T20, List A, and ODIs, Oh My: The Cricket Thread (No, Not That Kind of Cricket)

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Ok, just getting the hang here. Loosely following the World Cup. So, South Africa v. Bangladesh. RSA finished with 382 runs, but only 5 wickets. That is because you only get 50 overs regardless of wickets?

Yes, in ODI and T20 cricket, there is a limited amount of overs, regardless of wickets, unless 10 are captured before the 50 overs in ODI or 20 in T20. This is different than test cricket, where all 10 wickets must be captured; otherwise, a draw/NR can be called by the umpires. (AFAIK, may be getting that wrong.

Then Bangladesh finishes their innings when RSA has taken all 10 wickets, which happens before the completion of 50 overs. So, the final score is expressed as runs, but if the second batting team wins it is expressed as wickets? As in how many they have left? That is confusing as heck.

Let’s say team A scores 300/5. Team B scores 301/9 with two deliveries left in the 50th over. Team B wins even though they took fewer wickets? Or no?

Team B win because they scored more runs (301) than Team A (300) before they lost all 10 wickets. As a batting team, you don't want to lose wickets (unless for real odd situation/circumstances).

Also, in the RSA/Bangladesh game, it seemed like there came a point where Bangladesh could not mathematically win. They were behind by over 140 runs in the 47th over. Even with all 6s, they could not catch up. I assume this must be because there are ways to score that don’t count against the 300 allowed deliveries?

Theoretically, NBs (no balls: balls where the bowler went fully past that line) & wides (balls going past the wicket vertically or past the crease lines) can keep the tally going. Those give the batting team 1 extra run, plus whatever else the batting team can get in that one bowl. For NBs, there's a penalty on the fielding team. Like if the ball is hit into the air, there is no wicket to take, even if it is caught.

While unlikely that RSA would've kept bowling extras/no balls consecutively, something called Net Run Rate (NRR) goes into affect. So B'desh were trying to finish as strong as they could (while RSA were too) to improve their NRR, as it is a tiebreaker in the tournament if multiple teams have the same amount of points on the table.

NRR formula = (average runs / over scored by a team in each game) - (average runs / over scored against them in each game).

Others in this thread are WAY more knowledgeable and experienced in the game than I am. Hope I could help somewhat.

 

[MiracleOfO2704]

No, that’s about the long and short of it. For the first part, the name of the game is more runs in the amount of overs allowed or taking 10 wickets. So a side that scores 240 runs in their 50 overs gets no advantage for wickets kept of the other side scores 241 in their innings on the last ball and their last wicket. The reason the score is expressed differently if the batting or bowling side from the first innings wins is just a practicality. If the team that batted first won, we know the other side wasn’t able to catch their run total, so the margin is best expressed that way; if the side that bowls first wins, then the better way to express it is by how many wickets they had to spare, since the winning margin can only be between 1 and 6 runs.

As for the second half, as @Jake Peavy's Demons pointed out, just like baseball, the clock isn’t a consideration in limited-overs cricket. And while Bangladesh was beyond salvation in the last overs, wides (cricket’s wild pitches) and no-balls (their balks) score runs without counting as a legal delivery for the purpose of an over, which must have six legal bowls to finish.

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

Thanks very much to both of you.

It’s very helpful to interpret results. I find balls left to be helpful in getting a good sense of how things played out.

It looks to me as if the good teams quite often do not get down to their last wicket in the 50 overs, so net run rate is really much of the game in limited overs cricket I guess. That is helpful to understand, especially when watching the first team‘s innings. The broadcast focuses on runs and wickets, but overs/balls remaining seems very important too. I guess maybe many of the conventions originate from test cricket?

 

[MiracleOfO2704]

As limited-overs matches get down to the wire, they’ll start talking about what the batting side need in order to win as long as it’s not dependent on extras. For instance, sometime in the 43rd over, the score bug may start including a “X runs needed from 45 balls” run chase update. Before that, though, because an innings includes 300 legal deliveries in ODI, the numbers are too big to bother.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Updating to mention the AUS/NED match. NED needed 400 (!) to successfully chase as AUS put up 399/8 (50.0 O). 2 centuries from Glenn Maxwell (106 from 44, 240.91 S/R) & David Warner (104 from 93, 111.83 S/R) while Marnus Labuschagne (62 from 47, 131.91 S/R) & Stephen Smith (71 from 68, 104.41 S/R) chipped in.

Adam Zampa had a 4 wicket haul with Mitchell March getting 2 himself, as Netherlands were held to 90 (21.0 O). Zampa continues his 4 wicket haul streak in WCs with his 3rd in a row.

With a win margin of 309 runs, this is the 2nd highest win by runs in ODIs (India vs. Sri Lanka, 317 runs in 2023).

For NED, this is their 3rd lowest total in ODI (80 vs. West Indies, 2007, & 86 vs. Sri Lanka, 2002.)

With the tremendous win margin, AUS' NRR goes from -0.193 to +1.142 & sit firmly in 4th. Still 20 group stage games left to play, but IND, RSA, NZ, & AUS are all in very good form & seem poised to advance to the semi-finals.

