It takes more than one good bowling spell to dismiss opposition for less than 100 in a T20, and our list finds out the lowest IPL totals ever

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-201710. 83 all out in 17.3 overs, Delhi Daredevils v Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2013Result: Lost by 86 runsDaredevils had got off to a disastrous start to their season with five defeats from their first five games, and Super Kings themselves were coming off a shock defeat to Pune Warriors in their previous fixture. After Michael Hussey and MS Dhoni took them to a “competitive” 169, as Daredevils captain Mahela Jayawardene had predicted at the toss, Mohit Sharma ran through the Daredevils top-order, before the spinners sewed up the win to consign their opponents to their sixth successive defeat.9. 82 all out in 15.1 overs, Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2008Result : Lost by 140 runsWhile the first-ever IPL game is now remembered for Brendon McCullum’s unbeaten 158, Knight Riders’ bowlers ensured they set a few records of their own, while getting the job done. The Royal Challengers top order, referred to in the tournament’s build-up as a Test match batting order playing in a T20 tournament, was quickly reduced to 24 for 4 by Ashok Dinda, Ishant Sharma and Ajit Agarkar. Captain Sourav Ganguly then polished off the lower order to inflict a 140-run defeat, which remains the second-highest in the tournament’s history.8. 82 all out in 18.3 overs, Deccan Chargers v Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2010Result : Lost by 9 wicketsA year after their defeat in the IPL final, Royal Challengers partly made up for it by inflicting a humiliating defeat on Adam Gilchrist’s Chargers in the third place play-off. Having lost the toss, captain Anil Kumble opened the bowling, dismissing Gilchrist off the fourth ball, ending his poor season with the bat. He then came back to pick up three more wickets across two further spells, as Chargers never ended up recovering from those early blows. Royal Challengers qualified for that season’s Champions League T20 as a result.7. 81 all out in 15.2 overs, Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2011Result : Lost by 8 wicketsIt was a night when L Balaji rolled back the years, bowling jaffas which brought back memories of Pakistan tour. Returning from a career-threatening back injury, he took out Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane and Ashok Menaria. In partnership with Brett Lee and Shakib al Hasan, his spell skittled out Royals for 81, a total Knight Riders’ new-look top order found all too easy to chase down.Delhi Daredevils crumbled to 80 all out against Sunrisers in 2013•BCCI6. 80 all out in 19.1 overs, Delhi Daredevils v Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL 2013Result : Lost by 6 wicketsSunrisers had won all their five games before this fixture, and came up against a side on life support after a string of defeats. A top-order featuring Virender Sehwag, Mahela Jayawardene and David Warner got blown away by their in-form bowling attack, as Dale Steyn and co. went about knocking wickets off every few balls. By the time Daredevils recovered from early wickets, it was too late in the day, and a late-innings rearguard never came to pass.5. 79 all out in 15.2 overs, Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians, IPL 2013Result : Lost by 60 runsOf the IPL’s 50 lowest totals, Super Kings have been the bowling side 8 times, and on the receiving end just twice. In other words, they are a side that did not collapse too often throughout their time in the tournament. On this occasion though, it was that man Mitchell Johnson picking up three wickets in an over, after having three successive chances dropped by Kieron Pollard fielding at point. Every other ball in his opening burst deserved a wicket, and by the end of it, Super Kings had sunk to a point of no return.4. 74 all out in 16.3 overs, Kochi Tuskers Kerala v Deccan Chargers, IPL 2011Result : Lost by 55 runsSeven Kochi batsmen were dismissed for a duck, and if not for Thisara Perera and Ravindra Jadeja stitching together a stand of some note, things would have further embarrassing for the home side. Ishant Sharma bowled what is arguably his best IPL spell, and in Dale Steyn’s company, produced combined figures that read 6.3-1-28-8. A tight chase of 130 was rendered match-winning by a massive margin.3. 70 all out in 15 overs, Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2014Result : Lost by 8 wicketsAfter losing a toss where he said he would also have chosen to bat first, Virat Kohli and his side were reduced to 5 for 4 within the first 14 balls of their innings. Missing Chris Gayle, four of Royal Challengers’ batsmen were dismissed for a duck, apart from four others who could not get to double figures. Eventually, it was a wonder they crossed the IPL’s lowest total, thanks to Mitchell Starc and Ravi Rampaul putting together a mini-rearguard of sorts towards the end.In the second game of IPL 2009 between these two, it was Kumble who had the last laugh, and then some•Aijaz Rahi/Associated Press2. 67 all out in 15.2 overs, Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians, IPL 2008Result : Lost by 8 wicketsOn a seamer-friendly track at the Wankhede stadium, none of the Knight Riders batsmen could put up a front against Shaun Pollock’s outstanding spell of seam-bowling. Mumbai then went about setting a record for the biggest T20 win in terms of balls to spare, a feat eclipsed only twice since.1.58 all out in 15.1 overs, Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2009Result : Lost by 75 runsOn a slow Cape Town wicket, Anil Kumble sparked a lower order collapse, as Royals lost their last 5 wickets for 11 runs. Each one of them fell to Kumble, who recorded his only five-wicket haul in T20s with his famed mix of flighted leg-spinners and the odd flatter one that hurried batsmen for time.

Despite the absence of Imran Tahir and little contribution from Ben Stokes, Rising Pune Supergiant beat Kings XI Punjab and stormed into the first qualifier. They will be looking for a similar display against Mumbai Indians to storm into their first final

