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They began the year with stories of the captain alleging the coach was creating an insecure environment. They may end it by becoming Ranji Trophy champions

Vishal Dikshit in Indore28-Dec-2017It was only last season and earlier this year that Delhi’s on-field performance was shrouded by off-field controversies. Their captain Gautam Gambhir had altercations with coach KP Bhaskar, and both were later summoned by the High Court-appointed Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) administrator. There were allegations of Gambhir abusing Bhaskar, reports of Bhaskar making some youngsters feel “insecure” and “dividing the dressing room”.They failed to qualify for the knockouts in both the Ranji Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. While they won only two of their eight first-class matches, in the six one-day games, they managed three wins but it wasn’t enough.Despite the quarrels and squabbles, the DDCA continued with Bhaskar as coach but changed the captain from Gambhir to Ishant Sharma. When the fast bowler was playing for India, they were led by Rishabh Pant, who turned 20 at the beginning of the season On Friday, they will play a Ranji final having been unbeaten all season.

Sometimes it is good when you feel bad about something that has been said about you or your team or your associationGautam Gambhir

Gambhir is their highest run-scorer so far and is among the top 10 this season, with an average of 63.20. It seems like the events in the Delhi dressing room over the last 12 months have acted as a “trigger” for the team to re-focus.”DDCA has been in the news for all the wrong reasons,” Gambhir tells ESPNcricinfo. “Deep down, each and every player that I have played with or the support staff that I have been involved with… [for us] it hurts. Sometimes it is good when you feel bad about something that has been said about you or your team or your association. That hurt actually was the trigger point.”There’s a lot said about the difference of opinion that I had with the coach, and that was taken to various extensions. And that led to a bloody-minded attitude which was only about winning the competition and winning the next game. We wanted to show the world that it’s not only the negative that exists in the Delhi dressing room. There is positivity, there are things we want to do to restore the glory days of the association which has given me my identity and a platform to play for India.”Gambhir, like he often is on the field, talks with sentiment and passion about his state side. He expresses barely any remorse about how things unfolded with the coach or why the captain was changed and not the coach. In his own words, Gambhir now plays the role of a “big brother” and is optimistic about Pant’s leadership skill.”In any format you play, the captain is as good as his team, and it holds here as well,” Gambhir says. “I think Rishabh is learning, the good thing is that he wants to learn, he wants to evolve as a player and as a captain. Rishabh can plan and strategise, but if you can’t pick 20 wickets, then all those plans will be canned. So it doesn’t really matter whether you are a young captain or an experienced captain. If you are determined to achieve your goals, that’s what matters and the bloody-mindedness that a sportsperson has to win a competition. We’ve seen with the Australians, the team that Steve Waugh led or Mark Taylor led or Ricky Ponting led; you could have made anyone the captain and they would have done what was required.”Rishabh Pant became the third-youngest Indian to score a first-class triple century•Prakash ParsekarThe decision to name Pant the new captain may have helped Delhi after the controversies. He is from a new generation. He will have a fresh perspective and would not carry the baggage of the previous seasons when Delhi could not make the knockouts. In a way, their performance in 2017-18 has made up for all the disappointment.Delhi are now in their first Ranji final since the 2007-08 season, when Gambhir was the captain and had scored a duck and an unbeaten century in a chase of 230 to lift the trophy. Now, Gambhir is the senior-most player in a squad where only one other player – Vikas Tokas – is older than 30. Vikas Mishra, their 24-year old left-arm spinner, has a massive 32 wickets and medium-pacer Navdeep Saini is one short of his 30th victim this season. Apart from their three draws, they have registered three innings wins, including a thrashing of Bengal in the semi-final.

For a sportsperson, nothing can be more pleasurable, nervous, anxious and at the same time satisfyingGautam Gambhir on playing a final

“We are just one step away from recreating what we did in 2007 and it’s a really proud feeling,” Gambhir says. “The young boys are playing the first final of their life in top-grade cricket. It will help them mature not only as cricketers but as individuals also. Playing the final will be an experience they wouldn’t have had ever in their life. For a sportsperson, nothing can be more pleasurable, nervous, anxious and at the same time satisfying.In addition to praising his young team-mates, Gambhir emphasises that people should look at scorecards not to see individual performances but assess how a team has done on the whole. He is adamant that winning tournaments is the “bigger picture” and personal achievements only its “byproduct”.”There are two ways of looking at sport, especially cricket. One is you look at the scoreboard and you see who has picked up five wickets or who has scored a hundred. But there’s a lot the guy at the other end is contributing. I always maintain whatever be the format – T20s, one-dayers or Test matches – it’s the bowlers who win you matches. The batsmen set things up but it’s the bowlers who win you games. I won’t say that it’s only the spinners, it’s also the guy who is bowling at the other end, whether he’s a fast bowler or a part-time spinner, who has ensured the pressure that has been exerted from one end continues at the other end as well.”Delhi will face first-time finalists Vidarbha and though we will all have to wait a week for the result, Gambhir hopes this season will be remembered for him and his team-mates giving their “200%”.”I would want people to think that the players tried their best,” he says. “For me that is the key. If you try your best, whatever the results may be, that is irrelevant. But if you give your 200%, that’s what counts.”

