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.

“If we keep playing with the same attitude, day by day, the results will eventually come”

Madushka Balasuriya22-Jun-2021″Fearless” was once again the buzzword for Kusal Perera on the eve of the first T20I against England, as the Sri Lanka captain once more leaned on the mantra that he had put forth for his side upon taking over the limited-overs reins earlier this year.”We need to be able to play fearlessly,” Perera said during a virtual pre-match media briefing. “This is not something that’s going to change overnight, but if we keep playing with the same attitude, day by day, the results will eventually come.”Perera had first spoken of playing “fearless cricket” ahead of Sri Lanka’s recent tour of Bangladesh, a plan that in the end wound up being more notional than anything else as Sri Lanka’s batters floundered in all but the last game of the ODI series.Related

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That match and victory, incidentally, had come once the series had been lost, and the pressure to perform lifted. For Perera and the Sri Lanka coaching staff, getting the players to showcase their skills more consistently and, crucially, when it matters, has been the most pressing task in recent weeks.”We’ve had a lot of discussions with the coaches on how we can translate what we do in practice to competitive matches. The problem for us so far has been that in practice we perform really well, but during a match we’re unable to produce the same performances. Each player is different. So we’re trying to see how to get each individual to a point where they can take their performances from practice out into a competitive fixture.”This inability to perform consistently on the biggest stage has led to one of Sri Lanka cricket’s leanest periods in their history; dating back to the start of 2019, Sri Lanka have won just over 30% of their limited-overs games. And while in England – the top-ranked T20I side and reigning ODI world champions – Sri Lanka’s young side faces its toughest test to date, Perera is hopeful that the relative lack of expectation placed on the visitors will help free his side of the mental hang-ups that may have been holding them back.”In the situation we’re in at the moment, it’s like we have nothing to lose – we can only really gain from this series,” Perera said. “Whereas with England they have more to lose, there is always that additional pressure on them.”Under head coach Mickey Arthur, Sri Lanka’s limited-overs side has seen one of its most drastic overhauls in recent memory, with several senior players discarded in favour of younger alternatives. This has resulted in a fair bit of inexperience in the side, but on the flip side a lot of eagerness to impress fringe players.Perera is hopeful that a string of games against one of the top limited-overs sides in the world will help solidify the players’ trust and belief in the process Arthur and his coaching staff have put in place.”When we play against accomplished teams like this, a lot of our players are going to try and bring their A game. Because it’s only when you perform well against the best teams that your confidence in your ability increases.”At the moment our team is actually quite confident – but not over-confident – and we have the belief that we can make an impact here and turn things around. Our aim is to do the right things and play a good game. We believe that we can play well against this England team, and know that the results will come if we just keep doing the right things.”That said, Perera is acutely aware that Sri Lanka will need to be at the top of their game if they are to get anything out of this series.”We need to do what we know without fear. It’s of course easier said that done. We know that of the 11 players, not everyone can bring their A game every match, but whenever a player is able to reach that level, they need to be able to see the game through to the finish.”Sri Lanka will play three T20Is on June 23, 24 and 26, while the three ODIs will take place on June 29, July 1 and 4.

Durham batter moves to The Oval immediately after signing to end of 2023 season

Matt Roller16-Jul-2021Surrey have signed the Durham batter Cameron Steel on a deal that will run until the end of the 2023 season and see him move to The Oval with immediate effect to help assuage their availability crisis for the Royal London Cup.Steel, 25, has spent most of the 2021 summer on loan at Hampshire, playing largely for their second XI and in a single County Championship match. He caught Surrey’s eye with two performances against their second team, scoring 134 in a four-day friendly in April and taking 4 for 20 in a T20 at The Oval with his legbreaks in June.He joined Durham in 2016 after graduating from the university, making 51 appearances across formats. Marcus North, their director of cricket, said: “We thank Cameron for his commitment to Durham during the past five years.”He will join Surrey immediately, and will be in line to make his debut in the Royal London Cup against Yorkshire on July 22. Surrey are missing 12 first-team players in the 50-over competition due to their involvement in the Hundred, while Ben Foakes will miss both tournaments through injury.”I’m ecstatic to be joining Surrey, and honoured to have the opportunity to play at a club with such a rich history,” Steel said “Ever since watching England lift the Ashes in 2005, I’ve dreamt of being able to play at The Oval. I can’t wait to meet everyone, get stuck in and contribute in any way I can to the club’s success.”I’ve had some of the best times of my life playing for Durham and living in the north east. While I’m sad that it hasn’t worked out at Riverside, I’m extremely excited to begin my journey at Surrey.”Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, said: “I’m pleased that Cameron will join us at Surrey. As a player that can bat anywhere in the top order and bowls legspin, he adds balance to the squad. I look forward to seeing him perform in a Surrey shirt over the coming years.”

