All posts by n8rngtd.top

Fast bowler attracts board’s ire after becoming 43rd South Africa cricketer to take the Kolpak route

Liam Brickhill26-Feb-2019Duanne Olivier was offered a two-year contract as an incentive to stay in South Africa ahead of his decision to take up a Kolpak deal with Yorkshire, Cricket South Africa has revealed after news broke of Olivier’s decision to effectively end his international career.Olivier was upgraded to a national contract during the current home season, in which he played all five home Tests against Pakistan and Sri Lanka and was also trialled in the ODI side, and was offered a contract that would have kept him in the national frame until the end of the 2020-21 season.In a post on Instagram, Olivier wrote that the decision to turn his back on South Africa was “possibly the most difficult … I’ll ever have to make”, adding that he was aware that CSA “might not understand or agree” with his decision.Sure enough, CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe was strongly critical of the decision. “We find it extremely disappointing that Duanne has taken this step after all the opportunities we have given him, particularly over the past season and going forward, to live his dream of being an international cricketer,” Moroe said.”He was upgraded to a national contract during the current season on the strength of his outstanding performances in our Test squad and we offered him a two-year contract which would have given him financial security through to the end of the 2020-21 season.”Moroe also suggested that the trend of cricketers putting domestic leagues and franchise cricket ahead of national duty was “not good news for the global game”. Forty-two South African cricketers have now opted for Kolpak deals since left-arm spinner Claude Henderson became the first to take that route back in 2004.”If one looks at the bigger picture this is not good news for the global game either that a player who has just broken into the top 20 on the ICC Test match bowling rankings for the first time should opt effectively to bring down the curtain on his international career in favour of playing only in domestic leagues,” said Moroe, adding that Olivier was “not short of opportunity” after the cricket he played this summer.South Africa head coach Ottis Gibson echoed Moroe’s disappointment. “We are naturally disappointed with Duanne’s decision to sign a Kolpak contract,” he said. “He has been a key feature for us this summer and was without a doubt one of our standout performers.”We held several meetings with him regarding his future with the Proteas throughout the summer and even offered him a two-year contract. To see him cut short a promising international career is disappointing. Ultimately, it was a decision we could not control despite our best efforts.”CSA expects to announce the contracted South Africa men’s and women’s squads for the next 12 months later this week.

Former Australia all-rounder to be joined by Daniel Vettori on the coaching staff

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2019Andrew McDonald has been confirmed as the men’s coach of Birmingham Phoenix with Daniel Vettori as his assistant, as first revealed by ESPNcricinfo last month.McDonald, 38, has a growing reputation as a coach, after leading Melbourne Renegades to their maiden Big Bash League title this year. He has also taken Victoria to two Sheffield Shield titles, and a domestic one-day crown.He has also held roles in the IPL, where he was Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling coach, and in county cricket with Leicestershire.Trevor Bayliss had previously been linked with the role after Paul Farbrace, his deputy for most of his tenure as England coach, was appointed as director of cricket, and as many as eight candidates were shortlisted, but McDonald came out on top.Vettori has previously coached Royal Challengers, Middlesex, and Brisbane Heat with limited success, and will be assisted by Warwickshire and Worcestershire’s coaches Jim Troughton and Alex Gidman.”The Hundred is a tournament that’s generating interest across the globe,” said McDonald, “and the opportunity to be part of it as Head Coach of the Birmingham team is something that I’m relishing.”From behind the scenes talking to players at the Renegades and from talk in the IPL, players around the world want to be a part of it,” he said.”The players that have a clear schedule at that time of the year want to be nominating to be a part of it. It’s an exciting new format and they get to put their footprint on it.”

Catch all the updates, chatter, stats and more from the opening game of IPL 2021

Sidharth Monga09-Apr-2021

11.25pmHarshal Patel digs out a near yorker last ball to take RCB to a win in a thrilling finish. Harshal had taken a five-for earlier in the night to restrict Mumbai to 160. It was that once-in-a-generation slow end from Mumbai, and then some genius of AB de Villiers that has sealed the win for RCB. This is the eighth time in a row that Mumbai have lost their first match of the IPL. If this start is anything to go by, we are in for some ride this IPL. Thanks for joining us tonight.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

10.25pm

Why no Bumrah against Maxwell?

