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Roy entertains to help Surrey heal

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

It has been such a dreadful year for Surrey that were they to be relegated they would only attract sympathy

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge21-Jul-2012
ScorecardJason Roy enlivened the final day with a rapid 83•PA Photos

It has been such a dreadful year for Surrey that were they to be relegated after only one season back in the First Division of the LV= County Championship they would only attract sympathy. Yet there were signs in this truncated contest that a healing process is under way.After two and a half days lost to the weather, and no agreement on a way to salvage a positive result, there were some passages of play that lacked a little energy although others that fizzed, particularly when Jason Roy was batting. In the end, both sides benefited from the points gained – in Nottinghamshire’s case keeping Warwickshire’s lead at the top to a single point – but perhaps for Surrey the draw will be of greater significance.They could have gambled with the terms Nottinghamshire put their way but reasoned that to avoid defeat to one of the title contenders was a safer way to bolster morale than to take risks in pursuit of a win. Given their circumstances, you could not really criticise them for that.In fact, the points Surrey gained take them out of the bottom two again ahead of Worcestershire and Durham and put them only a point behind Lancashire, who have played a game more. What’s more, a brilliant 83 from Roy off only 50 balls, with five sixes, confirmed that their spirit of adventure is not dead, while a composed 79 from 20-year-old opener Rory Burns offered hope of good days ahead.It was only the third time Burns, a left-handed batsman who also keeps wicket, had faced county opposition in a first-class match. Against Lancashire at Guildford last week, he was bowled first ball by Glen Chapple but emerged here unfazed, and though he was badly dropped on 54 after completing his maiden Championship half-century, he otherwise played with a maturity beyond his years.He and his similarly youthful partner, the 21-year-old Zafar Ansari, denied Nottinghamshire a wicket for an hour and three quarters before Andy Carter took out the latter’s off stump. It was an impressive effort considering that the senior members of the Nottinghamshire attack – namely Andre Adams, Ben Phillips and Samit Patel – have more than 1,000 first-class wickets between them.Burns had his bit of luck facing Harry Gurney, the left-arm seamer, when an attempted pull went straight up in the air. It seemed an age coming down, perhaps too long for Patel, who jogged in from short midwicket but somehow left the ball slip through his hands.”I was pretty happy with the innings,” Burns said afterwards. “It was a challenge against good bowlers. They are a good quality attack, that’s why they are challenging at the top of the table. They give you a lot to think about but I tried to play at my tempo and did not feel in any trouble until I was out, really.”Adams is always asking questions but I was pleased with the way I played him and until he did me with the slower ball I was comfortable.”Roy, generously entertaining the crowd on his birthday, played at an altogether different tempo, rarely passing up an opportunity to attack. He hit five sixes, mixing wonderful timing with the bold audacity that has become his signature. The innings ended with consecutive reverse sweeps for six off Patel’s left-arm spin before, going down the pitch, he missed the next ball and was stumped.The match ended after Stuart Meaker had added a lusty 29 to the five-wicket haul he had completed earlier, giving Surrey a second batting point. Four wickets for Adams, beginning with the slow yorker that foxed Burns, raised his tally for the season to 50 and gave Nottinghamshire their second bowling point.Earlier in the day, the unfinished partnership between Chris Read and Adam Voges grew to 145 before Voges was leg before to a nip-backer from Jon Lewis. Read looked set for his 22nd career century until he was bowled by a full, quick delivery from Meaker, by which time a stand of 75 with Ben Phillips (47) had claimed a third batting point.Read handed the wicketkeeping gloves to Riki Wessels for the last hour after taking a blow on his left index finger but the injury is not serious.

Australians at the IPL: Warner's dumping, Stoinis' one-over spells, and Maxwell left stunned

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The major story of the week for the Australians came off the field rather than on it

Andrew McGlashan03-May-20215:56

‘It’s staggering’ – Vettori on SRH’s Warner decision

What now for Warner?There’s only one place to start. All is not well at the Sunrisers Hyderabad, especially for David Warner. Last week he questioned team selection, then he produced his slowest T20 half-century (which he held his hand up about), and now, in a dramatic twist, he has lost the captaincy and been left out of the side. His overall IPL record reads: 5447 runs at 42.22 and a strike rate of 140.13. For the Sunrisers, those numbers are: 4012 runs at 50.78 and a strike rate 142.82. Both the average and strike rate are significantly down this season, but it’s a rapid fall from grace. The decision has been explained around the Sunrisers’ poor start to the season and the need to rejig the balance of overseas players (perhaps highlighting the challenge when there is an overseas captain). The hints were that there may not be a quick return for Warner, either, although the Sunrisers were on the end of a Jos Buttler special and went down by 55 runs. Interesting times.For more analysis on the Warner decision, you can read Nagraj Gollapudi’s piece here.Related

