Browsing: batting

England travel to Indore for their next two games to take on their toughest opponents in India, on Sunday, and Australia on 22 October.

Neither are ideal opponents to be facing with batting fragilities to address but the pitches there are expected to be flatter and friendlier to batters.

It was Knight’s gritty determination which rescued them against Bangladesh and Sciver-Brunt’s class ensured they posted a winning total against Sri Lanka, but when both fell early against Pakistan, England could not recover.

“Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight have scored more runs between them than their team-mates combined at this tournament,” World Cup winner Alex Hartley said on BBC Test Match Special.

“That says something within itself, and neither of them batted in the first match. That is a concern.”

Beaumont and Jones have struggled against the swinging ball – stands of six, 24 and 13 following the chase of just 70 in the opener against South Africa – but Charlotte Edwards’ first move in charge was to show faith and re-promote Jones, and it feels unlikely she will disrupt the pair.

After Sciver-Brunt and Knight, England’s next best batter has been number eight Charlie Dean with a steady 27 not out in a tense chase against Bangladesh, a handy 19 against Sri Lanka and she top-scored with 33 against Pakistan.

There have been glimpses of promise from Alice Capsey at seven but Sophia Dunkley and Emma Lamb are struggling to start their innings against spin in the middle order.

Lamb has 18 runs in three innings while Dunkley has 29, each of their dismissals to spin, with the former being asked to play an unfamiliar role.

When batting in the top three in domestic and international cricket, Lamb averages 44 in 61 innings with five centuries. These three innings here are the first she has ever played at number six professionally in the 50-over format.

Danni Wyatt-Hodge is England’s unused batter on the bench, and played in the middle order for a number of years, so it will be interesting to see how long the Lamb experiment continues.

England may have dodged an embarrasing slip-up here, but will be aware things are not going to get any easier.

India and Australia await. Any wobbles against those two and England’s campaign could quickly fall flat.

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After 64 years and 10 months, Team India broke a remarkable record in Test cricket. (BCCI Photo) NEW DELHI: After 64 years and 10 months, Team India broke a remarkable record in Test cricket. For the first time in over six decades, India recorded 50+ partnerships for each of the first five wickets in a Test innings. This elite feat had previously been achieved by India against England at Mumbai in 1993 and against Australia at Ahmedabad in 2023. On the other hand, the last time an opposition achieved this against West Indies was way back in 1960, when Australia did it in the tied Test at the Gabba.India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bat in the second Test against West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal played a magnificent knock of 175, only falling to a run-out orchestrated by Chanderpaul and Tevin Imlach. KL Rahul contributed a quick 38, while Sai Sudharsan narrowly missed out on a century, scoring 87. Shubman Gill anchored the innings with a brilliant 129 not out, marking his 10th Test century.This dominant batting performance followed Indiaâ€s emphatic victory in the first Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where they won by an innings and 140 runs, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.Looking at the broader numbers, there have been 25 Test centuries in the last 14 India vs West Indies Tests since 2013, with 23 coming from Indian batters. Roston Chase remains the only West Indies player to reach three figures during this period, having done it twice.

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Former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar, left, presents the Men’s T20I Batter of the Year Award to cricketer Sanju Samson during the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards, in Mumbai. Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who has been a rising star in Indian cricket, recently delivered an emotional acceptance speech after receiving a prestigious CEAT Cricket Award. Reflecting on his journey, Samson dedicated the accolade to his wife Charu, acknowledging her support as he navigated the highs and lows of professional cricket.“I would like to dedicate this award to my wife Charu, who is equally travelling the same journey as me,†Samson said.He also expressed his gratitude to cricket fans across the globe, noting their pivotal role in allowing players to be celebrated as superstars wherever they go. “Without them, it is impossible to run this show,†he added.

Is Sanju Samson a misfit in India middle-order? Here’s how he has been preparing in the nets

The highlight of his speech was the candid reflection on his personal journey, perseverance, and mental resilience.”At this moment, I would like to appreciate myself too. Someone like me who kept working silently, patiently, and kept putting in the work mentally and physically despite all the challenges and obstacles in front of me. But I always focused on the process and on my inner self instead of the outside noises.“After a long wait of 10 years, when I got the opportunity, I was able to score three match-winning centuries in the span of just five T20 international matches,†Samson revealed.The batter concluded by expressing gratitude to God and reaffirming his commitment to the sport and the nation. “Iâ€m very grateful to my God Almighty for all these moments and will continue to work hard for our nation. Thank you!â€

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Which aspect of Sanju Samson’s journey do you find most inspiring?

