A host of emerging and fringe players have made their mark in the first two T20Is against South Africa

Andrew McGlashan02-Sep-2023Australia had gone into the last men’s T20 World Cup on home soil as one of the favourites having been, perhaps, somewhat surprise winners of the previous event in 2021. But they fluffed their lines, soundly beaten in the first game by New Zealand and never really got going.The final match of that tournament, against Afghanistan in Adelaide, was their last in the format until this tour of South Africa with 2023 having been dominated by their Test endeavours in India and England.Even now the focus is on the build-up to the ODI World Cup next month. Partly due to that, with all-format names rested, as well as injuries and a retirement, this Australia T20 side in Durban has a very different look to that T20 World Cup squad: only three players faced Afghanistan and South Africa.Related

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It remains to be seen how closely Friday’s XI resembles the opening game of next year’s T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA. But while two games are too few to draw big conclusions against a South Africa side that has been off the pace early in the season, in terms of exploring the depth on offer the signs have been very encouraging. Not least for new captain Mitchell Marsh who has plundered 171 runs from 88 balls without being dismissed.In the opening match it was Tanveer Sangha’s last-minute debut, where he claimed 4 for 31 and Tim David’s blistering half-century that made a big impression alongside Marsh’s barnstorming unbeaten 92. In the second game, it was another group of emerging, or fringe players, who put in starring roles alongside their captain.Nathan Ellis (seventh T20I), Sean Abbott (11th T20I), Jason Behrendorff (10th T20I, and first since mid-2021) and Matt Short (second T20I) all produced pivotal displays.It was set up on the field when Australia pulled back Temba Bavuma’s rapid start by claiming four wickets in the powerplay. Abbott, seemingly forever a cricketer fighting for the opportunities his talent deserves, removed Bavuma and a swinging full toss from Behrendorff trapped Rassie van der Dussen.Mitchell Marsh has led from the front with the bat•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesThen over to Ellis who pinned Reeza Hendricks lbw and found the edge of Dewald Brevis’ blade first ball in a double-wicket maiden. He would strike again in the closing overs as he continued an outstanding start to his T20I career: after seven matches he has 18 wickets at 9.11 with an economy rate of 6.30.The combined figures of Ellis and Abbott were 8-1-47-6. There is every chance that only one of them makes the ODI World Cup squad which will be named next week.”It’s awesome bowling alongside Nathan,” Abbott said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for him. Where he’s been really successful in the Big Bash for Hobart [Hurricanes], it’s not an easy place to bowl and defend [at Bellerive Oval], it’s quite a nice batting wicket, so think it’s no surprise he’s come into the international side and performed the way that he has. Think his numbers speak for themselves.”Whenever he’s got something to say with the captain, I always make sure I’m listening and more often than not he goes and executes really well. Typically, we see that when we’ve got to be defensive at the backend with the death bowling, but he showed that tonight in his first over, presenting the seam and hitting the top of the stumps.”The consensus at midway was that South Africa’s 164 was competitive – “The pitch tonight suited the bowlers,” Abbott said – but it was soon put into a different light by Australia’s top order.Short put on a full display of the power that made him last season’s BBL player of the tournament including a couple of huge strikes over the leg side.”We’ve seen that for a little while now from Matt Short and I’m not surprised he’s doing it at international level,” Abbott said. “There doesn’t seem to be too many weaknesses in his game at the moment and I’m really chuffed for him; second game, scoring fifty striking at 200, he’s a very talented player.”Short is not in contention for the ODI World Cup, but Abbott, Ellis and Sangha are part of the preliminary 18-player squad, Spencer Johnson is a replacement for Mitchell Starc in South Africa and David’s addition for the ODIs next week is an intriguing development. Injuries and workload have forced the hand of the selectors to look at new faces – the initial results have been highly encouraging, and it means some fascinating decisions loom.