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  • Brave call to axe David Warner as captain

  • Warner 'shocked' at being removed from captaincy

Stoinis’ one-over outingsAs a bowler you need to be adaptable in T20 and be ready to take the ball in a variety of situations. That’s certainly been the case for Marcus Stoinis – although not for more than a single over. Things didn’t start especially well when, having not been used for the entire innings, he was asked to bowl the final over against the not inconsiderable talents of AB de Villiers. The end result? 23 runs conceded in a game the Delhi Capitals would lose by one run. Perhaps shelve that idea. It went better against the Kolkata Knight Riders when he was brought on in the tenth over and claimed the wicket of Rahul Tripathi while conceding just seven. Then against the Punjab Kings, he was handed the new ball and went for six runs. Has he done enough to earn a second over?Meredith’s mixed returnRiley Meredith has been preferred over fellow Australia quick Jhye Richardson by the Punjab Kings after both were dropped last week having conceded more than ten an over. Meredith returned against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on what was a mixed evening for him. He made a mess of Devdutt Padikkal’s off stump but was then unable to complete his (and the game’s) final over after Kyle Jamieson crunched a drive into his knee. All was okay, though, and he was back in the middle against the Capitals but couldn’t prevent prevent the Kings slipping to their fifth defeat. However, he did claim the wicket of Steven Smith, which might come up if the pair share a dressing room for Australia.Harpreet Brar is thrilled to dismiss Glenn Maxwell•BCCI/IPL

Cummins in the wicketsA profitable couple of games for Pat Cummins’ wicket column as he took five in two matches although KKR remain languishing towards the foot of the table. He took 2 for 31 against the Kings but was comfortably the most expensive bowler in a low total of 123 and did not complete his four overs. Against the Capitals, he was held back as the fifth option used by Eoin Morgan, and though claimed 3 for 24, his impact was too late following an opening stand of 132 between Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan.Good game to miss?Nathan Coulter-Nile made his first appearance of the season for the Mumbai Indians, against the Rajasthan Royals. He bowled his four overs for 35 and was able to sit back and watch the top order knock off the target with nine balls to spare. Then he was left out for the next game, against the Chennai Super Kings, with Jimmy Neesham brought in. That may have been a blessing as it certainly wasn’t a game for the bowlers: 437 runs scored in 40 overs, capped off by Kieron Pollard’s breathtaking 87 off 34 balls.Maxwell left dumbfoundedGlenn Maxwell had a significant impact for RCB in the early stages of the competition but could do little about the delivery he received from left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar against the Kings. It pitched around middle, spun and clipped off stump. Maxwell stood there, uncertain what had happened, and it was a rare occasion of a bowled dismissal needing to be checked by the third umpire. It was the eighth first-ball duck in Maxwell’s 313-match T20 career and curiously three of them have come this year.

Judge Yacoob steps down as CSA interim board chairman after verbally abusing journalist

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He is the fourth board chairman to vacate the role, voluntarily or otherwise, since Chris Nenzani left office as CSA president last August

Firdose Moonda27-Jan-2021Judge Zak Yacoob, the chairman of Cricket South Africa’s interim board, has stepped down following the publication of a telephone conversation between him and a South African journalist, in which Yacoob used language that was abusive.He is the fourth board chair to vacate the role, voluntarily or otherwise, since Chris Nenzani left office as CSA president last August, and has done so with less than a month to go before the board’s term is up.The recording, between journalist Tiisetso Malepa and Yacoob is of an interview in which Malepa asks Yacoob about allegations made by suspended acting CEO Kugandrie Govender that the judge had treated her unfairly and offered her money to seek legal counsel. Yacoob called Malepa “a dishonest, irresponsible idiot,” and said Malepa had “no right to ask me those questions.” The newspaper made the full recording available on their website at the weekend.On Tuesday, Yacoob “apologised unreservedly,” in a statement issued by the interim board but by Wednesday he stepped down “to protect the integrity of the board and in the best interests of cricket.”The country’s sports minister Nathi Mthethwa, who imposed the interim board on CSA last November following months of administrative upheaval, confirmed he had taken “time to engage with the judge to agree on the best way forward on the matter. By mutual agreement, it was felt that the judge should recuse himself from chairing the interim board.”Dr Stavros Nicolaou will chair the board for the remainder of their tenure – due to end in mid-February – by which time CSA should have convened an AGM and have a framework to elect a new, mostly independent board. “Whilst the minister still awaits a formal update on progress made by the Interim Board, he remains optimistic that the final report will contribute positively to the process of reforming South African cricket. He also hopes that the recommendations made will enable CSA to convene their delayed AGM, where a new Board will be elected,” a statement from Mthethwa’s office read.The judge’s departure comes on the eve of Govender’s disciplinary hearing, which is set to get underway on Thursday and further deepens the leadership crisis at CSA. The organisation currently has its third acting CEO in the last six months after Thabang Moroe was fired last year.Incidentally, among the charges that detailed Moroe’s misconduct was bringing CSA into disrepute for revoking the accreditation of five journalists during the 2019 Mzansi Super League (MSL), as well as excessive expenditure on alcohol and misinforming the board about the contracts CSA had entered into, in which service-providers did not fulfil their obligations despite being paid.CSA can embark on the process of appointing a new CEO after a permanent board is put in place.

