All posts by h716a5.icu

England’s assistant coach, who has been part of six World Cups and led them to their first global title, believes they have the team to go all the way again

Interview by Matt Roller22-Oct-2021″It’s a feeling that I’d never be able to describe – way beyond anything I’d ever felt before. If you could bottle that moment, I’d open that bottle every single day. You don’t get any better feeling than that.”Paul Collingwood is sitting in his hotel room at England’s training camp in Oman reminiscing about the undisputed highlight of his T20 international career. After inside-edging Shane Watson for four to level the scores in the 2010 World T20 final, Collingwood shimmied down the pitch and clipped him wide of mid-on to win England their first men’s ICC event.Those three weeks in the Caribbean were not the culmination of a long-term plan or the start of an era of dominance, but now look like a precursor to England’s white-ball revolution following their early exit at the 50-over World Cup in 2015. “I remember a discussion with our head coach, Andy Flower,” Collingwood recalls. “We said whatever we’d been doing in the past, it hadn’t worked. If we continued with the same kind of team and method and strategy, there was a good chance that we weren’t going to succeed.”Related

'Contenders' England must go all-in as ageing West Indian stalwarts look for one last hurrah

England's selection headache: To go batting-heavy or bowling-heavy?

Morgan admits poor form is a concern but is confident of bouncing back

How good or not has Eoin Morgan been as KKR captain? It's complicated

Livingstone: 'I want to keep getting better, hit the ball further'

Ahead of the 2010 World T20, England were thrashed by their second-string Lions side in a warm-up match in the UAE and decided to throw Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter, the openers who took their attack apart, in at the deep end, while embracing their analyst Nathan Leamon’s findings: that left-arm seamers were undervalued – hence the selection of Ryan Sidebottom ahead of James Anderson – and that slower-ball bouncers were surprisingly effective at the death. After scraping through the group stage on net run-rate, they won their next five games in a row to lift the trophy, never conceding more than 150 in an innings.”We had to take a gamble – be brave, be bold,” Collingwood says. “The preparation was all about confidence, not too much technical work or thinking too deeply about the game. It was all about having fun and putting on a bit of a show. It was a different approach to what we were used to, but we changed our mentality and embraced that real ‘express yourself’ approach. Thankfully, it worked.

“With a leader like Morgan, when they’re going through a bad run of form, people look at just stats of scoring runs – how do you measure what that person is giving in leadership? The only way you can is through results, but it’s far greater than that.”