Rohit and Mumbai Indians are big on match-ups. And here is a match-up if ever there was one: Japsrit Bumrah has taken Glenn Maxwell out six times in 58 balls in T20 cricket for just 67 runs. Rohit usually brings Bumrah on as soon as Maxwell comes on to bat, but not on this occasion. By the end of the 10th over, Maxwell has faced 15 balls, but none from Bumrah.It is not as though Rohit is not aware of the match-up. Is he saving Bumrah up for AB de Villiers? Or does he think a slightly older ball will provide Bumrah’s slower balls more grip?9.55pm

Introducing Rajat Patidar

Rajat Patidar

Shashank Kishore has been on the ball, and has produced this piece immediately after it was confirmed Patidar was making his IPL debut

“It’s been amazing, the last few months,” Patidar says. “The night of the IPL auction, I received a text from Virat, saying ‘welcome Rajat, wishing you the best, go smash it.’ I didn’t even have his number. Now, getting a chance to bat with him in the nets and maybe even in the matches will be a dream.”

9.50pmESPNcricinfo Ltd

There have been only three one-run final overs in the IPL. Harshal Patel joined Praveen Kumar and Dale Steyn, both of whom managed it back in 2008.9.20pm

How did Harshal Patel outdo the Mumbai hitting machinery?

BCCI/IPL

Harshal Patel’s five-for was the first five-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians in all IPL. More important than that, his bowling at the death kept Mumbai to just 25 off the last four overs, their lowest since 2016. Harshal took the wickets of the designated death-overs hitters, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya, to go with Ishan Kishan in his last three overs.Two things happened, which both had to do with the pitch in all likelihood. The ball reversed for him, and it gripped the surface too. It was probably down to a dry track. It was expected the bowlers would go for slower balls into the surface to use both the surface and the dimensions of the ground, but the little bit of tail made Harshal even more dangerous. RCb bowled slower 23 balls in the last five overs, which accounted for four wickets and just 29 runs.Expect Mumbai to do more of the same? 8.25pm

Why is Washington Sundar not bowling?

It’s a slow, low surface, and Washington Sundar is at his home ground. He is at Chepauk where he has played most of his cricket, but he hasn’t been used in the first 11 overs. The most obvious reasons might be all the right-hand batsmen at the top of Mumbai Indians’ batting order. However, there is another trend here.Sundar came to prominence with his superb restrictive performances with the ball in the Powerplay for Rising Pune Supergiant. Then he joined Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018. So 2017 remains the only year in which he bowled more overs in the Powerplay than the middle overs.Protecting fingerspinners against right-hand batsmen makes sense, but if there is an offspinner you would back against right-hand batsmen, it is Sundar. In all IPL, he has a better average against right-hand batsmen than left (26.4 as against 39.22) and only a slightly worse economy rate (6.9 as against 6.83).Also Glenn Maxwell, who bowled a lot in the Powerplay for Kings XI Punjab last year, hasn’t been used at all. Could RCB have made better use of their spinners on this slow surface?Mumbai Indians 94 for 2 in 11 overs.7.50pm

Early signs of a slow, low pitch

It is evident from the bottom edges in the first four overs. This is a slow pitch with low bounce, and Chris Lynn is struggling to force the pace. Rohit Sharma has been run out after he did create the pace in a couple of shots by advancing down. This might be a very good toss to win because if there is any dew the pitch might quicken up a little later in the night. Mumbai Indians 24 for 1 after four overs7.10pmVirat Kohli has finally won a toss. RCB have decided to field. There is a whole new look to RCB. Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Jamieson, Dan Christian. Devdutt Paddikal has just recovered from Covid-19, and has been advised not to play this game. Rajat Patidar comes in in his place.Mumbai Indians are so settled they have made just the two changes from the last final, and one of them is forced because Quinton de Kock is still in quarantine. Chris Lynn comes in as does Jansen. Two changes is what Rohit Sharma said at the toss. There are three. Seems he forgot the tactical inclusion of Jayant Yadav in the final. I sure forgot. So Rahul Chahar is in too.Royal Challengers Bangalore 1 Virat Kohli (capt.), 2 Rajat Patidar, 3 AB de Villiers (wk), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Daniel Christian, 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Kyle Jamieson, 8 Shahbaz Ahmed 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalMumbai Indians 1 Rohit Sharma (capt.), 2 Chris Lynn, 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Ishan Kishan (wk), 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah6.50pmSurely you have heard Marco Jansen is making his debut? Who is he, did you ask? The young South African beanpole who beat Kohli in the nets, that’s who. Here’s Saurabh Somani’s piece on himKoos Jansen