Ind vs Eng, 4th Test, 3rd day – As It Happened

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All the colour and analyses from day three of the final Test of the series

Alan Gardner06-Mar-2021*Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local

3.47pm: Ashwin completes 30th five-for, India are WTC finalists

India have wrapped up a convincing innings victory to seal a 3-1 series result and a spot in the World Test Championship final, after England collapsed against spin for the final time on tour. Although Washington Sundar was left high and dry four runs short of a maiden Test hundred, Axar Patel hounded the visitors for his fourth five-for of an immensely impressive debut series to help confirm the inevitable midway through the evening session on day three.

3.40pm: Lawrence reaches fifty

A second Test fifty for Dan Lawrence, who is one of perhaps only two England batsman to come out of this tour of Asia with his credentials enhanced, alongside Joe Root. He struggled in the Chennai Tests, looking ill-suited to the No. 3 role that he has only rarely filled at domestic level, but with the pressure off at No. 7 he has been positive and – generally – calm in this Test.Dan Lawrence sweeps in the first-innings•Getty Images

He’s England’s top-scorer in the match, and Sampath Bandarupalli tells me that he’s also the only Englishman to make a second-innings half-century in the series.Jack Leach survived on review a couple of overs ago, but has now been caught well at slip by Ajinkya Rahane, and India are a wicket away from reaching the inaugural WTC final.

3.10pm: Patel five-for!

Axar Patel celebrates a wicket with an excited Virat Kohli•BCCI

Axar Patel’s storming debut series continues with a fourth five-wicket haul in three Tests! Bess doesn’t last long, feathering a big swipe through to Pant, meaning Patel now has 27 at 10.07. That dismissal also means that 102 wickets have fallen to spinners in the series – the third-highest of all time in Tests. Two more and India are going to the WTC final, baby!

3.02pm: Jinxed

That’s how to take wickets, boys… Having bobbed along nicely for a bit, Foakes suddenly pokes at one from Patel and diverts a catch to slip. Ajinkya Rahane didn’t look too confident that he had caught it, diving across to his left, and the soft signal from the umpires was ‘not out’. But replays showed him scooping it up safely, and that’s the stand broken. Seems a long, long time ago (the first innings in Chennai, in fact) that England last managed a fifty partnership.

3pm: End game

Axar Patel bowls•Saikat Das/BCCI

Some jiggery pokery going on, Ashwin replacing Sundar after one over, bowling two and then deciding he wants a change of ends – so Sundar gets another over, before then being switched for Patel. Still plenty for the spinners to work with out there, even though the ball is 40-plus overs old – good bounce in particular, with Lawrence’s splice and gloves wearing a few. But these two are ticking along quite nicely for England, bringing the deficit down towards 50.

2.40pm: Breathe

Washington Sundar is on for a bowl after tea, and who wouldn’t want to see him bag a few cheap wickets to make up for that missed hundred? Well, apart from the England team, coaches, supporters, etc. You sense the tourists know the jig is almost up, but there are still individual points to be made for the likes of Dan Lawrence, Ben Foakes and Dom Bess, all of whom could be out of the XI come England’s next Test, against New Zealand in June.

2.10pm: Tea

Axar Patel celebrates a wicket•Getty Images

India rounded up six wickets in the session between lunch and tea to close in on victory and a place in the World Test Championship final. R Ashwin and Axar Patel shared them evenly, as England’s struggles against spin seemed set to bring a premature end to the fourth Test.Trailing by 160 on first innings, England’s openers walked out having negotiated a three-over spell before the break. But it took barely any time for India to start making inroads as Ashwin struck with his fourth and fifth balls – Zak Crawley was taken at slip by one that went straight on, then Jonny Bairstow turned to leg slip to collect a golden duck.Dom Sibley was a little unfortunate, caught via a rebound from short leg on the sweep, to give Patel his first, before Ben Stokes presented another simple catch to leg slip. After a brief period of calm, Ollie Pope was stumped down the leg side by Rishabh Pant, and Joe Root then fell lbw to Ashwin in the following over.England limped to tea with Dan Lawrence and Ben Foakes at the crease, but facing a battle to take the game into a fourth day, never mind make India bat again.

