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A mature century from Eoin Morgan helped England to what may well prove a daunting total in the first ODI of the series against West Indies in Antigua

The Report by George Dobell03-Mar-2017

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEoin Morgan acknowledges his 10th ODI hundred•Associated Press

A mature century from Eoin Morgan helped England to victory in the first ODI of the series against West Indies in Antigua. The win was secured with almost three overs to spare, with Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett taking four wickets apiece.Morgan, the England captain, had spoken the day before the game about the need for his side to temper their aggressive instincts a little on a surface that he anticipated would do little to encourage stroke-play. It proved an accurate analysis. On a sluggish, slightly two-paced pitch England were precariously placed at 29 for 2 when Morgan walked to the wicket after West Indies had won what appeared to be an important toss in a match delayed by rain.It took Morgan seven balls to get off the mark and 33 to reach double-figures. But he did not panic. Recognising that this was a surface on which a total of 270 might prove match-winning, he batted accordingly and reached his tenth ODI century – and second in three matches – with his second six in the 49th over of the England innings. It was a masterful demonstration of experience and calculated aggression in conditions demanding more subtlety than aggression.It was the first time England had failed to post a total of at least 300 when batting first in an ODI since February 2016. But, in these conditions, it was a challenging total and testament, perhaps, to some growing sophistication within an England side that has tended, until now, to try to blast its way to success. Had they attempted to make 350, they could very well have subsided for fewer than 200.”It wasn’t easy or pretty,” Morgan said afterwards. “It was hard work, especially getting in.”It was very tacky early on. When they peeled the covers off, it was damp. They rolled it and it looked dry but it just rolled the moisture into the wicket. Over the first 15 or 20 overs the moisture came out of it and that balls that dismissed Joe Root and Jason Roy both kept low.”It was Morgan’s fifth century as captain, a new record for an England skipper surpassing the four made by Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook.West Indies will rue two missed chances, though. First Kieran Powell, at slip, was unable to cling on to an outside edge offered by a loose drive off Carlos Brathwaite’s first ball when Morgan had just 4, while later Shai Hope was unable to complete a tough catch after a delivery from Jason Mohammed turned, bounced and took Morgan’s outside edge when he had 69.Perhaps more significantly in the grand scheme of things, Morgan also had an escape when he was struck by a bouncer bowled by the impressively sharp Shannon Gabriel. Through a pull shot too early, Morgan was struck on the stemguard but, thanks to the extra protection, he was able to go on and celebrate a fine century in front of a crowd dominated by travelling England supporters. Ticket prices of USD75 appear to have done little to attract local spectators.Morgan accelerated intelligently after his careful start. He struck the spinners for four fours in eight balls at one stage, going deep in his crease to pull and lofting the ball over mid-off when the man was pulled into the circle, while also clearing his front leg and striking the seamers for his two sixes.He was given excellent support from Ben Stokes. Stokes, too, ensured he played himself in before going on the attack and it took him 26 deliveries to reach double-figures but once he settled he went on the attack and helped his captain add 110 in 18.4 overs.Struggling to hit fours on the slow surface and with bug square boundaries, Stokes instead relied on his power. He struck three sixes in 12 balls at one stage – helped by Kraigg Brathwaite stepping over the boundary as he attempted to take a catch at deep midwicket – and registered his sixth score of 50-plus in his last nine ODI innings, from 56 balls.While he was eventually caught at long-on and Morgan was run-out backing-up – Moeen Ali hit the ball straight back at the bowler, Brathwaite, who threw down the stumps – Moeen contributed 31 from 22 balls to help England plunder exactly 100 runs off the final 10 overs of their innings.West Indies rarely threatened to get close to their target. After Evin Lewis pulled to deep midwicket, Kieran Powell sent a leading edge to point as he tried to turn one into the leg side, and Kraigg Brathwaite pulled to mid-on. Mohammed and Jonathan Carter added 82 in 13.5 overs to revive West Indies hopes, but when Carter was brilliantly caught by Jason Roy, charging in from deep midwicket, and Mohammed was run-out by some nifty footwork from the bowler, Steven Finn, having been called through for a sharp single, their chase fell away.”We were in the game right through,” Mohammed said afterwards. “But when a team scores a hundred in the last 10 overs, they’ve got a really good chance. That was a crucial part in the game.”A couple of chances went down, too. If we’d held on to them, there could have been a different result.”England’s victory was achieved without the need to use Stokes’ bowling skills. The much-anticipated rematch between him and Carlos Brathwaite, therefore, will have to wait. Woakes, who finished with four wickets as reward for an intelligent display of control and variation, dismissed him with a slower ball. Plunkett also finished with four wickets, while Finn, in his first ODI since September 2015, was wicketless but bowled with good control. It was, in short, a good display by England’s seamers.”I thought they were brilliant in conditions that don’t really suit us,” Morgan said. “We were relentless in making them hit cross-bat shots into the wind. It was an outstanding performance from the seamers.”It wasn’t pre-planned not to us Ben. I just didn’t need to go to him.”Sam Billings will feel he only partially took his chance to impress having retained his place at the top of the order. He registered his second half-century in three ODI innings to steady England, after Gabriel defeated Roy with one that may have kept a little low and bowled Joe Root with a beauty that cut in off the seam. Billings may feel he squandered a chance to register a really telling total, though, when skipping down the pitch and drilling a catch to mid-on.”He’s got to keep churning out runs,” Morgan said when asked if Billings had done enough to see off the return of Alex Hales over the next couple of games. “Alex is a very formidable player in our side and has scored a lot of runs when we’ve won games. It’ll all depend on how Hales has pulled up from training.”

