Mets Owner Steve Cohen Makes First Comments After Pete Alonso Joined Orioles

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

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.

Forty-seven stats nuggets on Sachin Tendulkar's 47th birthday

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

From his 1998 records to his only sub-100 scores. Read on find out more about his numerous records

Bharath Seervi24-Apr-20202 Number of times Sachin Tendulkar has defended six or fewer runs in the 50th over in ODIs, the only player to do so. He did so against South Africa in the Hero Cup at Eden Gardens in 1993 and versus Australia in the Titan Cup in Mohali in 1996.3 Number of countries in which Tendulkar is the youngest centurion in Tests, in England, Australia and South Africa. He scored centuries before his 20th birthday in all those countries.ESPNcricinfo Ltd6 Number of times Tendulkar reached a Test century with a six, the most by a batsman.7 Most sixes hit by Tendulkar in an ODI innings, against Australia in Kanpur in 1998, in an innings of 100 off 89 balls.8 Number of times Tendulkar dismissed Inzamam-ul-Haq in international matches, the most he got a batsman. He dismissed Steve Waugh, Brian Lara, Andy Flower and Moin Khan four times each.9 Tendulkar’s ODI centuries in 1998, the most by a batsman in a calendar year.14 Number of times Brett Lee dismissed Tendulkar in international matches, the most by a bowler. Glenn McGrath, Shaun Pollock and Muttiah Muralitharan got him out 13 times each.19 Consecutive years in which Tendulkar scored at least one ODI century: from 1994 to 2012.23 Years and 356 days, the gap between Tendulkar’s first and last Test fifty, the highest among all batsmen. His first fifty came in his second innings, in 1989, and last fifty in his final innings, in 2013.24 Number of years that Tendulkar played international cricket – the longest by an Indian, and fifth-longest by any player.31 Tendulkar’s highest score at No. 3 in ten innings in all international matches. He has scored centuries at every other position from opening to No. 6 in his international career. His career aggregate at No. 3 in international cricket is only 92.

