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Captain thanks team for following his lead, calls on media to recognise entertainment focus

Andrew Miller12-Sep-2022Ben Stokes said that he felt “blessed” to be able to call upon the enduring class and experience of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, while thanking his entire team for their collective buy-in to his new proactive approach to Test cricket – one that has culminated in a remarkable run of six Test wins out of seven this summer, including Monday’s nine-wicket victory against South Africa at the Kia Oval.Stokes himself was named as Player of the Series against South Africa, after a haul of 149 runs at 37.25, including a match-defining hundred at Old Trafford, and ten wickets at 15.70, more often than not key breakthroughs such as the two in three balls either side of tea on the second full day of the Oval Test that ended South Africa’s hopes of a defendable total.More than anything, the award was a testament to the manner in which Stokes has led from the front since taking over from Joe Root at the start of the season, at which stage England had won just one of their previous 17 Tests in the space of 18 months. However, speaking to Sky Sports’ Mark Butcher during the post-match presentations, Stokes made it clear that the manner in which his team had followed his example was the defining aspect of their summer-long success.”It’s been a great series for us as a team,” Stokes said. “We’ve had no real individual standout performances, but different people throughout the whole series have put their hand up in crucial periods for us and, in a team sport, that’s what you want. You want to be able to turn to different people at different times and hope that they can break the game open for you with the ball and bat, and that’s definitely what we’ve managed to do this whole series.”Ollie Robinson – whom Stokes promoted to a new-ball role for his return to the side at Old Trafford – was named as the Player of the Match at The Oval following his five-wicket haul on the opening morning. But Stokes reserved his most fulsome praise for the old guard of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who picked up 27 and 29 wickets respectively across the summer to reaffirm their pre-eminence, following the controversial decision to omit both men from the preceding tour of the Caribbean.”They are just phenomenal,” Stokes said. “To have two of the great seam bowlers of world cricket in your team … I feel very blessed to be in the dressing room with them. We’re very lucky as a nation to have two sporting greats still going out and doing what they’re doing. I mean, I’ve been called old at 31, I’m not quite sure what you can call Jimmy at the moment being 40, but they just keep turning up day in and day out.Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad and James Anderson – pictured during the first-day wash-out – ensured three days was ample for victory•PA Images via Getty Images

“They leave everything out there,” he added. “They are just phenomenal. They’re a huge credit to themselves. They’re a huge credit to this game. And I’m sure a lot of young cricketers around the world who want to be fast bowlers will look up to them.”Stokes’ management of his bowlers has been a defining aspect of the summer’s success – not simply with his willingness to back them up at all times with packed slip cordons and innovating attacking field placings, but his determination to save their strengths for the critical passages of play, particularly the new ball. To that end, his own bowling role has been about producing impact moments, often when the ball has been at its oldest, but he insisted that the balance he had hit upon was the right one.”When you’ve got the bowlers like Jimmy, Broady and Robbo, with the skill they possess, it’s trying to manage them at the start of an innings when the ball’s doing the most,” he said. “You don’t want to [take] too much out of them at the start, so we try to have a short spell from one of the opening bowlers, and then bring them back again with one of the opening bowlers bowling a longer spell.”Then it’s about bringing myself into the game at an appropriate time really, when the big lads have had a few good spells. It’s about understanding when I need to get the most overs out of the three big lads, and they’ve managed to do that in the whole series. They’ve been absolutely phenomenal.”If there has been a criticism of England’s ultra-aggressive approach, then it has arguably centred around Stokes’ own batting, with Butcher questioning whether he was “selling himself short” with his desire to dominate from the outset – a policy that backfired in his only innings at The Oval – rather than batting with the sort of patience that set up his Old Trafford hundred.Stokes, however, was unrepentant about his desire to take the attack to the opposition bowlers, adding that the team success was of far greater consequence than his own numbers.”It’s fine, you can keep criticising me if we’re going to win six out of seven games,” he said. “For me, it’s about the clarity of messaging. Me and Brendon [McCullum] are the guys who were sending this message to this group of players, and I said to the lads in the dressing-room the other day that the person who’s delivering the message can only do so much.”I thank all my team, my backroom staff, coaches, that they’ve really bought into this,” Stokes added. “There’s a reason why we’ve been able to perform with confidence with each other. And that’s something that’s very rare.”Stokes’ own bowling has been limited to key passages of play•AFP/Getty Images

