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On evidence of his early displays for SRH, Aniket appears to have both bravery and incredible ability to back the high-risk methods

Karthik Krishnaswamy30-Mar-2025What’s a good length for a T20 spinner? Himanish Ganjoo and Sidharth Monga dived deep into data to try and answer this question last year, and came away with two significant findings: A, the stock length for spinners has become shorter with time; and B, this has been accompanied by a significant uptick in speeds.In the IPL, spinners are increasingly looking to bowl quick, flat balls that pitch in the 5-7m (distance from the stumps) band and finish somewhere around the top of the stumps. The traditional good length for spinners, which tends to bring batters forward without letting them drive, is usually in the 4-5m band, and the defensive good length in the 5-6m band. Given how flat pitches now tend to be, and the power and range of the best T20 hitters down the ground, spinners increasingly prefer to err on the short rather than the full side, in the belief that this, combined with the high pace they tend to bowl at, should narrow down most batters’ boundary options at most times.Related

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Axar Patel is the archetypal modern T20 spinner. His speeds seldom drop below 90kph, and often tend to be quicker than 95kph. He bowls into the pitch and attacks the top of the stumps. With his speed, he looks to deny batters the chance to get down the pitch and hit him straight, and with his line he looks to make the sweep a dangerous option. And unless he errs really short, he isn’t easy to pull either, particularly if you’re a right-hand batter cramped for room by the angle he creates with his wide release.All this is to say that Aniket Verma’s pulled six off Axar in the eighth over of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) innings against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Sunday afternoon was no ordinary pulled six. The ball was marginally short of good length, pitching 6.57m from the stumps, and delivered at 88.87kph. It was angling exaggeratedly into the batter in that typically Axar manner and continued to do so after pitching; it would have likely ended up marginally above and outside the line of leg stump.Aniket Verma scored his maiden IPL fifty against Delhi Capitals•BCCINow this was marginally short of good length, and the pace was slow by Axar’s standards, though it was by no means slow in absolute terms. It gave you just enough time and just enough distance from the pitch of the ball to be able to pull it, but you needed remarkable speed of eye and foot to do so.Aniket showed just those qualities, rocking back in a flash and swivelling powerfully through the hips to send the ball sailing over the square leg boundary. His front foot swung so far round that it ended up well behind his back foot, and his back knee almost touched the ground, so low did his centre of gravity sink to be able to create elevation.The man at the other end, Heinrich Klaasen, is one of the masters of this shot. He might have been proud to have played it.And the circumstances around the shot made it even more remarkable. Aniket had come in at 25 for 3, which had soon become 37 for 4. He had responded as if none of those things mattered, and nothing existed outside him, the ball, and a pressing need to dismiss it from his presence. This was his second six, and fourth boundary, in 14 balls, and he was now batting on 26.5:41

Do SRH’s batters lack a plan B?