Stats highlights from the first day of the Antigua Test, where Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan stole the show from the hosts

Bharath Seervi21-Jul-20160:50

Virat Kohli’s century brought him level with Mohammad Azharuddin for most away hundreds by an India captain

3 Number of India captains to score a Test century in the West Indies. Virat Kohli became the third to do so after Kapil Dev (100*) in Port of Spain in 1982-83 and Rahul Dravid (146) in 2006. Kohli is the only Indian player to score 50-plus as a captain in his maiden Test innings in West Indies; the previous highest was 49 by Rahul Dravid. Kohli is the eighth visiting captain to score a century in his maiden Test innings in the West Indies. The last to do so was Ricky Ponting (158 in 2008).1 Number of higher individual scores by India players on the opening day of a Test in the West Indies than Kohli’s 143 not out in this match. Virender Sehwag made 180 in Gros Islet in 2006. Kohli’s 143 at the end of the day is the third-highest score of his Test career thus far.5 Number of centuries for Kohli as captain in Tests, all of which have come outside India. He drew level with Mohammad Azharuddin for most centuries by a captain for India away from home. His away average as captain is second only to Don Bradman, among those who have batted ten or more innings.18 Number of innings in which Kohli reached 1000 runs as captain in Tests, which makes him the joint second-quickest to the milestone for India. Only Sunil Gavaskar (14 innings) got there in fewer innings than Kohli while MS Dhoni also took 18 innings. Kohli’s average is the best among all India captains and fourth-best among all captains who have batted 15 or more innings. Kohli also passed 3000 runs in his Test career.Virat Kohli has scored five overseas hundreds as Test captain in 12 innings, compared to five in 41 by Mohammad Azharuddin•ESPNcricinfo Ltd4 Number of scores by India players in their maiden Test innings in West Indies higher than Shikhar Dhawan’s 84. Polly Umrigar made 130 in 1952-53, Brijesh Patel 115 not out in 1975-76, Sanjay Manjrekar 108 in 1988-89 and Ajay Jadeja 96 in 1996-97. Dhawan has made centuries in his maiden Test match in four different countries – 187 in India, 115 in New Zealand, 173 in Bangladesh and 134 in Sri Lanka.110.80 Average partnership between Dhawan and Kohli for the third wicket in Tests, which is the third highest by a pair having five or more partnerships. They have added three century stands in five innings for the third wicket. Only two other India pairs have shared more than three century partnerships for the third wicket.1958 The last time a visiting team had 50-plus partnerships for second, third, fourth and fifth wickets of the innings in a Test in the West Indies – Pakistan in the third innings of the Bridgetown Test where they secured a draw after following on. This was only the third such instance against West Indies in the West Indies.11.28 M Vijay’s average in Tests in the West Indies – his lowest in any country. He has scored 79 runs in seven innings there with a highest of 45, and five single-digit scores.7.89 Average opening partnership for India in the West Indies in their last nine innings. In these nine innings, they have added just 71 runs with a highest of 26. Their stands in the five innings prior to that were 61, 109, 59, 10 and 72.

Brendan Taylor did everything in his last match to give his side a real chance of stunning India, and all he could do was watch it slip away. In so many ways, the theme of his Zimbabwe career

Abhishek Purohit in Auckland14-Mar-20152:03

‘Sad to leave my home country’ – Taylor

The ball looped gently in the air for so long that Hamilton Masakadza had enough time to set himself up under Suresh Raina’s top-edged sweep. Brendan Taylor had enough time to crane his neck to his right and wait for the simplest of catches to be taken. A catch that would have seen India reduced to 157 for 5, and left them needing 131 from the last 15 overs. The catch was spilled. The near-exclusively Indian crowd in New Zealand’s largest metropolis roared. The drinks break, in Taylor’s last international game before his move to county cricket, was taken immediately after.Taylor walked slowly towards Masakadza, and then stopped some way short. He lay down on his back and spent the rest of the interval getting some stretching done on his legs. He had batted for two-and-a-half hours to make 138 off 110 and then kept wicket for nearly the same length of time, in addition to leading Zimbabwe. He had done everything he possibly could to give his side a real chance of stunning the defending champions. And he was now watching it slip away from right behind the stumps. Valiant forever but ultimately helpless. Story of his Zimbabwe career, leading to his eventual move to county cricket.Taylor turned 29 last month. He is at the peak of his quite considerable batting prowess. He has already played 11 years for his country. It is unimaginably cruel to be forced to give up your national colours – “this red shirt” – so that you can provide for your wife and child playing domestic cricket in a faraway land with the remaining years left in you. Years that could have brought more glory to that red shirt. The colour the Flower brothers wore. The colour Heath Streak wore. The colour Brendan Taylor loves so much.As the Zimbabwe national anthem played at Eden Park this afternoon, some of the players sang loudly along. Taylor was not one of them. He was mouthing those words softly. This was it. The final time he would hear the anthem on the playing field in that red shirt. It was like he had taken a deep breath and was holding it to not get overwhelmed by the emotion. As the end came, the others stopped singing, too. Taylor exhaled with visible effort, almost relieved he had not broken down.Brendan Taylor’s innings was a blur of incredibly clean, sustained hitting but the result did not go his way•AFPHis innings was a blur of incredibly clean, sustained hitting against an attack that became the only one to bowl six sides out of six in the group stage of this World Cup. Was this the best he had batted in an ODI? “I think so, yeah,” considering the stage and the quality of the attack. But Zimbabwe did not win, he pointed out. Another hundred in a losing cause, he qualified. “Then it doesn’t feel so sweet.” Story of his career, he might as well have gone ahead and said.Taylor’s final Zimbabwe press conference was in two parts. Part one where he talked about Zimbabwe’s familiar issues – poor fielding, lack of match awareness, inability to build an innings – and about how good India were was professional and matter-of-fact.Part two, when he was asked about his career, was where the emotion came out. What would he miss the most about being an international player? The voice quavered for an instant.”To be wearing this red shirt of mine,” Taylor said. “I guess it’s every international cricketer’s dream is to put on their country’s shirt. That’s why we play the sport. We’re lucky enough, we’re privileged enough to do that. I will certainly miss that. I’ll miss my teammates, the camaraderie that we have amongst each other, the good times, the bad times we go through. That’s all part of it. I’ve had it for 11 years and I wouldn’t change that for anything. It’s been some special times through good and bad.”He will not change those 11 years for anything. All the money in the world cannot give him what those 11 years have. The satisfaction and recognition of being one of the finest cricketers his nation has ever produced.The Indians probably cannot even comprehend what it is to leave your national team so that you can make a little money and secure your and your family’s future while you are still able to. For them, the national team is the gateway to a lifestyle hundreds of millions of fellow Indians can only fantasise about. They are the selected superstars of an emerging economic superpower.That did not stop three of them from running over to Taylor after he was dismissed and congratulating him for a fantastic innings, and an international career that deserves respect.”Shikhar [Dhawan], Virat [Kohli] and Suresh [Raina] came up to me. That really was quite touching for me. They didn’t have to do that. They’re very established players, and yeah, that was a very nice touch that they did.”Taylor’s comments reflected the gulf between him and those three – not in class but in circumstance. Not in ability but in fortunes. Had Taylor been an Indian, he would have been a superstar too. He would not have been allowed to play limited-overs cricket in another country by his board. He would also have had no need to.His counterpart is among the biggest superstars in the cricket world. As MS Dhoni swatted a four to long leg to move to 72, the asking-rate went under run-a-ball for the first time since the fifth over of the chase. The crowd noticed that on the giant screen and went wilder. Taylor, bent over behind the stumps, stared at the ground, and held that pose, as if to let the finality of one last defeat sink in.As Taylor was leaving after applause in the press conference, he ran into the arriving Dhoni outside. The two captains shook hands. “See you sometime in England,” Dhoni said. Both knew the irony in those words. Life can be cruel. But, as Taylor said, “I guess life goes on.” It will. It just will not be in that red shirt again.