The prospect of West Indies sending a second-string team to the World T20 has increased after the sides failed to reach agreement in their contract impasse

George Dobell10-Feb-20161:29

Disaffected players have received an ultimatum from the West Indies board

The prospect of West Indies sending a second-string team to the World T20 has increased after the sides failed to reach agreement in their contract impasse.WICB CEO Michael Muirhead responded to the players’ request for a doubling of their remuneration package in the tournament by reiterating the view that the compensation package was agreed with the players’ union, WIPA, last year and would not be changed on the eve of the event.Muirhead also stated that any player who had not confirmed their acceptance of the current contracts by February 14 would be presumed to have refused selection.With only days to go before that deadline, it is becoming hard to see how agreement can be reached. The breakdown in the relationship between international players and their union would appear to have robbed the parties even of the mechanism for meaningful dialogue and there seems little time for Caricom leaders to intervene.

The crisis letters

ICC

The exchange of letters between Darren Sammy and Michael Murihead shows that West Indies cricket is again in crisis as World Twenty20 approaches

The possibility that West Indies will send a second string squad unable to reflect their No. 2 position in the T20 rankings and, as a consequence, tarnish the tournament, is real and growing.Darren Sammy, the captain of the West Indies World T20 team, had earlier written a second letter to the WICB repeating the view that his squad “don’t accept that WIPA can represent us” and insisting on an increase in the financial terms on offer for their availability in the tournament. His first letter complained of a cut of up to 80% in the remuneration on offer to West Indies players at this event compared to previous global tournaments.”WIPA became conflicted during its negotiations with you and compromised itself,” Sammy said. “It could not and did not actively represent the best interests of all West Indies cricketers.”The difference between the remuneration on offer from previous World Cups to this one is shocking and we cannot accept the terms on offer.”To now be offered just US$6,900 per match across the board irrespective of experience is totally unacceptable. Players are being asked to start providing services from nearly four weeks ahead of the World Cup and be guaranteed just US$27,600 if they play all the guaranteed matches [which] is a staggering reduction. We are looking, even on 2012 figures, [at] reductions of between 50-80%.”We suggest that 100% of prize money needs to be paid to the players as per previous tournaments. Twenty percent should not be retained by the WICB.Michael Murihead has named a February 14 deadline to accept terms•WICB Media/Brooks LaTouche Photography Ltd

“We also suggest that the match fees be doubled from US$6,900. In summary, we cannot accept the terms on offer. The players are not happy and understandably so with such big differences.”But Muirhead insisted that the players take up their issues with their player association directly with WIPA and gave no indication he was about to reopen negotiations over remuneration.”The terms on offer were negotiated and agreed between WICB and WIPA with the assistance of representatives from the ICC and FICA during a mediation process last year,” Muirhead stated. “And all parties agreed that they were fair and equitable and acceptable to be offered to the members [of the] WI team selected for the relevant ICC Event.”As mentioned in my previous email to you, this information was shared with all players following that process in May last year. Players were given an opportunity to discuss the new structure and no concerns were raised at that time.”It is disappointing that you would choose to question the terms now, on the eve of the WT20 in India.”