Samson had a tough start in the Asia Cup, where he was asked to bat out of position after the inclusion of vice-captain Shubman Gill in the side.Sanju batted in the middle order and, in the final against Pakistan, played a crucial knock of 24 and shared a 57-run partnership with Tilak Varma, which helped India get out of a precarious situation.Samson scored 132 runs in four innings at a healthy strike rate of 124.52 on sluggish UAE pitches.

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Come the end of the Toronto Blue Jays’ season, veteran outfielder George Springer’s batting gloves will have a new home — but they won’t be going far.

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Springer’s Hartford Whalers-themed batting gloves will be going to the hall of fame — not the Baseball Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown, New York, but the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

The 36-year-old outfielder’s gloves pay homage to his since-departed childhood team. Springer is a native of New Britain, Connecticut, located approximately 20 minutes southwest of the state’s capital of Hartford. Born in 1989, Springer was a child during the final years of the Whalers in Connecticut, with the franchise playing its last game in Hartford in 1997 before relocating and rebranding to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Evidently impressed by the tribute, the Hockey Hall of Fame requested Springer’s gloves once the season comes to a close.

George Springer’s batting gloves pay homage to the Hartford Whalers, who relocated from Springer’s home state of Connecticut when the now-MLB outfielder was a child. Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

Springer is entering the postseason on the back of a resurgent 2025 campaign. He finished the regular season with 32 home runs, 84 RBIs and a .560 slugging percentage, all personal bests since his run of three straight All-Star Games from 2017-19. With his help, the Toronto Blue Jays won the AL East for the first time since 2015.

The Blue Jays will play their first game of the 2025 playoffs on Oct. 4, against the winner of the New York Yankees/Boston Red Sox wild-card series.

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New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge achieved a career first in 2025 as he vies for a third American League Most Valuable Player honor.

Judge went 1-for-4 in Sunday’s 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles, which was more than enough to secure the AL batting title. With a .331 average, he finished well ahead of Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette and Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (.311).

The 6’7″ star has come a long way from when he batted .284 and struck out 208 times in his first full season in 2017. The year before that, he had a paltry .179 average in 95 MLB plate appearances.

“He’s always a guy trying to get a little bit better and move the needle on adjustments he needs to make,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “He takes a lot of pride in hitting for average. I think it means a lot to him.”

This will be another data point in the tight MVP battle between Judge and Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh.

Judge (9.7) owns a decisive edge over Raleigh (7.3) in terms of WAR at Baseball Reference. The gap at FanGraphs is closer with the pair sitting at 10.1 and 9.1 WAR respectively.

Judge also led all of MLB in on-base (.457) and slugging percentage (.688) while drawing an AL-high 124 walks.

Raleigh, meanwhile, hit an MLB-best 60 homers to set a single-season record for a catcher. He also drove in 124 runs, the most in the AL, and played a pivotal role in the Mariners winning their first division title since 2001.

Both players have a compelling MVP case.

All things considered, Judge is arguably the slight favorite, but a Raleigh win won’t come as a massive shock.

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Sep 14, 2025, 01:30 PM ETNEW YORK — The Texas Rangers got a key player back for their playoff push…

NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has sparked a heated debate in the cricket fraternity after declaring that ODI…

Colson Smith spends the morning at Headingley for a batting masterclass with England white-ball captain Harry Brook, who has brought…

What makes a player suited to a particular position? There are numerous factors to consider, including the ball, the pitch, and a player’s mentality.

Top-order batters are among the most proficient in the XI and bat during the trickiest period, namely against the new ball and the frontline bowlers.

The new ball is hard, shiny and has a prominent seam, enabling bowlers to swing it through the air and extract significant bounce and movement off the pitch.

Over time, the ball becomes softer and rougher and the pitch deteriorates, providing grip and movement for spin bowlers. Middle-order batters, therefore, are ideally good players of spin and strong defensively.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan says “in this era” the best batter in the XI bats at number four, external – think Joe Root, Steve Smith or Virat Kohli.

These players, who are expected to act as the backbone of an innings, are comfortable against pace and spin but benefit from protection from the new ball and easier conditions if the top three do their job.

Opening batters also face the physical and mental challenge of getting little rest between bowling and batting innings, and being prepared to bat for long periods of time. All-rounders and wicketkeepers, by contrast, often bat in the middle order to ensure extra recovery time between innings.

However, arguably the most challenging position from a mental perspective – and where the likes of Don Bradman and Viv Richards scored the bulk of their runs – is number three.

Listing the attributes of a number three, external, Vaughan said they are a “pillar of calm and control” who can “soak up pressure and put it back on the bowler”.

Former Australia international Ian Chappell says “if you aren’t mentally attuned to going in early then number three is not the spot for you”.

These players may be called upon in the first over if an opener is dismissed early or have to wait all day if a partnership builds.

