Two-time All-Star Shane Bieber is set to return to the mound this week.

Bieber, who has not played in over a year since undergoing Tommy John surgery for a torn UCL last April, will make his Blue Jays debut on Friday at Miami, manager John Schneider told reporters. Bieber has recently completed seven starts as part of his rehab assignment, posting a 1.89 ERA and 37 strikeouts across 29 innings.

Bieber was traded to Toronto in July at the deadline after previously spending his entire career with Cleveland, and will begin pitching for a Blue Jays' team that is second in wins and fourth in strikeouts, but just 23rd in ERA. He joins the rotation a little over a month before the end of the regular season, as the Blue Jays lead the American League East with a 73-52 record.

The 30-year-old pitcher has been one of the best starters in the league when healthy. In the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, his best campaign, Bieber went 8-1 with a league-leading 1.63 ERA and 122 strikeouts and won the triple crown and Cy Young award. When he last saw significant playing time in 2023, he went 6-6 with a 3.80 ERA.

The Mariners made the first big splash of MLB free agency on Sunday night, agreeing to a long-term contract that will keep Josh Naylor in the organization for another five seasons.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan provided some further information on the agreement between Naylor and Seattle on Monday, indicating that the contract would be worth a total of $92.5 million. As such, Naylor will collect an annual average value of $18.5 million throughout the course of the deal. The contract does not include any deferred money. Additionally, Naylor’s deal to return the Mariners comes with a full no-trade clause.

The $18.5 million Naylor is due in 2026 would make him the third-highest earner on Seattle’s roster, behind only Luis Castillo ($24.15 million) and Julio Rodríguez ($20.19 million). His $92.5 million deal overtakes Ichiro Suzuki for the eighth richest contract in franchise history. Robinson Canó’s 10-year, $240 million contract still stands as the largest deal ever given to a Mariners player.

It’s a big commitment from the Mariners, but it shows just how highly regarded Naylor has become within the organization since arriving at the trade deadline in a deal with the Diamondbacks. Naylor quickly became a fan favorite in Seattle, and now he’s set to remain with the franchise through the 2030 season.

Last season, in 54 games with the Mariners, Naylor logged a .831 OPS with nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington stated this week that the team is not trading ace Paul Skenes this offseason, but a report emerged Wednesday with a teammate claiming Skenes has said he wants to play for the Yankees.

According to a report from NJ Advance Media, the teammate stated that Skenes said he has “no confidence the Pirates ever are going to win” while he’s in Pittsburgh. “Trust me, he wants to play for the Yankees,” the Skenes teammate said. “I’ve heard him say it multiple times.”

The report also came hours before Skenes won the Cy Young award for the first time—doing so unanimously. Skenes ended up addressing the claims after winning the prestigious pitching award.

“I got shown the Tweet and really didn’t think anything of it,” Skenes said Wednesday on a Zoom, via 93.7 The Fan. “I got some texts about it. I’m on the Pirates, my goal is to win with the Pirates. I love the city of Pittsburgh.”

Skenes also said of the report, “I don’t know where that came from, the goal is to win. I don’t know the reporter that reported it. I don’t know the player who supposedly said that, but the goal is to win and the goal is to win in Pittsburgh.”

Skenes is not just focused on the Pirates, but leading the team to winning. While Skenes got to celebrate his Cy Young win, he remained focused on his goal to help the Pirates win going forward as he spoke to the media.

“Pittsburgh, the way that fans see us outside of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh is not supposed to win,” Skenes said. “There are 29 fan bases that expect us to lose. I want to be a part of the group, a part of the 26 guys that change that.”

“The fans are hungry to have a winner in Pittsburgh and I want to be a part of the group that did that. I think about it the same way as when I was at the Air Force Academy,” he said. “We had never been to a conference championship and my sophomore year we ended up winning the conference. We had never finished in the top four in the conference before that.”

The Pirates have not made the playoffs in a decade and have gone just 147-177 over Skenes' two seasons in Pittsburgh. Overall, they’ve advanced to the postseason just three times in the last 33 years and have not made or won the World Series since 1979, well before Skenes was even born. He's determined to change that.

"Forty-six years since we won a World Series championship,” Skenes said. “This is why I’m going to show up to the ballpark and I’m going to work to get everybody pushing in the same direction and I know there are other guys that are going to do the same. That’s all the truth.”

Also: was Sikandar Raza the first Zimbabwe bowler to take seven wickets in a Test innings?

Steven Lynch04-Feb-2020India and New Zealand tied two matches in a row last week. Has this ever happened before in international cricket? asked Michael Farrant from England, among others

The consecutive T20I ties last week – both of them won by India after a Super Over – were the 55th and 56th in international cricket. No bilateral series had previously featured more than one, although there were two – both again involving New Zealand – in the World T20 in Sri Lanka in 2012-13. The result in Wellington meant New Zealand had tied three of their last five T20 internationals – and lost the Super Over in each one.England beat South Africa 3-1 after losing the first Test. Was this unique for a four-Test series? asked Amarnath Krishnasamy from India

England’s come-from-behind feat to win 3-1 in South Africa in 2019-20 had been achieved twice before. Both were famous four-match series: West Indies, powered by the Three Ws and the spinners Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine, lost the first Test of 1950, at Old Trafford, but claimed the other three, to win a series in England for the first time. Then in 2017-18, in the series overshadowed by the sandpaper controversy in Cape Town, Australia won the first Test in Durban, but South Africa took the remaining three. It’s probably worth pointing out that there haven’t been that many four-Test series – only 61 in all, nine of which finished with a 3-1 scoreline.There were over 1100 runs scored in the fourth Test between South Africa and England, but no individual centuries. Was this a record? asked Rahul from India

