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Gambhir told senior India player R Ashwin that India’s T20I squad selection should be based on IPL performances

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-20242:26

What impact has Gambhir had on KKR this season?

Gautam Gambhir has said that “creating hype” around young Indian players based on specific criteria such as bowling speeds can “backfire” and “deviate” them from hard work. The Kolkata Knight Riders mentor, who’s also one of the frontrunners to take up the India coach job, said team selection in T20Is should be based on IPL performances but not solely on batting averages or bowling speeds.”In India we start creating so much of hype with these young cricketers coming through,” Gambhir said on R Ashwin’s YouTube channel. “Everyone gets excited if someone is bowling 150 clicks. The point is you need to look at the conditions as well. Going forward in T20 cricket, the average and runs will have no impact. It is the strike rate, when you select a batter, and when you have to select a bowler, it is the kind of tough overs he can bowl. That will be the discussion that will happen in next two or three years.”We keep talking about the amount of runs and averages, and all that stuff, someone bowling 150s. Sometimes when you go in conditions like West Indies or Bangladesh, you don’t need someone bowling 150. You need someone who bowls cutters as well. That is where the vision lies with the selectors. Sometimes you pick raw talent. But creating so much hype after two or three games, we need to have a balanced approach.Related

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“The graph goes [up and down] in India, and it is not good for a young player. That is where the experts and commentators need to be balanced when it comes to these young players. It is easy for them to get deviated from the hard work and the good things they are doing. Because suddenly when you start talking about a young player doing well, it can backfire for them.Gautam Gambhir: ‘Easy for youngsters to get deviated from hard work’•CAB

Gambhir emphasised the importance of domestic cricket and added that IPL performances shouldn’t influence selection for red-ball cricket.”India’s T20I side should be selected from IPL [performances],” Gambhir said. “For 50-over format, it should be selected from Vijay Hazare, and your Test side should be selected from your first-class cricket, red-ball cricket. As simple as that. If you start selecting people for 50-over format or red-ball cricket from an IPL competition, you are making a lot of shortcuts for a lot of these young players to not focus on red-ball cricket or 50-overs format, and you are walking on the edge.”

Gambhir – ‘Two new balls in ODIs the worst thing in cricket’

The introduction of the two new balls rule in ODIs, in 2011, has been “the worst thing” that has happened in cricket, Gambhir said. He also added that the rule has led to fingerspinners fading away, saying that was the reason the likes of Ashwin and Australia’s Nathan Lyon haven’t made it big in the 50-over format then on.”The worst thing that has happened in cricket is the introduction of two new balls,” Gambhir told Ashwin. “You’ve taken the entire skill of a fingerspinner away from the game, whether it’s a left-arm spinner or offspinner. You’ve got two new balls, you’ve got five fielders inside, how do you expect a fingerspinner to get anything out of a surface and how do you expect a fingerspinner to be included in the playing XI?”You’ve taken out two of the best fingerspinners in the world – you [Ashwin] and Nathan Lyon. The reason why you guys didn’t play was there was nothing for you guys. If you were bowling the 20th over, you’re bowling with a 10-over new ball, and with five fielders inside and on a flat track. And with big bats, and with power-hitters, and with small boundaries, and with smaller boundaries and on top of that DRS. It’s not about you and Nathan Lyon. It’s about the job of ICC. The job of ICC is that you promote every kind of bowler who wants to become an offspinner and fingerspinner. Tell me how many youngsters going forward want to take up fingerspin? This art of bowling offspin or left-arm spin? No one would want to, because they know they’ve got no future in white-ball cricket.”Gambhir added that the ICC should have looked to “change the ball manufacturers” than change the rule that has gone on to affect the players.”I love that format or the rule where you had one new ball. It’s not a player’s problem. If the ball manufacturer can’t keep the ball in good shape for 50 overs, might as well change the manufacturer. Don’t introduce two new balls because one ball can’t hold whatever colour for 50 overs. That’s a manufacturer’s problem. When people talk about taking wickets in the middle innings suddenly they realise that the only wicket-takers could be wristspinners. Unless you’ve got a carom ball or a flicker, but where is the art of bowling genuine offspin or a left-arm spin which can beat people in the air or off the wicket as well?”Because there’s nothing off the wicket and you’ve got five fielders inside. So I think ICC has messed it up and we can change it going forward and have one ball for entire 50 overs.”