Stokes said he was particularly grateful to his friend and predecessor, Root, in that regard – one of the key influences with the bat, as shown by his three centuries in four Tests against New Zealand and India, but also as a senior man in the dressing-room who bought into the new approach with visible enthusiasm – even saying after the victory over India at Edgbaston that he had channelled his inner “rock-star”.”Joe’s got to take a lot of credit as well. After captaining the side for six years in a way that he did, to then buy into something completely different to how Joe wanted to operate in the team,” Stokes said.”When I’m not England captain, someone else is going to come in and they’re going to want to operate in a different way. But everyone’s really bought into it. And honestly I’ve just been very thankful and grateful that I’ve had a group of lads who have who have bought into that and really understood the bigger picture of what me and Baz are trying to achieve.”This game was shortened, and our main goal was to make sure that it ended in a result,” Stokes said of the three-day window for the Oval Test, following a first-day washout and the subsequent day of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.Related

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“We felt we owed it to ourselves, we owed it to the nation who have shown the support throughout this whole summer towards us, and we will always continue to play in a way that we feel is going to entertain people. And always try and look at the positive side of cricket.”Speaking later in the post-match press conference, Stokes went further about the need for collective buy-in, arguing that the media also had a duty to convey the team’s new message, and temper the criticism when the approach goes wrong – such as it did in the first Test at Lord’s – for the sake of encouraging the next generation to see the exciting, entertaining merits of Test cricket.”I feel there’s also an added responsibility on the people who comment on the way we play as well,” he said, “because we’re in the day and age now where social media is so accessible to people that, if we’re playing in a certain way and we’re saying this is what we want to do and we believe in it, to be criticised for that, what type of message is that sending to the next generation of people?”We have a responsibility to go out there and perform in the way that we want to perform, and I feel that people who write about the game or talk about the way in which we play, they should understand as well that they’ve got a huge influence on the next generation of cricketers.”Because people do listen to what they say about the game, which sometimes contradicts what we’ve got to say, and at the end of the day, the important thing is what is said, and what is spoken about in the dressing-room. Sometimes you feel what we’ve done can get overlooked, because it gets criticised every now and again when things don’t go well, but when it does go well it’s great.”

Tom Bruce and Robbie O’Donnell have been named co-captains for the tour that consists of three first-class games and as many one-day matches

Shashank Kishore19-Aug-2022New Zealand A’s upcoming tour of India features as many as seven players with international experience. Among them are dual Internationals Logan van Beek and Michael Rippon, who have featured for both New Zealand and Netherlands.Tom Bruce, the hard-hitting New Zealand and Central Districts batter, and Robbie O’Donnell, the batter from Auckland, have been named co-captains for the month-long tour. Rob Walter, head coach of the Central Stags, will lead the coaching group and will be supported by Brendon Donkers, Canterbury’s assistant coach, and Paul Wiseman, the NZC High Performance coach.As reported by ESPNcricinfo, the tour consists of three first-class games and as many one-day matches. The red-ball games will all be played in Bengaluru between September 1-18. The white-ball fixtures will be held in Chennai between September 22-27. There is no pink-ball fixture penciled in for the moment. The New Zealand A squad will depart for India on August 26.”It’s great to have A fixtures back on the touring calendar and even more exciting to have the team playing in foreign conditions,” chief selector Gavin Larsen said. “This programme and tours like these are vital in developing our people and giving them opportunities to test themselves against quality opposition.”We have an exciting mix in this group, including players who dominated our last home season such as Robbie O’Donnell and Tom Bruce, alongside emerging talents in Matt Fisher and Joe Walker.”The squad also consists of young, capped players such as Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy and Dane Cleaver, all of whom enjoyed successful outings during New Zealand’s European tour this summer.Larsen hoped exposure to the subcontinent conditions would give players a taste of what to expect over the next year or so, especially with the 50-over World Cup to be played in India in November 2023.”With a mix of red ball and white ball matches it’s a great chance to see the players in a variety of situations against what we know will be a very strong home side,” Larsen said. “The conditions present a great opportunity for the spin bowling group in particular, ahead of future tours and ICC events in the subcontinent.”It’s exciting to welcome Logan back into the NZ A set-up. He’s a proven performer on the domestic scene and has impressed in his recent stints playing for the Netherlands. Touring India is one of the great experiences for any cricketer and I know the players and staff are looking forward to the challenge.”New Zealand A squad: Tom Bruce (capt), Robbie O’Donnell (capt), Chad Bowes, Joe Carter, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver (wk), Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Cameron Fletcher (wk), Ben Lister, Rachin Ravindra, Michael Rippon, Sean Solia, Logan van Beek, Joe Walker

