Though bowling is their primary skill, their batting has come as something of a godsend for India

Annesha Ghosh06-Mar-2022Before last year, Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar had spent extended periods away from the national team. Rana was out of the reckoning for over five years because of injury and inconsistent form and Vastrakar, who debuted in 2018 and had a fifty against Australia from that year, wrestled with intermittent injuries.But 2021 proved a pivotal year for both and India. Three-sixty-four days went by without India playing any international cricket after the T20 World Cup final in March 2020. And after they returned to the international arena, almost exactly a year ago, four straight defeats in as many bilateral ODI series followed. The results meant India appeared underprepared for the 2022 50-over World Cup.Related

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Most of their senior players, notably captain Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, and head coach Ramesh Powar, however, maintained the four defeats had battle-hardened them. Most of all, the losses to South Africa at home and England, Australia, and New Zealand away, they said, had helped scout and identify key personnel for the 2022 World Cup.Rana, for example, emerged as the “find of the England series” with an epic rearguard 80 not out at No. 7 in the one-off Test. Vastrakar, meanwhile, kept chipping in with lower-order cameos across the three overseas tours and formats, most memorably in Australia, where Rana, too, had handy contributions. Though bowling is their primary skill, their ability to shoulder batting responsibilities, in overseas conditions, against top-drawer opponents, came as something of a godsend for India, in the nick of time.On a broader level, except Deepti Sharma, India had no frontline allrounders or bowlers who could be tasked with scoring quick runs below Nos. 6-7 in times of need, on a consistent basis. This heightened the want of balance in India’s ODI side even as their middle order remained fraught with inconsistency. Their No. 3 kept changing hands, and the search for a long-term opening partner to Smriti Mandhana became an exercise in futility for the best part of the 2017-22 World Cup cycle.Pretty much all of these problems India had long battled, and painstakingly sought to find solutions to, since their implosion in the 2017 World Cup final chase, reared their head in their 2022 ODI World Cup opener against Pakistan in Mount Maunganui. Backing themselves to set a target, they slumped to 114 for 6 with nearly 17 overs still to go. That opener Mandhana had made 52 or added a 92-run second-wicket stand with Deepti mattered little at the time, with Pakistan’s spinners on the attack.Vastrakar and Rana made the difference, though. Both between a sub-200 total and India’s eventual score of 244 for 7, and an undefeated streak against Pakistan in ODI World Cups and a campaign-threatening loss. On World Cup debut, the pair resuscitated India’s innings with a 122-run seventh-wicket stand, a Women’s ODI World Cup record. They struck at over 110 each, when the next best strike rate of an Indian batter with 10 or more runs was about 71.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”When I walked in, Charu (Rana) was set and she told me that only the two of us were left to make amends, so we must play out the full 50 overs,” said Vastrakar, the Player of the Match. “I had a feeling from within that we must try to set 180-200 as a target, so we started playing with that goal in mind.”But we were aware that if we could get ourselves set, we could score more … Given we had very few wickets in hand, we decided we would deal in only doubles and singles till the 45th-over mark, and we’d go for the charge only in the last five overs.”Sixty-nine of the pair’s 122 runs came in singles, twos and threes, reasonably more than the 48 combined runs they scored in boundaries – all fours. The incessant running meant Vastrakar even sustained calf cramps during the partnership and didn’t return to the field for Pakistan’s chase as a precautionary measure.”The pitch was slow, so we decided we would focus on strike rotation,” Rana said. “We told each other that knowing we are good strike-rotators, we’ll keep the scoreboard ticking and take the innings deep. Congratulations to her for [winning] the Woman of the Match [honours].”Rana later struck with the ball, too, taking out Omaima Sohail in her first over and then No. 9 Nashra Sandhu. Her two strikes helped India skittle Pakistan for 137 inside 43 overs.”It was an emotional moment for me to represent India in a World Cup match after playing for so many years,” Rana said about her outing. “Finally, the moment came. To come up with the goods when your team needs you, the value of your performance goes up, so I am feeling very proud today.”Though Pakistan are among their less-fancied opponents in this World Cup, India will take heart from the jailbreak Rana and Vastrakar orchestrated on Sunday, for question marks over the reliability of some of their frontline batters, or the choice of them, remain.

