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Ravindra Jadeja returns and Saurabh Kumar gets maiden call-up; Rohit Sharma named captain

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2022Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha have been dropped for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma will lead India in the Tests, which makes him India’s all-formats captain, but the selection committee will watch his fitness closely and look to groom new leaders under him.Chetan Sharma, the chairman of India’s selection committee, said he had told all four of the players dropped “immediately after the South Africa series” that they won’t be considered “just for these two Tests”. Chetan also said that he requested them to play in the Ranji Trophy so that the selectors know where their game and fitness is at. Rahane has scored a hundred against defending champions Saurashtra, Pujara bagged a duck, and the other two have not played in the first round of India’s premier domestic first-class tournament.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Pujara and Rahane have been under the scanner for a while. Pujara last scored a century on the 2018-19 tour of Australia. Rahane has just one century since October 2019. Saha and Ishant no longer command a place in the first XI when everyone is available. However, Chetan said the selectors were not closing the door on any of them.”Why not?” Chetan asked when asked if they could force their way back into the Test squad. “They have played for the country for so long, why not? Ajinkya got a hundred yesterday. A cricketer’s graph goes up and down. It is very important for the selectors to take care of the cricketers when they are going through a rough phase. You can’t just strike their name permanently.”We have told them that we will not consider for these two Test matches. There is nothing wrong if we have told the four of them that we are not considering them for these two matches. We will consider them later.”In the meanwhile let’s see how the others do. We are nobody to close doors on anybody. We have told them a period, I have requested all four of them to play Ranji, which is very important because the selectors are looking closely at Ranji Trophy. That is how we know where you are at. We spoke to the four of them immediately after South Africa, and told them we are not picking them for these two matches.”The selectors have brought back Ravindra Jadeja, who got injured during the first Test against New Zealand but is fully fit now, but were cautious with R Ashwin, who has been picked in the squad but will play only if fully fit. He is currently undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. The team management will look at his fitness in Mohali before deciding if he plays. Jayant Yadav is the offspinner in the squad should Ashwin not be ready.Axar Patel is still not fit, which has given the selectors an opportunity to give Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar a maiden call-up after he impressed them on the A tour of South Africa and stayed back as a standby for the Test series that followed. Kuldeep Yadav, who recently made his limited-overs comeback, was back in the Test squad too. “This selection committee wants to give a long run to the players it picks,” Chetan said. “If he has performed so well for us in the past, if he didn’t play because of some circumstances, we have to give him a longer run.”Ishant Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha were also not considered for the Sri Lanka Tests•Getty Images

The team announcement also ended uncertainty around India’s new Test captain. The only doubt, really, was whether to make Rohit the captain in all three formats, given the nature of his recurring hamstring injury. Chetan, though, said the selectors were satisfied with his fitness at the moment, and were also concsciously looking to groom new leaders during whatever time they get from Rohit at the top.”Rohit is the No. 1 cricketer of our country,” Chetan said. “He plays all three formats. Most important is, how we manage Rohit. These days all cricketers are professionals. They know their body, they manage it well. Now there is no problem at all. Time to time we will stay in talks with him [regarding fitness and rest]. If such a big cricketer becomes captain, automatically we, as a selection committee, feel we can groom future captains under him.”Related

• Saha parts ways with Bengal after obtaining NOC from CAB

• Cheteshwar Pujara back in India squad for Edgbaston Test

• Saha, Shami picked in Bengal Ranji squad for quarter-final

• Rahul Dravid on Wriddhiman Saha – 'Not hurt at all, have deep respect for him'

• Pujara, Rahane, Ishant, Saha will be hurting but selections are not made from individual's point of view

Keeping future long-term captaincy in mind, the selectors seem to have identified Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul as the core leadership group. Rahul captained a Test in the absence of Rohit and Kohli. Pant was the vice-captain during the West Indies series. Bumrah will be the vice-captain against Sri Lanka.Rahul, who is still recovering from injury, is not part of the squad for the Tests or T20Is against Sri Lanka, with Washington Sundar ruled out similarly. Chetan indicated that if any of them recovered earlier than expected, they would be added to the squad. “Washington Sundar and KL Rahul, according to the medical staff, have so far been ruled out of the Sri Lanka series, T20Is and Test matches, unless they recover a little early,” he said.Meanwhile Shardul Thakur, who was part of the Test squad in South Africa and has been with the limited-overs squads, has been rested for the Sri Lanka tour. “Shardul Thakur has been rested in both formats, T20Is and Test matches against Sri Lanka, but he’s available for the game tomorrow against West Indies,” Chetan said, referring to the third T20I against West Indies.India squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), R Ashwin (subject to fitness), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah (vice-capt), Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Saurabh Kumar.