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai15-May-20173:12

Hogg: Dhoni, Rahane must step up in Stokes’ absence

Mumbai Indians are in familiar territory – playing a qualifier, that too at Wankhede Stadium. They have made it past the league stages in seven out of 10 seasons now and have won both their previous playoffs at this venue. Winning here for them might sound as easy as sweating in the Mumbai humidity. What do they have to worry about now? It’s their form against Rising Pune Supergiant, who have qualified for the playoffs for the first time, in their last season.Rising Pune had the better of their neighbours in both the previous matches this season – they first won by seven wickets at home and then handed Mumbai their first loss while chasing this season, that too at their fortress Wankhede. It broke Mumbai’s six-match winning streak; it broke Mumbai’s five-match winning streak while chasing and created a chink in their chasing conviction. The next time Mumbai chased, they only managed to tie in a pursuit of 154 against Gujarat Lions but eventually won in the Super Over. In the next two matches they chased at home, they won one but lost to Kings XI Punjab despite scoring 223.Rising Pune’s formula while winning on both occasions was to dent Mumbai’s strength – their middle order. They haven’t relied only on a couple of batsmen, or only the openers, or only the foreign batsmen. Unlike the other teams that have done well in this IPL, Mumbai’s batsmen have shared the run-scoring burden. No Mumbai batsman has over 400 runs yet, and not one of them features among the top 10 run-getters of the tournament yet. But their batsmen from No. 3 downwards have done the bulk of the accumulation and acceleration through Nitish Rana, Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard.When Rising Pune played them the first time this season, no Mumbai batsman, apart from the opener Jos Buttler, passed 35. They posted 184 and Steven Smith flicked the runs away in the chase. The second time, Rising Pune were defending only 160 but they didn’t let any batsman, barring Rohit, score freely and over 35. Imran Tahir and Ben Stokes held the key for Rising Pune, accounting for seven of the 16 wickets Mumbai lost in those two games. They claimed collective figures of 16-1-117-7, including the wickets of big guns such as Rohit, Pollard and Buttler, at an economy rate of 7.31.Tahir had not only been their top wicket-taker until two matches ago, he was their go-to bowler in the middle overs. He has 13 wickets in 33 overs in that phase with an economy rate of just over seven; the next Rising Pune bowler on that list is Dan Christian with seven wickets, which shows they have been perhaps over-reliant on Tahir. He would target the stumps, he would dart in the quicker ones and slip in the googlies, one of which got Rohit. If Tahir didn’t get wickets, Smith would turn to Stokes.The England allrounder would bowl in the Powerplay, he would bowl in the middle overs, he would bowl at the death, and he would get you wickets. If it was possible, he could even bowl the 21st over for Rising Pune. His team prospered during the middle and end of the league phase by winning seven out of nine matches and Stokes bagged nine of his 12 wickets in those games at an economy rate of 6.72. He is not only one of the top players for Rising Pune, he is one of the best players of the tournament so far because of his all-round abilities.2:00

‘We will miss Stokes’ – Rahane

The problem Rising Pune face now is they are without both Tahir and Stokes. On the other hand, Mumbai showed their bench strength by making six changes in their last match against Kolkata Knight Riders and still winning. Rising Pune can still be cheerful, though. When they stormed into the first Qualifier by trampling Kings XI Punjab on Sunday, they did it without Tahir and without much contribution from Stokes. Tahir had already left India while Stokes bowled three wicketless overs. Jaydev Unadkat and Shardul Thakur did the bulk of the work with the new ball to dismantle Kings XI for 73.With Stokes also gone now, Rising Pune will be looking at New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson or the hitherto unused Australia batsman Usman Khawaja.”Yes, we will miss Stokes because he has done really well for us in batting, bowling as well as fielding,” Rahane said on Sunday. “But we’ve got a few other international [players] who are experienced, who have done well in this format. Lockie Ferguson has done well in that one game, and Usman Khawaja is here. Our Indian batsmen are also doing well.”But can they repeat what they did to Kings XI on Sunday, against the table-toppers and probably the best team of the tournament? The record of the season will encourage them even if the Wankhede crowd does not.”It will be an advantage for sure, we’ve beaten them twice already this season,” Unadkat told on Sunday. “They’ll have that thing in mind as well. We must grab the opportunity that has come our way, having finished second in the points table. The momentum is on our side a bit more than them because they haven’t done really well in the last couple of games. They are a formidable side but the firepower we have in our backyard is good enough to outclass any team on any day and that’s what we’ll be hoping.”If Mumbai sprang a surprise this season by unexpectedly becoming the first, and not the last, team to qualify, Rising Pune have a chance to stupefy Mumbai and become the first team to reach the final this season.

The two have met for 128 ODIs in the last 19 years. Some of those matches were thrillers, some were absurd, and some plain refused to live up to the hype