Ahead of his 95th first-class game, Manish Pandey on his experiences and learnings playing for – and captaining – Karnataka

Shashank Kishore05-Jun-2022
For Mumbai, a season is unsuccessful if they don’t make the final. How does Karnataka measure success?
Coming to the final is always a goal. And then to win the trophy. That is what we always strive for. It’s not just for Karnataka, but overall too. Cricket is a results-oriented game, the better we do the better things are spoken about us. Qualifying for the knockouts is something we spoke about prior to the start of the tournament, and now that we have reached here, our goal will be to play each game at 100% and look to win the final which we haven’t done in a few years now [not since 2014-15, when they completed back-to-back Ranji triumphs].Related

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The quarter-final against Uttar Pradesh will be your 95th first-class game. How do you reflect on this journey?
Personal performances do affect you sometimes, but whenever Karnataka doesn’t qualify for the knockouts or win, which we haven’t done for a while, that bothers me as a player. The goal as a group has been to develop a good bunch of players for years to come, that is something we are looking to do as a team. There will be highs and lows, but I think I have done fairly well to be a part of this team [for a long time]. One thing is clear to all: no one is indispensable. This cap never came free to anyone. We have all worked hard for it. That hard work and [hunger] keeps me going even today. I will play my 95th game with the same intensity as my first.You’ve played first-class cricket since 2008. At 32, what is the key driver for you?
Striving for success, to better yourself and the team. I don’t want to be someone who lets down the team. That is something that motivates me and keeps me going. At Karnataka, we work equally on our fitness as our skills. The bunch of new guys we’ve got are among the fittest. The goal is to see they’re all willing and capable [to contribute] and put in the hard yards. It’s great to see this young and fit bunch of players looking to do well for Karnataka.

“My intent is to get runs, whether its red-ball or white-ball cricket. Not much changes. In red-ball cricket if you see, my strike rate is slightly on the higher side. I’m always looking for runs.”Manish Pandey on the transition from T20 to first-class cricket

As a batter, you’re coming in from a hectic T20 season. How much will it take to adjust to the red-ball format now?
The only thing that remains constant is intent while batting. My intent is to get runs, whether its red-ball or white-ball cricket. Not much changes. In red-ball cricket if you see, my strike rate is slightly on the higher side. I’m always looking for runs. Other players may have different ways of coping [moving] from T20 to red-ball cricket, but for me it’s about looking for runs, staying in a positive frame of mind. That keeps me going.When you play for Karnataka, it seems like you have an extra batting gear.
Whenever I come back from the IPL or a long tour, this is where I look forward to coming back the most. I feel I’m at my best here [Karnataka set-up] with the coaching staff and players we’ve got. Also, the added responsibility as captain means you have to be in the driving seat and steer the team. I like the extra responsibility; it helps me and helps ensure the XI guys we’ve got always give 100% to make Karnataka a better team.How do you plan for opponents?
Whoever the opposition is, whether they are stars or no, we don’t look at it that way. We’ve got a lot of star players too, who’ve done well for years and years. As batters, we watch the ball, not the bowler. That is our motto. Better the team, better the cricket they get out of us. It gives us the added push.This is a team in transition. With hardly any first-class games over the last two years [due to the pandemic], it must have been a challenge to prepare players.
The kind of cricket everyone plays at the junior level, we expect them to play a similar brand of cricket at the Ranji level too. You don’t need to come here and change a lot. As senior players and coaches, our job is to make them feel comfortable on this platform. If you can do that, you can get the best out of the players. It’s about communication and how the coaches make them feel. The treatment everyone gets here – all of us are on the same page. It’s about making them feel comfortable and part of the team. If that doesn’t happen with a new player, if the communication isn’t good, you’ve seen how a lot of people have lost out in the past. That is a mistake we don’t want to make. For this game, we have called up a youngster called Kishan Bedare. We asked him of his plans, the way he plays, what he likes to do and the kind of role he wants. If you can do that, you don’t need a lot of time to make a good XI. That’s how we roll.