In all, 1105 runs were made in the fourth Test, in Johannesburg, with the highest individual score being 98, by Rassie van der Dussen. Rather surprisingly, perhaps, this comes in at only No. 21 on the list of the highest match aggregates without a century. On top is another match between South Africa and England, in Durban in 1927-28, when 1272 runs were scored in all, with 90 by Wally Hammond being the highest individual contribution. There were 1262 runs (but no hundreds) in the 1997 Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, and 1227 in Melbourne in 1960-61, in the final match of the famous series between Australia and West Indies, which started with a tie in Brisbane.Sikandar Raza took Zimbabwe’s first Test seven-for, but the best figures still remain Paul Strang’s 8 for 109 against New Zealand in 2000•AFPWas Sikandar Raza the first Zimbabwe bowler to take seven wickets in a Test innings at Harare? asked Ibrahim Kamara from Zimbabwe

Sikandar Raza’s flattish offbreaks brought him figures of 7 for 113, one of the highlights of Zimbabwe’s plucky performance in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Harare last week. Strictly speaking, it was indeed Zimbabwe’s first Test seven-for – although that ignores their best Test figures, Paul Strang’s 8 for 109 against New Zealand in Bulawayo in September 2000. In third place is Douglas Hondo’s 6 for 59 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2004-05.Both Sri Lankan openers scored 44 in the first innings of the second Test against Zimbabwe. What’s the highest identical score by openers? asked Geetha Krishnan from India

Dimuth Karunaratne and Oshada Fernando both made 44 in Sri Lanka’s first innings against Zimbabwe in Harare last week. It’s the highest such double for Sri Lanka, but there have been seven higher ones for other countries. Best of all was twin 88s, by Shane Watson and Phillip Hughes for Australia against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2011-12.The ODI record is 73, by Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes for Bangladesh against Zimbabwe in Mirpur in 2015-16. And in T20 internationals it’s 80, by Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan for India against New Zealand in Delhi in 2017-18.Use our
feedback form or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

India have largely had a smooth ride, while Australia have overcome a sluggish start to get to the title round

Sruthi Ravindranath06-Mar-2020ESPNcricinfo LtdAustraliaLost to India by 17 runsAustralia were completely bewitched by Poonam Yadav’s legspin, but were left with one positive from their defeat. Their star opener Alyssa Healy, who had been going through a lean patch, hit a half-century in that match, and she has managed to carry her good form since then. The four-time champions will be looking to exact revenge on their in-form opponents, in front of what is expected to be a record crowd for a women’s game at the MCG on Sunday.Beat Sri Lanka by five wicketsIt seemed like Australia’s confidence had taken a major hit after the loss against India, as the No. 1-ranked side scrambled to a five-wicket win against Sri Lanka in their second group fixture after an almighty scare. Chamari Atapattu dazzled with a 38-ball 50 and made the hosts toil hard, and a number of handy contributions in the middle order took Sri Lanka to 122 for 6. The prolific fast-bowling duo of Udeshika Prabodhani and Shashikala Siriwardene bowled a probing spell with the new ball, which left Australia at 10 for 3 within the first four overs of the chase. Thanks to a 95-run stand between Rachael Haynes and Meg Lanning, though, Australia won the day with just three balls remaining.1:24

How India made it to their maiden T20 World Cup final

Beat Bangladesh by 86 runs Australia were back to being the Australia we know as they made easy work of a sloppy Bangladesh line-up at Manuka Oval. On the back of a record 151-run opening stand – Australia’s highest first-wicket partnership in T20Is – between Healy and Beth Mooney, the hosts dominated big time. Chasing 189, Bangladesh lost their plot in the middle, and left Fargana Hoque to struggle all by herself, as they crumbled from 76 for 3 to 102 for 9. Megan Schutt was the destructor-in-chief as she bagged 3 for 21 with support from Jess Jonassen, who finished with 4 for 17.Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney prepare to start the Australia innings•Getty ImagesBeat New Zealand by four runsIn the winner-takes-it-all contest, Australia showcased their big-match temperament as they edged New Zealand in a close contest at Junction Oval. The hosts put together a decent target and then defended it to bring New Zealand’s campaign to an early end. Mooney made yet another half-century, which helped put up a target of 155, following which a pivotal spell by wristspinner Georgia Wareham strangled New Zealand in the chase. She plucked out the dangerous Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates, and then sent back Maddy Green to stifle the run-flow in the middle overs. Scutt then picked three quick wickets in the end as Katey Martin’s lone fight went in vain.Semi-final: Beat South Africa by five runsAhead of the semi-final, Australia were left to grapple with the injury to star player Ellyse Perry as well as the possibility of a washout in Sydney, which would have given South Africa a pass to the final. Australia rose above it all, as they overcame a Laura Wolvaardt cameo to seal a final berth for the sixth consecutive time. Captain Lanning anchored the Australia innings, making a run-a-ball 49 against a disciplined South Africa bowling attack, which troubled the rest of the order. However, South Africa’s run chase fell flat after Sophie Molineux and Schutt left them at 24 for 3, as they fell short of the 134-run target despite the best efforts of Wolvaardt, who made a 27-ball 41.IndiaBeat Australia by 17 runsIndia could not have had a better start, as they opened their campaign with a comprehensive win against the defending champions and hosts. It was Poonam Yadav’s day, as the wristspinner bagged 4 for 19 to throttle Australia in their 132-run chase. India’s batting fell away in the middle after being put in, but a cool-headed Deepti Sharma made a 46-ball 49 to take India to a competitive total in front of a record crowd for a standalone women’s game in Australia. Ash Gardner and Healy tried their best for Australia, making 51 and 34 respectively, but Yadav, along with Shikha Pandey, stifled the opposition and removed eight batters for single-digit scores to guide India home.Beat Bangladesh by 18 runsIndia kept the momentum going with yet another comfortable win, this time against Bangladesh. Their batting show was powered by Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues, who put together an excellent powerplay, following which valuable contributions from the middle-order took them to 142 for 6. In the chase, Bangladesh were reeling at 66 for 4 in 12 overs but Nigar Sultana kept them in the game with a 26-ball 35. Bangladesh were also given reprieves throughout the innings but they never capitalised on them, with Yadav and Pandey starring once again with the ball for India.Go outside the off stump and swing to leg – Shafali Verma wants to try it all•Getty ImagesBeat New Zealand by three runsIndia survived an Amelia Kerr scare to march into the semi-finals after beating New Zealand in a close game. Pandey held her nerve as she defended 16 off the last over against a red-hot Kerr, who had just blasted 18 runs off Yadav in the penultimate over. But the day belonged to Verma, who wowed the Melbourne crowed with some spectacular shots on her way to a 34-ball 46, while the rest of the line-up struggled on the sluggish surface. India, in turn, turned the screw on New Zealand, resorting to bowling slow deliveries that gave them good returns to leave the opposition reeling at 77 for 4. In came Kerr at No. 6 as she set out to put up a one-woman show for her side, but her efforts went in vain as she ran out of effective batting partners at the other end.Beat Sri Lanka by seven wicketsVerma was one of the obvious choices in the ‘players to watch out for’ category, and she proved why she was one in the match against Sri Lanka. India’s spinners strangled their opponents and were left to chase a below-par total at Junction Oval. Radha Yadav, well supported by Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Sharma, picked up her career-best figures as Sri Lanka put up yet another timid batting show. Verma led the strong reply, displaying a range of shots as she made a 34-ball 47 and attacking the experienced Shashikala Siriwardene in particular to all but seal the game for India. A run-out ended the chance of her getting a half-century and left India at 88 for 3 in 10.4 overs, but with just 28 runs required to win, it was an easy job for the rest of the line-up from there.Semi-final v EnglandIndia were rewarded for their clean sweep in the group stage as they advanced to the final of the World Cup, for the very first time, after the semi-final against England was washed out. No reserve day meant India, who had one win more than their opponents in the group stage, got a pass to the final.