Sidharth Monga03-Jun-2017The last-over classic that everyone remembers
At least 17 ODIs and four T20 internationals have been decided in the last over, but how many do we remember, really? Javed Miandad’s six, that was heard around the world, for sure.In the 2007 World T20, the tie, followed by the shot that expedited the birth of the IPL, both gave a new format just the kickstart it needed.Then there has been the India offspinner connection: Harbhajan Singh’s roar after hitting Mohammad Amir for a penultimate-ball six in 2010, Rajesh Chauhan’s swipe in Karachi in 1997, and R Ashwin falling prey to an almighty Shahid Afridi swing in 2014. These last-over finishes tend to favour the chasing sides in India-Pakistan clashes, but there have been famous defences too, no more so than Ashish Nehra succeeding with only eight runs to play with in 2004.The forgotten last-over classic
These are some of the better matches, but largely not remembered as well because the stage was relatively smaller. Inzamam-ul-Haq brought on multiple heart attacks in Ahmedabad 2005 by chasing the three remaining runs in the last over, bowled by Sachin Tendulkar, thus: going dot, dot, two, dot, dot, four. And not just any four, one caressed all along the ground.Tendulkar was involved, in Brisbane in 2000, again when he went looking for a run-out but conceded the overthrows that proved to be the difference in the last-ball win with a scampered bye. Surely MS Dhoni would have had one glove off for the last ball?Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s dink in the 1998 Independence Cup puts a tick in India’s column in these forgotten last-over thrillers.One of the real underrated last-over classics is from back in the day when chasing 300 was not as boring as it is now. Ten years ago, Younis Khan set it up with a hundred, but Afridi and Sohail Tanvir saw them through.Sourav Ganguly and Aamer Sohail collide, Toronto, 1998•Getty ImagesIn Toronto in 1996, with a twisted ankle and No. 10 for company, Saleem Malik chased down 44 off 44, ending it with a square-cut boundary off the second-last ball, bowled by – get it – Sunil Joshi, a left-arm spinner.Malik also played one of the most astonishing ODI knocks, coming in with 78 needed at more than ten on over with mostly the tail for company, and scoring 72 off those in 36 balls, a good 30 years ago at Eden Gardens.The other Malik who could have ended up among the greatest chasers in ODIs before he threw it all away, Shoaib, chose more violent methods, but ten in the last over of a T20I – in Bangalore in 2012 – didn’t really challenge him that much.This is from those days when India-Pakistan matches at ICC events used to be competitive. India put up a spirited defence of 200 in the 2004 Champions Trophy match, but the artist formerly known as Yousuf Youhana kept his cool in the company of the tail to do it on the foot. Pakistan didn’t hit a single boundary in the last 31 balls of their chase.Obscure last-over finishes
Did you know India and Pakistan once played a 16-over ODI with Pakistan scoring 87 for 9 and for some reason winning by seven runs? Yes, they did, with poor light in winter in Gujranwala, 1989, forcing the start beyond lunch and then India failing to bowl the allotted 20 overs in their allotted time of 85 minutes. Had they taken one more wicket, they would have got the whole 20 overs to chase in, and might have probably won.India’s over rate also haunted them in a dead rubber in Toronto in 1997, resulting in two fewer overs for India to win in, but this was the Summer of Sourav, and Ganguly chased it down with the help of Ajay Jadeja.Miandad loved hitting Indians for sixes, even when asking their spinners for their room numbers in the adjoining clubhouse so he could hit them there. He loved it so much that this feat is not even on our mental highlights reel: in a dead rubber in Jamshedpur in 1987, it came down to 12 required off the last over, and he ended it in the first two balls, according to , “Pakistan seemed overcome by both tension and the cold: the temperature had dropped to 12 degrees Centigrade. Moin Khan missed a stumping off Jadeja, Mohammad Akram converted a catch off Ganguly into a six by stepping over the boundary, and three run-out chances were muffed.”Crowd-disturbance classics
Many believed that the match that Chauhan won for India would have been Pakistan’s had the crowd not thrown stones at Indian fielders for the fourth time, which is when play was stopped and Inzamam – 74 off 92 then – was denied the finishing kick he looked set for. Pakistan batted only 47.2 overs, and there was no target correction; except that India were asked to chase 266 in two balls fewer.Indian crowds didn’t paint themselves in glory, but in limited-overs matches, the Pakistan crowds have provided more material. On a damp Karachi pitch in 1989, in a match reduced to 40 overs, with Manoj Prabhakar running riot with the ball, the stage was getting set for a proper chase against Wasim Akram, Waqar, Aaqib Javed, Imran Khan, but the crowd trouble meant only 14.3 overs were possible. Tear gas had to be used inside the stadium, and gun shots were heard from the outside.Sharjah classics
Between World Series Cricket and the many T20 leagues, there was Sharjah, home of lucrative cricket. Pakistan obviously dominated the terrain, with India being the most commercially viable opponent. Apart from the Miandad classics, apart from the dodgy classics, it produced many memorable India-Pakistan clashes. Not least of which is India’s successful defence of just 125 runs in 1985. They would have fancied themselves a year later, this time in defence of 144, but Manzoor Elahi took Pakistan home from 65 for 6. As might seem, India tended to run Pakistan close in Sharjah only in low-scoring matches, but when they finally did manage their first ODI 300, in 1996, they did get into a close fight as Pakistan kept coming at them. They were 172 for 2 in 25 overs thanks to a pinch-hitting fifty from Rashid Latif, but then, as a runner, he ran Aamer Sohail out, and the collapse began.A pinch hitter was successful, and opener Shoaib Mohammad was run out with Pakistan 105 adrift in 1989, but there was no meltdown then. Forty required off the last six overs was not a match sealed back then, but Pakistan did so with eight balls to spare.The 2009 Champions Trophy fixture – won by Pakistan – was one of the few contests on a global scale that didn’t underwhelm•Getty ImagesCanada classics
This might be worth a book in in itself. Sixteen matches, seven to India, eight to Pakistan, one no-result. Ganguly wreaked general havoc. As a bowler. Malik chased chases. Meltdowns happened, not just on the field, when Pakistan missed five chances ostensibly because of the cold, but just off the field too.Classics when no one knew the playing conditions
Add to the Sharjah twilight the only tied ODI between India and Pakistan. With the scores level with a single to get off the last ball, Abdul Qadir did as you would expect: try and steal the extra run no matter how impossible it seems. Except this was a special case.In the process, Qadir got himself run out, and from just outside the playing field, Miandad began to swear at him. That is because this was a rare series with no tied matches. The tie breaker was number of wickets lost first, and then the score at 25 overs. Had Qadir kept his wits, Pakistan would have ended up with scores level and with same number of wickets lost, but with a higher score at the end of 25 overs. Now instead, they lost because India had lost fewer wickets.Miandad’s anger was directed not just at Qadir but also the umpires, who had missed that India had only three fielders inside the 30-yard ring for that last ball.Non-last-over classic that everyone remembers
World Cup 1992; World Cup 1996; World Cup 1999; World Cup 2003; World Cup 2007; World Cup 2011Oh, Bangladesh and Ireland turned up for that 2007 match? Poor babies, India and Pakistan. It’s okay, the ICC has now changed tournament structures to make sure they never get knocked out early. They have also fixed draws to make sure they meet each other at every world event. Except that can’t prevent what makes our next section.Classic duds
World T20 2012; Champions Trophy 2013; World T20 2014; World Cup 2015; World T20 2016; Champions Trophy group match 2017.Forgotten non-last-over classic
The best kinds. Like at Champions Trophy in 2009: high-voltage match with ebbs and flows, a quick Pakistan start with consolidation and slowing down in the middle, then a late kick, followed by a fiery India start, a collapse brought about by a run-out, a strong final push by Rahul Dravid, but ultimately a win for Pakistan.This is from the top of the head. There are many more such classics that didn’t go to the last over, that didn’t feature skirmishes, that need some searching in memory banks. Tell us about those in the comments section.

Twitter reactions to Kuldeep Yadav’s memorable first day in Test cricket, on which he took 4 for 68

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Mar-2017In a series filled with surprises, India sprang another one in Dharmasala by handing a debut to left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. His former state team-mate Mohammad Kaif had no doubt it was the right move.

Prediction – Kuldeep Yadav will have a great debut. Aussies should struggle to read him. Best wishes to Team India.#IndvAus

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) March 25, 2017

After Australia raced to 131 for 1 at lunch, another expert Aakash Chopra placed his faith in Kuldeep.

Kuldeep is my Man for this innings…hope he starts after lunch and gets an extended spell. #IndvsAus

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) March 25, 2017

Kuldeep responded in the second session with some ripping deliveries that earned him praise from some of the greats of the game. First he dismissed David Warner to end a rapid century stand with Smith, then he got one to drift away before spinning in to have Peter Handscomb bowled and followed that up with a perfect wrong ‘un to send back Glenn Maxwell.

I am impressed with @imkuldeep18's variations and the way he has started. Keep going strong, this can be your match to shine.

— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) March 25, 2017

This has been a magnificent spell of bowling from the young man Kuldeep

— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) March 25, 2017

The uncommon sight of a left-arm wrist spinner showcasing control and an array of variations had many excited.

New mystery guy in the house @imkuldeep18 #Magical. On the other hand brilliant hundred from smith.

— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) March 25, 2017

Wonderful beginnings for a debutant.. 2 very good wickets &the way he has bowled.. Way to go.. God bless #KuldeepYadav

— Kartik Murali (@kartikmurali) March 25, 2017

This is a fairy-tale debut for Kuldeep Yadav. Always something extra with the wrist spinner. And he can bat!

