The New York Yankees’ path back to the World Series is as subtle as a six-ton wrecking ball. They are going to hit as many balls into the air as possible. They take an average of 69 swings per game. If two of them produce fly balls that go over the fence they win about 70 percent of the time.

It is that simple. The finer points of their game matter little. Like no other team in baseball except perhaps the Los Angeles Dodgers, their brothers in playing Airborne Baseball, the Yankees are leaning heavily into hitting the bottom third of the baseball to launch fly balls.

Up and down its lineup, New York has adopted swing changes and attack angles to get the ball in the air. They are doing so at such a preposterous rate that our traditional measurements of what makes a good October team—such as avoiding strikeouts and hitting with runners in scoring position—are meaningless. In fact, these 2025 Yankees are way worse at strikeouts and RISP than the 2024 Yankees—and that is by design.

The highlights:

The Yankees hit 59 home runs in August. Only the 2019 Yankees ever hit more in the month. Thirty-two teams have hit 50 homers in August. The Yankees did it with the fewest hits (227).

Most Home Runs in August, All Time

HR

Hits

Pct.

1. 2019 Yankees

74

292

25.3%

2. 2025 Yankees

59

227

26%

2. 2023 Phillies

59

267

22.1%

2. 2019 Twins

59

284

20.8%

The Yankees have the biggest increase in fly ball rate (+3.9%) in MLB, the greatest average bat speed (73.1 mph), the second biggest increase in launch angle (+2.7%, behind only the White Sox) and the highest fly ball rate other than the Dodgers.The four teams who hit the most fly balls (Dodgers: 31%; Yankees: 30.6%; Cubs: 29.8%; Tigers: 29.3%) are all in playoff position, led by the Dodgers, who lead MLB in fly ball rate for a fifth straight year:The team that is last in fly balls? That’s the team with the best record in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers (22.8%). They zig while everyone else zags.The Yankees have increased their reliance on hitting the ball in the air, as an incredible 13-game stretch to close out last month showed; they hit 38 home runs compared to 30 ground ball hits and 118 fly balls compared to 117 ground balls over that span.

Why and how are the Yankees leaning into this style of hitting? Here are some of the underlying reasons.

1. The Yankees sacrifice contact for power.

It sounds heretical, but RISP and strikeouts are overrated in today’s hitting world. RISP often is misused. The industry has devalued batting average and yet it still gets used in RISP. Move a runner over from second base with no outs or get someone in from third base with less than two outs on a fly ball and neither helps RISP batting average.

When the Yankees led the world in home runs in August, they were 17th in RISP (.253), 20th in batting average (.221) and 26th in strikeouts (263). And they were 16–12.

New York is far worse this season than last at making contact and RISP, which sounds like a problem but it’s not. It’s a tradeoff they make willingly to hit that magic threshold of two home runs per game.

Yankees Year-to-Year Comparison

K% (Rank)

RISP (Rank)

HR/G (Rank)

2024

21.2% (9)

.261 (10)

1.46 (1)

2025

22.9% (20)

.248 (17)

1.70 (1)

2. It’s all about the second home run.

Being a one-path-to-victory team is risky. If their opponent keeps them in the park, the Yankees are in trouble. This breakdown defines how important the home run is to New York.

Yankees’ Record by HR Hit

Games

W-L

Pct.

1 or fewer

75 (T-1 w/ Dodgers)

33–42

.440

2 or more

62 (T-1 w/ Dodgers)

43–19

.694

3. The Yankees are swinging up on the ball much more than last year.

Yankees hitting coach James Rowson and assistants Casey Dykes and Pat Roessler are masters at teaching controlled aggressiveness: Limit chase, but when you get a pitch in your zone don’t hesitate to put your “A” swing on it. And this year, that “A” swing includes a mechanical emphasis to bring the barrel to the baseball on an upward track.

Here is how much the Yankees’ offensive approach has changed:

Yankees Hitting Profile Comparison

Fly ball% (Rank)

Launch angle (Rank)

2024

26.7% (16)

12.7° (26)

2025

30.6% (2)

15.4° (5)

4. Yankee player acquisition and development are influenced by fly ball hitting.

Three of the five players with the biggest increase in fly ball rate this year are Yankees, two of whom were acquired last year or this year.

Player

Increase in fly ball rate

1. Corbin Carroll, D-Backs

+11.6%

2. Jazz Chisholm, Yankees

+11.3%

3. Anthony Volpe, Yankees

+9.1%

4. Lars Nootbaar, Cardinals

+8.2%

5. Ryan McMahon, Yankees

+7.6%

That’s not all. Austin Wells (+5.7%), Paul Goldschmidt (+3.2), Jose Caballero (+2.5) and Cody Bellinger (+1.8%) all have boosted their fly ball rates this year. That gives the Yankees .

VERDUCCI: How Former Top Yankees Prospect Anthony Volpe Became Unplayable

Bellinger started hitting fly balls as soon as he joined the Yankees in spring training. He moved closer to the plate—back where he was in 2019—and emphasized getting the ball in the air to the pull side, a skill he had lost. Now he is hitting more fly balls than ever in his career (36.7%).

Aaron Judge made his swing change in 2022, the year he hit 62 home runs, to get the ball in the air more. He has been a model of consistency since then in terms of keeping the ball off the ground using a 15° attack angle, well above the average of 10°, which you can see every time he takes a practice swing.

Over the past three years, Judge has grounded out to the right side of the infield just four times (not including topped balls in front of the plate fielded by the pitcher or catcher). He has not grounded out to first base since Sept. 21, 2022.

5. Jazz Chisholm is a good example of how the Yankees tailor swings to get the ball airborne.

Before he was traded to the Yankees, Chisholm was a ground ball hitter. Now he is an extreme fly ball hitter who, like Bellinger, is hitting a career-high rate of fly balls (36.3%, well above MLB average of 24%).

How did the Yankees do this? They changed the path of his barrel to the ball.

We can measure that path change with Statcast. Chisholm has increased both his attack angle and attack direction.

Think of attack angle as a vertical gauge—how far the barrel works in an upward plane to meet the ball. You can see in the measurements below that Chisholm is swinging in a more upward path to the pitch—much steeper than the MLB average of 10°.

Think of attack direction as a horizontal gauge. Chisholm made a major adjustment with his attack direction. Last year he was at 2°, which is the MLB average. He was a neutral hitter in terms of where he hit the ball. But this year his bat is moving much more in a path toward the right side of the field—hitting the ball out front. It is the path of a pull hitter.