The story of how one man found the courage to motivate a bunch of young refugees to aspire for the stars

Srinath Sripath, India31-Aug-2013Over the past decade literature on Afghanistan, starting with Khaled Hosseini’s , has spawned a whole sub-genre by itself. The struggles of a nation setting itself free from the shackles of several invasions warrant a minute-by-minute recording. Fortunately, a slew of writers, journalists and documentary makers have been around to do just that.When I first read reputed columnists raving about , I longed to watch it. This piece is not just meant to talk about the documentary, but to look at Afghan cricket from a broader lens. My first brush with cricket in Afghanistan was Timeri Murari’s . As Rukhsana, the Delhi University-educated protagonist, teaches her cousins to play cricket and break free from the Taliban, I wondered if the novel was based on real-life inspiration. Though I do not yet know the answer to that question, I found the parallel in .The story of Afghanistan’s rise to International cricket is, for all practical purposes, the story of how one man found the courage to motivate a bunch of young men to aspire for the stars. Taj Malik’s tale is a narrative that deserves to be told, not as an aside or a subplot, but the plot itself. As this piece would tell you, in a country taking baby steps to stand on its own feet, resources were scarce and International status was but a pipedream. As happens so often in the novel, the protagonist of this real-life story uses a crackling telephone line to communicate with the outside world, calling out aloud for help. Small-time cricketer, right-hand batsman and legbreak bowler, Taj’s story could have been just another, forgotten one, buried in the eventful, history-rich sands of cricketing time. Akin to how Kerry Packer would be looked up to, by someone looking to revolutionise and re-package cricket for the Test-playing world, Taj should be the inspiration to anyone seeking to bring smiles to a ravaged nation.As the movie unfolds you see how change and professionalism take root in the Afghan side. Discipline slowly infects these young men who were once reckless sloggers who would not put a price on their wickets. When the Afghan Cricket Federation decides that development would be at the cost of replacing Taj with a foreign coach, you can’t help but well up, just like Taj does after Afghanistan win their first ever tournament in Jersey. Stories like these in sport are hard to find, and hardly ever told to the world.The novel provides a fictionalised account of how Afghans were sent to Pakistan to learn cricket. For these men cricket took shape in refugee camps during the Russian invasion. As Taj makes his way to the dugout for Afghanistan’s inaugural ICC World T20 game against India at St. Lucia, it is almost like a happily-ever-after movie ending. Taj’s story deserves to be told many times over, for it would inspire not just Afghans, but anyone looking to overcome odds in life.As an Afghani poem repeated in the movie goes ,
Touchwood, not so rare anymore. With annual contracts through ICC funding, matches against Test-playing nations, foreign coaching assistance, things are looking up for Afghanistan. It would be easier to rush into a campaign for Test status. But if lessons from Bangladesh are anything to go by, Afghanistan must be nurtured with patience and made masters of the shorter format first. Hopefully rosier times await, and the pull-up-sleeves-and-dance routine would become a regular feature in the life of Taj Malik and his countrymen.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line

A lifeless low-scoring match in East London did nothing to dispel the criticisms of 50-over cricket

Firdose Moonda at Buffalo Park14-Jan-2012Keen to time-travel back to the late 1980s? Come to East London. Everything from bad hair to mozzarella music exists here in all the glory it did more than 20 years ago. On Saturday, also present was the 1980s ODI, the one that has always cowered in the shadow of Test cricket and then faced the guillotine when its spunkier cousin, Twenty20, came along.The old-school ODI still exists, and when it makes an appearance the argument that 50-over cricket is outdated surfaces with it. If the 2011 World Cup added years to ODI cricket’s life, the match in East London confirmed why it is still an endangered species, one that probably does not deserve protection. Mediocrity seldom does.Sri Lanka rolled back the years to an era before Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana revolutionised the first 15 overs. They ground out 37 runs from the first 15, a return Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana would have sniggered at. Sri Lanka’s innings had all the makings of an old-school classic: a slow start, and a rebuilding process in which one batsman pushed through and had contributions from a sprinkling of pinch-hitters surrounding him. Dinesh Chandimal’s 92 was built on nothing but hard work, an oddity in the modern game, where flash and flair are the main ingredients.South Africa’s bowlers were accurate without being deathly. At times, they were too short, but usually they were saved by committed fielding. AB de Villiers showed some creativity in managing his attack but even that did not draw too many flutters from a determined Sri Lankan batting line-up.To their credit, South Africa wound the clock forward a little with the bat. They reached the Jayasuriya-minimum of 75 in the first 15 overs and they did not lose a wicket getting there. Steady contributions from the top order set the stage for de Villiers to take the match to its foregone conclusion. When he couldn’t, JP Duminy was there to do it. His contribution was vital but quiet, except for his big six off Rangana Herath, which briefly brought to life a slumbering match.Sri Lanka’s bowlers were better than they were in the first ODI, but still not good enough. The visitors lost interest as early as the 10th over, by which time they had tried five different bowlers and seen South Africa respond with ease. Their lack of motivation was compounded by their poor fielding, and their breakthroughs came too late, when South Africa only had formalities to complete. South Africa’s batsmen, who were careful on a slow pitch, played with a sense of routine and obligation, not passion.If the last four paragraphs almost put you to sleep, then you will have a sense of what the match as a whole was like. That is not to say that games with average scores are always dry and cannot captivate; some of one-day cricket’s best contests have come from low-scoring matches (think of South Africa against India at the Wanderers last year) and some of the highest-scoring ones have turned into one-sided, punching bag stuff.It is simply that this one lacked spark. It could have been different if the chase was tense and the contest absorbing. Any notion that the action was gripping evaporated when the crowd broke out into a fight on the grass banks. When police dragged away one of the perpetrators, the applause was louder than it had been for any of South Africa’s three half-centurions. There were even louder gasps when the lights went out and one of the pylons was set on fire. International cricket only comes to East London every few years but the 12,000-odd people at Buffalo Park were there for their own party. The cricket was merely a side show.The numbers eventually said five runs were needed off 10 balls, which tells a deceiving story about how compelling the match really was. Without being sub-standard, it was unengaging, tiring and lacked the “wow” factor.Like most things, there will be times when cricket, in all its forms, fails to capture attention. The problem with ODI cricket is that it takes almost eight hours to do that. In instances where those eight hours feel like a lifetime, one-day cricket can’t shake off the impression of being unnecessary. If played in a series without any real context, such as this one, it searches for relevance.

