Rafael Devers's discontentment with the Boston Red Sox front office began in the spring, when the club asked him to move from third base to designated hitter in the wake of signing Alex Bregman. Devers acquiesced, and things seemed to be in a better place until May. The club again asked him to take up a new position, first base, following the season-ending injury to Triston Casas.
And as it turns out, the Red Sox' second ask of Devers wasn't the only thing that apparently upset the star slugger before his surprising trade to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. Red Sox rookie Kristian Campbell, who has spent most of his time at second base, apparently volunteered to play first base following the injury to Casas, a move that upset Devers, sources told Joon Lee of Yahoo! Sports.
According to Lee, Devers took Campbell's offer not as a team-first move by a young player, but as a "slight to his own stature."
In a series of public comments in which he was openly critical of the Red Sox front office, Devers in May had this to say about Boston's Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow.
"I just feel like it's not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position," Devers said at the time. "It was the GM that I spoke with. I'm not sure what he has with me. He played ball and I would like to think he knows that changing positions like that isn't easy."
Some veteran Red Sox players reportedly took exception to the way that Devers handled the situation publicly. Clearly, a disconnect between Devers and the front office played a role in the surprising trade. But it seems that there was also a disconnect between Devers and the Red Sox players.
Big chases bring all the drama and here is a list of five from the IPL that had almost everything
ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2025Jonny Bairstow made an unbeaten 108 in a chase of 262•BCCI
Punjab Kings 262 for 2
In a season where run-scoring and six-hitting scaled new heights, this clash raised the bar for T20 cricket. The match featured a record 42 sixes and produced the highest successful chase in the format – 262. KKR’s 261 for 6 was powered by a 138-run opening stand between Sunil Narine and Phil Salt, with the middle order adding the finishing touches. In reply, Prabhsimran Singh provided the early thrust before Jonny Bairstow’s fiery hundred and Shashank Singh’s 28-ball 68 sealed the mighty chase with eight balls to spare.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Sunrisers Hyderabad 247 for 2
It was Abhishek’s night in Hyderabad. A stroke of luck came early when he was caught on 28, but it turned out to be off a no-ball. Most times, when he hit the ball in the air, it either disappeared into the stands or dropped safely in no man’s land. Occasionally, as is the case when playing such high-risk innings, the ball went in the general direction of a fielder but PBKS weren’t able to hold onto their catches. Abhishek dismantled PBKS’ bowling attack with audacious ease. He stormed to his maiden IPL century in just 40 balls and went on record the highest individual score (141 off 55 balls) by an Indian in IPL history. Head played the perfect supporting act, hammering 66 off 37 in a dominant 171-run opening stand.Rahul Tewatia was the centre of attention after his spectacular innings against Kings XI in IPL 2020•BCCI
Rajasthan Royals< 226 for 6
With Rajasthan Royals (RR) needing 51 off the final three overs, Rahul Tewatia’s 17 off 23 balls was turning into a disastrous promotion to No. 4. But what followed was one of the most dramatic turnarounds in IPL history. Tewatia smashed five sixes off Sheldon Cottrell’s over. He and Jofra Archer added three more sixes, and a four, in the next nine balls. RR chased down 224 – the highest IPL chase at the time – with three balls to spare. Earlier, Sanju Samson’s 85 off 42 had kept them in the hunt against PBKS.Jos Buttler pulled off a great one-man rescue act for Rajasthan Royals last year•BCCI
Rajasthan Royals 224 for 8
The standout performer of KKR’s title-winning campaign, Sunil Narine, smashed his maiden T20 century to lift his side to 223 for 6 and then struck with the ball too. With 103 to defend off 46 balls and four wickets remaining for RR, KKR were cruising. But Jos Buttler had other plans. With a strapped-up hamstring that kept him out of the previous game, Buttler single-handedly turned the chase on its head – scoring 70 of the remaining runs, retaining strike for the final 18 balls, and completing the win with five sixes and six fours.The Pandya brothers run to congratulate Kieron Pollard on taking Mumbai home in a chase of 219•BCCI/IPL
Mumbai Indians 219 for 6
This was one of those chases that cemented Kieron Pollard’s status as Mumbai Indians (MI) saviour. Ambati Rayudu’s blazing 72 off 27 balls had powered CSK to 218 for 4. MI came out swinging in the powerplay but stumbled with three quick wickets. MI needed 125 off the last eight overs with Pollard batting on 2 off 4. Then the tide started turning – he hit three sixes off Ravindra Jadeja, followed by a barrage against the quicks. Cameos from the Pandya brothers helped bring it down to 16 off the final over. Pollard kept strike throughout and sealed the win off the last ball with a nervy, match-winning double.