Scramble for squad places isn’t over yet, as shown by compelling internal struggle at Chester-le-Street

Cameron Ponsonby30-Aug-2023During the five-hour drive up to the Seat Unique Riverside stadium from London today, Google suggested an “alternative route” that was 27 minutes slower. That is not an alternative route, that is the wrong way.The same sentiment could be expressed about England’s World Cup squad selection, with the omission of Harry Brook, left out in favour of Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone and Jason Roy, an example of brains whirring and coming to a conclusion that, on the one hand, does still get you to Ahmedabad, but on the other takes you via Melbourne to get there. Surely there’s a better way.So much was proved today, as Brook furthered his case for World Cup inclusion with a flawless 43 off 27 balls to ice a middling chase against New Zealand, as England cruised to a seven-wicket win with six overs to spare.”He’s been unbelievable,” England seamer Brydon Carse said of his Northern Superchargers’ team-mate’s progress over the last year-and-a-half. “I’ve been fortunate enough to spend quite a lot of time with Harry and to see him go about his business over the last 18 months has been a joy to watch”He’s such a laid-back character, he loves batting obviously, but away from cricket he’s a laid-back character who enjoys spending time with his family.”I’m glad I haven’t had to play against him, he just seems to be hitting it all around the ground and just the tempo he’s playing at, it’s great for him and for English cricket.”This innings was Brook’s second reminder in as many matches of his standing as the star of English cricket, today and tomorrow, having initially responded to the squad announcement with a remarkable 41-ball century in the the Hundred, an innings which prompted Jos Buttler to clarify that the door wasn’t entirely shut on Brook’s World Cup campaign: “There’s still a long time before everyone is meant to get on the plane, so we’ll wait and see what happens.”Liam Livingstone and Harry Brook saw England home in the chase•Getty ImagesButtler, in this instance, was playing the role of Kevin McAllister’s Mum in , and bolting upright as he realises he’s left Harry at home for the World Cup.The upshot is that Wednesday’s match against New Zealand was the first of four T20s, followed by four ODIs, in which Brook will test out the depths of England’s buyer’s remorse, while Malan and Livingstone fight to avoid becoming the David Willey of 2023. Roy, rested for this series, can expect to return to the ODI set-up next week under increased pressure, as not only did Brook shine, but Malan and Livingstone equally rose to the occasion. Malan made 54 off 42 balls to break the back of England’s chase, while Livingstone bowled beautifully to record figures of 1 for 25 off four before finishing the chase off with a quickfire 10 off four balls.The reasoning behind their respective selections is that Malan, as well as being a relentless white-ball run-machine in recent years, provides a left-handed option that can target the opponent’s left-arm spinners and right-arm wrist spinners. In an otherwise disjointed innings, Malan succeeded on this front, taking the New Zealand spin pair of Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi for 32 runs off 16 deliveries. On a macro level, this was vintage T20 Malan. A slow start (4 off 10 balls), followed by relentless aggression when faced with his match-up to take him to yet another international half-century, off 40 balls all told. In the longer format, that latter trait is more valuable than the former is damaging, and Malan will have done his chances no harm this evening.Related

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Similarly, Livingstone played his role with the ball to perfection, bowling with genuine skill to pick off the key wicket of Daryl Mitchell, while his figures would have been even more impressive had his final ball not been launched for six by Adam Milne. Livingstone was even preferred to Adil Rashid to bowl a fourth over, with England’s premier legspinner sending down just the three run-a-ball overs on this occasion.The selection of Livingstone rests largely on the variety he brings with the ball. He’s capable of bowling both offbreaks and legbreaks, and data from CricViz shows that in T20Is, his economy-rate bowling offies is 6.95 with an average of 34.00, compared to 8.33 and 25.34 when bowling leggies. Livingstone is a more-than-capable bowler, but with just two scores of above fifty in an England shirt in 35 innings, he will be under pressure to make a telling score before the squad is finalised in a month’s time. Will England prefer a Jack of all trades in Livingstone, or a master of one in Brook? His towering six to wrap up victory was a timely reminder of his explosive power with the bat.And where exactly was Brook in all of this? Well, he was at the other end being Harry Brook, cruising along at a strike-rate of 159 without ever looking in a rush to finish the job.Two fours and three sixes, each as enormous as the other but in three completely separate directions, further illustrated why all of Michael Atherton, Jofra Archer and Kevin Pietersen – arguably the father, son and holy ghost of English cricket – have each individually expressed their shock at his absence. Buttler himself has said that Brook has nothing to prove, but Brook did it anyway. Someone is going to be the victim of the cruellest omission. Brook is doing his damnedest already to make sure it isn’t him.

