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“Never ever miss the birth of your children, because it is one of the great things you will ever do”

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2020″Of course it will have an impact,” Australia coach Justin Langer said when asked about Virat Kohli returning home after the first Test in Australia later this year for the birth of his first child. Using an Aussie Rules Football parallel, Langer likened Kohli’s absence to “taking Dustin Martin out of Richmond”, but stressed that even without their captain, India “are a very, very good team” and “we have to be on our toes all summer”.”Are we happy he is not playing? It’s like taking (AFL star) Dustin Martin out of Richmond,” Langer said with a laugh at a press interaction earlier today. “Of course it will have an impact, but we also know that India beat us last time (in 2018-19). They are a very, very good team. We cannot get complacent for a second with or without Virat.”So we are going to have to be on our toes all summer, and we’re looking forward to that.”Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting their first child around the turn of the year, and Kohli has asked for – and been granted – paternity leave. The tour will start with three ODIs, followed by three T20Is, with the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy played at the end. In a media statement earlier this week, the BCCI confirmed Kohli’s return after the first Test, which will be India’s first day-night Test overseas, but did not specify whether Kohli would rejoin the Indian Test squad at a later stage, though any return would have to negotiate strict quarantine protocols, adding to the time that he would not be available.As far as Langer was concerned, though, taking time off for “one of the great things you will ever do” was worth the sacrifice on Kohli’s part.”Virat Kohli is probably the best player I have ever seen in my life for so many reasons, not only his batting but his energy and passion for the game, the way he fields. I cannot believe he displays the energy he does in everything he does, and I’ve got so much respect for him,” Langer said. “I’ve also got respect for him in the sense that he’s made this decision (to take paternity leave).”He’s a human being like all of us. It’s the same with Kane Richardson. He sacrificed the IPL so that he could be at the birth of his son a couple of days ago. So if I was giving advice to any of my players, I would always say never ever miss the birth of your children, because it is one of the great things you will ever do. Virat’s a human being, and I respect his decision.”The Indian contingent – without Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma, who are both carrying injuries – reached Sydney from the UAE on Thursday, and have gone into two weeks’ quarantine straightaway.

Player contracts, Kolpak status and long-term strategy on the table

Matt Roller30-Apr-20202020 contractsThe Hundred was due to begin on July 17•Getty Images

The contracts players signed after October’s draft were composed of two parts: a player appearance contract and an employment contract. Players have received a small percentage – around 5% – of their overall fee to date, and were due to receive a total of 20% of their fees before the tournament’s planned launch in mid-July.ESPNcricinfo understands that players are yet to be told the final sum they will receive this year, but the fact the competition has been postponed this far in advance will likely reduce it, as that money was due to be paid pro rata based on date.That means that while some of the top earners in the men’s competition could still be paid around £15,000 without playing a game, the ECB will save the majority of the £9 million it was due to pay in player wages this year (£8m to men’s squads, £1m to women’s). A further £1.7 million had been put aside for the salaries of coaches and support staff, the majority of which will be saved.Some players, including Tymal Mills and Harry Gurney, had taken out insurance on their contracts, but are unlikely to receive a full payout since most policies only cover injuries and rely on the tournament being played.The PCA is working collaboratively with the ECB to iron out the details, and conversations will take place on Thursday afternoon between PCA representatives and some senior players involved in the Hundred to discuss the situation.”Those discussions are under way,” Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, told the BBC. “The contracts contemplate situations like this – obviously not the exact situation, but we do have the ability to have those discussions through what is written down in the contracts.”RetentionsDane Vilas was a top-bracket pick in the Hundred draft but may not get to play in the competition•Getty Images