James Pattinson has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes series in England after being diagnosed with a stress fracture of the lower back

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-2013James Pattinson has been ruled out of the remainder of the Investec Ashes series in England after being diagnosed with a stress fracture of the lower back.Pattinson reported “hip and back soreness” after the final day of the second Test at Lord’s and subsequent scans, which he underwent in London on Monday, showed the early signs of a stress fracture.He will travel with the squad to Sussex and then on to Manchester before returning home to Australia. His place was likely to have come under scrutiny ahead of the Old Trafford Test after two disappointing performances at Trent Bridge and Lord’s, where he has taken seven wickets at 43.85.This is the latest injury setback in Pattinson’s career following a rib injury he picked up against South Africa last year and a foot problem he sustained against India the during the 2011-12 season.Cricket Australia team doctor Peter Brukner said: “We had some scans done today in London that have identified an early stage low back stress fracture. Unfortunately he will not take any further part in this Test series and will commence a rehabilitation program with the aim to have him back for the Australian summer.”Pat Howard, the Cricket Australia team performance manager, added: “While we are obviously disappointed for James, the selectors have five bowlers fit and ready to perform in England, providing them with many options.”It is also important to note that several players have been performing for Australia A and are available to be called up at any stage if the NSP required them. We’ve been well planned to have as many bowlers fit and available in the lead-up to this important series and while this set-back for James is disappointing, we are confident we have good fast bowling depth.”The other pace options currently in England, who weren’t selected at Lord’s, are Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird and James Faulkner. The fast bowlers currently on duty for Australia A in Zimbabwe and South Africa are Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Chadd Sayers, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Gurinder Sandhu.Cummins, regularly billed as one of the brighest talents in Australian cricket, has played one Test and is being handled very carefully by Cricket Australia after he, too, suffered a number of injuries. Hazlewood, who has appeared in one ODI and one Twenty20, is another who has had fitness issues.Sayers has played just 14 first-class matches but put his name in contention with an impressive 2012-13 season and showed eye-catching form when Australia A were in the UK ahead of the Ashes series. Coulter-Nile was part of Australia’s squad for the recent Champions Trophy in England.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the Pune Warriors seamer, conceded 23 runs in 24 balls despite Chris Gayle going crazy at the Chinnaswamy on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2013Royal Challengers Bangalore’s run rate on Tuesday night was 13.15 an over. There was Chris Gayle and there was also AB de Villiers, whose exhibitions in big-hitting lifted them to the biggest total ever in Twenty20 cricket. Yet, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the Pune Warriors seamer, conceded 23 runs in 24 balls. His team-mates’ economy rates, Luke Wright apart, varied between 12.00 and 29.00.While that was personally satisfying, Bhuvneshwar said it was a night when it was natural to regret becoming a bowler. “As a team it was a tough match to play but individually for me it was good. We gave away 265 runs out of which I gave only 23 runs. That was satisfying for me,” he told the IPL site after the match. “[But] when Gayle bats like that nobody wants to bowl, especially on a wicket like this where the ball comes on well onto the bat. All I can say is that it’s tough luck for the bowlers if he decides to bat like that.”In all Bhuvneshwar bowled seven balls at Gayle, conceding 11 runs. At the start of the game, Bhuvneshwar said, he was eager to get Gayle out as soon as possible, but as the match progressed he was happy to get him off strike. “With the new ball I was trying to get him out because he’s that kind of batsman who can make up later on even if you bowl some dots to him initially,” he said. “In the death overs I just tried to keep him off strike so that I can bowl to the other batsman. I just tried to keep the ball away from his body so that he can take a single and get off strike.”During the first strategic timeout we spoke of getting him out as soon as possible. But we couldn’t do that. We could have bowled better but then you never know. We tried to do different things but he just kept hitting. Ishwar Pandey was playing his first match in this tournament and he went for 21 runs in the first over, and he obviously became nervous. It happens when you’re playing against Gayle.”Warriors now have four points from eight games and the worst net run rate among all nine teams: -1.467. They had experienced a high after ending an 11-game losing streak by beating Rajasthan Royals and then upsetting Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk, but have since three matches on the trot again. Gayle’s innings will prove to be a particularly tough blow to take, Bhuvneshwar said: “It is very difficult [to recover from an assault like this], especially for us as we are going through a tough time.”All we can do as a team is stick together and keep backing each other. We’re trying to be as positive as we can and can only hope for the best from here.”

