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What is real success, and is there something such as too much intensity? Rahul Dravid explains

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-20206:09

Rahul Dravid: Fringe players more secure with increase in India A tours

One of the defining characteristics of India’s former captain and current National Cricket Academy director of cricket Rahul Dravid was his intense focus. Can such powers of concentrations be developed? Can you also overdo it? How do you learn to switch off? What is success really for a cricketer? These are some of the questions Dravid answers on , a podcast hosted by former India batsman WV Raman. Here are edited bits of the pair’s conversation.On developing powers of concentration: ‘Do it whenever you have the opportunity in the middle’
Dravid: “I certainly think that it can be developed and worked on, and it must be worked on if you want to be a successful cricketer – or successful at anything. The ability to be focused, stay in the moment, to play that one ball at a time is a very, very important skill.”I must admit that I was a little bit lucky in that inherently my nature’s such that I’ve had the ability to concentrate. I’ve not been that extroverted person; even growing up as a kid, I was a bit introverted, I wasn’t one of those hyperactive kind of kids, so I had that ability to stay calm and stay balanced.”Over the years, playing the game and watching other people play the game, you sort of realise that you got to be able to work on it and develop it and be able to have confidence in it under extreme pressure. It’s one thing to be able to do it when you’re sitting down or lying down in the comfort of an air-conditioned room, but being able to trust it and execute it under pressure when the heat is on in the middle of game, [when] you’re facing expectations and a really challenging spell of bowling… To be able to switch back on and keep that focus and do those simple routines requires practice.”It’s something that over the years I kind of learnt at the nets, dedicating a bit of time to do it in the nets. Someone gave me very good advice as a youngster: the best way to be able to concentrate or bat for a long time is to do it whenever you have the opportunity in the middle. So don’t throw your opportunity away when you are in the middle, [thinking] ‘oh I’ve got a hundred, I’ve got a big score now, I’m set for the next few games and I don’t need to worry about them’. Instead, use it as a good opportunity to learn how to concentrate or bat for long periods of time. That’s something that’ll help you as you go on.”On how too much intensity can be detrimental: ‘Worrying all day just drains you’
“Sometimes you can become too intense, there’s no doubt about it. I fell into that trap myself as a young boy. Focus and concentration, especially in a thing like batting, doesn’t mean you have to be switched on all the time. The ability to switch on and switch off – between balls and when you’re playing and also off the field – is a very important skill.”If you’re switched on or too intense all the time, it drains you off a lot of mental energy and when you need that to play, you won’t have any of it because you’d already be so tired mentally.”Being able to switch off is really something I had to learn because, like a lot of young people, I was an intense person, desperate and very keen to do well and, for a long time, sort of didn’t learn that worrying off the field about a bad day I may have had on it was not going to help my cricket. Learning from what happened on the day is something – you can spend time reflecting and learning, and you must do that if you’re constantly looking to learn and do better. But worrying about it all day or keeping it in your head just drains you. So when you go out to bat the next day or the next match, it’s just all built up and you don’t have that energy [left in you].”I learnt through my own experiences and a big experience for me was playing county cricket. I was about 26 and had played a bit of international cricket when I played county cricket in Kent in 2000. Just being in a different dressing room and environment taught me a lot. I looked around and saw my young colleagues in England, guys who played with me and were in the Kent dressing room. I really admired the way they were able to switch off after their innings or after the game. They’d go out to the pub, have a drink, and socialise – things I was never doing as a Ranji Trophy player because I’d just go back and still keep thinking about cricket.”When I saw that, I sort of realised that this was a much, much better way and a much more relaxed way to play the game. I think that experience really helped me because from then on, for the next seven-eight-nine years, I had probably the best years of my career. A large part of that was learning this ability to kind of switch off.”On what is true success: ‘Be the best you can be’

