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Stats highlights of Sanath Jayasuriya’s 20 years in international cricket

S Rajesh26-Dec-2009Twenty years ago, Sanath Jayasuriya began his international career in pretty nondescript fashion. The stage was huge – the Melbourne Cricket Ground – but Jayasuriya’s contribution was unexceptional: coming in at No.5 after Australia had scored 228, he scored 3 off 11 balls as Sri Lanka fell short by 30 runs. Jayasuriya has come a long way since that uncertain debut.Over 20 years, he has progressed from an occasionally-hit, mostly-miss limited-overs batsman into a high-quality and consistent performer in all forms, capable of the quick blitzes and innings of long and sustained aggression in equal measure.One-day internationals, though, remains his strongest suit. He has played more matches than any other player, and scored the second-highest number of runs. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for him from the start, though. In his early days in one-day cricket he struggled to make an impact – his first half-century came in his 40th ODI, and after 55 his batting average was a miserable 13.87.The change in fortunes thereafter was stunning. He began opening the innings regularly, and the 1996 World Cup heralded the new Jayasuriya – in his next 100 games (after the first 55), his average almost tripled, and the strike rate moved up to almost a run a ball. It’s stayed around that mark ever since, even if his average has dipped in the last few matches.

Jayasuriya’s Test stats have fewer peaks and troughs. The start wasn’t anywhere near as horrific: in his first eight innings he had three half-centuries, and since then the average has stayed on the right side of 35 through most of his career. Each of his 14 Test centuries had their fair share of excitement, but a couple of innings stand out – his 340 against India in 1997 remained the highest score by a Sri Lankan for nine years, while his 213 against England at The Oval a year later was even more stunning for the sheer impact it had on the game – he got his runs so quickly it allowed Muttiah Muralitharan enough time to bowl England out cheaply in the second innings to give Sri Lanka their first Test win in England.Even with a somewhat unorthodox technique, Jayasuriya still handled the rigours of opening the innings in Test cricket with plenty of success. With Marvan Atapattu he added 4469 runs for the first wicket – only two opening pairs have scored more. Jayasuriya has also scored the most runs of all Sri Lankan openers – his 5932 runs came at an average of 41.48, which is slightly higher than his overall Test average of 40.07.

That’s only as far his batting is concerned, though. Jayasuriya brings to the table much more than that: his left-arm spin has given the Sri Lankan side plenty of balance over the last decade and a half, especially in one-day internationals, where his ability to bowl tight spells in the middle overs has allowed the team to play an extra batsman. He is the only player to score more than 10,000 runs and take more than 300 wickets in ODIs; even after easing the cut-off considerably – to 5000 runs and 200 wickets – only two more make the cut.

Jayasuriya the bowler is often underestimated, thanks to his sheer presence as a batsman, but he is among the most successful spinners in ODIs, especially in the subcontinent. He is the second-highest wicket-taker in Asia, with 225 scalps at a respectable average and economy rate, and is next only to the incomparable Muttiah Muralitharan. Jayasuriya’s numbers compare pretty well with India’s two frontline spinners, Anil Kumble and Habhajan Singh – the averages and economy rates for the Indians are only slightly better than Jayasuriya’s stats.The best conditions for him have usually been in his home country – in 128 ODIs in Sri Lanka, he has averaged 28.31 for his 119 wickets, and conceded 4.44 runs per over. His worst venue, on the other hand, is clearly Australia – in 51 matches he has only taken 19 wickets at an average exceeding 62. (His batting stats in the country are further proof of the fact that Australia didn’t bring out the best in Jayasuriya.)

What also stands out about Jayasuriya is his ability to play fearlessly even when the stakes are high. His aggregate in the finals of ODI tournaments is next only to Tendulkar, while the average and strike rates are very impressive too. He is one of only eight batsmen to score 1000 or more runs in finals.The team which has suffered the most at his hands in finals in India. His overall average against India is only 36.30, but in finals it shoots up to 56. Both his centuries have come against them.