West Indies need a win to save the series, while a strong victory would partially absolve the hosts of the disappointment of two defeats at the hands of India and Pakistan

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Oct-2015

Match facts

October 22-26, 2015
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)1:09

Holder upbeat about West Indies’ chances

Big Picture

The only predictable thing about Sri Lanka’s weather is that the meteorological department’s forecasts will be wrong. They expect daily afternoon thunderstorms in Colombo all through the Test. Going by their track record from Galle, this is an excellent sign the cricket will not be interrupted over the next few days, even if plenty of rain has fallen on the city recently.Both teams will be pleased a result looks likely. West Indies need a victory to save the series, and to inspire a new captain and his young team ahead of a difficult tour of Australia. Meanwhile, a strong series win would partially absolve the hosts of the disappointment of two mid-year humblings at the hands of India and Pakistan.Sri Lanka arrive full of confidence following the innings victory in the first Test, of course, but their batting may still be vulnerable. Milinda Siriwardene and Kusal Perera are playing their second and third Tests respectively, opener Kaushal Silva has gone some time without a big score, and the no. 3 position has been so problematic Sri Lanka are likely to give 20-year-old Kusal Mendis an opportunity there. West Indies conceded 484 in Galle, but that had been more a reflection of poor catching, than toothless bowling. The extra pace and carry often available on the P Sara pitch will raise the visiting attack’s chance of scripting an upset (much like Tim Southee and Trent Boult had done at the venue in 2012), so long as chances are held.The hosts will be happy with the state of their own fielding, however. Dinesh Chandimal claimed a stunner at short midwicket in the first innings at Galle, but Sri Lanka were sharp in the field generally, where they had been almost abysmal for much of the past year. The board is still hunting for a head coach, but several players have already spoken positively of interim coach Jerome Jayaratne’s work so far.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka: WLLWLWWest Indies: LLLWL

In the spotlight

Dinesh Chandimal was virtually unselectable for large portions of 2014, but he has suddenly begun to bat with freedom and watched the runs flow. He averages 51.69 in 2015, and provides the positivity and dynamism Sri Lanka have often had from their long-term no. 4 batsmen. Having often enjoyed batting on quicker, bouncier tracks, he is better-suited than most in the side to make runs at the P Sara.Devendra Bishoo was not quite at his best in Galle, yet he created the most chances from the West Indies attack, and finished with the most wickets as well. Though the P Sara suits the quicks, it has also been kind to visiting spinners this year – Yasir Shah, R Ashwin and Amit Mishra prospered at the venue. If West Indies’ batsmen can keep their side in the match for the first three days, Bishoo may have a key role to play in the second innings.

Teams news

Kusal Mendis appears almost a certainty to debut in place of Lahiru Thirimanne, who has suffered a poor stretch of Test form in the past three months. Rangana Herath will likely take up Thirimanne’s vice captaincy. Offspinner Tharindu Kaushal is also likely to be replaced by Dilruwan Perera, following Kaushal’s modest outing in the first Test.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kaushal Silva, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal , 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Kusal Perera (wk), 8 Dhammika Prasad, 9 Dilruwan Perera, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Nuwan PradeepShai Hope’s twin failures in Galle may allow Rajendra Chandrika to reclaim a position at the top of the order. The rest of West Indies’ XI is likely to remain unchanged.West Indies (probable): 1 Kragg Braithwaite, 2 Rajendra Chandrika/Shai Hope, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Jemaine Blackwood, 6 Denesh Ramdin, 7 Jason Holder (capt.), 8 Devendra Bishoo, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shannon Gabriel

Pitch and conditions

Rain clouds have generally gathered over Colombo in the afternoons this past week, and usually drop their payload after dusk. The pitch is understood to be a little dry beneath the top layer, which will bring the spinners into the match.