“I put in the same amount of hours [into fielding] as my batting. I love giving myself that extra push and fire to make us a better fielding unit, which can contribute in a large way to the team’s success.”Manish Pandey on his focus on fielding

Without the retired trio of Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and S Aravind, and with Prasidh Krishna sitting out the quarter-final due to workload management, the pace-bowling attack has combined experience of four matches…
We’ve never had a problem [in the fast-bowling department]. We are at a stage where when the senior guys left, we saw young fast bowlers coming in and do well. Yes, they don’t have a lot of games under their belt, but they have done well in the games we’ve given them.We’ve seen you dive around and dedicate as much time to your fielding as your batting. Is this something you impress upon the rest of the team too?
I can’t bowl 140kph. So, I’d rather give myself time and effort to something I can do for the team collectively. Fielding is a crucial part of cricket and I really enjoy doing it and ensure I pull a few guys along to make them go a step higher with the fielding. I put in the same amount of hours [into fielding] as my batting. I love giving myself that extra push and fire to make us a better fielding unit, which can contribute in a large way to the team’s success. If you can do that, you can lead by example, and I love doing that.

From 54 for 5, the duo fought back in bowling-friendly conditions

Shashank Kishore15-Jun-2022Fifty-four for five.Manoj Tiwary is batting with an injured right cartilage. He is struggling to sprint but is willing himself to survive. Bengal’s Ranji Trophy campaign is on the line. They are trying to enter their second straight final, but the top order has been blown away after Madhya Pradesh’s 341. A huge first-innings lead could mean curtains.A delayed start, a moisture-laden surface, overcast conditions and stiff breeze – everything points to the fast bowlers having a massive role to play early on. MP medium-pacer Puneet Datey certainly thinks that way as he sends down a few deliveries on the side pitch during changeover. To the surprise of many, Bengal most certainly, let-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya is handed the ball.You saw him bowl the carrom ball, the slider, his wristspin, googly and quicker one – left-arm everything – in his maiden IPL season for Mumbai Indians. In red-ball cricket, he sticks to his left-arm orthodox, and boy, he bowls them with immaculate control. In his very first over, he nips out two big wickets.Related

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Left-hand batter Abhishek Raman is beaten by sharp turn. He shapes to cut but sees it wickedly spinning in and tries to bail out. That split-second indecision costs him because that’s all it takes for the ball to roll back onto the stumps off the inside edge. Sudip Kumar Gharami, fresh off a career-best 186 in the quarter-final against Jharkhand, is squared up as the ball rips across the surface and whizzes past the edge to knock his stumps.After 105.3 overs on the field, Tiwary may have hoped for some time to rest his aching knees, but even before he could imagine, he is in the heat of the battle. There are five fielders around him – slip, short leg, silly point, short cover and short midwicket. It’s game on.Tiwary takes guard at 11 for 3 in the fourth over, surveys the field carefully and quickly gets down on one knee to paddle his first ball for four past short fine leg. In the same over, he reverses Saransh Jain for two more boundaries – wrists nicely rolled over the ball to keep it down and send it scurrying behind point. This is a calculated tactic of throwing the offspinner off gear.The idea was perhaps to have Tiwary stretching. In reverse sweeping him, Tiwary has immediately given the bowlers something to think about. It helps that there is Abhimanyu Easwaran at the other end, but he falls soon after to become the fourth wicket when Datey, introduced in the ninth over, nicks him off for 22. When Abishek Porel, the young teenaged wicketkeeper, flicks a length ball to the deep square leg fielder, the Bengal dressing room appears resigned to fate.File photo – Manoj Tiwary rescued Bengal yet again•PTI Yet again, it was down to Tiwary to do the dirty job. Or so you thought. Except, there was Shahbaz Ahmed coming in. An orthodox left-hand middle order batter who goes to any length to remind people he is first a batter and then a left-arm spinner. While bowling isn’t an afterthought, he admits to being work in progress, never mind the three wickets he picked up in the first innings. Never mind the 35 wickets he picked in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy.Four years ago, Tiwary watched Shahbaz bat in a league game at the Kalighat Club grounds and asked for his stats. At the selection meeting the next day, to pick the squad for 2018-19 season, Tiwary carried a printout that had Shahbaz’s numbers in club cricket. Tiwary wouldn’t have even an inkling of the opposition he was to face from certain quarters, because the boy was an “outsider.””Then I’m an outsider, too,” he is believed to have said, pointing to his Uttar Pradesh roots. Tiwary eventually had his way. A senior player fighting for a talented rookie and shielding him from the scrutiny – which he was getting for no fault of his – told you how much he was valued.It’s this early promise that Shahbaz carried with him then that he is slowly repaying now. The Shahbaz of today is a more confident individual who understands his game better. He has already graduated to become an important member of the set-up within three years of his debut, and the confidence of three IPL stints with Royal Challengers Bangalore only shining bright.Here, Tiwary and Shahbaz had a job to do. They were the last recognised pair. They couldn’t have gone hard because of the inherent risk of losing a wicket and exposing the lower order with a massive deficit. They couldn’t have just blocked out the bowling, because of the time left in the game. They chose the in-between route and along the way, kept reeling off runs every time the bowlers erred.As tea approached, MP went flat, and Tiwary brought out a neat shuffle from middle to off and reached out to meet half-volleys that he caressed through covers and down the ground. It didn’t occur to him until after he played the shot that this is the very position he wasn’t entirely comfortable getting into because of his injury. He was batting on instinct.Tiwary got to his half-century off 121 balls; Shahbaz got there a tad faster, off 108. By the time they got to their individual landmarks, the century stand had been raised and the deficit had been whittled down to 144. Tiwary was unbeaten on 84; Shahbaz on 72. As they walked off, tired, and very satisfied, overcast skies had given way to bright sunshine and Bengal’s hopes had brightened significantly. There was still a glimmer of hope. The Ranji Trophy dream was alive.

