One-time Indian T20 League champions Hyderabad had the biggest squad in the lead up to the 2021 mini-auction. The David Warner-led side has been one of the most consistent franchises in recent times and they have qualified for the playoffs in each of the last five seasons.

Hyderabad had more or less settled core as they released only five players in the lead up to the auction. Under coach Trevor Bayliss, Hyderabad went into the player auction with a purse of 10.75 crore and they made their first bid of the day for Jagadeesha Suchith as he joined them for Rs 30 lakh. The team also added India batsman Kedar Jadhav (for Rs 2 crore) and Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman (for 1.5 crore) to add more depth to their settled squad. 

#WelcomeToSRH Jagadeesha Suchith, @JadhavKedar and @Mujeeb_R88! #IPLAuction #OrangeArmy #IPL2021 #SRH pic.twitter.com/jqE8evn072

�SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) February 18, 2021

Players Bought: Jagadeesha Suchith (30 lakh), Kedar Jadhav (2 crore) and Mujeeb ur Rahman (1.5 crore) 

Welcome aboard @JadhavKedar @Mujeeb_R88 and J. Suchith to @SunRisers, he’s to a successful 2021 campaign #OrangeArmy #IPLAuction2021

�Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) February 18, 2021

Team Hyderabad Full Squad: David Warner, Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Mitchell Marsh, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb ur Rahman

Feature image courtesy: IPL, BCCI 2021

The general Indian T20 League auction ideology is to buy gun overseas batsmen and pacers as spinners are available in plenty locally. Often, playing an overseas spinner in the team is seen as a wasted spot in the playing XI but that notion has changed over the last few years, with a few bowlers making an impact. Imran Tahir, Sunil Narine and Rashid Khan come to our mind first, but outside the obvious, we have a few that are set to make a mark on the Indian T20 League this year. Here, we look at three not-so-regular overseas spinners to keep an eye on this season.

Adam Zampa - Bangalore

A late replacement in the Bangalore squad, Adam Zampa is believed to be in the team to fill up the numbers but the Aussie might be there for a reason. RCB felt that the change in venue meant they needed more attacking spinners and Zampa alongside Chahal appears to be a relishing prospect. The Australian has rocked the Indian T20 League previously, snaring 12 wickets in 5 matches in 2016. Zampa has been vocal about even bowling in the death and could be a real wicket-taker for Bangalore, especially on slower wickets.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman - Punjab

The Afghanistan spinner is almost a regular in the Punjab setup, but this could be a massive year for him given that the dynamics at the franchise has changed after Ravichandran Ashwin's departure. Mujeeb could be leading the spin attack and will be expected to take the new ball and chip in during the middle overs. The mystery spinner is a terrific bowler with the new ball and Punjab will want to bank on his most glaring trait. Mujeeb comes off the back of a good Caribbean Premier League season and will likely hit the ground running for Punjab. Mujeeb will help Punjab break the monotony of pace early on now that Ashwin won't be there to handle a few in the first six overs.

Mohammad Nabi - Hyderabad

The Hyderabad all-rounder is often in and out of the team despite his consistent showing with bat and ball owing to the restriction on a number of overseas slots. However, with Kane Williamson not leading the outfit this year, Nabi could get more chances in place of him. The Afghanistan all-rounder is a terrific finisher and restrictive spinner and will enjoy the slow surfaces on offer in UAE. He thrived on slow wickets in the Indian T20 League last year and will once again hope to do so this year when his chances get more regular. Nabi's role might be more pronounced with the bat as Hyderabad had issues in the middle-order last year. His finishing skills and six-hitting abilities could serve Hyderabad well in the UAE.

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Feature image courtesy: AFP / Noah Seelam

Punjab have a rather understated squad for Indian T20 League 2020 with a strong top and middle-order and a threatening T20 bowling attack. After a few years of slump, it's time they turn up the wick at the Indian T20 League and the squad suggests that they are determined to do better than the last few years. Here, we glance at the four regular overseas picks that could complete their XI.