Two Sri Lankan umpires who were named in a television sting operation last year dealing with illegal payments for influencing first-class matches have been banned by Sri Lanka cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2013Sri Lanka Cricket has banned two umpires, Sagara Gallage and Maurice Zilva, who were named in a sting operation last year dealing with illegal payments for influencing first-class matches. A third umpire, Gamini Dissanayake, has been downgraded from the top umpire’s panel for a year and issued a “severe warning” by the board CEO.The decisions came after an emergency executive committee meeting in Colombo, where the recommendations of the disciplinary committee’s recommendations were endorsed.The sting, broadcast by India TV, claimed to have “exposed” several first-class umpires from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan who were allegedly willing to give decisions favouring players for a fee. In the sting, conducted in July and August 2012, the reporters claimed to belong to a sports management company and promised the umpires officiating assignments in events of all kinds around the world, largely domestic Twenty20 leagues.The hardest hit of the three Sri Lankan umpires was Gallage, who was banned for 10 years from all cricket, while Zilva got a three-year ban. Dissanayake, the third Sri Lankan umpire named in the sting, was the most high-profile of the three, having regularly been the fourth umpire in international matches, though he was yet to be one of the main officials in an international game.The Pakistan and Bangladesh boards have already handed out punishments to their umpires caught in the sting. Bangladesh’s Nadir Shah was banned for 10 years by the BCB on corruption charges, and Pakistan’s Nadeem Ghauri and Anis Siddiqi have already been slapped with bans.Zilva and Gallage were the reserve umpires in two warm-up matches each before the World T20 in Sri Lanka last year.

The Pakistan board has expressed displeasure at reports that its Indian counterpart is trying to prevent players from joining the tournament

Umar Farooq31-Jul-2021The PCB has expressed its displeasure over reports that the BCCI called ICC Full Members in a bid to prevent retired players from those countries from appearing in the Kashmir Premier League (KPL), a new T20 tournament set to take place in Pakistan in August. The PCB said it was a breach of “international norms and the spirit of the gentleman’s game by interfering in internal affairs of cricket boards.”The PCB was reacting to a tweet from Herschelle Gibbs – who is expected to play in the league – who said: “Completely unnecessary of the BCCI to bring their political agenda with Pakistan into the equation and trying to prevent me playing in the KPL20. Also threatening me saying they won’t allow me entry into India for any cricket related work. Ludicrous.”The KPL is a six-team franchise model league, run by private businessmen, but with clearances from the Pakistan government and crucially, approved by the PCB. The tournament will be played at the Muzaffarabad cricket stadium in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, scheduled to start on August 6 with the final on August 17. Each team is named after the cities in the region – Kotli, Bagh, Mirpur, Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad and one team of overseas players – and the squads were selected through a draft process last month. According to a release by the organisers, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal and Shadab Khan will be captains of the sides.A raft of retired foreign players had been signed up to play according to organisers, including Monty Panesar, Matt Prior, Phil Mustard, Tino Best, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Gibbs. But a player agent in England informed the KPL management that the BCCI had called up the ECB and Cricket South Africa and told them to withdraw their players from the league, otherwise those players would not be able to work in India.Kashmir has been the central focus of the dispute – as well as the cause of several wars – between India and Pakistan from the moment India gained independence and Pakistan was created in 1947. Both countries control part of the region but govern it separately. Political and diplomatic ties between the two countries have fluctuated over the years, though they are currently strained. Relations between the two boards generally follow on from the political atmosphere at the time. Several years ago the PCB had mooted the idea of allotting a PSL franchise to Kashmir, though that never materialised.”The PCB considers that the BCCI has brought the game into disrepute by issuing warnings to multiple ICC Members to stop their retired cricketers from featuring in the Kashmir Premier League, further threatening they will not be allowed entry into India for cricket-related work,” the PCB said in a statement. “Such conduct from the BCCI is completely unacceptable, against the preamble of the Spirit of Cricket and sets a dangerous precedence, which can neither be tolerated nor ignored. The PCB will raise this matter at the appropriate ICC forum and also reserves the right to take any further action that is available to us within the ICC charter.”ESPNcricinfo has sent the PCB statement to BCCI secretary Jay Shah and asked for a BCCI response.The KPL has caused some internal friction as well, with franchises of the Pakistan Super League at one point unhappy that a new PCB-approved T20 league was going ahead and potentially cannibalising the PSL’s commercial space. The PSL has become the PCB’s showpiece product and the feeling among franchises was that another league, with big domestic names in it, would impact their own commercial rights and sponsor spending. The KPL will be broadcast and have a digital presence, and is attracting considerable local commercial interest.These apprehensions were expressed to the PCB last month, leading the board’s CEO to respond with assurances that they will safeguard the profile and importance of the PSL. Wasim Khan told franchise owners that the PSL remains the premier T20 tournament in the country. The PCB has not allowed the KPL to run at a time of its own choosing – it was postponed earlier this year to prevent a clash with the PSL. And according to Khan, the PCB will not allow its centrally contracted players to be involved in the KPL, effectively throwing doubts on the participation of Shadab and Usman Qadir. A big chunk of contracted players will anyway be in the West Indies for a two-match Test series.As well as the country’s most prominent players – all of whom play in the PSL as well as the National T20 Cup, Pakistan’s other T20 event – the league will be using PCB match officials as well as the services of its anti-corruption unit.India and Pakistan are set to face off again, this time on the field, at the T20 World Cup in October.