Under the tournament’s existing retention regulations, seen by ESPNcricinfo, each team would be able to retain up to ten players from its 15-man squad, at a salary band negotiated with the player. The most likely solution is for something similar to that system to be used, with a smaller draft taking place at some point this winter.Possible alternatives might include a complete re-draft or an attempt to leave the squads as they are, but neither approach seems likely to work in practice.The first option would render last October’s draft futile, and its legality would be in question given it would seemingly breach the regulations underpinning player contracts.The latter is likely to be impossible due to the fact that several teams have signed Kolpak players in non-overseas slots, and the expectation that the loophole will close when the UK leaves the European Union at the end of the year means they will have to be classified as overseas players in the 2021 edition. For example, Welsh Fire’s squad contains at least four non-overseas players – Colin Ingram, Ravi Rampaul, Simon Harmer and Leus du Plooy – who are unlikely to qualify as ‘locals’ next year.ALSO READ: ECB should seek private capital to prop up Hundred, says reportThat obstacle may yet be avoided if the UK government seeks an extension to the transition period – the deadline for that eventuality is June 30 – but sticking with something similar to the planned model seems to be the most likely solution. While the PCA has publicly backed increasing the number of overseas player permitted in the County Championship and the One-Day Cup from one to two, it has not suggested the same move in the T20 Blast or the Hundred, reasoning that it would reduce the number of opportunities for local players too much.If the planned retention rules are used, teams may be willing to let some of their overseas stars go in the expectation that a different set of players will be available next summer, when the Future Tours Programme (FTP) is currently emptier – although existing gaps in the calendar may well be filled with postponed series.”If we can get other international players who were not available this year to make the Hundred even stronger for next year through a mini draft then we can attract a new audience to come and watch cricket,” Moeen Ali, Birmingham Phoenix’s captain, said on Wednesday.”We have a commitment to deliver the Hundred in the way we set out to deliver it this year,” Harrison said. “We will be having discussions with players who have been selected through the draft – there are decisions to be made about that.”It is understood that some teams have already begun to discuss likely retention strategies, and further conversations among support staff are likely over the coming weeks and months once the picture becomes clearer. Several coaches spoke about wanting to build a squad that would lay the foundations of success over multiple seasons rather than just targeting the 2020 edition at last year’s draft.There will undoubtedly be some players that miss out in the short term. For example, Dane Vilas was signed for £125,000 by Manchester Originals as a local player in October’s draft, but is significantly less likely to secure a contract if he finds himself competing for one against overseas talent. Players like Liam Plunkett (35) and Ryan ten Doeschate (39) might find age counts against them going into 2021, while young domestic players looking at a substantial payday like Tom Abell and Phil Salt (both £100,000 buys for the Originals) will miss out on what represents a life-changing sum of money for this year at least.Perhaps more pressingly, the tournament’s postponement could leave women’s cricketers without a central contract in the lurch. Several players expected to become professional this summer despite not having an England contract, through a combination of one of the 40 available contracts at the new regional hubs, and a Hundred deal. While the ECB’s £20 million investment into the women’s game over the next two years has been ring-fenced, those players face a significant short-term setback.2021 and beyondECB chief executive Tom Harrison•Getty Images

The tournament’s many critics have suggested that this is the perfect time to shelve it for good. The circumstances are not dissimilar to those in which the ‘P20′ competition, initially planned as a rival to the IPL involving teams from overseas, was shelved in 2009, with the global financial crisis and resulting recession meaning launching a new, lucrative competition became unpalatable.But the Hundred is significantly further down the line in terms of planning: it forms a central part of the ECB’s strategy for both the men’s and women’s game, and the ink has dried on sponsorship deals and broadcast contracts. And while the costs of the competition’s first season are substantial (not far short of £60 million) that figure includes the £1.3m payments to each county that will be even more vital to their survival following a year without income.That means that the ECB holds the cards over the tournament’s future and is relatively unlikely to face demands for change. Harrison confirmed in a media release that “the Hundred will go ahead in 2021 when we are safely able to deliver everything we intended to help grow the game” and said that there would be “an even greater need for the Hundred” following the Covid-19 crisis and the financial disruption it has already caused English cricket.This week, a report from advisory firm Oakwell Sports suggested opening the competition up to private investment and moving to a franchise model in order to make significant savings. Although the ECB are unlikely to want to cede control over the teams, Harrison conceded that the current circumstances would require them to be open-minded about investment.Asked by Sky Sports if the postponement represented an opportunity to look at a different business model, Harrison said: “Yes, it does, and maybe coronavirus and the financial impact of coronavirus forces us into a place where we have to look at some of those opportunities. But that is something we will do with the game, and certainly not something that we’ll jump into because we are broadly in a very strong position as a game. And I’m very confident that we can, in partnership with the game, build our way out of this.”Instead, the onus will be on cutting costs where possible. For example, the significant sum allocated to coaches’ wages might be considered a luxury the tournament cannot afford. The same is true of the £5.8 million allocated for ‘event delivery’ and £1.5 million for ‘admin’, while paying men’s players with white-ball central contracts up to £125,000 each seems like a significant expense which could be avoided via an allocation system similar to that used for those on red-ball contracts.