He lifted Australia out of a deep mire on Thursday against Pakistan, but fell agonisingly short of his century

Alex Malcolm28-Dec-2023Five years ago, Mitchell Marsh was booed by the MCG crowd when he came on to bowl for Australia in a Boxing Day Test match. Five years on, there were similar-sounding groans. But these were groans of despair for Australia’s cult hero, who fell four agonising runs short of a richly deserved century, having pulled his side out of a deep mire.If you had asked those booing him five years ago who they would want walking out to bat at 16 for 4 with a Boxing Day Test hanging in the balance, or at 85 for 4 on day one of an away Ashes Test, or at No. 3 in a T20 World Cup final or in an ODI World Cup final, the answer would have been, “anyone but Mitch Marsh”.But time and again, especially in 2023, he has delivered under pressure, in the big moments. There was a time when he had said, “Most of Australia hates me.” Australia loves him now. “He should be getting the receptions that he’s starting to get now,” Pat Cummins said yesterday. “He’s a champion.”Related

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Marsh’s 96 was not quite as good as his Headingley hundred. But it was a counterattack of equal importance from a perilous position, and it saved Australia’s blushes.Australia were 16 for 4 in their second innings, with a lead of just 70, when Marsh walked in to face Mir Hamza on a hat-trick. Australia had not lost four wickets for so few runs on home soil since they were bowled out for 85 by South Africa in 2016. Hamza and Shaheen Shah Afridi had the Kookaburra ball swinging around corners under overcast skies. One more wicket and Pakistan were looking at Australia’s last five batters, who had contributed scores of 4, 9, 13, 8 and 5 in the first innings.Marsh calmly let the hat-trick ball pass through to the keeper. A younger version, the version that was booed, might have committed to play no matter what. He was far from perfect early on and he freely admitted it to Fox Cricket when he spoke to their flying mic during the final drinks break: “I was a cat on a hot tin roof and I felt like I had a defence like Swiss cheese in my first 20 balls.”He took 14 balls to get off the mark but did so with an emphatic drive down the ground. He was beaten time and again by Hasan Ali. But he got three short and wide gifts from Aamer Jamal in the same over to break the shackles. Then a moment of huge fortune. Just as Joe Root had dropped him at first slip at Headingley when he was on 12, Abdullah Shafique grassed the simplest of chances with Marsh on 20.

“Shaun got run-out for 99, and Dad [Geoff] got 86 here. I guess a little bit history for us. Hopefully I get one more crack at it”Mitchell Marsh on missing out on a Boxing Day Test century at MCG

