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The Capitals, meanwhile, will be without their death-overs duo of Nortje and Rabada

Alagappan Muthu09-Apr-20217:30

How do Delhi Capitals fill the void of Rabada and Nortje?

Big picture

All that time watching and idolising MS Dhoni, now Rishabh Pant will have to find a way to knock him down and beat his team.After a rocky start, India’s next-gen wicketkeeper has done so well no one is talking about the legend from whom he took over. Outlandish Test-match-winning knocks in Australia and against England at home have established Pant as a serious player in Indian cricket and the Delhi Capitals’ decision to make him captain is a clear sign they want to ride the wave he’s on all the way to the final once again. And maybe go one better.Dhoni may have lost his Chepauk fortress and he may be leading a side that doesn’t really look all that different from the one that spent most of IPL 2020 at the bottom of the table, but his dedication to the Chennai Super Kings franchise and determination to get them back on top should not be underestimated.

In the news

The fast-bowling combination of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Norje was one of the Capitals’ biggest strengths last season. But with both arriving in India only on April 6, they will be stuck in quarantine while the rest of their team-mates will be out on the park in Mumbai.Lungi Ngidi is in the same situation for the Chennai Super Kings. All three South Africa players arrived late since they were playing Pakistan at home.The Capitals may also need to find cover for Axar Patel, who tested positive for Covid-19 last week. Unless he can return two negative tests by April 10, he will not be able to play this game.2:47

Gambhir: CSK won’t be able to make the playoffs

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Moeen Ali, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Suresh Raina 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 K Gowtham, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Deepak ChaharDelhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Ishant Sharma

Strategy punt

So long as he is part of a cricket team, he will be its finisher. Such is Dhoni’s aura. But last year – due to a lack of match practice, much the same as this year – his big-hitting ability was severely impaired. So it was Ravindra Jadeja who took over and got those crucial boundaries away in the death overs. And he performed the role so well he was keeping up with the likes of Kieron Pollard and AB de Villiers. The time might have come for a passing of the baton.The absence of Rabada and Nortje severely limits Capitals’ ability to pose a threat as a death-bowling unit. All three of the fast bowlers who might potentially make their XI on Saturday – Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma – are new-ball specialists. So perhaps they go all out up front and some of R Ashwin’s overs might be saved for the end. He’s experienced. He loves a challenge. And he would revel at the chance to go up against his old mate Dhoni and one up him.

Stats that matter

• 105*, 227, 185*, 165. Those are Prithvi Shaw’s centuries from the Vijay Hazare 50-over games last month, when he led Mumbai to the title. His form is going to be crucial for the Capitals across this IPL season.
• Barely any of the Super Kings’ batsmen have been active in the lead-up to this tournament. Moeen Ali, who was part of the series against India recently, didn’t play the T20Is. Faf du Plessis last hit a ball during the PSL. Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu’s last matches were in January. Dhoni is retired. And Jadeja’s been injured. All that rust is bound to show.

“Having been through difficult match situations and close defeats, hopefully we will react better under pressure at this World Cup”

Annesha Ghosh23-Jan-20221:50

Jhulan Goswami: “I hope past experiences help us handle pressure better in this World Cup”

Three appearances in the knockouts in as many world tournaments between 2017 and 2020. Yet, a maiden World Cup title has eluded India, their mental toughness in the face of pressure coming under scrutiny every time. Runners-up last time out, India renew their pursuit of the ODI world crown on March 6 in New Zealand, and their premier quick, Jhulan Goswami, is hoping that the “near-misses” of the past help them respond better in high-pressure fixtures.”This is a very valid point,” Goswami, set to become only the eighth player to feature in five ODI World Cups, told ESPNcricinfo. “If you see the last three World Cups, including the T20 World Cup in the West Indies [in 2018], we had a very good chance. We played good cricket, but the pressure of that semi-final (in 2018) and the final (in the 2017 ODI World Cup and in the T20I equivalent in 2020) is something that cannot be denied.Related

• Mithali Raj: 'Too much importance is given to strike rate'