However, he is a bit wary of the slowness of pitches in the UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2020VVS Laxman, the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting mentor, feels that empty stands won’t affect the quality of cricket in the 2020 IPL but he is a little wary of the nature of pitches in the UAE.The Sunrisers, along with the Delhi Capitals, are the last of the eight IPL sides to reach the UAE. Both sides took the same chartered flight and landed in the UAE on Sunday. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the tournament will be played behind closed doors in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.”I can assure all the fans of the game that they will really enjoy the competition even though there won’t be any crowd or any spectators on the ground,” Laxman said in a video released by the franchise on Sunday. “Don’t ever think that the energy or the quality of cricket will come down.”Probably the wickets may be on the slower side but we have to just wait and see because we may just be surprised with the efforts put in by the ground staff. The outfield will be fantastic but the wickets are something that I hope will be well taken care of by the ground staff.”In the 2020 IPL auction, the Sunrisers had focused on young Indian middle-order batsmen. They picked Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad and Virat Singh among others. Laxman said that it was a conscious effort on part of the management. “In the auction, it was a very intentional effort to have the youngsters. While they are youngsters, they are all the most prolific performers in domestic cricket. When you see the composition of our team, we had a lot of experienced players from both overseas and India. But when we look at the domestic players, we [were] required to strengthen our batting, especially our middle-order batting. So we went with the performer in the last couple of seasons.”Ahead of the auction, the Sunrisers had made changes to their coaching personnel too. Trevor Bayliss replaced Tom Moody as the head coach, while Brad Haddin came in for Simon Helmot as the assistant coach. Haddin and Bayliss have worked together before, winning the 2012 Champions League T20 for Sydney Sixers as captain and coach, respectively. Bayliss had also coached the Kolkata Knight Riders from 2012 to 2015, a period during which they won two IPL titles. Laxman is upbeat about the prospect of working with both of them.”Trevor is one of the most successful coaches in world cricket; England won the World Cup for the first time under his coaching,” Laxman said. “He is someone who I have always admired and all the interactions I have had with him have been excellent – I learnt something with every interaction. He is a cool, calm person and an amazing human being. At the same time, he has the temperament of handling the best of teams and the best of players.”I played against Brad Haddin a lot when I was playing for India and he is someone who is a hardcore competitor. He will definitely give 100% or probably more than 100% as the assistant coach. I am looking forward to working with both Trevor and Brad.”

As the third Test hardened into a battles of wills and wiles, England were hauled into a position of relative strength by a maiden Test half-century from James Taylor

The Report by Alan Gardner02-Nov-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAs the third Test hardened into a battle of wills and wiles, England were hauled into a position of relative strength by a maiden Test half-century from James Taylor. His unbeaten 74 helped take England to within touching distance of Pakistan’s first-innings 234 at the close and bound together a hitherto porous middle order on a pitch that yielded every run grudgingly.It was hard going but England were determined not to squander the gains achieved by their bowlers on Sunday. A surface that had threatened mayhem – as least by recent UAE standards – on the first day was increasingly cowed, a slow outfield providing a further obstruction to scoring. This England team may not appear adept at grafting but they dutifully buckled down to add 218 runs from the allocated 90 overs.It was an innings shaped in the image of their captain, Alastair Cook, who plotted England’s initial course in pursuit of a series-levelling victory. His 49 from 119 balls was a rate of scoring that came naturally but Ian Bell, his senior partner in the top order, was even more abstemious, curbing his natural instincts to make 40 off 159, a rate of 25.31. He had actually struck his seventh ball for six, in an attempt to push back the field, and was eventually lured out by Yasir Shah to be stumped after two sessions of hard labour.England had turned to Taylor in a bid to add some fibre lower down and he duly repaid the faith. Playing his first Test innings since two brief appearances against South Africa in 2012, he was quickly attuned to the conditions, ensuring that his movements back and forward were decisive, particularly against the spinners – all six of his fours were struck off Yasir and Zulfiqar Babar.At times Taylor went down on one knee and turned his back on the ball as it bounced through to the keeper, as if preparing to guard his wicket bodily. His only moments of alarm came against the pace of Rahat Ali, with Pakistan venturing an optimistic review against him on 11, hoping in vain for either an edge to the keeper or an lbw. When he had made 52, a defensive jab towards his toes left him facing his wicket, wondering where the ball had gone as it rolled past his stumps.His partnership with Jonny Bairstow, who also showed commendable resolve as Pakistan sought a chink in his technique, helped lift England from 139 for 4 and the possibility of trouble. Pakistan made early breakthroughs in each of the three sessions but, even though the run rate was occasionally allowed to stall, England blotted out the memory of their collapse in Dubai and redoubled their efforts in pursuit of a match-defining lead.Cook had relied on his usual formula of judicious defence and deliberate accumulation but a couple of nervy inside-edges against Yasir proved a harbinger of what was to come. He had 48 at lunch but only added a single to his score thereafter before a faint deflection on to his pads was claimed by short leg; Cook looked suspicious of Chris Gaffaney’s decision to give it out but sensibly chose not to review.It was Cook’s third dismissal out of three to Yasir – a detail the great impresario of legspin, Shane Warne, would be sure to make his opponent aware of – and prevented him from ploughing his productive furrow in the UAE landscape. Barren for so many on England’s previous tour, this time around it has provided fertile soil for the captain and when he pulled Yasir for four to move on to 45 he surpassed what was previously his most prolific calendar year, 1287 in 2010.Root is the only man close to Cook as the leading run-scorer in 2015 but he could only take his tally on by 4, to 1282, before falling to what is becoming a familiar left-arm suckerpunch, Rahat Ali finding the edge of a loose drive and Sarfraz Ahmed taking a fine low catch in his right hand.Bell was becalmed but seemed more comfortable than he had all series and was happy to let his partners dictate the tempo, scoring just 40 out of 120 while in the middle. Boundaries were in short supply but Taylor showed nimble feet and fast hands in swatting Yasir away whenever he dropped a fraction short, his diminutive stature an advantage in such conditions. He and Bairstow put further pressure on Pakistan by stealing singles wherever possible.Alastair Cook looked steady before falling for 49•Getty Images