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

As limited-overs matches get down to the wire, they’ll start talking about what the batting side need in order to win as long as it’s not dependent on extras. For instance, sometime in the 43rd over, the score bug may start including a “X runs needed from 45 balls” run chase update. Before that, though, because an innings includes 300 legal deliveries in ODI, the numbers are too big to bother.

Are there bowling and defensive strategies that are better designed for reducing net runs, even at the expense of sacrificing the ability to get outs?

So, like if you're protecting a 30 run lead having taken 7 wickets and 4 overs remaining or something, might you play differently? You'll set a lineup maybe that prevents boundaries even if it reduces your ability to take wickets. I don't even know if this is a thing. Just trying to get a sense of strategy in limited overs.

 

[MiracleOfO2704]

A lot of the strategy for late-over defence and bowling is basically dictated by the rules around limited-over matches. The first is that no bowler is allowed to bowl more than 10 overs. This keeps a side that has 3 top-end bowlers from just relying on them for the whole match, and created what is considered the most ungentlemanly act in cricket history back in the early 1980s (the underhand bowl by Australian bowler Trevor Chappell to New Zealand batsman Brian McKechnie with the last ball of the match, up by 6). So a lot of captains will put their best bowlers out there early to create pressure and a tougher run chase, then bring them back on in the last overs to stymie the batting side in the critical last balls.

The other rule that dictates strategy are the fielding restrictions. The rules that have been in place for the last decade or so are probably the best iteration of them, as it takes the decision of when to alter them out of the two sides’ hands. So for the first 10 overs, the fielding side must have 3 outfielders outsides the 30-yard oval, 4 in Overs 11-40, and 5 in the last 10.

So let’s take your scenario, then. Through 46 overs, a side is 205/7, chasing 234. ODIs and other limited-over cricket emphasizes quick runs over long, grinding efforts in the crease the way Test cricket does, so even though we’re in the tail already (it’d be an unusual strategy to put a non-bowler batsman that low in the lineup), the batsmen are still swinging for boundaries unless the chase is a little closer. In this case, because they’re still doing a good bit of chasing (7.5 runs per over is a tough place for a batting side, even in ODI), the bowling side’s captain is probably comfortable enough sticking with good pace bowling, getting the bowler to continue to dangle his deliveries just outside off-stump, and directing his field to match. The drawback here is that another breakdown of the chase is that they need only a little more than a run per ball, so anything that alters that drastically, such as a boundary or a delivery that doesn’t advance the over swings the balance of the match to the batting team, since having more outfielders outside the restricted area than in (the bowler and wicketkeeper, for my purposes, don’t count as outfielders) means that there are likely way more singles on offer. Conversely, any event that advances the over without a run scores (dot-balls are nice, but wickets will really do a number) makes things easier for the fielding side, and really forces the batsmen to think in term of boundaries on almost every ball, a very difficult task at the best of times.

NB. - That may be the single biggest strategic difference between Test and limited-overs. In a Test match, a batsman is only rushed by the day they’re on. Coming on for the 8th wicket partnership in the first innings on Day 2? You’re going to likely block a lot of deliveries early and be very picky about when you do try for run-scoring shots. OTOH, as we have in your scenario, coming on as a bowler that rarely bats in pressure situations like this, you don’t get the luxury of blocking a few deliveries to see if the wicket gives the bowler a little extra swing or bounce, you’re just full-send the second you’re in the crease.

 

[Theodoric]

Ok, just getting the hang here. Loosely following the World Cup. So, South Africa v. Bangladesh. RSA finished with 382 runs, but only 5 wickets. That is because you only get 50 overs regardless of wickets?

Then Bangladesh finishes their innings when RSA has taken all 10 wickets, which happens before the completion of 50 overs. So, the final score is expressed as runs, but if the second batting team wins it is expressed as wickets? As in how many they have left? That is confusing as heck.

Let’s say team A scores 300/5. Team B scores 301/9 with two deliveries left in the 50th over. Team B wins even though they took fewer wickets? Or no?

Also, in the RSA/Bangladesh game, it seemed like there came a point where Bangladesh could not mathematically win. They were behind by over 140 runs in the 47th over. Even with all 6s, they could not catch up. I assume this must be because there are ways to score that don’t count against the 300 allowed deliveries?

Sorry if these questions are too basic for the thread, but the barriers to entry on this sport are difficult for the unfamiliar.

You do have it correct.

In a 50 over game, the team with the most runs wins, regardless of wickets. 301/10, even if bowled out over 47 overs, beats 300/2.

Won by x wickets (or runs) is a scoring convention from test cricket (the five day, each side bats twice, game), whereby if the team batting last loses, we express the difference in runs; if the team batting last wins, we express the difference in the number of wickets they still had left. In most limited overs matches, it would probably make more sense to express the difference in terms of how many balls were left, but hey, convention. It is cricket after all.

