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His strike rate of 194.02 against spin is the best among all batters who’ve faced at least 50 balls this season

Shashank Kishore19-May-20232:11

Moody: Margin of error for a spinner against Klaasen is very small

AB de Villiers called Heinrich Klaasen “one of the best players of spin” he has seen. Sachin Tendulkar marvelled at his “simple and uncomplicated footwork.” Kevin Pietersen praised his clarity in picking lengths. Chris Gayle was gobsmacked at the tempo he maintained. This was modern-day batting royalty awestruck by what they had seen.Fans wondered whether Klaasen was going to do to Royal Challengers Bangalore what ex-RCB players normally do. In the dugout, Brian Lara applauded with the pride a father would have at seeing his child achieve something special. Mayank Agarwal punched the air in delight as an advancing Klaasen muscled Harshal Patel over the sight screen to bring up his hundred. Minutes later, Harshal himself applauded Klaasen after dismissing him with a dipping yorker.Klaasen’s 51-ball 104, his second T20 century, on a Hyderabad surface where the rest of his team-mates made 76 off 69, told you of his command over the bowling and how he turned the innings around single-handedly. Klaasen admitted Sunrisers Hyderabad were a few runs short, and he was right. It would’ve been enough on most nights, but for a peerless Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis.Related

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ESPNcricinfo’s Total Impact valued Klaasen’s 104 runs at 152. It’s calculated based on the context of the performance. In this case, it factored in the situation in which Klaasen began his innings – in the fifth over after the openers fell cheaply. It quantifies pressure by factoring in overs left, quality of batters at the crease and those to follow, quality of the bowling, and overs each bowler has left. The conditions weren’t easy either, and Klassen said there was slowness in the pitch.The hallmark of Klaasen’s hundred was the manner in which he attacked spin, especially when they pitched short. On the broadcast, they showed how Klaasen’s interception point while playing off the back foot against spin was behind any other batter this season. It told you of the time he had and his superb use of the crease.Klaasen’s strike rate of 194.02 against spin is the best among all batters who have faced at least 50 balls this season. Shivam Dube comes a distant second best at 172.64. Incredibly, he’s only one of three overseas players in IPL history to average 50-plus and strike at 175 or more while scoring 400 plus in a season. It puts him in an elite club with Chris Gayle and Andre Russell. That is IPL royalty.Klaasen’s performance has come across different surfaces that have slowed down as the tournament has progressed. And his method is intimidating without trying to intimidate. He doesn’t make exaggerated movements around the crease to throw the bowlers off. He isn’t trying to premeditate or play the paddles and switch-hits. Much of his strength comes from a strong core, a strong bottom hand and a stable set-up that allows him to pick different areas to similar deliveries. Like he did when he hit Shahbaz Ahmed for six over deep midwicket and flat-batted him to long-off to similar short-of-length balls on a fourth-stump line.Much of Klaasen’s strength comes from a strong core, a strong bottom hand and a stable set-up•Associated PressBut it wasn’t just his back-foot play that got him runs, as the legspinner Karn Sharma found out. Karn’s natural strength is to bowl quicker through the air with a flatter trajectory. When he dropped short, he faced the power of Klaasen’s pull. Because he’s so strong square of the wicket to balls bowled into the pitch, bowlers try to bowl full. Karn did that too, and Klaasen stepped out and lofted him for a straight six. He was simply toying with the bowling.”The ball was stopping a bit against spin, and there wasn’t much steep bounce from the seamers,” Klaasen said after his innings. “I try and keep it simple; the focus has been to have my head and hands dead still. Sometimes when you go searching for the ball, the up and down movement of the hands cause some inconsistency. The trick is to have hands and head as dead and still as possible.”It’s easier said than done, and to watch him execute his plans was to witness the mastery of a batter who’s coming into his own slowly but surely in the IPL. In their previous game against Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers may have rued letting Nicholas Pooran go as he tore into them in the death overs. A similar fate is unlikely to happen with Klaasen, for he’s been their brightest light in a pretty dark season.