“We’d turn up, put 100% effort into training, and then go straight to the golf courses. If you didn’t enjoy the golf you were around the pool at the hotel. We tried to make it as relaxed an atmosphere as possible. I think that camaraderie that we gathered and the momentum that we had through the tournament [meant] it was just a really fun experience.”Now England’s assistant coach, Collingwood is preparing for his sixth of seven men’s T20 World Cups – he captained England in the first three and was part of the backroom staff in 2014 and 2016. They will be captained in this edition by the man who was at the non-striker’s end as Collingwood hit the winning runs 11 years ago, and he can see parallels between Eoin Morgan’s position heading into this tournament and his own in 2010.Morgan has had the worst year of his T20 career in 2021, averaging 16.63 with a strike rate of 118.52, and the sample size of 35 innings is not exactly small. Collingwood himself struggled badly during the World T20 in 2010 – he made 61 runs in seven innings with a top score of 16 – and while he says that it would be “great if [England] have both the leader and the runs”, he stresses that they were not facing “desperation if we haven’t”.”You can understand sometimes that you do lose form [as captain] because of the amount of mental energy that you give up in big series,” Collingwood says. “I remember back in 2010, all I wanted to do was go out there and try to impose myself on the game and make sure that I wasn’t eating up balls just because I was in a bad run of form. You don’t want to be selfish in any way – you want to lead the team and help them play the brand of cricket you’re desperate to.”With Morgs, I’ve always found it takes one shot or ball out of the middle of the bat. He’s never that far away and we’ve all seen how destructive he can be. I’m sure he’d want to score more runs but… you’ve got to understand what he gives the team in his leadership. That is far greater than a run of form with the bat. He takes pressure away from players: there’s a lot of hours that he puts into analysis behind the scenes so when you get into a game, the players can relax and the captain can be the composer out there and run the show.Been there, won that: Collingwood struck the winning runs that gave England their first World T20 win, with Morgan at the other end for company•Rebecca Naden/PA Photos/Getty Images”With a leader like that, when they’re going through a bad run of form, people look at just stats of scoring runs – how do you measure what that person is giving in leadership? The only way you can is through results, but it’s far greater than that. To even question what he gives or question his form with the bat, we’d never go down that route. We totally understand as an England team what he’s given in the past and what he’ll continue to give in the future. He’ll be desperate to score more runs but as long as his leadership and direction and skills of leading on the park are still 100% – like they are – we’ll be very happy.”In particular, Collingwood considers Morgan’s recent experience with Kolkata Knights Riders – whom he captained into the IPL final after a poor first half of the season – to be a trump card for England, not least after his exposure to the UAE’s pitches. Morgan’s flexible use of his batting resources, pragmatism in fielding only two frontline seamers in certain games and willingness to slide down the order in recognition of his own form all serve as evidence of his strengths as captain – though their winning streak came about in no small part due to a world-class spin attack, something that England lack.”It’s an unbelievable achievement from the position they were in,” Collingwood says. “It shows what kind of a leader he is that he was able to galvanise a team that seemed to be down and out. It’s going to be crucial that we have as much understanding as possible regarding the venues and what’s working, and Morgs has been in the heat of the battle.”Along with a handful of other players and support staff members, Collingwood is expecting to be away from home for most of this winter and admits that another winter confined to hotels is a tough prospect. “We’ve obviously done a lot more of it than other teams and I don’t understand why we still need bubbles, if I’m entirely honest,” he says. “When everyone is double-vaccinated, the sooner we manage Covid like any other illness the better for everyone mentally.”The restrictions are put on us in these World Cups because we’ve got to protect the tournament, but everyone who has done bubbles for a long period of time would argue you’ve only got so much time that you could actually cope with them and a lot of cricketers out there are on the brink. From the outside it looks nice, staying in nice hotels, but it’s frustrating: you are literally stuck with the same people for months on end.”

“We had to take a gamble – be brave, be bold. The preparation was all about confidence, not too much technical work or thinking too deeply about the game”On the mindset that won England the 2010 World T20 title

But he stresses that he will be driven through by the prospect of “a World Cup then an Ashes… for all of us, this is one of the most exciting times of our career, whether as a coach or a player. What could be achieved over the next five or six months is huge. Everyone is raring to go and building up really well.”Collingwood sees the key to his own role as assistant coach as “giving a player the chance to improve”. He took particular pleasure from Liam Livingstone’s breakthrough summer having suggested a technical tweak (with some help from Marcus Trescothick) that sparked his six-hitting form. “That’s why you do the job: it’s great to see a player respond well and go onto the success he’s had this year,” he says. “It’s nice for players to appreciate the work you do but they’re the ones that have to be open to little tweaks and changes.”And he is clear about two things: that the standard of T20 cricket has never been higher, and England have never been better placed at this stage in their preparations. “You’re going to see a very serious World Cup,” he says. “It would be silly to say that cricket hasn’t moved on: every other sport in the world has. People are getting faster, stronger and fitter. The athleticism and the power that’s in the game now is pure and it’s forever evolving.”I don’t think many teams will be looking forward to playing against England, with the power that we have in the batting unit in particular. I don’t think you could be better prepared than this team is. Of course we’re missing a couple of players that have been a key part of our white-ball team – the extreme pace of Jofra [Archer] and the allround ability of Ben Stokes – but we’ve built up a big squad where players can come in at any time and fill gaps if we do have injuries.”I see us as one of the teams to beat. I don’t think we should be scared of having the favourites tag on us – I think we’ve earned it over the years. This team is still moving forward even now – as good as the guys are, we want them to get better and better. It’s a difficult side to pick and I’m glad I don’t have that job – there’s so much skill and experience around the group. Last time [in 2016] we were very close. Hopefully this time, we can just go that extra step.”