And even when it's not mathematically possible, convention is still to play out the game. Cricket loves statistical accomplishments even more than baseball does. A batter scoring a 50 or a 100 means something, even in a losing effort. A bowler taking five wickets means something, even in a rout. And it is particularly important in tournaments, where one of the tie-breakers is net run rate. Not gonna bore you with that math, just treat it as the run differential column in baseball standings meaning something. Even when the result couldn't change, winning (or losing) by 80 versus 20 might mean something.

But most of all, please don't think that the barriers to entry are difficult. It's really not, for anyone who likes baseball. Caught is out, just like baseball. Bowled and lbw are like strikeouts, just with a more objective measure. Run outs are just like being caught on the bases. Born Australian, moved to California in the 80s, married a girl from the Cape to explain why I'm here. I'm glad to see the interest in cricket.

 

[MiracleOfO2704]

Not gonna bore you with that math, just treat it as the run differential column in baseball standings meaning something.

To be fair, I think the reason it doesn’t factor in for baseball is totally down to 162 games a season. No other sport in the world does that. So when you get, at most, a few matches in a tournament, it’s better to use a tiebreaker that isn’t as subject to SSS as a counting stat.

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

Good stuff — thanks for the explainer.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Promise I'm not updating for every group match, ha. But SL destroyed ENG earlier today. SL's pace bowling attack really took it to ENG, bowling them all out by 33.2 overs, where ENG scored just 156.

SL, lead by P'ship Nissanka/Samarawickrama, put up 137* (122), & took just 25.4 O to reach their 157 target. They finished with 160 when Nissanka lobbed a maximum boundary & defeated ENG by 8 wickets.

Lahiru Kumara took MotM with his 3 wickets taken & 5 economy from 7 overs. Theekshana also had a tidy 2.5 economy in 8.2 overs, while also taking a wicket for his troubles.

ENG are most certainly done in this tournament once group stage ends; currently their odds are at 1.4% to advance, whereas SL doubled their odds to 14.3% to advance (although still low).

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

Pakistan/RSA was a pretty good game. Looked like RSA was going to roll after 15 or so overs, but then it got close. I didn't actually watch the whole thing, but jumped in and out.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

PAK/RSA was great! Started to believe PAK were gonna capture that last wicket, but RSA held on for victory. PAK's 1st ever 4 game losing streak in a WC.

PAK in particular interest me: their current side look amazing some matches & then awful others. They don't seem to be very consistent. But when they are in form, they're hard to stop.

Historically, they've had some champion sides (1992 WC winner in ODI & 2009 WC winner in T20). They have superstar players, but some of their key players are still on the young side. As they get older & gel more together, I expect them to improve upon their performances. They are also just a year's time away from reaching the Finals in last year's T20 WC, which England ultimately won.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Whilst India continue to destroy everyone in their path, just 14 group matches were left after today, but we had some crazy drama in today's match in Delhi between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Angelo Mathews, an all-rounder from SL, was the 1st ever batter in international cricket to be dismissed via a timed-out.

A batsman has a certain amount of time to enter the crease (time depends on test, T20, or ODI) or they run the risk of being dismissed via timed out.

Mathews stood in the crease, only to have his chin strap break. Problem was he was on-strike, when this happened. So he called out for a replacement helmet. BAN's captain Shakib Al Hasan discussed the matter with umpire Marais Erasmus, complaining that enough time had stood (2 minutes) before Mathews was ready to face his initial ball. Erasmus gave it to BAN, & Mathews was dismissed by a timed out.

Controversy ensued; some said that this was not in 'the spirit of the game' while others were saying that Erasmus followed the book with SaH's appeal. Seems Mathews was hard done by, which was essentially a equipment malfunction.

SL winded up losing this match by 3 wickets: 279 to 282/7.

India remain undefeated, sitting at 16 points, going to 8-0. RSA, AUS, NZ round out the Top 4. PAK and AFG (!) still have a chance to advance. AUS & AFG have a game in hand over the other nations referenced.

TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	POINTS	NRR
India	8	0	16	+2.456
South Africa	6	2	12	+1.376
Australia	5	2	10	+0.924
New Zealand	4	4	8	+0.398
Pakistan	4	4	8	+0.036
Afghanistan	4	3	8	-0.330

IND have locked up the 1 spot. RSA have AFG remaining, AUS still have AFG & BAN remaining, NZ have SL remaining, PAK have ENG, & AFG have AUS & RSA to play.

NZ have been reeling as of late, being struck by injuries & losing 4 of their last 5. They still could drop out of the Top 4 & a chance for the Semifinals could be replaced by PAK & AFG. AFG making it would be quite a story, & PAK hitting Top 4 would make quite the comeback.

 

[ernieshore]

Maxwell hits a 200 to single-handedly win it for Australia. He also seemed to blow out his knee previously.

(If I said all that right).

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

One of the best ever games of cricket just ended, AFG-AUS.

AFG won the toss & batted 1st. AFG put up 291-5, with help of Zadran's 129* (143). Rashid Khan chipped in 35* (18).