It wasn’t his only piece of fortune. Just 14 balls later, having added only six runs, he shouldered arms to a ball from Hasan that nipped back sharply. Hasan and Pakistan pleaded with umpire Michael Gough to give it out. The finger stayed down. The review showed the ball clipping off stump, but not enough to overturn the decision.But they say you make your own luck. And Marsh has made his own luck this year by being brave.Marsh had talked after his first-innings 90 in Perth about how he couldn’t defend and survive like Steven Smith does. He spoke about how he had to be “true to himself”, to show positive intent and put pressure back on the bowlers, and not go into his shell like he might have done in the past.Marsh revealed after play that his new mantra was put to the test in this innings.Mitchell Marsh leaves to a standing ovation at the MCG•Getty Images and Cricket Australia”There’s a lot of voices inside your head at 4 for 16,” Marsh said. “It was I guess a big moment for me personally to, in that moment, just have a little think about how I wanted to go about it and be true to myself. I’ve said that on record. So, I guess I had to stay true to myself. It felt really hard work. The ball was swinging around.”It was a matter of trying to get through but also making sure I put the bad balls away. And I was able to do that. So I still felt even on 96 that I could nick one, and I did. There’s still plenty in the wicket.”Under enormous pressure, surviving several close calls, he stayed true to his mantra and played with immense bravery to carry his team on his broad shoulders. He benefitted from Smith’s obduracy and calmness at the other end, but if Marsh didn’t score, the lead was not going anywhere given Smith took 100 balls to find the boundary and scored his 50 off 176 balls.It was Marsh who carried the scoring responsibility in what might end up being a match-winning 154-run stand with Smith – it was unthinkable to write those words about a Test partnership between Marsh and Smith just over six months ago.Pakistan could not contain him because he did not allow them to settle. Marsh 2.0, in his last five Tests, has been prepared to walk down the pitch at fast bowlers to disrupt their lengths. While it doesn’t always yield the drive balls that he’s looking for, it creates a lot of shorter lengths. He latched onto those time and again during this innings, taking the pitch and swing out of the equation to thump cut shots galore to the long square boundaries.Five Boxing Days ago, not many people would have bet on Mitchell Marsh being Australia’s hero against Pakistan•Getty ImagesIt was a tactic he only developed in his last Sheffield Shield match earlier this year when he made a century against Tasmania at the WACA ground.”I guess part of it is trying to impose myself,” Marsh said. “I want to hit down the ground. I also back myself to pick up the length and get the short ones as well. So it’s really just become part of my game, I feel really comfortable doing that.”He deserved a century and cut a heartbreaking figure as he trudged off to a wonderful ovation. His father Geoff and brother Shaun, who were in the crowd, were gutted for him and knew exactly how he felt.”Shaun got run out for 99 and Dad got 86 here,” Marsh said. “I guess a little bit history for us. Hopefully I get one more crack at it.”After not wanting him five years ago, Australian fans will want him to play many more Boxing Day Tests in the future.

Russell expects to play the 2024 T20 World Cup and then retire – and he might not be alone – but is happy to unretire if West Indies need him

Cameron Ponsonby13-Dec-2023Everyone wants to be their own boss. Choose your own hours. Pick your holidays. And take two years off before coming back in time for a home World Cup.The return of Andre Russell to the T20I side is the latest in the West Indian cricket soap opera.In the last month, the region has seen Darren Bravo, 34, controversially omitted from the ODI squad because of his age, with the sprightly Kjorn Ottley chosen instead. And happy birthday to Kjorn, by the way, he turned 34 on Saturday. Shane Dowrich, 32, was recalled to the white-ball set-up after four years on the sidelines, only to announce his retirement from international cricket ten days later. And chief selector Desmond Haynes said he was unaware of Akeal Hosein’s status when it came to the ODI series, only for him to open the bowling in tonight’s T20I.Related

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And just as the cricket threatened to take over. In the space of two days, the return of Russell and the departure of Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers were confirmed. All of whom have opted to reject the Cricket West Indies central contract.Russell isn’t the player he once was, but he is still a match-winner, and in his much anticipated return, he put in a Player-of-the-Match performance with a game-changing spell of 3 for 19, before sealing a four-wicket win for West Indies as he bludgeoned 29 not out off 14 balls.”I love the start I got,” Russell said in the moments after play, still sweating after his 49-run partnership with skipper Rovman Powell got the West Indies over the line. “I always want to play for the West Indies. Sometimes people might think it’s all about playing leagues and all of those things, but I try to make sure that I look after my body and make sure that when the call-up is here, I’m ready. I was really excited for this call-up.”The return of Russell is a boost for West Indies both on-and-off the pitch. He is a global superstar, with his presence a boon for every marketing and financial spreadsheet. But more to the point, he fills a middle-and-death-overs-shaped hole for West Indies that the team was crying out for.No longer an out-and-out hard hitting allrounder, Russell is now a hard-length-hitting bowler, who, if you ask nicely, is also good for a few sixes.His three-wicket spell was split between the first over that went for ten and the following three that went for just nine and included the wickets of Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone and Rehan Ahmed.”The last delivery of my first over, I bowled a slower ball and I realised it gripped,” Russell said of his spell. “Since then, I told most of the seamers, bowl cutters, make it difficult for them. Pace-on deliveries, that’s where they get most of their runs… I tried to pass the message on as quickly as possible.”

