Having missed both the 2020 T20 World Cup and the 2022 ODI World Cup, she has set her sights on the upcoming world tournament

Andrew McGlashan12-Mar-2024Tayla Vlaeminck made her debut for Australia in October 2018. In the five-and-a-half years since she has made just 24 appearances and very little, if any of it, has been down to form. Her run of injuries, and the heartbreak of missing multiple World Cups, would test the belief of anyone.Later this month, she will try again to relaunch her international career having been recalled for Australia’s tour of Bangladesh. It comes shortly after another six months on the sidelines with a shoulder injury picked up in England last year. That followed multiple setbacks with stress fractures of her foot which first forced her out of the 2020 T20 World Cup on home soil with a recurrence then keeping her out of the 2022 ODI World Cup, 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2023 T20 World Cup. And even before she debuted for Australia she had undergone two ACL reconstructions.Ahead of flying out on Saturday, Vlaeminck admitted that while returning to Australia colours was always a motivation, there were times in the depth of her rehab that she wasn’t so much training for herself, as for those putting in the hours in to help her.Related

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“I’ve always had the overarching goal of getting back to play for Australia but at different times over the last few years it has wavered…the motivation has always been different, it hasn’t always been there, I suppose, but this will make it all worth it,” she told ESPNcricinfo.”In the lower moments it’s probably just been the people [around me] to be honest. Even to the extent of rocking up to training some days knowing our S&C [strength and conditioning coach] is so invested the whole time, has put a session together and come in early to get it done. It’s those little things, you want to do the session for them more so than yourself sometimes.”I’ve been really lucky, had a heap of really good people around Victoria who have helped me through. Without that sort of help not sure the motivation would always have been there.”Vlaeminck returned during the WNCL in mid-January, playing five matches in the latter part of Victoria’s campaign where she claimed four wickets. Last week she was part of the Green vs Gold three-day game in Adelaide – the first time she had bowled with a red-ball since the 2019 Ashes.Now, though, the focus returns firmly to the white ball with another T20 World Cup to aim for later in the year. “I want to play in that World Cup, it’s one of things that has kept me going,” she said.Having twice returned from stress fractures of her foot – with the Australian ballet playing a part in her recovery – the latest setback was a different one, although something she knew was lurking around the corner having initially dislocated her left shoulder playing for Victoria in the 2017-18 season and it remained vulnerable to popping out of the joint. During the A tour of England last year, which ran concurrently with the Ashes, it dislocated while bowling and Vlaeminck knew she had to get it properly fixed.”While it was annoying as I’d just come back, and it was another six months [out], it probably wasn’t as hard to deal with knowing that it hadn’t come out of the blue,” she said.Tayla Vlaeminck on her remodelled action: “Hopefully with some more time getting used to the action and the run-up I can get even quicker”•Getty ImagesBefore her latest rehab, Vlaeminck had already done significant work remodeling her action to try and avoid a repeat of the stress fractures in her foot. She remains confident that her pace has not been impacted and believes she is getting back to her peak with more to come.”It’s something I wasn’t so much worried about but considered as I changed my action,” she said. “I want to be on the pitch as much as possible but don’t want to compromise losing 10kph. I’m really confident with where it’s at now, probably a similar level to what it was beforehand. Hopefully with some more time getting used to the action and the run-up I can get even quicker.””It’s is something I’ll have to manage for the rest of my career. When you’ve been bowling a certain way for seven or eight years that’s obviously difficult to change, so making sure it doesn’t slip back into bad habits in the competitive environment of a game. [But] once it gets to game day I don’t think about it too much.”She tries not to get too wrapped up in what other quick bowlers are pushing the speed gun to, although admitted it’s sometimes difficult. “I am quite a competitive person so like to try and bowl as fast as I can…think it [the number of quicks] is really good for the game,” she said. “We’ve got Milly Illingworth at Victoria and it’s always fun when you are stood at square leg watching her run in and that sort of thing always gets me a bit up and about.”The tour of Bangladesh also brings her back together for Australia with close friends Georgia Wareham and Sophie Molineux. The trio watched the 2022 ODI World Cup final together when they were all injured.”I remember that day, probably wasn’t one of the best,” Vlaeminck said. “We’ve been through a lot together, grown up together, and all helped each other along the way. If we all got to play together in Bangladesh it would be pretty special.”For starters, though, being on the plane is enough. “Just want this week to go pretty quickly to be honest. I’ll be happy if I get on the pitch at all. Just getting over there and training with the girls again will be really fun.”

Does Pant walk back into the ODI setup? Will Rahul lead in the 50-over format? A look at the big questions facing India’s selectors ahead of Wednesday’s meeting

Shashank Kishore16-Jul-20242:36

How do India rebuild their T20I side under Gambhir?