The early loss of Moeen Ali was the only damage Pakistan managed to inflict in the first session. After the success of James Anderson and Stuart Broad on the first day, Misbah-ul-Haq opened with his two seamers, Wahab Riaz and Rahat. It was not long before he turned to spin, however, and that looked the likeliest source of a breakthrough, despite the turn being less pronounced.Bell has been a jittery starter against Pakistan’s spinners and, after hitting Babar over long-off, the bowler responded by spinning a delivery past his outside edge later in the over. Bell was also fortunate to survive an lbw appeal off Babar on 7 when he was hit on the body trying to sweep; Pakistan elected not to review, with Hawk-Eye suggesting the impact was umpire’s call.Misbah held Yasir back until almost the midpoint of the session, and he was initially unable to locate a probing line. He switched ends after three overs, from where he probed at Cook’s pads, an area of strength that Pakistan have looked to make a weakness. Twice the bowler appealed for a repeat of his first dismissal of Cook in Dubai, as the ball diverted to leg slip. Both times there was only pad involved but Yasir was getting closer and, with Cook on 45, he twice found inside-edges that evaded the grasp of leg slip. After lunch, it was third time lucky.Cook’s association with Moeen at the top of the order also looked to be running out of time after their stand contributed just 19. A confident player of spin, Moeen has rarely faced Pakistan’s slow bowlers in the series, his energy and focus concentrated on seeing off the new ball. However, it was the slog-sweep, a shot he normally plays well, which brought about his downfall, Shoaib Malik’s offspin precipitating a top edge that looped tamely to slip. Moeen began his forlorn walk off even as Younis Khan steadied himself to hold the catch.

With just 24 days to go before the first Test against England, there is still no director of cricket or selection panel

Firdose Moonda02-Dec-2019Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith has resumed discussions with Cricket South Africa over the director of cricket role, which he had shown an interest in before withdrawing last month.Smith was interviewed for the post alongside suspended interim director of cricket Corrie van Zyl and former national selector Hussein Manack, and was understood to be CSA’s preferred candidate. But he then made himself unavailable for consideration, citing a lack of “the necessary confidence” in the board.Following a report in the , which said Smith had had a change of heart and was on the verge of agreeing to a four-year deal, Smith confirmed he was still in communication with CSA, but acknowledged that he still had his reservations.”Contrary to media reports I have not been appointed Director of Cricket by CSA. As previously advised I withdrew my application for the role. I am, however, in ongoing discussions with CSA, but I still have real concerns, which I have reiterated to them,” Smith tweeted.ALSO READ: 2019 – South African cricket’s annus horribilisESPNcricinfo understands that Smith has been in conversation with CSA president Chris Nenzani and has conveyed that his main concern was about the CSA’s senior management. But even if Smith does get on board, it is unlikely to be in time to have an effect on preparations for the upcoming home series against England, which starts on Boxing Day.With just 24 days to go before the first Test, South Africa have neither a confirmed director of cricket nor a selection panel, although interviews for a selection convener have taken place. Patrick Moroney has emerged as the frontrunner for that, but there is no indication on if or when he would be appointed or when a squad would be announced.In an interview with Afrikaans newspaper on Sunday, CSA CEO Thabang Moroe said van Zyl and Enoch Nkwe, the interim team director, make up the current selection committee.Graeme Smith shares a laugh with Faf du Plessis•Getty Images

