It was almost Miller Time

The best cricket stories of the week, 21st to 27th September 2024

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1

It was almost Miller Time

The Cricket Monthly’s Nagraj Gollapudi & Deivarayan Muthu catch up with David Miller as he becomes the first South African to play 500 T20Is. They discuss his growth, changes in the game, and regrets over losing the T20 World Cup final.

“[On his wicket in the final] And it wasn't to be for me. I took it pretty hard. I felt like I had let the country down, I had let myself and my team-mates down. It's quite a difficult moment to unwrap. It was a very hollow feeling. I almost just didn't want to walk off the field. I wanted to have another go because [I was thinking]: come on, I don't feel out. It's a bit cruel, but such is life”

2

Identifying IPL talent

Cricket analyst Dan Weston had a fantastic analysis of shot quality and batting intent to identify undervalued IPL talent ahead of this year’s Mega Auction.

“Abhishek Sharma is off the charts for executing ultra-attacking shots, hitting boundaries almost 80% of the time when he attempts these shot options. While the likes of MS Dhoni, Tristan Stubbs and Andre Russell are probably quite predictable in this list, a few surprising names are in there as well - such as Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Virat Kohli - these players look very capable of increasing their strike rates if required”

• Dan also had a second analysis on an intriguing metric borrowed from football; “False Shots & Expected Wickets in the IPL”

3

The top 25 Women’s cricketers of the 21st century

ESPNcricinfo undertook a tough assignment to rank the best female cricketers of the last 24 years. You can read 25-16 here, 15-6 here, and the top 5 here.

“Raj was the link between a generation that played for the love for the game and the one that plays for contracts - both domestic and international - and now has pay parity…She batted on all sorts of pitches, on torn mats and grounds that barely had any grass, travelling to and from games in trains, sometimes without a seat reservation, on measly allowances that barely covered one meal, and lived in barely acceptable accommodations. All that changed in 2017 when she led India to a runners-up finish in the 50-over World Cup.

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The best of the rest

• Sportstar’s Lavanya Lakshmi Narayanan catches up with Richa Ghosh to discuss her growth into India’s finisher; “Richa Ghosh interview: A finisher’s unfinished business at the T20 World Cup”

• The Guardian’s Andy Bull looks at what Surrey keeps getting right; “Triple champions Surrey offer blueprint for county cricket success in 21st century”

• Manners on Cricket’s Neil Manthorp calls out the notion that international players are being ‘rested’ when they skip games; “When is 'Rest', rest...?”

5

The best videos and podcasts

• Club Prairie Fire’s Adam Gilchrist, Michael Vaughan & co. host Yuvraj Singh to discus everything from his six 6s, to his favourite captain, and the upcoming India tour of Australia.

• Powerplay’s Firdose Moonda & Valkerie Baynes chat with South Africa Women’s opener Tazmin Brits about her optimism in the face of consistent tragedy; from her father dying during Covid, a car crash that changed her career, and her mother’s recent cancer diagnosis - all while she prepares for the T20 World Cup! [Apple Podcasts]

• Grassroots Cricket’s Hijab Zahid interviews Sadia Iqbal, Pakistan Women’s star spinner, about her individual and team hopes going into the Women’s T20 World Cup.

• Good Areas’ Jarrod Kimber, Behram Qazi & Estelle Vasudevan debate the best all-format female batters of all time.

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