Regardless of conditions and match-ups, the Australian setup views him as part of their best T20 XI – and he has extensive MCG experience to draw on

Danyal Rasool27-Oct-2022The skies over Melbourne have remained grey for about as long as anyone can remember now, but for Australia, there are suddenly silver linings to be had. New Zealand’s thumping win over them in Sydney might have put them on the ropes early on, but Australia staggered back to their feet with an imperious dismantling of Sri Lanka. Ireland’s stunning vanquishing of England even takes a sliver of pressure off Australia in a key match against their oldest rivals at the MCG on Friday. Crucially, it’s a game that will almost certainly see legspinner Adam Zampa, who sat out the Sri Lanka contest with Covid-19, return to the fray.”We haven’t talked about the team composition yet but Zampa’s feeling a lot better,” captain Aaron Finch said. “He’s been up and about a little bit. He was not crook but he was really flat the day before the [Sri Lanka] game and we wanted to give him as much time as possible to get up for the game but it was thought to be too much of an effort and would take too much out of him. Going into a World Cup game, you want to be at 100% and he felt as though he wasn’t so, that was the reason he pulled out, but I expect that he will be available here.”Related

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On paper, that might not necessarily be the most valuable match-up for Australia. Each of England’s top eight that played against Ireland have excellent strike rates against legspin since the start of last year; Harry Brook’s 123.15 the only one below 138. Moeen Ali’s obvious prowess against that particular type of bowling makes this an especially favourable match-up for England on paper through the late middle overs – a time when Australia tend to turn to Zampa for one to two overs. And against New Zealand, he found himself taken apart somewhat, conceding at least a four or six in each of his four overs as he went for 39.In spite of that, there’s never appeared any doubt in Australia’s mind that their best XI at this T20 World Cup is one that has Zampa in it, no matter the opponent. It was why, at the Junction Oval, where Australia trained indoors as the rain continued to lash Melbourne, Zampa bowled with the intensity of someone who knew he’d be involved against England.For all of England’s prolific record against legspin, the Australian legspinner wasn’t exactly outclassed in the two T20Is the sides played in the build-up, conceding 43 in five overs, two of which came in a game rain shortened to 12 overs each. It also included an absorbing battle with Moeen, one that saw the England batter score just seven off six balls, five of which came in the 17th over and included his wicket. In an innings that saw Moeen smash 44 off 27, Zampa had served more as a nail than a punching bag.It’s a tiny sample size, but Finch believed it was Zampa’s refusal to shirk a challenge which makes him so highly regarded against this England side.

“Zampa’s always up for the challenge and that’s the great trait that he’s got. I think he never ever backs away from a challenge. He takes it on.”Aaron Finch