“Success is being the best you can be. For me that’s it. Personally, at least, at the end of the day success is not about a lot of runs or wickets or things like that. If you are able to sit back and [look back] on your career and say, ‘Hey, I gave it my best shot, I tried my very best’… Sometimes you might play a lot of cricket, sometimes you play less cricket. Or whatever it is that you do in life. And you need a bit of luck as well for things to fall in place. You can’t escape that.”You can’t compare yourself with other people – at the end of the day it’s your journey, so just be the best that you can be.”In cricket you fail a lot more than you succeed. In batting, in general, you fail a lot more. If you consider a fifty as a success point, you don’t cross fifty in the majority of your innings, so you do learn to fail a lot in cricket, and a guy who has an average of 50 in international cricket has failed a lot more times than he has succeeded.”On bringing the perspective into junior cricket that it’s about long-term goals and not just immediate results: ‘Credit should also go to the selectors’
“I’m the figurehead of it, but credit should also go to the selectors. A lot of the senior selectors and the junior selection committees that I worked with, whether it be the MSK-led [MSK Prasad] and Aashish Kapoor’s team and Venky [Venkatesh Prasad] before that. I think all of them have bought into that [idea]. It’s not easy for the selectors as well because they’re sometimes looking for results immediately and sometimes they’re under pressure for the teams they pick. They’ve really bought into this and they respect it and, sometimes, even if results don’t go their way, they’re happy to see the bigger picture which is really great.”On removing insecurity by rotating players for India A: ‘Vihari, Iyer, Saini, Thakur have used that opportunity’
“It does give people a lot of opportunities. Going on a tour they know that they are guaranteed some games, that they’re going to get some opportunities. We try and have at least three, if not four, India A tours in a year. In that case, all these boys know that when they perform they’re going to get a fair opportunity to push for [a place] in the India team.”When you’re doing well and are given more opportunities, who knows where that can take you. And you’ve seen that in the recent results: someone like a Hanuma Vihari, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey and even some of the bowlers like [Mohammad] Siraj, [Navdeep] Saini, [Shardul] Thakur, and a lot of these boys coming through have had that opportunity and have been able to show the selectors, ‘hey, look, pick us, we are here and we can perform at this level’.”

Jos Buttler struck the quickest century in England’s ODI history, from just 46 balls, to help his side to a record-breaking total of 355 for 5 in Dubai

The Report by George Dobell20-Nov-2015England 355 for 5 (Butter 116*, Roy 102, Root 71) beat Pakistan 271 (Malik 52, Azam 51, Moeen 3-53) by 84 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJos Buttler struck the quickest century in England’s ODI history, from just 46 balls, to help his side to a 3-1 series victory against Pakistan in the UAE.Buttler’s innings included eight sixes – another record for an England player in ODI cricket – as England posted 355 for 5, their highest total away from home. Only four times have they scored more. It was to prove more than enough as Pakistan were dismissed for 271 with almost ten overs remaining.Buttler, who had already recorded the two fastest ODI centuries for England (61 balls against New Zealand and 66 against Sri Lanka) finished unbeaten on 116 from 52 balls with 18 of them having been hit for four or six. There have been only six quicker ODI centuries and it helped England plunder 145 off the final 11 overs.If Pakistan’s bowling looked ragged in the face of Buttler’s assault – and it did – they probably deserve some sympathy. Promoted to No. 4 after Jason Roy, who scored a maiden ODI century of his own, had established an imposing platform, Buttler was given every freedom to unleash his spectacular talents upon this game.Having hit the bowlers of their length with a series of scoops, reverse-sweeps and bottom-handed drives which rendered even yorkers a feeding opportunity, Buttler then thrashed the follow-up collection of long-hops, full-tosses and slower balls. It was an innings of which AB de Villiers or Viv Richards would have been proud. And there really is no higher praise than that.For a while, Pakistan kept up with the required run-rate. Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez struck the ball sweetly in hitting first Reece Topley and then Chris Woakes out of the attack. Then Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik took up the charge with swift half-centuries that left England just a little flustered.But when Alex Hales, who had earlier missed a relatively straightforward catch offered by Hafeez, pulled off an outstanding catch at deep midwicket – Hales ran in from the fence and threw himself forward to scoop the ball up inches from the ground – to dismiss Malik, the Pakistan resistance crumbled. It was, though, a brave effort.How they will rue the self-inflicted wounds that continue to hold them back. After three run-outs in Sharjah, they suffered another here when Hafeez, batting with real class at present, called Azam for a sharp single only to see his partner motionless and ball-watching at the other end. Hafeez had no chance of regaining his ground.Defeat means Pakistan have lost three ODI series in a row against England and, placed eighth in the rankings, they face the real prospect of having to qualify for the 2019 World Cup.This was not a day when Pakistan lost because they played poorly, though, as much as it was a day when they came up against a player of special ability in golden form.Jos Buttler hammered a century from just 46 balls•Getty Images

