Rinku Singh needs to play higher up the order
The best cricket stories of the week, 15th to 21st March 2025
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Rinku Singh needs to play higher up the order
Cricbit’s Arnav Jain takes us beyond the obvious numbers to understand how some batters are used (and misused) in the IPL.
“There are batters to whom we have assigned the finisher's tag. But we never really asked them if they want it. Maybe giving them some time would help? I’ve identified five of them – Rinku Singh, Rahul Tewatia, Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, and Liam Livingstone. These are all players who take between 9 (Livingstone) and 18 (Rutherford) balls to convert into a positive impact innings. In this case, I don’t think batting below number 5 would be ideal for them.”
Cricbuzz’s Deepu Narayanan looks at the most controversial on-pitch rule change in the IPL; “Evaluating the impact of Impact Player”
2
Beating the odds
No Spin’s CS Chiwanza tells a story of grit, as he traces the unusual career of Matthew de Villiers to professional cricket in South Africa.
“Since 1992, less than a third of South Africa’s international cricketers have come from schools other than the traditional powerhouses. De Villiers' father was a painter, and his mother a homemaker. He went to Kirstenhof Primary School, and they couldn't afford to send him to any of the top cricket high schools in the Western Cape. The odds were stacked against him.”
3
From township to stadium
Manners on Cricket’s Neil Manthorp talks to black South African cricketer Nono Pongolo about the issues with grassroots cricket in the country.
“Can we really back ourselves to identify the best young players at the age of 13? And it’s such a tiny minority who are given that chance – we must create more opportunities for more kids to play with decent facilities through their school years”
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The best of the rest
ESPNcricinfo’s Osman Samiuddin takes on the big story of the week; “Is cricket ready for a Saudi-backed Grand Slam circuit?”
Caribbean Cricket News’ Steph Jaggasar looks at what a new West Indies could look like under the policies suggested by their coach; “Daren Sammy's masterplan”
Old Ebor writes about the man that broke the stranglehold of “amateurism”; ““If I am to captain England I will do so only as a professional”: Len Hutton and the England captaincy”
Caribbean Cricket News’ Luis Guilherme Granada looks at the West Indies’ ascendancy post-WW2, and how it reflected the growing unity across the islands; “It's not just cricket: West Indies first series win in England (Part 2)”
Cricket Australia’s Adam Burnett remembers the up-and-down career of Mark Chapman; “'Like the wind': The making – and breaking – of Mark Cameron”
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The best videos and podcasts
ESPNcricinfo’s Raunak Kapoor hosts as Shane Bond & Dale Steyn discuss the art of fast bowling.
Sportstar’s Shayan Acharya talks to recently deposed Pakistan spin coach Saeed Ajmal about the PCB’s instability. If you’re not a Hindi speaker, you can read the translated transcript here.
Powerplay’s Firdose Moonda & Valkerie Baynes talk to Annabel Sutherland about playing for DC in the WPL, the raucous atmosphere at the Chinnaswamy, & the high standards of the Australian national team. [Apple Podcasts]
🚨 SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT🚨 : PCCI podcast’s Richa Nirbhaya & MV were kind enough/stupid enough to let me on their pod to discuss the WPL, takeaways for each team, and (very early) discussions on who should be retained before the Mega Auction. [Apple Podcasts]