38 Number of century partnerships with Sourav Ganguly in all internationals – 26 in ODIs and 12 in Tests. It is the most by a pair. Tendulkar also shared 31 century stands with Rahul Dravid.40 Tendulkar failed to score a century in his last 40 Test innings, the longest sequence without a hundred in his career. He scored nine fifties in those 40 innings with an average of 31.87 and high score of 94.45 Number of World Cup matches for Tendulkar, the second-most by a player.52 The highest identical score for Tendulkar in both innings of a match – versus Pakistan in Kolkata in 2005.58 The lowest score not achieved by Tendulkar in international matches; 58 and 75 are the only sub-100 scores he hasn’t made.71 Balls taken for his fastest ODI century, against Zimbabwe in Sharjah in 1998.74 The highest score for Tendulkar in the other innings of a Test in which he also scored a hundred: 177 and 74 against England at Trent Bridge in 1996. In his 200 Tests, he never scored centuries in both innings.79 Number of matches taken by Tendulkar to score his maiden ODI century. He had scored 17 fifties before scoring his first century, against Australia in Colombo in 1994. After his maiden century, the longest stretch without an ODI century was 36 innings between 2007 and 2008, which included three dismissals of 99.82 Tendulkar’s score when he first opened the batting in ODIs, off 49 balls, against New Zealand in Auckland in 1994. It was the first 50-plus score by an opener at a strike rate of more than 150 in ODI history.ESPNcricinfo Ltd87 Tendulkar’s average in Ranji Trophy – 4281 runs at 87.37 – the best among batsmen with 4000-plus runs in the tournament’s history.98 Number of matches Tendulkar captained for India – 25 Tests and 73 ODIs.99 Number of century partnerships for him in ODIs, the most for a batsman. In Tests, he was involved in 86 century stands, second after Dravid (88).142 Centuries across all formats for Tendulkar. He scored 81 hundreds in first-class, 60 in List A and one in T20s.157 Tendulkar’s Test average at the SCG – 785 runs in nine innings – the highest for a batsman with eight or more innings at a venue in Tests.175 Tendulkar’s score against Australia in an ODI in Hyderabad in 2009, the highest in an unsuccessful chase in ODI history.185 Number of consecutive ODIs played by Tendulkar from 1990 to 1998, a record for any player. His streak ended with his 25th birthday in 1998.195 Sixes in ODIs by Tendulkar. At the time of his retirement, they were the highest by an Indian batsman and third-highest among all batsmen in ODIs.201 Wickets for Tendulkar in all internationals – 46 in Tests, 154 in ODIs and one in T20Is.301 Most runs for Tendulkar in a Test match – 241 not out and 60 not out against Australia at the SCG in 2004. It is only the second instance of a batsman batting twice in a Test, scoring 300-plus runs, and being unbeaten in both innings.497 Runs between dismissals for Tendulkar in Tests in 2004. He had scores of 241*, 60*, 194* and 2. It was a record in Tests until Adam Voges scored 614 runs between dismissals in 2015-16.618 Runs scored by Tendulkar in IPL 2010. He became the first India player to win the Orange Cap in the IPL.664 His partnership with Vinod Kambli in a Harris Shield Tournament match in 1988, at the age of 14. Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 326 in the match. It is also the number of international matches played by Tendulkar – 200 Tests, 463 ODIs and one T20I.ESPNcricinfo Ltd673 Tendulkar’s aggregate in the 2003 World Cup, the most by a batsman in a single World Cup.898 Tendulkar’s highest rating points in the ICC rankings in his Test career. He got there in 2002. His highest rating points in ODIs was 887, in 1998.989 Number of players who played with or against Tendulkar in international matches, which is a record – 848 opponents and 141 team-mates. Among his team-mates, he played the most matches with Dravid (391); among opponents, it was Ricky Ponting (84).1562 Runs in Tests in 2010, at the age of 37, the most by a batsman in a year after the age of 35.1723 His aggregate as captain in the IPL, in 51 matches. It was the highest by a captain in the IPL when he quit captaincy at the end of the 2011 season.1894 Runs in ODIs in 1998, a record for most runs in a calendar year.2278 Runs in World Cups, the most by a batsman in the tournament’s history by a distance.2334 Tendulkar’s aggregate in the IPL. He completed 2000 IPL runs in 63 innings, which is still the fastest among India players and third-fastest among all batsmen.6225 Number of days between Tendulkar’s Test and T20I debuts, the highest among all players who have played both formats.6707 Runs and 20 centuries for Tendulkar versus Australia across formats, the most for a batsman against any opposition.8227 Partnership runs with Ganguly in ODIs, the most by a pair. No other pair has more than 6000 runs.8571 ODI runs in the 1990s, the most by a player in that decade. He scored 24 hundreds and averaged 43.07 at a strike rate of 86.81 from 1990 to 1999.10,032 Runs under Mohammad Azharuddin’s captaincy, in 207 matches – Tendulkar’s highest under a captain. He also scored 33 centuries under Azhar.50,192 Runs across formats (first-class, List A and T20s), the highest by an Asian batsman and 16th highest overall.

Remembering Everton Weekes: a grin, a drink, a joke, and all those runs

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

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.

Talking Points: Why didn't Jasprit Bumrah bowl the second Super Over?

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

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.

Vote for your favourite moment of IPL 2020

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

From fielding efforts to Super Overs to players making a point: what’s your favourite moment of the tournament?

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2020

Nathan Lyon keeps the flag flying high for non-Asian spinners

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

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.

Lahore Qalandars look to go one better, Karachi Kings bank on top order, Peshawar Zalmi in reboot mode

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Here is part 2 of our team-by-team guide to the new Pakistan Super League season

Umar Farooq19-Feb-2021

Lahore Qalandars

Team overview
All those seasons at the bottom of the table were forgotten last year thanks to the Qalandars’ bristling competitiveness. The franchise rose from the ashes and stormed into their final by eliminating Peshawar Zalmi and then the league toppers Multan Sultans, before they lost to the Karachi Kings in the final. Over the years, the Qalandars had struggled to find their ideal combination and grappled with injuries and player unavailability, but last season they managed to create a desirable core under their captain Sohail Akhtar, a product of their player-development program.Related

  • The PSL 2021 draft – as it happened

  • How the six PSL franchises stack up and their likely first XIs

  • Pakistan Super League 2021 to allow spectators up to 20% capacity

  • Mohammad Hafeez: 'I became a better player when I realised that my failures were my own fault'

  • Sultans look strong, United have history on their side, and Gladiators bring promise