Debutant seamers play their part in rocking South Africa top order

Valkerie Baynes27-Jun-2022England have had their first glimpse of life beyond Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole and it looked pretty bright out there at Taunton.With Brunt revving up the crowd while sitting in the Somerset Stand and Shrubsole also taking in the view at her home ground, England’s retired seam stalwarts gazed down on the action as Issy Wong and Lauren Bell, on international debut, helped reduce South Africa to 45 for 4 on the opening day of the Test.There’s every chance that Brunt, having presented Wong with her Test cap, looked on with satisfaction as she and Bell grabbed their opportunity to try and step into the void she left when she recently announced her retirement from Tests, following Shrubsole’s decision in April to call time on her international career.Related

Marizanne Kapp scores record ton in South Africa rescue act

Kapp's epic 150 keeps South Africa afloat on return to Test cricket

“They didn’t look out of place at all, did they?” said Kate Cross, who claimed four wickets in her new role as seam attack leader. “Wongy steaming in and trying to knock people’s heads off at some point, she’s been doing that in the nets with us all week so it was great to see her get a chance.”There’s not many times that you’ll make your full England debut in a Test match. It’s just pretty special. It’s been a really nice day. There were some amazing speeches this morning. Katherine Brunt in particular had everyone in tears, talking about when we play Test cricket it feels like we’re always fighting to prove that we can play the format and we want more of it.”So it’s always nice when you get the new guard to come in and get that opportunity as well. I thought everyone played with a smile on their face and no one looked nervous. No one looked out of their depths at all. So I thought that’s a great place for us to be.”Wong struck with her 12th ball in international cricket, pegging back Laura Wolvaardt’s middle and off stumps, then took a screamer of a catch launching herself into the air in the covers to dismiss Sinalo Jafta giving Cross her third wicket.Bell bowled a probing first spell, and finished the day with the wickets of Lizelle Lee, to a tight lbw decision upheld on impact on umpire’s call, and the prize wicket of Marizanne Kapp, spectacularly caught by Tammy Beaumont at mid-off.Kapp’s faultless 150 resurrected South Africa’s innings to the point that they had reached 284 by the time they were bowled out to end the day’s play, altering the complexion of the match somewhat although it did little to dampen England’s spirits, given the performance of the side’s newcomers.Kate Cross struck early for England•PA Images/GettyAlso making their Test debuts were Alice Davidson-Richards, a batting allrounder who offers another seam-bowling option and who dismissed Nadine de Klerk cheaply, and Emma Lamb, who will have the chance to open alongside Beaumont when England begin their response on Tuesday.For her part, Kapp was particularly impressed by Wong. “When she bowled that first over this morning I told our team doctor I believe she’s going to go far,” Kapp said. “I think she has what it takes.”Overall as a unit I feel like they bowled really well. It does get harder to bowl once the ball is so much older and with a quick outfield so I feel like they bowled really well and for me the goal was to just get through the tough sessions and then I knew I could cash in at the back end.”Wong was somewhat of a surprise inclusion having been promoted from travelling reserve when Emily Arlott struggled for fitness after a recent covid infection. Despite having travelled with England squads for the best part of two years, Lisa Keightley, the head coach, said she wanted to carefully manage Wong’s workload and suggested that she was more in the frame for a limited-overs role this season.Wong ended the day with 1 for 54 from 13 overs, and Bell with 2 for 47 from 16 and both were able to reflect on their journey to this point, having progressed through Chance to Shine and become the first full participants of the programme set up in 2005 to address the decline of cricket in state schools to go on and play for England.”It feels pretty special to be the first people to have been a part of that pathway, hopefully we’re the first of many,” Bell said.Wong agreed: “I’m sure there will be other Chance to Shine graduates after Belly and me.”For those that have gone before them looking on, there was reason to hope and believe too.