Pakistan tighten grip on contest despite Babar Azam’s first golden duck in Tests

Danyal Rasool30-Apr-2021This might not have been the best advert for Test cricket, but it is precisely days like these Fawad Alam has come to relish. With Pakistan needing to press home an advantage following an under-par Zimbabwe first-innings total, the left-hander struck his fourth Test hundred – he has never been out for less than three figures once he reaches 50 – stretching Pakistan’s lead past 175, with four wickets still in hand.Zimbabwe’s hapless bowlers tried to make the best of a bad situation, looking to claw a way out of the pit their batters had dug, and emerged from the day with a fair bit of credit. The run-scoring was never free, and breakthroughs fairly regular. Donald Tiripano was the pick of the bunch with three wickets; the removal of Babar Azam for his first golden duck a particular highlight.At that point, Zimbabwe might have felt a surge of optimism about the direction of this game, but it was perhaps fitting that Alam was the man to extinguish those hopes. No stranger to slow, attritional cricket when it seems no one might be watching, he dug in and began to ensure no bowler would settle. The routine of bowlers going through entire overs – spells, even – without needing to make an effort to be economical began to be undone. He used his feet to manipulate the field, work singles, and punish any loose delivery, especially when the spinners bowled a shorter length. He got off the mark the same way he got to his half-century, with a four off a spinner. The first was a smart cut past backward point, the latter an effortless flick back past the bowler that pierced mid-off and mid-on perfectly.Partners came and went either side of him, as they often tend to, but Fawad, as you’d expect, pushed ahead. Never in danger, never hassled, he moved past the half-century as if it hadn’t happened, more important goals and milestones on his mind. Towards the close of a day even the most ardent Test match enthusiasts might have found hard to remain glued to, he drove Tiripano back down the ground, a misfield gifting him the boundary that brought up this third century in in last four Tests.Related

