12, 2021