What he did off the next ball was even better, because Axar corrected his length and pace as well as anyone could. He went fuller, but only just, landing 6m from the stumps. It was the shortest edge of the good-length area. He went quicker, to 95.61kph.This sort of ball is hard to hit anywhere, but perhaps hardest to hit down the ground. Not if you’re Aniket, though. He showed once again that lightning judgment of length and fleetness of foot, this time to advance down the pitch. He didn’t reach the pitch of the ball, but it didn’t matter: he simply punched through the line, without a whole lot of follow-through, and sent the ball one-bounce into the sightscreen.Aniket had come into this IPL with just one senior appearance behind him – a T20 game in which he made a first-ball duck – with his most eye-catching performances having come at Under-23 level or in the Madhya Pradesh League. What all those performances had in common was relentless six-hitting, but it remained to be seen, when SRH signed him for his base price, whether he could do it against IPL-quality bowling.Three innings into his debut season, it’s probably safe to say he can. By the time he was done with Sunday’s 41-ball 74, Aniket had faced 56 balls in the IPL and hit 12 of them over the boundary. Only Nicholas Pooran (13) has hit more sixes so far in IPL 2025.And no uncapped batter has taken fewer balls to hit 12 IPL sixes than Aniket. He has looked particularly frightening against spin, hitting 11 sixes in 37 balls and striking at 237.83, but his pace numbers have been pretty good too, from a limited sample size: 29 runs at a strike rate of 145.00.ESPNcricinfo LtdBeing at this SRH team has certainly been an enabling factor. They stayed true to their philosophy despite being 37 for 4 against DC, and they did the same in their previous game against Lucknow Super Giants as well, when they slipped to 15 for 2. In that match, Aniket came in at 110 for 4 and hit five sixes in a 13-ball 36.”Coming into the tournament, [he was] not super well-known, but everyone was super impressed with how he kind of entered the tournament, in the lead-up games and just that young freedom you see,” SRH captain Pat Cummins said after Sunday’s game. “Even when there’s a few quick wickets lost, he still has the bravery to go and hit the next ball for six, so he was fantastic. He was the guy that kind of gave us half a chance.”There will be a lot of debate around the wisdom of SRH’s approach in matches like their two recent defeats. It’s unlikely that debate will enter the SRH dressing room, however. If Aniket gave them half a chance, in their captain’s words, it was because he didn’t let the situation play on his mind.And if he appeared to be more selective with his hitting than his colleagues, or in greater control of it, it may have been thanks to the deceptive aura that can surround a successful innings, which can make viewers forget moments like the half-chance he offered on 6, when he skewed a leading edge high in the air over the covers only for Abishek Porel to put it down.On this day, Aniket happened to be the SRH batter who had luck go his way. On other days, it’ll be someone else. It’s this pooling of risk that makes a method like SRH’s viable, especially when the Impact Player allows them to bat someone of Wiaan Mulder’s ability at No. 9 on off days like this one.This approach demands bravery from batters, to use the word Cummins employed. What often goes without saying is that it demands incredible ability too. On the evidence of his early displays, Aniket appears to have both.

Kiwi legend’s stint at Lord’s reflects changing priorities for the modern grandees of the game

Matt Roller28-May-2025Kane Williamson will call Lord’s his home ground for the coming months and looked the part in his box-fresh Middlesex training kit on Wednesday. His deal for the English summer covers the T20 Blast, at least five County Championship games and the Hundred, and he will base himself in north London with his young family throughout.Williamson hitched a lift to St John’s Wood with Stephen Eskinazi, his new captain, and pulled a Karachi Kings kitbag – barely used in an abbreviated PSL stint – out of the boot on arrival. He briefly caught up with Nathan Lyon – an early arrival ahead of the World Test Championship final – on the Nursery Ground, before his first net as a Middlesex player.He later revealed his plans to extend his ‘casual’ arrangement with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for 2025-26, with his commitments in NW8 overlapping with an upcoming tour to Zimbabwe. Williamson’s first day at Lord’s served as an allegory for the modern game: he turns 35 in August, and while he sees red-ball cricket as the sport’s “soul”, his own priorities are changing.”My wife’s English, so we were keen to come over here,” he said. “To come here and call Lord’s home for a little bit, it’s quite special… I’ve got three kids, and they’re all quite small, so there’ll be a few parks and things we’ll visit, but it’s nice to be in one place for a [long] period of time. I’ve always enjoyed my time here, and summer has always got a nice buzz in London especially.”Williamson declined an NZC central contract last year, enabling him to skip a bilateral white-ball series to take up an SA20 deal. “I’ll be continuing with that,” he said. “Obviously, the landscape is changing really fast. I played a pretty large volume of international cricket in the last contract year, so we will be working through that again this season… It’s just a work in progress.”Williamson catches up with Nathan Lyon•Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesThe 15 years since his international debut have seen the sport’s structures transform, driven primarily by the IPL. “I feel really grateful that I started when I did, personally,” Williamson said. “The opportunities now are vast, and that’s an amazing thing, and the growth of the game – more so in one format than the others – is, overall, a great thing for a lot more people.”But I talk about the soul of the game, and I still see that as the red ball… The bond that you have with a team when international cricket is the only pathway that you aspire to play, and there is this journey that you’re on… That’s slightly harder to achieve when you’re playing in all different competitions, and it comes and goes a little bit.”Williamson’s signature was the indirect result of Middlesex’s outlier status among English counties. They are merely tenants at Lord’s, and the ground’s owners, MCC, effectively brokered the move on the county’s behalf; he will also captain London Spirit, the franchise which MCC will soon run alongside a Silicon Valley tech consortium, in the Hundred this summer.Related

