Cricket

Steve Smith, the Australian batting maestro, is gearing up for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a renewed determination to conquer the spin wizardry of Ravichandran Ashwin. Smith, who has been dismissed by Ashwin on multiple occasions in recent encounters, is eager to turn the tables in the upcoming series.Ashwin's prowess as an off-spinner is undeniable, particularly on home soil, where he boasts an impressive average of 21.57. However, his record in Australia is significantly different, with an average of 42.15. Smith believes this disparity could work in his favor.To counter Ashwin's spin, Smith plans to adopt a proactive approach, disrupting the bowler's rhythm and preventing him from settling into a comfortable pattern. He aims to take the attack to Ashwin, forcing him to react rather than dictate the terms of engagement."I don't like getting out to off-spin in Australia. But he's also a very good bowler and he came in with some decent plans. There were a couple of occasions where he got on top of me," Smith told the Sydney Morning Herald."But then I got on top of him at the SCG when I was a bit more proactive (Smith made 131 and 81 at Sydney). So, that's key for me. Just be proactive against him and not let him settle and bowl the way he wants to."Ashwin, for his part, is confident in his ability to outsmart Smith. He claims to have "figured out" Smith's batting technique, implying an upper hand in their battles."I think I've kind of figured out what he does or how he bats, I've had an edge over him. I've had the wood over him," Ashwin had told Channel Seven.Smith, however, downplays Ashwin's assertions, emphasizing the extended nature of a five-match series. He believes that even if one player gains an early advantage, the longer format allows for adjustments and shifts in momentum."Ashwin and I have had some good battles over the years. When you have five matches, if someone gets on top of another player, they could have 10 innings against them.""So, you're facing those mental challenges each game, and if it goes one way early, they will feel under pressure against that player. There's nowhere to hide in five games like there are in a two-game series," said the New South Wales man.Smith, who needs just 315 runs to reach the 10,000-run milestone in Test cricket, will return to his preferred batting position at number four. He had experimented with opening the batting in four Tests earlier this year, but the move didn't yield the desired results."It always makes your summer better when you start well. It gives you a lot of confidence. It's about not overthinking things. It's playing each ball as it comes and keeping it simple.""When I'm playing my best, I'm not overthinking and I'm just playing what's in front of me. It's going to be a good battle," he explained.Smith is eager to make a strong start and carry that momentum throughout the series. He believes in keeping his approach simple, trusting his instincts, and playing each ball on its merit. The battle between Smith and Ashwin promises to be an enthralling contest within the larger context of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Worcestershire County Cricket Club has bolstered its spin bowling department with the acquisition of Fateh Singh from Nottinghamshire on a three-year contract. The 20-year-old left-arm spinner impressed during a loan spell at New Road last summer, capturing 15 wickets in the One-Day Cup at an average of 24.13.Singh's performances in the One-Day Cup, including a career-best 4 for 52 against Somerset, earned him a first-class debut for Northamptonshire later in the season. A former England U19 international, Singh was part of the team that reached the final of the 2022 U19 ODI World Cup.Despite being contracted to Nottinghamshire until the end of 2025, the club agreed to facilitate Singh's move to Worcestershire to aid his development. The spinner had made only 12 appearances for Nottinghamshire, all in the One-Day Cup, and had been overtaken by 16-year-old off-spinner Farhan Ahmed.Worcestershire, who secured their Division One status with a sixth-place finish last season, will provide Singh with the opportunity to further his career. The club has a reputation for nurturing young talent, as evidenced by the success of Jake Libby, who has flourished since joining from Nottinghamshire.Singh expressed his delight at signing a long-term contract with Worcestershire, stating that he had a great experience with the club last summer. He is eager to continue his development and make an impact on the team.Worcestershire chief executive Ashley Giles hailed Singh's signing as a crucial step in building the squad. He emphasized the importance of strengthening the spin department, especially after the tragic passing of left-arm spinner Josh Baker at the start of the summer.The move reinforces Worcestershire's spin stocks, which were depleted by Baker's untimely demise. The club opted not to sign Amar Virdi, who had undertaken two loan spells at Worcestershire, following his release from Surrey.