Moroe’s statement came four days after CSA spokesperson Thamie Mthembu had told that CSA had a “technical team” in place to select the squad; Mthembu, however, did not name anyone but Nkwe. Given that van Zyl remains suspended for alleged dereliction of duty following delayed commercial rights payments to the South African Cricketers Association, Nkwe could have a significant, if not unilateral, say on the make-up of the squad. Most recently, Nkwe took South Africa to India, where they drew the T20I series and were whitewashed in the Tests.Those Tests are the only red-ball cricket some national players have featured in, which means the squad must be picked on the basis of those results, and the performances in the first four rounds of four-day franchise cricket played in October-November, and the single round of fixtures that will take place on December 19. Some players who picked up injuries in India, such as Keshav Maharaj (shoulder injury) and Dean Elgar (concussion), have made recoveries and are playing in the ongoing Mzansi Super League (MSL), which runs until December 16, ten days before the first Test against England. Others, such as Aiden Markram (wrist fracture), Dwaine Pretorius (hand injury), and promising young quick Gerald Coetzee (hamstring injury), are on the sidelines, which may make selection trickier.Nkwe is not involved at the MSL this year after coaching the Jozi Stars to the title last summer. His position with the national team remains temporary until a director of cricket, who will name the long-term team management, is appointed. Since Smith withdrew from the race, CSA has dragged its feet on making an appointment. Sources suggested that the delay could run well into 2020, with some suggesting CSA will readvertise for the post and look for options overseas.All that leaves South African cricket mired in uncertainty ahead of an important few months for all its national teams. The men’s side play England in four Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is, before facing Australia and India in white-ball internationals to prepare for the T20 World Cup in October-November 2020. The women’s team will play in the T20 World Cup in February-March and the Under-19 side will feature in the World Cup, to be played at home, in January-February. Though the coaching staff for the women’s and Under-19 team is in place, the director of cricket was expected to roll out an overall national strategy for all cricket played under CSA’s umbrella and ensure continuity in the structures. That will have to wait.

England left needing 55 to win when light intervenes after Rehan’s historic day

Matt Roller19-Dec-2022England need another 55 runs to win the third Test in Karachi and inflict Pakistan’s first-ever men’s Test series whitewash on home soil, after Rehan Ahmed became the youngest man to take a five-wicket haul on debut at 18 years and 128 days old.Rehan, who was held back until the fourth hour of the third day by Ben Stokes, titled the game back in England’s favour when he broke a determined fourth-wicket stand between Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel, then ran through the middle and lower order to finish with 5 for 48 in only his fourth first-class appearance.Related

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England were set 167 to win and with a nominal 22 overs left on the third evening, they set about trying to chase the runs before the close. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett thrashed 87 runs in 11.3 overs, Rehan was promoted to No. 3 as a “night-hawk” and Stokes threw his bat towards the square leg umpire trying to heave Nauman Ali for six, but bad light intervened with 55 more runs required.Jack Leach had taken three wickets in the space of six balls in the morning session to remove Pakistan’s top order and after a long wait before returning to the attack, Rehan made a similar impact on the game in a five-over burst before the tea interval.His first wicket was a freebie, Babar pulling a drag-down straight to Ollie Pope at short midwicket after bringing up his second half-century of the match. But his next two came from good balls: the second, a legbreak that gripped and found Mohammad Rizwan’s outside edge; the third, a hard-spun googly that Shakeel top-edged straight to square leg on the sweep.Rehan returned in the evening session to polish off the lower order: Mohammad Wasim hacked him to mid-off, and Salman Ali Agha miscued a sweep to backward square leg. He sank to his knees to perform a , then beamed from ear to ear as he led the team off. His father Naeem, watching from the stands, wiped away tears as he applauded.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