Brothers in arms•BCCI/IPL

6.30pmWhat if I told you we could put together all the awesome Cricinfo content in one place so you don’t have to go looking. And what if I told you that place is here?Aakash Chopra has declared he will be training his binoculars to focus on a select group of players this IPL, men who can have a big impact on their teams winning the tournament.Among the multitude of people MS Dhoni has influenced is Rishabh Pant. The 23-year-old became the fifth-youngest captain in the IPL after the Delhi Capitals appointed Pant as the interim captain this season after Shreyas Iyer was ruled out due shoulder surgery. At his first toss Pant will walk out with Dhoni, on Saturday, and he has promised to expect something different.Millions mean nothing to Glenn Maxwell, who has said he wants to be a “positive influence” on the group. But former Indian opener and IPL-winning captain Gautam Gambhir reminds Maxwell here that why it is important for him to be consistent, something he was in 2014 IPL when he won the Most Valuable Player award.Talking about impact players, there are few who can match Kieron Pollard, who has been the key backbone for five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians, the team he joined in 2009 IPL. And it was Pollard’s knock in the final of the 2013 edition that helped Mumbai win their first title. Pollard’s 32-ball 60 is among ESPNcricinfo’s Greatest IPL Performances series.There are also a host of expansive interviews to choose from: T Natarajan talks about his fairy tale journey since the last IPL. Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara returns to the IPL after seven years, to a format he believes is a “piece of cake”. T20 specialist Dan Christian returns to the IPL after a forgettable outing last time, and is ready to make a mark even as he will turn 38 during the tournament at the Royal Challengers.Robin Uthappa reveals how he is coming into grips with specialist roles of a topo-order batsman that has evolved rapidly.Also have a listen to the IPL-10 series where Shubman Gill talks about not only scoring the “most runs” but also dominating a bowler, that has been among the best bowlers in the tournament for the past few years. Others in this series include Shakib-Al-Hasan, who is back in the IPL, at Kolkata Knight Riders and wants to score a 100 and take 5-for.Also get ready for some key changes to the IPL playing conditions: no more soft signal, cap on the time for multiple super overs, and third umpire to rule on a short run.Finally, Alan Gardner analyses why 40 is the new 30 in T20 cricket.6.15pmIt is not all normal at Cricinfo. There’s a Covid baby here. Please welcome the newest member of the family, Cricinfo Hindi. This is from a welcome note from our editor Sambit Bal. And here is the first live Hindi scorecard on Cricinfo

Technology makes it possible today to get descriptions from raw data or to create instant translation. But that would never have felt right. Communication is a deeply personal experience: it requires individuality, personality, quirks and human imperfection. Ball-by-ball commentary is the heartbeat of our site, it needs flesh and blood. Over the years, you have related to our commentators, bantered with them, sent them your affection and cursed them too. It’s a ride, and it’s very human.So we now have a team that will bring Hindi commentary to you, with all the flavours that the language merits and you deserve. We have spent the last few weeks discussing tone and temper and words and idioms, and we have been energised by the new flush of enthusiasm in our commentary team. But now we will let their natural impulse and instinct take over. Engage with them, let them know what you like and what you don’t and we will learn together. And, while at it, you can follow ESPNcricinfo Hindi on Facebook and on Twitter.

6pmIt’s been a hard hard year/
Pushing shit uphill/
But shit happens all the time/
And I guess it always willNow the days are getting long/
Summer’s on its way/
I can’t wait for Christmas/
‘Cause the day after Christmas is Boxing DayYou’ll know where to find me/
Ten rows back at the MCG/
Right behind the bowler’s arm/
Right behind the bowler’s armThat is the legendary Paul Kelly’s legendary welcome to the grand occasion of Boxing Day Test in Australia. We are living a dystopian version of this song in India and in the rest of the world. It’s been a – pardon my French – shitty year-and-a-half, and I really don’t know if cricket or any sport can provide a distraction from what is going on. All I know is, any activity going on with any semblance of normalcy is a message that we need to get up and keep living and working no matter what. So here is to a somewhat normal IPL 2021

RCB stutter in their chase despite having the firepower of Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry and Heather Knight