Nathan Lyon Deemed More "Complete" Bowler Than Ravichandran Ashwin by Former South African Test CricketerFormer South African Test cricketer Paul Adams has sparked a debate by asserting that Australian spinner Nathan Lyon possesses a more "complete" skillset than his Indian counterpart Ravichandran Ashwin. Adams's comments come ahead of the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Test series between India and Australia.Both Lyon and Ashwin are widely regarded as elite spinners in modern cricket, boasting over 500 Test wickets each. However, Adams believes Lyon's versatility across different conditions gives him an advantage."I still think Nathan Lyon has a more complete game in terms of competing in the subcontinent and in Australia or South Africa, those types of conditions, than Ashwin," Adams stated.Adams, renowned for his unconventional "frog in a blender" bowling action, highlighted Lyon's ability to generate overspin as a crucial factor. He contrasted this with Ashwin, whose carrom ball adds a unique dimension to his bowling.Adams also addressed the absence of Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami from the upcoming series against Australia. He expressed his belief that Shami's absence will be a significant blow to the Indian team, especially on Australian pitches."I think he (Shami) will be a major miss for India, given the Australian conditions," Adams said.The former South African cricketer expects Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to assume a more prominent role in the bowling department in Shami's absence.

Legendary Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting has expressed concerns over the Indian batting lineup's vulnerability against quality spin bowling, citing their recent 3-0 series defeat to New Zealand. Ponting believes that the skill level of Indian batters in facing spin has declined compared to previous generations.India's dismal performance against New Zealand's spinners, Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, and Glenn Phillips, highlighted their weakness in this area. Ponting attributes this to several factors, including the changing nature of Indian pitches, the rise of fast bowlers in India, and the influence of the Indian Premier League (IPL)."It seems as though the skill of the modern Indian batsmen of playing spin is probably not what it used to be," Ponting said on The ICC Review show. "Maybe because they're playing on different wickets in India that are probably for the fast bowlers a bit more, maybe because there are more high-quality fast bowlers in India now that they're not playing as much spin bowling as they did."Ponting also praised New Zealand for their remarkable achievement, despite the absence of their star batter Kane Williamson. "That's a huge result. One that I wasn't expecting, to be honest, more so, when you look at it with Kane Williamson not being there," he said.While India's talismanic batter Virat Kohli has been struggling for form in Test cricket, Ponting remains confident in his ability to bounce back in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. "There's no doubt, he's a great of the game. He loves playing against Australia. And as I said, his record (in Australia) is very good. If there's a time for him to turn it around, it'd be this series," Ponting said.India needs to win at least four games in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to qualify for the 2025 World Test Championship final. Ponting believes that the series will be a crucial test for India's batting lineup and their ability to handle quality spin bowling.

India's recent Test series defeat against New Zealand has sparked a debate about the team's batting approach and the role of the batting coach. Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali has criticized the Indian batting coach for failing to guide the young batsmen in the nuances of Test cricket.India's 0-3 whitewash at home was largely attributed to their inability to handle spin bowling on turning pitches. Kiwi spinners Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel wreaked havoc, taking 13 and 11 wickets respectively. Basit Ali believes that the Indian batsmen were too aggressive and failed to adapt to the conditions."Who is India's batting coach, not able to advise the batsmen that you approach Tests session by session? Trying to score 10-12 runs every over is not cricket," said Basit.He pointed out that young batsmen like Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal threw away their wickets after getting starts. "Is there no one to tell players like Jaiswal and Gill that when you reach 30-35, then don't get out playing loose shots, try to play out the session? Because only a set batsman can be successful (on such tracks), at that time he is your Bradman," said Basit.Basit also questioned the decision to prepare turning pitches for the series. "Jaiswal scored 200 against England. Those were better pitches. (Rahul) Dravid has a better mind (as a coach) compared to Gautam. Dravid used to advise for four-day pitches, so that a Test match goes at least until the fourth day. Let it turn from the third, fourth day, fifth day," he said."But you guys are asking for wickets (that turn) from the first day, where someone who is not a regular spinner will get turn even if he bowls straight. Santner took 13 wickets in one Test, something he may not have done in a series of five ODIs," he added.India's batting coach is currently unclear, with assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate not having a specific role in that area. Basit believes that the lack of a dedicated batting coach has contributed to the team's struggles.India will face a tough challenge in their upcoming tour of Australia, where they will play five Test matches. The first Test begins on November 22 in Perth.