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Test cricket's young Fab Four

It is a unique arrangement, but one that should prove beneficial to all parties. Williamson’s first assignment is to revive Middlesex’s T20 fortunes: champions in 2008, they have only twice reached the quarter-finals since (in 2016 and 2019). When they last won a Blast match at Lord’s, Eoin Morgan was England’s white-ball captain, and Boris Johnson was prime minister.The competition itself is struggling, too. Middlesex sold 108,144 tickets for their four Blast games at Lord’s in 2019 but only 64,351 last year, and are braced for a poor crowd against Sussex on Thursday night. The blame is shared between the Hundred’s impact on the fixture list, rising living costs, the pandemic’s effect on London working habits, and the club’s own results.Although the Blast has flagged since he last played in it, for Yorkshire in 2018, Williamson’s presence at Lord’s is proof that English cricket retains a certain pull. “When you see Test cricket on TV in this part of the world, it always gives you a lift,” he said. “To see full houses, often, is special to me… Seeing that appreciation and passion in that format over here is great.”Williamson heads to the nets on his first day with Middlesex•Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesYet Williamson’s own future in the format is unclear as he gradually tapers back his international commitments. He could return to England for New Zealand’s three-match series next year, but the recent Test retirement of Virat Kohli – a fellow member of Martin Crowe’s ‘Fab Four’ – prompted a level of introspection.”You do start to reflect a little bit,” he said. “When some of those decisions are made, you go, ‘Oh gosh, there’s an end point.’ Before that, you’re on the journey, and there’s a pursuit there. It’s not connected to those other three, but we’ve all been playing at the same time and competed against each other for a long time… We’ve chatted a lot over the years.”You do realise that you’re not just cricketers as well: you’re human beings, and your life situation changes, and you go through a lot over the 14 or 15 years that we’ve all been doing it together… Until the decision is made, you assume that’s not happening; then it does, and you go, ‘Ah, I can understand it. It’s life.'”The underlying message is clear. Williamson will not be around forever, and while his reputation as a T20 batter may have dipped in recent years, there is no such doubt around his superstar status. Middlesex’s hope is that if anyone can revive their T20 fortunes – and the standing of the Blast itself – then it is him.

Babar Azam scored his first hundred in international cricket after a gap of 807 days on Friday night in Rawalpindi

Sampath Bandarupalli15-Nov-202583 – Consecutive innings without a hundred in international cricket for Babar Azam before his unbeaten 102 against Sri Lanka on Friday. His previous hundred in any format for Pakistan came in August 2023, when he scored 151 against Nepal in the Asia Cup.Eighty-one of those 83 innings were while batting in the top four, the second-longest such streak for a Pakistan batter. Mohammad Rizwan didn’t score a hundred for 82 consecutive innings while batting in the top four between 2021 and 2023.20 – Hundreds for Babar in ODI cricket, the joint-highest for Pakistan alongside Saeed Anwar.ESPNcricinfo Ltd136 – Innings Babar needed to get to 20 ODI hundreds, the third-quickest to get there. Hashim Amla is the fastest with 108 innings, while Virat Kohli achieved it in 133 innings. Anwar, for the record, needed 243 innings.Babar holds the record for being the quickest to 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 ODI hundreds.8 – Hundreds for Babar in ODIs in Pakistan, the highest, going past Mohammad Yousuf’s tally of seven. Babar’s eight ODI hundreds at home have come in just 31 innings.Related