Chasing 291, AUS step in. At one point, the bowlers go to work. By 18.3 O, AUS were at 91/7. All hope was lost, & AFG were gonna see another historic upset.

Then Glenn Maxwell had other plans. Battling injury knocks, full-body cramps, teammate Adam Zampa appearing to imminently having to come on due to injury replacement (several times), a LBW challenge, & a missed catch from AFG to take his wicket, Maxwell put up 201* (128) for an amazing double century! AUS finish with 293/7, 46.5 O. An amazing 202 runs without losing a single wicket!

AUS guarantee a semifinal berth.

@ernieshore, what an amazing match it was!

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Group play has finished, and the semifinals begin 15 November. Just 3 matches left!

The table ended as such:

​

TEAM​	WINS​	LOSSES​	POINTS​	NRR​
India​	9​	0​	18​	+2.570​
South Africa​	7​	2​	14​	+1.261​
Australia​	7​	2​	14​	+0.841​
New Zealand​	5​	4​	10​	+0.743​
Pakistan​	4​	5​	8​	-0.199​
Afghanistan​	4​	5​	8​	-0.336​
England​	3​	6​	6​	-0.572​
Bangladesh​	2​	7​	4​	-1.087​
Sri Lanka​	2​	7​	4​	-1.419​
Netherlands​	2​	7​	4​	-1.825​

IND finished group play undefeated, and did so in convincing fashion. Their last match was against NED. After putting up 410/4, NED had an impossible chase, really. IND sent 9 bowlers out, including batsmen Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, SKY, & Shubman Gill.

King Kohli remarkably captured an international wicket for the 1st time in 9 years, while Rohit Sharma captured the last wicket thanks to a catch by Shami, leaving NED at 250/10.

IND-NZ will kick off 15 Nov (03:30am ET) in Mumbai for the 1st semifinal, while RSA-AUS will be in Kolkata on 16 Nov (also 03:30am ET) for the 2nd semifinal.

Unlike other competitions where #1 plays #2 and the winner gets to the Final, while loser gets another chance to to play victor of #3 & #4, that is not the case here.

Winner of IND-NZ will play winner of RSA-AUS in Ahmedabad for the whole thing on 19 November.

 

[SoxVindaloo]

Just found this thread. I'm happy cricket has survived on SOSH. Years ago there were a few small threads. Glad everyone is enjoying this world cup! As an India supporter it has been a dream so far, but nothing counts until you seal the deal. Hope some of you got to watch the two semfiinals. Gripping games in two very different ways.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Awesome username (& avatar), @SoxVindaloo! One of my favourite curries!

India are certainly in tremendous form! King Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar by getting his 50th century in ODI as IND defeated NZ by 70 runs: 397/4 (50.0 O) to 327 (48.4 O). A spirited battle from NZ, but IND are just firing on all cylinders. Mohammed Shami captured 7 wickets! They punched their ticket to the Final to play winner of RSA/AUS.

This was a closer one, with AUS winning by 3 wickets: 215/7 (47.2 O) to 212 (49.4 O). Sadly for me, I didn't get to see any of this match (work has been crazy the past few days). I see David Miller had himself a century inna losing effort.

It all comes down to the final: IND-AUS on Sunday, 03:30am ET, held at the largest cricket stadium in the world, Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Will be a treat!

 

[SoxVindaloo]

Awesome username (& avatar), @SoxVindaloo! One of my favourite curries!

India are certainly in tremendous form! King Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar by getting his 50th century in ODI as IND defeated NZ by 70 runs: 397/4 (50.0 O) to 327 (48.4 O). A spirited battle from NZ, but IND are just firing on all cylinders. Mohammed Shami captured 7 wickets! They punched their ticket to the Final to play winner of RSA/AUS.

This was a closer one, with AUS winning by 3 wickets: 215/7 (47.2 O) to 212 (49.4 O). Sadly for me, I didn't get to see any of this match (work has been crazy the past few days). I see David Miller had himself a century inna losing effort.

It all comes down to the final: IND-AUS on Sunday, 03:30am ET, held at the largest cricket stadium in the world, Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Will be a treat!

Thanks! Great recap on the semis. David Miller was heroic but had almost no company to get SA to a fighting total. Miller also played in MLC last summer for the Texas Super Kings.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Miller also played in MLC last summer for the Texas Super Kings.

I was there for the inaugural match in the MLC -- a sell-out crowd. Went with a buddy for the doubleheader the next day & not nearly the attendance.

Will be interesting to see Round 2 of the MLC. Reckon more stars will come over in comparison to last year. Grand Prairie also rumoured to have (a) WC match(es) next year too. Hope to make it out there for them.

Onto the Final, just a few hours away!

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Well, turned out to be an anticlimactic World Cup Final. AUS won the toss & elected to field. What transpired next was a masterclass of bowling and fielding from the Aussies, limiting IND to 240 (50.0 O). Seemed AUS bowled often in short length/bouncers, capturing wickets that way, taking advantage of a slower pitch.