Opener Ruvindu Gunasekera’s fifty and unbeaten hundred in consecutive innings, and a collective bowling performance, saw Canada win the two-day Auty Cup match against the United States on the basis of a first-innings lead.

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2013
ScorecardRuvindu Gunasekera put up strong performances in both innings for Canada, scoring 72 and an unbeaten 100•Canadian Cricket Association

Opener Ruvindu Gunasekera’s fifty and unbeaten hundred in consecutive innings, as well as a collective bowling performance, helped Canada win the two-day Auty Cup match against the United States on the basis of a first-innings lead.Canada, chosing to bat, made a strong start with a 105-run opening stand between Gunasekera and wicketkeeper Trevin Bastiampillai. However, once left-arm spinner Ryan Corns broke the partnership, Canada lost regular wickets and were eventually dismissed for 228. Gunasekera top-scored with a 164-ball 72, which included six fours, while Bastiampillai made 55 off 91 deliveries. USA captain and legspinner Timil Patel took four wickets for 66 runs, while Corns ended with 3 for 21.USA made a poor start to their innings, losing openers Steven Taylor and Alan Dodson for just 28 runs in 11 overs. But a 79-run, fourth-wicket stand between Ravi Timbawala and Karan Ganesh stabilised the innings, before Ganesh fell for 35 to left-arm spinner Salman Nazar. From there on, USA slumped from a stable 134 for 3, to 183 all out. Nazar and medium-pacer Harvir Baidwan picked up three wickets each, as USA conceded a 45-run lead.Canada’s batsmen played freely in the second innings, scoring at more than five runs an over. Gunasekera led the way again, scoring an unbeaten 93-ball 100, which included 11 fours and three sixes.The two teams will play a 50-over match on July 27, as well as two Twenty20 matches on July 28.

Despite this series having been decided last week there have been plenty of talking points in the lead-up to the final Test at Edgbaston

Preview by Andrew McGlashan06-Jun-2012

Match Facts

June 7-11, Edgbaston
Start time 11.00 (1000GMT)Steven Finn will hope he is the man chosen to replace James Anderson•Getty Images

The Big Picture

Despite this series having been decided last week there have been plenty of talking points in the lead-up to the final Test at Edgbaston. Kevin Pietersen’s retirement from limited-overs cricket (his choice for ODIs, forced for T20s) heads the list, followed by James Anderson being rested and, from West Indies’ point of view, the call-up for Sunil Narine which puts him on the verge of an eagerly anticipated debut.The series has provided some periods of hard-fought Test cricket but, ultimately, England have had too much depth for West Indies. They overwhelmed the visitors on the third evening in Nottingham with a six-wicket burst led by Tim Bresnan which left West Indies no way back. It raised questions about how far West Indies have really come and they do have a major issue with sustaining performances over five days. Yet their recovery was never going to be easy.If the weather allows enough overs England will expect to complete a cleansweep but Andrew Strauss would like a more complete display. In both games the batting has not made the most of strong first-innings positions to really ram home an advantage. Better teams would not have allowed England off the hook.All eyes will be on Pietersen – now purely a Test player – but, obviously, he has nothing to prove. That is not the case for Jonny Bairstow who has another opportunity to make life tough for the selectors ahead of the South Africa series. Ravi Bopara is back from injury and scoring runs for Essex so the challenge is Bairstow’s to keep him at bay.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
England WWWLL
West Indies LLLDL

Watch out for

England’s record against mystery spin is poor, you only have to go back to Saeed Ajmal earlier this year, so the prospect of them facing Sunil Narine for the first time is a fascinating one. Conditions will not be in Narine’s favour, but the home side’s batsmen will have to base their planning on video evidence. Narine’s first-class average is an astonishing 11.88 (after six matches) and although that needs to include caveats about the quality of some of the opposition, his impact at ODI level suggests he will not be an easy prospect.Steven Finn has made no secret of his frustration at waiting on the sidelines this season so it may be an idea to give him some space if Graham Onions beats him to replacing Anderson. Since losing his place during the 2010-11 Ashes series Finn has only made two further appearances both against Sri Lanka; at Lord’s (when Anderson was injured) and in Colombo (when Broad was injured). If he does get another opportunity it could be another short stay in the team but there remains plenty of time for him to forge the long Test career fully expected of him.

