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From hooping swing to wobbly wonder balls, a selection of Anderson brilliance

Vithushan Ehantharajah09-Jul-2024Brendon McCullum b Anderson, Trent Bridge 2008 – The Residual Streaks of a Wild BoyI know what you’re thinking: “If Aaron Redmond was the Test head coach who had decided to call time on Jimmy’s career, would he be on this list instead of Brendon McCullum?” And you may be right. Redmond’s dismissal might have been better. But this is no “take that, Brendon” selection just to kick off this list. He just happened to sell his like The Rock selling a “Stone Cold Stunner”…Both angled in, moved away late – through the air first, then off the seam, because just doing one of those two things simply won’t do – and sent off stump into a neighbouring postcode. Redmond’s was fuller and straighter, and he was looking to play through mid-on. McCullum, though, was invested in blazing his through midwicket, front foot coming right across to ensure that by the time he is fully squared up, he is pretty much locking eyes with umpire Darrell Hair standing at square leg.Related

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The best thing, though, is this iteration of Anderson. The action isn’t as smooth, arms and legs flurrying like a kid sprinting in flip flops, to the point he almost throws himself into a different dimension upon delivery. At the same time, his head is not as low as it once was at the point of release, which used to have him sniffing the pitch, momentarily oblivious to what destruction he had caused at the other end.Following Troy Cooley’s well-intentioned remodelling of Anderson’s bowling action which caused exactly the kind of back injury it was hoped to prevent, this was Anderson back to the old him, hooping at pace. He may have been on his way to refinement, but there remained this tearaway visceral urge. Like an animal on the cusp of domestication who could still recall the taste of blood.VVS Laxman b Anderson, The Oval 2011 – Knuckle Ball GloryAnderson had been in the lab. Ahead of the 2010-11 Ashes series, he and David Saker sat down to work out a delivery that would keep him in the game in Australian climes when there was no swing to work with. What they happened upon was no discovery, per se. They had merely untangled the strands of magic of a delivery Mohammad Asif had used against England in the summer of 2010.You know it now as “the wobble ball”, with its seam more casual than formal ensuring a Russian Roulette trade-off for the batter. Though Anderson would use it on that successful Ashes trip, it was during the 2011 home season that he truly had it down.This dismissal encapsulated that. VVS Laxman’s legend is adorned with silk of his own making, and yet here he was, stumbling with all the grace of a reveller disembarking a cab at 3am.

“Such is the shock of the ball suddenly taking a different path that Laxman actually turns to see his off stump beginning its descent, before staring back in front of him. The gaze of a man who thought he had the answers, now searching for meaning”

The set-up was predominantly into Laxman, at the stumps, slanting onto the pads, along with a loose delivery out wide, guided beyond gully. The India veteran almost certainly knew Anderson was looking for one to at least hold its line outside off. But as the punchline delivery angles in from the hand, seam shaking, Laxman takes a step towards Anderson to block it back.Such is the shock of the ball suddenly taking a different path that Laxman actually turns to see his off stump beginning its descent, before staring back in front of him. His gaze is not fixed on the pitch, nor Anderson nodding with approval. Merely straight ahead, like a man who thought he had the answers, now searching for meaning in an increasingly meaningless world.Ricky Ponting c Swann b Anderson, Adelaide 2010 – Smart Punt”He’s not a bad one to get first ball, is he?” remarked Anderson in an interview back in 2015 when reflecting on this dismissal. It remains one of his favourites for the occasion, the execution but especially for the man, who ended up averaging 60 against him across all their battles.England had saved the first Test of that 2010-11 Ashes tour with a remarkable show of strength in their second innings at Brisbane. A total of 517 for 1 declared did not just cover for the sins of their first effort of 260 – which Australia bettered by 221 – but showed they were no pushovers. They had to build on that a week later in Adelaide.Anderson celebrates his dismissal of Ricky Ponting•Getty ImagesRicky Ponting won the toss and opted to bat first. And though Simon Katich was run out without facing off the fourth ball of the match with the score still on zero, out strode the Australia captain ready to stand on business in his 150th Test.The common wisdom throughout Ponting’s career was susceptibility early in his innings because of a knack for thrusting bat and pad out together in a bid to own the space around him. This was true, but given he was averaging 54.71 with 39 centuries at this juncture, possessing that information was akin to knowing the best way to deter a shark is to punch it in the nose. It still has to be a decent punch.Before the cheers welcoming Ponting to the middle of the Adelaide Oval had died down, Anderson began his approach, armed with nothing but a new Kookaburra under blue skies. Passing close enough to brush umpire Tony Hill’s left shoulder, he finds just enough shape off a full length to drag Ponting outside off, and just the right amount of seam to nab the outside edge.Ponting’s bat emerges late from behind his front pad, resulting in a perilously low deflection towards a wide slip cordon. Thankfully for Anderson – and England – Graeme Swann is staggered enough ahead of first slip to dive across from second to complete a smart catch for a first-ball duck for Australia’s leading man. In turn, the hosts are 0 for 2 (2 for 0 in their money) and the tourists are on their way to a 1-0 lead and a rare away Ashes series win.Mahela Jayawardene c Strauss b Anderson 4, Cardiff 2011 – Winning the Waiting GamePerhaps the unsexiest of Anderson’s strengths is patience. Be honest now – what about waiting really does it for you? Even anticipation is rooted in restlessness, staving it off, prolonging the wait for gratification.But Test cricket rewards such traits, and few fashioned it into a shiv to repeatedly jab English sides quite like Mahela Jayawardene. This is a man who once batted over nine and a half hours against them in Colombo and then over 10 hours in Galle in back-to-back innings. The 195 and 213 not out scored broadly academic. The real quiz was frustrating an increasingly exasperated England trying to fight back from their opening defeat at Kandy.