Jayasuriya is also second in the all-time list of players who’ve won the most Man-of-the-Match awards in ODIs. He has 48 from 443 games, next only to Tendulkar’s 60. Jayasuriya’s powers are clearly on the wane, but hopefully he has enough left in the tank to turn in two more matchwinning performances, which will take him to the half-century mark that he so richly deserves.

Yorkshire in trouble after conceding 87-run lead but George Hill fifty keeps hopes alive

ECB Reporters Network20-Apr-2024

Ryan Higgins struck twice in successive balls, including the scalp of Harry Brook for a golden duck, while Toby Roland-Jones also captured three wickets as Middlesex maintained the upper hand in their Vitality County Championship game against Yorkshire.Medium-pacer Higgins, who picked up four wickets in the visitors’ first innings, dismissed Finlay Bean and Brook either side of tea at Lord’s, while Roland-Jones’ three victims included Joe Root as Yorkshire slumped to 83 for 5 second time around. George Hill led the White Rose fightback in the evening session with a patient unbeaten 52 to lift them to 216 for 7 at stumps, an advantage of 129.Earlier, Jordan Thompson’s five-wicket haul and an impressive spell by Ben Coad, who took 4 for 59, had bowled Yorkshire back into the game, slicing through the middle order as Middlesex posted 246 with half-centuries for Leus du Plooy and Josh De Caires.Resuming on 23 overnight, du Plooy was up and running again as he hammered Thompson’s second delivery of the morning off the back foot for four to bring up the 50 partnership with Mark Stoneman. However, Thompson made the breakthrough in his next over, slanting the ball across Stoneman to induce an edge that was gathered low by Adam Lyth, springing to his right at second slip.Du Plooy, using his feet against the seamers to good effect, reached his half-century from 43 balls – but he soon fell victim to Coad, who sent down an impressive 10-over spell from the Nursery End. Having already pierced Higgins’ defences, Coad produced another superb delivery that jagged back at du Plooy to take out his off stump before also pinning Jack Davies leg before moving across.Those wickets sandwiched that of Stephen Eskinazi, caught in the slips off Thompson without scoring and, at 136 for 7, the first-innings lead which had looked a formality was very much in jeopardy.However, Roland-Jones led the Middlesex counter-attack by dispatching Mickey Edwards for a string of boundaries, with De Caires following his captain’s lead as the pair shared a stand of 56. Roland-Jones’ knock of 30 was ended when he offered a return catch to Thompson, but Tom Helm helped De Caires to guide the total beyond 200 and within touching distance of a batting bonus point.Having posted the second red-ball half-century of his career, De Caires succumbed at once to another snorter from Coad, swinging away to take the edge and, despite Ethan Bamber’s spirited effort with the bat, he was bowled for 11 to give Thompson figures of 5 of 80.That left Yorkshire trailing by 87 and they had reduced that by just 13 when Roland-Jones removed Lyth, for the second time in the match, and Shan Masood to bring Root to the middle with the visitors under pressure.Root took advantage of some stray leg-stump offerings from Helm to get the scoreboard moving as he and Bean added 46 – only for Higgins to strike with successive deliveries spanning different sessions. Yorkshire were still in the red when Root departed for 32, miscuing a hook off Roland-Jones and top-edging to De Caires in the slips, but Hill settled down to frustrate the home bowlers with a watchful innings.He lost Jonny Tattersall, castled misjudging a straight ball from Helm, but Thompson hit a valuable 26 and Coad struck a belligerent 38 not out to keep Yorkshire hopes intact going into day three.

Jasprit Bumrah was the Player of the Match for taking nine wickets in the Visakhapatnam Test against England