That led to a sprint towards the finish line, which started with Crawley skipping down and whipping the first ball through wide mid-on for four. Duckett exchanged boundaries with his opening partner as Pakistan’s shoulders slumped, and England raced to 58 for 0 after six overs.Babar turned to his seamers, who briefly slowed the scoring, seemingly ensuring that the game would go into a fourth day, but England continued to show their attacking intent. When Crawley was trapped lbw by Abrar Ahmed, Rehan strode out – having batted at No. 8 in the first innings – and flogged his first ball down the ground for four.He lost his off stump shortly after for a shot-a-ball 10 off 8 and despite Stokes’ best efforts alongside Duckett – who quietly racked up a 38-ball half-century, his fourth 50-plus score of the series – England fell just short of the finish line. They are unlikely to hang around on the fourth morning.Earlier, Shan Masood had hit the first two balls of the day for four as Pakistan looked to grow their lead, but after a positive start, lost his leg stump while bottom-edging an attempted reverse-sweep off Leach.Azhar Ali was greeted with handshakes by England’s fielders but his final innings before his retirement from international cricket was all too brief. His fourth ball was full, pitching on leg stump, but turned sharply away from the bat as he looked to whip wristily through midwicket. It crashed into the top of off stump. Azhar trudged off through a guard of honour from his team-mates.At the start of his next over, Leach struck again, trapping Shafique lbw with a ball that skidded on off the pitch. Shakeel survived the hat-trick ball, but Pakistan were effectively 4 for 3. He dug in alongside Babar either side of the lunch break for a stand eventually worth 110 – but Rehan’s introduction half an hour before tea changed the game.

The Bangladesh Test and T20I captain feels the younger crop must be handed more responsibility over the next four-year cycle

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Aug-2019Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh’s Test and T20I captain, has made it clear that he is not “mentally prepared” or ready or interested in continuing to lead the team in any format, and would rather focus on his own game to be of greater value to the cause. He wants the younger crop of players be given more responsibility over the next four-year cycle, but understands that the team needs him to lead in what is a tricky phase.”I am not even mentally prepared to lead in Tests and T20s,” Shakib told the daily . “But the team is not in a good shape, so I understand that I have to lead to get it back on track. Otherwise, I am not really interested in leading in any format. I can focus on myself if I am not captaining, which would help the team.”I want to see the younger lot to take responsibility. We [Mushfiqur Rahim and he, in the main] got captaincy at a very young age, but they [the next bunch] have now turned 26-27. Unless you give them responsibility, you won’t know what they can do. The World Test Championship and T20 World Cup are up ahead, so we should plan for the next four years.”ALSO READ: Shakib calls for clear communication and rotation policyThe current captaincy stint is Shakib’s second in a full-time capacity in Tests and T20Is. He became captain of T20Is when Mashrafe Mortaza retired from the format in April 2017, and got the Test captaincy after the sacking of Mushfiqur Rahim in December that year.Shakib’s public expression of disinterest in the role – a first in his 13-year-long international career – stems from his earliest experiences as Bangladesh captain. After deputising for an injured Mashrafe from mid-2009, he was made the permanent captain in 2011, but eight months later, he lost his job in the aftermath of a drab World Cup campaign. He, however, has since been the most consistent performer in the team, and enjoyed a dream run in the World Cup earlier this year, finishing as the third-highest run-getter in the tournament. His consistency, not to mention his seniority, also puts him in line for the ODI captaincy once Mashrafe retires.Shakib pointed out that a captain, by default, is expected to perform consistently himself, so he doesn’t get too bogged down. He cited Mashrafe’s example from this year’s World Cup, where the captain took just one wicket in the eight matches Bangladesh played.”I had the belief that we could go further in this World Cup, and it may have been possible if we had contributions from everyone,” Shakib said. “When a player doesn’t perform, he thinks more about himself than the team, which creates the problem. I think it happened in Mashrafe ‘s case.”It was a big issue, for himself and the team, that the captain wasn’t performing. The captain has to perform, but we were behind in that aspect. It wasn’t impossible [to reach the semi-finals]; we made a good start to the World Cup, but we couldn’t hold on to it.”Bangladesh’s – and Shakib’s – next assignment is a one-off Test in Chattogram against Afghanistan starting September 5, followed by a T20I tri-series against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

Laura Delany said she felt beating Pakistan was a realistic target, but then her team ran into the wiles of Sandhu on a helpful pitch

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2018Only five times in 98 games has a bowler completed a four-over spell for Pakistan in Women’s T20Is and been more economical than Nashra Sandhu against Ireland. Sandhu finished with 2 for 8 from her four overs of left-arm spin as Pakistan beat Ireland by 38 runs to keep their hopes alive in the Women’s World T20.Sandhu said the pitch was helpful, so she did not have to too do much to be effective. Her main focus, she said, was to watch the batsmen’s footwork closely and choose her lines and lengths accordingly.”Conditions were good for us to bowl, for spin bowlers and fast bowlers too. Overall it was good,” Sandhu said after the match. “It was comfortable for us to like play on that pitch.”[I] just had to bowl consistently on a better line. It gave me much benefit because it was a little bit turn in the pitch. Just nothing to do. Just have to bowl consistently on the better line and just to check the feet of the batters. Are they using their feet or [holding] position, using their crease or not.”Sandhu, 20, said she gets constant advice from the experienced Sana Mir, as was the case in this game too. “She’s constantly guiding me in this tournament, but also previously in many tournaments. Like if I feel confused or when I’m under pressure, she always comes to me and says: ‘Don’t be too confused. You’re the best.’ I always feel very comfortable when she talks to me. She’s very good at doing this.”Getty Images