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4 – Specialist batters with a century-less streak as long as Babar’s in men’s internationals (with a minimum of 20 innings in each format in that period). During his century drought, Babar batted 33 times in ODIs, 26 times in T20Is, and 24 times in Test cricket.Kohli also had a streak of 83 innings without a century between 2019 and 2022, while Suresh Raina went 123 straight innings without a century between 2010 and 2014. Malcolm Waller did not score a hundred in his 131 innings at the international level.Pakistan’s Umar Akmal, who was picked as a wicketkeeper occasionally, went 144 consecutive innings without a century between 2009 and 2014, while Bangladesh’s Sabbir Rahman, who was selected as an all-rounder at times, had a century-less streak of 112 innings between 2014 and 2019.40 – Number of century partnerships involving Babar in ODIs. Only one batter has been part of more century stands for Pakistan in the format – Inzamam-ul-Haq, with 41.289 – The target Pakistan chased down on Friday, the second-highest by them while losing two or fewer wickets. Their highest is 309 against India in 2008, which they won by eight wickets in Karachi.

It was the 15th straight win for Australia in ODI World Cups, while South Africa registered their lowest ODI total against Australia

Namooh Shah25-Oct-2025

Alana King ran through South Africa•Getty Images

15 – Consecutive wins for Australia at the Women’s World Cup since their defeat against India in the 2017 semi-final. They have equalled their own record of 15 straight wins across the 1997 and 2000 editions, which was ended by New Zealand in the final of the 2000 edition.97 – South Africa’s lowest total against Australia in women’s ODIs. Their previous lowest was 105 in Adelaide in 2024.24 – Overs in which South Africa were bowled out in Indore, the fourth-shortest innings in women’s ODI World Cups. South Africa feature three times in the top four entries, which includes the 69 all out in 20.4 overs in their first game against England in this tournament.Related

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King's majestic seven-for sets up semi-final with India

7 for 18 – Alana King’s bowling figures on Saturday against South Africa are the first seven-for in the history of the women’s ODI World Cups, breaking a long-standing record of 6 for 10 by Jackie Lord of New Zealand in 1982.King’s returns were also the best for an Australian in women’s ODIs. She is the third Australia bowler to take a seven-for in women’s ODIs after Shelley Nitschke and Ellyse Perry.21 – Balls King took to complete her second ODI five-for. This is the fastest recorded five-for in women ODIs, breaking the record of Ireland’s Aimee Maguire, who did so in 23 balls against England in 2024.39 – Wickets by both Marizanne Kapp and Megan Schutt in ODI World Cups, the joint-second most in the tournament history, equaling Lyn Fullston and only behind Jhulan Goswami with 43 wickets.

One of the positions Manchester United have struggled to find the correct solution for under Ruben Amorim is at wing-back.

On the right flank, things seem more settled. Amad has put in some good performances this term, locking down his place on that side and forming a good partnership with summer arrival Bryan Mbeumo.

The left-hand side has been more problematic. Last January, the Red Devils bought in Patrick Dorgu from Lecce to operate out there, but at just 21 years of age, he is still inexperienced and has rightly had his game time managed.

That has meant Diogo Dalot has operated out there a lot.

Dalot's concerning form at left wing-back

26-year-old Dalot is becoming one of the most experienced players in United’s squad. The Portuguese defender has played 219 times for the club and offers excellent versatility, able to operate at both left-back and his natural right-back.

It is that versatility that Amorim has leaned into this season. Of course, the Red Devils boss infamously plays with wing-backs, and he has tasked Dalot with that this season. The United number 2 has operated at left wing-back more often than not in 2025/26.

In nine appearances across all competitions, the former FC Porto star has played five times at left wing-back. In his last four matches in the Premier League, Dalot has played on that flank.

Touches

42

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Pass accuracy

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88%

Crosses completed

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Duels won

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He does offer something going forward, at times. Last season, he chalked up this impressive assist against Fulham in the FA Cup from the left flank, with Bruno Fernandes firing home to cap off a good move.

Yet, United fans do seem to be losing patience with Dalot. Content creator Dev Bajwa said the Red Devils’ number two has “got to be dropped” and said his teammates are “carrying” him.

Well, a solution might well present itself for Amorim if he does decide to drop Dalot.

The Man United star who can replace Dalot

United certainly have options on the left flank. Dalot, of course, has been Amoirm’s first-choice in recent games, and Dorgu is another player who could slot in there.