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-20241:54

Manjrekar: Bumrah’s impact key to India drawing level

Jasprit Bumrah finished the Visakhapatnam Test against England with nine wickets – 6 for 45 and 3 for 46 – to help India draw level at 1-1 in the series. The highlight of his performance was the yorker that swung into Ollie Pope and uprooted his middle and leg stumps in the first innings.”As a youngster that [the yorker] is probably the first delivery I had learned because I had come from tennis ball cricket and I had seen the legends of the game, Waqar [Younis], Wasim [Akram] and even Zaheer Khan, I had seen them on the television, how do they bowl yorkers,” Bumrah told the broadcaster after India’s 106-run victory. “As a kid I used to feel that is the only way to take wickets. So that is the first delivery I learned. Yes, I kept it with me and I kept on using it to my advantage and now even in Test cricket when you get wickets off it, it’s great.”Bumrah now has 36 wickets in six Tests in India, at an outstanding average of 13.06 and strike rate of 29.5, but he said he wasn’t focussed on numbers anymore. “I don’t look at numbers because when I was a youngster I used to look at numbers. Yes, it made me excited, but you know, if you think about numbers, there’s a lot of pressure anyway playing for India. And if you take that added baggage, it doesn’t really help. So I’m very happy that we won and when you contribute towards that success it feels even better.”Related

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When asked if he felt like the leader of India’s attack, even though players like R Ashwin have a lot more experience than him, Bumrah said: “Not the leader but I feel that I have played a little more cricket. We are going through a transition. There are a lot of new bowlers coming in. So it’s my responsibility to help them and guide them in whatever way I can. So yeah, it’s always good that when we have certain conversations, what do we have to do in certain scenarios, it feels great.”Bumrah gave India timely breakthroughs on the final day of the Visakhapatnam Test, trapping Jonny Bairstow lbw in the final over before lunch, and then breaking a half-century stand for the eighth wicket by catching Ben Foakes off his own bowling. After the game, Rohit Sharma was asked if Bumrah was a luxury to have in the team.”Yeah, it is [a luxury to have Bumrah]. I mean, look, you know, he’s a champion player for us,” Rohit said. “It’s been a while, you know, that he’s doing the job for the team. But yeah, I mean, when you win a game like that, you know, you’ve got to look at the overall performance as well. We were good with the bat and then obviously we know that winning a Test match in these kind of conditions is not going to be easy. We wanted our bowlers to step up and they did that.”

Arsenal have reached a full agreement on personal terms with Valencia centre-back Cristhian Mosquera, as they close in on their fourth summer signing. The Gunners are now preparing a fresh bid after seeing their opening €14 million offer rejected, with talks progressing over a deal worth more than €20 million for the highly-rated 21-year-old.

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• Arsenal agree personal terms with Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera
• New bid to exceed €20m after initial offer rejected
• Real Madrid also interested but Valencia prefer foreign deal

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Arsenal have agreed personal terms with Valencia centre-back Mosquera, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. Their opening offer of €14 million (£12m) was turned down by Valencia, but a new proposal is being prepared as the Gunners look to finalise the transfer.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Arsenal have been active in the transfer market as they seek to build a title-winning squad after failing to win the Premier League for three straight years despite being in the race. With Real Madrid also interested in Mosquera, the Gunners are accelerating negotiations to avoid losing another top young defender to their European rivals. However, Arsenal may benefit from Valencia’s unwillingness to sell to Los Blancos.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Mosquera, who is just 21 years old, has made a name for himself in La Liga with mature performances for Valencia. Standing at 6'2", the Spain U21 international has earned plaudits for his physical presence, anticipation, and ability to play out from the back, traits that Mikel Arteta appreciates in his backline.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MOSQUERA?

  Arsenal are expected to return with an improved offer to meet Valencia’s valuation of over €20 million (£17m). With the player keen on the move and personal terms wrapped up, the Gunners are optimistic about sealing the deal, though Real Madrid’s interest remains a looming threat.

John Turner, the uncapped Hampshire fast bowler, has been ruled out of England’s T20I squad for this month’s series against New Zealand after sustaining a side injury during his Men’s Hundred stint with Trent Rockets. He will be replaced by the Durham quick, Brydon Carse.Turner, 22, had been the surprise call-up for England’s 20-over squad when it was unveiled last week, having made his professional debut in the format as recently as June.His ability as a 90mph-plus bowler was highlighted in his most recent outing, when he bowled Jonny Bairstow on his Hundred debut against Welsh Fire in Cardiff. However, he has not featured in the competition since.Related