“Sammy mentioned that once I do what I have to do in the CPL he will definitely mention my name in selection. And I had my fingers crossed… I’m here to play cricket and I’m just happy I can be wearing this crest on my chest”Andre Russell

Before Russell’s slower-ball intervention, England had scored 77 runs without a wicket, and they then lost all ten for just 94 more.”I was excited to see all the guys there trying to make sure the plan that we discussed in the huddle came out,” Russell said. “And it’s good to pull it back from a high-scoring game to 170 [171]. We know how good the quality of England’s spinners are and their [other] bowlers, so it was good to actually restrict them and have some cushion and comfort.”That Russell is back in West Indies colours is down to new head coach Daren Sammy. Together, the pair won the 2012 and 2016 T20 World Cups, and it was after Russell’s 11 wickets in the CPL three months ago that Sammy teased the idea of him coming back to win a third.”Sammy mentioned that once I do what I have to do in the CPL he will definitely mention my name in selection,” Russell said. “And I had my fingers crossed… I’m here to play cricket and I’m just happy I can be wearing this crest on my chest.”It is a full-circle moment for West Indian cricket, as two of the first high-profile players to go down the freelance route have reunited under the national banner. Sammy and Russell were cut from the national contracts list in 2016, experiences that make them well-placed to assist and understand the latest generation of players’ internal debates when they are weighing up what’s best for their own futures. When it was Russell and Sammy doing it, it was a leap into the unknown. But now, for the likes of Pooran, Holder and Mayers, who have opted to forego their CWI contracts, it’s a risk where the potential rewards are evidenced by the senior player and head coach in their own dressing room.”To be honest, I was just scrolling Google and I saw that,” Russell said of the trio’s decision. “I don’t know what’s going on really, I won’t get into that, to be honest. Whatever off the field stuff like that, they must know why they turned down the retainer, but at the end of the day, everyone’s decision is final.””After the World Cup I would walk away from international cricket, but if they need me, I will come out of retirement”•Sportzpics

Russell: ‘I still have a lot left in the tank’

A decision that isn’t final, however, is when Russell himself will be calling time on his international career.”It all depends on how the World Cup goes for me,” Russell said of whether the grand plan is to win the World Cup on home soil and then go sailing off into the sunset. “I still have a lot left in the tank. But, you know, based on discussions with the coach, I told him that after the World Cup I would walk away from international cricket, but if they need me, I will come out of retirement.”That’s the plan that I have, there are so many young talents here, all around us, similar to myself. Sometimes you realise that you’re going into 36, you know, just give the youngsters the opportunity. And if West Indies should still need me, I would be willing to put in the hard yards for them.”The assumption remains that Russell will call it quits when the World Cup ends. The fear is that others may join him. The line between country and cash is thinner and more complicated than outsiders will ever appreciate, with a common criticism that the prioritisation of the latter is immoral. However, watch the video of West Indies’ captain Powell explaining how his sole motivation is to ensure his mum never experiences poverty again, and that argument falls apart.Nothing is guaranteed in West Indian cricket, with the next drama no doubt around the corner. But what Russell showed today, is that the next episode has a chance to be a happy one.

All the best-laid plans of England’s campaign couldn’t prepare them for a day in the blender

Vithushan Ehantharajah25-Feb-20242:08

Did Kuldeep’s slower pace help him be more dangerous?