2pm: Commemorative hats off

Sunil Gavaskar celebrating the 50th anniversary of his Test debut•BCCI

India aren’t quite celebrating victory yet, but there’s a demob mood in the Star commentary box, where Sunil Gavaskar is having a jolly nice Test debut 50th anniversary (if that’s a thing). Sunny would doubtless have plenty to say about English batting techniques, but thankfully everyone seems more interested in cake…

1.40pm: Bang-bang! India closing in

We have a period of quiet, though Ollie Pope looked skittish throughout and eventually becomes a third wicket for Patel. Another fine bit of work behind the stumps from Rishabh Pant, who is another genuine contender for Man of the Series. He managed to cling on as the ball practically hit him in the collar bone, then broke the bails before it squirmed out of his grasp – his fifth stumping in four Tests. And then Ashwin ices the cake, trapping Root bang in front on the back foot, straightforward decision for Nitin Menon (despite a confident review from Root).And with that wicket, Ashwin joins the great SF Barnes as the only men to twice take more than 30 wickets in a series of four matches or fewer. Decent company (though Barnes had a far better moustache).

1.15pm: Last orders?

Virat Kohli is thrilled as R Ashwin strikes•Getty Images

Has it only been an hour since lunch? England take drinks on 46 for 4, Root the only batsman in double-figures. Still 115 more needed to make India bat again. Even the barman in the last-chance saloon would be looking at his watch and thinking about calling time.

1.05pm: Vote early, vote often

12.55pm: The band plays on…

England sinking fast, Ben Stokes scooping tamely around the corner – a catch for the lurking Virat Kohli. How’s that WTC final spot looking now, eh, Virat? Root, much as he has done throughout England’s Test winter, stands alone on the poop deck, but this time he’s belting out a mournful tune. At least if they lose by an innings, no one can catch him here.

12.40pm: When it rains, it pours

Axar Patel celebrates a wicket with Virat Kohli•Getty Images

Third wicket for India, Axar Patel strikes – although it’s a tad unlucky for Dom Sibley, who pounds a sweep into the knee of Shubman Gill at short leg, only for it to loop up to the wicketkeeper for a simple catch! We’ve seen that sort of dismissal a few times during recent Tests – Dasun Shanaka, I think, actually hit one into Bairstow himself in Galle – but it doesn’t change what goes in the scorebook. Chances of India having to bat again receding by the minute.

12.35pm: It’s canard to bat out there…

With 31 ducks and counting, this has been the most quack-happy four-match series in Test history, reports my colleague Sampath Bandarupalli. Bairstow has made three of them in four innings, extending his grim run against India to 0, 6, 0, 0, 18, 0, 0, 28, 0. And with India’s spinners circling wounded prey, there’s every possibility we could have a three-day finish here…

12.18pm: Back to it the drawing board

R Ashwin celebrates a wicket with his team-mates•BCCI

England might have sent off for some new moves, but they haven’t arrived yet! Fourth ball from Ashwin and Crawley nicks to slip, bringing out Jonny Bairstow… who steers obligingly to leg slip for a golden duck! Ashwin is amongst ’em, though Joe Root sees off the hat-trick ball without drama. England in serious danger of being taken out for a meal with Mr and Mrs Pain, here.

12.15pm: Back to it

Right, what have England got in their locker here, then? Cracking innings from Rishabh Pant and, to a lesser degree, Washington Sundar shifted the paradigm of this Test… But have the English batsman got any new, powerful moves to show off? Given they’ve only once passed 200 in their last six innings, India might, in the words of Vince Noir, suggest their moves “are like being caressed with a natural yoghurt”. It’ll take a mighty boosh to set India a target, but that’ll be the aim as Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley head out after lunch. R Ashwin is straight on from the Reliance End to greet them.

11.30am: Lunch

Washington Sundar acknowledges the cheers as he walks off undefeated on 96•Getty Images

Washington Sundar was left agonisingly short of a maiden Test hundred but his unbeaten 96 helped India to carve out a dominant position in the fourth Test. Although they eventually lost their last three wickets without adding to the score, by that stage their first-innings lead over England had swelled to 160.The first 90 minutes of play had been conspicuously lacking in drama, as Sundar and Axar Patel calmly extended their eighth-wicket stand to 106. Both made Test-best scores against a toiling England attack but, with Sundar’s milestone almost in touching distance, the innings suddenly imploded.It took a run-out to break the partnership, as Patel impetuously left his crease for a non-existent single to mid-on. His dive for the crease was in vain, and both players averted their eyes – perhaps sensing what might be to come. Ben Stokes immediately dispatched Ishant Sharma lbw and then three balls later castled Mohammed Siraj, leaving Sundar waiting for his moment despite the applause for a fine innings that helped give India control of the Test.