• Goswami: NZ ODIs will help us 'fix our errors' before World Cup

• Jemimah Rodrigues, Shikha Pandey left out of World Cup squad

“It may have played a part in how we performed. It was like a final barrier we were stumbling at every time. Maybe this year we will be able to respond better as a team. Sports is very unpredictable, but hopefully, those near-misses and our preparations leading up to this World Cup will help us react better in big matches.”India’s inability to get out of sticky situations in knockout fixtures had its most pronounced manifestations at the two most recent finals: at Lord’s, where they lost the 2017 50-over World Cup to hosts England by nine runs, and then at the MCG, where wayward bowling and shoddy catching early in the 2020 T20 World Cup final effectively pushed them to a point of no-return against Australia.With record crowds in attendance on both occasions, critics, fans, and casual followers deemed India’s defeats less a reflection of their technical abilities, and more a case of fragility of nerves.”I think people can criticise us. But it’s something we are [still] developing slowly, slowly. Overnight it will not happen, but we are in the process of developing,” Goswami said. “So, whatever experience we’ve gathered in the past – I’ll put it in that way – hopefully, in this tournament we’ll handle in a better way.”I can expect that [kind of approach] from my team-mates. They are mentally very strong. Whenever challenging stuff comes, they take that challenge and take responsibility. So, I am very much hopeful that learning experience is going to help us in this tournament.”New Zealand is traditionally conducive to pace and movement. Seam-bowling talisman Goswami, the highest wicket-taker in the women’s game with 340 strikes and India’s most successful bowler in ODIs in 2021 with 15 wickets, will spearhead an attack that doesn’t have Shikha Pandey, one of the notable absentees in India’s extended 18-player squad for the upcoming bilateral fixtures against the hosts in February and the ODI World Cup that follows.Goswami, 39, had said earlier this month that the bilateral series could help India acclimatise better to “windy conditions” and “fix our errors” ahead of the World Cup. She had also stressed that she appreciated the need for her and her team-mates to not put themselves under undue pressure by overthinking about variables.Instead, the focus, she said, should be on implementing the takeaways from India’s series defeats in 2021 against South Africa (at home) and England and Australia (away).”World Cups come with pressure, expectations, and unpredictable elements – it’s sport, after all,” she said. “But I expect, individually and as a unit, I and we back ourselves to deal with that pressure in a positive way without thinking too much about anything. We must enjoy our cricket because I think that’s very important if we are to express ourselves and our preparedness in a proper manner.”We have been put under very challenging situations [in the recent past]. Though we did not win any of the three series we played last year, they were all very important preparations for us. So, having been through a variety of difficult match situations and close defeats, hopefully, (we) will react better under pressure at this World Cup.”India have been in quarantine since January 16 in Mumbai and are scheduled to leave for New Zealand on January 24. They are expected to serve at least a seven-day hard quarantine upon entering the country, with a very real possibility of being under rigid restrictions, albeit with some relaxations, for much longer.Goswami – “We must enjoy our cricket if we are to express ourselves and our preparedness in a proper manner”•Getty Images

“This [dealing with restrictions because of Covid-19] is not something you can overcome in a day,” Goswami said. “It’s not a cricketing technical part that individually we can go there and bat and bowl [to improve]. It’s a different thing. It’s not easy.”I think worldwide we all are struggling with mental-health issues at this moment. Because of the present situation, sportspersons are having to quarantine, they’re staying in biobubbles, not able to meet your family, friends, staying in hotels, having same food – that’s a challenge. That’s called mental toughness.”Heading into the World Cup, the Indian squad, Goswami suggested, has grown into a more tight-knit group. She attributed that to the players’ participation in a boot camp, understood to be the brain child of head coach Ramesh Powar, during Christmas last year in the cool climes of Dehradun, in northern India.”In my 20 years as an India cricketer, never before had I participated in anything officially known as a boot camp” Goswami said with a smile. “Yes, we may have gone on camps from the National Cricket Academy for a night or so in the past, but this camp – the boot camp – lasted five days, so it was definitely first of its kind.”It was a new and fun experience, especially getting to know each other better, from up close, as team-mates – was refreshing and could be helpful for us in the future. I now know my team-mates a little better than I did before the boot camp because we were put through a kind of challenging situation – living in a tent, in cold weather, with limited resources, and yet no body complained.”Plus, there were tasks devised to help with team bonding and react in pressure situations. I hope this experience helps us in the World Cup because understanding each other as team-mates plays a big role in a team’s performance. We never had this kind of a team bonding exercise or camp, so I’d say it was a good thing to participate in before New Zealand tour and the World Cup.”