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Carse, a fellow South Africa-born quick, steps into the vacancy created by Turner’s injury. Despite claiming a solitary wicket in six outings for Northern Superchargers in this year’s Hundred, he remains highly rated by the selectors, having played nine ODIs in the past two years, most recently against South Africa on his county home ground at Chester-le-Street – the same venue where he could now make his T20I debut against New Zealand on August 30.He has been preferred in the T20I squad to several proven competitors, not least Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills, both of whom have been in fine form with the ball for Southern Brave.However, with England’s white-ball squad focussed on the forthcoming 50-over World Cup, which gets underway in India in October, the 20-over series is being used by the selectors to explore the team’s bench-strength, with Josh Tongue and Luke Wood also named in the squad, alongside Gus Atkinson, who is England’s surprise pick for the 50-over set-up in the absence of the injured Jofra Archer.John Turner removed Jonny Bairstow on his Hundred debut•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Explaining the desire to test the strength of England’s pace reserves, Luke Wright, the national selector, acknowledged that the risk of injury was a constant concern, therefore broadening the experience of the available resources was a priority, with the next T20 World Cup looming in June next year.”It’s something we’re really excited about, to see the amount of pace that is going around in county cricket with these guys that have come through,” Wright said last week. “We have to look ahead to that T20 World Cup next year as well, and try and get as much depth as possible. And we know with these fast bowlers, there’s going to be injuries with them.”So to have that depth but give them that exposure as well is obviously going to be hugely important. I think it’s really exciting to see these guys coming through. It’s been hugely impressive watching them in the Hundred and I look forward to seeing them go against New Zealand.”

Enzo Maresca has personally been in ongoing contacts with a transfer target’s representatives, while Chelsea themselves have also approached his club over the possibility of a transfer this summer.

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The Blues are looking to move ahead of Real Madrid in the race for a “phenomenal” defender.

By
Dominic Lund

Mar 27, 2025

Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi, who is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract at Selhurst Park, could be available for a much cheaper price than in previous windows, with Tottenham most recently having a £70 million bid rejected for the England international in January.

Chelsea are rumoured favourites to re-sign Guehi, after the centre-back departed Stamford Bridge for £18 million in 2021, but another Premier League star is also thought to be high on their transfer shortlist.

Bournemouth starlet Dean Huijsen has starred under Andoni Iraola for the Cherries this season, and news of a release clause in his contract is reportedly motivating clubs to seriously consider a move for the Spain international this summer.

Chelsea are expected to make a serious push for Huijsen, with Spanish news outlet Sport now claiming that they’ve already begun to lay the groundwork.

Chelsea make approach for Huijsen after "direct contact" from Maresca

The website and journalist Fermin de la Calle reports Chelsea have approached Bournemouth over signing Huijsen, as have PSG, Man United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but Maresca has done serious homework on the player.

The Blues boss has strong connections to the defender through Malaga, and he’s been in “direct contact” with Huijsen’s representatives “for years”.

Maresca is also apparently very acquainted with the coaches who worked with Bournemouth’s star youngster in the youth academy at Malaga, and while Real are working hard to get close to the player through his agents, Chelsea’s manager is already there and has been for a long time.

This is why Real aren’t counting their chickens just yet in the race for Huijsen, as Chelsea and Maresca specifically pose a serious threat to them.

The 19-year-old, whose exit clause stands at around £42 million according to this report, is being continuously linked with an exit from the Vitality Stadium, and Bournemouth expert Mark Mitchener admits that his exit is a possibility.

“If his release clause doesn’t come into play until the summer at least you know you’ve got four, five months left of him,” said Mitchener.

“If Bournemouth are in a position at the end of the season where they will play in Europe next year, then you would like to think he would want to stay unless a team came in and offered him a deal too good to turn down.

“He made the decision to come to Bournemouth as a 19-year-old and not wait for a bigger club even though people were saying very nice things about him so he wants to play. He’s doing a very good job of it.

“I’d like to think the club can keep him, but with some of the very best young players in the world it’s very difficult to tell what will happen.”

A “brilliant” Rangers star loved by interim manager Barry Ferguson is all but certain to leave the club this summer, according to a new report.

Gers edge past Dundee as 49ers plan for new manager

Rangers pulled off an incredible comeback to beat Dundee on Saturday, coming from two goals behind to win, with striker Cyriel Dessers hitting the eventual winner in stoppage time.