Overseas players: Chris Gayle, Sheldon Cottrell, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Nicholas Pooran

Mujeeb-ur-Rahman

The No. 1 overseas pick in the Punjab setup for the season should be Mujeeb-ur-Rahman. The Afghanistan mystery spinner is a powerplay bowler who can turn the ball both ways and is handy against both left and right-handers at the top of the order. With Punjab having no certain new ball bowler, Mujeeb should easily be a first-choice bowler to start.

Nicholas Pooran

Easy as you like to the eye, Nicholas Pooran has shades of Yuvraj Singh at times without the extravagant backlift and is a T20 beast. One of the most exciting T20 batsmen in the world - and especially familiar with slow conditions - Pooran should be a certainty in the Punjab middle-order this Indian T20 League season despite the minimal chances last year.

Glenn Maxwell

A fantastic hitter of spin, Glenn Maxwell should forge one of the most dangerous middle-order pairings alongside Nicholas Pooran this season. The Aussie is a terrific middle and death overs batsman and can up the tempo even in crisis situations. While his last few stints in the Indian T20 League haven't been all that successful, his recent record at national level means that Maxwell should start this year.

Chris Gayle

Although he is well past accepted levels of a batsman's prime, Chris Gayle continues to be a force to reckon with in T20s. He and KL Rahul will be banked upon to provide good starts although Gayle might start in lesser games than usual given the pitches and troubles against pace early on. The West Indian can win matches on his own from the top and this invaluable skill makes him a better pick than perhaps more consistent T20 players like Sheldon Cottrell or James Neesham.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Sajjad Hussain

The 13th edition of the Indian T20 League is all set to kick off in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 19. The nature of tracks and the big boundaries in the UAE stadiums have traditionally favoured spinners and thus, there is no doubt that they are going to play a key role for all the franchises in this edition. Having said that, let's take a look at five spinners who can dominate the conditions in UAE.

Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman (Punjab)

The Afghan spinner is one of the finest mystery spinners in the world right now. He has an excellent T20 record to his name, having claimed a total of 130 wickets in 121 matches at an excellent economy rate of 6.60. Mujeeb has a good bowling record to his name in the Indian T20 League as well.

In 16 Indian T20 League matches, he has claimed a total of 17 wickets and is coming into this edition on the back of a stellar showing in the Caribbean Premier League. The 19-year-old registered a total of 15 wickets in the league stage at a mean economy rate of 5.23. Similar conditions will be in store in the UAE and thus, he can be expected to put on a show there as well.

Shreyas Gopal (Rajasthan)

No other Indian spinner has claimed more wickets than Gopal in the last two editions of the Indian T20 League. Since 2018, the 25-year-old has registered a total of 31 wickets at an average of 18.80 and that includes multiple dismissals of top batsmen like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers as well.

Gopal's main strength is his deceptive googly with which he has bamboozled even the world's best batsmen in the last couple of years. Moreover, he is quite tall and that helps him in extracting significant bounce off the surface to go along with the sharp turn he gets. That sums up how skilful he is as a bowler and Rajasthan will be looking forward to another superb performance from him in Indian T20 League 2020.

Rashid Khan (Hyderabad)

He doesn't need any introduction at all. The Afghan international has bossed the Indian T20 League ever since his maiden appearance in the tournament in 2017. Since then, Rashid has gone on to register 55 wickets in 46 Indian T20 League matches and that too at a mean economy rate of 6.55.

Rashid's main strength is his ability to extract sharp turn off the surface -- both with leg-breaks and googlies -- at a high pace. That gives the batsmen minimal time to adjust to the change in trajectory of the ball, which in turn helps Rashid keep them under control. He had a good outing in the CPL 2020 as well. In a total of 10 matches for Barbados Tridents, Rashid claimed 11 wickets at an economy rate of 6.85.

Yuzvendra Chahal (Bangalore)

The Indian international has been associated with Bangalore ever since the 2014 season and has 100 Indian T20 League wickets to his name till date at an excellent strike-rate of 17.87. His consistency as a bowler over the years has been unreal and he continues to be a wicket-taking force for the team even today.

Chahal is one of the rare spinners who can bowl at any stage of a T20 game. Whether it is in the powerplay or the middle-overs or in the death, Chahal always backs himself to deliver under pressure. Not only does he get sharp turn due to the high number of revolutions he imparts to the ball, but Chahal also varies his pace quite well to keep the batsmen guessing. He has immense experience and that's why he can be expected to succeed in UAE.

