Virat Kohli has indicated his friendships with Australian players had been irrevocably damaged, following the conclusion of the Test series in Dharamsala

Melinda Farrell in Dharamsala28-Mar-20172:46

Smith disappointed with BCCI, Kohli says ‘friends no more’

A contentious, fractious and ill-tempered Test series has claimed a final victim: Virat Kohli’s relationships with Australian players, the Indian captain said, have been irrevocably damaged. Tensions continued to simmer even after the conclusion in Dharamsala, with Steven Smith apologising for his behavior during the series, but also registering his disappointment at another bit of off-field sparring.Before the four-Test series began, Kohli had spoken warmly about his friendships with all of the Australian players but indicated that would not affect the upcoming series. When asked if he still felt the same way after India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1, Kohli was blunt in his reply.”No, it has changed,” he said. “I thought that was the case, but it has changed for sure. As I said, in the heat of the battle you want to be competitive but I’ve been proven wrong. The thing I said before the first Test, that has certainly changed and you won’t hear me say that ever again.”

Kohli’s pre-series comments

“I’m really good friends with all these guys off the field,” Kohli had said before the first Test in Pune. “I know them really well, but I know where to draw the line of friendship. “When you step onto the field, I could be playing against my big brother it wouldn’t matter.”

Smith, meanwhile, admitted his emotions had got the better of him at times during the series and offered an apology for his behaviour. He first apologised on the televised post-match presentation and then reiterated it in the following press conference.”I set myself high standards and I wanted to lead from the front with my performances” Smith said. “I have sort of been very intense in my own little bubble and at times I have let my emotions and actions just falter a little bit throughout this series and I apologise for that.”That’s a big stride for me moving forward and something I can really learn from and continue to grow as an individual and as a leader.”Smith, however, expressed disappointment with the BCCI for airing on-field exchanges between R Jadeja and Matthew Wade through a video clip on its website, in which umpire Ian Gould could be heard trying to intervene.”Yeah, I was a little bit disappointed that the BCCI sieved through the archive to find a conversation out on the field that was happening between Matty and Jadeja,” Smith said. “It’s happened between both sides throughout this series, so the fact they’ve done that to us is a little bit disappointing.”Usually what’s said on the field should stay on the field. It’s been a hard-fought series and guys are going to say things here and there, their emotions are going to be high. And so they should be in such a big series. So I was a little bit disappointed by the fact the BCCI did bring that out.Kohli also fired back at sections of the media who criticised his behaviour and form throughout an unusually lean series: he made only 46 runs in three Tests.”As I’ve said before, it’s not in my control,” said Kohli. “I’ve heard a very wise person tell me that when a person is down, the weak come out and speak about him. It takes courage to speak about someone when they are on top. It’s fine, I was targeted individually and I hadn’t done well in the series. So opportunities galore for everyone to come out and speak about me.”When I’ve done well in the past, people have spoken about me. When I haven’t done well I obviously expect them to come out and say all sorts of things. It’s obviously very easy to sit at home and write a blog or speak behind the mic. I think that’s easier than coming out and competing on the field.”That’s all I have to say about that.”

The BCCI will need approval from the Indian government before it can play Pakistan in a bilateral series, no matter what the nature of its agreement with the PCB