Barry Ferguson’s side were 3-1 down in the 75th minute, but two long-range strikes from captain James Tavernier and substitute Tom Lawrence dragged them level, before Dessers eventually hit the winner in the 93rd minute.

Speaking after the win, Ferguson praised his side’s character, but said he “can’t be happy” with the overall performance.

“Really happy with the three points, but I saw so many old habits creeping in,” Ferguson told Sky Sports, per The Daily Record. “They showed character, though, they never gave in. I just felt when we got the goal to go 3-2 that we could get three points.

“We can’t be happy with the performance,” he added. “I need to get to the bottom of it and I will get to the bottom of it.”

Fewer touches than Butland: Ferguson must now drop 5/10 Rangers man

Rangers secured yet another comeback victory in the top flight with a 4-3 win over Dundee

ByRoss Kilvington Mar 30, 2025

One man Ferguson was happy with, however, was Dessers: “One thing about the big man, he has been a joy to work with, and he is a brilliant worker. Brilliant listener. He wants to improve even at his age,” Ferguson told the club’s official website of the Nigeria international.

“I thought his chances you have got to give the goalkeeper credit, and the keeper made some brilliant saves but at least he is getting in those positions but one thing about the big man is he keeps going right until the end and he got his reward with the winning goal.”

Dessers set to leave Ibrox – Keown

Dessers’ winning goal against Dundee was his 23rd in all competitions for Rangers this season, with his goals being a beacon of hope in what has otherwise been a poor season for the club.

However, according to The Daily Mail’s Gary Keown, the 30-year-old is unlikely to be at Ibrox for too much longer.

Writing after the win over Dundee, Keown stated that Dessers “could have been sold last summer or in winter”, and that he will surely be up for sale again when the summer rolls around.

“There was talk of a £5m offer from MLS side Atlanta United in August and links with Serie A in January,” he wrote. “He’ll surely be on his way when the new broom sweeps in.”

Dessers joined Rangers from Italian side Cremonese in 2023, and has since scored 45 goals – 22 last season and 23 this season – in 100 appearances for the club.

Despite his good goalscoring record, however, the school of thought at Ibrox is that the Gers need to replace the Nigeria international with a more clinical finisher who can help fire them to the Scottish Premiership title for the first time since 2020-21.

Manchester City got back to winning ways with a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. Going to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been something of a tricky assignment for Pep Guardiola’s team over the years, but a professional performance saw them over the line.

After two games out with injury, Erling Haaland was the man who scored the only goal of the game. It was a cute finish from the City number 9, who steered home a deflected cross from Jeremy Doku which was fired across goal. Haaland was involved in the build-up, too, linking up play before darting into the box.

It was not all plain sailing for City though, against a side that has been their bogey team in recent seasons. Lilywhites captain Son Heung-min was denied by Ederson, and Wilson Ododbert was inches away from tucking home a cross from Pedro Porro at the back post.

The Norweigan striker thought he had doubled his and City’s tally for the night in the second half. However, the goal was disallowed for a handball, and VAR did not overturn it. Nevertheless, the visitors held on to earn an important three points.

There were certainly some standout players for the Citizens on the night.

Man City’s best players vs. Spurs

One of the standout players in such an important win for the East Mancunians was Jeremy Doku. The Belgian winger, who was awarded the player of the match award, ran tirelessly at the Spurs defence all night, never giving them any respite.

Doku’s stats from the game, courtesy of Sofascore, were outstanding. The 22-year-old had 57 touches, completed an impressive five out of nine dribbles, and created two chances.

Off the ball, he worked hard, winning seven ground duels in what was a dominant display from the winger, which Haaland certainly profited off. It was, of course, Doku’s deflected cross which led to the goal.

Another player who impressed for City was young centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov. The Uzbekistan international had a rocky start to life at at the Etihad, but since the first five minutes of his debut against Chelsea, he has shown exactly why the Premier League champions signed him.