“Anderson serves one up that moves in late, carries on its path off the pitch while bouncing more than the previous deliveries. Jayawardene, initially planning to leave, is forced to play so late and so suddenly that his bottom hand comes off the bat. Even Strauss is taken by surprise at slip”

As such, this probably counts as some form of micro-revenge. Heavy Welsh cloud after some familiar late May rain that brought about a late start to day one of this first Test had skewed the conditions in favour of the English bowlers.But Sri Lanka’s decision to bat first was due to a Sophia Gardens pitch that was not going to offer much bounce. And with Jayawardene at the crease with a sound enough bed of 114 for 2 after 40 overs to settle into, he saw things through to stumps, eventually sleeping on 4 off 24 deliveries.Anderson opened the next day with Jayawardene on strike and, crucially, a plan. There were 10 outswingers in a row, some bigger than others, with a couple dying on the way through to Matt Prior. Then, out of nowhere, from more or less the same position at the crease but with a slightly more upright arm, Anderson serves one up that moves in late, and carries on its path off the pitch while bouncing more than any of the previous deliveries. Sri Lanka’s No. 4, initially planning to leave it well alone, is forced to play so late and so suddenly that his bottom hand comes off the bat. Even Andrew Strauss is taken by surprise at wide first slip, grabbing instinctively to his right and falling away behind second in the process.Michael Clarke b Anderson, Trent Bridge 2013 – A Tap on the Shoulder of Off StumpArguably the most dramatic dismissal on this list, with a backstory to match.In October 2012, , Anderson’s first autobiography, caught the attention of the Australian public with a story from the aftermath of England’s defeat in Adelaide on the 2006-07 tour. Among the post-match fraternising was an aloof Michael Clarke and a bristling Anderson, armed with a pad and fuelled by a couple of cold ones.Our man did not think much of Clarke’s posturing while all other guards were down, and wondered aloud about wrapping said pad “around his head”. Damien Martyn, Clarke’s team-mate at the time, encouraged him – twice – and Anderson duly obliged. “What the f*** ya doing?” came the response from Clarke once the sound from the almighty thud had cleared the air.Anderson to Michael Clarke: you miss, I hit•Getty ImagesClarke would deny the story two years later, but the ill-feeling between the two was now out in the open. And as much as it underpinned the battle these two would embark upon in, starting with this first Test of the 2013 series ahead of the “broken fucken arm” leg later that winter, Clarke’s own stellar form added an extra layer to this feud.The Australia captain was undoubtedly the standout batter in world cricket when he strode to the crease on that day one evening, averaging 85.21 since the start of 2012. England had been dismissed for 215 and the visitors were 19 for 2 in dwindling light. Six balls and no runs later, he was done.Tight to the stumps, Anderson hoops one in, just full of a good length. Clarke, implored to play, offers the straightest of blades, maker’s name on show, fully committed to the defensive shot. So committed, in fact, that the lack of impact has the right-hander falling forward. Upon pitching, the ball jags off the seam, somehow picking up more pace than it had upon arrival to the surface.You’d swear Clarke knows he’s done before he is, bowing his head like a samurai offering courtesy in his final moments. There is no death rattle, more a kiss of death as off stump is pecked with just enough pucker to dislodge the bail.The celebrations are wild. Anderson gallops through looking to meet Clarke’s eye as the batter turns sharply towards the pavilion, but satiates his carnal urge to gloat by pointing furiously at the wrecked stumps as he sprints past his nemesis.Ajinkya Rahane b Anderson, Chennai 2021 – Reverse Gears Anderson celebrates after beating Ajinkya Rahane comprehensively•BCCIIf you were waiting for a reverse-swing dismissal, here it is. Sorry, it had to be the last one on the list.Anderson’s relationship with reverse swing has Indian groundings. Zaheer Khan piqued his interest after tying England in knots in 2007. Five years later, having workshopped it successfully on a tour of Sri Lanka, he would finish 2012 out-reversing Zaheer as England secured their first Test series win in India since 1985.The journey in between was full of trial and error. Initially, Anderson could only conjure reverse swing with a different action, which made it difficult to hoodwink batters, which is sort of the point. But after hours of working away with pre-scuffed balls, he was able to achieve that devastating movement with what in real-time looked identical to his usual set-up.Translating that from the nets to the middle took time. But Anderson sussed out quickly that reverse in England was about finding the nicks, whereas on subcontinental pitches, you needed to attack the stumps. All of this brings us neatly to February 9, 2021 – day five of the first Test in Chennai.With the SG ball showing signs it might tail having primarily been in the hands of spinners Jack Leach and Dom Bess, Anderson was reintroduced into the attack in the 27th over of India’s second innings with a nominal target of 420 on the table. Two balls in, he had breached the defence of Shubman Gill, taking out the half-centurion’s off stump.The shocking nature of the dismissal meant Ajinkya Rahane knew what he was up against when he walked out. Forward he went as Anderson bent one into off stump, meeting the ball with his front pad in the “umpire’s call” zone to uphold Nitin Menon’s “not out” call on the field.Unperturbed, Anderson repeats the trick, this time slightly wider and fuller, finding even more movement to bypass the pad and uproot the same stump once more. Turns out he still had that taste for blood all along.