Stats and trivia

• Angelo Mathews needs 151 runs to reach 4000 for his career. If he does it in the first innings, he will be the equal second-fastest Sri Lankan to that milestone (in terms of innings played) alongside Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera. Mathews has, however, batted largely at no. 6.
• Jermaine Blackwood has 548 runs at an average of 45.66 this year.
• Each of the 10 most recent Tests at the P Sara Oval have had a result. Each of the nine most recent Tests in Sri Lanka have also ended in a result

Quotes

“This wicket has more bounce and pace than Galle and our fast bowlers have been bowling really well even though they haven’t got too many wickets. Dhammika Prasad has been brilliant over the past few games been taking three to four wickets all the time. Nuwan Pradeep’s bowling has been equally good.””I can tell you for sure the guys are upbeat for the second Test match. The guys know the situation of the series. The batsmen need to give us a chance to get 20 wickets. In the last game we only got one opportunity with the ball and we only got 10 wickets. Hopefully we can put some runs on the board in the second Test.”

“There is so much appetite to learn and be successful on these wickets”

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Jul-2022Being proactive. Being brave. And embracing the challenge of playing on spinning surfaces. According to captain Pat Cummins, these were the tenets of Australia’s success in Galle, where they crushed Sri Lanka inside two-and-a-half days.Proactive and brave, because Australia had scored at 4.53 in the 70.1 overs they’d batted in the first innings, even though they’d been 100 for 4 at one stage. The sixth-wicket partnership between Cameron Green and Alex Carey was a particular example of the urgency Australia brought to their batting. They put on 84 runs off 93 balls, and advanced Australia’s chances substantially on a rain-curtailed second day.”A couple of new words we’re using about our approach is about being proactive and being brave,” Cummins said after the match. “We saw some really clear methods from all the batters. They might have been individually a bit different, but you saw everyone being really proactive, and putting pressure back on the bowlers. It’s something you’d normally talk about in one-day cricket or T20 cricket. But I think that’s the style over here that’s needed.”Related

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A more aggressive approach brings risk too, however. While Usman Khawaja, Green, and Carey produced substantial innings, others, like Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head, were out cheaply, attacking. For Cummins, though, failure is just a part of this approach.”I think it’s part of the environment that we are trying to create,” he said. “Failure is absolutely okay, as long as you are failing in a way you are happy to be.”Some of Australia’s batters who had been to Sri Lanka in 2016 had failed during that 3-0 loss. But they are richer for that experience, Cummins said.”I think I wouldn’t discount our batters in our squad that have been here. They know what works. All of them have had success in these types of wickets, so having them as great reference points for the young guys and seeing them go out and do it – I don’t have to do anything as captain really.”Eight months into his captaincy, Cummins’ side has also gone undefeated in four successive Tests in Asia, having won two of those games. The Australia of 2022 is no longer so wary of spinning conditions, Cummins said. Even the senior players are being pushed to develop their games further.Pat Cummins was delighted with the intent shown by Australia’s batters•Getty Images

“Embracing everything about the conditions – that’s been a big one for us. In the past you can get caught up in conditions that aren’t like Australia, but if you want to be the number one Test team in the world, you’ve got be winning overseas. I think everyone – the experienced guys finding new shots, Mitchell Starc working on reverse swing, Nathan Lyon coming up with a few new balls – there is so much appetite to learn and be successful on these wickets.”Lyon was instrumental to this victory, having taken 5 for 90 in the first innings, then 4 for 31 in the second. Through the course of this game, he also surpassed three bowling greats on the all-time wicket tally. He now sits 10th on that list with 436 wickets, just ahead of Rangana Herath, Kapil Dev, and Richard Hadlee.”I wouldn’t change Lyon for anyone,” Cummins said. “He’s gone into the top 10 wicket takers of all time. You saw him out there. He’s unplayable for left or right-handers. Sometimes out here, bounce for spinners is spoken about something that’s not desirable, but he showed here with that bounce he was unplayable. His stamina as well – you give him the ball from one end and say see you at the end of the day.”