Newcastle United are always on the lookout for exciting talent to bolster their ranks and could now be set to press ahead in their pursuit of a star loved by Lionel Messi.
Newcastle appoint Ross Wilson as Director of Football
After the international break is over, the Magpies face a trip to face Brighton & Hove Albion on the South Coast as the Premier League gets back underway following a two-week hiatus.
On the news front, Ross Wilson’s appointment as Newcastle’s new Director of Football has signalled another interesting move from PIF as they look to assemble a side capable of competing with the elite of the English game.
Rangers' former sporting director Ross Wilson.
Opening up on conversations he has held with Eddie Howe, he told Sky Sports: “This is such a special club, and I fully understand the passion, ambition and expectations of our incredible supporters, as well as the ambition and desire of our ownership to keep developing and building an even stronger Newcastle United.
“My conversations with ownership have been extremely positive, and I’ve also been in regular contact with Eddie Howe and David Hopkinson. The trust, cohesion and alignment we’re building already feels strong, and we believe that being united as a team will be so important as we continue to move the club forward together.”
Looking to make an early mark, Wilson could look to bring Brentford striker Igor Thiago to Newcastle after his impressive early showings at the Bees this season. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if Keith Andrews will cooperate after losing Yoane Wissa to the Magpies.
With his feet now under the table, Wilson is now eyeing an exciting winger who could soon be on his way to Tyneside if recent developments are to evolve.
Newcastle keen on Spain international Ansu Fati
According to reports in Spain, Newcastle are keen to sign Spain international Ansu Fati, who is on loan at AS Monaco from parent club Barcelona.
Scoring six times in his first five matches at the Ligue 1 outfit, he could be captured permanently by Les Monégasques for around £9.5 million in the summer. Meanwhile, Barcelona have the chance to buy him back for a fee in the region of £24.5 million.
Worse than Barnes: Newcastle flop is on borrowed time after Wilson arrival
This Newcastle United flop is surely on borrowed time under Ross Wilson.
By
Dan Emery
Oct 12, 2025
Crystal Palace and Everton are also keen on his services and it is easy to see why, given he has already created five chances this term in the French top-flight, per Fotmob.
Praised by Lionel Messi for his rise to prominence, Fati may have had to take the long way around after falling out of favour at Barcelona, but he now seems to have rediscovered his mojo and appears well on his way to stardom.
Newcastle are on a similar upward trajectory, creating a merging of paths that could be positive for everyone at St James’ Park.
A lot can happen over the course of a long Major League Baseball season. A small-market team can emerge as a juggernaut. Big-market teams can be humbled. The deepest division in baseball a year ago can be turned directly on its head.
Just under a month and half remains in the 2025 regular season, and baseball's pecking order looks very different now from how it looked early on. Can the Brewers keep up their blazing second half? Can the Yankees and Mets rediscover their old mojo? What's going on in the American League Central? These issues and more will be explored in this edition of Fact or Fiction.
The Brewers will end the season with MLB's best record
Verdict: Fact
At 79–47, Milwaukee is perched atop both leagues and on pace for the best record in franchise history. The squad leads the Cubs by seven games in the National League Central and the Phillies by six games in the race for the No. 1 seed in the NL, and is five games better than the AL-best Tigers.