Sruthi Ravindranath05-Mar-2023It was just over a week ago when a disappointed Shafali Verma was watching Australia captain Meg Lanning celebrate a thrilling win over India in the T20 World Cup semi-finals in Cape Town. On Sunday, the two came together to feast on a listless Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling, fist-bumping their way to a rollicking 162-run stand in 14.3 overs at the Brabourne Stadium.Delhi Capitals amassed 223 for 2, the second 200-plus total in a row in the WPL, and in turn, Royal Challengers could only get to 163 for 8, as USA’s Tara Norris – the only Associate player in the tournament – bagged five wickets.It wasn’t like Royal Challengers did not have the firepower. Having Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry and Heather Knight in your line-up is an absolute dream. On a good batting surface, you expect these big names to show up. But Capitals have Lanning and she is no ordinary captain. Actually, we can say it out loud: she is a five-time World Cup-winning captain.She placed a mid-off and prompted Alice Capsey to bowl wide to Devine, who had been targeting that area for boundaries. That resulted in a superb catch by Shafali at mid-off to dismiss the dangerous Devine for just 14. Lanning brought on left-arm spinner Radha Yadav only after Mandhana was dismissed. And she never gave Royal Challengers a chance to recover after that.

The Shafali-Lanning serve: elegance, power and everything in between

“, video analyst (Every team has a video analyst so everyone knows others’ strength and weakness, we have planned everything and we will execute it).”That was Shafali’s response to the host broadcaster before the match on being asked what advise she gave Lanning to stop Mandhana from scoring runs. On the day, Shafali made sure Royal Challengers did not execute any of their strategies they possibly had for her, as she brought her . It was evident in the way she effortlessly charged down the pitch to gracefully drive the ball over long-on or how she backed away to heave a short and wide ball from Devine powerfully over mid-off.While acknowledging that she found her fluency on the day, Shafali also said she was upset that she fell before reaching her century.”I knew it was my day today,” she said after the match. “I was telling myself that I need to bat throughout. When I got out in my 80s, I got really sad because it was that kind of a day, and I couldn’t get my century. It was my time to have hit a century. My family’s presence at the stadium also gave me confidence. And I was only thinking that I should convert and that I shouldn’t play any loose shot.”At the other end was world-class Lanning, showing off her elegance with every shot. She played her favourite cut every time the ball fell short and wide. She also targeted the area behind square with her pulls and sweeps. The duo hardly spared any bowler, leaving Royal Challengers clueless. They put up the fifth-highest stand in women’s T20 leagues, and they did that by constantly encouraging each other in the middle.”She [Lanning] was constantly appreciating me and I was more and more encouraged by it,” Shafali said. “We were just backing each other. She knows how I play and I know how she plays. I was also trying to back her, [I wanted her to be] confident and comfortable playing with me. When I hit a four she said, ‘good shot, keep playing’ and I also (did) that, kept telling her ‘good shot, keep going like this’ and I really enjoyed playing with her.”Ahead of the tournament, Lanning had said she couldn’t wait to stand at the other end and watch Shafali “whack other teams around the park”. Not only did her wish come true in Capitals’ first match, but she also got to join the party. On a sweltering Sunday afternoon, the duo made Mandhana regret her decision to bowl first.While we’ll leave you to decide what the pair’s nickname should be, all we can say is we ship this budding womance.Tara Norris bagged a five-for on WPL debut•BCCI

Kapp’s blitz and Tara Norris, the Associate trump card

The duo also laid the perfect platform for Marizanne Kapp to the off from. Along with Jemimah Rodrigues, Kapp made sure the run rate did not drop as she took on Perry, Megan Schutt and Knight for fours and sixes to get the team total to 200 in the 19th over. She scored a boundary off the last ball of the innings to finish with a 17-ball 39.Capitals had a standout performer in the bowling department too. Norris, the USA left-arm quick, who has been building her experience by plying her trade in the England domestic circuit, came to the party later in the evening.When Perry was just finding her touch in the tall chase, Norris all but ended Royal Challengers’ hopes by getting her to drag on in the 11th over. In the same over, she sent No. 4 Disha Kasat back with a short ball. Norris struck twice in her next over too, dismissing Richa Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja. By the end of that 13th over, Royal Challengers’ equation had reached an improbable 128 off 42 balls with just four wickets in hand.And in her final over, with Royal Challengers floundering, Norris also had Knight caught at cover to cap a memorable spell of 5 for 29.