Lawsuits, resignations, sackings and more, in our look back at the third quarter of the year

Judhajit Basu and Kanishkaa Balachandran29-Dec-2008

July

1 New Zealand totally outclass a threadbare Ireland by a record ODI margin of 290 runs.3 The ICC changes the result of the controversial Oval Test between England and Pakistan in 2006 from an England win to a draw, following pressure from the PCB. Two days later, Michael Holding resigns from the ICC cricket committee, citing the change of the result as the reason.Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain, is appointed the new chairman of the ICC cricket committee, following Sunil Gavaskar’s resignation. Samir Inamdar, the chairman of Cricket Kenya, is elected chairman of the Associate and Affiliate members of the ICC, and Marlon Samuels’ two-year ban is upheld among other decisions.6 Ajantha Mendis bamboozles India to finish with astonishing figures of 6 for 13 and help Sri Lanka win the Asia Cup final in Karachi by 100 runs.Australia complete a 5-0 whitewash in the ODI series against West Indies, winning the fifth ODI in St Kitts by 169 runs.7 Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, is appointed president of the Asian Cricket Council.8 Mahendra Singh Dhoni pulls out of the Test leg of India’s tour of Sri Lanka, citing exhaustion after a non-stop season.The ICC announces an investment of US$300 million over the next seven years for the development of the game outside the 10 Full Member countries.10 Sri Lanka Cricket decides to allow its cricketers to play in the second season of the IPL, though the league clashes with Sri Lanka’s tour of England. The board also agrees to back-date the players’ contract payments from March 1, 2008.The ICC takes the first significant step towards resolving the contentious issue of unauthorised cricket by setting up a high-powered committee.13 A sample taken during random testing at the inaugural IPL tests positive. The player in question later turns out to be Mohammad Asif, whom the PCB subsequently suspends.16 The ECB unveils its plans for an English Premier League starting 2010.Future Test series between South Africa and England are granted “icon” status by Cricket South Africa and the ECB with the support of the ICC.17 The BCCI cranks up the pressure on English counties that have employed players linked with the Indian Cricket League, “advising” its own players to not sign up with such teams. Consequently Piyush Chawla doesn’t sign for Hampshire, or VVS Laxman for Nottinghamshire.23 Joubert Strydom ends his term as the South African chairman of selectors to pursue business interests.26 The New Zealand Emerging Players, aided by Neil Broom’s 62, clinch the Emerging Players Tournament by defeating the Australian Institute of Sports by three wickets at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane.29 Jagmohan Dalmiya is elected president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, a position from which he was unseated in December 2006.The BCCI rejects an offer from the ECB to join England’s version of the Champions League.

August

1 Ashok Mankad, the former India batsman, passes away in Mumbai.2 Hong Kong beat defending champions UAE by three wickets to win the ACC Elite Trophy in a rain-shortened final in Kuala Lumpur.David “Butch” White, the former England and Hampshire quick bowler, dies aged 73.Diteko Modise, the former financial manager of the South African board, is sentenced to 76 years in jail for fraud.Graeme Smith’s unbeaten 154 guides South Africa to a five-wicket win against England at Edgbaston in the third Test, ensuring a series victory for South Africa, their first in England since 1965.Michael Vaughan resigns as England captain. Paul Collingwood also calls it quits as England’s one-day captain.4 Kevin Pietersen is appointed England’s Test and one-day captain.Ireland and Netherlands share the World Twenty20 Qualifiers trophy after the final of the tournament is washed out in Belfast.5 The chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board, Donald Peters returns to work after being sent on leave in July following a dispute with Julian Hunte, the board president.7 Robin Brown is fired from his position as national coach by Zimbabwe Cricket. Andy Pycroft, the Zimbabwe A team coach, is also shown the door.9 Bob Cunis, the former New Zealand medium-pacer, passes away, aged 67.11 Sri Lanka make their way to a comprehensive 2-1 Test series win, their first over India since 2001, winning the third Test by eight wickets.Chris Gayle withdraws his letter of resignation as West Indies captain, written at the end of July, and says he is set to continue leading the side.16 Walter Chawaguta, the former Zimbabwe Under-19 coach, takes charge of the national team.18 Nasim Ashraf, the chairman of the PCB, resigns from his post on the same day that the patron of the board, Pervez Musharraf, resigns as president of Pakistan.Rain washes out the fifth and final women’s ODI between England and South Africa at Chesterfield, handing the hosts a 4-0 series win.19 Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif’s B sample from the IPL tests positive for nandrolone.20 Zimbabwe confirms they will not take part in the ICC World Twenty20 in England in 2009, following meetings with the ICC in Dubai.Steve Harmison comes out of ODI retirement to strengthen England’s bowling against South Africa in the five-match series.22Darrell Hair, the Australian umpire, tenders his resignation with the ICC in order to take up a coaching role.Xavier Marshall hits the most sixes in a one-day international innings, 12, as he demolishes Canada’s bowlers in a tri-series match in King City.23 The BCCI working committee proposes to pay an annual sum of Rs 25 lakh to each national selector, making the job a fully paid one instead of the existing honorary system.24 The ICC postpones the Champions Trophy, due to begin in Pakistan from September 12. The decision to defer it to October 2009 is taken at a teleconference among board members the next day.25 Marcus Trescothick admits in his autobiography to using mints to help shine the ball during England’s 2-1 Ashes victory in 2005.26 The Stanford 20/20 for 20 match between the Stanford Super Stars and England comes under threat when West Indies team sponsor Digicel brings an injunction against the WICB in the High Court in London.27 India seal their maiden bilateral ODI series triumph in Sri Lanka with a 46-run win in the replayed fourth ODI at the Premadasa Stadium; they take an unbeatable 3-1 lead.Mushtaq Ahmed, the former Pakistan legspinner, announces his retirement from county cricket due to persistent knee trouble.29 Samit Patel’s all-round performance at The Oval helps England win the ODI series against South Africa, taking an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.30 The BCCI technical committee says state associations will now be permitted to include four “guest players” (from areas outside their jurisdiction) in their squads from the 2008-09 season onwards, up from three previously.Andrew Symonds is banished from the Australia squad to take on Bangladesh in the first ODI in Darwin after he goes fishing and misses a team meeting.