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.

Former England wicketkeeper says runs on the board will be vital for attack to deliver

Andrew Miller18-Nov-2021Matt Prior, the former England wicketkeeper, believes that Joe Root’s Ashes squad has the right calibre of fast bowlers to match the methods that delivered their last victory in an overseas Ashes campaign in 2010-11 – but only if their batters can compile enough runs to keep England competitive across the five-Test series.Prior made 252 runs at 50.40 from the pivotal No. 7 position in 2010-11, including a century in the series finale at Sydney, and he claimed 23 catches behind the stumps across the five Tests. However, he was also England’s incumbent three years later for their fateful 2013-14 whitewash, when Australia’s bowling might, led by Mitchell Johnson, devastated a largely unchanged line-up.And so, while he has no doubts about the enduring class of Stuart Broad and James Anderson, who will be undertaking their fourth and fifth Ashes tours respectively, and believes that Ollie Robinson is another automatic pick in the seam department after an impressive debut summer, Prior knows that England cannot rely solely on Joe Root as a source of consistent runs, even though he’s in the midst of a world-beating run of form.Related

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“England taking 20 wickets hasn’t been the problem,” Prior, an ambassador for bettingexpert.com, told ESPNcricinfo. “The key will be, can England score enough runs to give the bowlers an opportunity to take 20 wickets? It’s no secret that England haven’t scored enough runs for a period of time.”The honourable exception is Root, who has amassed 1455 runs at 66.13 in 2021 so far, including six of the seven centuries scored by England batters since last summer’s home series against Pakistan.”We all hope Joe is going to score a massive amount runs, he’s one of the best players in the world, if not the best at the moment,” Prior said. “But we also can’t just lump the whole pressure on one guy. The top five, six batters need to score consistently the bulk of the runs.”In 2010-11, it was very clear what our batsmen had to do. [Andrew] Strauss, [Alastair] Cook and [Jonathan] Trott in that top three had to lay a foundation. If they didn’t score quickly, they had to bat time and get a get a real solid foundation for KP, Bell and Collingwood to come in and take the attack to tired bowlers, bowling with an older ball. It’s really that simple.”Nevertheless, Prior acknowledges that the advent of T20 cricket has changed perceptions about international batting, with few players able or willing to “Geoffrey Boycott it and bat all day”. And to that end, he believes that the proven ability of England’s bowlers to bang out a consistent line and length could prove vital in a war of attrition – especially now that England will not be able to turn to the express pace of Jofra Archer to lead the attack.”Making sure that you’re very clear on your own plans is crucial,” Prior said. “If you’re bowling on pretty flat wickets, which they are in Australia, and the ball’s not moving, through swing, reverse or spin, then you have to take wickets by building pressure, that’s your only other option.”Everyone will talk about Jimmy Anderson’s ability to swing the ball and he’s the best in the world at doing that, but the other thing that Anderson does is go at two an over. When the ball isn’t swinging, he doesn’t go for runs, and that builds pressure.”People expect runs to be scored quickly, and even in Test matches now, you’re looking at run rates of 3.5 an over as normal. So building pressure is a skill in itself, and one that people underestimate. It’s not just about hanging the ball wide, it’s about being able to stay very tight on your line and length, and execute your skill ball after ball after ball, without getting bored.”That was very much the tactic that England adopted on that 2010-11 tour, with Anderson leading the line with 24 wickets at 26.04, and an economy rate of 2.93. Though Broad was injured midway through the second Test, England had enough bench-strength to cover off his loss, with Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan both making key contributions in the series-sealing wins in Melbourne and Sydney, while the spinner Graeme Swann also starred with a matchwinning display in Adelaide, and hard graft as a holding bowler in the other four Tests.”It’s certainly what we did in 2010 11,” Prior said. “In Australia, the ball doesn’t swing all over the place, and you need to find different ways. Also, if you lose the toss on a flat one and end up bowling first, it’s a tactic that can arm you when things aren’t going so well.”There’s nothing about touring Australia that James Anderson and Stuart Broad don’t know. They’re invaluable in that dressing room to pass on to a younger bowlers like Ollie Robinson, who has been fantastically impressive since coming into the international arena.”I think there’s always a question mark when someone doesn’t have the express pace of Mark Wood or Jofra Archer. But Robinson has shown he is able to execute his skill and take wickets at the top level, and he will fit in to that game-plan of going for no runs, building pressure, consistently hitting the top of off stump, consistently challenging a batsman’s defence.”So those three, I have no worry about, but as we know, a bowling line-up has to bowl in partnerships, it has to be the full group, so whoever that fourth seamer is, it’s going to be crucial that they are able to maintain pressure as well, and not undo it all by going at four an over.”That was the complication that England encountered in 2010-11, when they chose to drop Steven Finn because of his leaky economy-rate, despite him being the leading wicket-taker in the series after three Tests. He had also been the fastest bowler available to England in those opening Tests, which may mean that England will need to be cautious about how they deploy Wood, their one remaining 90mph seamer, in the coming campaign.Matt Prior played a key role behind the stumps and with the bat in 2010-11•Getty Images