Ireland captain Laura Delany admitted to being gutted about the loss. She said she was quietly confident of upsetting Pakistan in this game, so to lose by a margin of close to 40 runs was a big blow.”I think it was a given coming into this tournament [we] have a tough group,” Delany said. “[But] Pakistan are closely ranked to ourselves [Pakistan are ranked seventh, to Ireland’s tenth], so that was the obvious target that we were going to go after.”After beating Sri Lanka in such a convincing way [in a practice match], I thought Pakistan would be the next target for us. Obviously Australia first up, No. 1 in the world, was always going to be a tough challenge. So Pakistan was next on our list.”So, incredibly frustrating, because if we were professional, I wonder what the score would’ve been out there today. To lose by 40 runs [when] we genuinely believed we could win, it’s very disappointing.”Delany said her team let Pakistan get 10-20 runs over par and then played out too many dots, which cost them the game. “I think before we went out to the field we said 120, 130 would be par on this wicket, so [Pakistan made] a little bit more than what we hoped they would achieve,” she said. “I think going out into the batting innings we were still pretty confident with the line-up that we had, that if we executed our plans we would get the result we wanted.”From a batting point of view, we need to look at our scoring-shot percentage. I think we faced way too many dot balls, and unfortunately ended up putting a lot of pressure on the middle-order batters.”

“You have to work with other boards because nobody wants to see one-sided overseas results; you want to see close, exciting Test matches,” Dravid said

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2018Rahul Dravid wants cricket boards across the world to ensure that visiting teams are provided quality oppositions in warm-up matches ahead of Test tours, in a bid to avoid one-sided contests. The issue of lack of practice matches on tours has been brought up several times recently and Dravid said their decreasing number was a result of schedules and local teams being “reluctant” to put their best players out for the touring teams.”It’s like anything else, it has to be reciprocal, you have to work with other boards because nobody wants to see one-sided overseas results; you want to see close, exciting Test matches,” Dravid told .”I benefitted a lot from it in my career, playing solid first-class matches when I first started. When we went on tours it was a done thing that you practice and play first-class cricket. It seems to happen less and less nowadays, and not only India, it’s less and less for every country. I remember Trevor Bayliss talking about it the last time the Ashes was held, I think they had a similar problem in Australia.”[It’s] because of the kind of schedules and the reluctance of first-class teams now to put their best players out for visiting teams, as probably was in the past, because first-class teams are playing a lot more cricket.From an Indian perspective, recent overseas defeats in South Africa and England have been attributed to the lack of proper preparation ahead of the tours by former players like Sunil Gavaskar. He felt that India’s preparation for the England Tests should have been more intense and to him it appeared that India had “not learnt anything” from the defeats in South Africa, where similar questions had emerged. India captain Virat Kohli, however, has differed on the matter, preferring his side to train and simulate match situations among themselves, rather than face second-string first-class opponents.India had cancelled their only practice match before the first Test in Cape Town at the beginning of the year and shortened the one against Essex from four days to three before the England Tests. On both occasions, India found themselves 2-0 in the series before winning the third Test in both countries.Being 2-0 down in South Africa, India’s coach Ravi Shastri later admitted that 10 more days of preparation would have made a difference. After losing the Test series 4-1 in England, Shastri also clarified that contrary to popular belief, India were “absolutely not” against playing practice matches and the team management had, in fact, requested for two warm-ups before the Australia Tests.Dravid felt that it would be “ideal” for India to do so if they could have a reciprocal arrangement with Australia.”Ideally they should be playing that [practice matches],” Dravid said. “Definitely something India needs to look into, but even other teams need to co-operate. For example, if Australia can guarantee India two good practice matches, we should be able to do the same for them when they come here.”