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) March 25, 2017

Superb spell by @imkuldeep18 , emphasises the importance of a wrist spinner on batting tracks. Brilliant

— Deep Dasgupta (@DeepDasgupta7) March 25, 2017

This was not a drill. England needed two runs to win with the No. 10 on strike, in a contest that they could and should have controlled from the outset

Jarrod Kimber at Bristol18-Jul-2017England has a team song – a victory ballad – and part of their inspiration during this tournament has been the desire to sing this secret ditty when they win at Lord’s. These are the kinds of made-up team rituals that keep teams together on hard days. But this was not supposed to be tough; this was supposed to be the easy semi-final.England are clearly a better team than South Africa. For all the incredible improvement that South Africa have made, there is still a fragility to their batting order: they still have a far lower cling when it comes to their top order and they always run themselves out. Batting first against England, they have never scored more than 222, and even when they made over 300 in their group match against England earlier this tournament, they still lost by over 70 runs.There might be a time in the future when South Africa can be a legitimate and constant threat to England, but it wasn’t meant to be now, not today. England planned on approaching this like a tough training challenge, and expected to win easily.*** Jenny Gunn comes out to bat with England needing 46 off 46 balls, but she brings out a different pitch to everyone else. Her English team-mates have been playing on a slow pitch that means you hit the ball into the hands of a fielder in the ring. Gunn manages to find gaps, she is constantly on the move, she scores more twos than had seemingly been scored all match, and when she needs to find the boundary, she can do that as well. She is batting at more than a run a ball, which in a game like this, is some kind of magic.And now, in the final over of the contest, she needs only three more runs to win the game and send her team to Lord’s for the final. Shabnim Ismail steams in, the self-proclaimed quickest woman in the world, she aims full and straight, so Gunn just smashes it. The noise is so obvious, the ball has been crushed, but it has been hit straight back at Ismail.There is no time even to think about the catch, even to wonder what if. It is already on the ground, dribbling away from South Africa. Gunn is still there, just.***South Africa’s real big chance of winning this game came when Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt embarked on what they hoped would be their third 100-run partnership of the tournament. Lee had been hitting sixes for fun all tournament – seven alone in the victory over India – while the TeenWolv has been dismissed for less than fifty once in the entire campaign. But Lee was out before they could get off to a flier, and Wolvaardt was slowed down by spin, scoring only nine from her first 30 balls from it. England won both the early battles.England don’t push hard for wickets in the middle overs, and they didn’t today. It was only when Wolvaardt missed a fairly standard straight one that they picked up a wicket. In the same over Mignon du Preez hit the ball straight to cover and Marizanne Kapp was run out. Ten overs later, they lost another wicket to another silly run-out, and doubled up by losing another wicket the next over. It’s not hard to restrict the opposition when they so frequently run themselves out.South Africa were, at best, 30 runs short, and probably 50 short. With a good opening partnership, and Nos. 3 and 4 being sensible, the match would be won with overs to spare. Easy.***It’s come down to England needing three off five; it should still happen. Ismail goes wide of the stumps, she takes the pace off it, all Gunn can do is aim it into the packed offside field, which has seemly every woman born in South Africa trying to save the one. Dane Van Niekerk attempts to stop the single, but she can’t.And now England need two runs off four balls, but Jenny Gunn is off strike.Sarah Taylor and Heather Knight celebrate victory on the England balcony•ICCEngland started well; they scored quickly. South Africa dropped catches and bowled wides. There was no real pressure. The pitch might have been slightly trickier than anyone had yet admitted, but this was not a tough chase, England were ahead the rate and, at the end of the first ten overs, they had cruised along to 52. Sarah Taylor’s first ball was a cover drive off Ayabonga Khaka, which went away to the rope like it was being dragged there by magnets.Taylor was in complete control; she was batting like the woman who was once supposed to take over women’s cricket. The runs came off her bat with some indefinable extra authority, as if every run was saying, ‘not only am I scoring, but I am fundamentally better than you in every way that matters’. Her innings felt like a sparring match between a world-class heavyweight and a punch-by-the-hour battler brought in to make the champ feel better.The last shot she played was a flick past mid-on that seemed almost obscenely easy. She didn’t play another shot after that because Heather Knight ran her out.The wicket shouldn’t have meant much, Knight was still in, there was plenty of batting to come, and it was only the third wicket of the innings. But suddenly Knight was out as well, and the easy day, the better team, none of that meant much any more. This was now a sudden-death game, and England had never been closer to death.***Laura Marsh has a top score of 67 in ODIs; this matters as she faces up to Ismail with two runs needed off four balls. Her career average of 13 has never looked so shaky. England back themselves to bat all the way down, but teams always say that. No one really means it, and those words mean nothing when you need two off four against one of the best bowlers in the world.Ismail’s ball is full and straight. Marsh, her top score of 67, and her average of 13, are nowhere near it. Her shot is an awkward shuffling paddle that she might as well have played in Taunton and not Bristol; she’d been about as close to the ball as she was to the town. Ismail lets out a scream as the ball hits the stumps. This is not a drill, England have won six on the trot coming into the game, kept the world’s sixth-ranked side to a sub-par score, and are now three good balls from not making the final. This is not a drill.***Katherine Brunt has been begging to bat up the order for years, and this was the sort of situation that she loves the most. When it’s tough, when it’s tense, when every run is like a spit in the eye of your opposition, the contest could not be better set up for her. In having a player of such experience and talent in their middle order, England has a huge advantage over the other teams. But not this time. Nothing was working for her today.Brunt bats up the order in T20 games, but in making two runs from eight deliveries – and 12 from 27 all told – she was looking less like a T20 hitter and more like an ODI misser. To make up for her struggles she charged down the pitch to Daniels, and instead of toughing out a boundary, or breaking the game with her aggression, she was bowled.It was left to Fran Wilson to play balls over her head and reverse-sweep the spinners out of the attack while marshalling the specialist bowlers. But Wilson tried one scoop too many – England were all out of specialist batting, and almost all out of the tournament.Heather Knight and Danielle Hazell toast their victory•ICCAnya Shrubsole takes an age to make it to the middle. There is no doubt she wasn’t planning on batting. She wasn’t planning on batting when they restricted South Africa to 218, she wasn’t planning on batting when they got off to a flier, and there was no way she was thinking she’d bat when Taylor and Knight were strolling to victory.England only need two runs, but this has been anything but a perfect performance. They didn’t push hard enough with the ball in the middle overs; they gave away too many runs in the field; none of their top order went on to complete the job; they had another stupid run-out, and then their middle order got behind the rate and panicked. Even now, with Shrubsole coming out, it’s hard not to think that England might rue Gunn’s single off the second ball of this over. The best chance of winning the game is stranded at the non-striker’s end on a run-a-ball 27 not out.Shrubsole crouches over her bat, looking anything but a player who is about to hit the winning runs. Ismail hits the crease and Shrubsole suddenly relaxes, takes two steps down the wicket, and hits the ball through point in a flash. It’s incredible, beautiful, strong. The South Africa women fall to the ground and cry, Shrubsole jumps onto Gunn.”We’re finding ways to win” says Knight, England’s captain. For most of the day, it looked like they were finding ways to lose. England weren’t planning on it being this close; they weren’t planning on almost losing, this wasn’t a training match, a bye, or a perfect performance. It was a win off the third-last ball, from the No.10.England didn’t win easily. But they won. If they get to sing in the holy dressing-room of Lord’s, today will be the tough one they laugh about as they belt out their victorious anthem. There is only one more win between them and the sweet drunken merry sound of success.