Team news

There remains a chance England could rest Stuart Broad along with Anderson, but if that is not the case it becomes a straight decision between Finn and Onions for the bowling slot. Finn is the next man in line, but Onions’ county form – where he has recently taken 11 in a match against Lancashire – makes a compelling case.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Steven FinnWest Indies will need to ponder a few changes. Narine is favoured to replace Shane Shillingford (despite being Roach’s replacement in the squad) while either Tino Best or Fidel Edwards will partner Ravi Rampaul. The top order will need a shuffle, too. Kirk Edwards, for his own well-being, needs to step away from the spotlight. Narsingh Deonarine is likely to bat No. 6.West Indies (probable) 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Narsingh Deonarine, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Tino Best, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Sunil Narine

Pitch and conditions

The forecast, sadly, is not good for large portions of the Test. Thursday appears especially dicey with heavy rain forecast (which also arrived to impact the practice days) so it could be a frustrating experience. Pitches at Edgbaston produce excellent Test cricket and if the cloud cover stays around the pace bowlers will find particular encouragement.

Stats and trivia

• The two teams have met eight times at Edgbaston with West Indies winning four and England two. The last meeting was in 2004 when England won by 256 runs.
• There will be two survivors from the 2004 match – Andrew Strauss and Shivnarine Chanderpaul – although James Anderson was also part of England’s attack.
• Strauss needs 87 runs to reach 7000 in Test cricket

Quotes

“This was one of those occasions where an opportunity presented itself and we all think it’s prudent that we take the opportunity with Jimmy and hopefully that will allow him to be fresh for the rest of the summer and beyond.”

Captains rarely evoke sympathy. Darren Sammy does, because of the context of West Indies cricket

Sriram Veera in Port of Spain05-Jun-2011Captains rarely evoke sympathy. Darren Sammy does, because of the context of West Indies cricket. If he were captain of any other “weaker” side, it wouldn’t be this bad. It’s the burden of West Indies cricket, with its glorious past and strong leaders, which puts him under pressure. He almost doesn’t fit. It’s our fault really, for judging him based on nostalgia of West Indian glory, but it is he who bleeds.Apply salve on the wound and carry on with his chin up is all that Sammy can do. “My family sends up prayers and the blessings come down,” he says. “The almighty looks out.” When humans are criticising, he has no choice but to dive into his faith to look after himself. Before the series began, Sammy was asked about his place in the Test side. “I go out and do what I have to do. Check the stats and stuff, I have done quite well as a Test cricketer. Whenever I step on to the field, I have West Indian cricket at the heart.”He is not West Indies’ best bowler, he is not their best batsman but Sammy is their captain. It’s his cross to carry and Sammy has decided to simply focus on his game. He says all the right things. Yet cracks show in his visage. There’s a gaping Chris-Gayle sized hole to fill. Through the World Cup, Sammy often mentioned how Gayle was a motivational figure and how he sought his advice.Darren Sammy: “Everyone is entitled to their opinions but I have the support of my team”•Associated Press

This is when Sammy’s sympathetic figure helps. Not many in the Caribbean blame him for the Gayle fiasco. The heat has been turned on the board, the coach Ottis Gibson, and Gayle himself. “What can poor Sammy do? He is just doing a job that he has been asked to do, and he is doing it to the best of his ability,” says a fan. “It’s not his fault that he became the captain but he is trying his best to do justice.”It’s that sentiment that evokes sympathy. Sammy didn’t become captain because of his ambition. He became captain because the WICB was wary of the ambitions of other men, who have fallen out of favour. It’s a situation similar to when Raj Singh Dungarpur, then the BCCI president, caught Mohammad Azharuddin, shy and unambitious at the time, unawares with an often quoted line from cricket lore: “” (Do you want to be the captain?). Azharuddin, though, was in a different league as far as cricketing skills go compared to Sammy.Sammy knows all he can do is to keep doing his stuff. Shut out the world. Pull down the blinds. And keep improving his game. “I have enjoyed the captaincy. Everyone is entitled to their opinions but I have the support of my team,” he says. “I believe in my ability and try my best. I can be more consistent with my performances and I am striving to do that.”The question, though, is still resonating in the Caribbean. Is the team more united under Sammy? Is he being the captain best for West Indies cricket? Or is he just a stopgap solution?