Kohli, Gayle and de Villiers – but is there anyone else who makes a compelling case?

Gaurav Sundararaman and Saurabh Somani21-May-2020ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore are one of the most followed franchises in cricket and have a loyal fan base, despite repeated failures. RCB have made the IPL finals on three occasions, but are yet to win a title. As a team, they have been highly reliant on just two or three players over the last few seasons, and have never been able to put together a potent bowling unit. Among all the teams in this series, RCB was the toughest all-time XI to put together, because very few players were retained by the franchise for a long enough period to make a case, and the gap between the top three players and the rest was huge.The picks
By sheer performance across years, six players were automatic picks. Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers were RCB’s best batsmen by far. These three have contributed close to 56% of RCB’s runs across 12 seasons – despite both Gayle and de Villiers not being part of the franchise for all 12 seasons. Among the bowlers, the spin duo of Anil Kumble and Yuzvendra Chahal were automatic selections due to the weight of wickets and an excellent economy rate. Among the zillion domestic pacers that RCB have tried out, only Vinay Kumar stood out. He had some tough seasons but his performance for RCB in the first few editions was remarkable and he is the franchise’s second-highest wicket taker with 80 wickets at an impressive strike rate of 17.8.The debate
There were two overseas spots left. Since 2011, the dependency on Gayle and de Villiers is evident – barring Tillakaratne Dilshan, no other overseas batsman has scored more than 250 runs over nine seasons. If we go back until 2008, we have just two more options in Ross Taylor and Jacques Kallis. Taylor, with 733 runs at an impressive strike rate of 148.68 helped RCB to the finals in 2009 after a disastrous 2008 season. Dilshan and Kallis usually play in the top three, and this team requires more stability in the middle. Hence we went with Taylor. The last overseas slot was a direct shootout between Dale Steyn and Mitchell Starc. Both have very similar stats but Starc’s strike rate and average are slightly superior to that of Steyn while Steyn’s economy rate (6.98) is a tad better than Starc’s (7.16). Starc’s death-overs bowling in more batting friendly seasons of the IPL and his wicket-taking ability put him ahead of Steyn for the last overseas slot.With four bowling options sealed, the choice for the last bowling slot was between Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar and S Aravind. Zaheer and Aravind had very similar stats. Both played 44 games and took 49 and 51 wickets respectively. Although Zaheer was more economical, Aravind was chosen ahead of him since he had a much better strike rate and played a crucial role in the two seasons that RCB made the final – in 2011 and 2016.The debate for the other slots was never-ending, with very limited options to choose from. With very few impactful performance from most players, we had to settle for average performers. The all-rounders and middle-order domestic batsmen who did well for RCB over the years were Rahul Dravid, Mandeep Singh, Robin Uthappa and Saurabh Tiwary. All these players had the odd match-winning knock but no one really had a dominant season. Among these players, Uthappa had the best numbers (five fifties with a strike rate of 140) and he can bat anywhere in the top six. We picked him for the finishing kick he can provide. Finally, with five specialist bowlers and five specialist batsmen picked, the last slot could have been either a specialist wicketkeeper or a middle order batsman/all-rounder. Due to the lack of options in the latter, we chose the former. Only two wicketkeepers were eligible – Parthiv Patel and KB Arun Karthik. Parthiv had superior performances and was slotted in as the opener to partner Gayle.RCB have always given the impression of being a collection of superstars more than a team, and the selection of their all-time XI reflects that. The trio of Gayle, de Villiers and Kohli have played together for a long time, but you would struggle to think of them as a team. This team looks a tad lopsided with the absence of a genuine allrounder. So there are six batsmen, including the keeper, and five bowlers. Just like all RCB teams, the all-time XI is also unfortunately highly reliant on Gayle, Kohli and De Villiers to bail them out.