Chisholm has hit a career-high 26 home runs. Here is what the changes look like in terms of data:

Chisholm Swing Metrics

Attack Angle

Attack Direction

MPH

SLG

2024

14°

2°

72

.436

2025

16°

5°

74

.487

And here is what the changes visually look like. He is dropping the barrel lower as it enters the hitting zone so that he can swing up more on the ball. He is trying to catch the bottom third of the baseball and to hit it more out front of the plate, the better to generate pull-side balls in the air.

These are two nearly identical pitches: fastballs from a righthander down and middle. The one from last season is a ground ball single up the middle. The one from this season is a pull-side home run.

I highlighted the angle of his bat so you can see his descent angle is less steep this year, allowing him to work his barrel more underneath the baseball (greater attack angle).

The contact point pictures are somewhat similar, but the greater attack direction means he is catching the ball more in front and staying connected through contact, which you can see with how his hands and arms remain closer to his body. 

6. Giancarlo Stanton jumped aboard the airborne baseball train.

Yes, even a 35-year-old, five-time All-Star with 446 career home runs has joined the fly ball party. Stanton always has hit the ball as hard as just about anybody in baseball. But he deployed such a flat swing he hit too many ground balls for a guy with so much power. Until last year, he hit balls on the ground at a rate greater than the major league average.

Those days are over. It’s only a 55-game sample, but Stanton is slugging at a rate (.624) topped only by his 2019 MVP season. He is hitting a career-low rate of ground balls (32.7%) and a career-high rate of fly balls (29.2%).

How is that possible at age 35? Like Chisholm, Stanton has learned to drop the barrel lower behind him and bring it to the hitting zone in a sharper upward angle. He is hitting the bottom third of the baseball more often—and when you do that with the highest average exit velocity in the sport, look out.

Stanton Swing Metrics

EV

Attack Angle

Launch Angle

2024

81.0

9°

14.7°

2025

80.5

11°

18.2° (career high)

MLB Average

72.0

10°

12.4°

Those are the data. Now here is a visual to see how Stanton has changed his setup to get more underneath the baseball. Both pitches are splitters from Kevin Gausman. The one last year is a foul ball. The one this year is a home run.

Stanton has closed his stance farther. This year you can see the entire 7 of the 27 on his back. At foot strike/ball release, the stride foot is closer to the plate. And Stanton is in a more erect posture, which is more common among tall power hitters to create more leverage.

7. Trent Grisham and Ben Rice are having career years by … you guessed it,

Grisham hasn’t changed his swing. He hunts fastballs in the zone and is more apt to put a home run swing on it when he gets it. He has talked about how playing with Judge and Stanton has encouraged him to take more big swings, depending on count and situation. Grisham has reached career highs in pulling the ball and pulling the ball in the air while hitting a career-low rate of balls to the opposite field. And here is what every scouting report says about him: He devours fastballs.

Grisham by pitch type, 2025

BA

SLG

Fastballs

.289

.557

Non-fastballs

.188

.389

Rice has almost the same profile: a pull-side, fly ball hitter who hunts fastballs:

Rice by pitch type, 2025

BA

SLG

Fastballs

.275

.520

Non-fastballs

.207

.441

Like or not, traditionalist or not, the Yankees do have a path to win the World Series by relying on getting the ball in the air and over the fence. What’s to stop them? An age-old antidote: a well-executed pitching plan.

Three of the five teams that have best limited the Yankees’ slugging this year are in playoff position and on their immediate schedule horizon: the Astros, Tigers and Red Sox. The Yankees begin a huge get-ready-for-October stretch Tuesday in Houston with the first of 12 straight games against the Astros, Blue Jays, Tigers and Red Sox.

The teams that have throttled the Yankees’ power have done so primarily by not feeding them four-seam fastballs and by boosting their off-speed use. The Yankees slug .497 against four-seamers, the best in the past two seasons except Arizona this year. The five teams who have pitched the Yankees the toughest all threw the Yankees fewer four-seamers than they usually see.

Meanwhile, except for Boston, they showed the Yankees more off-speed stuff than they normally see. 

Lowest SLG Allowed to 2025 Yankees

SLG

Four-Seam%

Off-speed%

1. Astros

.250

25.0%

16.9%

2. Tigers

.263

28.9%

18.1%

3. Angels

.329

24.0%

19.2%

4. Rangers

.373

22.6%

18.0%

5. Red Sox

.380

24.4%

12.1%

NYY Average

.456

30.2%

14.9%

Yes, there is likely to be a game here or there where the Yankees don’t get a single with a man on second or strike out with a man on third and it costs them. It’s not to say the finer points of baseball are not important . Hey, all you need to do is go back to Game 5 of the World Series last year. The Yankees hit three home runs. They had been 16–2 in World Series games when they hit three homers, including 5–0 at home.

And they lost because they kicked the ball around on defense.

The Yankees bank on the finer points mattering less if they can hit the ball in the air and out of the park. The Brewers, who hit the ball on the ground, run and defend, have more ways to win. The Yankees choose the more narrow but easier path. To repeat the basic math: The Yankees take 69 swings per game. If two are home runs, they win 70% of the time. That’s why they swing up on the baseball.

The Yankees are the greatest show above earth. Can they be stopped? Of course. All you must do is keep them in the park.

The Pirates’ playoff drought reached a decade this year. Pittsburgh finished the season 71-91 at the bottom of the NL Central, but the franchise does have one big piece of the puzzle figured out.

One of the best pitchers in baseball is on their roster in Paul Skenes. Although the Pirates’ putrid results have led to Skenes hearing his name in trade rumors, general manager Ben Cherington asserted any teams who ask for last year’s NL Rookie of the Year are quickly shot down.

"The question gets asked, and it's always respectful," Cherington said at the MLB general managers meetings via ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. "Teams have to ask the question. I suspect that won't end. But the answer's been consistent."

The 23-year-old righthander has finished each of his two MLB seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA. Skenes recorded a MLB-best 1.97 ERA this year, with Tigers ace Tarik Skubal the next closest at 2.21. Skenes had 216 strikeouts over 32 starts in 187 2/3 pitched on the year and is the clear favorite to receive the NL Cy Young Award.

Run support has lacked behind Skenes’s dominance as the Pirates scored just 583 runs as a unit this year, the lowest total in the MLB. Pittsburgh hopes to build around the dominant righty as they await the arrival of 19-year-old Konnor Griffin, MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 9 pick in the 2024 MLB draft. Bubba Chandler, another top prospect, made his debut this season when the Pirates called him up in August as the team hopes he can become a mainstay at the top of their rotation alongside Skenes.

