ROUNDUP: Batting is much harder in the 2020s
Why batting peaks are rarer in the 2020s, Chappell on Gill’s captaincy, & Ashwin with Harbhajan.
Good morning!
Arnav Jain has a fascinating new statistical article (the guy is a cut above everyone else at the moment) on the batter peaks in Test cricket, and why the 2020s have been the single hardest time for elite batters to pull away from the pack in the 21st century.
Bit of a slow news day otherwise as it was just the four Test teams playing each other yesterday, including two from the subcontinent. But, we do have pieces by Greg Chappell on Gill’s captaincy, and Ashwin’s intriguing interview with Harbhajan.
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Is it still an upset when Bangladesh beat Pakistan?
🏏 Match Updates: Chappell on Gill’s captaincy, the cases for Kuldeep and Shafali, & Woakes’ struggles.
Bangladesh v Pakistan:
Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 7 wickets in their first T20.
👉 Ahsan Nagi on Mike Hesson’s poor deflection away from PAK’s batting.
👉 Daily Star’s Ramin Talukder on the fan-friendly decision to allow outside food.Zimbabwe v South Africa:
South Africa beat Zimbabwe by 7 wickets in their tri-series tournament.England Men v India Men:
Akash Deep & Arshdeep Singh are out of the fourth Test.
👉 ESPNcricinfo’s Greg Chappell on Shubman Gill’s captaincy style.
👉 Cricket.com’s Anirudh Suresh on Chris Woakes declining series and career.
👉 Circular Odyssey’s Sohum Paranjpe on the case for Kuldeep Yadav.
👉 The Times’ Simon Wilde on the more mature fourth age of Bazball.England Women v India Women:
👉 Indian Express’ Tanishq Vaddi profiles IND’s breakout spinner Shree Charani.
👉 Wisden’s Rahul Iyer makes the case for Shafali Verma’s ODI return.
Batting is much harder in the 2020s
📚 Must Read Essays: Why batting peaks are rarer in the 2020s, the ground-breaking ‘54-‘55 Ashes, & the craze of the ‘05 Ashes.
“Where are the Peaks?”
✍️ Cricbit’s Arnav Jain analyses the batting numbers from this century to come to an interesting conclusion - we are no longer seeing single batter peaks like Smith and Kohli in the 2010s because the average batter is closer to the best now.“The Ashes tour that changed cricket and its coverage”
✍️ The Times’ Richard Whitehead on the ground-breaking 1954-55 Ashes, when England sent their first professional captain and their first cricket correspondent.“We felt like Premier League footballers”
✍️ BBC’s Tom Reynolds talks to ex-England bowler Simon Jones about the craze that swept the UK during the 2005 Ashes.
🗞️ Quick News: The decisions from the ICC’s AGM, & context for Dhoni’s new trademark.
SMH’s Daniel Brettig recaps the ICC’s AGM, including threats to USA Cricket, a re-booted T20 Champions League, & England’s hosting dominance over the WTC.
Hindustan Times’ Rasesh Mandani contextualises MS Dhoni’s decision to trademark the term ‘Captain Cool.’
Harbhajan’s big regret
📺 A/V: Ashwin with Harbhajan, Anderson on 20 years with ENG, & a history of ITA cricket.
“Do you think I'm jealous of you?”
📽️ Ravichandran Ashwin catches up with Harbhajan Singh about his career, his highlights, and his regrets (or, well, regret - singular). [YouTube]“Two decades at the top”
📽️ Sky Sports’ Kelly Cates chats with Jimmy Anderson about his 20-year run with the English national team. [YouTube]“From Italy to Australia and back”
📽️ Good Areas’ Jarrod Kimber traces the history of Italian cricket as the traditionally footballing nation made it to next year’s World Cup. [YouTube]
That’s it for today!
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If you read something good that I missed, hit comment and tell me!
Really appreciate the shoutout !
Minor correction re my name, I spell it Sohum, not Soham
Thank you for always spreading the word, Tarutr!