The question is whether those leads can hold up for the rest of the season. Milwaukee's remaining opponents have a winning percentage of .510 (11th strongest). Contrast that with .468 for Chicago (29th), .502 for Philadelphia (15th), .471 for the Dodgers (28th), and .493 for the Tigers (19th). Those numbers don’t post the prettiest picture, but the Brewers do play 22 of their 36 remaining games against teams under .500—more than the Cubs (21), Phillies (19) and Tigers (12), and just two fewer than the Dodgers. That’ll be present more opportunities to stack up wins against inferior competition. They also possess perhaps the best pitching depth in the league.
MORE:SI:AM | The Brewers’ Streak by the Numbers
Who can gain ground on the Brewers by beating them directly? The Cubs have two more chances to this week, but that’s the last time the two division rivals play. Back-to-back series against the Blue Jays and Phillies loom. A protracted dip seems unlikely, though, so Milwaukee can dream of a third straight division title—and a good shot at a first playoff series win since 2018.
The Yankees and Mets will both miss the playoffs
Verdict: Fiction
The Yankees were in danger of falling out of the playoff picture as recently as Friday, thanks to a lengthy slump and a month-long tear by the Guardians. The weekend, however, broke perfectly New York's way: the Yankees swept the Cardinals and watched Cleveland drop three in a row to the Braves. The Guardians scraped together a win over the Diamondbacks Monday, but lost again Tuesday. The Red Sox, meanwhile, are on a four-game losing streak.
What about the Mets? Ice cold of late as well, they also received a pair of morale boosts over the weekend. Pitcher Nolan McLean was sterling in his MLB debut against the Mariners Saturday, and they hammered Seattle in the Little League Classic Monday. The Reds still are just one game back for the final NL wild-card spot, but manager Carlos Mendoza’s crew has to be in a better mood amid a series against the last-place Nationals.
All that is to say: a postseason without both New York teams seems unlikely. There've been just four such playoffs this century—2008, '13, '14 and '23. While these Yankees may lack the single-minded, top-down seriousness of manager Joe Torre's squads of yore, they are better on paper than Cleveland and Kansas City—the Royals have won five in a row and trail Boston by 2 1/2 games for the final AL wild-card spot. Likewise, the Mets' potent offense should shake pesky Cincinnati.
No AL Central team will qualify for a wild-card spot
Verdict: Fact
As much of a boon as this past weekend was for the Yankees, it was a cataclysm for Cleveland—a team that had looked so good since a 10-game losing streak around the Fourth of July. It's clear the Guardians—a .516 team that should be a .468 one, per Pythagorean winning percentage—are punching above their weight, and the Atlanta series may have let the air out of Cleveland's balloon.
The Guardians actually now trail the Royals, fellow Pythagorean overachievers, by a half game. Like Cleveland, Kansas City has had an up-and-down 2025 after a very good '24. The Royals have dealt with a rash of pitching injuries and were briefly seven games under .500 in early July, but have played themselves back into the wild-card race.
Neither squad seems to have the offensive firepower to overtake the Yankees, Red Sox or Mariners, though—the Royals possess the AL’s worst offense (3.81 runs per game), and the Guardians (3.97) are barely better, outpacing just the Royals and White Sox among AL teams.
Pete Crow-Armstrong will enter the 40–40 club
Pete Crow-Armstrong has endured a tough August that’s greatly lessened his chances to become the first Cub in the 40-40 club. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Verdict: Fiction
Let's do some napkin math here. Appearing in 121 of Chicago's 125 games (a 156-game pace, rounding down), Crow-Armstrong has hit 27 home runs and stolen 30 bases. Therefore, Crow-Armstrong should play around 35 more games, and he would need to hit 13 home runs and steal 10 bases in those games to join the 40-40 club.
Based on his pace to date, Crow-Armstrong would be expected to hit seven home runs and steal nine bases over any given 35-game span. That'd leave the NL's bWAR leader six home runs and one steal short. The Cubs have never had a 40–40 player, and it appears likely that will remain the case. Chicago’s breakout player was on pace to make history for much of this season, but an awful August thus far (zero home runs, one stolen base, .420 OPS) has likely scuttled that possibility.