“[Moeen and Zampa] have had some really good battles. Mo’s obviously an unbelievable striker of spin. But Zampa’s always up for the challenge and that’s the great trait that he’s got. I think he never ever backs away from a challenge. He takes it on. He wants to be there when they’re in the heat of battle and that’s something that that I admire so much about him. Because compared to other guys around the world, he doesn’t spin the ball as much as them but what he what he’s got is a huge heart and his cricket brain is brilliant. The amount of work that he does in the preparation for a game is outstanding.”How effective spin will be at the MCG also remains an intriguing unknown. In the game between India and Pakistan, spin disappeared so frequently it had to be hidden away till as late as possible. England, meanwhile, reaped such rich rewards with legspin they bowled three overs of Liam Livingstone against Ireland – two at the death – meaning Sam Curran, their best T20 death bowler on form, didn’t even complete his full quota.With Zampa having played more T20s at this venue than any other player from either side – he has played for the Melbourne Stars in the BBL since 2015-16 – his nous to hold his own in high-scoring tournaments should stand him in good stead. Just twice in 26 innings has he conceded more than 34 runs here, and of the maximum of 104 possible overs he could have bowled, he has sent down over 99. When Zampa plays at the MCG, Zampa bowls at the MCG – a lot.It might not be the worst time to play an England side still smarting from the defeat to Ireland, and the criticism of the rain-blind approach they took may well create further doubts in England’s minds on a day where the weather is expected to play a huge part again. Precisely the sort of doubts Adam Zampa will be itching to exploit.

The pair have touched the 1000-run mark together in just 13 innings, a record they now share with Roger Twose and Nathan Astle

Sampath Bandarupalli22-Nov-2022355 for 5 – Australia’s total in the third ODI against England, the first team total of 350-plus runs across the 150 men’s ODIs played at Melbourne Cricket Ground. The previous highest was 344 for 8, by ICC World XI against Asia XI in 2005.1 – Australia’s 355 for 5 was also their highest total against England in men’s ODIs. Their previous highest was 342 for 9 during the 2015 World Cup, which was also at the MCG.269 – Partnership runs between David Warner and Travis Head for the first wicket. It was the highest stand for any wicket in ODIs at the MCG and the first double-century stand for the first wicket at this venue. The previous highest ODI stand in Melbourne was 225 between Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist against England in 2002.2 – Number of ODI partnerships of 250-plus runs between Warner and Head. They are only the second pair in ODI cricket with two partnerships of 250-plus runs, after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – Number of ODI partnerships for Australia higher than the 269 between Warner and Head on Tuesday. Warner and Head had set the record with the 284-run opening stand in 2017 against Pakistan at Adelaide Oval.2 – The 269-run stand between Warner and Head was also the second-highest for any wicket against England in ODIs. The highest is the 286-run opening stand between Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga in 2006 in Leeds.13 – ODI innings as a pair for Warner and Head for 1000 partnership runs, the joint-quickest to the mark in men’s ODIs. Roger Twose and Nathan Astle also completed 1000 partnership runs in 13 innings.

England’s go-to man defines another World Cup with a pair of innings under immense pressure

Andrew McGlashan13-Nov-20222:44

Stokes is ‘a big presence, a big personality, a big winner’

“We all know what he’s capable of, and not just match-winning innings, but match-winning innings under serious amounts of pressure. I know well that if it comes down to the crunch that you want a man like Ben Stokes walking out.”That was assistant coach Paul Collingwood speaking before England’s game against New Zealand, where their tournament stood on a knife-edge after the defeat to Ireland and washout against Australia. It took Stokes one more game after that, but he defined another World Cup with a pair of innings under immense pressure against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. England had to win four matches in a row to take the trophy; Stokes starred in two of them.There is a wider redemption arc that fits with Stokes’ performance at the MCG after what happened in the 2016 tournament when Carlos Brathwaite took him for four sixes to win the game for West Indies. However, in the intervening years, which have also involved a major off-field controversy and a lengthy spell away to manage his mental health, he had more than delivered when England needed him most, not least that memorable 2019 summer with the ODI World Cup and Headingley Ashes Test double, but also more recently as he took on rejuvenating the Test side alongside Brendon McCullum.Related