However, one man who is yet to operate in that role this season is Luke Shaw.

Well, that is because the England international has played a starring role on the left of United’s back three. Of course, he is a left-back by trade, but has shone at left centre-back. That could all change soon with the imminent return of Lisandro Martinez.

The Argentine is close to returning to action after being sidelined since February with a knee injury. He is, however, a trusted lieutenant of Amorim when fit, and has started all 16 possible games under the Portuguese manager.

Martinez is now back in full training and could feature against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. If he does come into the side, it could see a reshuffling of the pack for Amorim.

With the 2022 World Cup winner set to slot into the back three on the left, Shaw would be able to move to left wing-back.

It is a role he has only done 15 times in 297 games for United. He’s also played there for England, and scored the opener in the Euro 2020 final, a goal Three Lions supporters will not forget in a hurry.

Shaw once described Martinez as a “monster” so unleashing the £48m defender when he is back to full fitness makes sense. It also offers Amorim a chance to change things up, with Dalot struggling for his best form at left wing-back.

Playing Shaw high and wide, allowing him to get crosses into the box on his strong foot, is a move that seems to make sense for the manager. With the disappointing form and general misprofiling of Dalot by Amorim, replacing him with Martinez could make the Red Devils a more well-rounded team. It could finally spell the end for the Portuguese in United colours.

Carreras 2.0: INEOS have signed an LWB who can end Dalot's Man Utd career

Diogo Dalot is under pressure at Manchester United.

ByMatt Dawson Nov 3, 2025

The balls used for this year’s men’s and women’s competitions are from the same batch used in the T20 Blast

Matt Roller06-Aug-2025The ECB has ditched a controversial batch of white Kookaburra balls that was blamed for low scores in the Hundred last year after consistent negative feedback from players.Scoring rates in the men’s Hundred dipped to 1.37 runs per ball last season, significantly lower than other short-form leagues like the IPL, Major League Cricket and SA20 despite the shorter format in theory lending itself to more attacking batting. Specialist new-ball bowlers like Daniel Worrall and Tim Southee thrived, and players anecdotally blamed the batch of balls used.The balls used in the first four seasons of the Hundred had the tournament’s logo – a large ‘H’ – imprinted on them, which players felt required additional lacquer and gave them a ‘plasticky’ feel. “The seam seems to be massive,” Moeen Ali told the . “Every game, it seems the ball is nipping. Most teams are 30 for 5 in most games.”Kookaburra insisted that they were made to identical specifications as the white balls used in other domestic and international cricket, beyond the logo, while the ECB commissioned an extensive study over the winter which found minimal evidence that the balls behaved differently to those used in other white-ball cricket in England and Wales.Ball-tracking data did suggest a spike in seam movement and swing at the start of Hundred games in 2023 (compared to 2022), which continued last season. This was attributed primarily to pitches, weather, and the Hundred’s unique format – which allows bowlers to bowl 15 of the first 20 balls – rather than any change to the condition of the balls.But the ECB has opted to ditch the Hundred-branded balls regardless, reverting to the same batch used in the T20 Blast for the 2025 season. Their hope is that the switch will satisfy players after consistent negative feedback and that the perception of less assistance for bowlers will lead to higher scoring rates.The change made no apparent difference in Tuesday night’s curtain-raiser, with London Spirit’s men bowled out for 80 by Oval Invincibles on a slow, low surface. “It was a tough wicket to bat on,” Rashid Khan said, after taking 3 for 11 on debut for the two-time defending champions.

Midfielder Marc Bernal is reportedly weighing up whether to seek a move away from Barcelona in January as he looks to earn more playing time this season. The 18-year-old has made just four appearances for the Spanish giants following his return from the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which saw him miss the majority of the 2024-25 campaign.

Bernal back after over a year out injured

After emerging through Barcelona’s youth system at the start of last season, Bernal’s campaign was cruelly cut short after he sustained the serious knee injury in his side’s 2-1 La Liga victory over Rayo Vallecano in August 2024.

