Sports
It’s all in the geometry – how Shami and Siraj put the skids under Australia
David Warner came to India with a point to prove. His previous two tours of the country had brought him 388 runs in eight Tests, at an average of 24.25. There were question marks over his game against spin, particularly against his old nemesis R Ashwin.
Warner’s tour has ended, prematurely, and his average in India has dropped further, to 21.78, but while he has struggled against spin, he has only been out to it once in three innings. The larger share of the wounds he is carrying back to Australia – a concussion, a fractured elbow and two dismissals – have been inflicted by India’s fast bowlers.
Mohammed Shami has dismissed Warner twice, both times in a clinical manner that has homed in on an old weakness – a lack of footwork, and consequently a tendency for his bat to come down at an angle while defending good-length balls angling into him from right-arm around.
Both times, Shami homed in on a top-of-off-stump sort of line and length. Both times, he pinned Warner to the crease. In Nagpur, the ball kept going with the angle into Warner, more or less, and bowled him off the thigh pad, beating the inside edge of his bat as it sliced down from gully to mid-on. In Delhi, the ball straightened off the deck, and kissed the outside edge as Warner’s bat sliced across the line in similar manner.
Two classic Shami dismissals, in a classic Shami series. Over the first two Tests, he’s taken seven wickets at an average of 14.42, bowling only 30 overs but taking a wicket every 26 balls.
Mohammed Siraj hasn’t taken a wicket since getting Usman Khawaja lbw with his first ball of the series, but he’s only bowled 18 overs, and has looked extremely awkward to face at times, particularly when he tormented Warner with the short ball in Delhi.
As a combination, India’s quicks have averaged 20.12 over this Border-Gavaskar series. Pat Cummins and Scott Boland, meanwhile, have combined to average 51.00.
Two Tests is a small sample size, of course, and batters have achieved fairly similar control percentages against Shami (79.0), Siraj (80.6), Cummins (80.6) and Boland (81.4), suggesting that there may be a degree of randomness to the skewed averages.
But the skewed averages have been par for course in nearly every home series India have played over the last decade. It’s one thing to induce uncertainty, and another to translate uncertainty into wicket-taking opportunities.
In five of India’s last seven home series, their fast bowlers have collectively averaged below 21. In each of those five series, the opposition quicks have averaged over 35.
How they have done it is partly down to home advantage, and of bowling in a style that heightens their threat on lower-bounce pitches. Shami (20.63), Siraj (22.85), Jasprit Bumrah (15.64) and Umesh Yadav (24.71) all average below 25 at home since the start of 2013. Skiddiness, in one way or another, defines all of them.
What exactly do we mean when we call a fast bowler skiddy? There’s more to it, but at the simplest level it’s all about geometry. Shami, by definition, releases the ball at a significantly shallower angle than the 6’5″ Cummins does to hit the same spot on the pitch. The ball comes off the pitch at a shallower angle too, which means Shami can threaten the stumps from a wider range of lengths than Cummins. It’s why batters are so often rooted to the crease by Shami deliveries that uproot their stumps.
In South Africa last year, the uniformly skiddy nature of India’s pace attack became a disadvantage on pitches where the ball that climbed from a length was the biggest threat to batters. Catches at gully and short leg were likelier occurrences than bowled and lbw, and South Africa’s quicks put their considerable height advantage to telling use to engineer Test wins in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Tall, hit-the-deck quicks tend to prosper in bouncier conditions, and Australia and South Africa have always had an abundant supply of that sort of bowler. India haven’t always had an assembly line churning out world-class skiddy fast bowlers, but they have had one over the last decade.
India’s skiddiness advantage is most apparent in how well their fast bowlers attack the stumps: 139 of their 253 wickets in home Tests since the start of 2013 have been bowled or lbw. That’s nearly 55%. Visiting teams’ fast bowlers have taken 237 wickets, out of which only 93 – or 39% – have been bowled or lbw.
But skiddiness is also awkward to face from shorter lengths. The short ball comes off the pitch quicker and at a lower height than expected, and tends to cramp the batter for room. When Siraj hit Warner on the elbow and the head in Delhi, it was evident that he had tried to play the pull both times with his elbows tucked in rather than with a full extension of the arms.
Putting batters in these sorts of positions can create genuine wicket-taking chances. Since the start of 2013, according to ESPNcricinfo’s data, India’s fast bowlers have taken 75 wickets from short and short-of-good-length balls in home Tests, at an average of 22.49. In the same time, visiting quicks have taken 71 wickets from these lengths while averaging 40.73.