The Qalandars now have a deadly bowling trio at their disposal, comprising the three highest T20 wicket-takers of 2020 in Haris Rauf (57), Rashid Khan (56) and Shaheen Afridi (52). And while this dynamic attack makes them stand out from the rest of the teams, their batting also packs a punch, with their top order including Fakhar Zaman, who is looking to revive his Pakistan career, Akhtar, who comes into the tournament with T10 form behind him, and Ben Dunk, who made 300 runs last season at a strike rate of 167.59. The Qalandars have retained him for this season, and released Chris Lynn.The middle order also bursts with authority with Mohammad Hafeez, David Wiese and Samit Patel in the ranks. These three aren’t the youngest, but they bring valuable experience and rock-solid temperaments.Strengths

  • The Qalandars possess a bowling attack with all bases covered – pace, seam, left-arm spin, legspin, offspin.
  • The captain Sohail Akhtar is an underrated batsman, who has a T20 hundred under his belt. His career strike rate of 128.68 might not look too flash, but he comes into the PSL with a chart-topping 248 runs at a strike rate of 187.87 in the Abu Dhabi T10.
  • Hafeez has hit a purple patch in the shortest format of late, scoring 1005 runs at an average of 47.85 and a strike rate of 141.54 since the start of 2020. He’s added a new dimension to his game with improved power-hitting, and even at 40 the Professor shows no signs of stopping.

Weaknesses

  • Rashid is with the Qalandars for only two games since he will be leaving for national duty to play a Test series against Zimbabwe for Afghanistan. The Qalandars don’t have too much cover for his role, and his loss will be felt going deep in the tournament.
  • After a promising start to his international career across formats, Fakhar Zaman is now out of favour with his form dipping significantly. The Qalandars will hope he can get back to his best because he is a key figure in their top order.

    Roster
    Ben Dunk, David Wiese, Dilbar Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hafeez, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohail Akhtar, Ahmed Danyal, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Joe Denly, Rashid Khan, Samit Patel, Tom Abell, Salman Ali Agha. Zaid Alam, Zeeshan AshrafPotential First XI: Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar (capt), Zaid Alam, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk (wk), Samit Patel, David Wiese, Rashid Khan, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Dilbar HussainBabar Azam will be surrounded by an array of experienced top-order colleagues•PCB

    Karachi Kings

    Team overview
    The Karachi Kings broke their playoffs jinx last year to win the title. Otherwise, they had never finished in the top two, losing three times in the Eliminator and finishing in third place in 2017. They have always had a star-studded roster and arguably started each season as one of the favorites with a triumvirate of three long-standing players – Babar Azam, Mohammad Amir, and Imad Wasim as the captain – as their defining feature.This year, as in the last few seasons, they have carefully injected firepower into their top order to bat around Babar Azam, trading Alex Hales with Islamabad United to bring back Colin Ingram, who had two sensational seasons for the Kings in 2018 and 2019, scoring 587 runs at a strike rate of 153.66.Their coaching panel is largely taken care of by director and president Wasim Akram but the franchise has also roped in the former South Africa batsman Herschelle Gibbs as their head coach. Gibbs comes into the role that was previously held by Dean Jones, who died aged 59 in September last year in Mumbai. In November, the franchise dedicated their maiden title to Jones.Strengths
    The top five positions offer guaranteed firepower with Sharjeel Khan, Ingram and Dan Christian capable of booming strike rates and batting around the class of Babar Azam.Weaknesses

    • The Kings have decent bowling options but their pace attack can be over-reliant on Mohammad Amir’s four-over quota. His form cost him his Pakistan place recently, and if he doesn’t fire on a given day, it might test the other fast bowlers – Arshad Iqbal, Waqas Maqsood and Aamer Yamin. It could be a make-or-break season for Amir’s career.
    • A lack of batting depth could be an issue, with the Kings lacking truly top-drawer hitters down the order, though Imad and Mohammad Nabi can do a decent job.