A round-up of all the Ranji Trophy Group C matches on October 3, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo: After scoring 91 on a turning track, Ravindra Jadeja finished with 11 wickets in the match•Associated Press

This was Ravindra Jadeja’s match. After scoring 91 in the first innings to take Saurashtra to 307 on a turning track, he took six wickets to enforce a follow-on on Tripura. On the third morning he completed his second five-for of the match to help Saurashtra win by an innings and 118 runs. The win gives Saurashtra full seven points, and Jadeja a timely return to form and confidence at the start of India’s season. This was his third 10-wicket match haul in first-class cricket.Tripura began the day on 11 for 3, and resisted Saurashtra’s charge for what looked a certain innings win, but the other Jadeja – Dharmendrasinh – broke the back of their resistance. Once he got Maura Singh out at the team score of 56, the rest fell like a house of cards. Seven wickets fell for 30 runs, and the only contest now left was between the Jadejas: who would complete the five-for. Tripura’s ninth wicket fell to Dharmendrasinh, tying the two Jadejas at four wickets apiece. Ravindra, though, ended the proceedings with the return catch of Tushar Saha, his third such dismissal of the innings.
ScorecardThat Services would win, chasing 77 in the fourth innings, was almost a foregone conclusion at the start of the third day’s play. Their openers still began under pressure for on their staying till the end depended the extra point from the match. If Services had won by 10 wickets, they would have got seven points, otherwise just the six. Anshul Gupta and captain Soumik Chaterjee began cautiously, adding 59 in 24 overs, but Chaterjee fell to the Jharkhand quick Rahul Shukla. Thereafter Gupta and Ravi Chauhan completed the formalities to send Services to top of Group C for a couple minutes. Two minutes later Saurashtra completed their win, and went past them by one point.
ScorecardCenturies from Sachin Baby and Sanju Samson powered Kerala to a 155-run lead against Jammu & Kashmir in Srinagar. Kerala, who began at 158 for 2, were dealt an early blow on day three when Rohan Prem, the overnight batsman, was dismissed for 69. Baby and Samson, though, held firm, batting through the next 57 overs and adding 177 for the fourth wicket. Samson, on his captaincy debut, struck 101 with 16 fours before being dismissed by Ram Dayal. Baby, however, hung around with the lower middle order and made his way to 151. He hit 21 fours and one six during his 310-ball knock, but was removed in the penultimate over of the day, as Kerala ended with 485 for 8.
ScorecardFour Goa batsmen chipped in with fifties, as a strong performance from the team’s top and middle order secured a first-innings lead against Hyderabad in Povorim. Goa, who began at an overnight score of 47 for 1, powered to 349 for 5 thanks to handy knocks from Swapnil Asnodkar (53), Rituraj Singh (59), Sagun Kamat (81 not out) and Darshan Misal (67). Asnodkar and Rituraj laid the groundwork, sharing a 98-run stand for the second wicket. Hyderabad fought back with two quick scalps, but Kamat strung together two more big partnerships – 69 for the fourth wicket with captain Dheeraj Jadhav, and 120 for the fifth with Misal – to ensure Goa carried a lead of 24 going into the final day.

Cricket Discipline Commission panel expected to hear cases in September or October

David Hopps15-Jun-2022Yorkshire have received long-awaited notice that they will be charged, along with seven individuals, following an ECB investigation into racism and other allegations surrounding the club.The ECB has not named those under investigation at this stage. However, the evidence provided by Azeem Rafiq, the former Yorkshire player, to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee last November, and the results of Yorkshire’s independent investigation, is already well known.Yorkshire will be accused of failing to address a culture within the club that was hostile to minority-ethnic cricketers and of failing to respond to complaints about racism or discrimination in a proper manner.Although none of the current management team or players are associated with the period under review, the club remains responsible for historic actions. But a new regime that is committed to change is hardly likely to try to defend the actions of its predecessors and could well plead guilty, point to its commitment to change and just take the hit.As the hearings are likely to be concluded after the end of the season, and there remains no clarity on potential points deductions, that possibility is likely to hang over Yorkshire for the entire summer.However, individual administrators will not be charged because the Cricket Discipline Commission, which is in charge of disciplinary hearings in the domestic game, has no power to sit in judgment on administrators, who appear to escape the sort of individual scrutiny given to players, coaches, match referees, agents, members, ECB committee members, and any others who have agreed in writing to be bound by the rules.The ECB has yet to remark whether it regards that as a glaring oversight that it intends to remedy.The charges arise from alleged breaches of ECB Directive 3.3 which states: “No Participant may conduct themself in a manner or do any act or omission at any time which is improper or which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute.”Related