Prior, however, knows from his own bitter experience in 2013-14 that an out-and-out quick in Australia is a phenomenal weapon to have, and believes that Wood’s ebullient personality could have an equally crucial role off the field as the squad copes with the unusual circumstances of a post-Covid Ashes campaign.”I wouldn’t suggest that Mark Wood is a liability, quite the opposite actually. He brings so much more to the dressing room, with regards to his character. He is the kind of guy you want in Australia, because he will step up.”It’s going to be partisan crowds down there,” Prior added. “There won’t be the Barmy Army, the players are going to have to stand up and tolerate what’s going to come their way, and Mark Wood is definitely one of those guys.”But the captain and coach are going to have to be really clear on how they use him,” he added. “In that series that we all try and forget [2013-14], Mitchell Johnson rarely bowled more than three overs in any one spell. He could have taken six wickets in those three overs, but he would come off, and it would be back to Ryan Harris, back to Nathan Lyon, back to Peter Siddle. It was very, very clear what their plan was.”I think that’s something we haven’t always got right with our extreme pace bowlers. They haven’t been encouraged to bowl at 100 miles an hour, and they haven’t gone at two and a half an over either.”Winning away from home is difficult. Winning away from home in the Ashes during Covid is even more difficult. I never had that experience, thank goodness, because I would have gone absolutely crazy tied up in hotel. But it can’t be used as an excuse because it’s the world we live in now. When you get on an aeroplane, to represent England in an Ashes series, you have to find a way. You can’t just turn up and throw in the towel.”

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.

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.”

The allrounder had earlier wanted to skip the series to play in the IPL, but he went unsold at the auction

Mohammad Isam28-Feb-2022BCB president Nazmul Hassan has claimed that Shakib Al Hasan has agreed to play in the Test series against South Africa next month. In a press briefing following Bangladesh’s third ODI against Afghanistan in Chattogram, Nazmul said they had spoken following the match and settled the issue.”Shakib gave us a letter saying that he wants a six-month break from Tests,” Nazmul said. “When we asked him, he said that he will miss Tests against South Africa and Sri Lanka because of the IPL. I replied that you have to play against Sri Lanka, to which he agreed. Now that he is not going to the IPL, I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t play the Test series in South Africa. So forget about it. This is no longer in my mind. The IPL was preventing him from playing [the two Test series], but now he will play [both series].Related

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“Listen, we spoke from a distance after the match today. I can’t go near him (due to the managed event environment). I told him, I will speak to you after you come back from South Africa. He smiled and said, ‘As you say.’ As far as I am concerned, he will play [the Tests in South Africa]. He never said he won’t play. He only mentioned the IPL, so there’s no point talking about it.”Any player can refuse to play any format. I have no problem with that. But they have to tell me. He told me [that he doesn’t want to play Tests against South Africa and Sri Lanka] due to the IPL. Now that it (participation in the IPL) is not happening, I don’t see any other option.”A few hours earlier, the BCB’s cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus had said Shakib would sit down with Nazmul “within the next couple of days” to discuss his plans for Test cricket. Shakib had previously written to the BCB saying he would not be available for Test cricket for the coming six months, but things became less clear after the allrounder went unsold at the IPL auction two weeks ago.”Shakib had given a letter saying that he won’t be available to play Tests for six months,” Yunus said. “The scenario has changed since he won’t be playing in the IPL. He said that he will sit with the board president after the ongoing ODI series [against Afghanistan] to discuss the matter.”He won’t just talk about the South Africa series [the Test-leg of which starts on March 30]. Basically we will ask him for his plan for this year. There have been media reports that he doesn’t want to play Tests, but we know that he wants to play Tests.”Yunus said that Shakib will be given the latitude to tell them about his preferences rather than being forced to play in any format. The BCB began this practice last year, when it asked centrally contracted players about their format-specific plans.”It is not a matter of pick and choose. He might have some problems, so we will consider him if he tells us that he wants to play a certain number of matches in a format,” Yunus said. “Nobody is bound to play every match. The BCB is not an organisation where we consider players as mere employees. They are also stakeholders. They have the freedom to discuss how many matches they want to play.”Shakib skipped the Test series against New Zealand last month, the third time he took leave from a series citing personal reasons. The first time he took such a leave of absence was during the tour of South Africa in 2017-18, and then he skipped the Sri Lanka Tests last year due to his IPL commitments.Since the 2017-18 South Africa series, Shakib has played only 30% of Bangladesh’s Tests, the reasons for his absences including injury, his one-year suspension for not reporting a corrupt approach, and personal reasons.The article was updated at GMT 1402 following Nazmul Hassan’s press briefing.