Are there any between-the-lines numbers hinting at a potential late power or speed explosion for Crow-Armstrong? Chicago does play three games in Denver from Aug. 29–31, along with the Nationals' and Angels' high-ERA staffs (5.33 and 4.69, respectively). Crow-Armstrong doubling his home run pace is a tough ask, however.
Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodríguez will both enter the 30-30 club
Verdict: Fact
Two teams all-time have put teammates in the 30–30 club: the 1987 Mets (infielder Howard Johnson and right fielder Darryl Strawberry) and Colorado in 1996 (outfielders Dante Bichette and Ellis Burks). Both of those teams missed the playoffs, so the Mariners have the chance to cap a special season with a historic feat.
Back to the abacus for this one. Arozarena: 23 homers and 24 steals, pacing for 159 games, his current clip would leave him a home run short. Rodríguez: 24 homers and 23 steals, pacing for 160 games, his current clip would leave him a steal short.
Those are easy margins to make up—easier than those of Crow-Armstrong—and it would almost be a surprise if both players didn't cross the finish line. Where can Arozarena find an extra home run? The soft-tossing Rockies come to town from Sept. 23–25. Who can Rodríguez steal on? Counterintuitively, the Dodgers—third in baseball in wild pitches and in the Evergreen State from Sept. 26–28.
Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is set to miss more time this season with a "significant" left ankle sprain, Houston manager Joe Espada said on Tuesday.
Espada said Alvarez will be "out for a while," so a long-term plan hasn't been decided on yet. There is a chance he could return this season, which ends on Sunday, Sept. 28. The Astros currently sit in the last AL wild-card spot, so Alvarez could be needed for the postseason, too.
“Let’s not get into days or weeks or anything like that,” Espada said, via . “We are going to take one day at a time, but this is going to take some time to heal. We don’t have that many days left in the regular season. He’s in there getting some treatment, getting some work done. Hopefully he’s not out for a long period of time.”
Alvarez suffered the injury during Monday night's game vs. the Rangers. Alvarez was sprinting from third base and opted against sliding into home. He touched home plate with his left foot and appeared to roll his ankle after scoring. Alvarez could barely walk off the field under his own power, and was removed from the game as a result of the injury.
The three-time All-Star just returned to the majors on Aug. 26 after being out since May 2 while he dealt with a small fracture in his hand.
Through 48 games this season, Alvarez has averaged .273/.367/.430 with 45 hits, 17 runs, 27 RBIs and six home runs.
The Mets will be without Pete Alonso next season, as the All-Star first baseman agreed to sign with the Orioles on a five-year, $155 million deal. A homegrown player, Alonso had spent his entire career in New York with the Mets up until this point, and will now be departing for Baltimore.
This is the second major loss for the Mets in free agency this offseason. Earlier this week, All-Star closer Edwin Díaz left the Mets for the Dodgers, where he signed to a three-year, $69 million contract.
Not only did the Mets fail to re-sign Alonso, but they didn’t even make him a formal offer according to beat reporters Anthony DiComo and Joel Sherman. Per Sherman, the Mets never made an offer to Alonso because he began getting bids with more dollars and years than was in their “comfort zone” to offer him.
This is a significant changeup from a year ago, when owner Steve Cohen outbid everyone to sign Juan Soto to a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million deal. This time around, the Mets didn’t even offer Alonso an extension because his price was getting too high.
Cohen previously apologized to Mets fans at the end of their disappointing 2025 season, taking accountability for the team failing to make the postseason a season after a National League championship series appearance. The Mets started the season with the best record in MLB at 45-24, and even as they tailed off during the summer, they still had over a 90% chance of making the postseason in early September. Ultimately, an eight-game losing streak in September as well as losing five of their final eight games cost them the chance to play October baseball.
While the Mets are looking to rebound from that disastrous ending, letting Díaz and Alonso walk isn’t making many Mets fans optimistic. After all, Alonso was a bright spot for New York, slashing .272/.374/.524 for 170 hits, 87 runs, 38 home runs and 126 RBIs. He led the team in RBIs and doubles and finished second in batting average, slug rate, hits and home runs while making another All-Star Game.