Cricket Australia will not finalise its next candidate for the ICC vice-presidency until August

Peter English09-Jul-2010Cricket Australia will not finalise its next candidate for the ICC vice-presidency until August after its board decided only to review the events that led to John Howard’s rejection last week. Australia and New Zealand must make another joint nomination for the role, which includes two years as the global organisation’s president from 2012, and there will not be a swift conclusion to this complicated episode.Jack Clarke, Cricket Australia’s chairman, led the teleconference from London on Friday and briefed his board on the way Howard’s appointment was blocked at the ICC’s annual conference in Singapore. Howard has not withdrawn from the race but will stand by Cricket Australia’s decision if it does not retain him.No names were discussed as possible new candidates and the board will not be asked to consider a nomination until its next meeting on August 13. “Jack gave a highly detailed debrief to the directors and one of the key things he stressed was that Australia and New Zealand were joined at the hip throughout this process,” a Cricket Australia spokesman told Cricinfo. “They want to remain that way as they move forward.”New Zealand Cricket’s board will discuss the situation on July 23 before further talks take place between its chairman Alan Isaac and Clarke. When the ICC board rejected Howard’s elevation it gave the organisations until the end of August to provide another option.One person who is definitely not in contention is Mark Taylor, the former Australia captain. He has ruled himself out due to his commentary, business and family interests. Allan Border, a former board member and Test leader, is also not interested.In the early stages of the process New Zealand promoted its former chairman Sir John Anderson for the role, but Howard, 70, won the nomination following a decision made by an independent panel. That move was stopped in Singapore when six board members from Asia, Africa and the West Indies signed a letter opposing Howard. The issue did not even get to a vote.

India were unable to chase 116 against Zimbabwe in a T20I in Harare

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-20240:30

Bishnoi: Gill’s captaincy was up to the mark

Shubman Gill’s first match as India captain did not go according to plan as a team full of players trying to make the step up from the IPL to international cricket was found wanting against Zimbabwe in a low-scoring thriller in Harare.Many of the players on this tour haven’t had a lot of recent cricket behind them, and Gill, at the post-match presentation, suggested that played a part in their downfall. “I think we bowled pretty well but I think we left ourselves down with the fielding. We weren’t up to our standards and I think everybody looked rusty.”Also a factor was the conditions. Harare offered sideways movement for the new ball and even once that stopped, the pitch was so slow that playing the kind of shots these batters were used to playing in the IPL – hitting through the line and over the top – didn’t always work. Five of India’s top six fell for single-digit scores and four of those fell trying to force the pace.Gill, who top-scored with 31 off 29 balls, said that his instruction to the team between innings was to bat normally. “Honestly, just take your time, enjoy the batting. Not too many runs on the board. So not much pressure but it wasn’t the way [the match] panned out.”Halfway down, we had lost five wickets and it would have been best for us if I had stayed there to the end but unfortunately that didn’t happen. Very disappointed with the way I got out and the way this whole match turned out.”A couple of hits from Avesh Khan kept India in with a chance right at the end, reducing the equation down to 18 off 12 balls. But by that time they only had two wickets in hand and Gill knew those were long odds.”Definitely there was a bit of hope for us,” he said. “But you know when you are chasing 115 and you want your No. 10 batter to stay out there, something has gone wrong.”India have a chance to quickly recover the ground they’ve lost with the second game of this five-match series coming up on Sunday.

Edwards and Ben Dwarshuis added 127 for the eighth wicket

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2023A career-best innings from Jack Edwards elevated New South Wales to a promising position against South Australia as they try to post their first win of the season in the final-round match.NSW declared midway through the middle session at 9 for 447, with South Australia reaching 3 for 134 at the close on day two.Daniel Drew (51no) was leading the way for South Australia. The other major contribution came from opener Kelvin Smith, who hit a confident 46 in his first Shield match for four years before missing a cut against Chris Green.Henry Hunt had early become a maiden first-class wicket for Ryan Hadley while Nathan McSweeney was bowled when he shouldered arms at Chris Tremain.Allrounder Edwards led the way for the inexperienced NSW side with an innings of 138 that included 20 boundaries and a six.The 22-year-old’s second Shield century eventually came to a close after 179 balls with a catch on the point boundary off the bowling of Nathan McAndrew.Edwards and fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis were rarely troubled on the Karen Rolton Oval pitch in their 127-run stand for the eighth wicket. Dwarshuis ended unbeaten on 60, having notched his first half century.It was a day of career-highs with the NSW-born McAndrew returning 6 for 97, securing his maiden first-class six-wicket haul in the process.South Australia’s hopes of reaching the final ended in last week’s penultimate round, while NSW are seeking to avoid a first-ever winless campaign in a 10-match season.