However he added that the former coach lost ‘a fair few players’ during his tenure

AAP10-Jan-2023David Warner claims Cricket Australia’s decision to only offer Justin Langer a six-month contract was a “kick in the face”, while admitting the coach lost several key players in the team.The build up to and fallout of Langer’s exit as coach last year is a key focus of the second season of documentary, which will be released on Friday on Prime Video.Langer’s departure at the end of last summer came after Cricket Australia took on board concerns over the coach’s intensity at the end of his initial four-year deal. He was offered a new six-month contract with no chance of an extension, which he promptly rejected and resigned.Langer has since made clear his frustration over the situation, speaking out in several interviews and columns before the start of the Test summer.Related

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Warner’s comments come after after Tim Paine also labelled the short contract “embarrassing”, “unprofessional” and “a disgrace” in his autobiography, claiming CA took the easy way out knowing Langer would not accept it.”He wanted to keep coaching. It was a bit of a kick in the face to offer him a six-month contract,” Warner said in the documentary.Regardless, Warner also laid bare the situation within the squad. “He lost a fair few players, and probably the wrong players,” he said.The documentary shows the players speaking candidly on the Langer issue, with captain Pat Cummins telling AAP this week he is hopeful it can provide context and take some of the heat out of any lingering public anger over the matter.In the first episode of the series, Cummins says players were walking on eggshells around the coach, while Usman Khawaja reveals others were afraid of Langer.Nathan Lyon admits he struggled with Langer’s up-and-down nature, with the former Test opener known for riding every ball.Players, however, also make clear Langer’s significant influence in the rebuild from the ball-tampering scandal and the revival of the national team’s public image. But, Cummins is adamant the decision to move on from Langer should not have come as a shock.”The Ashes, it all came to a head because his contract came up,” Cummins told viewers. “There was nothing out of the blue. We had spoken about a lot of these things over the previous 18 months to two years He was brilliant when we needed him in those initial years.”Cummins and other players reasoned the team had wanted to create a more level player-driven environment after the 2020-21 home series loss to India.”The team had changed a lot over a four-year period,” quick Josh Hazlewood said.  “We were probably in need of a different support staff and different coach, as opposed to four years ago when JL started.”

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.”

Daddy long-legs larvae have damaged the outfield at Hove

Matt Roller17-Mar-2021Sussex are considering switching the venue for their first County Championship fixture of the season against Lancashire from Hove to Old Trafford due to a bug infestation.The teams are due to meet twice within the first four rounds of the season, with Sussex’s home game scheduled from April 8-11 at Hove and the return fixture at Old Trafford from April 29-May 2. But the clubs have been discussing the possibility of reversing the venues while the Hove groundstaff deal with a plague of larvae that has damaged the outfield.It is understood that the bugs in question are leatherjackets, the larvae of European crane flies (more commonly known as daddy long-legs). They lay their eggs in soil, which then hatch out and feed on the roots of plants – in this case, the grass on the outfield. The square, however, has not been damaged.Related

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The insecticide that was commonly used to treat the issue has been banned in the UK since 2016, but Sussex are hopeful that it will only be a short-term problem, and remain confident that their home fixture against Yorkshire on April 22 will be able to go ahead as planned. A firm decision on the venue for the season opener will be made at the end of next week.A Sussex spokesperson said: “We’re making good progress on getting the outfield ready for the start of the season and remain hopeful of hosting Lancashire at The 1st Central County Ground as planned. We will assess the conditions at the end of next week and the two clubs will then make a decision on where the fixture will be played.”Because both the LV= Insurance County Championship fixtures between Sussex and Lancashire will be played behind closed doors, if the home and away matches are switched, spectators would not be affected. Our thanks go to Lancashire for their understanding and cooperation in this matter.”Lancashire were contacted for comment.