Alluding to the mental challenge of batting at three, Root has previously stated that one of the reasons he dropped back down to number four during his time as Test captain was the extra time it gave him to switch his focus from captaincy to batting between innings.

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.

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Williamson was New Zealand’s top-scorer of the day with 27. (AP Photo) VISAKHAPATNAM: Bruised and battered by India after being bundled out for a meagre 79 while chasing 270 in the series-deciding fifth and final ODI, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson today termed the performance of his batting department as “frustrating”.
Williamson said the Kiwi batsmen did not justify to lose eight wickets for just 16 runs.
“That’s what’s so frustrating, because we failed as a batting unit.The spinners of the Indian side bowled very well but I don’t think it is justified to lose 8 wickets for 16 runs. We need to look at some of our plans. There was turn in the pitch in some other games too but we were able to handle it better then,” Williamson said after their massive 190-run defeat in the fifth and final ODI.
“Unfortunately, sometimes the biggest, brightest lessons come from failures and defeats. I certainly hope to learn from here. It was extremely a good effort to take it to the fifth ODI but sitting here after all that, it’s frustrating. The better team certainly won today.
“We certainly weren’t good today. No excuses. India were just the better side. They were consistent throughout the series,” he added.
Ranked ahead of India by one rung, world no. 3 New Zealand showed resilience to bounce back after a 0-3 whitewash in the Test series as they had leveled the five-match ODI rubber 2-2 with a 19-run win in Ranchi.
“Yeah, it’s extremely disappointing. You know, after a tough Test series to bounce back and show the heart that was required, the fight that we needed to go 2-all against a very good Indian side, was a superb effort,” Williamson said.
“They got above-par initially with the bat on a tough surface. There are certainly no excuses from our end, we were extremely poor with the bat today,” he said.
A win would have been made history for the Black Caps, who have never beaten India at home earlier in four contests.
The Kiwi skipper said it’s all about regrouping after going back home when they host Pakistan for two Tests before a packed ODI calendar involving Australia, Bangladesh, South Africa and the Champions Trophy in June next year.
“Yeah, it’s tough to say at the moment. We’re going to go back home and play in very different conditions. At the moment we want to reflect on our performance here. We were somewhat disappointing, barring a couple of games. We want to be showing steps of improvement everyday,” Williamson said.
He further credited India for setting up a challenging 270-run target on a tough batting surface at the Dr YSR ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium here.
“Ideally we would’ve liked to have restricted them to much less. The way the put together partnerships on a pitch that was slow was a very good effort. They kept going at 5 runs an over on this pitch, they certainly deserved to win today. They were fantastic,” he said.
Opener Rohit Sharma returned among runs with a fine 70, while an ever-consistent Virat Kohli slammed 65 before Mahendra Singh Dhoni (41), Kedar Jadhav (39 not out) contributed to take India to 269 for six after electing to bat.
“They had a good score on the board on that surface, but we knew that if we could get partnerships together, who knows, we could’ve done better,” Williamson said.
Despite the losses, Williamson pointed out at the positives they would take home from tour.
“He (Mitchell Santner) has been outstanding. Certainly a highlight from our tour. A young cricketer, who is newish to our side. Although conditions were favourable to spinners here there are a lot of spinners who come here and struggle.
“I guess it’s because of the pace of the wicket against extremely good players of spin. Mitch (Santner) has performed day in and day out. He’s a great asset to have. Not to mention his batting and his fielding as well. Look forward to seeing his progression in the future,’ he said.
“I think Tom Latham was outstanding. We need to take those little good bits and look at someone like Virat (Kohli).”
Ross Taylor has had a forgetful outing not only with his bat but with his fielding as well but Williamson came out in defence of the senior batsman.
“I think if you look at any winning performance, there are one or two significant performances. If you look at the India side, there’s Virat (Kohli). I think pretty much every game he made significant contributions for his side. Sometimes the conditions weren’t ideal to play on but someone has to step up and whoever that person is, we need a lot more,” he said.
Williamson was New Zealand’s top-scorer of the day with 27 before being dismissed by an expansive inside-out shot that triggered the collapse.
“It is a tough one. You feel like it’s a good option to play that shot and if you get out, you question it. Here I am questioning it,” he said.
“For Ross (Taylor) and I to take it deeper, it would’ve been a lot better for our cause. Obviously, it wasn’t happening for us today. We both got dismissed when we needed at least one of us to hang in there and take the game deep.”
He also praised Indian spinner Amit Mishra’s match-winning performance both in the decider and the series.
“To get fifer for any bowler on any surface is a significant performance. He (Mishra) bowled very well today. I think it’s justified in him getting the man-of-the-match and the man-of-the-series. He has been very consistent. We were poor and India were very good,” Williamson signed off.
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