1 On the 40th anniversary of Garry Sobers hitting six sixes in an over, Floyd Reifer , the former West Indies batsman, emulates the feat in a match in the Barbados Cricket Association’s Twenty20 league.2 Graeme Hick, the former England captain, announces his retirement from first-class cricket at the age of 42.3 England thrash South Africa 4-0 in the one-day series at home. The fifth and final ODI in Cardiff is washed out.4 The ICC announces ODI Player rankings for women, set for an October launch.5 The three founding members of the Champions League announce that the second edition of the tournament will be held between September 25 and October 10, 2009, and will feature 12 teams.Col Egar, the former Test umpire and Australian cricket administrator, dies in Adelaide at the age of 80.6 Australia sweep the one-day series against Bangladesh 3-0 in Darwin. Bangladesh collapsed to 125 all out, chasing 199.7 South Africa reject a proposal to host a tri-series featuring South Africa and Sri Lanka after their leading players say they aren’t interested in playing after a hectic tour of England.9 England Women beat India Women 4-0 in the home one-dayers. The fifth and final ODI in Hove was washed out.10 Shivnarine Chanderpaul is named the 2008 ICC Cricketer of the Year at the annual ICC Awards in Dubai. For the full list of awards click here.11 The 10-year commercial rights to the Champions League are sold to ESPN-Star Sports for US$900 million.13 West Indies pull out of the four-nation Twenty20 tournament in Canada in October after their request to postpone it by two weeks is turned down.14 Murray Goodwin secures the Pro40 title for Sussex by hitting the final ball of a gripping winner-takes-all clash against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge for six.Chris Adams, the Sussex captain, announces he will be standing down at the end of the season following 11 years in charge. The allrounder Michael Yardy takes over in his place.Six Bangladesh players inform the BCB that they intend to retire from international and domestic cricket. There’s speculation all are set to join the ICL, which is confirmed the next day when the ICL unveils the Dhaka Warriors team. Habibul Bashar is named captain.Cricket Australia confirm Australia’s tour of India will go ahead, despite increased fears over security following a series of bomb blasts in New Delhi.17 Norman Arendse quits his post as Cricket South Africa’s president, saying he never enjoyed the full trust and confidence of Gerald Majola, the CEO, and all 11 affiliates.The Bangladesh Cricket Board announces a ten-year ban for all 13 of its players who joined the ICL.18 Xavier Marshall and Tonito Willett, from Leewards Islands, test positive in drug tests conducted during a two-week camp in Antigua in August.SNGPL become the first Pakistan team to win the Mohammad Nissar Trophy after the game against Delhi at the Feroz Shah Kotla ends in a draw. SNGPL take the title based on their first-innings lead.19 Sri Lanka Cricket lifts the ban on five cricketers and an umpire who in 2007 signed up for the ICL; all are allowed to participate in domestic cricket.20 Stanford organisers reject Digicel’s compromise offer to the WICB regarding branding for the Stanford 20/20 for 20.22 Darren Gough bows out of first-class cricket after being omitted from Yorkshire’s squad for their match against Sussex at Hove. Gough played in 58 Tests and 159 ODIs, taking 229 and 234 wickets respectively.24 Sri Lanka Cricket revises its stance on ICL cricketers playing domestic cricket after a meeting with the sports minister Gamini Lokuge, saying the players were only allowed to play the upcoming Premier League Cricket Tournament 2008.25 The ICC gives the ICL the opportunity to present its case for official sanction, and Subhash Chandra, the owner of the league, agrees to meet ICC president David Morgan in London in the October.Warwickshire secure the Division Two title in the County Championship by claiming bonus points against Glamorgan at Edgbaston .26 Kris Srikkanth heads India’s first-ever paid national selection committee. The committee also comprises Yashpal Sharma (North), Narendra Hirwani (Central), Surendra Bhave (West) and Raja Venkat (East).Moin Khan sues the Pakistan board over its claims that he was involved in recruiting Mohammad Yousuf for the ICL. He demands 100 million Pakistan rupees (approximately US$1.3 million) as compensation for damage to his reputation.27 Durham claim their first-ever County Championship title after beating Kent by an innings and 71 runs at Canterbury.The PCB replies strongly to Moin Khan’s legal notice and asks him to pay Rs 250 million rupees (approx US$3,210,891) in damages.28 Khaled Mashud, the former Bangladesh captain and wicketkeeper, announces his retirement from all forms of international cricket.30 Derek Underwood, the former England spinner, begins his one-year tenure as president of the MCC, taking over from Mike Brearley.Martin van Jaarsveld, the former South Africa batsman, is named the Professional Cricketers’ Association Player of the Year.The ICC amends the Powerplay rule, allowing the batting team to decide when to use the third Powerplay. The rule is to come into effect from October 1.