Spinner stakes her claim with Player-of-the-Match performance

Valkerie Baynes23-Sep-2020Sarah Glenn took a big step in her mission to prove herself as an all-round prospect for England with a match-winning performance on the international stage.Glenn claimed the important wickets of Deandra Dottin and Stafanie Taylor as part of England’s three-pronged spin attack, who shared six of West Indies’ eight wickets to fall between them as the hosts romped to another comfortable victory in their T20I series in Derby on Wednesday night.But it was Derby native Glenn’s knock of 26 from 19 balls as England’s top-scorer that, in this instance, set her apart from fellow spinners Mady Villiers and Sophie Ecclestone as Player of the Match.Not only did she help salvage what proved to be a decent total for England, but Glenn did exactly what coach Lisa Keightley had asked of the side she took over in January when identifying areas to improve after the World Cup – score runs in the lower order. And, after England failed to do so in the opening match of the series – losing five wickets and adding just 31 runs in the last five overs – the task took on more urgency, with captain Heather Knight reiterating the objective before the second game.”It really means a lot because I really, really don’t want to try and be seen as just a bowler or batter, I want to be seen as a genuine allrounder,” Glenn said after the match. “I’ve been working hard on my batting over the last few years to be genuine allrounder.”ALSO READ: Glenn shines with bat and ball as England take 2-0 leadHaving turned 21 just last month and playing her 12th T20I, Glenn had only batted once before at this level, scoring 7 in Monday’s series opener, which England also won by 47 runs.And, after gaining a confidence boost with her bowling at the T20 World Cup earlier this year – where she claimed six wickets in four matches, including 3 for 15 against Pakistan – Glenn said the pandemic-enforced break between that tournament and this series had helped her return to action refreshed with bat and ball in mind.”I came back with a fresh mindset to just try and be really positive and I want to keep playing my attacking way, whatever the situation is,” Glenn said. “It felt really special to do it [make runs] with an England shirt on. I’ve been wanting to work my way up the order as well so it’s felt quite a special moment to get some runs today.”Glenn shared a 46-run partnership off 30 balls with veteran Katherine Brunt for the seventh wicket after England had stumbled to 96 for 6 in their second of five matches against West Indies. With Dottin and Taylor at the crease in West Indies’ reply, the tourists looked capable of overhauling the target of 152 but, when Glenn trapped Dottin lbw for 38 and had Taylor brilliantly stumped by Amy Jones for 28, they fell away.”It can be hard to bowl at these batters and you can end up going for a few runs in trying to figure out a way,” Glenn said. “I’ve just got to keep being brave and trust in my game for it to pay off.”Villiers was economical in claiming 2 for 10 from three overs, including another excellent stumping by Jones to remove Lee-Ann Kirby, while Ecclestone – the No.1 bowler on the ICC T20 rankings – snared late wickets that ensured only Dottin and Taylor reached double figures for West Indies.

Raghu Iyer, CEO of the Rising Pune Super Giants, believes IPL franchises did not go for international stars like Usman Khawaja and Martin Guptill because they did not want to upset their team balance

Arun Venugopal07-Feb-20164:49

‘Guptill going unsold defies logic’