Playing XI stats for RCB

1. Chris Gayle
91 matches (2011-2017)
Runs 3420, Ave 43.29, SR 154.402. Parthiv Patel

32 matches (2014-2019)
Runs 731, Ave 25.20, SR 130.073. Virat Kohli

192 matches (2008-2019)
Runs 5836, Ave 37.89, SR 132.814. AB de Villiers

127 matches (2011-19)
Runs 3755, Ave 41.72, SR 159.175. Ross Taylor

31 matches (2008-10)
Runs 733, Ave 31.86, SR 148.686. Robin Uthappa

40 matches (2009-10)
Runs 706, Ave 22.77, SR 139.527. Vinay Kumar
70 matches (2008-2013)
Wickets 80, Ave 24.77, ER 8.318. Mitchell Starc
27 matches (2014-15)
Wickets 34, Ave 20.38, ER 7.169. Anil Kumble
51 matches (2008-2010)
Wickets 53, Ave 24.58, ER 6.6510. S Aravind
44 matches (2011-2017)
Wickets 51, Ave 25.25, ER 8.6011. Yuzvendra Chahal

83 matches (2014-2019)
Wickets 100, Ave 22.84, ER 7.77Want to pick your own Royal Challengers all-time XI? Head over to our readers’ voting page here

All the action and talking points around England’s IPL contingent after the opening week

Andrew Miller28-Sep-2020England’s IPL cricketers have swapped a summer of bio-secure bubbles at the Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford for the sunnier climes of the UAE, and after an opportunity for competitive action denied to many of their colleagues and rivals at the tournament, they have for the most part hit the ground running in this year’s event. Here’s a quick run-down of who’s done what in the first week.Jofra Archer, finisher extraordinaireHow much simpler might England’s run-chase in the World Cup final have been had Jofra Archer found the six-hitting form that he’s located in Sharjah this past week? Archer, remember, had a shot to nothing at Lord’s last summer, one ball to face at the end of the penultimate over against New Zealand, with 15 still needed and Ben Stokes at the other end. He duly had his stumps splintered by Jimmy Neesham. But in the ludicrously bat-dominant conditions in Sharjah, he’s found his range – a total of 40 match-turning runs from 11 balls, with his six sixes including four in the space of two legal deliveries from Lungi Ngidi, which has to be some sort of a record. In the day job, Archer’s continued the smooth form he showed against Australia earlier this month – his stand-out figures of 1 for 26 were crucial against CSK, and while he received a bit of treatment from Nicholas Pooran at the death against KXIP, he’s hardly been alone in that, as Ngidi and Sheldon Cottrell, among many others, can testify.

Well this aged well https://t.co/EURMFteRk3

— Jofra Archer (@JofraArcher) September 27, 2020

Sharjah’s challenge gives Tom Curran early food for thoughtWho’d be a bowler at Sharjah, least of all a bowler whose methods revolve around subtlety and variation – factors that count for little when the conditions are so sweaty that your fingers lose their grip, and when the boundaries are short enough to reach with any old mishit. It has been a challenging week for Curran with the ball, who’s gone for 98 runs in eight overs, with barely a yorker in sight – his logic being that an accidental full toss, and the resulting free hit, would be more damaging than a standard smack through a length ball. But he’s shown his ticker in the tough circumstances nonetheless, not least with the bat, where he coolly cracked the winning runs from his solitary ball in Sunday night’s thriller. Oh, and he also got one-up on his brother in their personal match-up against CSK.Sam Curran shines for an otherwise flat CSKSam Curran Makes Things Happen. England have known this for months, and CSK are finding it out too, with their baby-faced acquisition living up to his £590,000 price tag in three sparky displays with bat and ball. Five wickets at an economy rate of 7.33 is outstanding by any standards, especially given that he’s one of the few to emerge intact from the carnage at Sharjah, his skiddy left-armers returning 3 for 33 in defeat against Rajasthan. He deserved better against Delhi too, an outstanding death over yielding four runs and a wicket before CSK’s batting fell away again. But even on that front, he’s bucked the trend with some ebullient smiting. With 36 runs from 14 balls in three innings, he’s been willing to die without wondering, unlike some of his more senior colleagues.Sam Curran goes big•BCCIEngland’s senior statesman quietly makes his markFor a man who’s been an irregular presence at the IPL for more than a decade now, Eoin Morgan hasn’t had an awful lot to write home about in his previous six seasons – a highest score of 66 and a career strike-rate of 120, which is almost 20 points lower than his England mark. But Morgan’s fabled unflappability has an added value now that he is a World Cup-winning captain, and he proved the perfect sidekick for Shubman Gill with 42 not out from 29 in KKR’s first win of the campaign, an unbroken 92-run stand sealing their chase against Sunrisers after three early wickets.Death-over woes leave Jordan in limboChris Jordan played just one match in each of the 2017 and 2018 IPLs before going unselected in 2019, and well … who knows quite when he’ll get another opportunity in 2020 after a debut to forget for KXIP. His death-bowling wiles have been a hit for England in recent years, but his franchise form has been less spectacular, and Marcus Stoinis took him to the cleaners in Dubai, bludgeoning a record-equalling 30 runs from his final over. Even then, Jordan had a shot at redemption, as he took strike for the final ball of the match with the scores tied … and shovelled a full-toss to square leg.7:14

Jonny Bairstow was reckless against Yuzvendra Chahal – Tom Moody

Why did Jonny do that?It was all going so well in Jonny Bairstow’s opening match of the campaign. Sunrisers were cruising on 121 for 2 with 43 still needed from 30 balls against RCB. With 61 calmly compiled runs from 41, Jonny’s only job was to stay there to the end. Instead, he lost his head with an outrageous head-in-the-air heave at Yuzvendra Chahal, the one man in the attack it would have been prudent to see off. Vijay Shankar was done in one ball later as Sunrisers lost their last seven in 27 to lose by 10. Bairstow wasn’t able to atone against KKR either, a sticky start coming to an even stickier end against Pat Cummins in a seven-wicket loss.Jos Buttler’s quiet re-emergenceHe missed RR’s first match against CSK while remaining in quarantine with his family, and he missed out in the bunfight against KXIP too – just four runs from seven balls as his first attacking stroke resulted in a sharp low catch at midwicket. It’s fair to presume that someone, somewhere, will be made to pay before long.And the bench-warmersMoeen Ali (RCB) and Tom Banton (KKR) are waiting in the wings for their first outings of the tournament. Ben Stokes (RR), meanwhile, has been getting his bowling boots back on in New Zealand, and could yet return from compassionate leave in early October.

