In Case You Missed It: Numbers of the beast

It has been a week of notable numbers. Queensland's Cameron Gannon did in the Sheffield Shield what all of England couldn't in the Ashes - get Steve Smith out for a duck. The Guyana Amazon Warriors' undefeated 11-win streak was ended by the Barbados Tridents. In India's 11th consecutive Test win at home Virat Kohli brought up his 7000th Test run with his seventh double-century - the most by any Indian batsman. Here's all that you may have missed last week.

The Barbados Tridents end the Guyana Amazon Warriors' 11-win streak to win second CPL title
Just last week, the Warriors beat the Tridents to set up their 11th straight win in the CPL, but the Tridents paid it back in the final with 27-run victory. Peter Della Penna came away from the five-week competition with four big takeaways, and Deivarayan Muthu cobbled together ESPNcricinfo's CPL team of 2019, which features some unusual suspects.

Umesh Yadav and spin duo wrap up innings win, series for India
After captain Virat Kohli took a walk on the wild side and enforced the follow-on, India's ruthless attack and South Africa's ordinary batting meant India cruised to victory by an innings and 137 runs, and sealed their 11th consecutive series win at home. Karthik Krishnaswamy looks at how India's seamers schooled South Africa's on a pitch Temba Bavuma said was just like at home.

Lack of domestic depth leads South Africa into uncertain times
South Africa have had a particularly bad run. Firdose Moonda says they've come through such rough patches before - in 2004 they lost to India, Sri Lanka and England - but on this occasion, there appears little room for immediate hope that things will change.

England's Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt announce engagement
The players announced their engagement via an Instagram post and a newspaper interview

Why getting Rohit Sharma to open in Tests is a good move
Ian Chappell makes a case for Test cricket needing all the exciting batsmen it can get. Besides, it makes sense for Sharma in light of his game.

Five crazy Sri Lankan cricket stories in 2019
After Sri Lanka beat Pakistan 3-0 in the recently concluded T20Is, Andrew Fidel Fernando lists five seemingly absurd wins by the side, starring Angelo Mathews, Kusal Perera, Lasith Malinga, Chandika Hathurusingha and Bhanuka Rajapaksa.

Experiencing the pain of Zimbabwe cricket through Tatenda Taibu's eyes
With the ICC set to decide on the future of Zimbabwe cricket, Alan Gardner looks at the tumult through Taibu's experience, in a review of the former Zimbabwe captain's autobiography, Keeper of Faith.

How did it all come together for Australia in the Ashes? Trevor Hohns tells us
Australia's chief selector talks to Daniel Brettig about how Australia's preparation for the Ashes began nearly two years prior, and how things clicked for them

Chris Silverwood's 'wow' factor before understated unveiling
England announced Silverwood as the new head coach for the England team last week, and Andrew Miller says he might just have all the tools he needs to make low-key success of highest profile role. And how have his predecessors shaped up in comparison?

Where have Australia's batsmen (other than Steve Smith) gone?
The Sheffield Shield isn't producing tough run machines like it used to. Alex Malcolm spoke to state coaches to find out why

Quiz: Who was the only spinner among the top ten Test wicket-takers of the 1980s?
And which renowned author called cricketers "flannelled fools at the wicket" in a poem in 1902? Try your hand at these and more questions in October's quiz