Every IPL auction brings with it its regular quota of surprise picks and omissions. While many uncapped India players made the first category on Saturday’s auction, Usman Khawaja and Martin Guptill were probably the shock omissions this time around. Guptill has been one of the world’s best white-ball players in the past year; during this period, he averages 49.12 in nine T20Is with a strike rate of 165.12, besides scoring nearly 1600 runs at 63.72 in ODIs.Khawaja, on the other hand, is in the form of his life, having racked up three big hundreds and a fifty in his last five Test innings. More pertinently from an IPL perspective, he smashed 345 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 163.5 not too long ago to give Sydney Thunder their first Big Bash League title. Some of the other big names missing out were Mahela Jayawardene, Michael Hussey and George Bailey
The marketplace, though, is not given to such sentiments, and franchises said there were good reasons why they did not go for these players. “I think teams had very clear strategies at the top of the [batting] order,” Raghu Iyer, CEO of the Rising Pune Super Giants, told ESPNcricinfo.”Almost every team had a settled opening pair. We, too, had Faf du Plessis, and then bought Kevin Pietersen and Steven Smith. However good these players were we couldn’t accommodate them in our plans. [However] Khawaja was really unlucky not to have been picked by any team.”Another franchise’s mentor, however, said it was pointless to pick up players if the teams were not going to play them. “Although they are very good T20 players, all these teams have settled opening pairs,” he said. “If you look at Sunrisers Hyderabad, they have [David] Warner and Shikhar [Dhawan], Mumbai Indians have Lendl [Simmons] and Parthiv [Patel]. You don’t want a class player like Guptill or Khawaja to sit out the entire season.”Iyer felt this was an extension of the prudence that franchises have displayed in recent years when it comes to spending on foreign players. “Even in this auction they have been a lot more rational with their prices on foreign players. They went all out only for the players they wanted. In Shane Watson, RCB got the allrounder they wanted, likewise we went for Mitchell Marsh and Delhi for Chris Morris. These are sureshot picks in the playing XI.”The Indian boys, on the other hand, have gone for a lot of money. It’s sometimes difficult to predict the auction dynamics, but it augurs well for the Indian boys.”Iyer also said that a number of players were likely to not be bid for given the nature of the auction itself. “It’s a mini-auction with most teams going into it with a settled core already. Of course, in our case we had to build our entire squad and we are quite satisfied with we bought. But settled teams like MI or KKR were looking for back-ups and to plug a few holes here and there.”A member of the coaching staff of a franchise, however, said some players were not in the wishlist of teams because of their relative ineffectiveness in Indian conditions: “How much of Guptill’s performances are inside New Zealand and how much outside? There were doubts about his adaptability in Indian conditions. Even [RPSG coach] Stephen Fleming didn’t go for him.”Guptill has an average of 38.37 from the 10 ODIs he has played in India. He has, however, played only one T20I and scored five runs. Khawaja, though, did well in India last year when he captained the Australia A team and scored two fifties and a hundred in a tri-series featuring India and South Africa’s A sides.Players like Bailey or Hussey, despite his successful run with the Sydney Thunder, were perhaps deemed to be relatively high-priced. While Hussey had put his base price at INR 2 crore, Bailey sought one crore for his services. It is understood there were reservations in the Kings XI Punjab camp about Bailey’s ability to command a place in the side as a specialist batsman alone. “They might have thought that having him as captain blocked a slot for another foreign player, like Shaun Marsh,” an IPL insider said. “These things matter a great deal too.”

Marcus North hit a brilliant 137 not out as Glamorgan made it two wins from two matches in this season’s Yorkshire Bank 40 by overpowering a below-par Middlesex by 26 runs at Lord’s.

06-May-2013
ScorecardMarcus North, seen here for Perth, made his ninth List A hundred•Getty Images