A spirited performance on the field, followed by a resilient 95-run stand between David Warner and Unmukt Chand helped Daredevils add a third win to come level with Knight Riders

The Report by Devashish Fuloria01-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDavid Warner played a measured 66 to marshall the chase•BCCI

A spirited performance on the field, followed by a resilient 95-run stand between David Warner and Unmukt Chand helped Delhi Daredevils add a third win to come level with Kolkata Knight Riders. Knight Riders are now level with Daredevils, squandering a two-point advantage. The task of making it to the playoffs, for both, remains a distant dream.Daredevils had been the happier side halfway into their innings. The first couple of overs from Brett Lee and L Balaji indicated there was help for the bowlers, but Virender Sehwag laced a couple of boundaries to set the innings into motion. Gautam Gambhir spilled an easy chance off Sehwag at short cover, but it didn’t hurt Knight Riders much. Sehwag steered a length delivery into the hands of slip in the next over, the relief writ large on Gambhir’s face. And when Mahela Jayawardene fell in an identical manner the next over, Knight Riders had found an opening.Unmukt Chand had a torrid time in his first four games, but he set about improving his run with a patient stay in the middle. He was at sea against Sunil Narine’s variations, but hung in and kept rotating the strike. Fortunately for Daredevils, there wasn’t much scoreboard pressure; only a couple of productive overs were needed to catch up with the required rate.That impetus was provided by measured aggression from David Warner, who pierced the boundary every now and then and helped bring the equation under control during the 12th over that yielded 15 runs. By that time, Chand had settled down and started stroking boundaries – an upper-cut past slip being the most stylish – to bring up his best score this IPL. He fell trying to hasten the end but Warner, who scored his third half-century this IPL, switched gears, unleashed the ruthless strokeplay he’s acquired a reputation for and sealed victory with 13 balls to spare.Gambhir called the Raipur stadium one of the best in the country in terms of facilities, but the venue didn’t bring any cheer for Knight Riders after they chose to bat. Manvinder Bisla, who was in imperious touch in the last two matches, started with a casual pull that rocketed to the deep square-leg boundary, but, off the very next ball, Gambhir called him for a suicidal single and paid the price as Irfan, the bowler, beat him in a dash to the striker’s end.What followed was a period in which the Daredevils seamers – and the fielders – started shutting escape routes for the batsmen. Bisla was beaten for pace by a sharp delivery from Umesh Yadav. Yusuf Pathan attempted to mark his authority with a huge hit off Morne Morkel, but was brilliantly caught next ball by Irfan, who took the skier running backwards from square leg.That brought the experienced pair of Jacques Kallis and Eoin Morgan together, but their alliance was short-lived. Morgan reverse-swept Shahbaz Nadeem for a boundary, but when he tried to pull the long-hop next ball, Yadav charged in from deep square leg to take a good, low diving catch. Kallis followed Morgan in the next over, as another stunning, one-handed catch at point, from Ben Rohrer, reduced Knight Riders to 50 for 4 in the ninth over.Debabrata Das and Rajat Bhatia started the repair job, making slow progress with occasional hits to the boundary to bring Knight Riders to 83 for 5 with five overs to go. They hobbled to 110 for 6 at the end of the 18th, but some timely hitting by Lee propped up the score to 136, a good effort on a ground with bigger boundaries. It wasn’t good enough, however.