With 241 the target, AUS started strong with 15 runs in the 1st over, thanks in part to an error in the field where a ball in the air between Kohli & Gill was left alone & neither went for it. 2nd over went a little better from IND's perspective, capturing a wicket from David Warner on Shami's delivery, caught by Kohli. However, AUS still managed to get 13 runs, also helped by a WD5.

By the 7th over, IND had captured 3 wickets from Warner, Mitchell Marsh, & Steven Smith: no easy task. But the low total that AUS had to chase meant IND had to keep taking wickets. But the next wicket wouldn't come until 239/4. AUS finished with 241/4 (43.0 O) to win their 6th ODI WC.

Opening batsmen Travis Head stamped his impact on the game finishing with 137 (120), & Marnus Labuschagne chipped in with 58* (110), giving them a partnership of 192 (215), which I believe is the 2nd highest partnership in a Final.

Head took home PotM award. Virat Kohli won the Player of the Tournament award, also cashing in most runs with 765.

Heartbreak for India, as they join NZ's 2015 side & ENG's 1979 side in becoming the only squads to lose their only game in the tournament during the Final. Unlike NZ, IND (Narenda Modi Stadium) & ENG (Lord's) had/have the extra pain of losing at home on one of their grounds.

Personally, was really pulling for IND on this one, but their drought since 2011 continues.

 

[SoxVindaloo]

Well, turned out to be an anticlimactic World Cup Final. AUS won the toss & elected to field. What transpired next was a masterclass of bowling and fielding from the Aussies, limiting IND to 240 (50.0 O). Seemed AUS bowled often in short length/bouncers, capturing wickets that way, taking advantage of a slower pitch.

With 241 the target, AUS started strong with 15 runs in the 1st over, thanks in part to an error in the field where a ball in the air between Kohli & Gill was left alone & neither went for it. 2nd over went a little better from IND's perspective, capturing a wicket from David Warner on Shami's delivery, caught by Kohli. However, AUS still managed to get 13 runs, also helped by a WD5.

By the 7th over, IND had captured 3 wickets from Warner, Mitchell Marsh, & Steven Smith: no easy task. But the low total that AUS had to chase meant IND had to keep taking wickets. But the next wicket wouldn't come until 239/4. AUS finished with 241/4 (43.0 O) to win their 6th ODI WC.

Opening batsmen Travis Head stamped his impact on the game finishing with 137 (120), & Marnus Labuschagne chipped in with 58* (110), giving them a partnership of 192 (215), which I believe is the 2nd highest partnership in a Final.

Head took home PotM award. Virat Kohli won the Player of the Tournament award, also cashing in most runs with 765.

Heartbreak for India, as they join NZ's 2015 side & ENG's 1979 side in becoming the only squads to lose their only game in the tournament during the Final. Unlike NZ, IND (Narenda Modi Stadium) & ENG (Lord's) had/have the extra pain of losing at home on one of their grounds.

Personally, was really pulling for IND on this one, but their drought since 2011 continues.

Yes tough loss at home in front of 100k people. Aussies remind me of the Pats from 2001-2018, they will always find a way to rise to the moment.

 

[Royal Reader]

You have to tip your hat to the Aussies. How a country with such a never say die sporting culture produced Ben Simmons is one of the great sports mysteries.

Feel for India's excellent fans, but not at all sad that Modi's big day at the stadium named after him fell flat.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

A bit of exciting news for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup, as for the 1st time ever, Uganda will be playing -- qualifying after brushing aside both Rwanda & Zimbabwe in the Africa qualifier. Pity for Zimbabwe, as they were going for their 7th cap in cricket world cups.

All 20 teams in the tournament have now been decided, & Uganda will join another 'U' country debutante, United States, as they will automatically qualify as they share hosting with West Indies.

Of note, non-traditional cricketing nations of Oman (3rd cap), Nepal (2nd cap), & Papua New Guinea (2nd cap), & Canada (1st cap) will all also feature in the upcoming tournament.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Big Bash League 13 has ended.

The city of Brisbane found itself entering their 4th Final in a row across 2023 Big Bash League final, 2023 AFL Grand Final, & 2023 NRL Grand Final, and now 2024 Big Bash League final. After going 0-3 in the other 3, would they finally be victorious?

Brisbane Heat played Sydney Sixers for it all; these 2 teams finished 1-2 in the table & earned them both a spot in the Qualifier. Sydney were victorious in the Qualifier, so they got an automatic berth in the Final while their opponent was TBD between Brisbane Heat, Perth Scorchers (last year's winner), & Adelaide Strikers.

After Adelaide took care of business against Perth, with an uncharacteristic performance from the Scorchers, it was Adelaide vs. Brisbane for the right to play Sydney Sixers. Brisbane defeated Adelaide by 54 runs, & we were getting a rematch.

Sydney won the toss & elected to bowl first. After starting out slowly, Heat hammered out 50 runs in the last 4 overs, to give them 8/166.