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The cases are expected to be heard by a CDC independent panel in September or October this year, although this has been one of the most complex and potentially problematic cases ever considered by the commission and legal representations on behalf of some of those accused could yet push back the hearing into next year. Hearings could last for more than a week and will involve cross-examination of those who have provided witness statements.An ECB statement said “The ECB’s investigation has been thorough and complex, with the allegations covering a significant period of time and a number of witnesses and other individuals coming forward to share their own experiences and allegations. The ECB is grateful to all those who have taken the time to speak with the investigating team.”In matters of this nature, our normal practice is not to identify individuals charged at this stage. This decision is taken on a case-by-case basis. It is however standard practice for the CDC disciplinary panel to publish its decisions and written reasons in full following the hearing.”Only one player who has faced racism allegations, Gary Ballance, remains on Yorkshire’s books, although he has not played all season and remains on open-ended leave because of mental health issues, his return seemingly more unlikely with every passing month.Ballance has apologised for using the term “P**i” in conversations with Azeem Rafiq, whose whistle-blowing last year laid bare the full extent of Yorkshire’s ills, but he has insisted the context was not racist and was intended as “banter”. Others have also vigorously denied culpability.Two former coaches, Andrew Gale and Richard Pyrah, are among those currently pursuing claims for wrongful dismissals following the mass removal of 16 members of the Yorkshire staff. Earlier this month, they were among six members of the coaching staff who won the right for their case to be heard at a full employment tribunal in Leeds in the autumn. Judicial mediation will now take place before an employment judge in an effort to broker an agreement ahead of any tribunal hearing.Former players who have faced allegations include three former England players, Michael Vaughan, Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan. Vaughan and Bresnan have repeatedly denied making racist remarks to Rafiq, and Bresnan called time on his career at Warwickshire before the start of this season. Hoggard phoned Rafiq to apologise for how his remarks had been interpreted and Rafiq said that that his apology had been accepted.Yorkshire’s new regime have made it clear that their ability to respond could be limited by the refusal of those in charge at the time to provide information. As co-operation is unlikely – even somewhat unwelcome for a new Board that is committed to promoting diversity – they may have little option but to subtly distance themselves from the outcome.They responded: “For clarity, YCCC notes that the allegations relate to charges as far back as 2004 up until 2021 and the Club will need the cooperation of those in position during this time in order to fully consider and respond to the matters raised.”Unless and until that cooperation by those with first-hand knowledge and responsibility during the relevant period is forthcoming, the Club is not able to comment on the investigation, evidence, report or charges but will, of course, continue to fully cooperate with the CDC throughout this process.”Rafiq welcomed the ECB’s announcement, saying he hoped “we can move to the hearing quickly”. “This has been another gruelling but unfortunately necessary process,” Rafiq said. “It has been a long two years since I went public about my experiences, but I hope this all means that no young player ever goes through such pain and alienation again. My preference would be for this hearing to take place publicly, but I am hopeful that we are at least nearing a point where there will be some sense of closure for my family and me.”

Shakib Al Hasan spoke of the Bangladesh’s frustration on having a second consecutive day washed out due to rain, but said the players were doing other things to stay focused

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur01-Aug-2015As the sun appeared for the first time in two days at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Saturday, both Bangladesh and South Africa made their way to the ground at around 1:00 P.M. Soon, they got down to business by warming up for the third day’s play, which was set to begin at 2:15 P.M.But it was not to be. Just eight minutes before the players were supposed to walk out to the field, rain poured down again and in less than an hour, play was called off for the second successive day.The shortest Test played in Bangladesh was the 164.1 overs bowled during a match against New Zealand in 2008 in Dhaka, when the first three days were washed out. The one-off Test against India earlier in June was also short in terms of overs, with the second day being completely rained out in Fatullah. This game, though, is threatening to be even shorter unless the weather improves over the next two days.Shakib Al Hasan spoke of the players’ frustration, but also said that they were doing other things to stay focused.”It is frustrating but we can’t do anything about this,” Shakib told . “We need to focus on starting well, whenever we get a chance to play. We have two wickets in hand so we need to get as many runs as possible. We need to bowl well to restrict them for a reasonable total.”Some of us do gym or running session, or have a swim normally. Whatever makes them comfortable, it can be spending time with the family. We do these things to keep our mind fresh so that when we get a chance to play, we do well.”Shakib said that getting starts was an encouraging sign, but at the same time, felt it was important to capitalise on them and get settled for a big score. Five Bangladesh batsmen, including Shakib, were dismissed between scores of 30 and 65 in this Test.”If you see our scorecard, there are five-six guys who got starts but no one got a big run. That’s the frustrating part. But everyone is contributing. It is a good sign. We would love to see more people getting hundreds and when that happens, they get a big one,” he said.Shakib added that the pitch was not playing out as expected, and said it was equally difficult to score runs freely or expect to take wickets.”It is very hard to score runs in this track. Ball doesn’t come on to the bat. You can’t play your shots. At the same time, it is hard to get wickets if you are willing to play according to the ball and not make any mistakes. The pitch is not behaving the way we are expecting, so it is going to be harder whenever we get a chance.”Shakib expects Bangladesh to add more runs to their 246 for 8, but called for the spinners to quickly to come into the thick of things, hopefully on the fourth day.”Whenever you get one or two quick wickets, it will put opposition under tremendous pressure and hopefully our spinners do what we are expecting them to do. Hopefully it will be a very good match,” he said.