    Roster
    Aamer Yamin, Arshad Iqbal, Babar Azam, Colin Ingram, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Sharjeel Khan, Waqas Maqsood, Chadwick Walton, Dan Christian, Danish Aziz, Joe Clarke, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Ilyas, Noor Ahmed, Qasim Akram, Zeeshan MalikPotential First XI
    Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Colin Ingram, Dan Christian, Imad Wasim (capt), Chadwick Walton (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Amir, Waqas Maqsood, Arshad IqbalPeshawar Zalmi will hope the arrival of Mujeeb Ur Rahman can make up for the loss of Hasan Ali•Getty Images

    Peshawar Zalmi

    Team overview

    The franchise is in a rebuilding phase after losing their premier fast bowler Hasan Ali – who parted ways to join Islamabad United. They are the only team after Karachi to have made the playoffs each time they’ve played the tournament in the last five years. They’ve played as many as three finals, but won only once. Zalmi are going through a reboot this year, having retained only five players in the draft while every other team retained the maximum quota of eight to secure their core.This is a new development, since no team has had as loyal a core as Zalmi’s since the league began in 2016. Darren Sammy, Hasan Ali, Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz have worn no other colours until Hasan decided to leave; they also went through a mid-season crisis earlier, having to bench Sammy and appoint him as a coach. Their head coach Mohammad Akram – who has also been with the franchise from the beginning – has said the team is looking to make a fresh start.Strengths

    • The middle-order is brimming with experience, with Shoaib Malik and Ravi Bopara occupying key positions.
    • The bowling is largely based on their go-to quick Wahab Riaz, who is the leading wicket-taker in the PSL and has made a crucial contribution to Zalmi’s success over the years. He might be missing Hasan at the other end but the attack will be bolstered by the arrival of the Afghanistan mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who had a decent BBL season, picking up 14 wickets at an average of 13.42 and an economy rate of 6.26.

    Weaknesses

    • Veteran Kamran Akmal hasn’t had a good run lately with the bat, and has missed chunks of the recent domestic season due to fitness issues.
    • Liam Livingstone pulling out on national duty has exposed cracks in the top order, leaving it largely in the hands of the inexperienced Haider Ali. Tom Kohler-Cadmore has been brought in as a replacement but he doesn’t have a lot of experience in Asian conditions. Imam ul Haq, meanwhile, has hardly played since picking up a thumb injury in New Zealand.

    Roster
    Haider Ali, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz, Abrar Ahmed, Amad Butt, David Miller, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Irfan Snr, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ravi Bopara, Saqib Mahmood, Sherfane Rutherford, Umaid Asif, Tom-Kohler CadmorePotential First XI
    Haider Ali, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shoaib Malik, Ravi Bopara, Amad Butt, Wahab Riaz (capt), Umaid Asif, Mohammad Irfan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Imran

    • 'Sanju's innings will be remembered as one of the finest'

    by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

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

    ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2021

    What an incredible innings @IamSanjuSamson ! Well played, you have definitely won a lot of hearts today, Keep Going Huge respect! pic.twitter.com/hBNBJv9Hru

    — Suresh Raina (@ImRaina) April 12, 2021

    Top tuckerrr @IamSanjuSamson

    — Washington Sundar (@Sundarwashi5) April 12, 2021

    Good to start #IPL2021 with a win! Well done team @PunjabKingsIPL

    — Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) April 12, 2021

    What a knock @IamSanjuSamson top class pic.twitter.com/0xoov2Tm6E

    — Sachin baby (@sachinbabyy) April 12, 2021

    What a cracker Of a game ,heroics from @IamSanjuSamson almost did it for the royals , what a under pressure from him !! What batting from @klrahul11 & #hooda to help @PunjabKingsIPL to pull of an amazing win #RRvsPBKS #IPLT20

    — Mithun Manhas (@MithunManhas) April 12, 2021

    It’s unfair that one team had to lose tonight. Sanju’s innings will be remembered as one of the finest #IPL innings in the losing cause. The hitting we have witnessed today was simply unbelievable. No wonder we are calling Wankhede as the Six Hitting Central. #IPL2021 #RRvPBKS

    — Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) April 12, 2021

    A substantial Sanju Samson innings is an absolute pleasure to watch. First game as captain of @rajasthanroyals and he gets a century .