In Indian conditions, fast bowlers usually only operate in short bursts, whether the ball is new or old. This can be a mixed blessing. You can bowl flat-out, knowing that the spinners will be back soon to take over the workload, but you also know you have a limited window to make an impact in. It takes an incredible amount of skill and intelligence to create chances over these short bursts. Zaheer Khan did it frequently in his pomp, and over the last decade, his successors have taken it to a new level as a collective.
For the visiting batter, then, there’s no respite. If Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar don’t get you, Shami and Siraj probably will.(cricinfo)
In the fifth T20I in Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand last year, the hosts had been dismissed for 92 chasing 135 in Christchurch. In the first T20I of this five-match series, that was a winning total for New Zealand after Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy took apart a new-look Pakistan side.
The dropping of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan signalled that Pakistan were trying to step out of their comfort zone in T20 cricket, which is broadly very good. But on Sunday, they saw the risks that also come with it as they were bundled out for 91, their lowest total in New Zealand and their fifth-lowest in the format.
The Black Caps followed the WhiteFerns in bringing up comprehensive victories on a double-header day in Christchurch as Jamieson and Duffy shared seven wickets between them, the bounce they were able to generate being too much for the Pakistan batters.
Jamieson, back in the T20I set up for the first time in nearly two years, set the tone for New Zealand with a wicket maiden, Mohammad Haris only able to help a short ball behind to wicketkeeper Mitch Hay.
Debutant Hasan Nawaz then got a leading edge off Duffy to Jamieson at deep third as Pakistan lost both openers without a run on the board. This was only the second time both Pakistan openers were dismissed for ducks.
Jamieson then had Irfan Khan edging behind in the third over as Pakistan slumped to 1 for 3 – their lowest score at the fall of the third wicket.
Tim Robinson then evoked rather fresh memories of Glenn Phillips from the Champions Trophy as he took a blinder at backward point to give Jamieson his third, with the scoreboard reading 11 for 4.
Pakistan were restricted to 14 for 4 in the powerplay, and it could have gotten worse immediately afterwards, but Tim Seifert dropped Khushdil Shah at point off the captain Michael Bracewell.
Agha then looked to drive a full ball from Zakary Foulkes the next over, only to get an edge but Daryl Mitchell shelled the chance in the slip cordon.
Agha and Khushdil used their second lives to arrest Pakistan’s free-fall. They finally looked to up the tempo in the tenth over, when Agha reverse-swept Ish Sodhi for four behind point and Khushdil smacked him over midwicket for Pakistan’s first six.
In the next over, Khushdil took Bracewell on for back-to-back sixes to try and put some pressure back on the bowlers. But it was a very short-lived phase of ascendancy for Pakistan.
Agha tried another reverse-sweep off Sodhi’s next ball, but he could only pick out deep backward point. Duffy was brought back into the attack for an over, and the move paid dividends as Khushdil slapped a short ball to backward point. Pakistan were 64 for 6 after 13.
Debutant Abdul Samad and Jahandad Khan then fell trying to play big shots before Duffy returned in the penultimate over to take the last two wickets, picking up from where he left off in the T20I series against Sri Lanka where he finished as the highest wicket-taker
Pakistan’s 91 is the fourth-lowest T20I score by any team in New Zealand.
After playing out the first over, Seifert got New Zealand going with a pull through midwicket off debutant Mohammad Ali. He then picked up three boundaries off Shaheen Afridi’s next over, including another pull in front of square.
Seifert gave the charge to Ali to pick up another boundary, before getting two off Jahandad’s first over, and the fifth of the innings. Finn Allen, largely a spectator until then, also joined the party as he lofted Jahandad down the ground for the first six of the chase.
Pakistan switched to spin and Seifert welcomed Abrar Ahmed with a massive hit over long-off. Abrar got the better of him with a carrom ball that Haris did well to hold on to behind the stumps off the bottom edge, but New Zealand by then had effectively won the match in the two powerplays.
Allen hit another six and two fours, while Robinson also got a six to his name as New Zealand completed the chase just one ball after the halfway mark of the innings.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 92 for 1 in 10.1 overs (Tim Seifert 44, Finn Allen 29*, Tim Robinson 18*; Abrar Ahmed 1-15) beat Pakistan 91 in 18.4 overs (Salman Agha 18, Khushdil Shah 32, Jahandad Khan 17; Jacob Duffy 4-14, Kyle Jamieson 3-8, Zakarie Foulkes 1-11, Ish Sodhi 2-27) by nine wickets
[Cricinfo]
At the recently concluded International Schools Athletic Championship (ISAC), Lyceum International School Wattala emerged as champions. However, during the competition, a protest was lodged, alleging that one of Lyceum Wattala’s athletes was on the payroll of the Sri Lanka Army and, therefore, ineligible to participate in ISAC. Following an inquiry, the athlete was disqualified, and the points he had earned were deducted from the school’s total. By that time, he had already won gold medals in the Long Jump, Triple Jump, and 4x100m relay.