Runs and wickets in two formats launched the tall quick bowler’s international career

Chinmay Vaidya11-Aug-2020When debutant Kyle Jamieson came to the crease in New Zealand’s second ODI of a three-match series against India they were 197 for 8 after 41.3 overs. Ross Taylor was at the other end, but needed some support to help New Zealand post a competitive total.So what was going through Jamieson’s mind?”If I’m honest, I wanted to get off the mark. I wanted to get a run and that was about as much as I was thinking,” Jamieson told ESPNcricinfo. “Just don’t get out, just try and get off the mark. At least you can say you got an international run.”Jamieson did slightly better than get off the mark. He contributed an unbeaten 25 to a 76-run stand to take New Zealand to 273.”We weren’t in great shape at that point,” Jamieson said. “It actually makes your role a lot simpler, [thinking] how do we get through the 50 overs and then as we move on, how do I keep getting Ross on strike?”ALSO READ: Who is the future of New Zealand’s batting? Peter Fulton picks four namesHowever, Jamieson’s job wasn’t done. Playing in the team as a bowler, he was largely responsible for defending New Zealand’s score. Although India’s usual openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were out due to injury, Jamieson knew how dangerous youngster Prithvi Shaw was.”We were lucky we played an A series the week before which sort of enabled me to seen guys like Prithvi Shaw and play against them for a few times,” he said. “He took us to the cleaners in a couple of those games so I was just like, alright, don’t want to give him too much, don’t want to start off my international career from a bowling point of view going for too many boundaries.”Kyle Jamieson roars after getting a wicket in his first over on debut•Getty ImagesShaw, playing in his second ODI, started off strongly with six boundaries in the first four overs. New Zealand made their first bowling change and gave the ball to Jamieson. In his first over as an international bowler, he knocked over Shaw’s stumps to deliver the breakthrough.”To get that first wicket, [it was] very emotional, but it also just gets you into the game,” he added. “Right, I’m underway, I can come back to my role.”After dismissing Navdeep Saini late in the contest to pick up his second wicket, Jamieson was awarded Man of the Match. His 25 proved to be crucial in a 22-run win for the home side.New Zealand swept the one-day series 3-0 then attention turned to the two World Test Championship matches. Having come off a dismal tour against Australia – losing 3-0 with defeats by 296 runs, 247 runs and 279 runs – during which Jamieson was called up as an injury replacement but did not play, they needed to bounce back quickly against India.The No. 1-ranked Test side were still a major threat despite some injuries and appeared to be running away with the WTC six months into the competition. Given each match was worth 60 points in the standings, the series could’ve essentially sealed, signed and delivered India to the WTC final.For Jamieson, this was the next challenge. It’s one thing to perform well in two limited-overs matches; it’s another to bring that effort consistently over five days.As it turned out, five days ended up being too optimistic for India. Jamieson took four wickets on debut in Wellington, including Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, but his signature moment arrived in the second Test in Christchurch when he claimed his maiden five-wicket haul.”As a fan of the Blackcaps team and watching the Test side being so settled for so long with some world class players, to kind of all of sudden be sitting in that dressing room and winning a Test match, it’s something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” he said. “Just being able to soak up that experience of playing such a world-class team like India and being in our dressing room and being able to find a way to contribute to a couple of Test wins.”The wickets were only part of Jamieson’s contributions. He made 44 in the first Test and came one run short of a half-century in the second. After his runs in his ODI debut, Jamieson was showcasing his batting prowess in the Test format.Kyle Jamieson scythes one through the covers•Getty Images”I think we saw in both those Tests how vital lower order runs can,” Jamieson said. “Whilst our main roles as bowlers is to take wickets and to restrict runs, if you can add 10, 20, 30 runs, it’s very important.”Jamieson sees himself developing as an allrounder, although he admits he’s more of a “net batter than a match batter” at this stage of his career. “I grew up as a batter mostly and it’s certainly one of my loves. I’m still trying to master it. I’ve got a passion for it and I love working on it.”All four matches Jamieson played resulted in New Zealand victories and he earned two Man of the Match awards. For the 25-year old, the stature of his team-mates was just as memorable as his early success on the pitch.”It’s pretty weird when you think about it, really. I remember that 2015 World Cup just how the whole nation got in behind that and it was such an awesome ride and I think everyone was so proud to be a Kiwi in that moment,” he said. “To play against those guys at the domestic level occasionally and then just to be sitting in the dressing room with guys that have been playing for a fair chunk of the time I’ve been watching cricket, being involved in bowling meetings, it’s pretty special. It’s what you dream of as a kid and it’s a ‘pinch yourself’ moment.”It is still to be confirmed when New Zealand will resume international action, although November is shaping as a likely start to the home season, but Jamieson’s future looks bright. “[It was] certainly a crazy three or four weeks,” he said. “I don’t even know now if I can really believe how it kind of all unfolded.”