Evin Lewis’ masterful innings could signal the way for a West Indies revival in the 50-over format

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Sep-2017Evin Lewis had The Oval standing to give him appreciative, deafening applause.Unfortunately, Lewis could not raise his bat to acknowledge the full house. He could not even raise his back off the stretcher, as it happened. Lewis had just knocked himself out by punching a perfect off-stump yorker from Jake Ball into his right ankle. The power of the stroke flattened Lewis, leaving him with what was later confirmed as a hairline fracture that will end his tour.It also erased the possibility of Lewis becoming the second West Indies batsman after Chris Gayle to record an ODI double-century, as he retired hurt 24 runs short of the landmark.It would not be stretching the imagination to say Lewis might have got their with another four hits. The diminutive opener had leaped from 100 to 176 in 36 deliveries. Seven of those were sixes. There were also four fours. Lewis was finally playing like the T20 batsman we have come to know: a manic, mean, six-hitting machine, with an electrifying tempo.But here Lewis showed he is much more than a showboat. West Indies had lost Gayle, Shai Hope and Marlon Samuels half an hour into their innings. Virtually everyone believe this was going to be a one-sided contest once again. Lewis proved them all wrong.His innings was full of determination. He had made use of the short lengths that Chris Woakes and Ball attacked him with at the top-end of the innings, allowing him to get out of the blocks confidently. The challenge for Lewis and West Indies has been to convert the starts, to build momentum. Stuart Law, West Indies’ coach had remarked on Tuesday that his batsmen loved strutting their muscle in first 15 and final 10 overs. In the crucial middle overs, West Indies had lacked the tactical nous to pace the innings.Lewis and Jason Mohammed might not have envisaged they were about to start the rebuild. Lewis had just 250 runs in 17 previous ODIs this year. But Mohammed has been one of the better batsmen coming in for West Indies, in fact the second best this year with 424 runs before this match. Neither man allowed the pressure to climb, which happens fast when your team is 33 for 3.Not only did they rotate strike regularly but they were hungry to create opportunities. Lewis was especially proactive, defeating not just the loose delivery, but also being aware of the narrowest of divides to push through the vacant space. The partnership steadily flourished and crossed the 100-run mark, thus establishing a platform.

This was the first time West Indies had recorded two 100-plus partnerships against a top-ranked country in ODIs since 2004

Even after Mohammed was out, Lewis’ concentration did not wave. In his captain Jason Holder he found another willing and hungry partner. Teams, not least England, have begun to consistently chased 300-plus targets, so West Indies ought to think 350. But Lewis was not looking too far ahead. He played the situation.He got his hundred with consecutive fours against Woakes, who was trying to fire short deliveries into Lewis’ hips, only to be pulled past the rope. Lewis punched his right hand and yelled with joy. It was only the second century by a Windies opener since the 2015 World Cup – both were by Lewis.Amazingly, in his previous 19 innings Lewis had crossed the half-century just once, when he scored 148 against Sri Lanka last November in Bulawayo. Lewis must believe he can score big if he gets a start. In 14 T20I innings, he has four 50-plus scores: 100, 91, 125 not out, and 51.The century did not drain Lewis. It motivated him further. His reflexes had not grown tired. Woakes delivered a sharp bouncer to his head, but Lewis ducked swiftly out of danger at the last moment. The fact that England wanted him to play a rash stroke was not lost upon the Trinidadian. He would not yield.Surprisingly, Lewis had not yet hit a six and the match was 40 overs old. He was undeterred. With Holder delivering big blows at the other end, Lewis understood he did not yet need to switch on Beast Mode. But soon he would unbuckle himself and enjoy some range hitting along with his captain. He reached 150 in no time, in fact his third fifty came in just 26 deliveries.His success rubbed off on the team, too. Unlike in Bristol, when West Indies folded their tent with more than 10 overs still to go once Gayle had been run out, here they were switched on. One revealing statistic: in Bristol, West Indies batsmen ran just three twos; there were 19 doubles at The Oval. This was also the first time West Indies had recorded two 100-plus partnerships against a top-ranked country in ODIs since 2004 against South Africa. All this allowed Lewis-Holder to smash a record 87 runs in the five-overs segment between 41 and 45, which set up a challenging total – albeit one England overhauled with the help of Duckworth-Lewis-Stern.Regardless of the result, Lewis should bookmark his Oval epic. Can he make this a habit now? Many talented young men have shown the spark over the last two decades only to fade away quickly.It could be a moment of awakening for Lewis and other young West Indies batsmen in one-day cricket: that you can play time, rotate the strike, play purposefully before unleashing the power they are known to possess. With the right mindset, the right strokeplay, the right decisions, things can fall into place.

George Dobell observes a ball tampering beat-up at the MCG and not for the first time in this Ashes series doesn’t like what he sees

George Dobell in Melbourne29-Dec-2017Perhaps, on a busier day – a day when almost half the overs had not been lost to rain – the “ball tampering” narrative would have been buried by more worthwhile content.But, on a day which featured only five boundaries and saw the run-rate crawl along at 2.34 an over, an angle had to be found. And, with Australia struggling to save a game for the first time in the series, that angle turned out to be a thinly-disguised suggestion that England had engaged in ball-tampering in an attempt to gain reverse swing.It’s hard to interpret headlines such as “England in ball-tampering furore” (wwos.nine.com.au) and “England in the spotlight over ball treatment” (cricket.com.au; the website owned by Cricket Australia) any other way. Sure, there are some caveats in the articles. But the clickbait nature of modern journalism throws the mud before those caveats satisfy the lawyers. And it’s the mud that sticks.Maybe, on first viewing, the footage of James Anderson holding the ball might have raised some eyebrows. And maybe, by some interpretations, England’s tactic of throwing the ball in on the bounce to ensure one side is worn is stretching legality to the limit. It is true that they were warned not to over-do it by the umpires. It is also true that Australia were.

“Kumar just said, don’t worry, there is absolutely nothing in it. His words were: it was a beat up – it’s made up.”

