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NDTV
10 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
"How Poorly He Bowled": Ex-England Star's Brutally Honest Take On Ravindra Jadeja's Performance
Former England cricketer Mark Butcher criticised Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his poor bowling utilisation of the rough during the first Test at Leeds against England, calling it "owning a hammer but punching nails in with your fist", reported Wisden Cricket Weekly. The new-look Team India failed to chase 371 runs during the Leeds Test against England, with opener Ben Duckett's swashbuckling 149 and watchful Joe Root's fifty contributing big to the team's win. During the second innings, Jadeja took 1/104 in 24 overs, getting the over of skipper Ben Stokes. However, England, particularly Duckett, neutralised Jadeja's threat very well, using the reverse sweep to their advantage. Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast, Butcher said about Jadeja, "I could not believe how poorly he bowled. I would liken it to owning a hammer but punching nails in with your fist instead - not landing the ball in the rough at all until, basically, it was too late. That was extraordinary." "You talk about experience, and he has all the experience in the world. Somehow, it didn't seem to click to him or Rishabh Pant, the keeper, that it might be a good idea not to keep missing the rough all day to the left-handers," he added. Butcher also slammed Team India's selection, particularly of bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, as one of the reasons why they looked ineffective, and they could have gone for spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Shardul could not get into double digits while batting and took a total of two wickets across the match, leaking runs at a high economy rate. "The issue around the lineup itself... how much more interesting might that last day have been had they gone for Kuldeep Yadav instead of Shardul Thakur. Thakur had had a really poor game until that one over where he gave India a tiny sniff at the back-end," he said. "If you are not contributing with the bat down there at No.8, you damn well be taking wickets, and be in the game as a bowler for more of the game than he was," he concluded. Coming to the match, India was put to bat first by England. Centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), skipper Shubman Gill (147) and Rishabh Pant (134) pushed India to 471, with Ben Stokes being the leading bowler with figures of 4/66. England also delivered a fine reply with the bat, as a century from Ollie Pope (106) and fifties from Harry Brook (99) and Ben Duckett (62) pushed them to 465, giving India a slender six-run lead. Jasprit Bumrah did take a fifer, but did not get a lot of support from other bowlers. India took a strong lead in the second innings, with centuries from KL Rahul (137) and Pant (118) taking them to 364. India led by 370 runs, but it was a lower-order collapse that prevented the lead from being even more massive. Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue took three wickets to stand out among bowlers. In the chase of 371 runs, England started off well with a 188-run stand between Zak Crawley (65) and Duckett (149). However, a few quick strikes reduced them to 253/4, placing India in a balanced spot. However, Joe Root (53*) and Jamie Smith (44*) took England home, despite two wickets each from Prasidh Krishna and Thakur. Duckett took home the 'Player of the Match' award.
India Gazette
11 hours ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
"Would liken it to owning a hammer but punching nails...": Butcher slams Jadeja's bowling at Leeds
London [UK], June 26 (ANI): Former England cricketer Mark Butcher criticised Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his poor bowling utilisation of the rough during the first Test at Leeds against England, calling it 'owning a hammer but punching nails in with your fist', reported Wisden Cricket Weekly. The new-look Team India failed to chase 371 runs during the Leeds Test against England, with opener Ben Duckett's swashbuckling 149 and watchful Joe Root's fifty contributing big to the team's win. During the second innings, Jadeja took 1/104 in 24 overs, getting the over of skipper Ben Stokes. However, England, particularly Duckett, neutralised Jadeja's threat very well, using the reverse sweep to their advantage. Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast, Butcher said about Jadeja, 'I could not believe how poorly he bowled. I would liken it to owning a hammer but punching nails in with your fist instead - not landing the ball in the rough at all until, basically, it was too late. That was extraordinary.' 'You talk about experience, and he has all the experience in the world. Somehow, it didn't seem to click to him or Rishabh Pant, the keeper, that it might be a good idea not to keep missing the rough all day to the left-handers,' he added. Butcher also slammed Team India's selection, particularly of bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, as one of the reasons why they looked ineffective, and they could have gone for spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Shardul could not get into double digits while batting and took a total of two wickets across the match, leaking runs at a high economy rate. 'The issue around the lineup itself... how much more interesting might that last day have been had they gone for Kuldeep Yadav instead of Shardul Thakur. Thakur had had a really poor game until that one over where he gave India a tiny sniff at the back-end,' he said. 'If you are not contributing with the bat down there at No.8, you damn well be taking wickets, and be in the game as a bowler for more of the game than he was,' he concluded. Coming to the match, India was put to bat first by England. Centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), skipper Shubman Gill (147) and Rishabh Pant (134) pushed India to 471, with Ben Stokes being the leading bowler with figures of 4/66. England also delivered a fine reply with the bat, as a century from Ollie Pope (106) and fifties from Harry Brook (99) and Ben Duckett (62) pushed them to 465, giving India a slender six-run lead. Jasprit Bumrah did take a fifer, but did not get a lot of support from other bowlers. India took a strong lead in the second innings, with centuries from KL Rahul (137) and Pant (118) taking them to 364. India led by 370 runs, but it was a lower-order collapse that prevented the lead from being even more massive. Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue took three wickets to stand out among bowlers. In the chase of 371 runs, England started off well with a 188-run stand between Zak Crawley (65) and Duckett (149). However, a few quick strikes reduced them to 253/4, placing India in a balanced spot. However, Joe Root (53*) and Jamie Smith (44*) took England home, despite two wickets each from Prasidh Krishna and Thakur. Duckett took home the 'Player of the Match' award. (ANI)
Express Tribune
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Jason Gillespie says Pakistan head coach stint soured coaching passion
Former Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie says his brief and turbulent stint with the national side in 2024 has left him disillusioned with coaching, admitting he no longer wishes to pursue full-time roles—even if approached by Australia. Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast, Gillespie opened up about how his time in Pakistan reshaped his outlook on coaching after nearly 15 years in the profession. 'Right now, I'm not sure I'm interested in coaching full-time,' Gillespie said. 'Even if Australia comes calling—no, I'm not interested.' The former Australian fast bowler was appointed red-ball head coach of Pakistan in April 2024 but left in December following a series of internal disputes and communication issues with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He also briefly led the white-ball squad as interim coach following Gary Kirsten's exit and oversaw a rare ODI series win in Australia. Despite the on-field success, Gillespie described his time with the team as deeply frustrating, blaming internal politics and fractured leadership dynamics. In a blunt assessment, he singled out his successor, Aqib Javed, for undermining his position. 'He was a clown,' Gillespie said. 'The internal politics and lack of cohesion made the job untenable.' Gillespie said the experience had a lasting effect on his view of the profession. 'The Pakistan experience has soured my love for coaching, I'll be honest. It really disappointed me how that all ended. It's made me question whether I want to coach full-time again.' While ruling out a return to full-time coaching, Gillespie said he remains open to short-term roles, particularly in franchise leagues or as a consultant. 'I'm open to coaching in the leagues and doing some short-term work or consultancy,' he said. 'But the grind of full-time coaching—it's just not on my agenda right now.' Gillespie's remarks come at a time when Pakistan cricket continues to grapple with leadership instability and structural issues within its coaching setup.