All the important stats as India came back after being one Test down to win the series 2-1

ESPNcricinfo stats team19-Jan-20212 – Bigger targets chased by India in Tests. This is also the fifth-highest successful chase in Australia. In the last 20 years, only South Africa have chased down a higher total in Australia, when they scored 414 at Perth in 2008.32 – Years since Australia lost at the Gabba. Last time they lost was against West Indies in 1988. In between these two defeats, Australia went unbeaten for 31 Tests. The only other venue to witness a longer streak is Karachi, where Pakistan remained unbeaten for 34 successive Tests between 1955 and 2000.3 – Previous instances in which a team has come back from losing the first Test of a series to beat Australia in Australia. On all the three occasions, it was England – in 1882-83, 1911-12 and 1954-55 – who managed that.1 – Instance of a higher score by a wicketkeeper in a successful fourth-innings chase than Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 89. Adam Gilchrist scored 149 not out against Pakistan at Hobart. Pant finished the series with 274 runs – the most for India in the series. Pant now averages 87 in the fourth innings of a Test. Only Bruce Mitchell from South Africa averages more with a cut off of 300 runs.India’s highest fourth-innings totals in Test wins•ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 – Batsmen scoring 50-plus in the fourth innings of a Test for India. This has happened 13 times for India so far but this is the first occasion they managed it in successive Tests. Last time three Indian batsmen scored at least a half-century in the fourth innings in SENA was in England in 2002.928 – Balls faced by Cheteshwar Pujara in this Test series, the fifth-most by a visiting batsmen in Australia in four or fewer Tests. Three of the top five batsmen are Indians, with Pujara’s 1258 deliveries during the 2018-19 series at the top.27 – Innings taken by Pant to reach 1000 Test runs, the fastest for an Indian wicketkeeper. He went past MS Dhoni’s mark of 32 innings.2 – Series won by India in Australia. Among the subcontinent teams, only India have won a series in Australia. Australia’s record: series played 34, won 26, drawn 6, and lost 2.2015 – The last instance when two consecutive Tests had the same result in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy when the third and fourth Tests were draws. The last three series between these two teams have ended 2-1 in India’s favour with the series alive going into the final Test.76.08 – Batting average of left-handers at the No. 5 slot in the fourth innings of Tests since the beginning of 2019. There have been several top-notch performers in this period, including Kusal Perera (153* against South Africa), Ben Stokes (135* versus Australia), Matthew Wade (117 against England), Fawad Alam (102 against New Zealand) and Pant (97 in Sydney and 89* in Brisbane). On the other hand, right-handers at that slot average only 24.76 in this period.5 – Unbeaten Tests for Rahane as India’s captain. It’s early days yet but only nine players have led in five or more Tests and not lost a single one. Rahane is the only Indian on this list.

The New Zealand quick on being a gun powerplay bowler in the IPL, adjusting to bubble life, and switching plans up in Tests

Interview by Vishal Dikshit24-Nov-20202:09

Shane Bond an ‘extremely good tactical coach’ – Boult

Man of the Match in the recent IPL final, Trent Boult played a pivotal role with the new ball to help the Mumbai Indians win their fifth title. After getting back to New Zealand from the UAE, he spoke about playing the final with a niggle, what makes the Mumbai franchise click, getting used to bubble life, and what he tries to do in Test matches when the ball isn’t swinging much.Let’s start with the first ball of the IPL final. You’re known for pitching it up and swinging it, but this one was short of a length and you surprised Marcus Stoinis with the bounce to dismiss him for a duck. Was that planned or something you came up with on the spot?
You probably dream about starting a spell like that or starting a grand final like that. It was just one of those things that seemed to happen. Yup, I like to pitch the ball up and use the swing as quickly as I can. That was a little bit shorter accidentally but it was nice to get that result.And you were coming into the game with a groin niggle. Did that affect your confidence or were you thinking of bowling those important overs in the powerplay and pushing the Delhi Capitals on to the back foot?
Yeah, I faced a bit of a niggle in the first semi-final [Qualifier 1] and it’s a tricky thing. Any aches and pains or any niggles, they’re at the back of your head, but I passed the fitness day the day before [the final], had some confidence going into that game, and of course, I wanted to be a part of such a big occasion. So it was a big trip over there, a long time, a lot of cricket was played, but it was brilliant to lift that trophy at the end of the tournament.You took 16 of your 25 wickets in the powerplay overs, a joint IPL record with Mitchell Johnson, who also did it for the Mumbai Indians in 2013. What was your plan when you landed in the UAE? You knew the pitches were probably not going to help your style of bowling, so what kind of preparation did you put in?
I’ve played a little bit of cricket in the UAE. To be honest, the conditions I’ve faced there have been different every time, from Test cricket to one-day cricket. It was very hot at the start of the tournament and the wickets played quite well, I thought, and there’s a bit of humidity at night. Then the wickets got a little bit slower and the ball seemed to swing around a little bit more.Just like touring anywhere in the world, the biggest challenge is the conditions and trying to work out a game plan that works best in those conditions. I really enjoyed my time with Mumbai. I felt like I was pretty clear about my role. Obviously, it was to start up, bowl the first couple of overs and try and get a couple of wickets. Some games were better than others, but that’s how it goes in that format.