Having recovered some confidence after his unbeaten 49 in Sharjah – how important might that missed stumping before he had scored in that game prove to be? – Buttler gave himself a little time to get used to the conditions, scoring just 5 from his first nine balls before going on the attack.Mohammad Irfan, a thorn in England’s side throughout the series, was flicked from outside off to square leg and then scooped as if he were a medium-pacer. When Wahab went full he was laced through the covers and when he dropped short he was pulled through midwicket. One Anwar Ali over was thrashed for 22 as Buttler followed one perfectly timed reverse sweep for four with two thunderous pulls for six. It was murderous, merciless stuff. So un-English in many ways. The last 33 balls of his innings produced 99 runs.Buttler’s brilliance might have overshadowed the contribution of Roy, but it was England’s strong start – they were 194 for 2 with almost 15 overs left when he wandered to the middle – that allowed him the freedom to attack.Batting was, initially at least, far from straightforward for Roy. Twice in the opening overs – once against Anwar Ali and once against Wahab Riaz – he enjoyed some fortune when, pushing at the ball away from his body, inside edges flew perilously close to his stumps and down to the fine leg boundary for four.But as he settled, he produced some sparkling strokes. A checked straight drive off Wahab was a thing of beauty, while a flick through midwicket off Irfan was gloriously timed. While he didn’t completely time one straight drive off Malik, such was his commitment to the stroke that the ball still carried beyond the long-off boundary.He gave one chance, on 77, when an outside edge off Yasir Shah was dropped at slip – Mohammad Rizwan had little chance after the ball deflected off the keeper’s gloves – but this was an innings which allied power and placement; restraint and aggression. It was an admirably mature innings from a man who is looking more at home at this level by the game.Roy gained support from Hales, with whom he posed 54 in 11 overs for the first wicket, and then 140 for the second with Joe Root, who placed the ball with precision and rotated the strike expertly. And, when the opportunity arose, he attacked with style: he brought up his 50 with a gorgeous lofted drive off Malik, having already slog-swept six off Yasir.It was all just a prelude for Buttler, though. There may have been better innings played by an England player in ODI cricket, but it is not easy to think of them.

West Indies allrounder Marlon Samuels has been banned from bowling in international cricket for 12 months after his action was found to be illegal for a second time since December 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2015West Indies allrounder Marlon Samuels has been banned from bowling in international cricket for 12 months after his action was found to be illegal for a second time since December 2013. The offspinner’s action can be reassessed by the ICC only after this period is complete.Samuels, who was prohibited from bowling quicker deliveries in 2013, was reported for a suspect action in October, during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Samuels underwent an independent assessment in Brisbane which revealed that his elbow extension exceeded the permitted 15-degree limit. Incidentally, the ICC had allowed Samuels to bowl in an ODI in November, after the 14-day grace period for reported bowlers had expired, on the grounds that the West Indies team was “incorrectly advised” about his eligibility.”As this report constitutes the player’s second suspension within a two-year period, he is now automatically suspended from bowling in international cricket for a 12-month period,” an ICC release stated. “Samuels is entitled to appeal any procedural aspect of the Independent Assessment that has led to this automatic suspension. However, only after the expiry of this one-year period will he be entitled to approach the ICC for a re-assessment of his bowling action.”Samuels was reported for the third time in his career in October. In 2008, he was called for a suspect faster ball after the third Test against South Africa in Durban. He was later suspended from bowling in international cricket but after remedial work on his action, was permitted to bowl in September 2011.He was reported once again at the end of the second day of the second Test against India in Mumbai in November 2013. He was subsequently allowed to bowl the offbreak delivery but not his quicker ball.Samuels is the third bowler to be banned from bowling in international cricket by the ICC in 2015. Sunil Narine was suspended in November due to an illegal action. Like Samuels, Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez was handed a 12-month ban by the ICC in July, after his action was found to be illegal for a second time since November 2014.