• Zimbabwe call up Luke Jongwe in host of changes for Pakistan Tests

• Pakistan look to improve away record as Zimbabwe seek 2013 encore

• Abid Ali fifty propels Pakistan reply to Zimbabwe's 176

The first session was an excruciatingly slow affair, with Pakistan trudging through 16 overs while adding just 13 to the overnight score, their intent conspicuous by its absence. Imran Butt, seven runs away from a half-century overnight, still hadn’t got to that mark. Azhar Ali’s arrival at the crease added some impetus, and towards the close of the session, the visitors finally looked like they were off and away.Zimbabwe began the day with eight maidens in 14 overs, Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava giving little away. Abid Ali and Butt appeared keen to take their time settling in, as they had the previous day, but ended up finding themselves in a bit of a bind, unable to up the ante as the overs trickled by. Any thoughts of punishing poor deliveries were put to one side, and when Tendai Chisoro’s left-arm spin was introduced, the batters retreated ever further into their shells. It appeared to have the opposite effect of the one Pakistan might have desired, with Abid losing his fluency, nicking off to first slip with one of the few drives he attempted. Brendan Taylor juggled with the catch but ended up holding on.Following the turgidity of the first session, the events of the second seemed positively slapdash. Pakistan raced along at more than three runs an over while Tiripano got himself on a hat-trick at one point. Butt fell nine runs short of a hundred and Azam lasted just one delivery.Zimbabwe enjoyed the better of the first half hour of the middle session. Azhar was undone by the surprise of extra bounce from Tiripano, with gully pouching a straightforward catch. Much more notably, Azam, in his first away Test as captain, fell to the most transparent of traps. Mid-on was brought up close as Tiripano bowled straight, inducing a drive which went to Roy Kaia, stationed there for that purpose. Zimbabwe had suddenly removed the two most prolific batters in the side.Butt at the other end chipped away more cautiously, eager to get to the three-figure mark he evidently had on his mind all session. It didn’t appear much would stop him, before Ngarave finally shaped one away that took his outside edge. It brought the left-armer his first Test wicket, denying Butt his first Test hundred in the process.The partnership that followed between Mohammad Rizwan and Alam was perhaps the one that conclusively wrenched the game away from Zimbabwe. The wicketkeeper continued his rich vein of form, helping to add 107 before falling five short of a half-century, Muzarabani sending his stumps cartwheeling. Faheem Ashraf missed out, too, but that only gave Hasan Ali the chance to have some fun at the bowlers’ expense. They might have been humoured from time to time, but in truth, Pakistan haven’t really left the home side with a chance.

James Vince also joined Gladiators, who in turn received Iftikhar Ahmed on trading Azam to United

Umar Farooq09-Dec-2021Shahid Afridi and James Vince have been traded by Multan Sultans to Quetta Gladiators in exchange for a Diamond and Silver pick in the upcoming PSL draft. In another deal, Gladiators traded wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan to Islamabad United and have received Iftikhar Ahmed’s services instead.After moving to his fourth PSL franchise, Afridi said: “I am excited to join Quetta Gladiators, a side that has had a roller-coaster ride in the past few events despite winning the title in 2019. In my final PSL event, it will be my dream and wish to sign off with another PSL trophy after tasting success with Peshawar Zalmi in 2017. PSL is an event that encourages and inspires a player to give his very best. I will use the same motivation to help my team and put up performances that can help us achieve our event objectives.”For the upcoming edition, the PSL management has also rejigged categories for some players ahead of the draft, notably moving Mohammad Rizwan – who captained Sultans to the title last year – up from Silver, the third-most valuable category, to Platinum, the most valuable. United batter Asif Ali and Lahore Qalandars bowler Haris Rauf also take their places in the Platinum category. This year, the categories were decided by the PCB. In previous editions, the six franchises would classify players into categories.Leaving Iftikhar was a tricky decision for United as they were allowed to have up to two local players in each of the Platinum and Diamond categories. Since they now have Shadab Khan and Asif in platinum, they had to leave one of Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf and Iftikhar out. They added Azam in the Gold category instead.”It has been a difficult decision to move from Islamabad United, but looking ahead at my future in T20 cricket that is linked to the Pakistan team, I thought this was the best move,” Iftikhar said.”I am grateful to the Islamabad United management for their support and understanding, as they have continued to stand behind me in all my decisions. I am thrilled to be rejoining Shahid Afridi at Quetta Gladiators after 2017, when we last played together in HBL PSL. Quetta Gladiators include a number of my contemporaries with whom I have played lot of cricket.”The seventh PSL season will be beginning on January 27 next year, with a pre-tournament draft on December 12. The league, which begins about a month earlier than usual to make room for Australia’s upcoming tour of Pakistan in March-April, will be ending on February 27.Every franchise is allowed to retain up to eight players from their previous roster and pick another eight in the draft. Players who were picked up as replacements for the Abu Dhabi leg in PSL 6 have not been considered in the original roster. Each team is also allowed to pick two additional players in the supplementary round.Only two venues will be hosting the PSL: Karachi’s National Stadium will be staging the first 15 matches, while all other games – including the final – will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.The deadline for PSL trades closed on Thursday with only United, Gladiators and Sultans utilising the option to trade. Teams now must decide their retentions – maximum of eight – by 4pm Pakistan time on Friday.