In these two Tests, he has shown a range of skills that has repaid coach Domingo’s faith in fast bowlers

Mohammad Isam27-Jun-2022Bangladesh’s batting failure has overshadowed their fast bowlers’ rise in recent times. When Khaled Ahmed completed his maiden five-wicket haul against West Indies in the second Test in St Lucia, their fast bowlers had taken a total of 51 wickets, the most by pacers in a year .It was the first time fast bowlers took 50 wickets together, surpassing their haul of 48 wickets in 2008. It was a testament to both their tremendous effort of the last two-and-a-half years, and was in line with head coach Russell Domingo’s vision at a time when they nearly vanished in Bangladesh cricket.Related

Kemar Roach's landmark day puts West Indies in sight of victory

Domingo: 'Very disappointing' to see Bangladesh make 'basic errors'

Why is Bangladesh's batting on the decline in Tests?

Bangladesh ditch all-spin home attack as Domingo calls for balanced pitches

Khaled is the latest of the current fast bowling group to get a big haul. Taskin Ahmed re-established himself with performances throughout 2021 and 2022, before the shoulder injury halted him. Ebadot Hossain, after he starred in the Mount Maunganui Test against New Zealand, is now the leading wicket-taker for the team in Tests. Shariful Islam too has proved himself as the go-to left-arm quick even when Mustafizur Rahman was available in the Test squad.On Sunday, Khaled completed his five-for when No 11 Jayden Seales edged his pacy outswinger. It took Bangladesh 127 overs to bowl West Indies out. The pace attack is still a work-in-progress, and there were long phases when, in the words of the head coach Russell Domingo, they bowled “soft balls” . This was evident as West Indies made 408 in reply to their first-innings total of 234. At stumps, the visitors were 132 for 6, trailing by 42 runs.However, Khaled’s performance is a key takeaway for Bangladesh. He had removed Alzarri Joseph and Kyle Mayers earlier in the morning. Joseph holed out at midwicket while centurion Mayers succumbed to Khaled’s slower ball. On the second day, Raymon Reifer and Nkrumah Bonner had both played on to his rising deliveries just a shave outside offstump, resulting in two wickets in the same over.Khaled has shown a range of skills in these two Tests. Bowling into the stumps at the end of the third day in Antigua, he rattled the West Indies line-up in their 84-run chase. He removed Kraigg Brathwaite, Reifer and Bonner in the space of ten balls. West Indies recovered from 9 for 3, and a bit of criticism came Khaled’s way for not following up on that opening burst.Khaled Ahmed wheels away after getting Nkrumah Bonner•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty ImagesThe same criticism crept back on the second day in St Lucia when he, and the rest of the bowling attack, couldn’t pick up wickets after taking four in the first session. Khaled was largely ineffective for three spells for the rest of the day, only taking wickets on the third morning.Khaled has been doing all of this work against the backdrop of his family experiencing the Sylhet floods. On the day he took those three quick wickets in Antigua, there were pictures of water at chest height in many areas in Sylhet circulating. He hails from Alampur on the southern outskirts of the main city, an area that has witnessed some of the worst flooding and lack of power, food, and other necessities.The BCB had to evacuate the High-Performance side that was scheduled to train at the Sylhet International Stadium earlier this month when the flood hit the city. The board said recently that they are keeping tabs on the families of some of the Sylhet-based players, but undoubtedly, it has been a worrying time for them.Having debuted more than three years ago, Khaled is reaping the rewards in the long format only now. He had his first Test wicket in December last year, in his 70th over in his fourth Test. In his next Test, in Durban, he took 4 for 92 in the first innings. Khaled had finally turned a corner, and it came at a time when Bangladesh were in desperate need of a fast bowler to step up; Taskin, who had been fiery in the ODI series in South Africa before that Test, was playing with a shoulder injury.He had sat out the Tests against New Zealand earlier this year when Ebadot Hossain, a fellow Sylheti and a more colourful character, took centre stage with his six-for in the Mount Maunganui Test. There was also Abu Jayed, a seamer who relied heavily on the swing, as part of the Sylhet pace trio that had surprised everyone when they were all selected together in 2019. Jayed took three four-fors, but never appeared like a threat. He is a mild trundler who pegged away from one end. Later, Jayed lost his place in the team.Khaled has had it tough too, but he has always been a quiet person. He needed knee surgery in 2019 after going wicketless in his third Test in the same year. Khaled would often be seen training on his own at the BCB academy in Mirpur.Many Test discards train in BCB’s main facility throughout the year. Many don’t make it, despite years of effort. Fast bowlers have been the most expendable among these discards. The likes of Jayed, Khaled and Ebadot were considered fringe cricketers for several years when the then-coach Chandika Hathurusingha convinced the BCB and team management that he would rely only on spinners at home. When Domingo announced in February 2020 that they were going to ditch the all-spin plan to win overseas, it was a lifeline for the fast bowlers.But Domingo’s words weren’t going to bring them back. Bangladesh’s fast bowlers had to do the job. And, they have mostly earned back their respect and acceptance. Now, it is clear that the Bangladesh captain has a pace plan. Khaled getting his maiden five-wicket haul is a testament to Domingo’s conviction on a good cricketing plan, but also another significant step in the right direction for the fast bowlers.