‘Relaxing’ in white-ball cricket will help Holder’s Test form, says returning West Indies coach

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2019Returning West Indies coach Phil Simmons has backed his two captains’ ability to get the most of their players, and suggested that Jason Holder will benefit from the decision to hand the white-ball reins to Kieron Pollard.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Simmons said that Pollard – who was appointed captain of the limited-overs teams in September despite not having played an ODI since 2016 – is capable of “leading from the front” with the bat.”It showed in the T20Is with India,” Simmons said. “He took the reins and led in those. That’s what I expect from him: that responsibility of being captain is going to make him want to always be on top of the runs and leading from the front. He is that kind of a leader – even though he asks you to do something, it is not something he wouldn’t do or he wouldn’t want to do.”Pollard was the leading run-scorer in that series with scores of 58, 8* and 49, and Simmons said that he expected that form to continue.”I expect a lot of runs to come from him. Hopefully he doesn’t get to bat where he’s batting much because the top order should be performing now – they have been around for a while in both those two forms.”And Simmons pointed to Pollard’s career as evidence that he stands up whenever he is under pressure.Phil Simmons and Jason Holder won the CPL together with Barbados Tridents•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

“A lot of people write him off,” Simmons said. “The pressure always makes him stand up. If you look at his career, every time he’s under pressure he stands up and he shows ‘look, I’ve had a blip, but I’m back’.”His experience in general, and not just the knowledge, but also his ability to involve all the players and his ability to give players challenges but at the same time be on their side – that natural leadership is there. It is something that he will bring a lot to the team.”Pollard takes over as ODI captain after a difficult World Cup, in which Holder’s side won just two matches and finished ninth in the ten-team round-robin group stage. That disappointment led Cricket West Indies to set up a task force to revamp their selection process, which recommended replacing Holder as captain, but Simmons thinks that “relaxing a little bit more” in white-ball cricket will allow him to maintain his impressive Test match form.”It might be [beneficial] but that is something that he has got to answer that question,” he said. “He’s the No. 1 Test allrounder in the world, so he has shown that he has learned a lot in that format, and he is going to continue to lead this team.”Holder was first appointed captain of the Test side back in 2015 at the age of 23, and Simmons said that his experience in the role meant he could now afford to demand performances of his players.Kieron Pollard muscles a slog-sweep•AFP

“With the experience he has now, he should be putting more pressure on a lot of the players to perform. So his role slightly changes, and he gets to relax in the other two formats because sometimes you could see that mind thinking on the field, and then when it comes to batting, the pressure is on.”Now with him relaxing a little bit more in the other two formats, maybe you’ll see a lot more coming from him in the Test matches.”Pollard’s first assignment as permanent skipper is a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in India, followed by three T20Is. Holder will then lead the side in a one-off Test against the same opposition in Lucknow, before they play another white-ball series against India, which comprises three T20Is and three ODIs.

Stuart Meaker bowled quickly to claim three wickets but Middlesex’s seemingly under par 247 was looking a little better by the close

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Kia Oval28-Aug-2017Stuart Meaker took two wickets in two balls•Getty Images