Skenes remains under team control for four more seasons, which could net the Pirates a massive haul if he eventually becomes available on the trade market. For now, though, that’s not the case and Cherington aims to build around his elite ace.

Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies will start their postseason on Saturday with Game 1 of the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Harper has made quite a few runs through the playoffs since joining the Phillies, but is still chasing his first World Series win. If he’s going to get it this year, he and the Phillies will have to go through the reigning champions.

While taking on the Dodgers is always a tall task, Harper will have one extra, and extra special fan cheering him on through the run, as he and his wife Kayla announced the birth of their fourth child, Hayes Three Harper, just hours before first pitch on Saturday.

As some astute Phillies observers noted, Harper has had a tendency to hit homers in his first game back from the birth of a child.

Harper and his newly unlocked Level 4 Dad Strength will look to add another home run to that tally against the Dodgers.

And what’s the most wickets in a Test by someone who also bagged a pair?

Steven Lynch17-Mar-2020Who was Yabba, apparently the only spectator at the recent ODI between Australia and New Zealand? asked Maurice Evans from New Zealand
“Yabba” was the nickname given to Stephen Harold Gascoigne, a Sydney rabbit-seller who became famous for his raucous pronouncements from the Hill during matches at the SCG. Arguably the best-recalled example of his output was his advice to the England captain Douglas Jardine during the Bodyline tour: “Leave our flies alone Jardine! They’re the only friends you’ve got out here.”A statue of Yabba was unveiled on the Hill in 2008, which is why he was, poetically speaking, the only onlooker at the recent ODI in Sydney, after spectators were excluded for health reasons. The official attendance of zero would appear to be an unbeatable record low: according to the Melbourne statistician Charles Davis, the previous-smallest daily attendance for an international match in Australia was 17, for the final day of the 1967-68 Adelaide Test – India were nine down overnight, and 161 behind; Australia needed six overs on the final morning to pick up the last wicket.Ian Chappell, in a recent ESPNcricinfo article, entertainingly recalled a Sheffield Shield match that started with just one spectator in attendance. I seem to remember a report of a match in Zimbabwe that started with no one watching at all, but I’m not sure when that was!I noticed that Mitchell Starc has bowled 70 of his 178 victims in ODIs, which is almost 40%. Is this a record? asked Rick McDonough from Australia
Mitchell Starc’s percentage of bowled dismissals in one-day internationals – 39.33% – is indeed a record for anyone with more than 100 wickets. Next come Waqar Younis, with 151 out of 416 (36.3%), the West Indian Jerome Taylor, with 45 out of 128 (35.16%) and Wasim Akram, with 176 out of 502 (35.06%). If we drop the qualification to 50 wickets, Starc comes in third, behind another Pakistani – offspinner Tauseef Ahmed, with 23 bowled out of 55 wickets (41.82%) – and another rapid Aussie, Shaun Tait, with 25 out of 62 (40.32%).How many men have scored a Test triple-century in a team’s second innings? asked Ahmed Raza from Pakistan
Only two batsmen have managed a triple-century in their team’s second innings in a Test. For a long time the only one to achieve it was Hanif Mohammad, with his monumental match-saving 337 against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1957-58. With Pakistan trailing by 473 runs after the first innings, Hanif batted for 970 minutes (or 999, by some accounts), and Pakistan escaped with a draw. Nearly 56 years later, in February 2014, Hanif was joined by Brendon McCullum, who made 302 (in 775 minutes) for New Zealand against India in Wellington.The highest score in the fourth innings of a Test is 223, by George Headley for West Indies against England in a timeless Test in Kingston in 1929-30. For the full list of second-innings double-centuries, click here.Sachin Tendulkar has been dismissed in the nineties in ODIs 18 times, and has been out for 99 thrice•Getty ImagesI noticed that Kane Williamson had made seven nineties in ODIs, and Virat Kohli six. Who’s top of this list? asked Anuram Bhatti from India
Kane Williamson’s current tally of seven scores of between 90 and 99 in one-day internationals puts him joint-sixth (with India’s Mohammad Azharuddin) on this particular list. Jacques Kallis made eight, and Nathan Astle, Aravinda de Silva and Grant Flower nine – but way ahead, with twice as many, is Sachin Tendulkar, whose 18 included three 99s.What’s the most wickets in a Test by someone who also bagged a pair? asked Ron Houghton from England
The Surrey and England bowler George Lohmann holds this particular record. He took 15 wickets – 7 for 38 and 8 for 7 – against South Africa in Port Elizabeth in 1895-96, but was also dismissed for ducks in both innings.More recently, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar took 12 for 104 (two 6 for 52s) for India against Australia in Melbourne in 1977-78, and Waqar Younis 12 for 130 (7 for 76 and 5 for 54) for Pakistan against New Zealand in Faisalabad in 1990-91. In all, there have been 11 instances of a bowler combining ten or more wickets in a Test with a pair with the bat.Use our feedback form or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

The reasons why Bengal are a step away from realising their Ranji Trophy dream in 2020, nearly three decades after they last won the competition