The challenges facing the competition were an undercurrent, but it made for a fascinating process

Andrew McGlashan30-Aug-2022The overriding view of the eight clubs after the BBL draft was that they got what they wanted. But did the BBL get what it wanted? That is less clear-cut.Left on the sidelines from the platinum pool were 41,127 T20 runs between the five players not selected, and 1288 wickets from Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard (with all due to respect to the 50 taken by Faf du Plessis and one by Jason Roy).It was always likely that some of the platinum names would not be taken, but for it to be those five may have had a few of the executives both inside and outside Cricket Australia moving a little uneasily.Availability was a watchword – the looming presence of the new South Africa and UAE leagues was an undercurrent – but it was not the only factor. Except for David Willey and Shadab Khan, the five platinum players not selected would have been available for largely the same period as those who did get picked. Meanwhile, Melbourne Renegades, for example, are willing to need replacements all three of draft signings.It was a fascinating part of the whole event. The teams were there to build squads they believe can win the BBL. That is how coaches, list managers, and captains are judged. If it were only about getting those players perceived as the biggest crowd pullers, then it would be difficult to ever sack someone for losing.After 11 seasons with Sydney Thunder, Usman Khawaja signed with Brisbane Heat for the upcoming BBL•Queensland CricketWhile not directly linked to overseas players at the time, there was a telling comment when Brisbane Heat parted ways with Chris Lynn earlier this year. “This is a sign that Brisbane Heat are going more to winning than entertaining,” Ian Healy, a Queensland Cricket director who was part of the decision, said. “That gives a lot of pleasure to fans. I don’t think the winning part has come easily for us.”Significantly, too, the supporters of each club are only a fraction of the audience the BBL wants to attract. It’s TV money and viewership that pays the bills and, in that area, the shift will certainly be towards names first, results second. Finding the right balance is the (multi) million-dollar question. Although, having watched a lot of sport during Covid with limited or no crowds, it was a reminder that the people in stadiums are vital to the TV product as well.Russell was the name most commonly mentioned as each team’s turn came up, followed closely by du Plessis who had been one of the earliest nominations in the draft when it was launched. There was a thought that Melbourne Stars might bring Russell back, but instead, they went for Trent Boult. Heat had been expected to show interest in du Plessis, but they went with Sam Billings.It is also worth saying at this point, in case it gets lost with a focus on a few big names who did not get selected, that 24 very fine cricketers were signed up on Sunday evening. They can all be entertainers, some can build their names on a wider stage and a few new stories can start to be told.Related

'Look after local players' – Smith wants better BBL deals for Australian cricketers