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“It’s an amazing story,” Jos Buttler said. “It’s been an amazing journey, all his big moments… he’s never let that 2016 final push him back and the things he’s gone on to achieve since then are just amazing.”Still, leading into the tournament, and during the early matches, there was debate about Stokes’ position in England’s T20 side, even if you sensed he was the type of player who would find a way. He had never previously had a clear role, particularly with regards his batting and where he slotted into the power-packed order. His numbers were unconvincing, albeit partly reflecting the haphazard tasks he had been given.Neither of his vital innings over the last 10 days have come when faced with huge run-rate pressure – although things were getting dicey when 49 were needed off 35 balls against Pakistan – but there’s the intangible factor, which can’t be measured purely by numbers, of being able to deliver in the biggest games.Eoin Morgan, whose presence has still been felt during this tournament and a name often referenced by the current team, spoke on of how Stokes recognises and wants to be in the clutch moments.This was not a free-flowing Stokes innings – it came towards the end of a year when he often took a T20 approach to Tests during the home season – and Buttler joked afterwards that if he’d played that way in a Test match he would have dropped himself. He was given a working over from Naseem Shah, who sent down one of the best none-fors that was possible, beating Stokes with three consecutive deliveries in the 12th over.But Stokes knew what was on the line. Having battled to 24 off 34 balls, he pierced the off side with a back-foot drive against Haris Rauf who was also outstanding with the ball. Then he seized on the moment when Shaheen Shah Afridi’s brave effort to return from a knee injury was halted after one delivery, crunching Iftikhar Ahmed’s offspin through the covers then launching him over long-off for six. Briefly there were flashbacks to the Trent Boult parried six at Lord’s in 2019.All of a sudden it was 28 needed off 24 balls. Three boundaries from Moeen Ali in the next over and the job was almost done.Ben Stokes roars after hitting the winning run•Getty Images”He always stands up in the biggest moments,” Buttler said. “He’s a man who can take a lot of pressure on his shoulders and perform and absolutely with him in the middle you know you’ve got a good chance. Just so proud of him, pleased for him that he’s stood up and done it again.”He’s a true match winner, and he’s been there in those scenarios time and time again. He just has a lot of know-how. It certainly wasn’t his most fluent innings or probably didn’t time the ball as well as he can, but you knew he was never going to go down without a fight and stand up and be there at the end. We were immensely lucky to have him, and he’s one of the great players of English cricket.”There is another part of the Stokes career story where this performance could sit. He missed the squad for the 2015 ODI World Cup in Australia which became (another) nadir for England’s white-ball cricket, but the catalyst as to what was to follow under Morgan and now Buttler. Since that omission, which raised the question of whether a superb talent would be squandered, Stokes has dominated the world game, navigating personal and professional challenges along the way.Test success came first on his return, followed by the evolution of his ODI game – his retirement from 50-over cricket means as he won’t have the chance to star in India next year, although it may be unwise to completely rule out a change of heart – but in T20Is there had not been the crowning moment.It didn’t come in a blaze of fours and sixes, which in many ways fitted the way the tournament played out, but he was there when it mattered. As he let out a roar on hitting the winning runs and dropped his bat on the MCG turf, another chapter of an extraordinary career had been written.

Stats highlights from a run-fest in Rawalpindi, where England claimed a famous victory following a brave declaration

Sampath Bandarupalli05-Dec-20223 Number of away Test wins for England against Pakistan, including the 74-run win in Rawalpindi. Their previous two wins came in Lahore in 1961 and Karachi in 2000. England have played 25 Tests in Pakistan, of which they lost only four while 18 ended in a draw, but lost five of the six Tests played in the U.A.E.1768 Runs scored by Pakistan and England in the first Test, the third-most runs ever scored in a Test match. The 1939 Test between South Africa and England in Durban produced 1981 runs, while the 1930 Kingston Test between West Indies and England had an aggregate of 1815 runs.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 This Test became the first to produce a result despite both teams having a 550-plus total. All the previous 15 Test matches with two 550-plus totals by a team ended in a draw. The 1768 runs scored in Rawalpindi are also the most in a Test match to produce a result. The previous highest was 1753 runs between Australia and England in 1921 at the Adelaide Oval.847 Runs aggregate by Pakistan in this Test match is the second-most for a team in a defeat. The 861 runs by England across their two innings against Australia in 1948 in Leeds is the highest. Pakistan’s first-innings total of 579 is also the third-highest by any team to end up on the losing side in Test cricket.4.54 Run rate across the four innings in Rawalpindi, the highest for any Test match that lasted 2000-plus balls. The previous highest was 4.17 in the 2015 Test between Australia and New Zealand in Brisbane.

Infuriating, inscrutable and ingenious in equal measure, where does one draw the line with the Bangladesh star?