Instead, the Mets will be going in a different direction with several areas of their team in 2026. They’ll hope their decisions pay off, or Cohen might be typing another apology come the end of next September.
MSK Prasad, Ajit Agarkar and Kiran More go through the talent pool to pick two separate squads each
ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-2020In the era of Covid-19, the cricket calendar will need be redrawn and there will be a crush to fit in all the fixtures that were deferred. It has even been suggested that two formats could be played at the same time. While that may not actually happen, it throws up some intriguing selection questions.How would the three best-resourced sides in the world – England, India and Australia – fare in having two teams play at the same time in a Test and T20I?India: Global cricket experts have spoken highly of India’s talent pool, which they feel is unrivalled. Although India have never fielded two international teams at the same time, the BCCI has not ruled out such a possibility, especially since it wants to prioritise bilateral cricket in the wake of the pandemic. We asked two former chairmen of the national selection panel, Kiran More and MSK Prasad, and former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar to pick two teams from the available bench.ESPNcricinfo LtdKiran More: I did toy with the idea of having Rohit [Sharma] lead the T20I team, but then I have always preferred experience in Test squads. He was injured during the New Zealand tour this year and India’s batting struggled in his absence. Prithvi [Shaw], his replacement, is still new to international cricket and having him open with Mayank [Agarwal], it adds pressure to the middle order, as was evident in New Zealand. Rohit provides both heft as well as balance in the top orderThe other selection I had to think twice about was picking Rishabh Pant over Wriddhiman Saha. Eventually I went for Pant because of his batting, mainly. He got centuries on the away tours to England and Australia, two of the toughest places to bat. Coming in at No. 7, he can just go and smash the bowling and change the scenario of a match. He has proved to be a very dangerous batsman. He did have teething problems with his keeping initially, but he is more mature now. Whatever people say, he has got 61 dismissals in 13 Test matches. Those are good numbers. Saha no doubt is a top wicketkeeper and good on Indian pitches, but with Pant, if we give him more chances he will get better and will be there for the next decade. And he provides balance to the overall batting order.As for the T20 set, KL [Rahul] is well equipped to lead the team and he will keep wicket. He will also be the opener with Shikhar [Dhawan], with [Sanju] Samson at one-down.ESPNcricinfo LtdMSK Prasad: Because of the ongoing World Test Championship I thought we should give priority to Test squads rather than distributing the top players into two different squads. This way we also bring in the fringe players who are on the probable list for T20 World Cup.As far as the selections went, all 12 picked themselves. In the T20Is, KL [Rahul] will be captain and wicketkeeper along with Bhuvneshwar [Kumar] as his deputy. Ideally I would have wanted to pick 13 so I could pick Prithvi [Shaw] as a third opener in Tests and Sanju Samson for the T20Is.ESPNcricinfo LtdAjit Agarkar: Obviously thinking of the T20 World Cup has factored into my selections. So [Jasprit] Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar [Kumar], if he is at his best, and the two wristspinners are the bowling attack in the T20I team. The batting in T20 may be a bit thin with Kohli in the Test team, but think it’s much easier to cope in T20s than Tests. [Ravindra] Jadeja’s improved batting is the reason for more responsibility for him, and he provides a spin-bowling option when needed, with the big grounds in Australia.The Test team is fairly straightforward. With Hardik [Pandya] in the T20I team, I have gone for the extra batsman, especially when India travel. Could always bring in an extra spinner in India.Although I have put Shubman Gill in as the 12th name, I would be looking to start with him, whether it’s opening or in the middle order. From everything we have seen, he seems to be the future, and he has been warming the bench for far too long.
The young Royal Challengers Bangalore opener on what he learnt from Kohli, de Villiers and Finch, and his India goals
Interview by Vishal Dikshit13-Nov-2020Devdutt Padikkal, the 20-year-old Royal Challengers Bangalore opener, made his IPL debut this season and, with his elegant strokeplay, he even outscored Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, taking home the Emerging Player Award for his 473 runs, which included five half-centuries, from 15 innings. After returning to India, he talked to us about his unforgettable season, the things he picked up from Kohli and de Villiers, and the bowler he found the most challenging to face.Opening the batting for Royal Challengers, you had a crucial role in the powerplay. How did you plan your innings?