Questions over PCB’s procedures before the side’s departure to New Zealand

Umar Farooq03-Dec-2020Two weeks ago, all 54 members – players and support staff – of the Pakistan squad tested negative for Covid-19 and were cleared to fly out to New Zealand. There were supposed to be 55 travellers, but Fakhar Zaman had symptoms similar to Covid-19, and was thus left behind; he would return a negative test the following day. The rest of the squad departed, apparently, with no cases of Covid-19 among them.However, after testing upon arrival the following day, the New Zealand health ministry found half-a-dozen players had tested positive, and four players who had what was called historic infections. With this many of the travel contingent found to be carrying Covid-19 at some point since arriving in New Zealand, questions arise about whether the PCB’s procedures and processes before the squad departed were rigorous enough.The same processes weren’t in place, before the New Zealand tour, as there had been before the England tour earlier in the year. Ahead of that tour, the PCB carried out two tests, including an antibody test. To comply with their stated policy for the England tour, players had to test negative twice before being cleared for travel. They were together in a hotel for seven days. For the New Zealand tour, the PCB carried out just one test, keeping players in the hotel pre-departure for only two days.The entire squad of 35 players and 20 coaching staff and officials assembled in a Lahore hotel on the afternoon of November 20. They were tested for Covid-19 the next day and all returned negative tests. The team then departed for Dubai on a connecting flight to Auckland via Kuala Lumpur. A chartered plane then took the squad to Christchurch to begin what should have been a 14-day quarantine period.Before flying out, the players had been part of a hectic home season in which many of them would have played in the National T20 Cup, the Quaid-e-Azam trophy in Karachi (first and second XI), the white-ball series against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi and four PSL matches in Karachi. Though the PCB had created bio-secure bubbles for players during these matches, there were breaches, leading to a PCB reprimand for certain players during the National T20 Cup.ALSO READ: NZ director of public health slams Pakistan Covid protocol breachesEarlier this week, left-arm spinner Raza Hasan was sent home from the Quaid-e-Azam trophy and banned for the rest of the season for a serious Covid-19 breach, which involved him leaving the bio-secure premises without prior clearance.Jimmy Neesham grins as Shaheen Afridi, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, and Mohammad Amir look on•Getty ImagesThis has coincided with a time when Covid-19 has seen an alarming spike in Pakistan over the past two months. After a first peak died down in July, bringing official cases down to as low as under 500 a day in August, cases and deaths from the virus began to creep up again in October. Pakistan averages over 3,000 cases a day over the past fortnight, with the state acknowledging further precautions needed to be taken. Notably, however, a second lockdown has not been imposed, and while regional lockdowns are officially in place, enforcement remains feeble.Between the second and third round of games in the QeA Trophy, nine Sindh players, including captain Sarfraz Ahmed, experienced flu-like symptoms. But because their results came back negative, they all remained in the bubble and only fast bowler Mir Hamza returned home after being declared unwell. Balochistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Bismillah Khan had tested positive for Covid-19 during the second round match against Southern Punjab in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, but hadn’t been tested until the fourth day, after which he was substituted on the field by Adnan Akmal – who himself would test positive a round later and is presently in quarantine in Lahore.Five members of the Multan Sultans squad have either tested positive post the PSL, or are currently the part of the Pakistan squad who are being investigated for a historic Covid-19 infection, meaning an infection that is no longer contagious. Sohail Tanvir, part of the franchise, played the PSL, but then tested positive on arrival in Sri Lanka for the Lanka Premier League.Zaman, who was pulled out a day before the departure for New Zealand, tested negative but his Lahore Qalandars team-mate Dilbar Hussain tested positive after landing in Australia to play in the BBL. Hussain had tested negative before leaving Pakistan, and is now in quarantine in Perth. And before playing the PSL, Shaheen Afridi underwent various tests which threw up what are believed to be inconclusive results. He was ultimately cleared to play after two negative tests, but it is understood he is one of the four players in New Zealand who are being investigated for historic infection.The historic infection cases, in particular, throw up questions about testing in Pakistan. The four players repeatedly returned negative results during the many tests conducted over the course of the domestic season. All four were also part of the squad to England which means that they are now throwing up historic signs of an infection, despite having tested negative repeatedly since June.The PCB is confident they did what was required of them before the departure for New Zealand. It is worth noting the PCB do not carry out the testing themselves, but outsource it to certified laboratories. And it is not as if the PCB has not tested enough: across the domestic season so far, they have conducted nearly 3000 tests.”During the nine tournaments/series to date, as many as 2,830 Covid-19 tests have been conducted on players, players support personnel and match officials as the PCB has strictly followed and implemented its strict protocols, which were designed in-house, and have been put together for the health and safety of all participants,” the board said in a statement.

The Padres were down to their final outs in the ninth inning against the Cubs on Thursday in Game 3 of the wild-card series. San Diego trailed 3–1 while down to their final three outs of the game, and potentially their season.

Xander Bogaerts was at the plate with a full count, and he was rung up on a brutal called third strike from home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn. The pitch from Brad Keller appeared to be below the strike zone, but Reyburn ruled it a strikeout, leaving Bogaerts bewildered.

Brown missed the corner with a 97-mph fastball, which Bogaerts rightfully opted against swinging at. Despite the good plate discipline, Bogaerts was sat down on strikes, which prompted Padres manager Mike Shildt to storm onto the field to express his dismay.

It's a critical miss from Reyburn. Keller missed the zone entirely yet was awarded an important out. He then proceeded to hit the next two batters, putting the tying run on base.

Given the situation, it's a mistake that simply can't be afforded from an umpire. When MLB introduces the ABS system, that would be a challengeable play by the batter. Instead, Bogaerts was left seething as he was robbed of a free pass to first base.

San Diego's comeback attempts were stalled, partly because of Reyburn's missed strikeout call, and they fell 3–1 to Chicago to bow out of the postseason.