Denesh Ramdin has been suspended for two ODIs, and fined 100% of his match fees, for claiming a catch off Misbah-ul-Haq during the game against Pakistan at The Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2013West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin has been suspended for two ODIs, and fined 100% of his match fees, for breaching the Code of Conduct when he claimed a catch off Misbah-ul-Haq during the Champions Trophy game against Pakistan at The Oval.Ramdin has decided not to appeal the decision, a West Indies team spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo, which means he will miss their last two group matches against India and South Africa.*”This is regarded as a serious offence as it is the responsibility of all players to act in the spirit of the game,” ICC match referee Chris Broad said. “I hope Mr Ramdin has learnt his lesson from this incident and that we will not see such behaviour by him or any player in the future.”The incident took place in the ninth over of Pakistan’s innings, when Misbah bottom-edged a Kemar Roach delivery to Ramdin. The wicketkeeper initially appeared to have caught the ball but lost control of it as he fell forward, and it slipped out of his gloves on to the grass. Instead of bringing his mistake to the notice of the umpires or his team-mates, Ramdin returned the ball to the square-leg umpire and joined his team-mates in the celebratory huddle.Square-leg umpire Nigel Llong, however, alerted the third umpire and the replay revealed the chance had been dropped. Misbah, who was on 0, was called back and went on to hit an unbeaten 96.Misbah had said that Ramdin’s actions were not in the spirit of the game. “What can I say about that?” he said when asked about the catch. “I think he should have told them what happened, but I don’t know what he was thinking at that time. I would not be very happy if my wicketkeeper did that. If we don’t know anything, then it’s fine, but if you know clearly that it’s not a catch, you should not claim that because it’s not in the spirit of the game.”West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo, however, had defended Ramdin, saying the wicketkeeper did not act deliberately. “Unfortunately, he did not catch it,” Bravo said. “He’s a very honest player, and as I said, history shows if you check the records that we don’t have any stigma or negatives around us as a team. We have been true in our cricket careers and history has shown that we play the game in true spirit of the way it should be played. I don’t think we did something like this deliberately.”The charge – under article 2.2.11 of the ICC Code of Conduct which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game” – was laid by the on-field umpires Steve Davis and Llong, third umpire Tony Hill and fourth umpire Richard Kettleborough. Ramdin had pleaded not guilty and attended a hearing adjudicated by Broad on Monday.*1915 GMT This article was updated to mention that Ramdin was not going to appeal the ban and fine.

Tim Southee and Kane Williamson starred in Northern Districts’ win over Auckland, while Central Districts beat Wellington and Canterbury crushed Otago in the Ford Trophy matches

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2013
ScorecardFifties from Kane Williamson and Tim Southee helped Northern Districts beat Auckland by three wickets in Hamilton. Williamson’s 92 and Southee’s unbeaten 66 ensured that Northern reached the target with eight balls to spare. Northern were struggling at 84 for 4 before Williamson and Brad Wilson added 96 runs for the fifth wicket. Williamson’s 92, scored off as many balls, included ten fours and two sixes.A couple of quick wickets, following Williamson’s dismissal, left Northern shaky at 201 for 7. But Tim Southee, who scored his first List-A fifty, and Graeme Aldridge stepped up. The duo blitzed their way to an unbeaten 93-run partnership off just 68 balls that took the team over the line. Southee smashed 66 off 45 balls and hit nine fours and two sixes.Earlier, Auckland missed out on posting a big total after Tim McIntosh and Anaru Kitchen had put on an opening partnership of 136 runs in 25 overs. Kitchen scored a fluent 104 off 100 balls which included 13 fours and three sixes. However, the other Auckland batsmen failed to capitalise on a good start as Northern Districts restricted them to 290.
ScorecardCanterbury crushed Otago and picked up a bonus point in their second match of the Ford Trophy in Christchurch. Canterbury bowler Matt Henry, making a return from injury, took his first List A five-wicket haul as Otago were dismissed for 177.Otago, who chose to bowl first, started well as James McMillan dismissed opener Bradley Cachopa in the second over. Opener George Worker and Peter Fulton then consolidated the innings with an 85-run partnership setting the platform for a big total. The impetus for the innings came from Shanan Stewart and Andrew Ellis, who added 105 runs for the fifth wicket off 80 balls. Their partnership pushed Canterbury’s score past 250. Canterbury eventually scored 283 for 7 off their 50 overs, leaving Otago a stiff target to chase.Otago started the chase briskly but were soon staring at defeat. By the end of the 21st over, Otago were 89 for 6. Derek de Boorder, the captain, scored a stubborn 58 and his 49-run partnership with Ian Butler delayed the finish.
ScorecardMichael Papps’ second consecutive century couldn’t save Wellington from a 10-run loss to Central Districts at the Basin Reserve, Wellington. Papps scored 154 and played a lone hand – Stephen Murdoch’s 33 was the second-highest score – in a tall chase of 302. After losing Jesse Ryder, his opening partner, in the first over, Papps constructed two half-century stands that kept Wellington on track. But he ran out of partners in the second half of the innings. Tarun Nethula led the Central Districts’ bowling with an economical spell that fetched him two wickets.Central’s top order came together to put up a strong batting performance after winning the toss. Jamie How and Jeet Raval added 91 for the first wicket and the middle-order, too, formed good partnerships. Ross Taylor scored his second successive fifty, but it was captain Kieran Noema-Barnett’s quick 67 that pushed the team towards a strong total. James Franklin was the most successful bowler for Auckland with 3 for 35.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second match of the tri-series between West Indies and India in Kingston