A bank holiday crowd filed into the Kia Oval and sunned themselves for 93 overs. Many hit the stronger drinks before midday, safe in the knowledge that only a four-day working week stood before them. All bar a few perambulated during lunch or tea, taking in their historic surroundings. And typically, no one – Surrey or Middlesex fan – left happy.The home fans, satisfied that Middlesex had been bowled out in just over a couple of sessions, were dismayed by losing both their openers by the close. Those who ventured from north London, spiritually if not geographically, felt their experienced batting card should have done a lot better in such favourable conditions.Cricket isn’t played on paper – how amusing would it be if it was? – but when the respective teams were revealed after Middlesex won the toss and elected to bat, it seemed that they held all the aces. The visitors welcomed back Toby-Roland Jones to their ranks after 14 wickets in three Tests for England that has all but assured him of a place in this winter’s Ashes squad.The opportunity to go straight into a game rather than simmer on the sidelines and carry the drinks as Chris Woakes played ahead of him is one he duly took. Two wickets in the dregs of the opening day – debutant Ryan Patel caught superbly by Sam Robson at bat-pad and Rory Burns edging a beauty that nipped away from the left-hander, through to John Simpson – may have tilted the game back to Middlesex. For most of the day, however, a depleted Surrey were on top.Without Tom Curran, whose back is feeling the effects of 237 Championship overs in 11 innings this summer (not to mention his white ball lot), Aaron Finch, who injured his calf in Friday’s T20 Blast quarter-final defeat to Birmingham Bears, and with Mark Stoneman away with England, Surrey were pushed to hand debuts to Patel and Ollie Pope. Yet, with four 19-year-olds in their XI, it was their maturity in the field that allowed them to dismiss Middlesex for 247, with the sun out and a pitch that allowed batsmen to play their shots.Robson did just that. One of the many casualties in England’s haphazard pursuit of an opening partner for Alastair Cook, Robson has been one of the few to return to county cricket and continue on, seemingly unscarred by the experience. Whether that is totally the case, only Robson can tell you, but his game has taken on a free-flowing quality that has not impinged on the resilience that saw him earn his debut call-up. Without wishing to sound churlish – he is much easier on the eye.His third half-century of the season, from 107 balls with eight fours, felt like it would develop into his third century. By that point, Surrey had removed Nick Compton and Stevie Eskinazi during a morning session in which Gareth Batty cycled through six bowlers as both sides tried to get a measure of each other. Then, with Middlesex steady on 131 for 2, Stuart Meaker happened.Bowling as quick as he has done this season, Meaker used the end of the 44th over sear one late into the shin Robson’s off stump before bruising the top of it with his very next delivery, to Paul Stirling. The hat-trick ball, at the start of the 46th, was kept out by John Simpson, who then edged the final ball of the over through a recently vacated third slip.That Meaker was able to concentrate on being the X-Factor bowler, when he might have been required to do some donkey work in the absence of Tom Curran, spoke volumes of those around him. Rikki Clarke’s two wickets – Adam Voges trapped lbw for 40 and James Franklin caught in the cordon – came in frugal spells, eventually seeing him go at an economy rate of under two across 16 overs.Patel’s right-arm seam, usually a sideshow to his classy left-handed batting, only gave away 22 from 11 overs, while the even share of four wickets from 28 overs between offspinners Gareth Batty and Amar Virdi came for just 40 and 38 runs, respectively. Backed up by some solid fielding, such as Scott Borthwick taking two excellent catches at second slip, Surrey could well have called this day their own, even if the last three Middlesex wickets added 84 runs.How things changed when boos scored the final over of the day, with Meaker and Borthwick refusing to run when edges flew past second slip and then through the keeper as Ollie Rayner got his favourite county surface to talk dirty to him. “That’s four runs we could have had,” raged a Surrey fan in the lower deck of the OCS stand. Surrey closed on 26 for 2, Meaker slightly bemused that the crowds who had early roared for him were now wailing against him for doing his job. It summed up an absorbing if slightly baffling day’s play.

“Too many instances where we have gotten starts as individuals but never carried them deep into the innings,” the captain said

Aishwarya Kumar at Providence07-Aug-2019Fresh energy, new ideas, renewed drive – that’s the mantra of the West Indian ODI team as they look forward to life after the World Cup. Their batting performance let them down in that tournament, so the captain Jason Holder said, their immediate focus was on making sure the players convert their starts into big innings.”Too many instances where we have gotten starts as individuals but never carried them deep into the innings, so that’s one area we have pinpointed and once we’ve tackled that we have put ourselves in our very good position,” he said ahead of the first ODI against India in Guyana.The last two series West Indies played against India, they suffered 3-1 losses (2017 in the West Indies and 2018-19 in India) but the team has shown promising performance, drawing the recent series against England in the Caribbean before the World Cup. Their bowling, both in that series and in the World Cup was a major strong suit, Holder said.”For me it’s just a matter of remaining disciplined with the new ball, taking new-ball wickets and focus on their middle order and take the game from there,” he said.It’s been a humid few days in Guyana, with intermittent rain. The humidity will play a role in the ODI, Holder said. The last two games the West Indies played in Guyana have been high-scoring, with the wicket slightly on the slower side, and Holder is positive that will be the case in this series as well.The team will also gain a lot from Chris Gayle’s return. “His presence is always felt whenever he steps onto a cricket field or in the dressing room,” Holder said.Gayle, who had initially announced that he’d retire after the World Cup, decided to come back for what is likely to be one last ODI series in the West Indies. The opener will have another chance to break Brian Lara’s ODI record. He is 10 runs away from the most ODI runs for the West Indies – 10,348.