The allrounder smashed the season’s second-fastest half-century in a century stand with Fletcher to set up big win

The Report by Shashank Kishore13-Sep-2019Chris Gayle and Andre Russell in the opposition, the local side, Jamaica Tallawahs. What were the chances of St Lucia Zouks making a match of this one? As it turned out, Sabina Park had to rise and celebrate Rahkeem Cornwall, who biffed the season’s second-fastest half-century, off 19 balls, and then converted that to a 30-ball 75, as Zouks recorded their first win of the season on Thursday night after a brief wobble.Gayle zero, Phillips fiftyLeft-arm seamer Obed McCoy struggled with no-ball issues, but managed to strike gold early when he had Gayle fending a lifter to the wicketkeeper off the fourth ball of the match to set the tone. But the Zouks were under fire as Glenn Phillips, the New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman, and Rovman Powell set the stage on fire with some exhilarating hitting.Phillips likes to stay leg side and get beside the line, not behind. His stance resembles that of a baseball slogger, the bat moving behind his back in little arcs as he meets the ball with tremendous bat speed. His batting can at times border on the unorthodox, but when they come off, it looks mighty impressive. Like it did on Thursday. His 34-ball 58, courtesy eight fours and a six, and a third-wicket stand of 87 with Powell that took just 43 balls set Tallawahs up for a big total.CPL via Getty Images

The Russell blow that tilted the scalesAt the halfway mark, Tallawahs were superbly placed at 108 for 2. Zouks looked out of depth until the quick wickets of Powell and Phillips got them back into the game. Credit for that should go to Australian legspinner Fawad Ahmed, who cleverly varied his lengths and used his gentle drift to build pressure with dot balls that led to both of them falling to big strokes.It also helped that the catching was top notch. Powell was out to a screamer when Colin de Grandhomme stuck his right hand upwards to get his hands on the ball at long-off and then lobbed it up as momentum took him beyond the ropes. Then he regained composure to nonchalantly come back into the field of play to complete the catch.When they made 242 two nights ago against Patriots, Tallawahs raised their hundred in just 12 overs. Here, they got there in the tenth over. The stage was set for the Russell show, but it looked like Zouks had a plan, and that was to target him with short balls at the body, a tactic many IPL sides have tried with a fair degree of success. Hardus Viljoen bowled a heavy ball – back of length and into the body – as Russell looked to hook. In doing so, he took his eyes off and was hit just below the right ear. A dazed Russell took a while to stand up and was stretchered off the field to hospital for scans, which later cleared him of serious injury.That robbed the Tallawahs of momentum, and George Worker and Shamar Springer only managed a run-a-ball 33. They only managed 38 off the last six overs to give the Zouks the momentum at the halfway mark.Tallawahs’ fielding shockerThe hosts didn’t cover themselves in glory on the field. In the space of three deliveries, they dropped Cornwall and Andre Fletcher. First, Springer dropped a steepler running back from square leg to reprieve Cornwall on 18 after he mishit a Jerome Taylor slower delivery. Two balls later, in the fourth over, Oshane Thomas made a royal mess of a straightforward catch at third man with Fletcher on 15. In the next over, Chadwick Walton dropped a sitter at backward point to reprieve Cornwall for a second time, and then watched Fletcher club ten off his next two deliveries in the over as the strike turned. By then, Zouks had raced to 64 in five overs.Cornwall’s game isn’t conventional by any means. But it also isn’t true that his game is only about wild slogging. Amid the occasional backing away to smash the ball, there’s plenty of cricket sense and an air of disdain about his batting. The leg-side boundary was his favoured area as he cleared the ropes quite comfortably playing the pull shot. Up early against late swing, he struggled a touch, but Taylor erred in length by trying to bowl into his body, only to see Cornwall back away and flick or pull. Against Worker’s left-arm spin, Cornwall used his reach to hit straight and clear the ground, a sequence of 6,6,1 getting him to his third CPL fifty.At the other end, Fletcher was in the mood for destruction. The flicks for six over deep square off Taylor having an air of disdain – looking straight on, head down and simply allowing his hand-eye coordination to twirl his wrists and pick the ball for six. He started like a bullet train, but quickly slipped into the role of second fiddle as Cornwall unleashed himself in the 111-run opening stand off just 8.4 overs.Zouks collapse but Fletcher sees them homeThomas returned after his shocker in the field to pick up three quick wickets after a blazing start – Zouks slipped from 146 for 2 to 157 for 5, but the early damage that skyrocketed their run rate meant there was little trouble in getting home despite the wobble. Fletcher remained unbeaten on 47 when Thisara Perera muscled a six and four in his five-ball 11 to hit the winning runs and give them their first win.