However, after 382 days on the sidelines, Barcelona declared Bernal was fit once again on 13 September. And the Berga-born prodigy then made the perfect return as he recorded an assist in the Blaugrana’s 6-0 league victory over Valencia a day later, with Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski all scoring braces at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportReport claims midfielder is considering January loan move

Keen to ensure he is not rushed back too soon, Bernal has subsequently made just three more appearances for Barcelona this season – against Real Oviedo in the league and both Paris Saint-Germain and Olympiacos in the Champions League.

And in a new report from Spanish publication Bernal is reportedly considering all his options ahead of the January transfer window opening in less than two months’ time. The report claims that while Hansi Flick’s side are not planning on allowing Bernal to leave, the youngster is believed to be considering a loan move in his bid to earn more minutes.

Bernal left out of Spain's Under-21s squad

Bernal has also been left out of Spain’s Under-21 squad ahead of the upcoming international break, with head coach David Gordo citing a lack of playing time for his exclusion.

“Marc is one of our own, but he’s not in a comfortable situation right now,” said Gordo. “He’s getting very little playing time. And we’ve brought the squad we think will best help us get six crucial points for our league position.”

Spain U21s are preparing to take on San Marino and Romania in their next two European Championship qualifiers on Friday, 14 November and Tuesday, 18 November respectively. Gordo’s side are currently unbeaten in qualifying, having won their opening three games in Group A.

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Getty Images SportBarca co-star Yamal returns to Spain squad

One Barcelona player who will represent his country during the international break is Lamine Yamal, who has been called up for Spain’s double-header against Georgia and Turkey. The winger was left out of La Roja’s squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria in October after Barcelona said his pubalgia injury had resurfaced.

However, Spain boss Luis de la Fuente had no qualms about recalling Yamal, saying: "I think the answer is obvious. I watched his last game [against Club Brugge], and I believe he’s in perfect condition. 

“His coach [Flick] said he was ready to play. He's getting back to being the player he always has been, and we celebrate that. He will stay with us as long as we consider it appropriate.

"Watching the game the other day, Lamine is fit to play. We have two very important games and we need to field our best players. We have two hugely important matches to qualify for the World Cup, the stakes are massive and we want the best players with us.”

Dhoni becomes the leading run-getter for CSK in the IPL

Sampath Bandarupalli28-Mar-20252008 Previous instance of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeating the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk in the IPL. They won that fixture in 2008 by 14 runs while defending 126.Between their two wins, RCB lost all eight matches against CSK at Chepauk. RCB, however, won all four IPL matches they played at this venue against teams other than CSK.8 RCB’s losing streak against CSK at Chepauk, which they broke on Friday, is the longest streak of defeats for any team against an opponent at a particular venue in the IPL.CSK have won each of their last seven matches against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Chepauk, and so did Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Hyderabad. Mumbai Indians (MI) also had a seven-match winning streak against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Wankhede between 2013 and 2023.50 Margin of CSK’s defeat (in terms of runs) on Friday is the biggest for them in Chennai. CSK lost by a margin of 50-plus runs only twice before – 60 against MI in 2013 and 54 against PBKS in 2022.11.80 Combined economy rate of Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin across the five overs they bowled on Friday. It is the fifth-worst in a T20 where they collectively bowled five or more overs.Only once did their economy exceed ten runs while playing a T20 at Chepauk previously – 10.66 against RCB in 2012, a match they eventually won while chasing 206.4699 Runs scored by MS Dhoni in the IPL while playing for the CSK. He is now the franchise’s leading run-getter in the IPL, surpassing Suresh Raina’s 4687 runs.12 Number of sixes hit by the RCB batters on Friday. Only twice did the CSK bowlers concede more sixes in an IPL innings at Chepauk. In the chase, the CSK batters hit only four, including two from Dhoni’s bat in the last over.3 IPL seasons that RCB started with successive wins, including 2025. They began the 2014 season with back-to-back wins and kicked off the IPL 2021 with four consecutive victories.9.87 Ruturaj Gaikwad’s batting average while chasing a target of 180-plus runs in the IPL. Across eight innings in the 180-plus chases, he has scored 79 runs at a strike rate of 111.26. He had two 30-plus scores in those eight innings and got out for a duck on four occasions.1 Jadeja became the first player to complete the double of 3000 runs and 100 wickets in the IPL. Twenty-seven players, including him, scored 3000 runs, of which only two others have taken at least 50 wickets – 92 by Shane Watson and 69 by Kieron Pollard, while Jadeja has 162.Among the 25 players with 100 wickets, Jadeja and Andre Russell (2488 runs and 115 wickets) are the only ones with at least 2000 runs.9.83 Average runs per wicket for RCB’s pacers on Friday. It is the best average for pacers from any team in an IPL match against CSK at Chepauk. RCB’s fast bowlers took six wickets in the ten overs they bowled and conceded only 59 runs.