Marcus North hit a brilliant 137 not out as Glamorgan made it two wins from two matches in this season’s Yorkshire Bank 40 by overpowering a below-par Middlesex by 26 runs at Lord’s.Glamorgan skipper and former Australia batsman North led from the front. He hit 16 fours and three sixes in his 98-ball innings and featured in an unbroken stand of 156 in just 16.3 overs with Jim Allenby, who scored 69 not out from 50 balls.Opener Will Bragg also contributed a 72-ball 62, riding some early luck against the new ball after Middlesex had decided to bowl first on an excellent surface.Bragg’s partnership of 86 in 16 overs with North got the Glamorgan innings going again after they slid to 38 for 2 when Mark Wallace was caught at first slip and Chris Cooke, later in the same over, was run out by Joe Denly’s direct hit from cover.Dawid Malan, Chris Rogers and Paul Stirling all briefly threatened to do something spectacular at the top of the Middlesex batting order but Will Owen took three wickets in 18 balls from the Pavilion End, after Allenby had initially removed Rogers.And, with slow left-arm spinner Dean Cosker also putting in a tight spell, it was only a matter of time from 110 for 4 – despite Berg’s late hitting – before Glamorgan’s victory was confirmed. Berg made a brave 75 from 57 balls but it only served to reduce the margin of victory.It was a fine effort by Glamorgan, who had totalled 285 for 7 from their 40 overs in the previous day’s 28-run win against Yorkshire at Colwyn Bay but then had to endure a near five-hour journey to London from north Wales before waking up to prepare for this match.Rogers, fresh from his match-saving County Championship double hundred against Surrey, produced some eye-catching strokes in his 22 before being caught off a leading edge at cover, but Malan had already survived a stumping chance on 35 when he fell at the same score, lifting a catch to point off Owen.Denly went for 11, caught at the wicket driving loosely at a wider ball from Owen, who then struck a crucial blow for his team by bowling the hard-hitting Stirling for 36 through an ugly legside heave.Neil Dexter drove one six over long on against Michael Hogan in his 24, but Hogan soon had him caught at deep cover and Berg was then left with only the tail for company. He hit Owen for two defiant sixes but saw wickets continue to tumble as John Simpson was caught at deep mid-off, Josh Davey was held at deep midwicket and Toby Roland-Jones also hit a catch into the deep. Berg was finally ninth out, bowled by Hogan after hitting six fours besides his two sixes.The North-Allenby partnership was far too much for Middlesex. Hardly anything got past the bat, once they both got their eye in, as they took full advantage of a superb batting pitch and Middlesex’s attack was beginning to look very ragged by the time the overs ran out.The last five overs of the innings brought 60 runs and, in all, 180 runs were plundered from the last 20.3 overs only for the loss of Bragg, who was athletically held by a diving Tom Smith at backward point off Davey.North’s first six was swung over midwicket off a Dexter full toss, just before Glamorgan’s 200 arrived in the 34th over, and he later added a powerful hit into the grandstand off Roland-Jones’s penultimate ball of the innings.Allenby, too, produced some meaty blows as he went past 50 from 39 balls, including a full-blooded club over wide long on from a couple of steps down the pitch against an astonished Corey Collymore.

Owais Shah made an unbeaten hundred as Essex fought back with bat and ball on day two against Hampshire

Ivo Tennant at West End05-Sep-2012
ScorecardOwais Shah was in fine form as Essex turned a first-innings deficit into a sizeable lead•PA Photos