Ravichandran Ashwin (Delhi)

He has been out of the Indian T20 side for quite a long time now but Ashwin still remains one of the best Indian spinners in the Indian T20 League even today. The experienced campaigner made a move to Delhi from Punjab during the trade window last year.

The 34-year-old has played a total of 139 Indian T20 League matches till date and registered 125 wickets in them at an excellent economy rate of 6.89. He claimed 15 wickets in the last season even after playing most of his matches on the unhelpful Mohali track. So that sums up the kind of trouble he can cause the batsmen when he gets some help from the conditions in UAE this time.

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Feature image courtesy: AFP / Noah Seelam

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SportsAdda

The action in the 2020 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) seems to be intensifying with each passing week and the upcoming week of action isn’t expected to be any different. Both batsmen and bowlers have been making their presence felt with match-winning performances and more of the same can be expected in week 3 of the CPL. Here, we have a look at a few players worth keeping an eye on in the upcoming week of action.

AS IT STANDS!!! #CPL20 #CricketPlayedLouder pic.twitter.com/F64WzbJDPo

�CPL T20 (@CPL) August 31, 2020

Glenn Phillips

The South African-born wicketkeeper-batsman is the leading run-getter in the CPL (207 runs) this season and is averaging 41.40 at a striker rate of 127.78. Glenn Phillips was in particularly devastating form in the Jamaica Tallawahs�last match against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. He scored an unbeaten 79 and it was an important knock that ended a run of three consecutive losses for Jamaica. The score was Phillips�second fifty of the ongoing season and it’s important for Jamaica that he gets going since the chances of his team doing good improves drastically when the right-hander, who has hit the second-most sixes so far (15), gets going.

Nicholas Pooran

The only batsman to have scored a century this season, Guyana Amazon Warriors�Nicholas Pooran may have been slightly hit and miss so far but it’s safe to say that once he does get his eye in, stopping him in full flow is an unenviable task. He scored an unbeaten hundred for the Warriors in his last outing for them and also has a fifty to his name this season. With a strike rate of 152.59 �the second-highest in CPL 2020 after Kieron Pollard �getting Pooran’s wicket nice and early is important from the opposition point of view or else they risk him wreaking havoc on their bowlers. 

Kyle Mayers

The 27-year-old all-rounder has looked sharp for Barbados Tridents and has contributed more often than not with either bat or ball. Kyle Mayers has the highest score of 85 and has gotten starts in most of his innings for the Tridents this year. A powerful striker of the ball, he’s fourth on the list for most sixes hit (13) so far and has it in him to completely alter the complexion of a game with a few lusty blows. Mayers can also chip in with the ball when required and has taken two wickets in CPL 2020.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman

The leading wicket-taker (13) so far despite playing a game fewer than most of the other bowlers, the right-arm off-break spinner from Afghanistan has been spinning webs around batsmen in the Caribbean to leave them spellbound. Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s stunning bowling average of 7.15 is the best this season and he also has a strike rate of 11.08 �the second-best in the league. He has picked up a wicket in each of the Tallawahs�games this season and is likely to continue in a similar vein of form in the upcoming matches.

Mohammad Nabi

St Lucia Zouks�Mohammad Nabi is the only bowler to have claimed a fifer this season after a match-defining spell of 5 for 15 against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. He was awarded the Player of the Match for the game and it was the second time this season that he was given the award after also picking it up in the earlier match against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in CPL 2020. Capable of contributing with the bat as well, Mohammad Nabi’s temperament under pressure is another great asset for his team to have. His bowling average of 11.40 in the CPL has only been bettered by his countrymen Mujeeb Ur Rahman this year.

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Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @CPL

"Spinners are more economical than seam bowlers in all three phases of a T20 innings �the first six overs, the middle overs and the final five. And so, it makes sense to bowl a lot of spin. As Guyana Amazon Warriors showed during the Caribbean Premier League by winning 11 consecutive games, teams can benefit from taking their embrace of spin even further," Cricket 2.0 co-author Tim Wigmore, wrote in The Telegraph.