“Having experienced three and a half months away from my young family, it’s a big sacrifice to just leave for a quarter of the year, and looking at tours next year, there’s potential to be away for nine to ten months”

Everyone seemed to expect slow wickets in the UAE, and to think they would deteriorate towards the end of the league. So those pitches must have surprised you with the kind of help they provided fast bowlers throughout?
Yeah, I think the variation across the three grounds there… day games were definitely a lot different than the night games; a lot of dew came into play, and then the ball seemed to skid on in that second innings. Once again, being able to adjust to those conditions was definitely the most important part. And we were backed by a side with a very experienced bowling attack, and then obviously a very quality batting line-up as well.Everyone talks about your Test-match bowling more, but in this IPL you were one of the most impressive bowlers. Did you have to change your normal bowling plans by a lot for the tournament?
Test cricket is no doubt my favourite format; I definitely enjoy getting in the whites and getting the red ball in my hand. If you really want to [analyse] my performance in this IPL, it was probably similar to what I do in a Test match anyway – bowling the hard length and getting to swing it around with the new ball. It’s a challenging format: you can bring whatever game plan you want, you’ve got to be clear on what you’re trying to do and you’ve got to execute that pretty nicely. Because in a tournament like the IPL, you see the teams we’re coming up against, the players, the batters, you’ve got to be right on the mark. It was some good players, but that’s the best thing about it, really, to challenge yourself against the Warners, the Pollards, the Rohits, so it was good fun.ALSO READ: How the Mumbai Indians built their IPL empirePlaying for MI for the first time, you and James Pattinson had very well-defined roles in the powerplay, which allowed Jasprit Bumrah to bowl more at the death. Rohit Sharma said at one of the presentations that he and the management had a conversation with you and Pattinson about the MI culture and what they needed out of you. Could you tell us about that?
You go through your meetings and your planning for each opposition. To have that kind of diversity across that attack… You’ve got three very good spinners – Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar and KP [Krunal Pandya] – great craft bowlers through the middle overs, who can bowl with the new ball. To get the chance to bowl with James – [he’s a] quality new-ball bowler as well, hits the wicket hard, and then you actually sometimes forget that you’ve got Bumrah in your attack until he grabs that ball in the last ten overs. I’ve played a little bit with him over the years. He’s a phenomenal bowler, the way he goes out there, keeps it nice and simple and bowls straight on the spots.What is it about the MI culture that gets the best out of the players? Quinton de Kock has scored so much for two seasons in a row, and you have been their gun powerplay bowler this year.
Like I’ve been saying, they’re very well planned: they forecast what kind of players will have what sort of impact in what conditions. I’ve worked with Shane Bond a lot, so that relationship probably helps as well.Comparing it to other franchises, I suppose just having the opportunity to play a lot of the games back-to-back gave a bit of rhythm. That certainly helps. Having that tournament out of India, in conditions where you’re not going to the airport every day and on buses and all sorts of stuff like that, we just got into a nice rhythm and all the guys were playing well and they continued to play well across the ten weeks. It’s a hard thing to pinpoint, but definitely those couple of things have done big favours for that franchise.”T20 is a challenging format: you’ve got to be clear on what you’re trying to do and you’ve got to execute that pretty nicely”•BCCI You’ve obviously worked with Shane Bond in the New Zealand set-up, but did you see a different version of him here?
I’ve always said that Bond is an extremely good tactical coach. He comes up with good game plans and definitely puts in a lot of hours in terms of looking at where guys hit the ball and where their strong zones are and potential places to exploit weaknesses. Obviously to have a familiar face there, someone I’ve known for many years, definitely calmed me down a little bit and gave me a lot of confidence. He was brilliant and I’m here in quarantine at the moment in New Zealand, getting the chance to work with him in the nets as we prepare for the West Indies series. So it’s a good relationship.You also had Zaheer Khan in the coaching staff, a different bowler compared to Bond, which must have reflected in his coaching too. He’s also a fellow left-arm quick. What kind of advice did he offer?
I don’t know Zaheer too well, but he was brilliant – a left-armer a lot of guys looked up to over the years. I imitated his action a couple of times, which got a couple of giggles out of him. He’s very experienced, played a lot of cricket, T20 cricket as well, and it was nice to hear his way of doing things or how he used to do things back in the day.Great support staff there and Mahela [Jayawardene] led the team pretty nicely, he was pretty passionate. It was a good couple of months away and I built some pretty good friendships.ALSO READ: ‘Be aggressive and take wickets’ – Trent Boult on his T20 gameplanBefore the T20I series against England in November 2019, you said “being aggressive” was your T20 game plan. How do you define aggression in T20 cricket?
I think you’re trying to be aggressive in terms of trying to take wickets and pitching the ball up and taking a few risks every now and then. Everyone understands how big of an impact getting early wickets inside the powerplay makes, whether they’re chasing or trying to set a total. It’s a tough format, it’s a hard one to read too much into. You can bowl one way in a certain match and get 3 for 20 and bowl with the same game plan a couple of days later and you get none for 47. I try not to look into it too much, but I’m very clear on what a game’s wicket looks like to me. It was nice to grab a few in the UAE and make a bit of an impact.How much of that “being aggressive” mentality has got to do with Brendon McCullum’s captaincy in the 2015 World Cup, when you were bowling with a Test match kind of field. Has that mentality carried on for you and other New Zealand bowlers as well?
I think so. It was a big continuum point for white-ball cricket in New Zealand, I reckon. Back in 2015, to be running in in ODI cricket with four slips and no third man was probably not the norm. The facilities and the conditions you are in, the way the ball swings around, if it swings around a little or doesn’t at all, it kind of justifies that. Brendon was brilliant at instilling confidence in you and really backed you. I don’t know if that’s the new norm or anything like that but definitely good fun to see with the white ball swinging around and see the bat miss the edge and knock over a few stumps.