M Vijay showed sparkling form, hitting a brisk century, while KL Rahul broke a lean run with a half-century on the final day of the India’s tour match

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-20181:18

‘Australian conditions suit my game’ – Vijay

A solid top-order show from Murali Vijay and KL Rahul headlined the final day of the drawn encounter between India and Cricket Australia XI. Vijay demolished an inexperienced host bowling attack as he made a 132-ball 129 laden with 16 fours and five sixes, while Rahul hit form with a 98-ball 62, following a string of low scores.Australia batsmen made the Indian bowlers toil at the start of the day, as they amassed 544 from 151.1 overs, after beginning the day 6 for 356. Harry Nielsen, who added 44 runs to his overnight score to bring up 100, was dismissed by Virat Kohli in the 21st over of the day. Aaron Hardie’s 86, and three 30-plus contributions from the tail, helped the hosts take a 186-run lead.In reply, Rahul reached his half-century shortly after tea in the 25th over, while Vijay was batting on 33. There was a short break in play in the 30th over, when a grimacing Vijay sought medical attention to his right thumb, and he resumed playing with a bandage on the finger. In the very next over, D’Arcy Short got the much-needed breakthrough as he dismissed Rahul for 62.Overcoming the pain in his thumb, Vijay set off to entertain the sizeable crowd at the SCG once he crossed 50. He destroyed the young Western Australian offspinner Jake Carder for 26 runs in an over, including three fours and two sixes, to move from 74 to 100. He smashed three more fours and two sixes before falling to Daniel Fallins in the 44th over, following which the teams shook hands with 15 minutes left to play.Vijay had been recalled for the Australia tour after losing his place due to poor form in the last two away Tests against England earlier this year. He impressed in a county stint with Essex and his first-class form was enough to get him picked for the Tests. Speaking about his comeback after the match, Vijay said his focus, even when he was out of the team, was on making sure he was always ready for the top level.”You’ve got to find ways to be in that positive frame of mind, where even if you’re not part of the team, you’ve still got to make sure you keep your work ethics to the top level, and once you get a chance, you should be ready to go,” he said. “That’s my basic funda. Once you play international (cricket), you’ve got to handle responsibility well. Whether it is four years or your first year, it’s about taking the responsibility and doing it for your team. Age doesn’t matter here.”

Knight Riders now await the winner of the Eliminator between Patriots and Tallawahs; they will face the winner of that match in the second qualifier for a spot in the CPL final

The Report by Peter Della Penna12-Sep-2018Sohail Tanvir slams one away•CPL via Getty Images