11.20am: Washington fails to cross the Delaware (or something)

ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Karthik Krishnaswamy writes: He was stranded on 85 in the first Test in Chennai, and now he’s stranded on 96. Imagine being Washington Sundar. He has the batting talent to make Test hundreds, clearly, and he’ll surely get one sooner rather than later if he gets a run of games. But here’s the thing: will he? He got his chance because of a freakish injury crisis, and he’s grabbed it brilliantly, but when Ravindra Jadeja and Hanuma Vihari return, where will he fit in India’s XI? He’s currently somewhere between those two: he has the skill and temperament to be a top-six batsman who bowls a bit of offspin, and his bowling has the potential for him to one day become a genuine allrounder. And he’s still only 21. The possibilities are endless, and he’ll get his chance again at some point, but he might have to wait a while. This is the last Test of this season, and after this is a long stretch of Test cricket in English conditions.

11.07am: Sundar stranded

Siraj can’t see out the over, never mind accompany Sundar to a richly deserved maiden hundred! Stokes pings his off stump third ball, leaving India’s 21-year-old No. 8 stuck at the other end on 96 not out. A mighty fine knock from Sundar, and it has put India well on top in this Test, despite the last three wickets falling for spit… but oh for four more runs!

11.05am: Nine down!

Ben Stokes made short work of the tail•BCCI

Two in two balls, as Stokes traps Ishant with the plumbest of plumb lbws! Sundar is looking on from the non-striker’s end now, as Siraj heads out at No. 11. Can he hang on to get his mate over the line, as he did for Ashwin in Chennai?

11.02am: Breakthrough

Sundar hangs his head, Patel looks crestfallen, and England have finally found a way to get a wicket this morning! Clipped to mid-on and Patel went haring down only to realise his partner wasn’t moving… it’s tight, but Root did a deft job at collecting the throw and brushing off the bails in one movement. The partnership was ultimately worth 106 – only the third time that both the seventh and the eighth wicket have added 100 in Tests, notes stats guru Gaurav Sundararaman – but Patel’s departure means Sundar, on 96, needs one of Ishant Sharma or Mohammed Siraj to stick around for a bit.

10.45am: Sundar into the 90s

Washington Sundar plays a pull•BCCI

It’s been a hugely composed innings from Washington Sundar, who is closing in on a maiden Test hundred in only his fourth match. From a wobbly position at 146 for 6, India have piled on more than 200 runs for the loss of one wicket and, given England’s form over the last three Tests, might even be beginning to think they’ll only have to bat once here…

10.30am: Daily grind

Washington Sundar and Axar Patel added quick runs on the third morning•BCCI

This partnership has gone from minor irritance, certainly in the wake of being merked by Rishabh Pant, to major roadblock for England. India’s eighth-wicket has added more than 80 runs, the lead heading well beyond the manageable, never mind how well the pitch plays. Sundar continues to look the part as a batsman, equaling his Test best of 85 from earlier in the series, while Patel has quintupled his previous highest score of 7. Root finally brought himself on to bowl before the drinks break, but his malfunctioning four-man attack is being made to look even more of a selection error with every passing over.

I’ll presume Jarrod actually means Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, which is about 300 miles from Durham – but yep, Patel has Champo runs under his belt, top-scoring in an innings win during a county stint in 2018 (he even managed to get a bowl take a few wickets). Paul Collingwood is doubtless watching “wor canny lad” with pride from the England dressing room.

10.05am: A trip to the Leftorium

ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Just a couple of overs for Bess before he gets hooked, Joe Root seeking more control from his SLA Jack Leach… who is promptly whacked for two fours by Patel, a decent batsman who has a first-class hundred. Root’s problem here is that, while Leach has had a good series and is clearly the superior spinner, he averages 54.72 against left-hand batsmen in Tests, compared to 24.35 against righties. Bess averages 29.25 against southpaws (36.33 against right) – but can barely be trusted to land it right now.So there’s your answer, boss.

9.45am: Sundar rising

Washington Sundar hits one down the ground•BCCI

England have started off with James Anderson and Dom Bess – a move perhaps designed to try and give their offspinner some confidence, with two left-hand bats at the crease in the shape of Washington Sundar and Axar Patel. But while Anderson started with back-to-back maidens, Bess conceded three boundaries in his first eight balls. A straight six from Sundar took India’s lead into three figures, before he threaded the gap through cover with an even-better shot.The pitch, meanwhile, looks to be holding together nicely; tidy little footmarks, few obvious signs of disintegration and it’s playing well enough for the Nos. 8 and 9. Whether that’ll be the case when England come to bat remains to be seen.