“In the IPL you’ve got to be right on the mark. That’s the best thing about it, really – to challenge yourself against the Warners, the Pollards, the Rohits”

You once said you get “quite nervous” when New Zealand are bowling first in a Test match. Does it happen even when you’re bowling at home or, say, in England where you know the ball is going to swing?
At any point, I really get nervous the first morning of a Test match – [there are] a few butterflies when you’re not sure what’s going to happen, whether you bat or bowl, when you have a red ball in your hand on a nice, green wicket. Obviously you want to be straight on the mark. Test cricket is one of those things – there’s a lot of pressure on you, but as a bowler you want to set that tone and get the team off to a good start. A lot of work goes into preparing for a Test match, and it’s kind of a week-long event so that’s probably when I get the butterflies in the stomach, but I love it, it’s a great feeling.What are usually your plans B and C when you’re bowling in conditions that aren’t helping you? It could be in Asia or even at the Basin Reserve (Wellington) where the pitch becomes so much better for batting if you’re bowling second on the second or third day.
It’s one of the big challenges, having other plans up your sleeve when the ball doesn’t swing. Wickets can be pretty good in New Zealand – they kind of get better to bat on as the Test goes on rather than deteriorate or anything like that or like a subcontinental pitch where it turns and gets a little bit low. Reverse swing isn’t really a big thing in New Zealand, but it’s a string I want to really add to my bow and be able to do it in overseas conditions. I suppose the luxury of being a left-armer is, I can get funky with angles, coming around the wicket and using shorter balls and look at the bowling attack you’re bowling with. Myself, Timmy [Tim Southee] and Wags [Neil Wagner] have been doing that for a wee while now and a lot of credit goes to the way we pass the ball around between each other.ALSO READ: Shane Bond: Resting Trent Boult important ‘for his own sanity’Do you ever get tempted to use more variations in Tests in such situations because you’ve played so many ODIs and T20s now, or do you like to stick to the Test match kind of line and length and focus on accuracy?
I think you’re just trying to be as accurate as you can and not give too many loose balls and boundary balls to players. I don’t see too much room for knuckleballs and offcutters and stuff like that in Test matches. I think the biggest thing is bowling as a pack and sticking to keeping that pressure on and not letting them get too far ahead of the game.You and Southee support each other very well. What kind of conversations do you have – in any format – when the opposition openers are scoring freely and your plans aren’t quite working?
I think naturally you’re backing each other to be accurate, to be able to think on your feet. I suppose that comes with playing a lot of cricket – you offer a lot of experience, and Timmy is an incredibly experienced bowler. He’s been doing this for a long time. You’ve just got to keep it simple, in my opinion, and force the batters to play a good shot off a good ball. If you’re putting the ball where you want to put it, and if they’re playing good shots taking high risks, then sometimes at the end of the day that’s all you can really do. I don’t like to overcomplicate it too much and I’ve only got three or four balls that I can bowl – it might be a hard length, a bouncer, a yorker and a slower ball. It’s just about choosing which is the right one at what stage of the match, and keeping it nice and simple.”I get butterflies first morning of a Test match, when you’re not sure what’s going to happen, when you have a red ball in your hand on a nice, green wicket”•AFP / Getty ImagesHow do you plan for a batsman like Steven Smith in Tests, especially in Australia, where the ball is not swinging? He hits the ball to square leg even from outside the off stump.
I’d probably give the ball to Waggy [Wagner] pretty quickly and watch him bowl (). He’s obviously quite an unorthodox kind of player, hits the ball into funky areas, and he’s another guy that you give him a couple of boundaries and let him get off to a good start and he finds a good rhythm and he’s very hard to get out. Once again, it’s about adjusting to what’s in front of you – whether it’s a slow wicket or the ball is swinging or not, it’s kind of going to dictate your plans in a way. They’ve got some big players, the Australians, we had a tough lesson over there just recently with a Test series. It’s a big learning curve, so look forward to that next occasion when it’s coming up.Do you try to swing the ball into him as much as you do against other right-handers?
Yeah, I probably just figure out the best way to contain him, whether that’s bowling straight to him with straight fields… but the guy is very, very quality. He’s very strong off his pads and as soon as you overpitch, he can hit you straight down the ground, and if you bowl too short he can hit you through square leg. You’ve got to be nice and clear [with your plans] but it’s definitely a good challenge.ALSO READ: Hot Seat: Who gets to bowl first at Steven Smith?Players are also getting used to the bubble life now. Many players have already spoken about the kind of mental toll it could take in the long run. Do you also think it’s going to force players to pick and choose certain series to spend more time with their families?
I think it’s going to be a tough one to forecast. Having experienced three and a half months away from my young family – I have two young boys and a wife back home whom I haven’t seen – you can imagine it’s a big sacrifice to just pack up and leave for a quarter of the year, and looking at tours next year, there’s potential to be away for nine to ten months. I can’t speak for everyone, but it’s definitely going to play a big role in the game. Having to come back to New Zealand, you have to spend two weeks in a hotel before you can even be let out. It’s crazy what the world is facing at the moment, it’s almost surreal, and it’s going to be a hard one to say what guys are feeling and what they’re able to do. Speaking from playing in the IPL, it’s brilliant to be back out on the field and offer something for everyone to watch and it was closely followed all around the world. That’s the beauty of cricket, it brings everyone together, so I’m hoping it’s back to normal pretty soon.You have the Test series coming up against West Indies who also have a formidable bowling attack, with Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach. Put together, they have everything – pace, swing, seam movement, bounce. Do you think it’s going to be one of the tougher challenges for New Zealand?
[It’s] always exciting playing the West Indies, they show a lot of character. They bring a lot of history with them, a lot of pride, and they’ll be here to put in a good performance. We’ll look forward to that, and then we move forward to the Pakistan series. Same thing again, some quality bowlers there. I’m sure it’s going to be exciting. [I’m] already getting nervous about batting – probably shouldn’t say that! – but it’s going to be good fun. It’ll be nice for the New Zealand public to watch some good cricket and to see some good, international cricket on our screens.Will New Zealand’s batting be the key because the bowling attacks of all three teams – New Zealand, West Indies and Pakistan – are really strong?
I think we’re going to have to bat extremely well. Probably the biggest confidence booster is that we played some pretty good cricket in New Zealand in the past wee while. We’re very clear with how the conditions react. I know the batsmen here are looking forward to a big challenge and a big home summer and hopefully we can continue that form that we’ve had over here, and play some good cricket and keep moving towards that World Test Championship pinnacle.