Nathan Lyon may need support for the Sydney Test next month and certainly on the subcontinent

Andrew McGlashan04-Dec-2019The Australia squad named for the Test series against New Zealand was probably one of the simpler discussions the selectors have had in recent times following back-to-back innings victories over Pakistan. However, there could be some tricky decisions on the horizon, most significantly around who would be the second spinner should one be needed in Sydney and then, certainly, on the tour of Bangladesh next year.Selection chairman Trevor Hohns left room for an additional player to be added to the 13-man squad against New Zealand if conditions dictate, a definite nod towards a different balance of the side, and confirmed – without naming them – that a handful of spinners around the country will be told to keep themselves ready to support Nathan Lyon.”We will be putting a couple of spinners on notice to make sure they’re doing extra work in case they’re required,” Hohns said. “I won’t nominate them now, because they haven’t been informed. But we’re going into a Big Bash period, so we’ll want anyone nominated to be doing extra work throughout the Big Bash series.”Earlier this year, Shane Warne said Australia’s spin options behind Lyon were a “real issue” if he were injured or needed support.So who are the names heading the back-up list? (Statistics for this Sheffield Shield season, up to December 4)Jon Holland (8 wickets at 59.25)When Australia last fielded two frontline spinners, against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, it was Holland who had the second-spinner’s role. He went wicketless in a heavy defeat, but remained in the selectors’ thinking as part of the Australia A squad that toured England ahead of the Ashes. In the end Australia went without a second spinner for that series. This season has so far been hard work for Holland in the Sheffield Shield but, with international experience under his belt, he will likely remain in contention.Steve O’Keefe (10 wickets at 18.70)It takes a while, but if you scan down the Sheffield Shield wicket-takers for the season, you will eventually hit O’Keefe who is the leading spinner for New South Wales so far with 10 wickets at an average under 20. However, at 34, and with a few strikes against his name, it feels as though his time has passed even though he probably remains the second-best spinner in the country. If the selectors wanted someone who would not be overawed by the occasion, O’Keefe ticks plenty of boxes.Ashton Agar (3 wickets at 136)The bowling numbers certainly don’t scream “pick me” for Agar, who made his Test debut back in 2013 when he struck 98 from No. 11 against England, but there is an all-round package that could make him attractive to the selectors. If Australia fielded a second spinner it would mean a different balance to the side and one option could be to play Agar at No. 7 – leaving out a specialist batsman – and still field three quick bowlers. He has averaged 52.40 with the bat in the Sheffield Shield this season and is also an outstanding fielder.Mitchell Swepson (10 wickets at 21.20)There is momentum growing behind Queensland legspinner Swepson after his match-winning return of 7 for 92 against Victoria in Melbourne. At 26, he has had time to learn his game – and has spent time getting advice from Warne – and the onus will now be on Queensland to try and ensure they can find a place for him in the XI regardless of home conditions at the Gabba. Since the start of last season, he is the joint-leading wicket-taker among spinners, along with Holland, in the Shield with 34 wickets at 33.17.Marnus Labuschagne (4 wickets at 51.00* including Pakistan Tests)He’s already cemented in the XI and while he can’t yet be classed as more than a good part-timer there is potential for Labuschagne to play a big role with his legspin. He could have had a couple of wickets against Pakistan and, although he delivers some loose stuff, has pretty good control of all his variations. If it continues to develop there is certainly the scope for him to be a legitimate second option with Lyon, especially on home soil.

The 22nd day of Ashes combat in this series stretched the mental reserves of both teams, but some players coped better than others