    — Ian bishop (@irbishi) April 12, 2021

    Point to note…Samson came into bat in the first over and was there till the last ball of the innings. He came of age tonight I thought. First hundred in a run chase too. Let’s hope he can keep his form through the length of the IPL.#RRvsPBKS #SanjuSamson

    — Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) April 12, 2021

    What a incredible from @IamSanjuSamson #IPL2021 #RRvPBKS

    — VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) April 12, 2021

    What a spectacular innings from @IamSanjuSamson , pity that he had to end up on the losing side. A great win for @PunjabKingsIPL to begin the season. #RRvPBKS pic.twitter.com/pwysuBYC9b

    — Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) April 12, 2021

    Sanju not taking single can be justified with the way he was playing & given that Morris was new at the crease. It was totally understandable. Happens in the game of cricket. Well played #RRvPBKS

    — Hemang Badani (@hemangkbadani) April 12, 2021

    The game is very easy in hindsight https://t.co/dG80eTUysZ

    — Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) April 12, 2021

    Matt Parkinson ready to grin and bear April chill in pursuit of a game

    by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

    Lancashire legspinner eager to play after winter spent netting in England’s touring bubble

    David Hopps06-Apr-2021When the next history of international cricket is written, it is fair to say that Team Buttler vs Team Root on January 8-9 in Hambantota, won’t manage a mention.But don’t knock it. Matt Parkinson’s five overs without a wicket in an England practice match, under a broiling Sri Lankan sun, represents his only competitive bowl since October. After that little outing, the only England team he was confident of forcing his way into for the next three months or so was the card school.After an inactive winter in biosecure bubbles in Sri Lanka and India, he is itching to start the Championship season, his enthusiasm not even tempered by Old Trafford fielding drills in temperatures of 7C and with driving sleet strafing across his Lancashire woolly hat.A wintry April hardly makes legspin a precious commodity for the start of the Championship season, but more inactivity in the bubble would be tantamount to an act of cruelty and Lancashire’s Championship captain, Dane Vilas, has observed Parkinson’s spell of netting in warm-weather climates and suggested that it must make him the best prepared county cricketer in the land.Will he face more weeks of enforced idleness? “If you dwell on it too much it might get you down,” Parkinson said. “I don’t want to be sat in a bubble for a couple of months and not playing. I’m looking to play in all formats. It would be quite an odd feeling to do that coming off the back of not too much cricket.”Related

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    Parkinson is not the first cricketer to be surplus to requirements on an England tour, but the mental pressures are much the harder when there is no means of escape, not even the ubiquitous round of golf to alleviate three months of net practice and hotel confinement.Ashley Giles, the managing director England men’s cricket, was keenly aware of the pressures on mental health because of Covid restrictions and multi-format cricketers were given a break during the tour for their own wellbeing.Parkinson, though, a sort of multi-format non-cricketer, was a rare example of someone who remained throughout – the head coach, Chris Silverwood, being another. Parkinson’s general bonhomie, hard work and team ethic led Silverwood to call him “an absolute delight”.Giles emphasised on BBC radio last week that Parkinson was far from forgotten. “It was a great experience for him to be out there bowling day in day out. Being in hotels, being in quarantine, is hard but we keep constant mental health checks on these guys and if at any point we felt that we needed to get him out we certainly would have done. Don’t be afraid to get your hand up and we’ll get you out.”Parkinson makes light of the challenge he faced. “I just sort of cracked on with it,” he said. “The card school kept me going most nights. There was no offer on the table from the Big Bash or the Pakistan Super League so it was either the nets with England or the Lancashire indoor school.”I was disappointed that I didn’t play any games but I like to think that the work I’ve done will seep into my game and that after bowling to the likes of Joe Root and Ben Stokes in the nets all winter I’ve got better.”Those net sessions allowed him to reflect – although not too much – upon the debate about his bowling speed. He is one of the slowest spin bowlers around and, although the likes of Rob Key have advised him not to change, others believe his effectiveness at the highest level will be limited as a result.Prior to the tour had worked with two spin-bowling coaches, Carl Crowe and Richard Dawson, to try to bowl a little quicker without undermining his trajectory. “I’ve tried not to get too far away from what I do, to stick to the skills that have got me so far,” he said. “Maybe we’ll see another 3 or 4kph but I won’t know until I play a game.”Matt Parkinson, along with Mark Wood and Jake Ball, heads to the Ahmedabad nets•Getty ImagesAt least he had a close-up view in India of one of the most spin-intense Test series of modern times as R Ashwin and Axar Patel took 59 wickets between them in the four-Test series (of which Patel missed the first Test). But even then, the direct comparison for Parkinson would be to Kuldeep Yadav, as another wrist spinner, and he did not fare as well.With Eoin Morgan, England’s T20 captain, in somewhat experimental mood ahead of the T20 World Cup in India later this year, Parkinson hoped for a game in his strongest format, but even that was denied him. All England’s emphasis, when it comes to legspin, rests with Adil Rashid. He likes to think he “remains in the mix”, a back-up to Rashid, but as much as he concedes that it would be wonderful for them to play in the same side, he does not really believe it.It would have been intriguing to see him get a game, especially as the sort of modern journalism that relies upon intense checking of Twitter timelines had revealed that there was a time when the teenaged Parkinson was not exactly enamoured of India’s captain, Virat Kohli. Those papers who carried his intemperate comments of youth had to use a lot of asterisks.If he achieved anything this winter then it was to become a case study in the dangers of social media. He can expect to be on an ECB PowerPoint presentation for years to come.”I don’t do much social media as it happens,” he said. “I was just a young cricket fan and got it wrong. It was a good lesson about social media.”How does he think he would have fared if he had come up against Kohli, eager for retribution?”I think I would have struggled,” he grinned.It takes more than a winter’s confinement to knock the spirit out of Matt Parkinson.