A commonplace remark was made after Andrew Strauss announced his retirement last week. It was that Owais Shah, when a young cricketer making his way alongside Strauss with Middlesex, was the better prospect.If coaches and colleagues speculated which of the two might play in 100 Test matches, they settled on the right-hander with an array of shots not seen since Mark Ramprakash was attracting similar notices.Strauss has had the stellar career, but at least Shah is still playing. His has been a mixed and wet summer, but that has been the case with so many batsmen. A century against Glamorgan, one half-century and a string of twenties and thirties until he came out to bat here with Essex still in arrears as a result of insufficient runs in their first innings. A second, unbeaten century was the upshot, one brimming with fluent drives in easier conditions than on the first day.How Essex required this contribution, even if they had done markedly well to restrict Hampshire to a first-innings lead of only 49, taking their remaining six wickets in the morning for just 64 runs. When Tom Westley was held at second slip, playing away from his body at David Balcombe, Shah’s side were in need of a long partnership. He and Jaik Mickleburgh provided one.They put on 193 in 60 overs for the second wicket. Why Shah has not achieved more is a judgement best left to the likes of Graham Gooch and Keith Fletcher. Suffice to say he is still a delight to watch. Having reached a half-century off 72 balls with ten fours, he struck Liam Dawson, who in the absence of Danny Briggs was given a supportive spin role to the medium pacers, straight for six and then, next ball, drove him along the ground to the long-on boundary. There were some low-slung pulls and the running between the wickets was eager.His century came up with his 18th four, driven past mid-off. Sean Ervine was the hapless bowler. At this point Shah had double Mickleburgh’s tally – 100 to 52 – but that was just as well. The situation required one of the batsmen to accumulate, or, if nothing else, simply to stay in. Too many Essex wickets have fallen too cheaply in this match and plenty more runs will be required on the third day. Mickleburgh was finally caught at slip off Simon Katich’s underused unorthodox left-arm spin, having made 73 off 206 balls with ten fours.What to make of the pitch? As with most cut by Nigel Gray this season, it has played better after the first three or four sessions. At the outset, grass is left on for the benefit of the side winning the toss.Reece Topley, bowling from the pavilion end, took three wickets in quick succession upon resumption in the morning, having James Vince caught behind, Bilal Shafayat at gully without addition and Michael Bates leg-before aiming to mid-on.David Balcombe was leg-before to Maurice – pronounced with felicitation by John White, the tannoy announcer – Chambers; Ervine, having made 43, was held at deep square leg and Hampshire, all in all, had batted only a little less indifferently than Essex, at a time when they have to extend their splendid form in one-day cricket into the first-class game if they are to be promoted.

West Indian fans are approaching the Sabina Park Test with optimism because of its reportedly fast pitch

Sriram Veera in Kingston19-Jun-2011There’s hope in the Caribbean air. You can feel it at Sabina Park. You can hear it in the chuckle of Charles Josephs, the curator, and in conversations with ground staff. “This is Jamaica. Not Mumbai. The ball will bounce and get your men,” is its essence. A simple, age-old theory: bounce the Indians and expect them to wilt. Though we’ll have to wait to see how the pitch actually plays, and whether West Indies’ fast bowlers can unsettle India’s batsmen, it can only be a good thing that home fans are approaching the Test with optimism, considering the shenanigans beyond the boundary.There is confidence in the West Indian camp as well. Darren Sammy, the captain, expects the pitch to suit his bowlers, who will be aggressive. Even young Darren Bravo said “a few of the Indians can get intimidated.” Ian Bishop, a former West Indian fast bowler and commentator, isn’t convinced a few Indian players, Suresh Raina for instance, can handle the bounce and pace.”This is the pitch that suits our style,” Sammy said. “We managed to restrict India to 250 and the batters were very comfortable chasing it. The mindset is different, the batsmen are confident that the ball won’t spin like it did in the first three ODIs. Records speak that if you have more firepower, you have a better chance against India.”Darren Sammy says the Sabina Park pitch will suit West Indies better than it will India•Associated Press

Sammy’s presence in the Test side is still a thorny issue, though. Does he upset the balance? Wouldn’t Fidel Edwards or Andre Russell be a better pick? Is Sammy weakening the attack? “My role has been the same since I started playing for West Indies,” Sammy said. “I am a stock bowler. I go out and do it to the best of my ability.” If he can be a consistent performer with the bat, it wouldn’t be so bad. “I am disappointed that my Test batting hasn’t been as consistent as it should be, but I am working hard.”Sammy expects West Indies to restrict India to less than 300. “In the last two games played here, the most recent one was against England, both teams scored around 300 in first innings. The one before was against Australia. We lost by 60 runs. We restricted them to just over 250. If we restrict them [India] to under 300 or so and can get a lead …”West Indies’ batting, though, has been the discipline with the most problems in the recent past. Sammy is confident that Kingston’s conditions will help. “Our batsmen will favour their chances against Indian bowlers knowing the type of wicket we will get,” he said. “Harbhajan is very experienced and Mishra has given us some trouble. You can’t be complacent. This wicket would be suited to our batsmen. I am expecting our batsmen to give a better show.”Adrian Barath, Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo, who comprise the top order, are light on experience, but Sammy highlighted their quality. “Barath is very promising cricketer. He scored a hundred in his first Test. He is coming back from injury but we all know his mental strength. He has the mental capability to carry on with his starts. Young Darren Bravo came to form in the last ODI and Simmons is in good nick. He knows his game and executes his plans. The top order might be short of experience but they have the game to do it.”