In a tense low-scorer, hometown boys Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford reprised their heroics from Sunday, against the same opponent, before Sohail Tanvir struck the game-clinching blow, with a ball to spare, as Guyana Amazon Warriors made their fourth CPL final, with a two-wicket win over Trinbago Knight Riders at the Providence Stadium.Amazon Warriors made the most of home-field advantage in the early phase of the playoffs as the home team’s spinners held Trinbago Knight Riders to 122, before surviving their own testing times against the opposition spinners to scrape home in the final over.The list of dubious calls continueThe CPL organizers made the decision last week to have DRS in place for the second Qualifier and the final, in response to more than a dozen howlers this season. Unfortunately for the Knight Riders, the organisers decided to not extend DRS for all the playoffs, and it resulted in the visiting side receiving two decisions that more than likely would have been overturned on review.The first came at the end of the opening over, bowled by Tanvir. Brendon McCullum played well outside the line of a hooping inswinger that struck him in line with middle stump. However, he was also hit extremely high on the thigh guard. Umpire Leslie Reifer felt the line was a more compelling piece of evidence than the height and gave him out, much to the batsman’s dismay. Replays showed his frustration was justified as the ball would have likely carried over the stumps.Reifer then made another questionable call, in the fifth over, that accounted for Denesh Ramdin. The batsman swept at a very full ball from Imran Tahir and was struck on the front heel, which replays indicated was fully positioned outside the line of off stump. Instead of being able to review both decisions, Knight Riders lost both batsmen.Sticker shockKnight Riders lost not so much due to bad umpiring as due to their own inability to adjust quickly to a wicket that offered tremendous assistance to the slower bowlers. Finger spinners, in particular, found great success, starting with the Amazon Warriors captain Chris Green. The Australian struck in the second over, when a short of a length ball to Colin Munro stuck in the pitch, and the CPL’s leading scorer couldn’t keep his hands back on an intended cut and spooned a catch to extra cover.Green struck in near identical fashion in the sixth. Sunil Narine, promoted back to opener after scoring just 57 runs in the league stage, tried to swat a short ball through cover, but, due to the slowness of the surface, instead dragged to mid-off, offering a simple catch. By the end of the Powerplay, Knight Riders were 26 for 4. Colin Ingram and Darren Bravo’s partnership that followed lasted nearly half the innings, but only accounted for 48 runs. A late boost from Kevon Cooper and Dwayne Bravo helped the visitors claw past 100 and gave them a fighting chance.Dueling banjosNarine practically matched Green note-for-note with his spell, ending with 1 for 9 in four overs as he produced grip and rip on virtually every ball, starting in the second over. TKR had the advantage of playing one more specialist spinner than Guyana, and it almost won them the match in the end. Following Ali Khan’s opening over, Narine, Fawad Ahmed and Khary Pierre bowled 12 straight overs of spin to strangle the hosts.Fawad struck first in the third, getting Cameron Delport to hole out to deep midwicket. Luke Ronchi then top-edged a pull off Pierre to Narine at square leg to make it 23 for 2 at the end of the Powerplay, and by the halfway mark the hosts had added just 14 more to their score. Pierre swung the chase TKR’s way with a spectacular diving stop, scoop and run out off his own bowling to dismiss Chadwick Walton, and then found Green’s edge two balls later with the final delivery of his spell to leave Guyana 55 for 5 after 13.Keeping up the paceKnight Riders’ 12 overs of spin were complete, and despite an imposing required run rate of close to 10 on a tricky pitch, Hetmyer and Rutherford capitalized with pace back on the ball. Rutherford pierced Khan for two boundaries in the 15th, before driving Bravo for six early in the 16th. Another six over long-on by Hetmyer off Cooper in the 17th took the equation down to 21 off 20 balls.TKR sprung back to life, though, courtesy a mix-up between the batsmen that resulted in Hetmyer’s run out through a direct hit from point by Ingram. Rutherford drove Cooper to Bravo at long-off off the very next ball, leaving the tail to get Amazon Warriors across the line. Bravo had Rayad Emrit edging behind in the following over to put Knight Riders two wickets away from victory with 18 still to get.But Romario Shepherd clubbed his first ball for six to bring the equation down to a run a ball heading into the final two overs. Shepherd struck another crucial boundary through backward point off Cooper in the 19th, and took a single off the first ball of the 20th to make it three off five to win. Tanvir failed to put away three consecutive slower balls from Bravo, before a length ball was heaved back over Bravo’s head and over the rope to seal the match.

Jemimah Rodrigues moved up four places to No.2 while her team-mate Smriti Mandhana moved from tenth to sixth spot

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2019West Indies’ Deandra Dottin has leapfrogged her captain Stafanie Taylor to become the top ranked allrounder among women in T20Is. Dottin was central to West Indies’ 2-1 series win over Pakistan in the UAE, where she was the leading run-getter with 158 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 139.82 in addition to taking three wickets at an economy rate of 6.36. She now has a 37-point lead over Taylor, who has 387 points.ICC T20 rankings for batsmen•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

While New Zealand’s Suzie Bates retained her top spot among batsmen, India’s Jemimah Rodrigues moved up four places to No.2. The 18-year old made 132 runs in three innings in New Zealand. Her team-mate Smriti Mandhana, who was the top scorer in that series, with 180 runs in three innings, including two half-centuries, moved from tenth to sixth.Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, who was the joint-highest wicket-taker in New Zealand, with four scalps, broke into the top 10 among bowlers, as did South Africa seamer Shabnim Ismail.