David Miller became the fourth centurion of this edition of the IPL as he single-handedly kept Kings XI Punjab in contention for a playoff place

The Report by Firdose Moonda06-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
David Miller smashed a 38-ball 101 to pull off a heist for Kings XI Punjab•BCCI

David Miller became the fourth centurion of this edition of the IPL, as he single-handedly kept Kings XI Punjab in contention for a place in the play-offs. Miller’s 38-ball century resurrected Kings XI from 64 for 4 and was chiefly responsible for the 99-run blaze off the last five overs of the chase. It ensured his side pulled off a grand coup against a team studded with superstars.Royal Challengers Bangalore would not have expected this Kings XI, especially after posting the tournament’s fifth-highest score. The Royal Challengers innings was built on the shoulders of Chris Gayle – who went past the fifty mark for the first time since his whirlwind 175 against Pune Warriors and reclaimed the orange cap – and the fit-again Cheteshwar Pujara, and was given legs by AB de Villiers’ cameo at the end.Kings XI responded with only a spine in Miller. He proved it remains the most important component of the human body and can be totally self-sustaining if needs be. Miller’s father would have been a proud man, if he was watching in Durban. He gave his son an important piece of advice when he was growing up and tonight he followed it to the letter.”If it’s in the V, it’s in the tree and if it’s in the arc, it’s out of the park,” Miller senior said.Against an attack that continued to offer him length, Miller had both those options and took full advantage. His innings was a masterclass in hitting straight, although not all his shots found the boundary. He top-edged one attempt when he was on 42. Virat Kohli spilled the skier which proved match-changing. The next over confirmed it, as Miller took 26 off RP Singh to begin the assault. He started by dispatching a half-volley over long-off and ending with a cut over point to display his ability in hitting to other areas of the ground as well.Miller went on to pick the slower ball with ease and targeted wicket area as well, bringing up the 100 partnership with Rajagopal Sathish with a six off a short-ball. Sathish had only scored 11 at that point and was happy to play a bit-part role until the end.Sathish managed 14 runs off Gayle’s over and then dutifully gave Miller the strike to end the match. With three runs to get – it was only the 18th over – and Miller on 95, he needed a big hit to reach a century and he duly sent a length ball over the sightscreen to bring up his milestone in characteristic fashion.Fittingly, it came off Gayle who had himself showed intent in the other half of the match but had to be a spectator this time. Gayle started well, despite being peppered with short balls from the Kings XI attack. Praveen Kumar and Parvinder Awana did not have the pace to test Gayle on the back foot and he had Pujara as an ideal foil. When Gayle was bowled, Pujara went on to record his first half-century in the format in typically classy fashion. His only ungainly shot came when he charged Manpreet Gony and played on.Kings XI clawed back but ran into de Villiers at the end of the innings. His cheeky defiance began with a flyswat through midwicket and he innovated with the sweep shot and square cut to take Royal Challengers to a total they would have been satisfied with.Having reduced Kings XI to 64 for 4 at the halfway stage, with David Hussey among those dismissed, Royal Challengers would have been confident of victory. But the other David was still at the crease and it is his name Royal Challengers will remember after tonight.