Spin in T20s was considered a recipe for disaster when the format was in its infancy. Now, as it enters its adolescent years, teams know better. From Guyana Amazon Warriors to Chennai Super Kings, Birmingham Bears and India Women, spin-heavy T20 sides have thrived. Yet, the most glaring and often ignored team among this set is Afghanistan.

From Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi to the super-impressive Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and now franchise-legend-in-the-making Qais Ahmad, Afghanistan's cupboard is replete with spinners of all kinds. 

Their T20 record is stupendous to say the least. Since their first-ever T20I in February 2010, there has only been one team (among the 16 set to play the T20 World Cup) with a better success rate (measured by win/loss ratio) �Namibia �who have played way lesser number of games than Afghanistan.

Team	Matches	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	W/L
Namibia	16	12	4	0	0	3
Afghanistan	81	55	25	1	0	2.2
P.N.G.	26	17	8	0	1	2.125
India	114	73	36	2	3	2.027
Pakistan	124	71	50	2	1	1.42
Australia	101	56	41	2	2	1.365
South Africa	95	53	40	1	1	1.325
England	94	49	40	2	3	1.225
Netherlands	69	36	30	1	2	1.2
New Zealand	101	49	43	6	3	1.139
Scotland	57	27	27	1	2	1
West Indies	106	46	54	1	5	0.851
Oman	36	16	19	0	1	0.842
Ireland	89	37	44	2	6	0.84
Sri Lanka	103	44	55	2	2	0.8
Bangladesh	83	29	52	0	2	0.557

Table: Team record in T20Is since Afghanistan debut

Of the 81 games played, Afghanistan have won 55 and lost just 25. Surely, that's a scarcely believable record and pretty much underrated at first glance.

Read | Should ball-tampering be legalised after COVID-19?

However, cut the blind numbers and peek behind the scenes and you realise that Afghanistan's record is actually inflated by quite a few wins against some of the minnows in T20I format, notably Ireland, against whom they have won 14 of the 18 matches played. Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have also been whipping boys for the Blue Tigers who have pretty much choked quite a few teams with their spin-heavy attack.

Team	Matches	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	W/L
Ireland	18	14	3	1	0	4.666
Zimbabwe	9	8	1	0	0	8
Bangladesh	6	4	2	0	0	2
West Indies	7	3	4	0	0	0.75
England	2	0	2	0	0	0
India	2	0	2	0	0	0
Pakistan	1	0	1	0	0	0
South Africa	2	0	2	0	0	0
Sri Lanka	1	0	1	0	0	0

Table: Afghanistan against top T20I teams

Yet, think of one batsman who might have made a major contribution for them in their history and no name strikes home as much as any of Rashid, Mujeeb or Nabi. If the batsman's game needed a devilish evil twin, it is T20, a bowler's format, yet rarely recognised as such.  

A deep dig into Afghanistan's inflated success record also reveals that it hasn't won a single T20I against England, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or South Africa. However, let's not write them off as minnow bashers yet.

Since 2018, they have beaten teams in a dreaded, dominant manner. Series wins against Bangladesh, Ireland (twice), Zimbabwe and notably, West Indies, are also complemented by a shared tri-series win. They haven't yet played too many of the big boys but the T20 team is taking a wonderful shape with their bowling at the pinnacle of it all.

Read | Why Dinesh Karthik should be recalled to India's T20 setup

Rashid, Mujeeb and Nabi are joined by potent pacers in Karim Janat, a hard-hitting seam-bowling all-rounder, and Naveen-ul-Haq, perhaps the final piece in Afghanistan's T20I bowling jigsaw. Naveen brings in quality new ball bowling and a myriad of variations in the death while Janat is a pretty good seam bowler himself.

The extraordinary array of spinners on either side of Janat and Naveen make Afghanistan a formidable T20I outfit. Their current T20I record might be ballooned by wins against minnows, but expect the team to show an even steeper rise in the format in the next decade as these spinners grow into their golden years. There's nothing stopping them from finding success in the international arena with their bowling attack unless there's an impromptu birth certificate check from ICC.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Munir Uz Zaman

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SportsAdda.