Goal journalist Sean Walsh gave the defender a 7/10 for his efforts, describing his performance as a ‘strong and stable showing’ against a dangerous attack that included Odobert from the start and Son off the bench.

As well as Doku and Khusanov played, there was one City star who struggled in North London.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Man City star who struggled vs. Spurs

On what was a good night for City, one player who arguably struggled was Matheus Nunes. Playing right back once again, it was, at times, a tough night at the office for the Portugal international, who was directly defending against Odobert.

Walsh gave the former Wolverhampton Wanderers star a 6/10 for his efforts, explaining that it seemed like Nunes ‘didn’t particularly enjoy his battles’ against the electric Odobert, who was operating down that left flank for Spurs.

However, it wasn’t all bad for Nunes. The midfielder-turned-right-back made a fantastic, goal-saving challenge on new Spurs attacker Mathys Tel in the second half, denying the Frenchman what seemed like it could be a certain goal.

With that being said, Nunes’ numbers from the game are somewhat underwhelming. Without the ball, his struggles were highlighted, winning just two out of seven ground duels and losing his only attempted tackle. He also lost the ball 11 times, although did create one chance.

City’s next assignment in the Premier League is a tough away trip to Nottingham Forest. Renowned for their tricky wingers like Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga, it could provide a tough assignment for Nunes.

There is no doubting his ability, but perhaps in a game where City will get hit on the counter and have wingers constantly driving at them, Guardiola will decide to rotate him out of the side, in favour of a more natural defender.

Of course, it remains to be seen which route they take when it comes to selection for a game ten days or so away. However, after Nunes struggled, perhaps it will be in Guardiola’s mind to select someone else at right back.

Better than Haaland: Man City's 8/10 "cheat code" is now undroppable

Manchester City put recent disappointment behind them with a solid 1-0 away victory at Tottenham Hotspur.

1

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Bjorn Fortuin, Sisanda Magala and Ryan Rickelton were the other first-time additions to the list that has grown from 16 to 20

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2023Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Bjorn Fortuin, Sisanda Magala and Ryan Rickelton have been added to South Africa’s expanded list of centrally contracted players for the 2023-24 season. Cricket South Africa has made provision for four more players, increasing the list from 16 to 20.Heinrich Klaasen, who was upgraded during the past season, also keeps his new grade, while Wayne Parnell has been contracted for the first time since returning from his Kolpak deal in 2021. Three players have lost their deals from the last contracting cycle: Janneman Malan and Andile Phehlukwayo have been dropped off the central contracts list and Dwaine Pretorius has retired.Though CSA’s director of cricket, Enoch Nkwe, had initially indicated a split-contracting system, this was not specifically announced. Instead, Nkwe said the increased number of contracts was created to allow for single-format players to get national deals. “The number of contracted players has increased from 16 to 20 this season to ensure that we have a wider pool of white-ball specialists and Test players. We look forward to seeing them compete at the highest level in what is an important next 12 months for the limited-overs and Test sides, with the [ODI] World Cup taking place later this year as well as the start of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.”On the list, Quinton de Kock and David Miller are white-ball players only, with both having announced their retirement from red-ball cricket in previous years, while Dean Elgar and Keegan Petersen have only played for South Africa in Tests. The rest of the players on the list play in all formats at domestic level and would be in contention for national selection on that basis. There was some suggestion that de Kock and Elgar would walk away from international cricket soon but their re-contracting suggests they have committed to South African cricket for another 12 months.South Africa are currently playing their last Test of the 2021-2023 WTC cycle, where they could finish third, and will not play in whites until hosting India in December. For the rest of the year, their focus is on white-ball cricket, with the team yet to secure automatic qualification for this year’s 50-over World Cup. They play Netherlands in two must-win World Cup Super League matches on March 31 and April 2. South Africa will then go into a winter break – which may be interrupted by World Cup qualifying in Zimbabwe in June – and then play Australia in white-ball matches at home in August-September.The national women’s contracts are expected to be announced later this month.South Africa men’s contracts listTemba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen.

The first set will feature specialist batters such as Mayank Agarwal, Joe Root and Harry Brook

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Dec-20222:20

In the absence of marquee set, which set can we expect franchises to splurge in?