Upstart bowler Spencer Johnson for Brisbane Heat then proceeded to capture 4 wickets, 4/26 (4.0 O, 6.50 ER) throughout the next innings, and a dominate bowling performance later, with the fall of wicket 9/112 (17.2 O) being one of the best I've seen yet. A true team effort, fielder Michael Neser with a fantastic catch off a bowl batted into the air, but Neser was quickly approaching the boundary. *Just* as he was about to touch the rope, he passed it along to Paul Walker, a few metres from him, who safely caught it well in-front of the boundary.

ETA: This is the same Michael Neser who had this catch last year, against the same Sydney Sixers.

And here is the catch from this year's final:

View: https://youtu.be/EM89NvA5704?si=uQTAsgEUjbUthvKC&t=526


Brisbane finally take home a championship after being blue-balled for 3 Finals in a row. (Don't feel too sorry, the NRL Broncos have 6 titles, & AFL Lions have 3.)

This is Brisbane Heat's 2nd championship after winning it all in 2012-13 (BBL02).

PSL begins 17 Feb 2024, with the 1st half of matches being played in Lahore & Multan, before moving to Karachi & Rawalpindi for the latter half, including the playoff matches, all to be held in Karachi. There have been rumours the PSL would add 2 new expansion teams, but this was voted against by the franchise owners.

 

[Seven Costanza]

Quite a day for the underdog- Windies win in Oz, England has a comeback for the ages in India.

What a second innings for England. Just incredible. They were absolute toast after the first day.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Quite a day for the underdog- Windies win in Oz, England has a comeback for the ages in India.

What a second innings for England. Just incredible. They were absolute toast after the first day.

Yeah, wow. I went to bed seeing that India only needed 231 runs to win, & thought they'd surely have it. Nope! Looks like Tom Hartley captured 7 wickets in that second innings. Will have to catch highlights later.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Quite a day for the underdog- Windies win in Oz, England has a comeback for the ages in India.

What a second innings for England. Just incredible. They were absolute toast after the first day.

Watched highlights of AUS/WI & wow, Shamar Joseph in the 2nd innings! Plus, Travis Head out with a duck off a Yorker from Joseph. Seemed a great match that went down to the wire. Good on Windies for the big upset, & 1st win in AUS since 1997.

Perhaps Pat Cummins' declaration in the 1st innings came back to haunt? Although the idea was to get a new ball for the Aussie bowlers in the next innings.

AUS do retain the Frank Worrell Trophy, however, after drawing the series 1-1.

View: https://youtu.be/w3r-dS3rNeo?si=LenZHW_ToNIPAf6c

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Upstart YB Jaiswal had himself another double-century with 214* (236) with 12 maximums in the 2nd innings of the 3rd test in the England Tour of India series. He also had 209 (290) in the 1st innings of the 2nd test.

Rohit Sharma called his side after batters posted 430/4 today.

India quickly dispatched England in the 2nd innings after 122 all out in 39.4O, to win by 434 runs.

India lead the series 2-1, with fixtures at Ranchi & Dharamsala remaining; however, Dharamsala's has heavy rain in their forecast which could make the 5th & final test a bit of an adventure.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Catching up on a few things:

Test 4 of 5 of England tour of India was completed. In the 1st innings, England did very well, scoring 353, and limited India to 307. With a 46 run cushion, the 2nd innings began. What transpired next was seemingly an India masterclass (didn't get to watch England bat in the 2nd innings). Just 145 runs were put up, with Ravi Ashwin taking 5 wickets, and Kuldeep Yadav capturing 4. By the end of Day 3, India already chipped away with 40/0, and would need just 152 runs. With Tom Hartley and Joe Root capturing crucial wickets of opening-batsmen Rohit Sharma & YB Jaiswal, respectively, England hoped to turn the tide. Shubman Gill contributed 52*(114), and Dhruv Jurel had 39*(77) to give India a 3-1 series lead & win before heading into the final test at Dharamsala. Jurel claimed PotM.

Test 5 begins 06 March.

PSL: PSL 9 has started and we're 13 matches in.

Reigning champs Lahore Qalanders are quickly in the mud, starting 0-5, with some heartbreaking close matches, again all on the losing side. All losses have come in the 18th over or later.

Today's match between Peshawar Zalmi & Islamabad United had some historical moments, with Babar Azam (c) putting up a century (111*[63]) for his PZ side. Needing to chase down 201, IU came into their innings, and worked their way to a fantastic position. Azam Kham pitched in with 75 (30) & Colin Munro 71 (53). IU looked well on their way, until Arif Yaqoob captured 5 wickets, including 4 in 1 over. Yaqoob became the 1st spinner in PSL history to record 4 wickets in 1 over. PZ as a side had captured 6 wickets in 13 balls, allowing 12 runs in 1 such span.

Despite Yaqoob's heroics, Babar Azam still took PotM in his return to hometown Lahore, where the match was played.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Odds & ends:

India won the 5th & final test in beautiful Dharamshala of the England Tour of India by an innings & 64 runs. Rohit Sharma had himself a century, as did Shubman Gill. Ben Stokes only had 2 runs in his combined 2 innings. It's a 4 -1 series win for India.