No sooner had Todd Astle been grasping a rare opportunity in Test cricket than he has been hit by injury

Andrew McGlashan28-Mar-2018No sooner had Todd Astle been grasping a rare opportunity in Test cricket than he has been hit by injury, a side strain ruling him out of his hometown match in Christchurch as New Zealand target just a fourth series win over England.Astle took 3 for 39 in the second innings at Eden Park, but scans the following day showed he had picked up the injury. He had a previous side strain earlier in the season and this one means he still has yet to play consecutive Tests after single outings in 2012 and 2016.”Through some incredibly hard work, Todd’s already overcome some injuries this summer, so for this to happen now is a cruel blow,” coach Mike Hesson said. “Todd played a major role in helping us win the game at Eden Park, so it’s disappointing for Todd and the team that he’s forced to the sideline ahead of Friday.”With Mitchell Santner sidelined by a long-term knee injury, it has opened up the chance for fellow legspinner Ish Sodhi to resume his Test career having not played the format since September 2016 against India in Kanpur. If New Zealand maintain the same balance of attack, rather than going all-seam with Matt Henry, Sodhi will come into the match and high on confidence at that. He took career-best match figures of 12 for 62 against Wellington in the Plunket Shield last week, which included a 7 for 30 in the first innings, and 7 for 98 against Otago in the outing before that.”It was good to get the chance to bowl some overs in the middle so you go into the Test, if I play, with a bit of momentum. It was the ideal scenario,” Sodhi said. “As a young spinner learning your art, the best way to do it is to bowl as much as you can and bowling in the nets is so different to bowling in the middle in games. You have to take the chance with both hands.”It’s awesome to get the opportunity to be part of a winning team. The last game was fantastic and boys got up a great spectacle with the pink-ball Test so to be part of it is fantastic but I feel sorry for Toddy. He’s work very hard in the last game, performed well so it’s heartbreaking.”Astle’s absence will lengthen New Zealand’s tail unless they take a cautious approach and opt to play an extra batsman. Martin Guptill is in the squad but, on Tuesday, Hesson said the team would not go into the match looking for a draw despite the carrot of the series win.On the other hand, spin has only taken 14 wickets in four Tests at Hagley Oval. New Zealand didn’t play a spinner against Australia in 2016, and in Tests against Pakistan and Bangladesh, they used a grand total of four overs with Santner not bowling a ball in the Bangladesh contest.Sodhi hasn’t played a first-class match at the ground since 2015 – and in three matches has a return of 3 for 256 – but believes the surface could offer him something. “It’s normally hard and bouncy and if you gave me the option, and the turn was slow, I’d rather have the bounce so hopefully can extract something out the wicket.”The prize for a win or drawn Test is significant for New Zealand: to join the team of 1983-84 as the only series winners against England on home soil, and the 1986 and 1999 sides who achieved the feat in England. They will be favourites going into the match after dismantling England for 58 in Auckland and overcoming the rain to win in effectively little more than three days, but getting carried away is not the New Zealand style.”I think we saw in the second innings what they are capable of and we expect them to be a lot tougher in this match,” BJ Watling said. “They are a quality outfit and we’ll have to on our game.”

Marsh has had keyhole surgery on his troubled ankle and will miss three months of cricket while Salt has not recovered from the shoulder injury he suffered in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2022Perth Scorchers have suffered a major blow to their BBL title defence with Australia allrounder Mitchell Marsh and England batter Phil Salt both ruled out of the entire BBL due to injury.Marsh will miss three months of cricket after undergoing keyhole surgery on his troubled left ankle. He has carried the ankle problem for many years and reinjured it during Australia’s ODI series against Zimbabwe in August, which ruled him out for over a month. It also compromised his preparation for the T20 World Cup and limited his ability to bowl in the tournament.Marsh’s decision to have surgery now will give him a chance to be fit for Australia’s next ODI assignment in India in March.Related

• Hardie, Richardson fire Scorchers to comfortable win against stuttering Sixers

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• Power surge, clash with rival leagues and Warner's return – everything you need to know about BBL 2022-23

• Perth Scorchers sign Faf du Plessis for half the BBL

Salt sustained a grade-two ligament injury on his left shoulder during the third and final ODI against Australia last week in Melbourne. He was diving to save a boundary and also suffered a concussion in the same incident and was subbed out of the game. His arm was in a sling in the rooms after the match to protect his shoulder and following his return to England he consulted a shoulder specialist who recommended he miss both the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament and the BBL.Phil Salt puts his body on the line in vain•Getty Images