But anyone looking closely – or doing some research – might have seen the England bowlers were standing next to the umpires when the ‘incident’ occurred. They might also have noticed that any alleged scratching was to the shiny side of the ball; an action that would counter the attempts to gain reverse swing.Furthermore, they might then have checked with the match-referee before making any allegation. Had they done so, they would have been told that no complaint had been made. An England team spokesman subsequently said they had received apologies from a couple of broadcasters, an acknowledgement that checks should have been made before publication and an understanding the relevant articles would either be amended or deleted.Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, described the story as “a beat up” subsequently suggesting that was also the expression used by the umpires. Asked to explain what that meant he said: “it’s made up.””As soon as I saw the headlines I raced into the umpires’ room and that was their words: it’s a beat-up, nothing to worry about, absolutely fine,” Bayliss said. “You are allowed to clean the ball. [Umpire] Kumar Dharmasena had said to our guys – well both sides – that there is no problem but he would like them to do it in front of the umpires so they can see and there is nothing untoward.”Kumar said there is a bit of dirt and mud out there. It does get on the ball and in some of the seams. You are allowed to clean it off. Watching the footage, if he was scratching it, it was the wrong side to get it to reverse. I’m quite sure that wasn’t the case.”Kumar just said, don’t worry, there is absolutely nothing in it. His words were: it was a beat up – it’s made up.”

This latest non-story sustained what appears to be a pretty conscious campaign of sledging against the touring team that extends beyond the pitch and into the newspapers and broadcasts

Maybe England only have themselves to blame. In the days when they used to be bowled out by the likes of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, allegations of ball tampering were never far from the surface – both from the media and the dressing room – while in the days when they were bowled out by Muttiah Muralitharan and Saeed Ajmal, whispers of suspect actions proliferated. On both occasions, there was a failure to appreciate the skill of the players. It’s not so long since a UK paper published a match-fixing expose that exposed nothing, too.And maybe, in the longer-term, broadcasters may seek to recalibrate commentary teams that are strong on cricketing experience – which is clearly a tremendous asset – but lacking in journalistic rigour. There are times when the Channel 9 commentary, predominantly staffed as it is by cricketers who have served Australia with distinction, becomes as partial as any broadcaster anywhere in the world. And yes, that includes the North Korean channel that only shows Kim Jong-un hitting holes in one on the golf course. While sitting on a unicorn.But this latest non-story sustained what appears to be a pretty conscious campaign of sledging against the touring team that extends beyond the pitch and into the newspapers and broadcasts. Had the boot been on the other foot, talk would have been of “whingeing Poms” (surely a pejorative expression used to describe a nationality; you wonder if it will be in circulation in 20 years) and a “doctored” pitch. Recall the reactions to England winning the Ashes in 2013 and 2015? Was it more ‘well played, England’ or ‘doctored Pom pitches define the series’? You decide.In the last couple of days, Michael Hussey – who was also vocal on the ball-tampering issue – had somehow misconstrued Stuart Broad’s concession that he “wasn’t competitive” in Perth into an admission that he hadn’t tried.Under the headline ‘Amazing ‘Broad didn’t try” (foxsports.com.au), Hussey said it was “unbelievable” that Broad was “almost saying he wasn’t trying hard enough in Perth”, which “you find amazing in an Ashes series”. Hussey signed off by wondering why Broad “hadn’t been working this hard in the lead-up to Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth”.England players sing the national anthem while the Australian media sings a different tune•Getty ImagesWhat Broad actually said was this: “I thought I bowled pretty well at Brisbane, okay at Adelaide, but very poorly in Perth. I didn’t find a good rhythm and that probably showed. All you can do as a top-flight sportsman is make sure your work ethic is always at the top level, that you are looking to improve and that you are competitive. I was not as competitive as I should have been in Perth. I wanted to improve that.”But why would we expect any better?When England scored at a run-rate of 2.58 in Brisbane, they were dubbed the “Bore-me Army” but when Australia scored at a rate of 2.51 they were praised for their determination.When Mike Atherton – a man who stood up to Allan Donald at his best in a particularly thrilling encounter – wrote a considered, nuanced piece suggesting some tailenders (whatever country they might be from) might need greater protection from the short ball to avoid serious injury, he was lampooned as a “whingeing Pom”.

It is relentless, it is cheap and, most of all, it is really, really boring

When Anderson suggested there wasn’t a huge amount of depth in Australia’s pace resources – a suggestion that has largely been vindicated by Jackson Bird’s attempt to stand in for Mitchell Starc (no bird has had a worse Christmas and plenty of turkeys have had a rough time of things) – it was dismissed as abusive and disrespectful.When the Jonny Bairstow buttgate incident was first reported, one newspaper’s page lead called it a “nightclub attack” while Moeen Ali – that’s the Muslim Moeen Ali – was recently asked if he was going “to be able to keep out of the pub” for a few days. It is relentless, it is cheap, it is hysterical, it is parochial and, most of all, it is really, really boring.Cricket is sinking into the mire of its own hogwash. If the Ashes, of all contests, needs this sort of tosh to remain of interest to the general public, we are in real trouble.

Adelaide under lights looms not only as a historic moment in the saga of Australia-England encounters, but also a shift in the balance of home and away that has prevailed over the previous two series