Teenage wicketkeeper produces fighting knock but Lancashire on top at close

Paul Edwards27-May-2021Spectators sit quietly and watch Yorkshire’s partial recovery from 40 for 7. Some chat with friends who are nearby but not too near. Others drink beer and eat their sandwiches. One or two may momentarily take their happiness for granted. In the evening home supporters will see Lancashire’s openers reassert their side’s dominance with a 71-run stand and they may end their first sight of cricket on this ground in 617 days with a second, somewhat celebratory, pint. It will be a week or two before such commonplace behaviour ceases to be faintly miraculous.For all that the cricket we saw will be recalled fondly by Lancastrians this was still a day when what happened outside the boundary competed with, and then complemented, what took place within it. This was something of an achievement given that a quite abysmal morning for Yorkshire’s batters – yes, another one – was followed by a fine afternoon in which Harry Duke compiled his maiden fifty in only his second first-class innings and the last three batters helped him hoist the visitors’ total to 159 all out at tea.Yet wide-ranging judgements on the day seem particularly valid to a man who has watched a dozen games since last August, most of them in sepulchral stadia with only the players’ comments for company. The echoes stayed with such a spectator, whatever his professional involvement; they reminded him his game was not complete.Imagine, then, his joy when he arrived at Emirates Old Trafford this morning and noted that at least two Yorkshire supporters had made the trip across the Pennines for this 274th first-class Roses match. They draped a flag of St George over the balcony of their room in the Hilton Garden Hotel. There were two white roses in a couple of the quadrants and the words “Jane – Mel – Wrinklies on Tour” written elsewhere on the banner. By the time Tom Bailey bowled the first ball of the match to Adam Lyth the English standard had been joined by another Yorkshire flag and also one from Lancashire. At that stage there were people on over 30 of the hotel’s balconies and another 2000 spectators scattered around the half of this mighty stadium that was open to them. They sat in tiny groups or in splendidly sensible isolation, a noun so recently freighted with anxiety.Jane and Mel cannot have enjoyed their morning. Indeed, they may have augmented their wrinkles with furrows and the odd scowl as they watch their side waste winning the toss and collapse to 21 for 6 in the face of some high-quality new-ball bowling. Bailey took two wickets and barely conceded a run; Saqib Mahmood had Will Fraine caught behind by Dane Vilas for nought but deserved more rewards for a superb six-over spell.Matt Parkinson was among the wicket-takers on the first day of the Roses clash•Getty Images

At least three of the first six batters dismissed were complicit in their departures: Lyth drove Bailey to Danny Lamb in the gully; Harry Brook’s run out was caused first by his being idle in answering Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s call and then hesitating as if sealing an atrocious deal; Dom Bess steered Luke Wood to a joyous Lamb, who celebrated his second catch by having Kohler-Cadmore leg before for 10 in the next over. The Yorkshire opener had already been dropped twice in the slips and Lancashire were to put three more catches down but until Duke put on 77 with Steve Patterson, it didn’t seem to matter. When Jordan Thompson was seventh out, fending Wood to Keaton Jennings at short leg, Yorkshire were 11 short of their lowest total at Old Trafford.It should be noted that Patterson’s team are without four frontline batters in this match. Joe Root is playing for England next week; Gary Ballance injured his calf on Tuesday; Dawid Malan is not playing for personal reasons which, given our ignorance of them, should be respected by default; Jonny Bairstow has been withdrawn by England, his employers.Jonny Tattersall has been dropped and replaced by Duke, whose innings was easily the finest thing in his team’s chastening day. Hesitant at first, the Wakefield youngster was soon coping with Lancashire’s seamers much more capably than his senior colleagues. His three successive boundaries off Wood in the over before lunch took the total past fifty and his partnership with Patterson saved his side from trousers-down ignominy. Yorkshire’s skipper also played his part, swatting Wood for a six over cover and a four through mid-on as Lancashire’s attack briefly lost their way in mid-afternoon. Patterson was eventually bowled for 27 when attempting to sweep Matt Parkinson and Duke was caught down the leg side for 52 in the next over when trying to pull Bailey.As the young Yorkshireman walked back to the dressing room he was given a warm ovation which he duly acknowledged. One saw almost at once that all this must be new to him but then one realised with a start that it must also have been fresh and unfamiliar to those doing the applauding. It was a day of reconnections.Coad’s 28-ball 32 took Yorkshire’s innings to bare respectability although even that judgement seemed debatable when Alex Davies was hitting eight boundaries in his 52. Bailey returned figures of 3 for 6 from 14 overs and was neither ill-served nor flattered. Deep in the evening session Duanne Olivier had Davies caught down the leg side for 52 but Luke Wells and Jennings ensured they were no more unpleasant surprises for the home supporters, relatively few of whom opted to leave the ground early.They chose instead to see Bess bowl the day’s final over on a perfect late-spring evening. Last week, it was Bristol and Trent Bridge; this week, Old Trafford and Hove; next week, Headingley and Taunton. Gradually we are taking down the shutters that protected us from a world both familiar and strangely hostile. Whatever their loyalties spectators are rediscovering the poetry of the everyday, the simple beauty of the quotidian.