I was just looking to stick to my strengths and do what I do best. In T20 cricket, it’s important how the powerplay goes. We had our roles clearly defined, so it was important to get that opening partnership away at a decent rate. And, to an extent, we were able to do that.How and when did you come to know you’d be opening for RCB?
Simon Katich [RCB’s head coach] came up to me the day before the [first] game in the team room and he was like, “You’re going to be making your debut tomorrow”. It was a huge moment for me and I was really happy about it.You spent a lot of time in the middle with Kohli. You scored 345 runs together this season with four half-century stands. What did you learn from batting with him?
He makes your game easier and helps you build an innings. He knows exactly what to do in every situation because he is such an experienced player, he’s played so much good quality cricket, and he’s won so many things. Every time I batted with him, I could learn something new. It was a really great experience for me. I was just trying to take in as much as I can. I really enjoyed it.ALSO READ: IPL stats review: Uncapped Indians shine, overseas fast bowlers trump IndiansDo you remember any particular conversations with him out in the middle?
Yeah, during the Rajasthan [Royals] game, we were batting together and I got a fifty. We knew that for the next batsman coming into the chase it’s not always easy. It was important that I carried on. I was tiring a little bit and he kept pushing me to get those extra runs – whatever I could. He said it was important that I wouldn’t throw my wicket away at that point. That’s something he helped me out with in that innings.
You also tweeted two pictures with Kohli – one from a while ago in which you’re receiving a medal from him and the other is a recent one in Royal Challengers colours. Can you tell us about the journey between those two photographs?
[The first one] was from a promotional event around five years ago. He [Kohli] had come to our academy [Karnataka Institute of Cricket]. A few boys from the academy were asked to go and play a match and he was there. Even Unmukt Chand [the former India Under-19 captain] was there. They were captains of two teams and I was part of Chand’s team. After that, everyone was given a medal and Kohli gave my medal to me.You didn’t bat with de Villiers as much as you did with Kohli, but you must have picked his brain during the tournament?
Yeah. He’s a special player. Just watching him bat is a treat for your eyes. Throughout the season, he kept telling me to stay in the zone and continue to do what I was doing. I remember when we were travelling back from the Mumbai [Indians] game in which I got the 70 [74], he sent me a text message saying, “Continue to do that and you’re playing really well, just stay in the zone and enjoy yourself”. That was really special because, coming from him, it was a great honour. I really enjoyed batting with him whenever I could because he makes your job so easy. He just takes on the bowlers from ball one and I enjoyed watching him.”I knew that when I came into the IPL, there will be big players around and I knew I’d want to be the one to take the responsibility”•BCCIIn a lot of the videos that the Royal Challengers posted on social media, it seemed like you had a good rapport with Aaron Finch, whom you also opened with quite a few times. What kind of a relationship did you build with him as the season went on?
He’s a really great person and I enjoyed spending time with him off the field as well. Like I said, all these experienced batsmen make your job easier. At the beginning of the tournament, we had this goal to have one of the highest opening partnerships of the season. I think we were third on the list after KL Rahul-Mayank Agarwal and Jonny Bairstow and David Warner, or second, I’m not sure [Padikkal and Finch were second with 444 runs behind Rahul and Agarwal, who made 671 runs together]. That’s something we were looking to do and we were able to do that, to an extent.You’ve scored a lot of runs in the last domestic season, but in the IPL, you were facing bowlers like Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins. Did you have to take your batting one level up to face these fast bowlers?
Yeah, it’s a different challenge compared to domestic cricket. But I knew I was prepared enough and we had put in three weeks of intense practice before starting the IPL.Which bowlers made you think, “I’ve never faced this kind of pace before”?