Scorchers had already lost Laurie Evans after terminating his contract following a positive dope test. They recruited South Africa star Faf du Plessis for a seven-game stint as a short-term replacement for Evans prior to him heading to South Africa for the new CSA T20 league in January.Scorchers general manager Kade Harvey said the defending champions would look to source further replacements for Marsh and Salt.”Losing Mitch and Phil so close to the start of the season is very disappointing,” Harvey said. “Mitch is one of the best ball-strikers in global cricket with an incredible BBL record, and his leadership and presence around the group is enormous.”Phil has proven his class for England and in T20 tournaments around the world, so it’s unfortunate he won’t pull on the orange this summer.”We’re under no illusions about how difficult it will be to cover the absence of Mitch and Phil, but we take pride in the depth of our squad and have a lot of players capable of stepping up.”In better news for Scorchers, fast bowler Jhye Richardson is expected to be fit for the start of the BBL despite being kept out of Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield match against Queensland this week due to a bruised heel.

Australia vice-captain backs team to come good under Justin Langer’s new regime

George Dobell at Trent Bridge18-Jun-2018Australia have “under-performed dramatically” in ODI cricket over recent months, according to Aaron Finch.Australia, who will have lost five ODI series in succession if they lose any of the final three matches in the Royal London series, have slipped to sixth position in the ICC ODI team rankings. It is their worst placing since January 1984.They have also lost seven of their eight most recent ODI encounters against an England side that currently sits at No. 1 in those rankings.But while Finch, the side’s vice-captain, admits recent results have been “disappointing”, he still feels Australia’s best cricket is “good enough” to beat England.”No doubt we’ve under-performed dramatically in the last 18 months in one-day cricket,” Finch said. “There’s no shying away from that – you can’t hide the win-loss facts.”We play well in patches but let the games slip, be it with a couple of poor overs with the ball or little collapses with the bat. It’s nothing new, we do need to put it all together and start to play the more complete game.”Sixth in the rankings is a fair reflection. We haven’t won any series for a while. We’ve just been outplayed in the last little while as well. That’s been disappointing.”While Finch is candid about his side’s failings, he feels there is enough time to turn things around ahead of the World Cup – which will be under way this time next year – and has urged patience in Justin Langer’s new coaching regime.”Justin’s only been in the job a couple of weeks and we’ve been together for two international games and two tour matches,” Finch said. “That’s not a long time to start to change the way he wants us to play, change training habits and technical things.”When you have new guys in the squad there is a little bit of a feeling-out process. The guys have all done well in patches but not nailed it for long enough. There is inexperience and that has shown in the last 18 months, but the more opportunities they get the more consistent they will become. We have around 23 games until the World Cup, obviously we would love to be winning now but it’s nice to get experience.”We are putting in a lot of work. But that hasn’t translated into the on-field performance just yet, in terms of wins. There is some separation between training [outcomes] and the game.”I’m sure the results will come down the track. I’ve got confidence that will happen but, just for now, it would be nice to get a few wins on the board to reinforce that what we’re doing is the right stuff.”Among the immediate issues facing Australia is how they combat England’s spinners. Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid have taken five wickets each so far this series – more than any Australia bowler – with Moeen conceding just 4.50 runs per over and Rashid 5.88. By contrast, none of Australia’s spinner – Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Agar and D’Arcy Short – have taken a wicket. To add some solidity to the Australia middle-order, Finch moved down to No. 5 in Cardiff but failed to score a run.”We’re doing a little bit of spin work at the moment,” Finch said. “The results probably haven’t been there if you look at Rash and Moeen’s figures in the last couple of games.”Maybe that’s pressure; maybe that’s the personnel as well. It’s tough to train [to face] someone like Adil Rashid. But we’re confident:
we’re all very good players.”I am very comfortable at No.5. I haven’t done it a hell of a lot in one-day cricket, maybe never, but in the last 18 months in T20, that gives me a better understanding of how to do it. Obviously getting a duck in my first game at No.5 isn’t ideal but we got ourselves in a reasonable position. Over the next 12 months it will be shuffled a bit, trying to find the best combinations, through the middle order. I am prepared to bat wherever the team needs.”And while Finch admitted England were playing “some good cricket”, he dismissed the suggestion that Australia may try to adopt a similar style.”England are playing some good cricket, that’s why they are No.1 in the world,” he said. “They play an aggressive brand of cricket, they put you on the back foot early especially with the bat. They have guys who are contributing all through the order. They go ultra-hard up top and rely on their spin a lot through the middle overs.”I think if we tried to copy that, it would be foolish – because we play in a different style. But we’ve won a lot of World Cups. We’ve got some guys in our changing room that have won them.”We have full confidence that, if we play to our full ability and push that for 100 overs rather than 60 or 80 overs – because if you give England an opportunity they will take it – our best is still good enough. It’s about doing it more consistently.”