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit29-Jun-2013

Match facts

Sunday, June 30
Start time 0930 (1430 GMT)Will the Shikhar Dhawan show continue in the Caribbean?•International Cricket Council

Big Picture

Six months ago, Indian cricket was supposed to be at its nadir. On the back of eight successive overseas Test defeats came a shocking home Test series loss to England. Reeling in the face of doomed conquests and fallen bastions, MS Dhoni and his men managed to come up with the ultimate public relations disaster – a home one-day series defeat to Pakistan. There was nowhere to hide. Australia had arrived to play four Tests. Fortunately for India, the visitors had no clue about facing spin and had plenty of demons of their own to handle. Then came the IPL to distract everyone. And then India went to England – where their mighty had begun to fall in 2011 – and won the Champions Trophy with a squad so young and inexperienced the major justification for its selection was that planning for the 2015 World Cup had already started.Suddenly, it is India this and India that, Dhoni this and Dhoni that. So what do the No. 1 ranked ODI side, the World Cup and Champions Trophy holders have to gain from a tri-series arranged primarily so that the other participating boards could gain from their financial clout? To appreciate that, we have to recall what Dhoni often says about young players in the squad. As a World Cup approaches, he wants them to have played around 100-150 ODIs so that they have been exposed to multiple situations and have gained enough experience to tackle them. About half of the current squad have not even played 30. Yes, they won the Champions Trophy, but taking that as anything more than a start is to forget what state the side was in just six months ago.The opening combination is nascent. The fast bowlers, barring Ishant Sharma, are new to international cricket. India need them to gain as much exposure as possible in the next 18 months or so, provided the selectors show their faith in this set of men can last longer than a couple of series.India’s opponents, West Indies, showed against Sri Lanka in the opening game why an ODI ranking of No. 8 does them no justice, especially when they actually use some of their enormous potential. West Indies have done little more recently than to terrorise Zimbabwe and New Zealand at home. A bonus-point win over Sri Lanka was a refreshing start but, as always, the question with West Indies will be, can they reproduce that kind of performance all through this series?

Form guide

West Indies WTLWW (most recent first, last five completed matches)
India WWWWW

In the spotlight

India’s openers had a dream run in the Champions Trophy, their partnerships reading 127, 101, 58, 77 and 19. Shikhar Dhawan returns to the venue of a failed comeback to the India side in 2011, while Rohit Sharma returns to the place where he was Man of the Series in 2011. Dhawan is the man who can do no wrong at the moment, while – despite successive fifties at an unfamiliar position in the Champions Trophy – Rohit is still walking around with the familiar tag of the underachiever. Both would have developed some sort of understanding during the Champions Trophy. How will they build on it in this series?After 57 ODIs, Darren Bravo‘s average is similar to Rohit’s, with a strike-rate from the 1990s. The aesthetic comparisons with his great uncle will probably continue for as long as he plays, but after four years of international cricket, it is time Bravo starts to draw comparisons in the areas of consistency and impact. He has shown glimpses of that at the Test level, and a 71-ball ODI hundred against Zimbabwe earlier this year was a sign of what he is capable of in this format.