Pace, not really, because there are quite a few bowlers who are pretty quick in the domestic circuit as well. Probably the one bowler I felt was challenging was [legspinner] Rashid Khan, because he has really good pace and turns the ball at the same time. He’s not easy to pick. I think while facing him I felt like, “Okay, this is something I’m not used to.”ALSO READ: Aakash Chopra: Things that surprised me this IPLWhat kind of preparation did you put in with the Royal Challengers over the last two years? Mike Hesson, the RCB director of cricket operations, said in November last year that when you were with the team in 2019, you showed a lot of willingness to learn from the seniors around you.
It was more [about] the mental side of the game, because after a certain point the physical aspect is in a set place. Then it’s more about how you handle the pressure and the situation. So that’s what I was working on and whenever I got a chance, even in domestic tournaments, I wanted to make sure that I took responsibility and tried to take the team home even though there were some international cricketers in our Karnataka side. That’s something I really wanted to work on because I knew that when I came into the IPL, there will be big players around and I knew I’d want to be the one to take the responsibility.Which senior batsman or coach in the Royal Challengers set-up did you approach the most when you had questions or doubts?
To an extent, it was Simon Katich, because he was really approachable. Whenever I felt like there was something I needed to work on and if I had any doubts, I would go to him.You impressed everyone a lot with your strokeplay and flair, but statistics show that your strike rate dips after the powerplay. Did that bother you at any point? Did you feel it was something you needed to work on?
Definitely, sometimes you may not get the shots off the middle of your bat. That’s part of the learning and hopefully I can continue to work on that and keep improving. It didn’t really affect me too much because I knew that as I improve and learn, I can get better at that as well.You have got plenty of runs in domestic cricket for Karnataka and an Emerging Player Award in the IPL. What’s your next target?
Now the next step would be to play for the country. It’s something everyone dreams of as a cricketer, so I’m looking forward to doing that soon. I’ll continue to work on my game, continue to improve and, whenever I get the opportunity, I’ll take it with both hands.
With the domestic game set to be restructured next summer, several players made a strong white-ball claim
Firdose Moonda01-Mar-2021The Lions won the last edition of Cricket South Africa’s franchise T20 tournament, with the domestic game set to be restructured next summer. The Johannesburg-based franchise are four-time champions in the format, two fewer than the record-holding Titans, and have claimed the last two titles. All of South Africa’s six franchises have won the competition at least once.This year’s tournament was held in a biosecure environment in Durban where surfaces mimicked subcontinental-style strips in their spinner-friendly and tough-to-score-on nature. The average score across the 17 matches was 139, with no total above 181 and an average run-rate of 7.22. While the tournament has been unsponsored for the last four editions and does not have the profile of leagues around the world, it is an important feeder for the South African team. In this T20 World Cup year, it will prove particularly significant in finding solutions for the national squad, specifically in the death-bowling, top-order and spin departments. Here are some of the key takeaways from the final franchise T20 cup.Related
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Sisanda Magala’s death bowling The leading wicket-taker of this season’s competition, Sisanda Magala finished with 13 wickets from six matches, at an average of 12.84, and took most of those at the death. In the Lions’ opening match against the Warriors, Magala took three wickets for six runs in eight balls. In their third game against the Knights, he took three for one run in the last over, and finished with a career-best 5 for 20. In the final, against the Dolphins, he claimed two wickets for six runs in a mid-innings burst that reduced the opposition to 60 for 5.His clever use of variations including the knuckle ball has made it almost impossible to look past him for national selection, especially as South Africa have struggled to contain opposition tails in the past. Magala is clearly in the national selectors’ plans and was part of the South African set-up for white-ball series against England and Australia in the 2019-20 summer but fell short of making his debut because he failed to meet fitness standards. Since then, he has worked on his conditioning, appears to have lost weight and has passed the required fitness