9.35am: Should’ve Seen It Coming Dept

More Pant bantz. Fast bowlers beware…

9.15am: Pant-emonium

3:20

#AskMatchDay: Is Pant’s reverse lap the most extraordinary shot in Test cricket?

Well, that was a lot of fun, wasn’t it? Unless you’re an England bowler, perhaps. Rishabh Pant turned the game on its head with an extraordinary innings on day two, and he has put India in control of the Test. It’s not over yet, of course, but England have to get their heads back on if it’s not to be the defining contribution. Given their recent batting efforts, a 100-run deficit will loom large… but if we’ve learnt anything from India’s pocket rocket wicketkeeper, it’s that moments are there to be seized. Let’s go.

Burger ton puts Namibia in lead

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Namibia captain Sarel Burger’s unbeaten century put them in the lead against Canada as they ended the day on 293 for 6 in Windhoek

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2012
Scorecard
If Sarel Burger’s bowling was the highlight of the first day, his batting shone on the second. Burger was unbeaten on 135 at stumps after taking Namibia past Canada’s 274.At the start of the second day, it took Namibia just 2.5 overs to wrap up Canada’s innings. But when they came in to bat, they were forced into damage-control mode early as Durand Soraine trapped both openers in front. Another two wickets to Junaid Siddiqui’s legspin pushed Namibia further into trouble at 85 for 4. Burger, however, held on to his end and then found an able ally in Raymond van Schoor, who scored 71, to bring up a 107-run partnership. But it was Burger’s unbeaten partnership with Ian Opperman for the seventh wicket that put Namibia in control. He brought up his second first-class century during the course of this partnership. Namibia ended the day 19 runs ahead of Canada with four wickets in hand.

Bangladesh want T20s instead of ODIs in Ireland

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Bangladesh have requested Ireland to host them for a Twenty20 series in July, instead of an ODI series as was planned earlier

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2012Bangladesh have requested Ireland to host them for a Twenty20 series in July, instead of an ODI series as was planned earlier. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has made its proposal to Cricket Ireland in order to help its national team prepare for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September.Ireland had planned to host Bangladesh in July for three ODIs. Bangladesh were then to go to Scotland to play two more ODIs against Scotland and Netherlands. Cricket Ireland also wanted to include a four-day game against Bangladesh, but could not find the funding for the same.”The Board has requested Cricket Ireland to rearrange the fixture for Bangladesh’s Tour of UK in July. The BCB has proposed playing five T20 internationals instead of five ODIs keeping in mind preparation for the ICC World T20 event in Sri Lanka in September,” a BCB board release stated.Ireland, last month, had submitted a proposal to the ICC, seeking to play 12 to 15 ODIs a year to recognise their rising standards.

Andy Waller to take over as Zimbabwe coach in May

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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.

South Africa replace Boxing Day Test with T20

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South Africa have replaced their traditional Boxing Day Test with a Twenty20 international for the 2012-13 home season

Firdose Moonda05-Jun-2012South Africa have replaced their traditional Boxing Day Test with a Twenty20 international for the 2012-13 home season, during which they will host New Zealand and Pakistan. The home summer will begin the week before Christmas, after South Africa’s return from a Test series in Australia. New Zealand will play three Twenty20s, two Tests and three ODIs through January, after which Pakistan will tour for a full series in February and March.

South Africa’s home summer schedule

New Zealand in South Africa 2012-13:
Dec 21-26 – three Twenty20s
Jan 2-15 – two Tests
Jan 19-25 – three ODIs
Pakistan in South Africa 2012-13:
Feb 1-26 – three Tests
March 1-3 – two Twenty20s
March 10-24 – five ODIs