Team news

The big win against Sri Lanka should encourage West Indies to go in with the same XI. Kemar Roach was a bit of a letdown in that match, but he earned backing from his captain, who said while West Indies were glad to have someone like Tino Best in the reserves, there was no issue with Roach’s performance.West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Kemar RoachThe conditions might have changed completely, but that does not mean India will be rushing to change the combination that won five successive games in the Champions Trophy.India (probable) 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Dinesh Karthik, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh Yadav

Pitch and conditions

Angelo Mathews thought the toss was crucial on Friday, as the Sabina Park pitch eased out in the second innings. Sri Lanka had been put in on what Mathews called a two-paced surface, which had a few dark patches suggesting uneven distribution of moisture. However, there was no alarming swing or seam.The expected rain didn’t arrive on Friday though skies remained overcast for large parts of the game. There is some chance of rain again on Sunday.

Stats and trivia

• Amit Mishra’s last ODI was in June 2011 against West Indies in Kingston
• West Indies lead India 3-2 in completed one-dayers at Sabina Park
• Chris Gayle is only the third batsman to hit 200 sixes in ODIs. MS Dhoni is the next current player on the list, and eighth overall, with 152
• Denesh Ramdin will be playing his 100th ODI

Quotes

“That’s a big advantage. It gives me, as a captain, and the team a better insight into how individual players think and how they play.”
“If I’m happier than the person who has actually scored a century or a fifty, you understand that’s the kind of atmosphere you want, because at the end of the day, what we play is a team sport.”.

Andy Waller has confirmed that he will begin his new job as Zimbabwe’s head coach on May 1

Firdose Moonda04-Apr-2013Andy Waller has confirmed that he will begin his new job as Zimbabwe’s head coach on May 1. Waller has just returned to the UK from Sri Lanka, where he was on a tour with the Eastbourne College first team, which he currently coaches.In an email from the school, Waller told ESPNCricinfo that he will arrive in Zimbabwe on April 15 and will begin work the next month. Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) have yet to officially announce his appointment.Waller will not be involved in the two Tests against Bangladesh, but will take over for the ODIs and Twenty20s, which start on May 3. Stephen Mangongo will be in charge at the start of the tour and will continue in his role as assistant coach under Waller.Grant Flower, the batting coach, has been involved in preparations for the series but there is no word on the future of Heath Streak, the bowling coach, whose contract expired on March 31, along with that of former coach Alan Butcher. It is likely Streak will continue as a bowling consultant, because none of the three coaches currently involved have expertise in that discipline, but the decision is yet to be made.Streak and Flower were pushed to the fringes of Zimbabwe’s structures when they were left at home during the recent tour to West Indies because of a change in ZC’s touring policy. The decision irked captain Brendan Taylor, who said at the time, that the team needed the pair’s experience especially when away from home. Zimbabwe went on to lose all seven matches, across all formats, in the Caribbean.The team has not played at home since late 2011 when they made their Test comeback, and hosted Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand, and have endured a tough year in-between. Things do not appear to be getting any easier in the lead up to the busy home programme, which includes home series with Bangladesh, India (for three ODIs), Sri Lanka and Pakistan.As most of Zimbabwe’s inbound tours take place during the winter, those franchise cricketers who are not centrally contracted often look for opportunity to play club cricket in the UK in order to make some money. A group of those players approached ZC about their financial situation and asked for winter contracts as security, but a source close to the situation said their request had been denied. Instead, ZC has only made provision for a small daily allowance.As a result, many of those players have indicated they will continue to pursue money-making opportunities overseas and not stay at home through the winter. That will leave Zimbabwe with only the 15 centrally contracted players to choose from while most of their next best will be unavailable. Should injuries or poor form strike, Zimbabwe could be in a dire situation with a lack of cricketers to play matches.