Will Rohit, Kohli, Bumrah play the Sri Lanka ODIs?In his role as a media professional, new India head coach Gautam Gambhir has previously been critical of senior players resting between high-profile assignments. But with India slated to play 10 Tests from September to January (five at home and five in Australia, all part of the 2023-25 WTC cycle) there is a possibility that Rohit, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah will be rested for the Sri Lanka ODIs, leaving the selectors to pick a new 50-overs captain as well.Is KL Rahul the obvious choice as stand-in ODI captain?KL Rahul stood in as captain when India last played ODIs, in South Africa last December. If fully fit, Rahul is likely to return to ODI setup as a middle-order batter at the very least, if not as a wicketkeeper too – a role he performed during India’s run to the 2023 World Cup final. There’s also familiarity between Rahul and Gambhir, the pair having worked together as captain-coach previously at Lucknow Super Giants.KL Rahul and Sanju Samson are both contenders to take the gloves in the Sri Lanka ODIs•BCCIHowever, there could be a consideration made for Shubman Gill, who incidentally just led India to the 4-1 T20I series win in Zimbabwe. Over the past year, Gill has become a dominant force in ODIs – he’s the second-highest run-getter worldwide in the format since the start of 2023.Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma might extend their break to the Sri Lanka ODIs•BCCIWhether Rishabh Pant, for the first time since his accident in December 2022, returns to the ODI setup and takes the gloves will be another big call for the Agarkar-led committee to make. Rahul aside, they also have a formidable wicketkeeping option in Sanju Samson, who struck his maiden international century in India’s most-recent ODI, against South Africa late last year. Samson’s overall ODI numbers are laudable – he has three half-centuries and a century in 14 innings (average 56.66), while scoring at nearly a run-a-ball (strike rate 99.60).What about Shreyas Iyer?Shreyas Iyer lost his BCCI central contract this February, seemingly for failing to prioritise domestic cricket by not turning up for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. Iyer cited persistent back trouble, which “no one was agreeing with”, as one of the reasons for that. However, since then Iyer has turned things around by leading Kolkata Knight Riders to their first IPL triumph in ten years. Iyer has a prolific ODI record too – he was India’s third highest-run scorer in the 50-overs World Cup, behind Rohit and Kohli, hitting 530 runs in 11 innings including two hundreds and three fifties. He also hit the second-most sixes in the tournament.Shreyas Iyer had a fantastic ODI World Cup before he ran into contract issues•AFP/Getty ImagesWho from the Zimbabwe series could find a look-in in Sri Lanka?With Rohit likely to rest, Yashasvi Jaiswal has made a strong pitch to earn a maiden ODI cap. Jaiswal, a reserve opener in India’s T20 World Cup winning squad, struck a 53-ball 93 last week in Harare to seal the T20I series against Zimbabwe.Ravindra Jadeja’s T20I retirement could pave way for Washington Sundar’s inclusion. Washington is coming off a Player of the Series winning performance in Zimbabwe; he finished the series with eight wickets in five matches at an economy of 5.16.Abhishek Sharma, who struck a maiden T20I ton in only his second international innings, and Ruturaj Gaikwad could be picked as reserve openers for the T20Is and ODIs respectively.

He was nearly unplayable on some surfaces, made a strong case for catch of the tournament, and made useful contributions as a batter

Matt Roller30-Jun-20243:54

DP World Going Beyond Boundaries – Axar Patel

A spell of 2 for 23 in three overs. Hardly an uncommon set of figures in a T20 match but in the context of an innings of 176, there is an obvious question to ask: why only three overs? Keshav Maharaj took two wickets in his first over of Saturday’s T20 World Cup 2024 final and went at 7.66 runs per over, compared to an innings run rate of 8.80. But after the ninth over, he was not seen again.Maharaj bowled his full four-over allocation in each of his first six appearances at the World Cup, and might well have done the same in the semi-final if his team-mates had not rolled Afghanistan over for 56. And yet, in a final of fine margins, his fourth over went unused.The reason behind it was straightforward: it was because of Axar Patel.Related