Mohammad Isam19-Mar-2023Shakib Al Hasan waits until the 35th over of the Bangladesh innings during Saturday’s first ODI against Ireland, to alter the course of the game. Offspinner Harry Tector comes from around the wicket, Shakib goes down to sweep the first ball, from outside off stump, for a boundary. Next, he lofts him over cover, then sweeps again and cuts one past point, for three more fours. Shakib ends the over by lofting Tector over long-off, for the fifth four. Bangladesh’s innings turns the corner decisively towards a 300-plus total. Shakib hurtles towards a century.He doesn’t get to it, but leaves a big enough impact for the team’s score to balloon to 338 for 8, their highest ODI total. Shakib then breaks Ireland’s 60-run opening stand before the other Bangladesh bowlers take advantage of the breakthrough and the hosts pick up their biggest win in the format, too.During the innings break, BCB’s cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus answers questions about Shakib’s whereabouts between the England and Ireland series. This is where Shakib divides opinions.Related

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The Shakib saga: All you wanted to know, or didn't

Jaded Shakib asks for break from international cricket

Specifically, Shakib’s appearance in Dubai to open a store is in the spotlight. Bangladesh’s security authorities have claimed that Shakib ignored their warning about the owner being under investigation by the police in a murder case. Yunus said they will look into the matter if this “commercial activity” contradicts the BCB’s contract with him, but they were aware that Shakib would join training on March 17 in Sylhet.A week before that, Shakib went to inaugurate another store, in Chattogram, after the third T20I against England. He had just led Bangladesh to a historic 3-0 whitewash against the world champions. Shakib was at the top of his game throughout the series. Hours after the third game on March 9, he had to jostle through a large crowd to get to his car after opening the store. In the melee, someone tried to pick his cap. Footage shows that Shakib not only grabbed the cap back, but tried to smack the person a few times.In January, Shakib made strong comments about the BPL that no player, coach or team owner has ever dared to make against the tournament. He followed that up by attacking the umpires twice in the first week, only being punished for the second offence. Shakib ended the BPL with 375 runs and 10 wickets.

“He stays in his bubble [on the field]. He has a generally very positive mentality. He doesn’t look back. It is purely a mental skill. It cannot be taught or coached.”Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, Shakib’s coach since his school days

There are more instances of Shakib smoothly bouncing between great performances, giant controversies and scandals. He compartmentalises the two major aspects of his life: on and off the field. The two live dangerously close to each other, but it has left many baffled as to just how he manages to keep the two apart.Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, who has worked closely with Shakib since his school days and most recently was his coach with Fortune Barishal at the BPL, said that the way Shakib separates the on-field and off-the-field aspects of life, is entirely the cricketer’s doing. He cannot be coached in this aspect.”It is quite a surprising aspect,” Fahim said. “He probably puts himself into a bubble which keeps out the external factors. He has this in him. He can switch at the last moment. But once he is in the field, he is at his best from nowhere. We have seen it many times. He stays in his bubble. He has a generally very positive mentality. He doesn’t look back. It is purely a mental skill. It cannot be taught or coached.”Last year, Shakib’s commercial interests and decision around (not) touring certain countries caused much friction between him and the BCB. On both occasions, he had to relent. Shakib also withdrew from the sponsorship of a betting company (masked as a sports website) after the BCB pulled him up. This happened before the 2022 Asia Cup and T20 World Cup season, when he was about to be named the new captain. Bangladesh had their best T20 World Cup to date, with Shakib leading the side into a new direction in the format.In March 2022, Shakib initially refused to tour South Africa, but after a few days of drama, he walked back on the decision.Shakib goes through a gamut of emotions and expressions every game•BCBTwo years ago, Shakib kicked and threw down the stumps in an extraordinary outburst during a Dhaka Premier League (domestic one-day competition) match. It didn’t take him too long to bounce back from this incident, too.One of the reasons why Shakib recovers quickly from these incidents is because of how leniently the BCB has treated him over the years. Only last year did the board really get him to tour when he refused to, or prohibit him from signing a commercial partnership that was against the board’s policy. Even so, for the stump throwing incident, he was banned for only three games. On many occasions over the years, the BCB has reduced Shakib’s punishment, or ignored his controversies altogether.It’s just as likely that that his tryst with the Dubai store owner will first be swept under the carpet, and then forgotten by the public and media. If that happens, it will serve as yet another example of Shakib getting away with hardly a slap on the wrist. Or, is it another example of Shakib expertly compartmentalising his life on and off the field?He never lets one interfere with the other. As a great allrounder, Shakib often covers for a batting failure with a bowling masterclass. When it concerns his off-the-field incidents, he smoothly covers it with an on-field performance that takes away everyone’s attention.