Shashank Kishore in Rajkot08-Mar-2020It’s June 2014. The Cricket Association of Bengal announces its ambitious Vision 2020 project. Waqar Younis, the Pakistan legend, is roped in as fast-bowling consultant. Trials are called, and as many as 200 – shortlisted from the districts and club cricket – turn up at Eden Gardens. One bowler, with torn shoes and shabby clothes, with “nothing extraordinary about him”, according to Ranadeb Bose, manages to get the coaches interested.Waqar isn’t convinced, Bose thinks they can have another look. And he is eventually shortlisted. That bowler is Mukesh Kumar, one of the key reasons why Bengal are a step away from realising their Ranji Trophy dream in 2020, nearly three decades after they last won the competition.In the semi-final in Kolkata, Kumar and Akash Deep, four years his junior, made a power-packed Karnataka batting line-up boasting of KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair and Devdutt Padikkal look pedestrian. Kumar finished with a match haul of 8 for 107, including 6 for 46 in the second innings, to give Bengal an incredible 174-run victory in front of their home fans. Bose, who is now part of Bengal’s support staff, couldn’t be happier at the turnaround.ALSO READ: Sleepless nights and ‘madness’ in training: How Bengal made the Ranji final“I saw him in the Vision 2020 nets with no spikes, in his trainers. Just roaming around,” Bose remembers. “When I saw him bowl, I thought there was something (about him). Waqar was not 100% okay with that, but I requested him, ‘bhai, rakh lo (let’s keep him)’. He said, ‘ (You think so? Then keep him. Are you sure?)’ And I said, ‘(I like him)’. This is how Kumar came into the Vision 2020 squad.”At the fag end of a long day, maybe even I could have missed him. But I just happened to go behind the nets to have a cup of tea. So I was able to watch him from behind the batsman. From far, he looked like he was 120kph, but off the pitch, there was skid. The loss of pace seemed less after hitting the deck. So I thought, there is something. I gave him a better ball, then he started bowling better. So after going back and forth, I picked him and Waqar nodded finally. I was lucky to be at the right place at the right time.”Little did Bose know then that Kumar’s selection would be the start of a challenging ride.***‘Mukesh Kumar saved my job’When Kumar came into the Bengal set-up in 2014, doctors pronounced him anaemic. He’d bowl a few overs with intensity and then get tired. He’d play one game, and miss three. It was the story of his first season as a Bengal cricketer trying to break into the Ranji Trophy set-up. He was later diagnosed with bone edema – accumulation of fluids – in his knees.”Mukesh was suffering from malnutrition,” Bose says. “His body wasn’t ready to play 10-12 first-class games a season, and it has taken us a good three years to set him right – to get his training, food habits, sleep patterns in order. Within a year of him coming into the set-up, I thought of taking a punt on him in Lahli. I thought ‘swing bowler, gets it to dart around, he’s doing well in the nets, what can go wrong’? Again, there were voices both within CAB and outside that didn’t approve of the call.”In all fairness, they were right in their own way. Who would pick someone who keeps getting injured? He hadn’t played any competitive games in the six-months prior to coming to the nets. They all thought ‘how can you pick someone straight out of the nets that too at the start of a Ranji season?'”

“He [Mukesh Kumar] saved my job and made a career out of it. So four wickets there in Haryana in his debut game. I should thank him, he saved my job.”Ranadeb Bose

Bose remembers going to Sourav Ganguly, who was CAB secretary at the time, for a conversation. “It was a very short conversation,” he says. “He had a bone edema. He had a malnutrition issue because he came from a humble background. Ganguly was the secretary and I requested him to keep this guy in the CAB circuit. I also asked him if we could look after his food and lodging. It wasn’t easy to justify, the guy hadn’t played anything. Didn’t play much club cricket either. And Dada [Ganguly] said, ‘are you sure?’ I said ‘yes’. Dada said: (Fine, keep him)’.”He said keep him in the CAB accommodation. So Mukesh was there for about two years. We looked after his food. His MRIs were expensive, so we took care of that. Bone edema it is not easy – the physio was there to help him out. He didn’t play anything for six-eight months and then he played Under-23. He played a couple of games, did well. And then he was bowling in the Bengal nets as a net bowler. I again went back to Ganguly and said ‘can we make him play this Ranji season?’ Dada said, ‘He hasn’t even played club cricket’.”I said ‘I think he’s good’. Thankfully, [VVS] Laxman (CAB’s batting consultant) was there in that meeting and said he thought Mukesh is very good, ‘let us make him play’. With Laxman saying and with me requesting, pleading, he said ‘okay, go play’. It was not easy to convince Sairaj [Bahutule, the coach], he had his reservations. But thankfully we made him play against Haryana in Lahli. The first wicket he got was Virender Sehwag. He saved my job, and made a career out of it. So four wickets there in Haryana in his debut game. I should thank him, he saved my job.”Mukesh Kumar is chaired off the field after starring in Bengal’s win•PTI In nine games this season, Kumar has picked up 30 wickets, the joint-most along with Akash Deep and Shahbaz Ahmed. Ishan Porel, who has featured only in five games this season, has 22 wickets. It’s this combined output that has brought Bengal the rewards.****‘Heartbreaks no setback for Akash Deep’Hailing from Sasaram in Bihar, Akash Deep wanted to play cricket, but was dissuaded by his father, Ramji Singh, a schoolteacher. He left for Durgapur, a town in West Bengal, in 2010 with the pretext of finding a job, but found support from his uncle, who wanted his son to be a cricketer. So Akash Deep and his cousin went to a local academy, where he started gaining prominence for his pace. However, a family tragedy forced him out of the game for three years.”My father had a stroke and then he passed away after a brief struggle with paralysis three years ago,” Akash Deep remembers. “Two months after his death, my older brother passed away. He had common cold, fever. It hadn’t come down for a few days, and we went to a doctor, who didn’t diagnose his problem properly. We had to go to Banaras [Varanasi] for treatment, and he died on the way. I was emotionally and mentally down. There was no money in the house, I had my mother to take care of.”Ranadeb Bose and Akash Deep have a chat•Shashank Kishore/ESPNcricinfo LtdAkash Deep spent three years trying to reconstruct his life, but realised the cricket dream was too big to let go. He returned to Durgapur, and then eventually moved to Kolkata, where he rented a small room and lived with his cousin. Akash Deep was inducted into the United Club in CAB’s Second Division League.Unlike Kumar, Akash Deep was a natural athlete, “strong shoulders, good wrist,” according to Bose. However, he was erratic and lacked direction. This was when a chat with Mohammed Shami, who was in Kolkata during his time away from the Indian team, turned things around.”He spoke to me about his issues with fitness, what he did to improve, how he came back from injuries. That chat gave me a perspective,” Akash Deep says. “I used to bowl mid-130s, but after following his advice, I worked on my fitness and I realised slowly I could bowl long spells without being tired.”

“We don’t hunt in pairs, we hunt in packs. We’re like wolves. Nobody can be dropped from this team, they can only be rested.”Ranadeb Bose