Ponting and Khawaja flag BBL concerns amid rise of new T20 leagues

Warner signing only one part of a much bigger challenge for BBL

BBL overseas draft: Livingstone to Renegades, Boult to Stars

De Grandhomme's presence in BBL draft catches NZC by surprise

There was plenty of logic in the decisions the teams made, even the platinum-round pass from Perth Scorchers which had been widely expected. The BBL will see Liam Livingstone, one of the finest T20 batters in the world, and Boult, one of the finest left-arm quicks ever, this coming season. Of course, Rashid Khan is back with Adelaide Strikers, if only for eight games.It is hard to see the BBL moving out of its December-January window which covers the school holidays, so the issues that have become more significant this season aren’t going away, but whether anyone steps back and assesses the 14-game competition that means the cricketing season is extended by almost two months is another question.Not insignificantly, Willey, the one platinum player with full availability, turned down an offer from the South Africa league to commit to the full season in Australia because it is a better fit for his family situation. The BBL will hope that it is a view that can be shared.Still, the tournament will need more money. Salary caps could reach AU$4million under the next MoU, up from the current AU$1.9million with top Australian players set for hefty increases. There is also a push, and not just from CA, to encourage the UAE league to shift its dates a little later into January.Another broader question is whether it is time to throw the entire BBL open to a draft process (it made for engaging viewing) with some built-in loyalty programme along the line of the retention option. That may happen only if the league was ever to privatise, a model that has been brought back into the spotlight in recent weeks.As far as this season goes, the draft brought immediate accountability to teams as decisions were made because it was clear who they did not pick. That will now extend through the tournament. How will the calls made on an August evening in Melbourne play out by the BBL final on February 4? For the teams themselves, holding the trophy aloft will be all that matters. As it should be. Whether that is enough for the league is another issue.

RCB get Mandhana, Perry; Mumbai pick Harmanpreet; Deepti goes to UP Warriorz

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2023Royal Challengers Bangalore
Number of players bought: 18
Money spent: INR 11.9 crore
Key players: They love building their brand around certain key players. Think Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle with the men’s team. Similarly at the WPL, they’ve lined up a fearsome trio of Smriti Mandhana, four-time T20 World Cup winner Ellyse Perry and South Africa’s Dane van Niekerk, a value pick at INR 30 lakh.Related

Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians in a power-packed contest to kick off the WPL

WPL – the start of something unusually usual for women's cricket in India

WPL: Sania Mirza joins Royal Challengers Bangalore as team mentor

Parth Jindal: 'People spent a lot on marquee players, didn't have much money for others'