Bangladesh have a rare chance of starting a fresh day with ten wickets in hand, and they have Shadman and Zakir to thank for that

Mohammad Isam22-Aug-2024One thing batters do not look forward to is to face twelve overs of bowling after spending the whole day fielding. Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam’s brave faces weren’t fooling anyone in Rawalpindi. Justin Langer wrote in his autobiography about wanting the twilight challenge, but few are cut from the same cloth.Zakir and Shadman are Bangladesh’s tenth different opening pair in the last three years. After Shan Masood declared the Pakistan innings on 448 for 6 at 4.34 pm local time, they were set to face at least an hour of hellfire from Pakistan’s pace attack. And they did… okay. They blunted Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, and annoyed Khurram Shahzad a little bit. That’s not a bad evening’s work. They have a more work to do but for now this will do.Related

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The expectations of Bangladesh’s batters have been so low these days that going twelve overs unscathed felt like a big deal. On a tough day for Bangladesh, Shadman and Zakir looked in control to ensure the visitors left the ground with some respite. Shadman is returning to the Test side after 16 months while Zakir is playing his first overseas Test. The pair played out 58 dot balls in the twelve overs and even hit three fours.Batting coach David Hemp wore a smile at the end of the day. He looked like one of those dads who watching their kids’ recital and mouthing their lines along with them. Hemp had received good news earlier in the day from the Islamabad Club where Saif Hassan and Jaker Ali struck hundreds for Bangladesh A. He was however more pleased with what he saw in Rawalpindi.”It is always a challenge to bat for a limited time in the back end of the day,” Hemp said. “After being in the field for five hours. We are really pleased not to lose wickets, but more importantly their approach. They are still trying to capitalise on scoring options. I also felt that they made good judgements about leaving the ball.”Shadman’s recent form should provide some confidence. He made 88 against Pakistan A in Darwin recently. Zakir didn’t have a good outing against Pakistan A in Islamabad last week, but he was beginning to forge a solid partnership with Mahmudul Hasan Joy, whose groin injury kept him out of this Test.Zakir Hasan cuts the ball•Associated PressHemp added that the rest of the Bangladesh batters are also prepared to take on the Pakistan attack. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque are up next, followed by the veterans Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan, and Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz lower down the order.”From what we are seeing in the preparation period, they have all been striking the ball well and getting into good positions,” Hemp said. “They are all confident that they can contribute to the team. We have depth in the batting order with Litton at seven and Mehidy at eight.”[Pakistan] have four good seamers and a reasonable spinner. They have bowling options. They are a good attack. It is going to be a challenge. The priority is to bat the day. We have to negotiate each session, and then see where we are.”Hemp also expected the lower order to contribute runs, citing how the Bangladesh tail stood up against New Zealand in their last Test win, in November 2023.”The mantra in the team is for everyone to be able to contribute,” he said. “Everyone is expected to bat as much as possible. For us internally, we look at contributions from the lower order. We are more interested in balls faced than runs from No 9, 10 and 11. During the New Zealand series at home last year, the last four batters averaged 33 to 34 balls per innings. That’s 120 balls, which kept New Zealand in the field for 20 extra overs. It had a massive impact on the game. For us it is a really important factor.”Shakib, Shanto and Litton have not been among the runs. Mominul and Mushfiqur are low on game time, while Mehidy is also returning from a considerable break. Bangladesh will need a massive effort from the batters to get even in this Test.