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

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• 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.

He bludgeons 170 from 217 balls for a second successive century as Lamb chimes in with 71

Richard Hobson22-Apr-2022Legend has it that Nottinghamshire used to shout down the pit when they needed a new fast bowler. Modern-day Warwickshire take a more genteel approach when they want a wicketkeeper, driving down to Sussex to find a gloveman in search of opportunity. But genteel was hardly the word as Michael Burgess was flaying the Essex bowlers around Edgbaston Twenty20 style.Tim Ambrose served Warwickshire manfully from 2006-19, scoring over 8,000 runs with 14 first-class hundreds after leaving Hove when Matt Prior stood in the way of the cricket he wanted. For Prior read Ben Brown and for Ambrose read Burgess, whose 170 from 217 balls represented a second successive century for his county and helped to turn an even position into one of significant advantage.Having slipped to 124 for 5, with the Essex pace attack bowling as well as they had on Thursday evening but for greater reward, Warwickshire again took the initiative in the hour after lunch when Burgess and Matt Lamb scored the bulk of their 113 runs for the sixth wicket. This merely proved the trailer to red-blooded events in the final session.The game turned sharply when Sam Cook struck Liam Norwell on the right side of the head with a short ball, leaving the batter distinctly unsteady when he got to his feet. A quick assessment confirmed that he was in no state to continue and although a club spokesman said that tests in the dressing room were positive, Norwell was driven to hospital as a precaution.Burgess stood on 88 at this point and the sight of Oliver Hannon-Dalby walking to the middle brought memories of the previous game here, against Surrey, when the lanky last man not only shepherded Burgess to three figures but remained in for long enough – taking a record 94 minutes to get off the mark – to enable his teammate to score 178.Hannon-Dalby had barely taken guard this time before Burgess hit three fours in a row off Mark Steketee. It felt strange that the centurion should suddenly then quieten down, and that Hannon-Dalby remained virtually strokeless despite being hit three times on his front right shoulder. All was revealed, however, when he pushed down the wrong line to Simon Harmer for a 32-ball duck.Out walked Craig Miles as a concussion substitute for Norwell, prompting Burgess to resume his belligerence. Miles had begun the day with a radio stint at the ground but returned home in the afternoon thinking his work was complete. When Norwell was hit, the club phoned urging him to return and sent out a message to Burgess and Hannon-Dalby telling them to hang in risk-free until Miles arrived.Where the perky little Ambrose was known for dibs, dobs and a clinical square cut, Burgess now stood tall, using his muscles to slug and club. Matt Critchley’s wrist-spin went for 24 in an over and even with all men bar the keeper on the ropes, as strong winds billowed, Burgess found a way to heave Steketee beyond deep square leg. The fielder lost sight of the ball; it seemed that Essex had lost sight of a plan. When Burgess succumbed attempting to ramp the Australian, Warwickshire’s lead stood at 217.As the clock ticked beyond six, it was hard to recall how perfectly Essex had started the day. Shane Snater prompted Dom Sibley to tickle the first ball behind and drew further reward when Harmer reacted smartly to take an overhead catch at first slip, Will Rhodes slashing hard to his doom. Sam Hain and Lamb needed all of their judgement to resist Snater and Sam Cook, the best of the bowlers overall.When Hain worked Cook off his legs he gathered only a second four in 89 balls, but for all his caution it came as a surprise when he edged Steketee to a ball that might have brought him further forward to defend. Lamb used the full width of his bat and hung in gamely while Burgess played himself in, the passage appreciated by a crowd that was better than a sweep of the stands would indicate. The Dollery Suite serving Friday’s fish and chips with central heating and a view of proceedings was packed.Just as Warwickshire turned the contest after the break on Thursday, so they did so again. Lamb and Burgess raised the tempo noticeably and quickly passed Essex’s below-par 168. Lamb looked a different player, fluent and confident, and it was not until the second new ball that he fell for 71 to a fine, full one from Cook. But, having repelled the immediate threat, Burgess started to find a wider range. And how.Finally, as if to underline the turnaround, Nick Browne fell to what proved the last ball of the day for a duck, caught in the slips attempting to leave Hannon-Dalby. The bowler seemed unhindered by the bruises he had taken Brian Close-like an hour or so earlier.