The balance of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s side means fitting Dale Steyn and Trent Boult into the same team is a major challenge. If and when it does happen, it’s guaranteed box-office bonanza

Arun Venugopal22-Apr-20153:20

Right decision to play Boult – Steyn

It is 3pm, still an hour before the game begins. This is mid-April heat unleashing its worst. Sunrisers Hyderabad, however, are out there training at full tilt, as are the visiting Delhi Daredevils. It’s a Saturday and there is a sizeable crowd already in Visakhapatnam.Just behind the sightscreen, a group of youngsters is waving a huge banner that screams: ‘Come back, Steyn Gun.’ It doesn’t escape Dale Steyn’s attention even as he sends down a few deliveries on the practice wicket.There is an eruption of applause when the toss is completed and the teams flash on the giant screen as Steyn’s name is called out by the stadium announcer. Only Shikhar Dhawan, among the Sunrisers, draws a better response. A frisson runs through the ground when Steyn gets his first touch on the ball in the deep; it’s amplified further when he enters the attack. The crowd well and truly finds its heartbeat when he bowls a conditions-defying 14th over, making Yuvraj Singh and JP Duminy hop around to his 140-plus lifters. Later, Steyn, like a master conductor, even directs the Mexican wave. He is friendly and warm. He is popular.A few days before that, at Bangalore airport, Trent Boult is patiently obliging selfie requests. Boult is the new kid on the block. The flavour of the season. And the leader of the attack in the three games that Sunrisers have played up to that point. The nature of Sunrisers’ composition means Steyn has had to sit out. There is enough debate on the selection already, but David Warner’s take on Boult being ‘just ahead of Dale’ has only added more spice to it.Boult, his reputation enhanced by his exploits during the World Cup, wears his fame lightly. He is particularly nice with children. ‘How are you, buddy?’ he greets a boy who doesn’t know Boult’s name. Helpfully spelling it out for him, Boult holds the tiny fingers of another boy, who wants to ‘hand-shake’, but is too shy to do so. It also helps he bowls all right: Boult is the leading-wicket taker* of the team thus far.