Both players described as “conscious and stable” by CWI

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2021The second women’s T20I between West Indies and Pakistan in Antigua was delayed after two of the home side’s players collapsed on the field, in separate incidents. Chinelle Henry and Chedean Nation were taken to hospital, where they were “conscious and stable”, according to a CWI spokesperson.Both the incidents took place during Pakistan’s chase, which was also beset by weather interruptions.”Chinelle Henry and Chedean Nation were taken to hospital for medical attention,” CWI said in a statement. “Both Henry and Nation are conscious and stable at hospital and are being assessed.”West Indies Women brought on two substitutes and the game continued, with the home side eventually declared winners by seven runs on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern after another interruption.”It isn’t very easy in those conditions and situations. I’m just happy that the team was able to go over the line for those two ladies who weren’t with us, and we’re just waiting on all the information that we can get,” Courtney Walsh, the West Indies head coach, said. “They have our full support and we’ll be riding with them as well.”Javeria Khan, the Pakistan captain, wished the pair a quick recovery.”The thoughts and prayers of the whole Pakistan team are with Chinelle Henry and Chedean Nation,” she said in a statement. “We wish them a quick recovery and are hopeful that we will play against them in our next match on Sunday.”Such incidents are tragic and can shake whole dressing rooms. Hats off to the West Indies that they turned up and completed the match despite the grave incident.”

Ed Barnard made an unbeaten century to lead England out of trouble on the first day in Cape Town

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2013
ScorecardEd Barnard made an unbeaten century to lead England Under out of trouble on the first day in Cape Town. Batting got easier as the day went on and Barnard relished the better conditions to put England in a fair position at the close.Barnard, a 17-year-old from Shropshire, struck 11 fours in a composed innings of 168 balls. His innings was vital because the top order had been blown away by the new ball after South Africa won the toss and chose to field.Coming in at 89 for 5, Bernard shared stands of 63 with Callum Jackson and 60 with Oli Stone to prevent his side from falling well behind in the Test match. Kishen Velani had earlier made 49 as England finally got some runs on the board but he was the third of four wickets for opening bowler Lizaad Williams just after lunch.Williams had put South Africa in firm command in the morning session, reducing England to 14 for 3 in the fifth over. Jonathan Tattersall went caught behind for 2 and Harry Finch was trapped lbw for 9, both after Dominic Sibley fell to Craig Kirsten for a second ball duck. Kirsten later left the field with a stress fracture of the lower back, an injury that could rule him out for two months.Williams went on to bowl Jackson for 49 as England’s recovery was trimmed, but with the second new ball not as threatening and Barnard in good touch, England ended the day in positive shape, adding 109 after tea.

Mustafizur Rahman unlikely to get clearance too, keeping in mind Bangladesh’s busy international schedule

Mohammad Isam01-Jun-2021Shakib Al Hasan will not get a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the BCB to take part in the remainder of IPL 2021 for the Kolkata Knight Riders, most likely in September-October this year. Board president Nazmul Hassan has pointed to Bangladesh’s busy international schedule in that period in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in India in October-November, but could well be shifted to the UAE keeping in mind the Covid-19 situation in India.”Given our schedule, it is almost impossible (for Shakib) to get the NOC. I don’t see any possibilities, nor any opportunity. The World Cup is coming up, which makes every game important for us,” Hassan told on Sunday.Mustafizur Rahman, the only other Bangladeshi in the IPL – for the Rajasthan Royals – is also unlikely to get an NOC, given his importance in Bangladesh’s white-ball plans.Related

• Shakib Al Hasan won't change, because the BCB is incapable of changing him

• Shakib, Mustafizur join Bangladesh bubble after quarantine

• Shanto dropped for first two ODIs against SL, Shakib returns

• Gayle returns to Patriots; Shakib back with Tallawahs

After touring Zimbabwe for a Test, three ODIs and three T20Is in June-July, Bangladesh will take on Australia in five T20Is at home in July-August, and both New Zealand (three T20Is) and England (three ODIs and three T20Is) are expected to tour Bangladesh after that for white-ball matches in the lead up to the World Cup.Akram Khan, BCB’s cricket operations chairman, stressed that keeping in mind all these matches, especially the England series – where the ODIs will be a part of the World Cup Super League – it was important for all the players to train and play together. “We have to consider the team training together,” he said. “We want to go into the England series with full strength. Both the ODI Super League and the World Cup T20 are important to us.”Shakib was involved in a tussle with the BCB in March after he accused the board of “misrepresenting” his letter requesting an NOC to play in the IPL. In response, the BCB threatened to revoke his NOC, but ended up granting it. Shakib had missed the New Zealand tour in March this year because of a thigh injury and later opted out of the two-match Test series in Sri Lanka to play in the IPL. He has since skipped the PSL, opting to play in the Dhaka Premier League T20s instead.