Last year, Akash Deep was picked in Bengal’s Under-23 team. A Ranji Trophy debut seemed far off at the start of 2019-20, but circumstances proved lucky. “A couple of years ago, Manoj Tiwary told me about him: ‘There’s this guy called Akash Deep, bowls quick but is very erratic’. So I rang up Sourasish Lahiri (Bengal’s Under-23 coach) to ask about him,” Bose remembers. “Lahiri and I have a great equation, so there’s trust.”I went over to the Under-23 nets to have a look at him and felt he was good, but we needed to work on him. I think we were in Vizianagaram for a match, and I requested the selectors to leave him out. Lahiri agreed, so we worked with him and played him next game against Mumbai and he took a five-for and scored a half-century. That is how he came into the senior set up.” Akash Deep made his T20 debut last season, but was handed a first-class debut in December 2019 against Andhra in Kolkata.***Wolves under umbrellas and the Paddy Upton philosophyAt the start of the 2019-20 season, Bengal lost three bowlers to Railways: Kanishk Seth, Amit Kuila and Anant Saha, players they had earmarked for the future. The security of a government job was hard to forego. There were disciplinary issues that resulted in Ashok Dinda being left out of the squad altogether. Porel, at 21, became the leader of the attack, but he was to miss a good portion of games initially after being picked in the India A squad for New Zealand.Kumar was the only bowler available, and an injury to him would have left the fast bowling cupboard bare until Porel returned. This is when Bengal decided to unleash Akash Deep, while also recalling Nilkantha Das, 12 years after he first came into the system. As a 31-year-old, he was handed a debut against Delhi in January 2020.All along, Das played club cricket for Mohun Bagan. The presence of Bose, Shib Shankar Paul, Sourav Sarkar, Dinda and later Shami left him in the cold. He wasn’t lost to cricket, though, and found a route back through Kolkata’s club cricket scene. In only his second game, he picked up a four-for in the second innings against Rajasthan to trigger a collapse. Bengal held on for a narrow two-wicket win. Then in the quarter-final, he picked up three crucial wickets in the first innings, broke a threatening century stand and set Bengal up for a lead, which eventually helped them progress.ALSO READ: ‘Boss, even Lord Krishna can’t save you now’“We don’t hunt in pairs, we hunt in packs. We’re like wolves,” Bose says. “Nobody can be dropped from this team, they can only be rested. If you see Neelkantha Das, he has done remarkably well the three games he has played. He has got crucial wickets against Rajasthan, crucial wickets against Odisha in a quarter-final. It’s unfortunate that we had to rest him to fit in Akash. And what does he do? He walks in with three wickets and 44 crucial runs in the first innings [in semi-final against Karnataka].”You just can’t drop anyone in this side, you can only rest them and say ‘sorry boss, don’t mind’. And they’re taking it positively, they’re absolutely fine with that. I think we missed Ishan for a couple of games, but we didn’t miss him because Neelu did the job. This is what the bench strength we’ve got and that is what is making this team good.”Bose believes until now all their bowlers were under an umbrella, waiting for guidance. Now, they have been given a free license to run wild. “We always had this umbrella, of a good bowler in front of us,” he says, hinting at Dinda. “So guys like Mukesh, Porel and Akash were under an umbrella. So they think that is my world. When that umbrella goes, you see the sky, then you feel that you belong. Sometimes it is important to push them outside and under the sunlight, they realise this is my world. I think they have realised their worth now.Ishan Porel celebrates a wicket•PTI “My job is to make sure I open up their outlook; tell them the mistakes I’ve made and ensure they learn from that. These boys, Mukesh and Akash Deep especially, have surrendered completely to us, so it adds on to the responsibility. When they say ‘I’ll do whatever you tell me to’, you feel extra responsibility as coach. But I’ve learnt from Paddy Upton, who I spent time with at Pune Warriors.”He used to say ‘when someone comes with a problem, just let them talk. Channelise that in the right direction, ask them questions.’ Ask them why instead of giving him an answer. And invariably you’d find them coming up with answers, whether that is the solution is a different thing, but at least you get them thinking. Their thought process should be guided, and I’ve tried to follow that from Upton. I keep my eyes and ears open and learn stuff from these personalities.”Bose also spent considerable time with them just to make them consistent. “When I started working with Mukesh and Akash, I never thought of making them outstanding. My job was to ensure they did their basics: line and length. It took me three years for Mukesh, 18 months for Akash to make them understand the importance of bowling ordinary balls – which aren’t bad balls. Just pitching on off, same spot, again and again and again. I told them ‘forget swing, seam nothing. If you keep doing it, something good will happen.’ Maybe that special ball will come after 30 balls, but if you’re giving away runs, captain will rethink and you’ll lose out on opportunities to bowl that good ball. Green top or (flat) wicket, their mentality now is ‘I’m going to bowl 20 overs, give away 40 runs.'”If you keep up with the consistency, on a good day you will take five, on an ordinary day, you’ll take one or two wickets. But you will never go wicketless. We are Indians, it’s important to have , so have it. On a good day, you will have mutton biryani, on an average day, you will still have , you won’t go hungry at least. That is the way I try to pass on the message to the boys. Doing that, initially success doesn’t come, but when they realise eventually this is how it is sometimes, they learn.They also meet some good players, some good bowlers. I encourage them to go and speak to good batsmen and bowlers from the opposition. After the last game, they had a nice chat with KL Rahul. I would encourage them to go and speak to Jaydev Unadkat, he’s got 65 wickets. He must be doing something very good. I pushed them to initially, but now they go on their own.”Stories of Kumar and Deep merely reflect the work done by a tireless backroom. Their sudden surge may merely coincide with that ambitious ‘Vision 2020’ programme, but such careful nurturing and empowering of a young group can only mean plenty of promise for Bengal’s immediate future.

And who took more than 2000 wickets in his first-class career, but scored fewer than 2000 runs?

Steven Lynch08-Sep-2020I heard that a woman took four wickets in four balls in a T20I the other day. Who was this, and have any men done it? asked Manek Divecha from India

The lady in question was Anuradha Doddaballapur, the Indian-born captain of the German national team, who took four wickets in four balls against Austria in Seebarn last month. The previous day, her team-mate Anne Bierwisch took a hat-trick against the same opponents, also in Seebarn.Two bowlers have taken four wickets in four balls in men’s T20I, both of them in 2019. First to do it was Rashid Khan, for Afghanistan against Ireland in Dehradun in February last year, and he was followed in September by Lasith Malinga, for Sri Lanka against New Zealand in Pallekele. Malinga has also achieved this feat in one-day internationals – against South Africa in Providence (Guyana) during the 2007 World Cup.Who has top-scored in the most Test innings for England? I imagine Sachin Tendulkar is the overall leader? asked Michael Banks from England

The overall leader for England is, not entirely surprisingly, Alastair Cook, who made the highest score in 58 of his 291 Test innings. The previous England record belonged to Cook’s fellow Essex man Graham Gooch, with 51; Geoff Boycott, David Gower and Alec Stewart all did it 46 times.Top overall is indeed Sachin Tendulkar, who made the highest score in 78 of his 329 Test innings for India. Next comes Brian Lara, with 65, then Sunil Gavaskar and Shivnarine Chanderpaul with 60. Kumar Sangakkara is alongside Cook with 58, while Rahul Dravid (53), Mahela Jayawardene and Jacques Kallis (both 51) also managed the feat more than 50 times. (This includes all innings, not just when a team was all out.)The leader on average is, almost inevitably, Don Bradman, who top-scored in 29 of his 80 Test innings (36.25%). Next, among those who top-scored at least 25 times, is England’s Herbert Sutcliffe, with 25 out of 84 (29.76%).Who took more than 2000 wickets in his first-class career, but scored fewer than 2000 runs? asked Ricky Dooley from Scotland