Having shown glimpses of their ability in the last two World Cups, Afghanistan have most pieces of the puzzle right in the lead up to the Champions Trophy

Mohammad Isam12-Nov-2024There’s meme potential in Jonathan Trott sitting with a smirk on his face as everyone around him celebrated wildly. Azmatullah Omarzai pumped his fist after hitting the winning runs with a straight six in the third ODI against Bangladesh. Mohammad Nabi was quick to get to Omarzai before the Afghanistan dugout emptied to join the batting pair in the middle. Trott celebrated, of course, with his notebook in hand. After all, Afghanistan had sealed their third consecutive ODI series win.They had beaten Ireland in March before reaching the T20 World Cup semi-final in June. They had defeated South Africa in ODIs for the first time, in September, before completing successive series wins against Bangladesh with this 2-1 triumph. Afghanistan did not quite dominate Bangladesh throughout the series, as the margin in the first ODI suggested, but did enough to create pressure and come up on the right side of it at the end.In the third ODI, Rahmanullah Gurbaz proved to be the difference, stepping up after two low scores. There were murmurs that he does not fancy batting immediately after keeping wickets for 50 overs – he averaged 47.64 in the first innings and 17.15 in the second before Monday. Despite struggling with some cramps on his hand, he kept Afghanistan in the chase, and when he fell for 101, they were only 61 away.Related

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The absence of Taskin Ahmed, rested for the third ODI, could have played into Gurbaz’s hands. Taskin had dismissed Gurbaz in both previous games, and generally has the wood over the wicketkeeper-batter. His replacement, Nahid Rana, also bowled well to Gurbaz, conceding just seven runs off 26 balls. But Gurbaz hammered the other bowlers; he struck Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman for a combined five sixes.And then there was Nabi. His match-winning 84 in the first match followed by another contribution of 34 not out off 27 balls in the third game helped him become only the fifth player to win the Player-of-the-Series award in ODIs at the age of 39 or more. He added an unbroken 58 for the sixth wicket with Omarzai and slammed Rana down the ground twice to blunt Bangladesh’s last resort.It was a turnaround of sorts for Omarzai, too, after bagging a couple of ducks. He gave Gurbaz the confidence and took on Mehidy Hasan Miraz for a six early in the innings. That was Gurbaz’s cue to continue to dominate the Bangladesh attack without worrying about the other end. Omarzai, who also took four wickets in the game, later said that he was pleased with the way he bowled in the death for the first time in his Afghanistan career. He also kept his nerve in the chase, proving it with a straight six off Shoriful.While Trott doesn’t let on with too much emotion when the camera is on him during a match, he would be pleased with Afghanistan getting out of a difficult spot multiple times in the series. They were in trouble twice in the first game but ended up winning both moments emphatically. They recovered well in the second game, and then held their wits in the decider on Monday.