While the Indian T20 League has seen some outstanding bowling spells over the years, there have also been instances when the batsmen have completely dominated proceedings. We delve into some of the worst bowling spells of the tournament and at first glance itself, it is pretty evident that the bowlers have it hard in T20 cricket. 

Basil Thampi (4-0-70-0)

Basil Thampi has the rare distinction of being the only bowler in the tournament to concede 70 or more runs. The Kerala speedster recorded these unwanted figures in 2018 against Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. With Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers and Colin de Grandhomme on the charge, Thampi was taken to the cleaners and conceded 70 runs in his four-over spell. He conceded 37 in his first two overs and 33 in his last two.

Read | Most economical bowlers in Indian T20 League history

Mujeeb-ur-Rahman (4-0-66-0)

The Afghanistan spinner is one of the most economical bowlers in the league's history. A mystery spinner with a plethora of variations, Mujeeb has been a revelation in all T20 cricket. In the 2019 league game against Hyderabad, Mujeeb, playing for Punjab, came up against David Warner and the results were catastrophic for the mystery spinner. He conceded 66 in his four-over spell after taking the new ball alongside Arshdeep Singh. 

Ishant Sharma (4-0-66-0)

The Indian with the second-worst figures in the tournament, Ishant Sharma had a horrid night in 2013 when he conceded a whopping 66 runs against Chennai. In his final over, the Indian Test pacer conceded as many as 25 runs to go past the competition record of the worst spell ever before Thampi and Mujeeb took over from him. Ishant conceded a hat-trick of sixes in his second over before his poor final over gave him this unwanted record. 

Read | Most wickets in Indian T20 history

Umesh Yadav (4-0-65-0)

Before Umesh Yadav switched allegiance to Bangalore, he had a face-off against Virat Kohli in 2013 while playing for the Delhi franchise. Umesh was tight in his first two overs, conceding just 13 runs but had a nightmare in the death as Kohli took a liking to his bowling. In the 18th over, Umesh conceded 24 runs but his skipper, David Warner, trusted him with yet another over. Kohli smashed two fours and two sixes in that final over as Umesh went on to record horrendous figures of 4-0-65-0. 

Sandeep Sharma (4-0-65-1)

In 2014, Sandeep Sharma was bludgeoned for 65 runs in his four-over spell against Hyderabad while he represented Punjab. Like with Umesh Yadav, Sandeep started well, giving away just 13 runs in his first two overs. But as he resumed in the powerplay, Shikhar Dhawan dug into the swing bowler that over and stole four fours and a six. When he came back for the 19th over, Sandeep was all over the place with wides and no-balls and conceded 26 off it to record his worst figures in the format.

Read | Year by year list of Purple Cap holders

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Manjunath Kiran

Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman starred respectively with bat and ball as Afghanistan thrashed Bangladesh by 25 runs in their second match of the tri-nation T20 international tournament in Dhaka on Sunday.

Nabi hit an unbeaten 84 off 54 balls under pressure to guide Afghanistan to 164-6 before Mujeeb claimed a career best of 4-15 to help his side dismiss Bangladesh for 139 in 19.5 overs for their world record 12th successive T20I win.

Mujeeb took three wickets in his opening spell to reduce the home side to 32 for four before Mahmudullah and Sabbir Rahman put a little resistance with 58 runs for the fifth wicket.

Gulbadin Naib broke the partnership by removing Mahmudullah, who made 44 off 39 balls for Bangladesh before Mujeeb ended Sabbir’s innings at 24 in his final over to surpass his previous best of 3-17 against Ireland.

Naib claimed 2-27 while skipper Rashid Khan and left-arm pacer Fareed Malik also took two wickets each.

Nabi earlier helped Afghanistan recover from 40-4 with his fourth T20I fifty, which featured three fours and seven sixes.

He received great support from former skipper Asghar Afghan as the duo shared 79 runs in the fifth wicket stand.

Asghar made 40 off 37 balls after he was reprieved on 31 when Sabbir took a catch at the deep only for the reply to show that bowler Taijul Islam had overstepped.

Nabi and Asghar overshadowed the bowling heroics of Mohammad Saifuddin, who claimed a career best 4-33.

"It's a team effort. Bangladesh bowled brilliantly in the powerplay and that put the pressure on us. Me and Asghar planned well and in the last five overs the plan worked," said man of the match Nabi.

Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan also did well with the ball to claim two wickets for just 18 runs.

"I thought we were brilliant in the first 10 overs. They scored more than 100 runs in the last 10 overs, that cost us the game. We didn't play well with the bat to chase those runs," Shakib said after the match.

Both Bangladesh and Afghanistan won their respective opening match of the tournament against Zimbabwe.

Feature Image Courtesy: AFP/ Munir Uz Zaman

With the Cricket World Cup heading into the semi-finals, the tournament is set for a dramatic conclusion featuring some of the game's finest talents.

But the group stage also introduced the world to several vibrant young talents set to dominate cricket for years to come.

Here, we look at five players who have announced their arrival as potential stars:

Nicholas Pooran (West Indies)

Nicholas Pooran finally showcased the talent he has promised to unleash for so long as the batsman finished as the West Indies' leading run scorer.

The 23-year-old made a duck on his ODI debut before the World Cup but went on to play each of the team's nine group games, scoring 367 runs at an average of 52.42.

West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick had seen Pooran's potential five years ago when he scored 143 in an Under-19 World Cup match against Australia.

"I've always believed in Nicholas. I'm not surprised by his talent. What's surprised me is it's taken as long as this for him to come through," Estwick said.

Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan)

AFP / Olly Greenwood

Pakistan paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi enjoyed a breakthrough World Cup campaign, prompting Wasim Akram to hail the teenager as a future star.

The teenager recorded Pakistan's best-ever World Cup bowling figures with a scintillating spell of 6-35 in Friday's win over Bangladesh at Lord's.

He became the youngest player to take a five-wicket haul at the World Cup at 19 years and 90 days, finishing the tournament with 16 wickets in five games.

"Definitely, Shaheen is one for the future, a beacon of light for the next generation of fast bowlers," Wasim told AFP.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan)

AFP / Saeed Khan

Afghanistan may have left the World Cup winless after losing all nine matches, but the minnows could take heart from the rise of teenage off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Mujeeb took just seven wickets in the tournament, but the 18-year-old tormented batsmen with his crafty use of flight and variation, marking him out as one to watch.

Rashid Khan, his senior by two years, remains Afghanistan's number one spinner, but Mujeeb is coming up fast, as he proved with a superb spell of 3-39 against Bangladesh in Southampton.

Avishka Fernando (Sri Lanka)

AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar

When Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne reflected on a frustrating campaign for the 1996 champions, the promising form of fearless batsman Avishka Fernando put a smile back on his face.

The 21-year-old scored 203 runs in only four matches in the tournament, including 104 against the West Indies and 49 in Sri Lanka's shock win over England.

"We've had a few positives out of this World Cup," Karunaratne said. "Avishka Fernando is playing really well. 

"He showed what he can do, he can produce runs for Sri Lanka. He's one of the future stars."

Jofra Archer (England)

AFP / Paul Ellis

Barbados-born Jofra Archer has repaid England's faith with a dazzling breakthrough in his first major tournament.

Archer only became eligible to play for England earlier this year and was fast-tracked into the team just before the World Cup in a bid to make the most of the paceman's natural gifts.

The 24-year-old's combination of speed and accuracy made him unplayable at times.

He taken 17 wickets in England's run to the semi-finals, including a run of four successive three-wicket hauls, leading many to mark him down as the spearhead of his country's attack for years to come.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar

In a mean world of vicious hard-hitting batsmen, there came a point when it was believed the breed of spinners, especially the wrist-spinners, would go extinct. The logic was simple and subtle; T20 format had come into prominence and the batsmen had become risk-free. Hence that agitation of conceding more runs was obvious.

As it turned out though, something extremely contrary transpired. The lack of pace meant that this dynasty �wrist spinners �was harder to score runs against and the piling of pressure elicited into quick wickets. The gene, which was supposed to fall out of favour post-Shane Warne's retirement, rose from the ashes and claimed the thorn in absolute style.

Regardless of finger-spinners' domination in the longest format of the game, wrist-spinners have taken over the mantle. There, however, still remains a healthy debate over the selection amongst these two tribes (in limited-overs) and Harbhajan Singh’s outstanding spell of three for 20 against Bengaluru in the opening match of Indian T20 League has provided a much-needed push.