India captain wants her batters to play according to the match situation, instead of being overly concerned with scoring rates

Annesha Ghosh23-Jan-20221:23

Mithali Raj: Getting to know India team-mates in Dehradun boot camp will help us in World Cup

India captain Mithali Raj wants her batting line-up, especially the top order, to dig their heels in and “play according to the situation” in the upcoming ODI World Cup, instead of channeling their focus “entirely” on strike rate. And, when the need arises – which, in India’s case, is often, going by their up-and-down performances with the bat since the 2017 World Cup – they must take the responsibility to “get your team out of the hole too”.India have been trying to score 250-plus totals on a consistent basis and, according to Raj, this is the blueprint by which they can achieve it. To further reinforce the point, she cited the example of Beth Mooney and her epic 125 not out last year where she started off circumspect, risking a low strike rate for prolonged periods of time, before hitting top gear.”I think too much importance isn’t given to strike rate by you all?” Raj asked in response to a question on India’s takeaways regarding dot-ball percentage and boundary rates from the Australia tour, where they narrowly lost the ODI series 2-1. “Because it is always spoken [of] when it comes to batting or putting up big totals.Related

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‘I just wanted to know if you all only follow the strike rates of the India players or the players from the other teams, because if you might give me an opportunity to enlighten [you], the Australia [ODI] series itself, the game that Australia won, the decider, if you’ve seen Beth Mooney, who scored her 50 in 80-odd balls, but she went on to play a match-winning innings for the team.”So, as for me, I believe that cricket is a game played on situations on the ground. And yes, it is important that we keep that in mind that we need to have a healthy strike rate. But at the end of the day, it’s how our batting unit revolves and [what] the depth of the batting unit in our team [is].”So yes, when we have to score 250-270, we need to have a healthy strike rate, but having said that, we will not only entirely focus on strike rate, it’s important to play an innings to win and build partnerships, and that happens, not because of strike rate but because you apply and play according to the situation on the ground. Sometimes you have to play fast, but sometimes you have to play to get your team out of the hole too.”India, who were runners-up in the 2005 and 2017 tournaments, are looking to win their first world title in New Zealand in March-April.1:50

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

In a manner reminiscent of her call to action to India openers Smriti Mandhana, especially, and Shafali Verma after the visitors’ heavy defeat in the opening ODI against Australia in Mackay during the 2021 tour, Raj reiterated the need for the top order, which also includes the rookie Yastika Bhatia at No. 3, to stitch together sizeable partnerships if they are to stand a chance of crossing the 250-run mark in the World Cup.”Firstly, I think if we have to visit the 2017 World Cup where the team has done well, where the team has put on a score of 250-270 is because there’s at least one top-order bat who plays through the innings and the rest of them revolve around it. So it’s important that the top order – one of them – takes the responsibility of playing through the innings and there has to be a partnership or two of 50, so that you know if we get to play more, the top order contributes. I think that way we would be able to score 250-270. It is very rarely that middle order or the lower middle order scores the bulk of the runs, so it’s important that as a batting unit, all of us take the responsibility of playing our roles.”Though India lost the points-based multi-format series against Australia, they made headway on several fronts. They posted back-to-back 250-plus totals, in the second and third ODIs, sealing their highest successful chase, of 265, in the latter. Before their 274 for 7 in September, India only had three 250-plus totals in 19 innings batting first.There were individual successes as well. Mandhana, India’s leading ODI run-getter since the last World Cup, made her highest score (86) in 16 innings and five series. Debutant wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh injected a quick-scoring element in the middle order. And in Yastika, India unearthed a solid one-down option, allowing Raj, to slot herself in at No. 4, a position she is expected to retain.Throughout her 23-year international career, the onus has often fallen on Raj to play the anchor and rebuild an innings, and while she still has the skills to do that, her strike rate does end up as a point of debate. It also doesn’t help that India’s second-most experienced batter and vice-captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, has struck only three fifties in 28 innings since her epochal 171 not out in the semi-final of the 2017 World Cup.”I think it’s important you back your players and that’s what we do on this team,” head coach Ramesh Powar said when asked about Kaur’s ODI form. “Once you are selected in this team, we look for present and future, what you have done behind. You have to take confidence out of it or you learn out of it and move forward. As far as Harman is concerned, she just came out of the WBBL as the Player of the Tournament. So, currently she’s in good form and it’s up to her to capitalise those good days into best days in the World Cup.”