“Just remember how hard we worked for these things, and enjoy them. Remember how good it feels in here. That’s why we win. That’s why we spend extra time in the gym. That’s why you get to sleep on time. That’s why we eat healthy. When we put ourselves under pressure in practice, or fielding practice, when we are under pressure there, we can survive, we know what to do. We think clearly.”Jonathan Trott in the dressing room after the series win

Afghanistan’s recent dominance in Sharjah also means that this is the closest thing to them having a home ground in white-ball cricket. Their performances against Ireland and South Africa proved that they could master these conditions. Overcoming the Bangladesh challenge – for a second year in a row – only added to their surge.The icing on Afghanistan’s win is the emergence of young players like AM Ghazanfar, Sediqullah Atal and Omarzai, who have had telling contributions enough to form a second line alongside the usual suspects in Nabi, Gurbaz and Rashid Khan. The number of allrounders in their line-up would give them the depth that teams like Bangladesh would crave for going into the Champions Trophy.After the match ended in Sharjah, Trott entered the dressing room with the gigantic series-winning trophy in one hand. As the rest of the team and coaching staff sat around him, Trott explained why sacrifices have to be made to achieve something in sports.”[Achievements] come with a lot of emotions, blood, sweat, tears, disappointment,” Trott said. “These things are hard to come by. Just remember how hard we worked for these things, and enjoy them. Remember how good it feels in here. That’s why we win. That’s why we spend extra time in the gym. That’s why you get to sleep on time. That’s why we eat healthy. When we put ourselves under pressure in practice, or fielding practice, when we are under pressure there, we can survive, we know what to do. We think clearly.”Afghanistan are building towards a major push for a bigger trophy in the coming years. They showed glimpses in the last two World Cups, but the Champions Trophy, being Nabi’s swansong, could be the big emotional moment they try for. They have most pieces of the puzzle coming together. Trott would be required to bring his A game to the tournament too. He has been credited by many for bringing the tactical nous to the Afghan talent and experience. Poker-faced through the game but smiling with a trophy in hand at the end – not a bad picture to be in for Trott.

After finishing last in 2024, Mumbai Indians retained their Indian core, bought a couple of experienced New Zealand players, and have invested in a lot of untested youth

Vishal Dikshit17-Mar-20255:07

Can Hardik-led Mumbai Indians bounce back this season?

Where they finished last yearMumbai Indians (MI) finished in tenth place, at the bottom of the league, after winning only four out of 14 games. Their campaign was marred by hostile receptions for the new captain Hardik Pandya at the Wankhede and around the country amid reports that their dressing room was not a happy place.What’s new in 2025A year later, those issues appear to have been sorted out. Jasprit Bumrah was MI’s top retention; Rohit Sharma led India to two ICC titles in the last 12 months; Hardik won back popular support by being part of the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy triumphs; and Suryakumar Yadav was elevated to India’s T20I captaincy.Related

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MI have reinforced their pace attack this season, bringing back Trent Boult and buying Deepak Chahar, but now must contend with the injury-forced absence of Bumrah for their first few matches. They also picked up the experienced and reliable Mitchell Santner, who comes into the IPL in good form after leading New Zealand to the Champions Trophy final.The rest of the MI overseas contingent doesn’t have much – or any – IPL experience. South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton, who is likely to open with Rohit, and Corbin Bosch, and New Zealand’s Bevon Jacobs are playing their first season. Reece Topley played five IPL games across the last two years; Will Jacks made his IPL debut last season; and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who was out with injury for much of 2024 but proved his fitness by finishing as Paarl Royals’ highest wicket-taker in the recent SA20, will be playing the league for the first time since 2021.With their batting order packed with power, MI’s biggest challenge will be to balance their bowling attack during Bumrah’s absence at the start of the season. Boult and Chahar have the powerplay covered between them, but the death overs could pose a problem.Likely best XII1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ryan Rickelton* (wk), 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Robin Minz, 7 Naman Dhir, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Corbin Bosch/Mujeeb Ur Rahman*, 10 Mitchell Santner*, 11 Karn Sharma, 12 Trent Boult*Full MI squad.How do you replace the irreplaceable is a question MI are going to have to answer•ICC/Getty ImagesBig questionWatch out forBevon Jacobs, 22, had played fewer than ten T20s on New Zealand’s domestic circuit when MI bid for him at the mega auction in November 2024. In the 2023-24 Super Smash, Jacobs had a strike rate of 188.73 for Canterbury. He returned to Auckland this season and scored 263 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 140.64, including a 90 off 56 against Northern Districts. Earlier this month, he struck his maiden century in senior cricket – 157 against Central Districts in first-class cricket just before he left for India for the IPL.The MI franchise also picked Jacobs for MI Emirates in the ILT20, but he faced only 27 balls there for 26 runs in three innings. Whether he can replicate his big hitting in Indian conditions at the IPL is always the question for rookies who make a splash at home.Deepak Chahar played only eight games for CSK last season because of injury. He was far from his best, conceding 8.59 runs an over and picking up just five wickets. He is likely to get more help at Wankhede than at the M Chidambaram Stadium in terms of pace, bounce and the swing he is known for. With Bumrah likely to miss the first few games as he recovers from his back injury, MI will want Chahar to stay fit through the season and provide wickets in the powerplay.Key stats MI have made the playoffs just once in the last four seasons, in 2023, and finished at the bottom twice, in 2022 and 2024. Suryakumar is heading into the IPL in wretched T20 form. His scores against England earlier this year were 2, 0, 14, 12, 0. He had a middling run before that as well, recording a strike rate of only 132 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Boult was the Player of the Final for MI Cape Town in their victorious SA20 campaign. He finished the league with 11 wickets and an economy rate of 6.94. Mujeeb, who played for Paarl Royals but is with MI in the IPL, took 14 wickets while conceding 6.77 runs an over in the SA20.Who’s out or in doubt?Bumrah has been managing back trouble since India’s tour of Australia ended in January. He missed the Champions Trophy, and after going to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for rehab, it has emerged that he is set to miss MI’s first few games before joining the squad in April. How the BCCI and MI manage his workload before the five-Test tour of England in June-July will be key. Apart from him, MI replaced the injured Lizaad Williams with Bosch and AM Ghazanfar with Mujeeb.