PSL final is set tomorrow, & it's Multan vs. Islamabad. Multan, Peshawar, Islamabad, & Quetta all made the playoffs & in those positions, respectively.

Multan won the Qualifier against Peshawar in a tight match, sending them through to the Final. Islamabad easily handled Quetta in the eliminator, & moved on to face Peshawar, with the winner meeting Multan in the Final.

Islamabad saw themselves through after a nervy evening, dispatching Peshawar from the tournament.

In women's IPL, Royal Challengers Bangalore just recently beat Delhi Capitals to win their Finals. They claim a championship before the men's side.

Edit: in addition, the Jamaica Tallawahs in the CPL will be folding for the 2024 season due to lack of funds from the Jamaican government. As such, an 'expansion' team will replace them: Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

PSL's final came out to be Multan 159/9 & Islamabad 163/8. The final came down to the very last ball; scores were level at that point & Multan brought all fielders in for an attempt at a quick run out, or that a wicket would be bowled.

Hunain Shah hit the gap near backward point & it rolled all the way for a boundary, giving Islamabad their 3rd championship, now most in the PSL. Heartbreak for Multan, as they are now 0-4 in finals, including losing their 3rd inna row for the past 3 seasons.

Imad Wasim finished with a 5-wicket haul, 5/23, & went 19(17) with the bat. Shadab Khan of IU caught 4 bowls to help capture 9 of MS' wickets. He also won PSL 9 Player of the Tournament, scoring 305 runs & capturing 14 wickets.

Babar Azam did well to capture another Hanif Muhammad Cap (green), with the most runs (by far), while Usama Mir won the Fazal Mahmood Cap (maroon), capturing the most wickets.

With IPL just around the corner, starting on Friday, figured I'd do a little write-up on each team.

Chennai Super Kings- defending champions will be without key overseas player Devon Conway. Can fellow Kiwis Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, & Mitchell Santer help that void? Rachin Ravindra will be an exciting watch, as he put on a good show during the last ICC WC. Of course, every season could be MS Dhoni's last, but he continues to captain a strong side. Lots of Tom Brady parallels. Equally-important Ravindra Jadeja also augments a spin bowling attack.

Mumbai Indians- captain of the Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandaya, was traded here in the off-season and was made captain, an eye-popping announcement given that Rohit Sharma had been captain from 2013-2023. How will each player react to the changes?

Delhi Capitals- superstar Rishabh Pant comes back from his catastrophic vehicle accident & has been named captain for 2024. The wicket-keeper will ease back into his normal fielding duties. Some strong batting from Mitchell Marsh & David Warner should help pack some punch. Bowler Lungi Ngidi will be shelved with a lower back injury.

Lucknow Super Giants- possess some solid all-rounders and some good top-order batters in QdK, Kyle Mayers, & Nicholas Pooran. KL Rahul gives this side more skill as well.

Sunrisers Hyderabad- I personally expect them to have a stronger season this go-around. Overseas players Marco Jansen, Travis Head, Glenn Phillips, Wanindu Hasaranga, & Heinrich Klaasen roundout an impressive overall squad. Pat Cummins is the new captain after getting a record-bid as most expensive buy for a few minutes until Mitchell Starc went to KKR.

Rajasthan Royals- after personally putting on a magnificent showing with the bat in the England Tour of India, how will YB Jaiswal perform in the upcoming tournament? RR also possess elite wicket-taker Adam Zampa, & Ravi Ashwin

Kolkata Knight Riders- Afghan Rahmanullah Gurbaz & Phil Salt are a formidable duo of top-order batsmen. Mystery spinner Sunil Narine, & all-rounder Andre Russell make up other formidable names for the West Bengal side. Will Mitchell Starc live up to his price tag?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru- can it get any better with their top-order batsmen King Kohli & Faf du Plessis? They've officially dropped the English 'Bangalore' from their name, replacing it with the Kannada name. Glenn Maxwell & Mohammed Siraj are other notable names hoping to improve RCB's 6th place finish in 2023.

Gujarat Titans- spin bowler Rashid Khan comes back after missing PSL due to back surgery. The 2023 runners-up will be without Mohammed Shami, as the 2023 leading wicket taker is out with an ankle. Aussie Spencer Johnson will make his IPL debut, & Shubman Gill's bat hope to get GT back to the Finals for a 3rd time inna row. They won in 2022.

Kings XI Punjab- They've some exciting OS players: pace bowler Kagiso Rabada, allrounder Sikander Raza, Rilee Rossouw, allrounder Sam Curran. PBKS are hoping to get a little more out of Jonny Bairstow & Liam Livingstone in this edition of the IPL. Death-overs specialist Arshdeep Singh hopes to inject more bowling attack into the Punjab side from Mohali, who will actually be playing inna new stadium, & playing a portion of home games in Dharamshala.