Mandhana gets the biggest bid at WPL auction, goes to RCB for INR 3.4 crore

Strengths: Their overseas contingent is star-studded and full of multi-skilled cricketers. Perry, Sophie Devine, van Niekerk, Heather Knight – all of them can bat and bowl. The team management may have to rack their brains on whom to leave out and that isn’t a bad place to be in, given the quality they have. Throw in the firepower of Mandhana, Richa Ghosh and Renuka Singh, all high-profile India internationals, and they’ve got all the makings of a tournament-winning squad.Weaknesses: The absence of a quality Indian wristspinner on red-soil surfaces of Mumbai, which will aid bounce, may be a bit of a miss.ESPNcricinfo LtdMumbai Indians
Number of players bought: 17
Money spent: INR 12 crore (entire purse)
Key players: Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Pooja Vastrakar will undoubtedly be among the first names on the scorecard. It was in Mumbai where Harmanpreet announced herself with a maiden World Cup hundred in 2013, and it’s here that she will begin a new era in Indian women’s cricket, possibly as captain of the Mumbai Indians. Sciver-Brunt’s batting versatility against pace and spin, as well as her quality medium pace, and Vastrakar’s X-factor as a big hitter lower down, in addition to being able to bowl a heavy ball in the middle overs make them vital cogs.Strengths: Back-ups for every position is something Mumbai pride themselves on having thanks to a robust scouting network. And they’ve managed to create just that. They have also built a decent pool of India Under-19s, whom they would hope to nurture over time.Weakness: The absence of a back-up wicketkeeper to Yastika Bhatia could be a bit of a hindrance. Beyond Vastrakar, they’re also thin on Indian seam bowling options.ESPNcricinfo LtdGujarat Giants
No of players bought: 18
Money spent: INR 11.5 crore
Key players: Given Sneh Rana’s vast experience in the domestic circuit, she could be a potent force for Giants in the inaugural WPL. She has reunited with Nooshin Al Khadeer, who, as the head coach of Railways, has had a massive influence in the second coming of Rana in the national set-up. Given that two venues will host all 22 games, her flight and dip with the ball could come into play.Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner became the joint-most expensive overseas buy in the auction at INR 3.2 crore (USD 390,000 approx), just days after after she picked up her career-best bowling figures in T20Is. Gardner had spoken about how the surfaces at DY Patil Stadium as well as the Brabourne Stadium were conducive to good strokeplay – something that would benefit her as a hitter – and how they gripped and turned too. Expect her to make an impact with the ball too.Strengths: Specialists overseas options to choose from plus a couple of bankable seam-bowling allrounders in Deandra Dottin and Annabel Sutherland.Weaknesses: A bit thin on Indian experience. Save for Harleen Deol, S Meghana and D Hemalatha, they don’t have a back-up local batter who can be relied upon in crunch situation or some unforeseen injury issues.ESPNcricinfo LtdUP Warriorz
Number of players bought: 16, including six overseas
Money spent: INR 12 crore
Key players: Alyssa Healy will be a vital cog in Warriorz’s top order and in the squad, bringing with her vast international experience. One of the most destructive batters in the world, the Australian strikes at 128.26 in T20Is and can single-handedly steer her team to victory.Deepti Sharma was the second-most expensive Indian player at INR 2.6 crore, behind Smriti Mandhana. Her talent with both ball – especially in spin-friendly conditions in Mumbai – and bat makes her a crucial figure in the line-up.Strengths: Warriorz seem to have a balanced squad, well stocked with allrounders in Deepti, Devika Vaidya, Parshavi Chopra, Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris, who can change the momentum of the game with the bat and ball. With Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Sophie Ecclestone and Deepti forming the core spin trio, the inclusion of Shabnim Ismail and Anjali Sarvani lend the perfect balance in the pace department. They also have a solid top order in Healy, the Under-19 India opener Shweta Sehrawat and McGrath.Weaknesses: Kiran Navgire and the lesser-known Laxmi Yadav are the only specialist batters in the middle order. They do not have many players who can play the anchor role if a few wickets fall early in the innings.ESPNcricinfo LtdDelhi Capitals
No. of players bought: 18, including 6 overseas
Money spent: INR 11.65 crore
Key players:: In Meg Lanning, they have a multiple World Cup-winning captain from Australia. Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma and Marizanne Kapp’s form, and experience, will also be key for the team’s campaign in the inaugural edition.Strengths: Shafali, Rodrigues and Lanning form a strong top order for Capitals. The core of their bowling group also has good international experience in Poonam Yadav, Jess Jonassen, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Arundhati Reddy and Marizanne Kapp.Weaknesses: No perceived weakness on paper as such, but both their wicketkeepers, Taniya Bhatia and Aparna Mondal, not being attacking batters might slow things down in the lower-middle order.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Halfway into IPL 2023, ESPNcricinfo Identifies the best performers after factoring in the context and match situation

S Rajesh26-Apr-2023T20 was originally meant to be a young man’s game, but one would scoff at that notion seeing the top performers of IPL 2023. The leading run-scorer is Faf du Plessis, who’ll turn 39 in July; the third-highest score this season is the unbeaten 99 from Shikhar Dhawan, who is 37; with a 30-ball cut-off, the batter with the highest strike rate (199.04) is Ajinkya Rahane, who’ll turn 35 in June; the leading wicket-taker for Mumbai Indians is 34-year-old Piyush Chawla.All of these players are among the top seven in terms of the top impact players at the halfway stage this season, according to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, a performance rating system which takes into account the context and match situation for each batting and bowling display.ESPNcricinfo LtdWith 405 runs at a strike rate of 165.3, there is no doubt that du Plessis has been the stand-out batter of the tournament. He is also at the top of the MVP list, collecting 71.2 impact points per match. Each of his five 50-plus scores got more than 75 impact points, which is an illustration not just of consistent run-scoring, but also of maintaining a terrific strike rate.Dhawan has unfortunately missed three games due to injury, but his unbeaten 99 off 66 is arguably the top batting performance of the tournament, especially since it came out of a total of 143, and the other batters collectively scored 38 off 54. That is reflected in his impact score of 161.05 for that innings, the highest impact points for any player in a match this season. It’s marginally higher than Venkatesh Iyer’s 51-ball 104 in a relatively high-scoring game against Mumbai Indians.