There was barely a moment on the second day in which Glamorgan relinquished their strengthening grip on this match, and by the close of play their lead had stretched to an imposing 367

Liam Brickhill at Lord's20-May-2011
ScorecardThere was barely a moment on the second day in which Glamorgan relinquished their strengthening grip on this match, and by the close of play their lead had stretched to an imposing 367. The feebleness of Middlesex’s batting effort yesterday – taking nothing away from James Harris’s well-earned five-for – was thrown into stark relief by the ease with which Glamorgan’s batsman went about their business on the second day to reach 517 for 8 – their highest total at Lord’s, beating the 505 all out two seasons ago.Gareth Rees and William Bragg swelled their patient stand for the second wicket, begun yesterday afternoon, to 140 before they were parted, after which Ben Wright’s dashing hundred and some resolute batting from the lower order demoralised Middlesex even further.Middlesex appeared to give themselves something to fight for with two quick wickets on either side of lunch, but Glamorgan counter-attacked in fine style through Wright and wicketkeeper Mark Wallace’s rapid 119-run stand for the fifth wicket. Wright, in particular, looked keen and able to take charge, bursting out of the blocks to raise his half-century from just 46 deliveries.After losing his partner for a breezy 46, Wright slowed down in the company of Harris, who nudged and chipped his way to 41 – out of a stand of 60 – before he was bowled swiping at a Jamie Dalrymple offspinner. Wright shrugged off the setback to reach his hundred from the 127th ball he faced, but then top-edged a pull at his 128th to be easily caught by Scott Newman at mid-on.Glamorgan’s lead had already passed 250 by that stage, and there was to be no respite as Robert Croft and Graham Wagg eased their way through a 101-run partnership at better than four an over. Wagg became the fourth batsmen of the innings to pass 50, racing to the mark from 66 deliveries, and had swung his way merrily to an innings worth 63 that included nine fours and a six before he played one shot too many to Dexter, driving straight to mid-off. The dismissal came moments before stumps and Alviro Petersen will now have the pleasure of considering whether or not to declare overnight, his team in total control.Middlesex’s best chance of gaining a foot-hold in this match had come in the morning when, under mostly grey skies, the ball had nipped around once more and both Rees and Bragg were beaten outside off stump in the opening spells of Gareth Berg and Corey Collymore. The edge never came, however, and after 40 minutes, Dexter turned to Toby Roland-Jones and Tim Murtagh in the hope of forcing a breakthrough.Bragg, who had been so strong through cover point on Thursday afternoon, showed that he also has a good pull shot, going for the stroke even with two men out at deep square and long leg, and using it to good effect as he put Murtagh away with authority to move into the 80s. He fell against the run of play shortly afterwards to the same bowler, the seamer getting one to move back into his pads down the slope to dismiss him lbw for 87.Murtagh was at least more consistent in line and length than he had been yesterday evening, and bowled much straighter – particularly after the wicket. The wicket breathed new life into an attack about which there is an undeniable sameness and who thus require such moments of inspiration. Murtagh found an extra yard and at the end of an hour-long spell then prised Rees from the crease in similar fashion to the previous dismissal, the Umpire upholding an appeal after the left-hander had been caught on the crease and pinged on the pad in front of middle twenty minutes before lunch.Mike Powell departed to the second ball after the interval, getting a feather on one that left him off the pitch, and, having reduced Glamorgan to 230 for 5, there was still hope for Middlesex to limit the damage. Any such ambitions dissipated steadily over the course of the afternoon, and Middlesex now face a Herculean task if they are to salvage a draw from this game.