Instead of a Test match starting on December 26, South Africa will play a Twenty20 against New Zealand in Port Elizabeth before reverting to tradition for the New Year’s Test in Cape Town on January 2. “We considered three important factors when we made the decision and in the end we decided it would make more sense to do it this way in terms of this tour,” Jacques Faul, CSA acting chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “We looked at the best interests of the national team, the fairness to the incoming team and the commercial aspect. I wouldn’t say the decision was only a financial one. We still feel strongly about Test cricket but we decided that to do it this way would be best.”South Africa have hosted a Boxing Day Test every year since readmission in 1992, except on the five occasions they have been on tour in Australia. An agreement was subsequently reached with Australia to ensure South Africa does not play there over the Christmas period to ensure the national side is at home in peak season. Three times, the Boxing Day Test has been played in Port Elizabeth, when it was first held in 1992 and again in 1995 and 2007, and every other time Durban’s Kingsmead Stadium has played host to the fixture.Despite it being a match that is considered integral to the cricket season, South Africa’s Boxing Day Test has had its problems. Crowds have declined steadily over the years, resulting in less advertising and an overall financial burden rather than gain. Durban, which is a popular holiday destination in South Africa, sees people choose to spend the day at the beach rather than the cricket and the fixture was moved to Port Elizabeth in 2007 in the hope of an improved attendance. St George’s Park did not produce the desired crowds and resulted in a South African defeat to West Indies and the match was moved back to Durban in 2009. South Africa have also not won a Boxing Day Test at home since then.At the end of last season, sources close to CSA mentioned that it would make better economic sense to host T20s over the holiday period. The theory has some substance as people had packed venues around the country for the domestic 20-over competition when it was it was held in January (still part of school holidays) when the national team were in Australia in early 2006 and 2009. However, the current fixtures, which see T20s played against New Zealand on December 21, 23 and 26 leaves out prime dates from the 27th to the 31st of December, during which New Zealand will play a tour match in Paarl.ESPNcricinfo understands that South Africa’s poor record in the Boxing Day match, when the team usually has their families accompanying them, also influenced the decision to do away with the match. Although the scrapping of the Boxing Day Test marks a massive break with convention, Faul stressed that this was not the end of the road for the traditional match. “We could definitely see a Boxing Day Test next season or in the future,” he said.As a result of the revised schedule, Durban has been left without a Test match for the entire season and will have to make do with two T20s – against New Zealand and Pakistan – and an ODI. Cape Town, which usually gets large crowds, will again host two Test matches, while Port Elizabeth gets its first Test since 2007. Johannesburg and Centurion have been given the remaining two Tests.New Zealand’s three T20s will be held in Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth and the three ODIs in Paarl, Kimberley and Potchefstroom. Pakistan’s tour consists of three Tests and five ODIs at venues including Bloemfontein and Benoni. The addition of smaller venues to international schedule is in keeping with CSA’s rotation policy and as a result of the attendance last season, when Sri Lanka’s ODI series was played mainly at the lesser known grounds.”East London and Paarl, who had been off the international roster for some time, attracted more than 25,000 spectators for the two ODIs that they hosted,” Faul said. “These two provinces are very strong growth areas for the game, [and help] fulfil our mandate of making cricket a truly national sport.”South Africa toured New Zealand in February and March 2012, winning the three-Test series 1-0 and sweeping the ODIs 3-0. New Zealand registered their only win of the tour in the Twenty20s, but South Africa claimed that series as well, 2-1.The previous bilateral series between Pakistan and South Africa was in 2010-11, in the UAE; the Tests were drawn 0-0, and South Africa won in both limited-overs formats.

David Hussey: Kuldeep Yadav is 'at the top of his game'

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The KKR mentor also termed Sunil Narine as the “best T20 bowler in the world”

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-2020Kuldeep Yadav is at the “top of his game” this season, according to the Kolkata Knight Riders team mentor David Hussey. Statistically, IPL 2019 was the left-arm wristspinner’s worst IPL season, where he picked just four wickets in nine games at an economy of 8.66. This led to him getting dropped by the Knight Riders for the business end of the competition. At the time, Dinesh Karthik, his captain, stated that a break would serve Yadav well and they wanted him to “get back fresh”.”I personally believe after the last eight-nine days of training camp, he’s at the top of his game,” Hussey told PTI. “He’s fielding well, he is running well, he’s covering the ground very well. And he’s bowling has a nice rhythm, and with lots of revolutions on the ball.””Kuldeep is a very confident player. He knows what he can and can’t do with the ball. He spins the ball both ways and reads the game exceptionally well. I don’t think he will have any confidence issues throughout the tournament and I do say that without putting too much pressure on him. I think he would be a very good consistent performer for the Kolkata Knight Riders.”ALSO READ: Preview: Explosive batting KKR’s biggest strength in pursuit of third IPL titleHussey also touched upon the Knight Riders benefitting from Sunil Narine’s experience with the ball and Yadav’s combine with the experienced Trinidadian, who is coming into IPL on the back of a victorious run with the Trinbago Knight Riders at the CPL.Narine, who missed the final, had a mixed tournament, featuring in just five out of the ten matches after being treated for kidney stones at the start of the CPL. He finished with six wickets at an economy of 4.55.”He [Narine] will be one of the bowlers captain DK will throw the ball to whenever the opposition has the momentum,” Hussey said. “I’m sure Sunil Narine will win more often than not, those close battles. Narine arguably is the best T20 bowler in the world. In any conditions, he is one of the best players to have. Fortunately, he is at KKR, and he’ll be at his most difficult self to play and handle.”A burning question surrounding the team since the last season has been Andre Russell’s batting position. Russell himself has said he’d like to bat higher. The team management has confirmed that could be a possibility this time around. Yet Hussey wasn’t giving much away, merely hinting a formidable middle order gave them an embarrassment of riches.”First and foremost, it’s not my decision, but if he bats at No 3 for the team, it’s going to be the best decision for the team in order for us to win the games of cricket,” he said. “Our middle order, it’s probably the hardest place to bat in T20 cricket.”We have Eoin Morgan, who’s done it for England for many, many years. He is a great player, manipulates the field very well. We also have a captain in Dinesh Karthik who’s been a world class player for such a long time for India and for the many IPL teams he’s played…I expect him to lead from the front and heavily in the middle overs.”The Knight Riders will be among the last teams to open their campaign. They start on September 23 against the Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi, and will potentially have a full squad to choose from after the England and Australia players’ clearance to enter the bubble following a six-day quarantine upon landing in the UAE.