Sidharth Monga07-May-2017The BCCI will need approval from the Indian government before it can play Pakistan in a bilateral series, according secretary Amitabh Choudhary, no matter what the nature of its agreement with the PCB.The Pakistan board had sent the BCCI a notice under the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee’s terms of reference last week for not fulfilling its commitment according to an MoU, which the PCB said was signed in 2014.The BCCI, however, indicated that the MoU was in fact “just a letter” and not a formal “contract”, but said it wanted to fulfil the commitment because it was written with the intent to do so, provided the government gave the go-ahead.India and Pakistan have not played a full series – apart from two T20Is and three ODIs in 2012 – since the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, which the Indian government blamed on terrorists based out of Pakistan. Political relations between the countries remain strained as of today.”I can assure you that this is a subject where the government has to accord permission,” Choudhary said. “I must inform you that the BCCI has already written to the government in March with regard to the FTP with Pakistan. Unless we hear from them, I cannot make a comment. As far as cricket concerned, if it is a contract, both would try to honour.”When asked if the MoU could be revoked in the absence of government permission, Choudhary said: “I don’t remember the exact wordings but it is inherent. Honouring of it cannot happen without the government’s permission. In any case it was just a communication, it was just a letter from the secretary of BCCI. So it is not a formal contract as yet.”The BCCI secretary at that time was Sanjay Patel, who could not be reached for a comment.Rajeev Shukla, the IPL chairman and a former board vice-president, said that the BCCI would not want to play the series at a neutral venue though. “We have had a consistent policy that we will play on each other’s soil,” Shukla said. “Pakistan’s security situation is not such where you can have a series on their soil. Only Zimbabwe has played a series and no other countries are touring Pakistan. They are not being able to provide adequate security. First you make your venues such where you can provide fool-proof security. And for India, the security concerns are even more. How can we risk our players?”The PCB’s position, however, is that it must host the first series between Pakistan and India, as stated in the MoU. The PCB has hosted its home series largely in the UAE ever since the Sri Lankan team was attacked by gunmen in Lahore during their 2009 tour of Pakistan.When told that India had played West Indies at a neutral venue – Florida – recently, Shukla said those T20Is were a home series for India, and the BCCI had staged the games in the USA to explore a new market. “That was done on mutual consent,” he said. “We were exploring the US market. It was our series. It’s not as if we couldn’t play in West Indies and hence played in the US.”

Tickets for the Perth Ashes Test will belatedly go on sale at the end of July after unsuccessful efforts to have the match staged at the city’s new multi-purpose stadium rather than the unpopular WACA Ground

Daniel Brettig16-Jun-2017Tickets for the Perth Ashes Test will belatedly go on sale at the end of July after unsuccessful efforts to have the match staged at the city’s new multi-purpose stadium rather than the unpopular WACA Ground.As recently as May, CA’s chief executive James Sutherland had expressed hope that the match could be played at the new stadium located in Burswood, but cricket administrators admitted defeat after meetings with stadium management and the Western Australian government.That left tickets to be organised for the WACA instead, which has hosted Ashes matches dating back to the ground’s very first Test in 1970-71. “The Perth Test holds a special place in the summer of cricket and in an Ashes year we are expecting capacity crowds at the WACA throughout the Test,” Sutherland said.”We know that many fans, both in Western Australia and abroad, are eagerly awaiting this Test and are keen to secure their place so we are pleased to be announcing an on-sale date for tickets to the match.”Given the strong demand we expect to see for this match we urge people to purchase their tickets early to avoid disappointment, and only purchase from the official ticket agency to ensure they obtain a valid ticket for the official ticket price.”Christina Matthews, the WACA chief executive, said the match now afforded the opportunity to celebrate the ground’s Ashes history. “There is a rich history and tradition for Western Australians associated with attending the Ashes Test matches at the WACA Ground, with plenty of wonderful memories along the way,” she said.”This summer’s Test represents a unique opportunity to celebrate one final Ashes Test match at the WACA Ground. We anticipate tickets will be in high demand as fans will want to secure their piece of history, so we encourage people to purchase their tickets early to avoid disappointment.”Tickets will be on sale to preregistered fans on July 31, then WACA members from August 3 and the general public from August 4.

James Anderson faces a race to be fit for the opening Test against South Africa after scans confirmed he had suffered a tear to his right groin

ESPNcricinfo staff23-May-2017James Anderson faces a race to be fit for the opening Test against South Africa after scans confirmed he had suffered a tear to his right groin.He will certainly miss Lancashire’s next Championship match, the return Roses fixture against Yorkshire, which begins on June 2 but he will undergo further assessment by the ECB medical team to determine the full extent of the injury.The first Test against South Africa begins at Lord’s on July 6 and is part of a concentrated period of Test action in which England will play seven Tests by early September. Lancashire play three further Championship matches in June after the Yorkshire match which could give Anderson a chance to prove his fitness although the timescale is tight.He pulled up during his sixth over on the opening day against Yorkshire at Old Trafford and did not bowl again in the match, although he did appear with a runner at the end of Lancashire’s first innings.This is the latest in a run of injuries for Anderson. He has missed four of England’s last 10 Test matches due to a shoulder injury he picked up last summer. It ruled him out of the Bangladesh tour and flared up again in India.Prior to that, Anderson suffered a calf injury early in the 2015-16 tour of South Africa, missing the first Test in Durban, which came on the back of a side strain sustained during the 2015 Ashes.Before then, Anderson had only missed one Test through injury – against Sri Lanka, at Lord’s, in 2011 – since his recall to the side in 2008.