Daniel Brettig27-Oct-2017A pink ball and a grassy pitch might just have built Jerusalem on Adelaide’s green and pleasant oval. On a day when Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins returned to the Sheffield Shield by way of Ashes preparation, it was the lower velocity offerings of Trent Copeland, Chadd Sayers and Daniel Worrall that opened up a fascinating poser for Australia ahead of England’s arrival to defend the urn.The pitch prepared by curator Damian Hough for the meeting between South Australia and New South Wales is effectively a rehearsal for the surface on which the second Test of the series will be played, complete with the same amount of grass left on the surface to help aid the longevity of the pink Kookaburra ball. In front of a vocal Friday afternoon crowd, Copeland made the very most of it, before Sayers and Worrall also enjoyed themselves.In both the day-night Tests played so far in Adelaide, there has been plenty of assistance for the seam bowlers, capitalised upon most ably by Josh Hazlewood on both occasions. While the strip prepared for the dead rubber between Australia and South Africa last year was less verdant than that used in the first pink-ball Test between Australia and New Zealand in 2015, it still offered the prospect of the seam gripping in grass oft-described as “thatchy” by competing players.This was certainly the case for the delivery Cummins summoned to claim the first wicket of the Shield match, a sharp nip-backer that proved much too good for John Dalton. Australia’s captain Steven Smith will hope that Cummins can find similar deviation during the corresponding Test match, but he will also be given pause by the way Copeland was subsequently able to make the ball talk when putting together a spell that routed the Redbacks.When lined up against the likely Ashes bowlers, Copeland is much closer to the fashion of a Chris Woakes or James Anderson than Cummins or Starc, and they will note with some interest the way he was able to exploit seam movement well before the Adelaide Oval’s lights needed to be switched on.One-Test man Callum Ferguson was tempted to play at a ball nipping away towards a fifth stump and edged to third slip. Jake Lehmann was pinned lbw by a break-back delivered from around the wicket. Tom Cooper found himself bowled first ball by a delivery that held its line after pitching to flick the outside of the off stump. Travis Head was taken at mid-on from a ball that held up after the seam held momentarily in the aforementioned grass, and a couple of tail-end wafts gave Copeland figures of 6 for 24. An innings lasting a mere 33.3 overs afforded Alex Carey, the last man out, precious little chance to press his Test claims.The pitches produced for Australia’s 5-0 Ashes sweep in 2013-14 – especially those for the decisive first three matches in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth – shared in common a hardness and bounce that played into the hands of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle without offering too much in the way of sideways deviation for Anderson and Stuart Broad. But when Michael Clarke’s heavily favoured team toured England in 2015, it was the green seamers of Birmingham and Nottingham, both explicitly requested by England’s coach Trevor Bayliss after a lop-sided Australian win on a drier Lord’s pitch, that exposed many Antipodean weaknesses against a moving ball.England, of course, are much the poorer in terms of experience against the pink ball, having played only one day-night Test against West Indies earlier this year as opposed to Australia’s three, not to mention a plethora of floodlit Shield matches over the past five seasons. But the sight of a ball darting around off the seam – of any colour – is something Englishmen are habitually more comfortable with than Australians, and the lead taken by Cricket Australia in pushing the pink ball has offered Joe Root’s tourists an opportunity that they would not previously have expected in Adelaide, of all places.The failure of South Australia’s batsmen to cope with Copeland, plus the concurrent, rapid fall of Queensland and Victoria wickets on a grassy-early season pitch at the Gabba, provided a reminder that the moving ball blind spot still exists Down Under. Once New South Wales took their earlier-than-expected chance to bat, Worrall and Sayers were likewise able to deceive Nic Maddinson and Smith, who was artfully squared up by a trio of away seamers before falling lbw to another angled in.So it is that Adelaide under lights looms not only as a historic moment in the saga of Australia-England encounters, but also a shift in the balance of home and away that has prevailed over the previous two series.

Ahead of the Vitality Blast quarter-finals later this week, we take a look at some of the influential figures so far

Matt Roller and David Hopps20-Aug-2018Five weeks ago, Somerset left Bristol having suffered a second defeat in their opening three Blast games. Their game against Kent had struggled for ticket sales – prices had gone up over the winter, justified in part by the need to fund the signings of overseas players, and yet they had signed only one. Their captain Lewis Gregory was struggling for form, and amid rumours of an impending move to Middlesex and some disgruntled fans were calling for him to be left out of the side altogether.Now, all of that seems a world away. Their overseas players Corey Anderson (460 runs at a strike-rate of 173.58) and Jerome Taylor (17 wickets) have been talismen; after signing a new-three year deal, Gregory’s brutal death hitting is the talk of Taunton, not to mention his 15 wickets and impressive captaincy.The phone lines simply couldn’t cope with demand on Saturday morning, with fans desperate for a ticket to see the South Group’s best side in Sunday’s quarter-final against Nottinghamshire.It just goes to show, things change very quickly in the world of T20.

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Some eyes rolled when Durham announced the signing of veteran legspinner Imran Tahir on the eve of this tournament. At 39, Tahir was adding a seventh county to his extensive collection, and there were suspicions that he might struggle to rouse a side that were poor in the Royal London One Day Cup, struggling in the Championship, and still reeling from the horrors of the ECB’s sanctions in the winter of 2016-17.Tahir soon put paid to any doubts. He took 15 wickets to go alongside the best economy rate in the Blast, as Durham blew any pre-tournament predictions out of the water by surging towards the top of the North Group.Fellow overseas pro Tom Latham was the batting lynchpin, while Nathan Rimmington was the star seamer, but local youngsters James Weighell, Liam Trevaskis and Graham Clark have all impressed too. While Tahir will miss the quarter-finals, his presence has helped reinvigorate Durham and turn them into unlikely contenders.

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Northants’ T20 campaign was perhaps best summed up by seamer Gareth Wade’s debut in Friday night’s dead rubber against Leicestershire. Wade’s only legitimate delivery was hit for four, and he was removed from the attack after bowling two beamers. His unenviable figures were 0.1-0-9-0 and, suffice to say, his current career economy rate of 54 is the highest in T20 history.Wade, a 27-year-old seamer plucked from the Minor Counties, was impressive in his response: “Not quite what I had in mind for my T20 debut but s**it happens, it’s how I come back from it,” he tweeted. A good start in their ongoing Championship game against Middlesex suggests Wade’s words have rung true.Friday’s win was only their second of a horror tournament that never got going for them. Personnel changes over the winter seem inevitable.

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Aaron Finch could not carry Surrey alone•ESPNcricinfo LtdThe abiding memory of Surrey’s Blast season should have been Jason Roy and Aaron Finch’s blistering stand of 194 in just 13.5 overs against Middlesex; it was an unbelievable display of ball-striking by two of the competition’s best.Finch scored 589 runs (the most in the tournament) at an average of 147.25 (the highest in the tournament), with 31 sixes (the joint-most in the tournament) and a strike-rate of 182.35 (the highest among those with 300+ runs). In a supposedly unpredictable game, his consistency was remarkable.But Surrey’s reliance on Finch cost them. They won seven of the nine games he played, and lost four of their five without him: a lack of batting depth proved to be their nadir.Instead of that partnership at the Oval, it was Roy who provided the moment that encapsulated their season. Bowled without scoring in Wednesday’s win against Hampshire, Roy picked up a bizarre injury: he threw his bat at the dressing room floor in anger, only for it to bounce up and hit him in the face.The blow ruled him out of Friday’s game in Cardiff and the ongoing Championship game against Lancashire, in which Surrey hope to put a disappointing Blast campaign behind them with a win. After all, a first Championship pennant since 2002 is within touching distance: now that would be better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

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Confidence was bouyant at Essex after their Championship triumph last season and, as the highly-regarded Chris Silverwood left to become England’s bowling coach, the signing of Matt Coles was presented as the signing that would enable his successor, Anthony McGrath, to extend their advance into the limited-overs formats.Coles’ roistering reputation suggested from the outset that his signing was a gamble and it has turned out none too well. He has played a single Championship game, had a mediocre Royal London Cup campaign and in the Blast his returns were a disappointment – five wickets in eight matches as he disappeared at 11.52 an over. Once regarded as an England prospect, he now looks unlikely ever to hear such heady predictions again.