This was the sort of day that teams visiting India dread. The kind they warn you about before you even set foot in the country.It’s the kind England have experienced plenty times before, including many of these players under a previous regime back in 2021. When a game you seemed to be getting along with just fine suddenly turns around and punches you in the face and robs you of your possessions.It’s nothing personal – this is just how Test cricket in India goes sometimes. And this England side experienced that for the first time on this tour, at the worst possible time.On paper at least, they seemed well equipped to deal with it. You cannot necessarily ride out the storm of turn, variable bounce and relentless accuracy that surges towards you on such days. But if you have established a firm footing and are as proactive as reasonably possible – which this team are – you can ensure you come out the other side of the maelstrom relatively intact. Arriving on day three with a 134-run lead and just three Indian first-innings wickets left to take on a rapidly devolving pitch – the perfect surface for this kind of chaos – they seemed well insulated.By Sunday evening, that paper was lost beneath the debris. India have already chipped 40 runs off their 192 target, and now have the fourth Test and the series within their grasp. After a moment behind closed doors to consider the trauma that had just unfolded, England’s default optimism prevailed. The talk is that Monday has the potential to be another memorable day in this group’s short history. Belief, right now, is a must.England’s faces told a different story, however, as they were rag-dolled in their second innings for 145. Shoaib Bashir’s maiden five-wicket haul in professional cricket gave them a nice walk back into the dressing room earlier. Sure, Dhruv Jurel had almost single-handedly cut their lead down to 46, but that was still a decent buffer in these conditions.The capitulation within 53.5 overs across the second session and most of the third shifted the mood, and sucked out what had been a well-earned air of contentment as far as where this match was headed 24 hours previously. The away balcony was a sea of furrowed brows, fixed stares, and kissed teeth, particularly from those who had just returned to the pavilion from the eye of the storm.Dhruv Jurel’s catch to dismiss James Anderson wrapped up England’s innings•BCCIBen Duckett and Ollie Pope were taken out in successive balls – the latter, who flayed 196 on a similar surface in Hyderabad, nursing a pair across just three deliveries in the match. Joe Root, having finished a masterful 122 not out the previous morning, was done and dusted for 11.Zak Crawley, after a majestic 60, completely missed one from Kuldeep Yadav that turned through a vast gap between bat and pad. Ben Stokes, the talismanic leader of all this, was essentially LBW and bowled at the same time. Jonny Bairstow, chest out and up for a scrap, tamely lobbed the first ball after tea to short cover with what might rank as the worst shot of the tour. Just like that, a top six who have spent close to two months bracing themselves to fight against the tide in this manner found its magnitude too great to withstand.Related

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The period that summed up the futility of England’s endeavour came in an 11-over stunting of the flow of this match. Ben Foakes and Bashir, like protagonists in a post-apocalyptic novel, were thrust together by circumstance. Tom Hartley and Ollie Robinson had gone in the space of four deliveries to close out the 41st over.England were eight down, the score (133) and lead (179) as it had been for the previous 22 balls. They had been brought to a standstill, their world itself, ironically, no longer spinning.Foakes and Bashir, by their very nature, are survivors. Their routes into the team and sport, respectively, are evidence of that. As they travailed through the barren wasteland of this innings, Foakes foraged for a single an over, while Bashir’s task was to keep out, at most, two out of every six deliveries.They were neither any closer to a safe place that did not exist, nor escaping the inevitable. And it was typical of this sub-genre that Foakes, the protector, fell first. Three balls later, England were all out.It is important to remember this was not simply a naturally occurring phenomenon. For the first time on this tour, England felt the full force of India’s spinners and their ability make it feel like you’re batting in a blender rather than on solid ground.Zak Crawley’s fifty kept England ticking but his dismissal opened the floodgates•Getty ImagesGo forward, go back, block, sweep, reverse-sweep, paddle or charge all you want. You’re still getting cut up into a thousand pieces. R Ashwin and Kuldeep, five and four wickets each once it was all said and done, were the ones spinning the blades.Ashwin, utilising what looks to be a more comfortable version of his action, finally posted his first masterclass of the series. The lesser-spotted carrom ball squared up Pope, and was used again to end Foakes’ 80-minute vigil on 17 when a leading edge led to a return catch. Prising out Root LBW from around the wicket, whatever the furore it elicited from DRS sceptics, was high class.Kuldeep, meanwhile, is bowling as well as he ever has done. Initially underused on a pitch both India and England thought would favour finger-spin, his left-arm wrist-spin from a shorter, flatter trajectory threatened all challengers. He seemed to be into the crease quicker, allowing greater purchase off the deck, which, combined with prodigious turn, did for Crawley when it looked like the opener was going to achieve his one-man mission of giving India a target beyond their reach. It ended Crawley’s productive stand of 45 with Bairstow and opened the floodgates.England can rue the moments they let slip. They were perhaps guilty of being too passive in the morning session, and if Robinson had caught Jurel on 59 – he went on to reach 90, with 41 added overall before the keeper-batter was the last man dismissed – they might well be favourites at this juncture.Whisper it … but could they have been more attacking? Easier said than done. Whatever your ethos, whatever your best-laid preparations, everyone has a plan until they find themselves on a challenging track against the best spinners in the game.What will sting is England did not see it coming. And despite going toe-to-toe with India during large parts of the series so far, they may be about to watch it slip away with a Test to spare.