Kurtis Patterson’s maiden Test century continued Australia’s batting dominance in Canberra

Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Feb-2019Kurtis Patterson’s maiden Test century propelled Australia to a commanding 5 for 534, before three late strikes seriously dented Sri Lanka’s response – the hosts ending yet another day in the series in a dominant position against a beleaguered visiting side.Having made three hundreds in their innings – the first Australian tons in the summer so far – Australia’s attack then exerted tremendous pressure on a brittle Sri Lanka top order in the final hour of play. What had seemed like a profoundly dead pitch for much of the day was brought to life by Nathan Lyon, who gleaned substantially more turn and bounce from the surface than Sri Lanka’s offspinner Dilruwan Perera had. Lyon made the first breakthrough, removing Lahiru Thirimanne, before Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc also claimed a wicket apiece with excellent deliveries.

‘Not given any reason’ for sacking as selector – Hathurusingha

Chandika Hathurusingha will seek an audience with Sri Lanka cricket and government authorities after the series against Australia in order to obtain an explanation for his sacking as selector just before the start of the second Test in Canberra. The Sri Lanka coach said there had been little communication and no reason given for the decision.
“I was not given any reason at the moment and it’s beyond my control at the moment so after this tour probably I’ll have the chance to speak to the authorities,” he said.
“At the moment they have not much communication so I can’t give you much so once I have finished this series, I’ll probably be in a much better position to answer that.”

The most pressing among Sri Lanka’s concerns at stumps, however, was the wellbeing of opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratne, who suffered a blow to the back of the neck when he failed to get out of the way of a 142kph Cummins bouncer, about an hour before the close. Dimuth collapsed immediately, losing grip of his bat, and lay almost motionless as medical staff inspected and eventually stretchered him off the field, in order to take him for what it is hoped are merely precautionary scans.Encouragingly, Dimuth was conscious throughout the episode, and was seen talking to the medics and moving his hands. But it is as-yet unclear whether he will be able to take any further part in the match.Through the early parts of the day, it was woes of the cricketing kind that plagued Sri Lanka. Kasun Rajitha dismissed Joe Burns in the sixth over of the day, getting a ball to jag in at the batsman, who then chopped it on to his stumps to depart for 180. But that would be the only wicket in the 45 overs they delivered, before Australia declared. The only consolation for Sri Lanka was that Australia’s score did not advance quite as quickly on day two as it had in parts of day one, owing partially to a slightly more disciplined showing with the ball.Patterson, who had been dropped first ball on day one, began the morning on 25 not out, and although somewhat nervy in the early overs, as Sri Lanka’s seamers gleaned movement from the second new ball, eventually settled into a happy rhythm. He was strongest through the covers, hitting half of his eventual 14 fours through that region, but was almost as good with the pull shot, as Sri Lanka’s quicks repeatedly tested him with the short ball.The bowlers had exerted pressure in the first 15 overs of the day, but once the ball stopped moving around, and Sri Lanka’s discipline frayed, Patterson began to appear more and more immovable at the crease. He never quite scored as quickly as day one’s centurions – Burns and Travis Head – had done, at times, but his batting was no less secure than either of those men. He reached a maiden half-century off the 100th ball he faced, and by this stage, seemed to have worn the opposition bowlers down. His second fifty was populated with strong shots square of the wicket – particularly through point as Sri Lanka sprayed the ball around, and through midwicket, when they tried to bounce him out.Through the course of his innings, Patterson struck up an unbeaten 130-run stand with Tim Paine. When Paine made the declaration about halfway through the middle session, Patterson was on 114 off 192 balls, and Paine on 45 – the prospect of a half-century not enough to tempt Paine to delay the declaration slightly.Sri Lanka’s openers had begun their innings in promising fashion, seeing out the 13 overs until tea without incident – largely secure in defence against the new ball. Lyon, however, caused both left-handers a few problems early in the third session, but it nevertheless appeared as if both batsmen were comfortable at the crease.But the nasty blow to Karunaratne, and the consequent stoppage in play, changed the complexion of the session. The over after the injury break, Lahiru Thirimanne pushed at a turning Lyon ball outside off stump, and edged to slip. A few overs later, Kusal Mendis was bowled on his 24th birthday by a Cummins ball that angled in, and seamed away slightly, to evade the outside of Mendis’ bat, and rattle off stump. It was the second such delivery that has dismissed Mendis in this series, with Jhye Richardson having also bowled him in Brisbane.Finally, with only two full overs before stumps, Starc had Dinesh Chandimal caught behind. At first shaping to pull the short delivery, Chandimal made the late decision to duck it, but the ball caught his glove on its way to the wicketkeeper. Kusal Perera and Dhananjaya de Silva were not out at the close – Sri Lanka having opted not to use a nightwatchman.