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Axar had been deployed as a floater by India, making a vital 20 from No. 4 in a low-scoring game against Pakistan in the group stage. But it came as a surprise even to him when he was sent in ahead of Shivam Dube in the final: “Suddenly, Rahul [Dravid] asked me to pad up. I didn’t get to think anything about my batting and that worked for me,” he explained afterwards.The idea was simple enough. Axar was carded to bat at No. 8 and therefore the value on his wicket was relatively low. He rarely gets the chance to face many balls, and if India lost another quick wicket, at least they would have Dube, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja to come. His promotion artificially lengthened their batting line-up.But it also ensured that Maharaj’s impact on the game would be limited, particularly when Axar played a shot that proved vital in the context of the final. Axar hit the first six of India’s innings when slog-sweeping Aiden Markram over midwicket, hitting with the wind, but in the following over, he played the same shot the breeze off Maharaj and cleared the boundary.In Markram’s eyes, it effectively rendered Maharaj unbowlable while India had a left-hander at the crease. This was not a case of blindly following match-ups, or the guiding principle that fingerspinners turning the ball into batters is high-risk: Markram took the gamble, and the on-field evidence suggested that even with the wind helping him, Maharaj was too vulnerable.Axar’s stand with Virat Kohli was the biggest of the final – and he dominated the partnership. They added 72 off 54 for the fourth wicket, of which Kohli’s contribution was 21 boundary-less runs off 23 balls; Axar hit 47 off 31, including a four and four sixes. Without Axar’s impetus, Kohli would have felt compelled to take more risks earlier: that would have made India more likely to reach 190, but would also have increased the chance of them folding for 140.

“This time, I felt that I had to do something good for India. Finally, I did it. I’m feeling so proud”Axar Patel

The slog-sweep was the defining shot of Axar’s innings, with another off Tabraiz Shamsi just about evading Kagiso Rabada’s sprawling dive at long-on. But this was not just a tailender promoted to have a swing: it was an innings of high skill, exemplified by his straight-bat, high-elbow on-drive for six off Rabada.Axar even timed his dismissal well, midway through the 14th over. Perhaps he was a little dozy when running through to the non-striker’s end, only for Quinton de Kock’s direct hit to find him short of his ground. But it meant Dube had the chance to impact the game from No. 6 and gave Kohli a free hand at attacking at the death without fear of failure, with Hardik and Jadeja still waiting.Few would have sincerely nominated Axar for Player of the Tournament, but he has been the sort of player that every champion team needs: a regular contributor with the versatility to be useful in all facets. He bowled dry on New York’s seaming pitches, took a stunning catch against Australia in St Lucia, and played this vital hand with the bat against South Africa in Barbados.Axar Patel gave the India innings some impetus in the final•Getty ImagesThat is not to forget his spell of 3 for 23 against England in the semi-final, a throwback to his performances against the same opposition in two Ahmedabad Tests in 2021. Axar is not the most talented player India have, but he is a master of working out how he can be effective in certain conditions: in Guyana, the turn and low bounce on offer made his straighter ball deadly.The final could have been very different for Axar. If South Africa had held their nerve with 30 needed off 30 balls or if Suryakumar Yadav’s foot had brushed the boundary cushion, his abiding memory of the final would have been his over to Heinrich Klaasen which cost 24 runs, including two huge sixes – one onto the roof, another into the pavilion. In a cricketing culture where idolisation turns into vilification overnight, Axar’s over would not have been forgotten in a hurry.And yet, for all the ignominy it involved, standing at the top of his mark and waiting for the ball to be fetched, perhaps that was when the final turned in India’s favour. The ball was retrieved from the stands, rather than replaced; barely two overs later, Jasprit Bumrah was getting it to reverse-swing. Maybe it would have done anyway, but it goes to show how fickle sport – and life – can be.”This time, I felt that I had to do something good for India,” Axar said in the moments after India’s victory. “Finally, I did it. I’m feeling so proud.” Kohli, Bumrah and Rohit Sharma rightly took the plaudits, but Axar was India’s unsung hero.

Stats highlights from LSG’s six-wicket victory after chasing down 211 against CSK

Sampath Bandarupalli23-Apr-20242:00

Why did CSK send Jadeja in ahead of Dube?

124* Marcus Stoinis’ score against CSK in Chennai is the highest individual score in a chase in the IPL. He surpassed Paul Valthaty’s 120 not out for Punjab against CSK in Mohali in IPL 2011. Stoinis also went past Virender Sehwag for the highest individual score against CSK in the IPL.211 The target achieved by LSG is the highest successful chase in Chennai, beating the 206 by CSK against RCB in 2012.3 Number of successful 200-plus chases by LSG. Only one team has chased down a higher target against CSK – 219 by Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021.113 Runs needed by LSG in the last eight overs. Only one team had scored more runs in the last eight overs (13-20) of a chase in the IPL – 125 by Mumbai Indians against CSK in IPL 2021.4 Centuries scored by Ruturaj Gaikwad in defeats. Only Chris Gayle has more T20 hundreds in matches his team has lost. Virat Kohli (3), Hashim Amla (2) and Sanju Samson (2) are the other batters with multiple IPL tons in defeats.17 Runs needed by LSG in the last over, the most successfully chased against CSK in the IPL. Delhi Capitals chased 17 in the final over against CSK in 2020.5 Instances of batters from both teams scoring hundreds in an IPL match. All five have come since the start of IPL 2023 and three of them occurred in this season.