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Two world-class bowlers. Two crowd-favourites. Two good fellas. But room only for one. Such is the dynamics of the squad system, and it has helped that despite Steyn’s probable disappointment – it’s understood he wasn’t even inclined to grant dug-out interviews to the broadcaster during the matches he sat out – he has swiftly killed even the slightest notion of uneasiness with a resounding endorsement of Boult. “I don’t know whether you are trying to look for something [controversial],” Steyn tells ESPNcricinfo with a laugh.”It’s definitely the right decision [to play Boult] after the World Cup he had. We all know that someone is going to miss out. And it’s one guy out of the bowlers.””Most definitely not [feeling threatened]. I’ll back myself over anybody anytime to get the job done. I use an example: I hate riding in the passengers’ seat. I am the guy that wants to drive, and it’s the same thing when there is a cricket game on. But it is not my life that’s at stake. I’m the first one to be honest and say, ‘I understand that. That’s cool,’ and I am able to go ahead with it.”Steyn’s “episode” with Grant Elliott in the World Cup semi-final showed there is room in competitive sport for personal empathy. “It takes a humble man to be able to come and pick up somebody like that,” Steyn says of Elliott’s gesture. “And it takes a man to also stand up from there and say thank you very much. I think it was one of the better moments I have had in my cricket career.”Beyond the bonhomie, though, the Boult-Steyn conundrum is a real issue for Sunrisers to grapple with. Imagine signing up Al Pacino and Robert De Niro only for the script to accommodate just one of them in any given scene.”Ideally both of us opening the bowling together would be just fantastic,” Steyn says. “But unfortunately our line-up is not set up like that.”This isn’t a situation that’s unique to Sunrisers. Almost every team in the IPL strives for balance, which essentially means slotting in genuine allrounders. Mumbai Indians have, for instance, played seam-bowling allrounder Corey Anderson ahead of a pure fast bowler like Mitchell McClenaghan, until the former had to sit out of the Royal Challengers Bangalore game with an injury.Teams like Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, too, have the luxury of quality allrounders like James Faulkner and Dwayne Bravo, who lengthen an already formidable batting order. Sunrisers face a double whammy in this regard: neither do they have a robust batting line-up, nor do they have a first-rate specialist allrounder.And it isn’t as if the wickets they are playing their home matches on – in Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad – are responsive to quick bowling. In fact, the sluggish nature of the surface in Visakhapatnam during the Sunrisers-Rajasthan game was criticised by both the camps.All these provide the context to Ravi Bopara’s presence as one of the overseas players, the batting allrounder required to contribute with his medium pace. “It’s difficult because, if you are going to play both [Steyn and Boult], you have a short batting line-up,” Bopara tells ESPNcricinfo.”Maybe [we are light on batting]. I think our batting hasn’t really fired apart from that [the Bangalore game], so it’s pretty dangerous to leave out a batsman for another bowler. Then again, it’s a dangerous attack when you have got them coming in. If you bowl a team out for 130-140, our top-four batsmen can score that.”Without Boult and Steyn playing together, Sunrisers have conceded 160-plus in the three of their four matches, with Chennai Super Kings piling on 209 in Chennai. In a seam-heavy attack with Karn Sharma being the lone spinner, Bopara is Sunrisers’ second-highest wicket-taker with four scalps, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3), Praveen Kumar (2), Ashish Reddy (2) and Karn (2) have all chipped in as well. Only once have they bowled out an opposition.As exciting as the proposition of a Steyn-Boult duet is, with the former providing the neck-vein bulging counterpoint to the New Zealander’s nerveless swing-bowling, it is difficult to predict if and when that will happen. The Kings XI Punjab game on April 27 might present the best opportunity yet with it being played in seam-friendly Mohali.But as Steyn puts it, their pairing “might not happen, it might happen, and when it doesn’t happen you just got to come and roll with it.”If and when it does happen, it’s guaranteed box-office bonanza.

The deal is initially only for the ODI leg of Bangladesh’s tour of South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2022Albie Morkel has joined the Bangladesh men’s national team as the power-hitting coach for the ODI leg of their tour of South Africa. On Tuesday, Morkel linked up with the Bangladesh touring party at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, where they are playing an intra-squad practice match.The BCB had expressed the desire to add a power-hitting coach to the support staff line-up soon after Bangladesh’s poor performance at the T20 World Cup last year.”He [Morkel] will be with the ODI team for a week or so. He will help the batters,” Jalal Yunus, the BCB’s cricket operations chairman, said. “We will see how it goes, and then decide what happens afterwards.”This is the second turn as a coach for 40-year-old Morkel, who played one Test, 58 ODIs and 50 T20Is for South Africa between 2004 and 2015, after playing the role of assistant coach for the Namibia men’s national team soon after retiring from the game in January 2019.BCB has been in the process of revamping the coaching staff of the senior men’s team. Currently, Khaled Mahmud is the team director while Russell Domingo is the head coach. Batting coach Jamie Siddons is working with the specialist Test batters in a separate camp in Cape Town, while Domingo and the rest – including Allan Donald, the new fast-bowling coach, and Morkel – are in Johannesburg with the ODI squad. Apart from them, spin-bowling coach Rangana Herath and fielding coach Shane McDermott are also with the squad.Bangladesh will play three ODIs against South Africa, as part of the ODI Super League, on March 18, 20 and 23. They will also play two World Test Championship matches from March 31.

Pakistan allrounder Shoaib Malik has been given a category A contract by the PCB for the period between July 2015 and June 2016

Umar Farooq05-Sep-2015Pakistan allrounder Shoaib Malik has been given a category A contract by the PCB for the period between July 2015 and June 2016, while offspinner Saeed Ajmal and fast bowler Junaid Khan were demoted to category B.

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