With the board’s new constitution taking effect, the powers of its office bearers have been clipped until fresh elections take place

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Aug-2018The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has taken full control of the BCCI. All the sub-committees of the BCCI except the selection panels and the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) have been annulled. The powers of the three office-bearers of the BCCI – CK Khanna (acting president), Amitabh Choudhary (acting secretary) and Anirudh Chaudhry (treasurer) – have been clipped and they will now need the CoA’s mandate to approve any decision or travel.With the BCCI registering its new constitution, which was approved by the Supreme Court recently, the CoA has said the professional management of the board, led by the CEO Rahul Johri, will take charge of the daily affairs until fresh elections are conducted.The CoA, which comprises Vinod Rai (chairman) and former India women captain Diana Edulji (member), said it has issued this fresh directive in the wake of the new constitution coming into being from August 21, when it was registered. “As a consequence, the earlier Constitution of the BCCI (“Old Constitution”) stands extinguished and the New Constitution has come into force,” the CoA said in a three-page email distributed to the office-bearers and the professional management. “The New Constitution entrusts the day-to-day management of the BCCI to its professional management.”Under the new constitution the governance of the BCCI will be handled by the Apex Council. Nine councilors will sit on the Apex Council comprising five office-bearers along with an elected representative picked by the BCCI members, two from the players’ association (one male, one female) and one official from the Comptroller and Auditor General’s office. The CoA has said it will perform the role of the Apex Council and the IPL Governing Council until fresh elections take place.According to Rai the office-bearers have not been removed. He took the example of Choudhary convening the selection committee meetings to announce India’s squad for the final two Tests of their England tour, the India A squad for the two-match series against Australia A, and the India women squad for the ODI tour of Sri Lanka. “Any powers exercisable by any office bearer will henceforth be only as mandated under the New Constitution and shall be exercised only with the prior approval of the Committee of Administrators,” the CoA said. “The office bearers and/or their respective Executive Assistants as well as the employees of BCCI shall not undertake any travel outside India at BCCI expense without the prior approval of the Committee of Administrators.”The CoA has retained only the selection committees, which were restored to five members, and the three-member CAC which comprises Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. In case any “urgent” decision needs to be taken before the new sub-committees are constituted, the CoA will try to take it on its own or utilise the expertise of an ad-hoc committee.

The West Indies captain was given out on what was evidently a no-ball due to fielding infringements by Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam in Sylhet14-Dec-2018In a controversial incident in the series-deciding ODI in Sylhet, West Indies captain Rovman Powell was out to what should have been called a no-ball due to an excessive number of Bangladesh fielders manning the leg-side field. Following the game, which Bangladesh won to seal the series, Powell expressed disappointment with the on-field umpires for not catching the breach till it was pointed out by Carlos Brathwaite, West Indies’ 12th man who came on to the field to bring it to the notice of umpires Masudur Rahman and Ruchira Palliyaguruge.Brathwaite was seen having an animated discussion with the umpires just after Powell was given caught behind off Mehidy Hasan in the 26th over. He seemed to bring up the matter again, when he came onto the field with drinks a few overs later. Powell said that Brathwaite had come on to the field to bring the situation to the umpires’ notice.Powell said the issue had persisted over several balls. “It was a situation where Bangladesh had six persons on the leg side, and generally six persons on the leg side is considered a no-ball. It is a bit disappointing to see about six or seven balls [were] bowled with six players on the leg side and the umpire didn’t pick that up. It is human mistake, so sometimes you have to just give and take.”But you don’t want to lose a wicket in that fashion. Maybe that’s one of the major reasons why Carlos came on the field. To be honest, I didn’t spot it. None of us, me nor [the other batsman at the time] Shai Hope, spotted it. We were concentrating on rebuilding, getting a partnership going and that just happened.”It is not clear why Brathwaite did not prevent Powell from leaving the field when they had, evidently correctly, spotted this umpiring error. When Powell was asked about the matter at the press conference, he didn’t seem to catch the question.According to clause 28.4 of the ICC men’s playing conditions, “At the instant of delivery, there may not be more than 5 fielders on the leg side… In the event of infringement of this clause by any fielder, the striker’s end umpire shall call and signal no-ball.”Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said that they also did not spot the error. “We all know that a 6-3 field is a no-ball,” Mashrafe said. “But by being focused on getting them out we ended up having six fielders on the on-side, but since the umpire had made his call [on the Powell dismissal], he had to be given out.”