This batting rabbit is the Warwickshire and England legspinner Eric Hollies, whose 2323 first-class wickets – which cost just below 21 apiece – famously included Don Bradman for a duck in his final Test innings, at The Oval in 1948.Hollies the batsman was no stranger to ducks: he collected 133 of them in all, and managed only 1673 runs in 616 visits to the crease, at an average of 5.00, which was higher than it might have been thanks to 282 not-outs. Only seven batsmen suffered more ducks in first-class cricket: the Worcestershire seamer Reg Perks leads the way with 156.Eric Hollies (extreme left) took 2323 first-class wickets, but he scored only 1673 runs in his career, including 133 ducks•Getty ImagesI know that Shane Warne holds the record for the most Test runs without a century – but who holds this record overall in first-class cricket? asked Ben Cobbing from South Africa

The only man who finished his first-class career with more than 10,000 runs but not a single century was the much-travelled left-arm spinner Tony Lock. He finished with 10,342 runs at 15.88 – and a highest score of 89, in the last of his 49 Tests for England, against West Indies in Georgetown in 1967-68. In all, Lock reached 50 on 27 occasions in first-class cricket, but never made it to 90.You’re right that Shane Warne holds this record in Tests – he amassed 3154 runs, with a highest score of 99 against New Zealand in Perth in 2001-02 – when he was dismissed from what appeared to be an uncalled no-ball. He did score two first-class hundreds late in his career, though.Who was once no-balled for throwing in a Test for impersonating a bowler he thought should have been no-balled for throwing? asked Mick O’Brien from England

The protagonist in this unusual tale was the Indian seamer Abid Ali, who was called for throwing in the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1967-68. The New Zealand fast bowler Gary Bartlett had put his side on top by taking 6 for 38, but the tourists felt his bowling action was suspect. Chandu Borde, India’s vice-captain, was in no doubt: “Bartlett was a pronounced chucker, and it stood out a mile,” he wrote. “When we were making a fight of it in our second innings, Bartlett flattened the stumps of me and Pataudi in a single over to swing the Test in his team’s favour.”New Zealand were left needing 88 to win, and got there for the loss of four wickets – and a little help from the bowlers, as Borde recalled: “Abid Ali expressed his protest in a novel way. He deliberately threw a ball instead of bowling it and was promptly no-balled.”Bartlett’s figures remained the best of his career, which ran to ten Tests. Despite the whispers about his action, he was never called for throwing. Richard Collinge, a team-mate in that Christchurch victory, recalled: “It was sour grapes… I never doubted his action at all.”Use our
feedback form or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Not “stuck” with what happened in the past, he is eyeing the IPL to return to the national team

Sruthi Ravindranath17-Sep-2020Bowling as fast as possible and plotting an India comeback – Varun Aaron has never wavered from two of his primary goals all these years. This despite having last played for India in 2015 and having to deal with injuries and fitness issues through most of his career. Somewhere between his debut as a 21-year old who relentlessly bowled in the range of 150kph to a 30-year old unwilling to compromise on his pace despite injury setbacks, Aaron feels he has learnt how to be “mentally strong” and “keep things simple” on the field.”Being in and out [of the Indian team] helps you,” Aaron told ESPNcricinfo. “More than the game it helps you value so many different things in life. The game’s always there but when you’re in and out, you see so many different sides of people, you see so many situations. When you’re getting injured when you’re young, you are always going to come from behind which helps you get mentally strong. I’ve had injuries in the past and have learnt a lot from it and I don’t find myself stuck with what’s happened previously.”My biggest learning is to keep things simple. Because when you are younger [there is] a whole different gamut of things – you want to do this and that – but I think knowing your strengths and keeping things simple is the most important thing.”With India making a big leap in the fast bowling department in the last few years, including boasting an impressive bench strength in all three formats, Aaron still believes a comeback – by making his IPL performances speak – is possible. He made his Test debut nine years ago but never broke into India’s T20I side, despite regularly featuring in the IPL and for Jharkhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the last couple of years. Aaron had quite an impressive 2019-20 season, when he picked ten wickets in eight matches. He was part of three different sides in the IPL before the Royals pouched him last season, when he played five out of their 14 matches and picked four wickets.”Having a good IPL and winning matches for Rajasthan Royals and helping us win the trophy is the simplest way to make a India comeback,” Aaron said. “I’ve said and I always say that the only reason I play the game is to play for the country, and there’s nothing else that keeps me as motivated.”Aaron has managed to stay injury-free in the last couple of years and he attributes a large part of maintaining his fitness levels to Steffan Jones, the Royals’ fast bowling development coach. Jones, who has trained the likes of Stuart Broad, Shaun Tait and Dan Christian during the 2017 Big Bash League, has been part of the Royals set up since 2018. Aaron was also part of a preparatory camp hosted by the Royals under Jones earlier this year, and he explained what makes Jones stand out.Varun Aaron in his delivery stride•PTI “I really enjoyed working with Steffan last year and then consequently after the IPL I went and spent some more time with him in England. He’s a fast bowling coach who really bridges the gap between fast bowling and strength and conditioning, which is rare. But Steffan brings those aspects together really well. It’s really important for a fast bowling coach to have a really good knowledge of strength and conditioning. He’s like a catalyst which joins both. I had a decent knowledge of my body and what I needed to do. But meeting Steffan has given me a different sight to it and how I can always be powerful throughout a long season. It’s just more of a different side of training rather than conventional training or gym work.”I train myself actually. I consult Steffan and Rajnikanth (his fitness trainer at the MRF Pace Foundation) whenever I have doubts and stuff but just training over the years and training a lot, I have a decent grasp of what I need to do myself. During the lockdown I was focusing on getting into a good routine instead of just pushing myself too much and burning out and not being regular. I think lot of guys struggled to be regular during lockdown and my goal was to be regular. First of all, I worked through stuff which I felt I need to work on which was things like stability. Towards the end, I got in touch with Steffan and Rajnikanth to help me out with more specific stuff I needed.”I used to be injury prone and most of it used to be related to my back which wasn’t in my control. I’ve reached a space where I’ve got a grip on my body and what my body needs to last through a tournament. I don’t see any issues or me having to do anything to stay fit because I’ve been fit for almost two to three years without injury.”Conditions in the UAE are expected to help the slower bowlers, especially as the tournament progresses, but Aaron sees this as an opportunity for fast bowlers to bring out their variations. While saying that the biggest misconception about him during his younger days was that he lacked variations, Aaron believes that in the end it all comes down to the execution of those variations.