Lyceum Wattala has built a reputation for excelling in sports, but many attribute this success to its large-scale recruitment of athletes through scholarships. Notably, the two champion athletes of this year’s ISAC had previously represented other schools. Further inquiries have now revealed that another athlete, who competed for Lyceum Wattala at ISAC 2025 and secured the Under-20 Champion title by winning the 400m, 110m hurdles, and 4x400m relay, is also on the payroll of the Sri Lanka Army.
Unethical practices of this nature create an unhealthy competitive environment and discourage underprivileged schools, which struggle to retain their talent. Lyceum is not the only international school offering scholarships to top athletes; other international schools have also followed suit. One such leading institution, known for its strong academic results, has extended its scholarship program to sports, aggressively recruiting high-achieving students from other schools.
This school has reportedly granted scholarships to several students and even gone as far as providing free textbooks, exam fees, and opportunities for foreign travel.
Rather than nurturing homegrown talent, these international schools seem more focused on acquiring ready-made athletes from other institutions. The era of developing skilled players appears to be fading, as these schools increasingly prioritize assembling teams over fostering individual talents.
Strong all-round performances fromSuzie Bates and Brooke Halliday along with a breakout bowling display from Bree Illing helped New Zealand breeze to a seven wicket win against Sri Lanka in Christchurch to level the series at 1-1.
New Zealand’s bowlers set the tone with a frugal display after winning the toss and electing to bowl, restricting Sri Lanka to 113 for 7 in their 20 overs before Bates and Halliday made 47 and 46 not out respectively as the hosts cruised home with seven wickets and nine balls to spare. Bates was named player of the match after also bowling four overs for just 16 runs while Halliday also took 1 for 12 with the ball in addition to posting her highest T20I score.
Illing made use of the early morning start picking up a wicket in the opening over and a second in the seventh as she bowled straight with the new ball to finish with figures of 2 for 18 in just her second T20I after going wicketless in her debut in game one of the series on Friday
Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu was well held as Eden Carson, Jess Kerr and Bates were rotated at the other end with the latter bowling a maiden to Athapaththu in her first over. The scoreboard pressure told when Kerr castled her for 23 off 29 in the following over, the ninth of the innings, with Sri Lanka stalled at 3 for 46.
That soon became 4 for 53 when debutant Flora Devonshire picked up a wicket in her first over in international cricket.
Sri Lanka steadied thanks to a 54-run stand between Manudi Nanayakkara and Nilakshika Silva. Nanyakkara made 35 from 32 with four boundaries while Silva made 20 from 22. But neither player could break free as Bates bowled four overs for just 16 runs while Halliday also took a wicket in her two overs for 11 runs. Kerr took a wicket in the final over to finish with figures of 2 for 29.
New Zealand’s chase started poorly with Georgia Plimmer caught behind in the second over for just 4. Emma McLeod followed suit in the seventh over for a sluggish 11 from 13 but Bates controlled the chase at the other. Safe in the knowledge she needed less than a run-a-ball, she struck just four boundaries and only faced consecutive dot balls once in her 46-ball innings before she was caught and bowled in 15th over with 29 still needed to win.
Halliday ensured they were knocked off with ease striking multiple boundaries in both the 16th and 18th overs as she made 46 not out from 40 balls to steer her side home and go past her previous T20I best of 38.
The series will be decided in the third T20I in Dunedin on Tuesday.
Brief scores:
New Zealand Women 117 for 3 in 18.3 overs (Suzie Bates 47, Emma McLeod 11, Brooke Halliday 46*; Inoshi Priyadarshini 1-19, Sugandika Kumari 1-16, Achini Kulasuriya 1-11)beat Sri Lanka Women 113 for 7 in 20 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 23, Harshith Samarawickrema 11, Kavisha Dilhari 12, Manudi Nanyakkara 35, Nilakshika Silva 20; Bree Illing 2-18, Jess Kerr 2-29, Flora Devonshire 1-12, Brooke Halliday 1-11) by seven wickets
[Cricinfo]
Pakistan 91 all out as post Babar-Rizwan era begins with a whimper
International Schools accused of poaching athletes for ISAC glory
Bates, Illing, Halliday star to level the series at 1-1
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