    Shakib Al Hasan really, really wants to play Test cricket

    by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

    But what can he do when the damn IPL keeps getting in the way?

    Andrew Fidel Fernando31-Mar-2021Shaz gets vaxxed
    In outstanding news for humanity, Ravi Shastri revealed he has had his first vaccination against Covid-19. Which means Covid antibodies developed in Shastri’s body now exist in the world.It’s over for this disease.

    Yeah, okay we get it
    Look, is anyone else sick of hearing about how well New Zealand is doing in this pandemic? They are having huge barbeques, street parades, music concerts. Their stadiums are packed with spectators. Their parliament has been passing compassionate legislation by huge majorities.On the sporting front, they already had the most impressive team in all of elite sport for the last 40 years in the All Blacks, which anyway is ridiculous for a nation of five million. Now, their cricket team is among the top two Test sides in the world and they will play in the World Test Championship final. To rub all of this in, they have now monstered Bangladesh in limited-overs series, which have seen the international arrival of Devon Conway, who has rocked our replay reels with his strokeplay. And yet, although this guy also averages 47 in first-class cricket, New Zealand may not even need him in the Test squad, because they have a team full of performing incumbents. This is just obnoxious at this point. It’s not a good time for the rest of us, New Zealand. Read the bloody room.Test cricket worship corner
    Folks, we all know that modern cricketers all love Tests and would play it 365 days a year, foregoing all else, if their bodies allowed. They tell us this again and again. Having only played one Test since 2019, thanks to a corruption-related ban, Shakib Al Hasan probably wants to play the format more than almost anyone else, and must have been overjoyed at the news that his team has two Tests scheduled in Apr… oh wait, no, he wants to miss the Sri Lanka Tests to play the IPL. Wow, how surprising.Women’s cricket commitment corner
    Another topic that arguably draws even more empty rhetoric is women’s cricket, with boards all around the world falling over themselves to express their desire to develop it. Now that we’re a full year into the pandemic, it might be worth checking on how much cricket women have played recently. Since March 15, 2020, there have been only 38 women’s internationals played, compared to 115 men’s matches. This disparity is bad enough but then consider that 30 of those men’s games were Tests, while all the women’s matches were limited-overs games.Some teams have had an abysmally bare schedule. While Sri Lanka Cricket has hosted a Lanka Premier League, a Test tour, and has a relatively busy schedule lined up for the men over the next three months, the Sri Lanka women’s team have not played a single match for the past 12 months and have nothing lined up in April either.The legal tussle
    Worrying allegations over discrimination have emerged in South Africa, where former England captain Karen Smithies is suing CSA for supposedly overlooking her for the job of manager of the women’s national team, allegedly in part because if she were appointed, that would make her a gay woman in charge of a women’s team. Which, if you follow this line of reasoning, is terrible news for all the heterosexual men working in the backrooms of women’s teams around the world, who now have to be castrated if they want to keep their jobs.Next month on the Briefing:– CSA rolls out new recruitment policy. “If you’re not fully asexual, we don’t even want to hear from you. Who knows if you will send in a seductive CV?”- New Zealand set some major, unbeatable record in the last T20I of the Bangladesh series, probably, the jerks.

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