“The biggest plus is that they really want to bowl fast all the time which I enjoy, because I understand where they are in their head – because I was there when I was 19 and I’m still there.”Varun Aaron on Rajasthan Royals’ young quicks

“Bowling fast is definitely what I love doing but at the same time being adaptable is really important,” he said. “I don’t mind the wickets being slow at all because that bring in an opportunity to bowl so many variations which I’ve been working on. I have been bowling the knuckle ball for a while now and it has been coming out really well. If you’re playing at this level you more or less know how to bowl every single variation but the point is how well you can bowl it, how consistently you can bowl it and how deceptive it can be.”I don’t think the wickets are going to be that slow to start with; they might be a bit quick to start off with. It’s going to be a long tournament if the wickets are slow from day one, then at the end we’re just going to have dust bowls. So I think the curators will make sure there are good wickets to start off with and just because of the nature of how many games you’re going to play in a certain venue, the wickets are going to deteriorate.”The Royals have a well-stocked pace department, and watching some of the younger quicks reminds Aaron of his younger days.”They [the young quicks] are just full of energy and the biggest plus is that they really want to bowl fast all the time which I enjoy, because I understand where they are in their head – because I was there when I was 19 and I’m still there. Even today I want to bowl faster and increase my pace and I try to do everything I can. Ankit [Rajpoot] and Akash [Singh] are really keen to learn and they’re hungry to play and that’s what you want from youngsters.”You really don’t want to keep teaching them stuff. I’ve spoken to them and I’ve told them if they ever want anything, call me up I’m always open. But I believe giving space to youngsters to experience and learn things themselves is equally important because sometimes we can go overboard with bombarding them with information.”

The New Zealand batter took a break to have a child, and now returns to the top level to play her 100th T20I

Andrew McGlashan23-Sep-2020For all the players involved, the Australia-New Zealand women’s series which starts in Brisbane on Saturday is important, bringing international sport back to the country for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, but for Amy Satterthwaite there will be added significance as she returns to the game after having her first child with wife and team-mate Lea Tahuhu.Grace Marie was born on January 13 and nine months later Satterthwaite will join what remains a select group of sportswomen to return to the top of their field after starting a family. Providing selection goes in her favour, the opening match of the T20I series will also be Satterthwaite’s 100th T20I.”It’s a pretty special story to think I’ve gone away, had a child and my first possible game back will not only be for New Zealand but also be my 100th T20,” Satterthwaite told ESPNcricinfo. “And for Grace to be able to be around and see that, hopefully it will be a special day.”

Grace has been with us on tour and it’s been awesome, think the team has really enjoyed having her around bringing a lot of smiles to faces

While the decision to start a family when playing elite sport was nothing to do with making statements for Satterthwaite, she admitted becoming more aware of what it can stand for and how it can further show that it is no longer an either/or decision.”More people have pointed it out as we’ve gone along and what it means,” she said. “It certainly wasn’t something we set out to do, but you come to realise just the nature of what we are doing, you are setting a bit of trail as people call it.”I’ve played for a while now and I’ve seen people who were playing for New Zealand or Canterbury and they’ve stopped to have a family then not come back. From our point of view, it would be an awesome result to be able to show that people can have a family and still play.”The Covid-world has brought a new set of challenges, especially as Satterthwaite and Tahuhu are at the start of a long stay in Australia with the WBBL for Melbourne Renegades to follow this series. Originally the plan would have been to have family join them to help look after Grace, but quarantine restrictions has meant that isn’t possible so they organised separate nannies, who will be within the biosecure bubbles, for their stays in Brisbane and then Sydney.Amy Satterthwaite sweeps•Getty Images”It threw a bit of a spanner in the works like it did for most people,” Satterthwaite said. “Grace has been with us on tour and it’s been awesome, think the team has really enjoyed having her around bringing a lot of smiles to faces. It’s been a nice distraction while we’ve been in quarantine.”Satterthwaite, who has lost the New Zealand captaincy to Sophie Devine, will resume the role in the WBBL with last year’s Renegades’ skipper, Jess Duffin, having also given birth in June.Both New Zealand Cricket and the Renegades “have been brilliant,” she added. “It takes a lot of stress and pressure off you to able to know that’s all taken care of and that support is there, you and enjoy training and playing.”Satterthwaite returned to training a few months ago in the depths of the New Zealand winter and while she admitted to occasional thoughts about the reality of the challenges the hunger remained.”You start thinking of the road ahead, the fitness that you’ve got involved, you sort of think ‘will I be up for this?’ but for the most part that fire was still in the belly to come back,” she said. “Definitely there was an element of having this new life, and having Grace there I knew it was going to be pretty tough to be able to leave her to train but the more I got into it the more normal it became, that was probably the hardest part leaving her to go and work.

I’ve played for a while now and I’ve seen people who were playing for New Zealand or Canterbury and they’ve stopped to have a family then not come back. From our point of view, it would be an awesome result to be able to show that people can have a family and still play

“That first hit I had with [New Zealand coach] Bob Carter was certainly an interesting one. That feeling of apprehension about whether you’ll be able to hit the ball, but at the same I had low expectations because I hadn’t played cricket for a while. In a roundabout way I was pretty relaxed and it went quite well. After a long break you have that slight nervousness as to whether or not you will really want to come back and for me to enjoy that session reinforced that I was looking forward to it. So that was a nice feeling.”In the three years before her break, from 2016-2019, Satterthwaite had risen to be the No. 1 batter in ODI cricket and she will return to that format in early October still ranked No. 7. In that period she averaged a phenomenal 61.35 and it included four hundreds in consecutive innings which equalled the world record held by Kumar Sangakkara. On the route back she has delved into the archives of that memorable time.”I have certainly had a look at the footage to remind myself of how I played and what worked. When you haven’t played for a while it’s nice to refresh the memory and hopefully take that into when I do get back onto the park, remember the feelings I was having at the time when it was working well. I think too often as cricketers we look at what isn’t going well and it’s very important to look at strengths and what has been successful.”By contrast, her T20I record is less eye-catching with an average of 21.19 and just one half-century in 89 innings. However, she believes her domestic T20 record where she averaged 28.87 in the WBBL and 31.35 in the now defunct Kia Super League is a truer reflect of where her game sits although she continues to strive to expand her batting.”Over the last few years at domestic level my record has certainly been better there than it has been at international level,” she said. “It’s probably taken longer to work out my game in the T20 format where I’ve been relatively comfortable at 50-overs.”In my career I’ve batted in all sorts of positions in T20 and I know trying to score from the get-go has been something I’ve had to work on over the years. When you have the quality of Sophie [Devine] and Suzie [Bates] ahead of you, you have to learn to play your game and not copy how they play.”There are no guarantees for how the comeback will go for Satterthwaite – “the test will be when you get back out into the middle, competing in matches,” she said – but her return is significant beyond just the runs and wickets.