Australia’s one, two and three smashed quick centuries, the last of them off just 47 balls

Namooh Shah24-Aug-2025276 – Australia’s margin of victory in the third ODI, the biggest defeat for South Africa in ODIs (by runs) going past the 243 runs they lost by in the 2023 World Cup to India. It is also the second-biggest margin of victory for Australia in ODIs, only behind the 309 runs against Netherlands in 2023.It is also the fourth-biggest margin of victory by runs in ODIs among Full Member teams, with the top two spots taken by India followed by New Zealand at three.431 for 2 – Australia’s second-highest total in an ODI, bettered only by the 434 for 4 also against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2006.Australia’s total is also the highest in an ODI in Australia and the second-highest against South Africa behind that 434 for 4.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 – Australia’s top three of Head (142), Marsh (100) and Green (118*) scored centuries, making it only the second such instance in ODIs. The first was by South Africa against West Indies in Johannesburg in 2015.250 – Head and Marsh’s opening partnership, the fifth-highest in ODIs for Australia. The last Australia pair to stitch a double-century partnership for any wicket was by Maxwell and Pat Cummins for the eighth wicket in Mumbai in 2023.431 – The runs added by the first three Australian wickets is also the second-highest in an ODI, only behind South Africa’s 439 against West Indies in Johannesburg in 2015.47 – Green took 47 balls to complete his maiden ODI century, the second-fastest by an Australia batter behind Glenn Maxwell’s 40-ball effort against Netherlands in Delhi in the 2023 ODI world cup.Green’s 47-ball century is also the fastest against South Africa, bettering the 66-ball hundred by Matthew Hayden by some way.ESPNcricinfo Ltd12.14 – The scoring rate of the Green-Alex Carey partnership of 164 runs for the third wicket, the highest for Australia (min 150 runs), bettering the record of Maxwell and Shane Watson, who scored 160 at a rate of 11.70 against Sri Lanka in 2015.13.28 – Wiaan Mulder’s economy rate – the second-poorest in ODIs (six or more overs), behind Kevin O’Brien’s 13.57 against South Africa in 2015.22y 2d – Cooper Connolly’s age when he took his maiden five-wicket haul, becoming the youngest Australia bowler to do so, going past Craig McDermott, who took a five-for at 22 years and 204 days against Pakistan in 1987.5/22 – Connolly’s are the best bowling figures for an Australia spinner in an ODI, bettering the figures of Brad Hogg (5 for 32) against West Indies in 2005.

Sidharth Monga and Karthik Krishnaswamy look back on all the major talking points coming out of India’s epic win in Birmingham

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2025Sidharth Monga and Karthik Krishnaswamy look back on all the major talking points coming out of India’s epic win in Birmingham. From Gill’s twin centuries to Akash Deep’s 10-wicket haul, from pitches to the issues with the dukes ball – we have it all covered on this hour-long chat. The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is now 1-1 going into Lord’s for the third Test where you don’t know if the conditions will suit India more or England.