Daniel Brettig at Sydney05-Jan-2018Late on the second day, as another bounteous SCG crowd lazed in the January sunshine, Tom Curran tried one of his (even) slower back-of-the-hand balls to Steve Smith. It was what can colloquially be called a “pie”, over-pitched, wide and begging to be gobbled up. Smith, who has pared down his once expansive game in order to achieve maximum efficiency, had acres of free space to hit it into, but managed only to slice it straight to backward point. Bowler and batsmen alike were united in their embarrassment.In many ways, this vignette summed up proceedings, which were of the kind that sap meaning from the term “absolute village” because it can be used so often. There was Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood competing for the simplest dropped catch of the series, James Anderson and Mason Crane conspiring for a run out to end England’s innings, then Crane offering a steady diet of half-trackers, full tosses and false starts at the bowling crease for all cricketers of modest skills to relate to.Little reasoning for all these passages of play could be found in an excellent pitch, which offered something for everyone, nor in the environs of the SCG, which under an azure sky offered up conditions that might have been termed Mary Poppins: practically perfect in every way. Instead it seemed that the aforementioned instances of indiscipline, inattention or plain old ordinariness had more to do with representing the 22nd day of an Ashes duel that in the 21st century is the longest such battle in Test cricket – Australia and England are now the only country who play a fifth Test with any level of regularity.”I don’t know whether it is because the end’s in sight, it’s been a long series, or because we’re up 3-0 or maybe we’ve just got to know each other more, played more cricket together, but here it just feels like we’ve got a job to do but enjoy it along the way,” Cummins said. “When the series is on the line and there’s so many unknowns with two or three matches left it was certainly pretty fiery and every over, every session you’re fighting. Here we know each team so well now and you know your role in the team after five Tests, those uncertainties are taken out of it, I think.”Ashes fatigue, then, provided a test of its own, as distinct from those posed by individual batsmen and bowlers to each other, most either weighed down or bolstered by the experience of crossing paths with the same opponents on multiple occasions now.No-one on either side has fallen into the former category quite like Cameron Bancroft, the West Australian opener who entered this series with a considerable head of steam. Innings of 76 not out and 86 against the Australian Test attack, followed by 228 not out against the Adelaide 12th man in Chadd Sayers, seemed to have put him in the best possible technical and temperamental frame for Ashes combat. A firm, undefeated 82 to help David Warner reel in a fourth-innings target in Brisbane only enhanced that sense.But from a point where Bancroft seemed capable of taking off, he has instead trailed off, afflicted with increasing acuteness by technical flaws that Stuart Broad and James Anderson have exploited with no little efficiency. Put simply, Bancroft has struggled to avoid edging or being bowled by the sorts of deliveries that an international standard batsman must be able to cope with. Balls of a length and line demanding coverage on the front foot, either to defend or attack.Numerous theories have been thrown around the press and commentary boxes of Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney about why this is so, ranging from the angle at which Bancroft’s bat comes down (roughly third man to mid on) to the fact that his pre-ball routine has the bat being tapped at the moment of release so there is precious little time to complete a backlift and stroke before the ball arrives at the other end.Whatever the specifics, Bancroft was left horribly exposed by the first ball he received from Broad, aiming a drive at a well-pitched delivery that also seamed. It was, in fairness, a very useful ball, very much of the kind Broad has made a habit of taking wickets with – 399 in all as of the end of day two – but one that Bancroft’s method turned into the nigh-on-unplayable. Perhaps, given the seam movement, Bancroft might have fallen lbw to it had he covered up in defence, but as it was his optimistic drive left open a gate of the dimensions that the SCG will supposedly need to have installed if it is ever to acquire a drop-in pitch.Where his debut press conference about the Jonny Bairstow “headbutt” had left Smith in stitches, here Bancroft has sounded and looked like he is in need of a mental break, followed by a technical rethink. Before this match, Bancroft had expressed hope that he would demonstrate to watching teammates, coaches and selectors that he had progressed, but instead his dismissal confirmed the impression given earlier in the week when he spoke in ways that suggested a muddled mind.The phrase “every day I wake up” was repeated, as was “life is too short”, and then it all came together with the following bit of life-coachspeak: “Life rewards action and every day I wake up and come to training, come to Test matches to play, I’m learning more about Cameron Bancroft.” He may well be, but so are the world’s bowlers. Undoubtedly, Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel have been given plentiful evidence as to how they should attack him in the event that the selectors choose to persist with him. On the evidence of day two, they will be questioning the wisdom of doing so.Lights, out: Cameron Bancroft was bowled for a duck•Getty ImagesBancroft’s exit brought Usman Khawaja to the middle. With a top score of 53 for the series and numerous starts wasted, he has been unable to maintain the sort of substantial contribution to an Australian Test summer that he made in both 2015-16 and last season. After Moeen Ali defeated Khawaja early on in Brisbane, he has faced concerted challenges from the same bowlers who have so confounded Bancroft, with the moving ball – both conventional and reverse – proving fiendish.Khawaja’s languid manner at the crease and at the microphone has not always endeared him to everyone, suggesting plenty of self-belief but also a touch of inflexibility in his methods. He has shown indignation this summer about the way he was shuffled out, then back in, then back out of, the Test team during two Asian tours, and then expressed mystification about why his comments to that effect were reported as such. At the same time Khawaja has tried not to fuss too much over the fact that the big scores have not come, instead reassuring himself that he is not out of form, merely out of runs.As he told ABC Radio in Melbourne: “Definitely less than what I hoped for, I think the difference is probably I got a couple of starts in the last couple of Test matches, 50s, and probably haven’t gone on to make a big score and got out pretty much right when I got to 50. The first time I played a bad shot, the second time was an umpire’s call 50/50 and they can go either way. If I score a hundred in one of those games then you set the game up for your team. So it’s probably disappointing in that respect, but I still feel good. I feel like I’ve contributed to the first three wins in some respect, so for me it’s just about going out there to do as well as I can to hopefully set up games. I haven’t done it this Test match, but hopefully next Test match.”That equanimity was evident in how he took his time at the SCG, strolling safely and unhurriedly to 10 from 31 deliveries before striking his first boundary. With the exception of a couple of plays and misses, Khawaja negotiated England’s pacemen with aplomb, and if he still looked somewhat uncomfortable against Moeen and the fledgling wrist spin of Crane, it was not to the extent that he worried himself into a hasty shot or a loose dismissal. At the other end Warner looked assured until the moment of his dismissal, then Smith used edge as much as middle to play in Khawaja’s slipstream.Neither Khawaja nor Smith, then, looked at their best, but in a series of this duration, the ability to overcome Ashes fatigue and simply keep going is meritorious in itself. Certainly the older pair have dealt better with the mental and technical wages of five Test matches than Bancroft. They should in turn be much the fresher and more effective in South Africa, where they will be required to play to a higher standard than the one that defined this particular day’s cricket.

The often outspoken former cricket correspondent of the Times, turns ten short of a century on Sunday