Mustafa and UAE captain Ahmed Raza both think the local talent is ready to kick on

Barny Read29-Jan-2021With arms outstretched and wearing a knowing grin, Abdul Shakoor lapped up the applause of his team-mates having launched Rayad Emrit for six over square leg to bring up a 14-ball half-century that got the T10 League off to a flier.Shakoor became the first UAE player to hit a T10 fifty in the process, with his eventual 73 from 28 balls sealing Man-of-the-Match honours as Maratha Arabians began their defence with victory.For a man who hasn’t represented his country since 2018, it was the perfect way to announce himself – especially against a Northern Warriors side that is led by UAE coach Robin Singh – and for the tournament it highlighted the benefit of its one local player rule as the Sharjah-born wicketkeeper stole the show in some style.”It’s a big achievement for me and the UAE guys,” Shakoor said in his post-match interview, with a delight etched across his face that unfortunately didn’t return on day two when he got a second-ball duck.In the opposite ranks on Thursday, however, sat Junaid Siddique – the 28-year-old seamer with six ODI caps and 13 T20I appearances under his belt, who left the field with no overs to his name. It was hardly a ringing endorsement given his national team coach was sitting in his own dugout.Siddique last year picked up two wickets for the Warriors in just three overs spread across three games, having shared duties with UAE youngster Ansh Tandon for the local player slot. A left-handed middle-order batsman, Tandon made 1* in his sole three-ball visit to the crease.Shakoor and Siddique represent both the opportunity and challenge that UAE players have in their mandatory inclusion in T10 team sheets.Former UAE captain Rohan Mustafa knows both intimately, having been one of many bystanders in the first two editions before coming to the fore as the ace up Team Abu Dhabi’s sleeve, taking the new ball in 2019 and being named vice-captain ahead of the 2021 edition. Now, he wants more of his countrymen to be given the same chances he was and he is adamant it will lead to similar performances as Shakoor’s.”If you don’t get opportunities, then how will you show the world what you can do?,” Mustafa told ESPNcricinfo. “The only thing is trust; if they trust us, I believe we have the kind of players that can play extraordinary innings.’It’s not about just getting picked, it’s about getting picked and then performing so people all around the world are taking notice of you’ – UAE captain Ahmed Raza•Getty Images”I don’t know why [Siddique] didn’t bowl but the captain has to trust him. I was very shocked to see he wasn’t bowling. You have to trust him and you have to give him confidence. If you don’t give a bowl to Junaid Siddique in the first match, automatically he will be under pressure in the second match, thinking: ‘If I don’t bowl well, they will remove me from the team.'”UAE captain Ahmed Raza also believes it was an oversight that when Shakoor was going all guns blazing, the Warriors didn’t throw the ball to the one man on the pitch who would have bowled to him previously and so would have known his game better than the rest.”There’s so much talk about match-ups in shorter forms like T20 and T10 and that’s a great match-up there,” said Raza. “Someone who is going very hard and is from the UAE when you have an opening bowler from the UAE in your ranks – I think they missed a trick there. Junaid has probably bowled at Shakoor a million times.”I think we will start seeing these match-ups more. Teams will start thinking outside of the box more and maybe changing their order slightly or giving the ball to someone else as teams are still getting to know the UAE players.”A major surprise in the draft saw Raza among the players to initially go unsold before later being brought in by Pune Devils after dropouts among their imported stars. Muhammad Usman – who hit an unbeaten, match-winning ODI century against Ireland at Zayed Cricket Stadium as recently as January 8 – was another to miss out. He is one of the UAE players now in a kind of quarantine purgatory, waiting in the wings should any players pick up injury or coronavirus.Raza went through the same process before being picked up by Pune and although he admitted his own surprise at not being initially selected, he is now delighted to be involved. He has also noticed a change among his fellow UAE players, who are no longer satisfied to simply take part but instead want to leave their mark on the tournament with contributions such as Shakoor’s.”Players were happy in the first year to be part of the team, but we started to get opportunities in the following years and now the mindset is totally different,” Raza said. “It’s not about just getting picked, it’s about getting picked and then performing so people all around the world are taking notice of you and next year teams are taking you or you’re being retained. I think it’s good, it’s about getting the opportunity and taking it with both hands.”

Root becomes the only England captain to score more than one double-century in away Tests

S Rajesh16-Jan-20211 – England batsman who has reached 8000 Test runs in fewer innings than Joe Root’s 178: Kevin Pietersen got there in 176. Four other England batsmen reached the mark in fewer than 200 innings. In all, 19 batsmen have made it to 8000 runs in fewer than 178 innings, of which Kumar Sangakkara’s 152 is the lowest.7 – England batsmen with 8000-plus Test runs. Among these players, Root’s average of 49.09 is the best, while Alec Stewart’s 39.54 is the lowest.ESPNcricinfo Ltd5 – Double-centuries by England batsmen in Asia. Root’s 228 is the second-highest among them, after Alastair Cook’s 263 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in 2015. Mike Gatting and Graeme Fowler scored their double-hundreds in the same innings, against India in Chennai in 1985.4 – England captains who have scored double-hundreds in an away Test (including neutral venues); the others are Cook, Len Hutton and Ted Dexter. Root is the only England captain to achieve it twice: he also scored 226 against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2019. Among all captains, only Graeme Smith (four) and Stephen Fleming (three) have more than two double-hundreds as captain in away Tests.3.65 – England’s run-rate in their last seven innings in Sri Lanka, since the start of the 2018 series. Their run-rate in the first innings here was 3.59. Before 2018, their scoring rate here was 2.58.7 – Instances of Sri Lanka conceding a first-innings lead of more than 250 in a home Test. They have lost each of the six previous matches. The last time they batted first in a home Test and fell behind more than 250 was way back in 2000, against Pakistan also in Galle. Three of the seven instances were in one series, against India in 2017; each time India batted first and piled up huge totals.