Other changes coming into the league are a new rule of being able to have 2 bouncers per over & new Smart Replay System, with TV Umpire & Hawkeye operators, giving more split
screens & quicker decisions.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Of course, every season could be MS Dhoni's last, but he continues to captain a strong side.

Well...strike that. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been revealed as the new CSK captain!

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

8 matches into the IPL & we already have some new records.

Sunrisers Hyderabad played Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad. After MI won the toss, they elected to field. They gave the ball to 17YO South African pace bowler Kwena Maphaka to open, making his debut.

What resulted next was an onslaught of boundaries and runs, led by World Cup hero Travis Head 62(24), Abhishek Sharma 63(23), & Heinrich Klaasen 80*(34). Aiden Markham pitched in with 42*(28) too.

Felt bad for Maphaka, who went for an expensive 0-66 in 4 overs. Other teammates didn't do much to limit the bleeding and SRH finished with the most runs in the history of the IPL, surpassing Royal Challengers Bengaluru's 263/5 record with a 277/3.

Then, MI had the Herculean task of chasing down, but had an admirable go, going 246/5, making them joint-5th most runs scored by a team in the IPL, when CSK also went 246/5, albeit in a victory. Tim David 42*(22), & Tilak Varma 64(34) contributed to MI's 246.

With both teams scoring a combined 523 runs, this was the most in a single match in IPL history.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

Some updates (mostly IPL):

First, in the non-IPL category, Nepalese batsman Dipendra Singh Airee achieved an extremely rare feat: hitting 6 6s in an over. This was in the final over against Qatar. Nepal will be playing in the 2nd T20I World Cup appearance (2014) later this summer.

View: https://twitter.com/ACCMedia1/status/1779133867221209118


In the IPL, both Rajasthan Royals & Kolkata Knight Riders have hit the ground running. RR has the top spot (6M, 5-1, 10pts, 0.767NRR), while KKR has a game in hand (5M, 4-1, 8pts, 1.688NRR).

Last week, Chennai Super Kings' Ravindra Jadeja became the 1st player in IPL history to record 100 catches, capture 100 wickets, & score 1000 runs in an IPL career. When he achieved this, he was Player of the Match, lending a helping hand in providing KKR's sole loss thusfar.

RR's sole loss was against Gujarat Titans. GT flipped winning probability on its head when they scored 20 runs in the 19th over, & 17 runs in the 20th, to give them a win of 3 runs with no balls remaining. Afghan all-rounder Rashid Khan sprayed a 4-boundary on the final bowl to give GT the win. Going into the 19th over, GT had just a 5.53% win probability. Going into the 20th, just 30.50%.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have hit a really rough patch, starting out with just 2 points, going 1-5. Despite Virat Kohli's best efforts, there's no real bowling attack. Kohli is ahead of others in the Orange Cap (most runs) race, with 35 runs ahead of 2nd place Riyan Parag (RR).

Purple Cap (most wickets) is currently Yuzvendra Chahal (RR) (11), with Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians) & Bengali Mustafizur Rahman (CSK) with 10 each.

The sport's ultimate rivalry, 'El Clásico', CSK vs. MI, finished the 2024 version today (unless a future encounter in the playoffs). At the Wankhede in Mumbai, MI won the toss & elected to bowl 1st. Despite a slow start from CSK, captain Gaikwad contributed 69(40) & Shivam Dube 66*(38). In the final over, CSK's heart of the franchise MS Dhoni came into the crease after batsman Daryl Mitchell lost his wicket. Dhoni smashed 3 6s inna row, followed by a 2 in the final bowl on the innings to claim 20*(4). CSK finished 206/4.

Needing 207, MI quickly went to work. Long-time captain Rohit Sharma, who this year gave up his captaincy to newcomer Hardik Pandya, acquired in trade during off-season from GT, went for an outstanding century with 105*(63). Tilak Varma went for a nice 31(20) with 5 4s, but outside of that & Rohit, no one really made any real damage before losing their wickets.

Sri Lankan Matheesha Pathirana for CSK took home player of the match, capturing 4 wickets (4/28, 7.00 ER) giving him 8 on the season.

Currently, the Top 4/playoff spots belong to RR, KKR, CSK, & Sunrisers Hyderabad. KKR & SRH have a game in hand against everybody, having played only 5 matches, while everyone else has played 6.

 

[Jake Peavy's Demons]

History made in Bengaluru. A few weeks back, Sunrisers Hyderabad broke the record for most runs with 277/3. Today, SRH broke their own record, going 287/3, with a century from Travis Head 102(41), & a half-century from Heinrich Klaasen 67(31).

Their opponent, RCB, have struggled in bowling all campaign long, & SRH took them to the cleaners. RCB have their own superstar batsmen, however, & they ralleyed for 262/7, behind Virat Kohli's 42(20), Faf du Plessis' 62(28), & Dinesh Karthik's 83(35).

Combined total of 549 highest in T20 cricket. RCB's 262/7 is enough for 5th most all time. Already 4x in 2024 have we seen records for amongst the Top 12 for most runs.

SRH remain in the 4 spot, while RCB fall to 1-6.