Stumps Western Australia opener and Test hopeful Cameron Bancroft might have fallen victim to a bizarre dismissal in the Sheffield Shield match against New South Wales.After rain ruined most of day one, 14 wickets fell on Sunday in Perth to put the visitors narrowly in front. Resuming on 35 for 3, New South Wales were dismissed for 170 and then had Western Australia floundering at 116 for 7.Bancroft mirrored New South Wales opener Sam Konstas as Ashes top order hopefuls who did not advance their causes in their first innings at the WACA ground.The Western Australia opener had made 10 when a superb delivery from opening bowler Ryan Hadley appeared to have him caught behind. But replays suggested the noise might not have been an edge, but the ball glancing the off bail on the way through to wicketkeeper Matthew Gilkes.The bail wobbled, but stayed put – meaning Bancroft would have been not out had he not nicked the ball.In better news for Test hopefuls, Western Australia allrounder Cameron Green took a wicket in four overs on Sunday – his first bowling at first-class level since his back surgery late last year.Will Salzmann top-scored for New South Wales with 43 and Gilkes made 36 for them, while Ashton Agar took three wickets late in the innings.Agar (18) and Matthew Kelly (20) came together with Western Australia struggling at 84 for 7, surviving to stumps.Hilton Cartwright made 34, while Hadley had taken 3 for 29 from 12 overs.

Arsenal are a club with a proud history of developing and promoting young talent into the first team.

Mikel Arteta has carried that tradition on during his time, with the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and now Max Dowman all getting chances under him.

However, when it comes to the most successful Hale End product under the Spaniard’s stewardship, it’s hard to ignore Bukayo Saka, who has become a world-class superstar in recent years.

So, fans should be very excited about another young prospect making his way through the academy, who has been likened to a young version of the England international.

Saka's academy journey

Saka joined Hale End as a seven-year-old, with him later revealing that it was his father who pushed for him to join the club over others.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

The Ealing-born gem made his debut for the club’s U18 against Fulham in August 2017, a game the Gunners would lose 4-1.

The youngster would end that season with a respectable haul of eight goals and four assists in 22 games.

The following year, he made just six appearances for the U18S and 24 for the U23S, scoring six goals and providing nine assists for the latter.

However, that was also the season in which he made his first-team debut, away to Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League group stage, under Unai Emery.

At this point, the exciting prospect was still very much seen as a left-sided attacker and had made just a single appearance on the right across both campaigns.

The 19/20 season brought the end of Saka’s time in the academy setup, as he made just one appearance for the U23s in a Premier League 2 game against Everton, which they drew.

In all, the now 24-year-old made 28 appearances for Arsenal’s U18s, in which he produced 22 goal involvements and 25 appearances for the U23s, in which he produced 15.

Everyone now knows how the rest of the story goes, and so fans should be excited that there is another Hale End talent currently being compared to Saka.

Arsenal's next Saka

With the likes of Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly and now Dowman, it feels like Hale End can’t stop producing incredible talents, and the next one off the line might just be Brando Bailey-Joseph.

The 17-year-old has been so impressive in recent months that, despite only signing scholarship terms with the club a few months ago, he has already put pen to paper on a professional deal.

Moreover, according to one analyst, he is currently looking “very reminiscent of a young Saka.”

The argument he puts forward is that, like the Gunners’ talisman, there has been a lot more talk around other youngsters in the academy over him, and he is just quietly plugging away in the background.

For example, in 16 appearances this term, totalling 1098 minutes, he has scored four goals and provided four assists.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every other game, or every 137.25 minutes, which would be pretty good for a striker, let alone a winger who has been moved between both sides over and over again.

In addition to the output, the analyst also points out that, like Arteta’s mercurial number seven, he has shown an “incredible technical” ability in the academy.

This is an opinion shared by Hale End expert Will Balsam, who claims that the youngster’s “fire feet, chopping into the grass constantly, make it impossible for defenders to know what’s coming.”

Ultimately, while it’s so early in his journey, Bailey-Joseph looks like he could be the next Hale End star to make it in the first team and follow in Saka’s footsteps on the wing.

Rice was fuming with him: Arsenal's "future captain" has regressed big time

It has been a season to forget for the Arsenal star so far this year.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Dec 1, 2025

Keightley, a two-time ODI World Cup winner with Australia, replaces Charlotte Edwards in the role

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2025

Former Australia batter Lisa Keightley has replaced Charlotte Edwards as the head coach of Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). MI were without a head coach after Edwards left the role to take over as the England Women’s head coach earlier this year, after coaching MI for the first three years of the WPL.”It’s an honour to join the Mumbai Indians, a team that has set the benchmark in the WPL,” Keightley said in a release. “The culture of excellence and care is something I deeply admire. I look forward to working with this talented group to build on our success and continue inspiring on and off the field.”Keightley, a two-time ODI World Cup winner with Australia in 1997 and 2005, has had several coaching roles in recent years, with England Women, Australia Women, Delhi Capitals (WPL), Sydney Thunder (WBBL) and most recently guiding Northern Superchargers to the Women’s Hundred title less than a month ago.