Ivo Tennant06-Aug-2016To meet John Woodcock, whose grandfather was born before the Battle of Waterloo, whose home in a Hampshire village of antiquity contains a full set of and countless artefacts, and who has been a journalist since 1950, is to embrace cricketing history. Now that his close friend Richie Benaud has died, there can be no one alive who has seen so many Test matches, befriended so many great players and overseen so many controversies – all with enthusiasm for the game undiminished.Journalism has probably evolved even more rapidly than the game itself during his lifetime, yet Woodcock, who was cricket correspondent of the from 1954 to 1987, would choose no other occupation if he were starting out all over again. He doubts, though, whether he could cope with the greater pressures today. In a less hectic, less televised age, he relished the matches, the touring (for the most part), the sunshine, the friends. Particularly the friends, many of them made while sailing four times to Australia and once to South Africa from 1950-1963.Even in the 1970s, the had no objection to their correspondent driving from England to India before Tony Greig’s tour – with Henry Blofeld, in a 1921 Silver Ghost Rolls Royce. There were precipitous roads, potential diplomatic incidents, copious quantities of whisky, a scary moment or two in the Khyber Pass, opium-smoking through a hookah near Mashad – “We coughed ourselves stupid,” said Blofeld – back-tyre blowouts, and dinners in exotic company. There were no health and safety concerns, no mobile phones, night matches or internet distractions.More recently, the chief sub-editor in the sporting department, as it was always known, was impressed and amused when he rang the Old Curacy in Longparish and was informed that it was a difficult moment to talk as the Bedser twins were just arriving for afternoon tea. A vision of a charabanc from The Oval floated before him. Alas, Woodcock feels there might not have been a place for Alec in the modern game, given the emphasis on agility in the field.Woodcock spoke to Colin Cowdrey on the telephone most weeks, if not days. He shared a room on tour with Brian Statham. Alan Knott asked to use his bathroom in one particular hotel – a rather superior bathroom – and spent so long in it that Woodcock was concerned for his well-being. Knott’s fastidiousness was as fascinating to Woodcock, as was the strain that even such a great bowler as Statham felt on the first morning of a Test match.This bond between players and press could not have been more apparent than when Len Hutton invited Woodcock into the dressing room when he was recovering from illness, to watch England retain the Ashes in Adelaide in 1954-55. “That would not happen now. We were probably more of a family in those days.”Woodcock went duck-shooting with Harold Larwood, partridge-shooting with Imran Khan, played golf with the three great Yorkshire openers Herbert Sutcliffe, Len Hutton and Geoff Boycott (surely a record of sorts) as well as Don Bradman, fished with Ian Botham, and batted with Wally Hammond in his last ever match, at Richmond, near Durban, in 1965.Benaud would make the Old Curacy his summer base, at least until his views and Woodcock’s differed on Kerry Packer’s World Series. The flamboyant Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie, who liked his Hampshire players to go to bed before breakfast, “could not have been as nice as he appeared, but he was”. Barry Richards was, Woodcock thinks, the finest batsman he saw, better even than his namesake Viv – “if that is possible” – Bradman having been past his best in 1948.Great cricketing names, and great journalistic names as well. Woodcock would observe John Arlott – “he did have a touchy side but what a brain” – drink three or four bottles of wine a day yet still be capable of writing four hymns in one evening. Neville Cardus would summon Woodcock, pull up two deckchairs, bring out two cigars and fetch two glasses of port on his first voyage to Australia. “Come and listen to me and don’t waste your time dancing,” he would say. EW “Jim” Swanton expected peace and quiet and a glass of whisky when he entered the press box to write his report. “Really, you wouldn’t expect this noise,” he once complained to Hutton, who had retired and was sitting behind him. “Did you know that Broderick Crawford arrived at London airport this morning?” was the characteristically cryptic response.

Harder graft went into his articles than ever appeared to be the case. No one seemed to write with such ease and grace, or as Mike Atherton puts it, a lack of pretension compared with some sportswriters today

There was, of course, more than the odd disagreement. The influence of the was such that Packer – “not at all my sort of chap” – had some sharp words for Woodcock, who, as with all the influential correspondents, was strongly opposed to what was regarded as a circus. Greig, too, came to resent Woodcock’s having written that “it has to be remembered Greig is not English through and through”, when, as England captain, he had been secretly recruiting for World Series.Woodcock’s comments mattered not only because they were in the and therefore read by those in authority, but because they carried authority. This was also the case when he wrote for the and edited . Television had yet to set the agenda. “Hard writing, easy reading” was the advice Woodcock was given by the sports editor of the , for whom he worked for two years before joining the . And surprisingly, harder graft went into his articles than ever appeared to be the case. No one seemed to write with such ease and grace, or as Mike Atherton, his successor at the , whom Woodcock much admires, puts it, a lack of pretension compared with some sportswriters today.Apart from the World Series, the major controversies he had to cover were the D’Oliveira affair and subsequent unofficial tours to South Africa. Few people, Woodcock believes, came out with any credit other than D’Oliveira himself. As editor of , Woodcock had to decide whether the matches played by Graham Gooch’s breakaway side of 1982 should be first-class. “I said that depended on the board of control of South Africa and was criticised in a leading article in the . Had I foreseen [FW] de Klerk’s incredible volte face, I like to think I might have thought otherwise and not seen the sporting ‘bridge’ between the two countries as having something to be said for it.”Some tours Woodcock went on wound their way wearily to an end, although, as a bachelor, being away from home for periods of up to seven months at a time were not so trying as for colleagues who had families.Although, inevitably, there are some aspects of the modern game he does not like – helmets, the reverse sweep, the brutal nature of batsmanship, the lack of identity in Hampshire’s team – he follows it avidly, his knowledge and memory undimmed. He is unfailingly helpful and generous to the thirsty array of writers, old players and obituarists who descend on the thatched Old Curacy.That said, the postman in decorous Longparish has had to handle letters forwarded by the to Woodcock containing some fairly unprintable messages, for he has been nothing if not a correspondent with strong views. None was more specific, though, than the postcard sent on in Sir William Haley’s day as editor. “Your cricket correspondent is either a pompous ass or a maiden aunt. God preserve him or her from a rugger tour.” Fortunately for the game and his many friends and admirers, Woodcock stuck to cricket.

Seventeen years. Four World Cups. Somehow, India and Pakistan had managed to avoid each other. When they finally came to face to face, it didn’t take long for the emotions to surge

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2015Before the start of 1996 edition, India and Pakistan played a combined team to show solidarity with co-hosts Sri Lanka. When the two met in the quarter-final in Bangalore, things were back to normal. Wasim Akram sat out the game, Venkatesh Prasad and Aamir Sohail had a heated exchange, while Ajay Jadeja ripped into into Waqar Younis, scoring a 25-ball 44.•Getty ImagesThree years later at Old Trafford, Prasad, with 5 for 27, was the star in a closely-fought but inevitable win.South Africa was shaping to be different. Saeed Anwar hit an effortless century to post a challenging total for Akram, Waqar and Shoaib Akhtar to defend. However, in the second over, as Tendulkar’s upper cut flew over point, so did Pakistan’s resolve. Tendulkar’s manic 98 all but ended the match.•Getty ImagesFive matches. Five wins for India. This time, there will be no Tendulkar. Can Pakistan break the World Cup jinx?•Getty Images