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Rashid Khan had another successful T20 campaign•ESPNcricinfo LtdWhen Afghanistan summoned Rashid Khan to Ireland a day earlier than Sussex had hoped, so ruling him out of the final group game against Middlesex at Hove, a shudder of unease must have been hard to disguise.As it was, Will Beer, in only his third match of the season, filled in admirably alongside the ever-reliable Danny Briggs. Beer may do so again in the quarter-final against Durham on Friday, although if Sussex reach finals day they will doubtless optimistically lobby the Afghanistan board to allow Rashid to squeeze in a game or two ahead of the Asia Cup which begins two days later.Rashid’s Blast involvement pretty much completed the set of outstanding T20 records around the globe; only the Pakistan Super League remains outstanding. His strike rate in the Blast – one wickets every 13 balls – was his best return yet, although his average of 14.35 was second to his average of 13.83 in the Big Bash.

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Kent’s imposing batting line-up has already left them in the promotion places in Division Two and taken them to a Royal London Cup final. Lancashire will face them in the Blast quarter-final at Canterbury on Thursday with a certain amount of trepidation.Two of the finest overseas signings of the summer – the New Zealand fast-bowling pair of Matt Henry and Adam Milne – have also helped. Henry’s 49 wickets at 13.41 were one of the features of the first phase of the Championship and Milne matched those standards in the Blast.Twelve wickets with an economy rate of 7.06 doesn’t sound particularly outstanding, but many of his overs have come at the death and that death-overs economy rate of 7.44 is up there with Wahab Riaz, Jofra Archer, and Harry Gurney, the latter who was too good for Yorkshire in the winner-takes-all-tie.

India had recovered from a poor start with the ball by the time Hardik Pandya was brought on, but it remained a key period of the Test. It quickly went their way

Nagraj Gollapudi at Trent Bridge19-Aug-2018In 2012, after he had hit his second Test century at Edgbaston, West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin unfolded a piece of paper saying: “YEH, VIV, TALK NAH.” That was Ramdin’s way of hitting back at former West Indies captain Viv Richards, who had been critical of him for constantly failing to deliver. Richards, who was at Edgbaston, had said he had questioned Ramdin only after he realised that the latter had lost confidence in his ability.Last week, another West Indies legend, Michael Holding told ESPNcricinfo that Hardik Pandya was not yet good enough as an international allrounder. Holding pointed out that, as a bowler, Pandya lacked the consistency and control to create the pressure to get the wickets and become the man your captain would throw the ball to as a frontline seamer.On Sunday at Trent Bridge, Pandya broke the back of England’s batting with his maiden five-wicket haul. But he did not take any sheet of paper out of his pocket, scribbled on which was: “YEH, MIKEY, TALK NAH.” He did not need to.If anything Pandya, usually a jump horse, went about quietly galloping over England. Pandya had replaced Jasprit Bumrah from the Radcliffe Road end about an hour into the afternoon session. Bumrah and Mohammed Shami had wasted helpful conditions in the half hour before lunch, allowing Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings to their best opening partnership of this series, which had come at a fair clip.Ishant Sharma immediately swung the momentum back in India’s favour, mainly by bowling fuller with a straighter seam. Shami was failing to find his rhythm and Bumrah was not bowling with a straighter seam. Both of them were also not bowling full. But post lunch, Ishant brought the focus back and India, according to CricViz, swung the ball 30% more compared to pre-lunch.When Pandya was given the ball, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow were just settling down, but they were not on a sure footing. There was a huge responsibility on Pandya, unlike, in the past because R Ashwin had a stiff hip and was off the field for more than an hour post lunch. In the past, Pandya would be the towel that other fast bowlers could use to mop their sweat. He would bowl a short spell of a few overs, rarely creating any dent.And if he failed with the bat, which is not uncommon, the question clearly then was: why is Pandya in the team when he actually affects the balance? Why not play a specialist bowler or batsman? That is exactly what Holding wanted to know. It could have been any other allrounder, but the question would be the same: is that person actually being effective in the role given to him?In the spotlight: Hardik Pandya leads India off the field•Getty ImagesAs the fourth bowler, in hospitable conditions for seam bowling, Pandya had a key responsibility in this innings. The first ball suggested he was up for the challenge. The delivery that forced an edge off Root was on a good length and seaming away, delivered from close to the stumps. There was some unnecessary kerfuffle about the catch, taken low by KL Rahul at second slip, but there could not be any dispute about how Pandya had hit the right length immediately.As Aleem Dar, the third umpire, upheld the on-field umpire’s decision, India captain Virat Kohli raised a cry of joy, as did several other India players. The architect of the wicket, Pandya, remained quiet, smiled, with hands crossed in front of the chest – as if he were posing for a magazine photo shoot.Pandya’s best wicket was that of Bairstow, which he earned by pushing the length much fuller from wide of the crease. Bairstow’s trigger movement was to go back in his crease, but the ball was moving away with the seam and took the edge. Pandya’s thinking mind came to the fore when he banged in a short ball to surprise Chris Woakes, who gloved to be brilliantly caught by debutant Rishabh Pant using quick reflexes to pouch it even while his momentum was taking him another way.Admirably, Pandya sustained the discipline and kept pressure on England ball after ball in the spell lasting half-a-dozen overs. It came on the back of the 17 overs he had bowled at Lord’s, the most he has bowled in an innings in his 10-Test career. It meant Pandya was a willing learner.Off the 36 balls delivered on Sunday, Pandya pitched 30 on full or good length (83%), a massive improvement compared to the first two Tests. At Lord’s, Pandya hit 67 out of 103 on full or good length (65%), which was 13% more than at Edgbaston, where the count was 31 out of 60.One man Pandya should thank is Ishant, who was constantly in his ear reminding him about the bowling plan. Before each over began, Ishant walked up to Pandya to have a word. At one point, Ishant used both hands to touch his temples, asking Pandya to not lose the focus and the rhythm he had built. This after Pandya had taken Woakes’ wicket. Having seen Sam Curran run away with the prize at Edgbaston in the second innings when England were on the mat at 87 for 7, Ishant did not want India to get distracted.When Pandya got his fifth wicket, it was Ishant who got the ball form the umpire and handed it to Pandya in the team huddle. Pandya flicked it across his long fingers as he waved to Trent Bridge. The fans gave him a hearty applause.Watching from the Radcliffe Road end, Holding too gave an appreciative nod to Pandya. “Moving conditions,” he said. Holding was not being mean. Holding is a plain-speaking man, not emotional usually. He calls it as he sees it. Before today, he had seen Pandya not creating any impact. On Sunday, Pandya did, and Holding enjoyed it.Pandya might say he never heard what Holding had to say. If he did, he should be the first to acknowledge he was right. And Pandya will tell Holding: he is here to stay.