Zafar Gohar, the former Pakistan spinner, has joined Middlesex on a two-year contract after qualifying as a local player. Gohar spent four seasons with Gloucestershire as an overseas signing, but has now received British citizenship. He last played for Pakistan in 2021, when he won his sole Test cap in Christchurch. He was also capped in an ODI against England in 2015.Gohar's move to Middlesex is a significant boost for the club, as he brings a wealth of experience and quality to their bowling attack. He has claimed 118 wickets at 31.71 in first-class cricket for Gloucestershire, as well as 17 List A and nine T20 wickets, while also contributing handy runs down the order.Middlesex's managing director of cricket, Alan Coleman, said: "Zafar is a player that we have admired for some time now and have been keeping a watchful eye on. We are delighted to have secured his services as a local cricketer for the next two seasons.""In Championship cricket we have identified the need to increase our wicket-taking threat in all conditions and adding an international quality spinner to our line-up will strengthen us and add a greater threat on all types of surfaces.""Adding a senior bowler to our white-ball teams will also help the side in those situations where we've lacked some experience in the shorter formats in recent years.""The addition of someone like Zafar to our squad adds not only quality, but also invaluable experience, and our young spinners will benefit enormously from having him in the playing group. We are excited to see what Zafar can do for Middlesex and are delighted to have him on board."Gohar said: "I'm thrilled to be joining Middlesex and making Lord's my home ground for the next two years. It's a club steeped in history and to be a part of this next chapter is hugely exciting.""The opportunity to contribute to both the red-ball and white-ball teams formed a big part of my decision to make Middlesex my home, and I can't wait to play my part in what I hope will be a successful 2025 for the club."

The India vs New Zealand Test series concluded with a resounding 3-0 sweep in favor of the visitors, largely due to the exceptional bowling performance of Ajaz Patel. The Kiwi spinner emerged as the leading wicket-taker of the series, claiming an astonishing 15 wickets in three matches, including a remarkable 11-wicket haul at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.Despite Patel's impressive tally, former India batter Mohammad Kaif has dismissed the spinner's quality, claiming that India has bowlers of his caliber in every club. Kaif criticized the Indian team for allowing Patel to take so many wickets, attributing it to poor batting rather than exceptional bowling."Ajaz Patel didn't bowl well," Kaif said in a social media video. "If you look at his pitch map, he bowled two full-tosses, two short balls, and two length deliveries but still managed to take wickets."Kaif also ridiculed New Zealand's part-time spinner Glenn Phillips, who claimed four wickets in the Mumbai Test. "Glenn Phillips is a part-timer and he doesn't know how to bowl good deliveries," Kaif said. "We lost to part-timers and not to quality spinners."The only New Zealand spinner who earned Kaif's praise was Mitchell Santner, who took 11 wickets in the Pune Test before being ruled out of the final match due to injury. "Santner did bowl well," Kaif said. "The bowling he produced in Pune was a classic Test match performance."Kaif's comments have sparked debate among cricket fans and experts. Some have questioned his assessment of Patel's bowling, while others have agreed with his criticism of the Indian batting. Regardless of the differing opinions, Patel's performance in the series has undoubtedly been a major factor in New Zealand's dominant victory.

Kevin Pietersen Raises Concerns Over Declining Batting Techniques in Test CricketFormer England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has expressed his concerns about the deteriorating quality of batting techniques in Test cricket. Pietersen believes that the shift towards aggressive, boundary-centric play has led to a decline in traditional batting skills.In a recent tweet, Pietersen highlighted the lack of application and technique in Test cricket, attributing it to the emphasis on "smackers" and the disintegration of Test match batting skills. He emphasized the importance of spending hours practicing against spin bowling, as there is no quick remedy for improving batting skills.Pietersen's comments reflect the growing sentiment among cricket purists who worry that the focus on T20 and limited-overs formats is undermining the art of Test batting. His call for extensive practice against spin underlines the necessity for batters to invest significant time and effort to hone their skills in the longer format of the game.As cricket continues to evolve, Pietersen's remarks serve as a reminder of the enduring value of traditional techniques and the need for a balanced approach to batting across all formats.

Ravichandran Ashwin, India's premier spinner, has been a formidable force in home conditions throughout his Test career. However, during the recent India vs New Zealand series, Ashwin's form dipped significantly, contributing to India's unprecedented 3-0 series loss.In the six innings he played against New Zealand, Ashwin managed only nine wickets, averaging over 41. This was in stark contrast to his recent performances at home, where he had been instrumental in India's 18 consecutive home series wins.In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in 2023, Ashwin picked up 25 wickets in four matches, averaging an impressive 17.28. Against England in 2024, he bagged 26 wickets in five Tests, including two five-wicket hauls. And in the series against Bangladesh in September, he took 11 wickets in two Tests, averaging 19.27.Ashwin's struggles against New Zealand were particularly surprising given the conducive conditions for spin bowling. However, the BlackCaps' bowlers, including the less experienced ones, were able to exploit the conditions better than him.While Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar bagged 16 wickets each in the series, Ashwin turned out to be the least effective among India's spinners. This dip in form has raised concerns about Ashwin's ability to continue as India's lead spinner in home conditions.It remains to be seen whether Ashwin can regain his form and help India regain their home dominance. However, the New Zealand series has shown that even the most experienced bowlers can struggle when their form deserts them.