tests to play in this tournament. As long as he stays on the park, all roads point to the T20 World Cup.Reeza Hendricks could make his first appearance at a major tournament for South Africa•AFP / Getty ImagesReeza Hendricks’ form With 257 runs from seven innings at an average of 36.71, Reeza Hendricks was the competition’s leading run-scorer and most fluent batsman. To date, Hendricks has not been part of a South African major tournament squad – he was particularly unlucky to miss out on the 2019 World Cup – and has made a strong case for inclusion for the T20 World Cup.Hendricks’ clean stroke-play and aggression was all the more notable because it came with a misfiring opening partner (Ryan Rickleton averaged 5.00 in the tournament) at the other end on pitches where free-flowing runs were rare. Hendricks formed useful stands with his captain Temba Bavuma, who was second on the batting charts, and shared in two half-century stands (84 against the Cobras and 93 against the Knights) and two partnerships of more than 35 runs. He may even provide South Africa with a hint of how to use the pair in the national team.Bavuma has been earmarked as a potential opening partner for Quinton de Kock at the T20 World Cup, but another option would be for Hendricks to open with de Kock and Bavuma to slot in at No.3.File pic: Keshav Maharaj was Dolphins’ leading wicket-taker with eight scalps•AFP via Getty ImagesKeshav Maharaj’s captaincy and white-ball credentials It’s difficult to tell if anyone took Keshav Maharaj’s national captaincy aspirations seriously but he has made it difficult to ignore his enthusiasm for the job in some capacity. Maharaj led the Dolphins to a second table-topping white-ball run in two seasons and has shown himself to be an astute leader. Last season, Maharaj took the Dolphins to the top of the one-day cup log, and they were awarded the trophy after the playoffs were cancelled because of the Coronavirus pandemic. He also guided them through the group stage unbeaten in this competition, only for them to fall at the final hurdle.Maharaj also appears to have blossomed under extra responsibility. He finished as the leading spinner, with eight wickets, bowled more overs than anyone else and had the second-best economy rate of 4.54. Even if that is not enough for Maharaj to seriously challenge for the national leadership, it has to put him front of mind for a T20 World Cup spot, although he has yet to play for South Africa in the shortest format. That could mean South Africa take five frontline spinners to the tournament with Imran Tahir available for selection, and the likes of Tabraiz Shamsi, George Linde, Bjorn Fortuin and Maharaj making up a new-look attack.Robbie Frylinck was the fifth-highest wicket-taker and batted at a strike rate above 130•BCCI Depth across the board While the top performers came from the two teams in the final – the Lions and Dolphins – there were impressive showings all round which bodes well for the national talent pool. Pite van Biljon and Raynard van Tonder from the Knights were in the top ten run-scorers and van Tonder’s unbeaten 81 off 57 balls against the Warriors was among the tournament’s most authoritative knocks while Zubayr Hamza made a welcome return to form with two successive half-centuries before injury ended his participation.Warriors’ medium pacer Mthiwekhaya Nabe was the joint, second-leading wicket-taker and his 4 for 21 against the Titans contributed to the biggest upset of the tournament. Lungi Ngidi took the same number of wickets, with consistent displays throughout while left-arm spinner Siyabonga Mahima, from the Cobras, announced himself in this competition. Linde was joint-fourth on the bowling charts and had the highest strike-rate (167.60) among anyone who scored more than 30 runs. But the best two-in-one player was Dolphins veteran Robbie Frylinck, who was the fifth-leading bowler and batted at a strike rate above 130.All the extras, ill-discipline and an ailing Cobras outfit Scores would have been even lower if more catches had been taken with spillages aplenty in this competition and if bowlers across all six franchise had been more disciplined. In total, 160 wides and 18 no-balls were delivered – an additional 29.4 overs all-told – and one team was responsible for more than a third of those extras. The Cobras sent down 59 wides and three no-balls, which lost them matches and added to a disappointing season.Across all formats, the Cobras have won three out of 15 matches, fewer than any of the other franchises. They were without Janneman Malan and Nandre Burger, who were both injured, for this competition but that won’t excuse a worrying trend. The franchise last won a trophy in the 2014-15 season, six summers ago, and though there are other teams that have not lifted a cup in that time too (notably the Warriors), a strong South Africa needs a strong team in Western Cape.