Over a month after Rafael Devers was traded from the Red Sox to the Giants—in part because he was unwilling to step in at first base—he will now make his debut at first for San Francisco, per Shayna Rubin of .

Before Devers was surprisingly traded to the Giants this season, he was a long-time third baseman for the Red Sox. His position was challenged during spring training when the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman and decided to play him at third base instead. This upset Devers, but he eventually agreed to serve as the team's designated hitter before Opening Day.

In May, Devers was asked to play first base following an injury to first baseman Triston Casas, but Devers refused. When Devers got traded to the Giants a month later, he notably said he was willing to play whatever position the team asked of him. Now, Devers will officially try out first base in Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves.

Devers did explain last month after the trade that he did not want to play first base for the Red Sox because he felt he had earned respect for his play with the team, and the request was made in the middle of the season. He maintains that if Boston asked during spring training, he would have been willing to play first base.

"I would say that I had some good numbers over at Boston, and I think that I do feel that I have earned some respect," Devers said in June. "If they would had asked me at the beginning of spring training, yes I would have."

When Devers arrived in San Francisco, the Giants brass spoke to him at the beginning about playing first base. They also did not rush him, and gave him over a month to learn the position and be the team's designated hitter in the meantime. That transparency and time to prepare appear to have been key for Devers now being open to playing first base for the Giants.

An in-depth study of bowlers at home, comparing them with other bowlers in the country; and home and away comparisons

Anantha Narayanan11-Oct-2024This article is about bowling on home grounds – by all bowlers, including visiting ones. A similar article on batting was published a couple of months back. The areas I have covered here are: How bowling at grounds has varied across countries and time periods.
How individual bowlers have fared with respect to other bowlers while playing in their home country. It is important to customise this to each bowler’s exact career span.
How bowlers have fared at home as against away.
One major difference in my coverage of the bowlers vis-a-vis of the batters is that I have covered the three interlocking aspects of bowling – the bowling average, strike rate (balls per wicket – BpW), and accuracy (runs per over – RpO) separately. This is warranted since these are distinct measurable components and will throw up many significant insights when they are handled separately. The other notable difference is that the batting article considered only batters in the top seven. This bowling one, on the other hand, looks at all wickets that fell to bowlers.Let us first consider how tough or easy bowling in each country was, by period.The batting analysis article had graphs by country. Here, I have provided only a summary graph, since the shapes of the bowling graphs are more or less similar to the batting ones. There is a difference of between 10% and 15% between the two values. There are two reasons for this variation. The batting average is only for Nos. 1-7. The bowling average recognises all dismissals, including those of Nos. 7-11. Also, the batting average takes run-outs and the similar methods of dismissals as dismissals. The bowling average only considers dismissals credited to bowlers.Here are a few randomly picked values for comparison, to illustrate this.Across all Tests, the batting average is 36.1. The bowling average is 31.7
Between 2000 and 2012, the batting average in Australia was 41.1, while the bowling average was 36.0
Between 1877 and 1939, the batting average in England was 32.1, while the bowling average was 28.1
Between 1970 and 1984, the batting average in New Zealand was 33.6, while the bowling average was 29.5
Between 1945 and 1969, the batting average in the West Indies was 42.1, while the bowling average was 36.9
The difference in all these instances is around 14%. Very few difference values exceed 15%.