It has looked like Australia have a mental stranglehold over New Zealand, but Henry has suffered no such affliction

Alex Malcolm09-Mar-2024Matt Henry has a 10cm titanium cable and two screws in his spine since a career-saving surgery in 2012.New Zealand should be grateful his spine is made of steel. He has carried his country on his back and dragged them back into the second Test with a sensational seven-wicket haul, before Tom Latham and Kane Williamson shared a critical century stand to erase a first-innings deficit and give the hosts a chance of setting Australia a tricky fourth-innings chase.Henry’s contribution was mighty. There were times when he looked like a one-man attack as runs flowed with ease from the other end. Australia’s batters looked under little threat at one end, yet when they faced Henry at the other, the Hagley Oval pitch looked like a minefield and he was near-on unplayable.Related

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“An incredible effort. Outstanding performance really,” Williamson said. “His style of bowling on surfaces that have offered a little bit makes life quite difficult. It moves late and certainly the Australian bowlers do it very well as well. It was great for Matt to make such a valuable contribution. It’s important we try and back that up.”Henry spoke on the first night of copying Josh Hazlewood’s day-one blueprint on his way to bagging three of Australia’s top four.He doubled down on day two with some impeccable bowling. He forced a mistake from nightwatcher Nathan Lyon to have him caught at slip. He then pinned Mitchell Marsh lbw for a duck with one that nipped back in a touch. Later, as Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins clubbed boundaries at the other end to push Australia’s lead towards 100, he was able to prise them both out. He had Starc caught behind with one angling in and nipping away before trapping Cummins with a clever yorker as he walked down the pitch at him.The help he got from the other end was mainly from Australia. Alex Carey gifted his wicket to Glenn Phillips again before the latter turned to Superman flying high to his right at gully to snare a one-handed screamer to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne after he’d lashed a cut shot off Tim Southee.

“He got some great rewards and has been bowling beautifully, not just in Test cricket but all formats. So it’s great to see all the opportunities that he’s getting, and he’s certainly maximising those”Kane Williamson on Matt Henry