The veteran Indian spinner, who has played three ODI World Cups including two finals, says that finger spinners still have a role to play. All we need to do is to back them. "It's come down to the people and their belief whether finger spinners could do the job or not. I feel finger spinners have a role to play provided you back them," he was quoted as saying to Reuters.

The recent figures though haven't been in their favour and the meteoric rise of wrist spin hasn't helped their cause either. Talking numbers, England's Adil Rashid has taken more wickets (9) than Sri Lanka's Dhananjaya de Silva (5) despite playing just three ODIs compared to de Silva's five in 2019. The England bowler also tops the chart as far as average (20.77 to 31.00 of de Silva) and strike rate (16.60 to 33.60 of de Silva) is concerned.

Leading wicket-takers among wrist spinners in ODIs in 2019
Player	Mat	Wickets	Ave	Econ	SR
Kuldeep Yadav (INDIA)	11	20	27.35	5.52	29.70
YS Chahal (INDIA)	7	16	21.31	5.59	22.80
A Zampa (AUS)	8	12	34.91	5.23	40.00
Imran Tahir (SA)	7	11	22.54	3.87	34.90
AU Rashid (ENG)	3	9	20.77	7.48	16.60

 

Leading wicket-takers among Finger spinners in ODIs in 2019
Player	Mat	Wickets	Ave	Econ	SR
GH Dockrell (IRE)	5	8	25.00	5.26	28.50
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (AFG)	4	7	17.14	3.15	32.50
AR McBrine (IRE)	4	6	24.50	3.76	39.00
J Cameron-Dow (IRE)	4	5	30.20	4.87	37.20
DM de Silva (SL)	5	5	31.00	5.53	33.60

And as we talk of T20Is, no one comes close to Afghanistan's Rashid Khan.

The overall figures show wrist-spinners have delivered better numbers in both ODIs and T20Is in 2019. Afghanistan's Rashid Khan has been an absolute phenom in T20Is thus far, picking 11 wickets in mere three games. Even though the wrist spinners have taken fewer wickets in T20Is, their average and economy has made them the first choice ahead of their rivals.

Leading wicket-takers among wrist spinners in T20Is in 2019
Player	Mat	Wickets	Ave	Econ	SR
Rashid Khan (AFG)	3	11	6.63	6.08	6.50
Tamoor Sajjad (Qatar)	5	10	13.20	6.82	11.60
IS Sodhi (NZ)	4	6	19.50	9.11	12.80
S Lamichhane (NEPAL)	3	5	13.40	6.70	12.00
Muhammad Nadeem (Saudi)	2	5	9.80	9.80	6.00
AU Rashid (ENG)	3	5	9.00	5.00	10.80
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Leading wicket-takers among Finger spinners in T20Is in 2019
Player	Mat	Wickets	Ave	Econ	SR
Sultan Ahmed (UAE)	5	9	13.33	7.05	11.30
MRJ Watt (SCOT)	3	7	11.57	6.75	10.20
Babar Ali (BAH)	3	5	14.00	7.77	10.80
KH Pandya (INDIA)	5	5	33.80	8.45	24.00
MJ Santner (NZ)	4	5	19.80	8.25	14.40

But what exactly is it that takes the wrist spinners a step ahead?

 

For starters, finger-spinners �at times �require assistance from the pitch in order to get the spin. Wrist spinners, on the other hand, can swirl their magic even on the flat surface, which makes them a safer bet on batsmen-friendly pitches.

Finger-spinners�inability of extracting better outcome with a new ball also makes them extremely vulnerable especially in the shortest format of the game. After all, they rely on their fingers to get a turn and a new ball means lesser the grip.

The One-Day Internationals are a completely different ball game. Spinners usually make their appearance during the middle overs and are tasked to keep the run flow in check. Having a diversity of variations to show for, the wrist-spinners not only rope the flow but also pick crucial wickets.

It indeed took time for the wrist-spinners to assert their authority, and they have done it absolute style. And the fact that six out of top 10 T20I bowlers in ICC rankings are wrist spinners is the perfect prototype.