'I didn't like it at all' – Justin Langer unhappy with dual Australian teams for NZ, South Africa tours in 2021

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Also raised concerns over how it could reduce the quality of players on display in the back end of the Sheffield Shield

Daniel Brettig14-Oct-2020Australia men’s head coach coach Justin Langer has spoken frankly about his dislike of the concept of two different national teams playing at the same time, as will most likely be the case when the T20 side tours New Zealand at the same time as a Test squad is due to be touring South Africa in February and March next year.Quarantining at home in Perth after already spending two weeks quarantined in the Adelaide Oval’s new hotel following his return from the white-ball tour of the UK, Langer said that he did not like the concept of the national team being diluted by taking the field in different parts of the world at the same time.He also raised concerns over how such a move, with squads of around 18 players required for each assignment, would drastically reduce the quality of the players on display in the back end of the ongoing Sheffield Shield competition, which just saw its first two games conclude in Adelaide on Tuesday. Langer said that Cricket Australia’s chairman Earl Eddings and interim chief executive Nick Hockley were well aware of his views, which he leavened with an acknowledgement of the unique challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.”Not just from a coach’s point of view but also from someone who’s passionate about Australian cricket’s point of view, my personal opinion, and the chairman knows this, the CEO knows this really clearly, is I didn’t like it at all,” Langer told SEN Radio. “I don’t ever want to have two Australian teams in one place, that’s my personal opinion. In this year with what’s happening with Covid, I understand there’s complexities to it.”We’re one country, aren’t we? We’re not two countries, and the one sport. The other thing is if you have two Australian cricket teams, that means if we take 18 players to New Zealand and 18 players to South Africa, that’s 36 players out of the back end of the Sheffield Shield competition, and that’s before any injuries that inevitably happen. So you take all your best players out of the back half of the Shield competition, which we’ve always said is the best domestic competition in the world.”So they’re the sort of things that worry me with this, but this is a really strange season. We’ve seen it in AFL, we’ve seen it in NRL, but I certainly would never like to see it being a permanent fixture.”The strength of the Shield had been on display in Adelaide in a pair of willing contests decided in the final hour on day four, in conditions that allowed for the greater use of spin bowlers on a pair of surfaces that deteriorated and turned. Langer was enthused by that, the all-round feats of Michael Neser and Ashton Agar, each scoring a century and taking a five-wicket haul in the same match, and also the top-order runs scored by South Australia’s Jake Weatherald.”We’ve been talking more privately than publicly at the moment about our need in all forms to find some allrounders. In England when we beat England recently [in the ODI series] we changed the structure of our one-day side,” Langer said. “Our one-day side hasn’t been great over probably the last four or five years, since we won the World Cup [in 2015], and what we did was we talked about playing more allrounders so that we had more bowling options.”We had Mitch Marsh, Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell in there, and it worked really well and looked good and felt good on match day. One of the areas we’ve talked about needing to get better at. There’s three areas, and it was nice to see it come off in domestic cricket. One is keep developing some allrounders. Michael Neser, a hundred and a five-for, he’s a fine cricketer, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets an opportunity with the Australian cricket team soon. He’s been in lots of tours but, geez, he keeps knocking hard. It was great to see Ashton Agar [get] a five-for and a hundred, so that’s one area.”We talked about opening or top-three batters. It was great to see Jake Weatherald for example scoring a hundred up the top, putting his name up. [Cameron] Bancroft and [Sam] Whiteman put on [106] opening the batting, which was good, and the other most-important area is our spin-bowling stocks. Geez, it was great to watch legspin bowling, great to watch. Mitch Swepson bowling 40-odd overs in the second innings, [Lloyd] Pope got five-for in the first innings bowling legspin, Marnus Labuschagne bowled legspin yesterday; legspin bowling is exciting for us in Australian cricket.”

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