Henry richly deserved his seven-wicket haul given all that he has been through. Beyond the surgery early in his career, he has been plagued by other injuries over the last decade. Then, when he has been fit, he has had limited opportunities with Southee, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Kyle Jamieson all ahead of him at various times.”He’s spent a lot of time carrying the drinks and being in and around the group without actually getting a lot of opportunity,” Williamson said. “He’s a real leader with the ball and has had a couple of fantastic performances already in this series. If there’s something in the wicket, he’s certainly a guy that’s going maximise that.”He bowls such a great length and moves it both ways. A similar nature I suppose, a slightly different trajectory, to the Aussie bowlers in terms of their skill sets and moving the ball off the seam both ways.”He got some great rewards and has been bowling beautifully, not just in Test cricket but all formats. So it’s great to see all the opportunities that he’s getting, and he’s certainly maximising those.”Matt Henry was breathing fire with the ball as well as in his celebrations•AFP/Getty ImagesHenry now has 15 wickets for the series and has caught Australia’s batters off guard. They would not have viewed him as a major threat given his previous returns against them. In three Test matches against Australia before the series, he had figures of 4 for 440 from 127 overs. His previous outing against them in Christchurch had yielded 0 for 134 from 41 overs.But he now wishes he could take this Hagley Oval pitch with him wherever he goes, having taken 28 wickets at 15.85 including two seven-wicket hauls in his last four outings.There has been a fear during this series that Australia have a mental stranglehold over the Black Caps and that repeated past failures have spooked them despite their opponents being vulnerable.Henry has suffered no such affliction. His steel spine and his steely resolve have given New Zealand hope.

He’s a superhero out of an animator’s fever dream. Is it too soon to say he’s perhaps the greatest T20 player of all time?

Osman Samiuddin23-Jun-2024It is entirely plausible, depending on how you consume your cricket (let’s say, intermittently, in longer form and international), that the career of Andre Russell has played itself out near the periphery of your consumption. Occasionally, no doubt, he’s burst through, when winning World Cups for example, or dominating IPLs, or pulling off feats of cricket so unimaginable you suspect they’re AI-generated.Equally as likely, you’ve seen him referenced in some lament about the decline of West Indian cricket, as he turns down a central contract and chooses $$ over duty for country. Viv and company would never have done that (though, two words: Packer, Kerry). Or you can vaguely recall a doping ban from a few years ago, probably also as a lament about the lack of integrity in what used to be a gentleman’s sport.If that is the case, then while he has your attention at this World Cup, consider the proposition that Russell is among the greatest cricketers to have played the game. If that is too much to swallow and you feel putting him in the same cross-format list as, say, Jacques Kallis, is sacrilege, then sure, add the caveat of his format. With that qualification, there’s even less competition: he isn’t simply among the greatest T20 cricketers to have lived, he’s one of the greatest two, alongside Kieron Pollard.Related

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No? If West Indies win this T20 World Cup, Russell will have won more world titles than Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Gordon Greenidge, Alvin Kallicharran and Andy Roberts. He already has more than Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Desmond Haynes. If you say, so has Johnson Charles, well, yes, touché. Well played. Except, if Russell wins this tournament, it will be his 14th T20 title (league titles in seven different countries), a winningness that puts him out on his own with Pollard (18 titles) and Dwayne Bravo (17).It’s slightly urgent to drive all this home because he’s 36 and these might be the last few days we see Russell in a world event representing the West Indies. Maybe. Last December, when he returned to the West Indies side after two years, he said he’d told the coach, Daren Sammy, he’d walk away from international cricket after the World Cup. Except if they needed him after it. In which case, he’d come out of retirement.That, of course, is one of the marks of the T20 age, that nobody really retires anymore. Chris Gayle still hasn’t called it quits officially. One player’s goodbye is another’s franchise hello. Given that less than a sixth of Russell’s T20 matches have been played for West Indies, and that he’s played one and a half times as many games for Kolkata Knight Riders as he has for West Indies, leaving KKR might be the more significant exit.Some part of Russell’s greatness is in this late bloom, in which he is 36 but performing as if he’s a decade younger. He’s five years on from looking like he was done during the 2019 World Cup when his knee had given way; from major knee surgery; nearly three years on from what was supposed to be the end of his era; a year on from the 2023 IPL, where he had a senior moment, sacrificing his wicket off the penultimate ball by getting run-out so he could get the new finisher, Rinku Singh, on strike; and old enough now to have proteges.Thirty-six, in his 15th year as a T20 cricketer and having, by some measures, his best year yet. He has never averaged more with the bat in a year (43.4) or had a higher strike rate (brace yourselves: 203.2, across 28 innings). It is the highest strike rate for any batter this year with 500-plus runs (no batter has had more such years).