“He has cited family reasons for his decision,” as per BCB cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus

Mohammad Isam09-Feb-2022Ashwell Prince has resigned as Bangladesh’s batting coach, according to the BCB’s cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus. Prince, whose contract was supposed to run until the end of 2022, was in the job for less than a year.”We have received his resignation letter on email a few minutes ago. He has cited family reasons for his decision,” Yunus said.BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said in a statement*: “The board respects Ashwell’s decision and accepts the resignation. We thank him for his service and professionalism and his dedicated work with the national team batsmen and wish him the very best for his future endeavours.”Related

• Jamie Siddons tests positive for Covid-19

• BCB ropes in Siddons as batting consultant

• Prince takes over as full-time Bangladesh batting coach

Prince’s decision comes a month after the BCB’s appointment of Jamie Siddons, the former Bangladesh coach, as batting consultant. When Siddons was appointed in December, board president Nazmul Hassan had said it was “not yet finalised in which area he will work in, whether it is the High Performance, Under-19s or the senior team”. The board is allowing Siddons a few weeks to observe the BPL to find out more about the local talent before firming things up.Prince joined the Bangladesh team last July during their tour of Zimbabwe. The following month, the BCB extended his contract till the end of the 2022 T20 World Cup. Prince had resigned as the head coach of South Africa’s Western Province side to take up the Bangladesh role permanently.Prince oversaw a difficult period for Bangladesh when they struggled with the bat in last year’s T20 World Cup, as well as the home series against Pakistan. But, during his tenure, they also bounced back superbly in the Mount Maunganui Test, which they famously won by eight wickets against New Zealand.*1420 GMT The copy was updated with Chowdhury’s quote

Here’s a factfile on the latest IPL debutant

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2020Who is Abdul Samad?
A big-hitting batsman who can also bowl quickish legspin, Samad was one of the breakout stars of the 2019-20 Indian domestic season. Nobody struck more sixes than his 36 for Jammu & Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy, and in all he hit 592 runs in 17 innings at an eye-popping strike rate of nearly 113.Mentored by Irfan Pathan, the J&K player-cum-mentor, and endorsed by Milap Mewada, the coach, Samad became the fourth player from J&K to break into the IPL after Parvez Rasool, Mansoor Dar and Rasikh Salam, when Sunrisers snapped him up for his base price of INR 20 lakh in the December 2019 auction.What about Pathan’s role in his development?
Pathan and Mewada first spotted Samad as a 16-year-old in 2018, at a trial in Jammu. His driving on the up against quicks bowling from 18 yards out had Pathan digging up Samad’s scores in districts cricket.ALSO READ: Will big-hitting Abdul Samad make it to the big time?“He was effortlessly hitting the ball,” Pathan told ESPNcricinfo during the most recent domestic season. “But when I looked through his numbers, he didn’t have one 50-plus score. I took him aside and told him he would be put in the probables, but he needed to work on preserving his wicket. It’s not about six-hitting.What is his USP?
Hitting sixes. It was on display in the Ranji Trophy. It was also on display in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy when he smacked four sixes off Piyush Chawla in Jaipur. He was also at it in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, making rapid runs in the middle order on tough, spin-friendly pitches in Surat. His cameos – 29 off 10 balls against Odisha, 28* off 13 against Nagaland, and 32* off 24 balls against Saurashtra – all contributed to victories for J&K.When VVS Laxman, Sunrisers’ mentor, was looking for a middle-order finisher for his franchise, Mewada, who was Laxman’s Under-19 team-mate many moons ago, recommended Samad for the role.Does he have the ability to build an innings too?
Samad has showed signs of it in the Ranji Trophy. When J&K were reduced to 131 for 4 in their second innings against Maharashtra on a green track in Pune, he absorbed the pressure and averted a collapse, scoring 78 off 89 balls. His contribution was central to J&K stretching their lead to 363 and eventually winning the game. Samad also stepped up against a quality Karnataka attack, making 43 off 50 balls in the Ranji quarter-final at home, but J&K narrowly fell short of the first-innings lead and eventually lost the game.In a slightly iffy Sunrisers middle order, he may have to play the dual role of building an innings as well as finishing depending on the game-scenario and conditions in IPL 2020.