Sam Curran, Ben Stokes and Cameron Green, all of whom could potentially end up as the most expensive buy in the 2023 IPL auction, have been listed in the second set to come up for bidding on December 23. The auction will begin at 2.30pm IST in Kochi with the batters’ set which features Indian opener Mayank Agarwal and the England pair of Joe Root and Harry Brook.The final auction pool has been halved to 405 players from the originally registered 991, with a maximum of 87 slots available to be filled by the 10 franchises. Of these, 30 will be overseas players.On Tuesday the IPL released the final auction pool stating 36 new names were added based on requests from the franchises. A total of 273 Indian players, and 132 overseas – including four from Associate countries – are part of the final list. There are 119 capped players alongside 286 uncapped players.As per the norm, the auction will begin with capped players, the IPL breaking them up into different sets based on the specialisation. In an e-mail to franchises on Tuesday, the IPL listed the order as: batters, allrounders, wicketkeeper-batters, fast bowlers and spinners. The same order will be followed for the uncapped players.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The majority of the players whom franchises believe could spark bidding wars are grouped in the first three sets. The first set comprising batters also features New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, alongside Agarwal and Brook.Williamson was the first player retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2022 and was paid INR 14 crore, in addition to being appointed as captain. But a lean season with the bat combined with an eighth-place finish forced Sunrisers to overhaul their squad which included releasing Williamson. The New Zealand batter, who has listed his base price at INR 2 crore, could still generate interest based on his leadership experience as well as ability to play impactful innings in high-pressure situations.Related

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Sunrisers release Kane Williamson ahead of IPL 2023 auction

Agarwal’s story was similar. He, too, was the first player retained and made captain by Punjab Kings. But captaincy took a heavy toll on Agarwal’s batting as Kings finished mid-table. With more than one franchise looking for an Indian opener, Agarwal, who has listed his base price at INR 1 crore, would be optimistic about getting a decent bid.Another player who will be confident is Brook, who has entered the IPL auction for the first time, listing his base price at INR 1.5 crore. A power-hitter, Brook proved he could deal with subcontinent conditions when he won the Player-of-the-Series award for the seven-match T20I series in Pakistan ahead of the T20 World Cup. Recently, he made his mark in the first two Test matches in Pakistan where he scored twin centuries, the latter helping him to the Player-of-the-Match award in the Multan Test.Sam Curran, player of the match, celebrates with Ben Stokes, the man of the moment after the T20 World Cup final•AFP/Getty Images

No one was happier for Brook than his captain Stokes, who felt his 23-year-old England team-mate has the potential to dominate all three formats. Stokes himself returns to the IPL auction after having skipped the tournament last year, which forced Rajasthan Royals to release him. Having listed his base price at INR 2 crore, he remains a strong contender to bag the most expensive player tag thanks to his reputation as a serial match-winner and leader.Another newcomer, and allrounder, that franchises have kept their eye on is Green. The Australian’s power-hitting during the white-ball series in India recently made him an instant attraction. Green can float in the batting order, plays spin well and can bowl good medium-pace. He, too, has listed his base price at INR 2 crore.West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran, who is part of the wicketkeeper-batter set and has listed his base price at INR 2 crore, will also be eager to prove himself. Pooran, who stepped down as West Indies’ white-ball captain after their disappointing T20 World Cup which forced CWI to conduct a review, was released by Sunrirsers despite being among their most consistent batters last season.But a strong performance in the recently held Abu Dhabi T10 – 345 runs at 49.28 average – showed Pooran remains an impact player in short form cricket.At the end of the deadline day – November 15 – to retain and release players, Sunrisers had the largest purse (INR 42.25 crore) for the auction, followed by Kings (INR 32.20 crore), Lucknow Super Giant (INR 23.35 crore), Mumbai Indians (INR 20.55 crore), Chennai Super Kings (INR 20.45 crore), Delhi Capitals (INR 19.45 crore), Gujarat Titans (INR 19.25 crore), Royals (INR 13.2 crore), Royal Challengers Bangalore (INR 8.75 crore) and Kolkata Knight Riders (INR 7.05 crore).