Previous away wins in Test cricket have only led to false dawns but perhaps this one could lead to solid gains

Mohammad Isam29-Aug-2024Sport lends itself to miracles, it’s part of why people love it. Bangladesh beating a higher-ranked Test team away from home grabs headlines, but because of their overall inconsistency, they never seem to justify those victories. Their rare wins abroad have always felt like false dawns. Even when they beat New Zealand in 2022, Bangladesh couldn’t follow it up. Not later in the series. Not even later in the year. So when they beat Pakistan by ten wickets in Rawalpindi last weekend, it was déjà vu all over again, as American baseball player and coach Yogi Berra liked to say.Only Bangladesh can stop this cycle from repeating, and in Rawalpindi, as they were outclassing the hosts, there were plenty of signs that it is possible. Their tactics stood out. They had a better understanding of the conditions. They still stuck to their usual way of playing Test cricket – for better or worse – especially against better teams. Start by avoiding defeat. Then look for a draw. Finally once that safety net is secure, push for the win.Rawalpindi followed this method to a tee, but it also included moments where Bangladesh put the opposition on the mat, like in the first session itself. They had Pakistan at 16 for 3, before the home side recovered. There was also a spell of play in their batting innings when Litton Das went after Naseem Shah. That seemed to deflate Pakistan, who, by then, had been on the field for ages and ages.Related

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Pakistan are under pressure as they confront the possibility of perhaps even losing the series now. Heavy rain could see off the first two days in the second Test, also in Rawalpindi. The forecast improves from there on, but not by much. Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe knows he is in the box seat, but took the high road when asked about it.”We don’t get satisfied or joyful at their [Pakistan’s] misery,” he said. “It is about us, how we want to perform. We get a lot of confidence in the way we stuck to our game plan.”Bangladesh don’t experiment too much with their Test XI. They have two of the best spinners in the world – Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, with the former a genuine allrounder, and the latter being someone who can bat quite well. It allows Bangladesh to have batting till No. 8, and still play with five frontline bowlers.Test teams are always looking for such wealth. Hathurusinghe said they knew that the spinners would come into play in the first Test despite the pitch looking very green at the start of the game, if they could get into the fifth day.”We always wanted to go with that line-up,” he said. “We knew with the heat around, this wicket wasn’t going to be favourable for fast bowlers for all five days. We knew that our spinners are coming into the game, but for that we needed to drag it into the fifth day.”There could, however, be one change in the Bangladesh line-up for the second Test. The pitch, when it came out from under the covers briefly, looked like it had a lot of grass on it. “[Taskin Ahmed] has a very good chance of playing,” Hathurusinghe said, “because of the type of pitch and weather conditions. It is little more favourable for fast bowlers.”While Bangladesh stick to their templated line-up, Pakistan have had to change personnel. There’s a feeling around the Test match that Shaheen Afridi’s demotion to the bench is a result of Bangladesh playing him out quite comfortably.Without gloating, Bangladesh understand that they have the upper hand here. They are not going into Friday’s game with an underdog mentality. They will look for ways to attack Pakistan, but will always be aware that losing is not an option.

They are entering the Test series with a batting unit that has had one of its worst years against spin

Ashish Pant14-Oct-2024This was meant to be New Zealand’s great Test-match adventure in the subcontinent. They were to start with a non-World Test Championship (WTC) game against Afghanistan in Greater Noida to get acclimatised to the conditions, travel to Sri Lanka for a two-Test series and work on their spin game, and then return to India and try and achieve something no team has in 12 years – win a Test series in the country. It was a rare stretch of six Tests in the region with their WTC final chances still very much alive.But halfway into it, the plan has unravelled, quickly.To start with, no play was possible in Greater Noida across five days. The spinners and Kamindu Mendis blew them away in Sri Lanka for a 2-0 knockout. Tim Southee has stepped down from captaincy, and their best and most experienced batter, Kane Williamson, has a groin injury and will miss at least the first Test in India.Related

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Now in Bengaluru for the first of the three Tests starting on Wednesday, New Zealand are with a new captain, without their best batter (temporarily), and with a batting unit that has had one of its poorest years against spin.In 12 innings in 2024, New Zealand have lost 67 of 104 wickets to spin – their most in five years – and they still have six Tests to go this year. Their average of 22.58 against spin in 2024 is the worst for any team in the WTC.They were found out in Sri Lanka, where they lost 37 of their 40 wickets to spinners. While still competitive in the first Test, with Latham, Williamson, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell all scoring half-centuries across the two innings, they were left shell-shocked in the second Test. On a surface where Sri Lanka amassed 602 for 5, New Zealand were bowled out for 88 inside 40 overs. They came up with a much better show in the second dig to score 360, but the Test was pretty much done by then.