Tom Abell, Somerset’s talented but beleaguered young captain, has been dropped for Somerset’s Championship match against Yorkshire at Scarborough

David Hopps03-Jul-2017Tom Abell, Somerset’s talented but beleaguered young captain, has been dropped for Somerset’s Championship match against Yorkshire at Scarborough.But Somerset remain adamant that the decision to have appointed him captain at 22 remains the right one with director of cricket Matt Maynard praising him as “a genuine leader of men.”Abell’s season hit a new low point when he made a pair during Somerset’s draw at Ageas Bowl last week – a match in which their top-order frailties were again exposed by two wholesale collapses.Abell, now 23, is not the only batsman out of form, far from it – only the South African Dean Elgar averages more than 30 – but his decline is marked nevertheless, with 171 runs at 14.25. Even his season’s-best 71 came during a stalemate against Middlesex on a docile Lord’s pitch.Somerset go into the Yorkshire match 29 points adrift of safety with half the season gone and Elgar now on South Africa Test duty. They will draw some hope from the fact that Yorkshire lack three senior batsmen in Joe Root, Gary Ballance and Jonny Bairstow, all on England duty..Somerset’s other alternative would have been to have rested Abell from the captaincy, and encouraged him to regain his form in the 1st XI, playing only as a specialist batsman, because not to do so has left their top six looking strikingly raw.But that would have conveyed the message that their captaincy decision was a flawed one at this stage of his career, and they remain insistent that this is not the case. Their faith in him both short-term and long remains unstinting.Abell, well respected but a less bullish individual than many who have made a success of captaincy at a young age, will now search for form in the 2nd XI without the added pressure of leading a struggling side. Tim Rouse, a 2nd XI batsman, replaces him with Lewis Gregory standing in as captain.Happier times as Abell is named as captain•Getty Images

Abell said on the Somerset website: “It’s been a tough start to the season for me and the team has to come first. The support that I’ve received has been incredible and hugely appreciated, as has the backing from the team and coaches.”Maynard added: “Every single person connected with the club, from the members and supporters up to the committee, are desperate for Tom to return to form and I have no doubt that he will do just that.”He is an outstanding player, a genuine leader of men and as the old adage says: form is temporary but class is permanent.”We’ll be working hard with him in the nets and he’ll be playing some Second XI cricket – I’m confident that he will be back in contention for First XI selection again sooner rather than later”.Abell had been full of optimism as April dawned, observing a Somerset season in 2016 in which they were pipped for the title on the final day and saying: “I am convinced we have the squad and the coaching staff to win the title.”

Though recent attention has been on Kedar Jadhav, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane, a half-century in Manish Pandey’s first ODI since October 2016 highlighted the middle-order depth India has on offer

Andrew Fidel Fernando31-Aug-2017Competition for spots in India’s top five is tough, with Kedar Jadhav, KL Rahul, and Ajinkya Rahane all angling for positions. However, Manish Pandey has made a strong case that he ought to be invested In – or at least trialled – for a little longer after a half-century in his first ODI since October during the visitors’ 168-run win over Sri Lanka on Thursday.Pandey had begun his international career brightly, against Zimbabwe and Australia, before losing a little rhythm against New Zealand last October. It is the emphatic manner in which he has regained his form, however, that not only caught the selectors’ eye, but also put him in good stead to perform in this match. In five one-day innings for India A in South Africa during July and early August, Pandey struck 307 runs and was dismissed only once to finish as the leading scorer in the tri-series with South Africa A and Afghanistan A. Pandey says the performances there helped him to arrive in Sri Lanka feeling good about his game.Manish Pandey struck a half-century in his first ODI since October 2016•AFP

“It definitely does really help a lot when you know that you have some runs in the bank,” he said, referring to his returns in South Africa. “You know you will eventually get a chance in the ODI side and you have to wait patiently for the chance. When you get it, you just bat the way you have been batting.”Through the India A series, I batted very similar to the way I batted today. So it was not too different for me to come back. I have been batting well in the nets and I just had to watch the ball and play.”Coming in at No. 6, Pandey batted perhaps one spot lower than he expected to after Hardik Pandya was sent in at No. 4 in the 30th over as India attempted to capitalise even further on a 219-run second-wicket stand between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Nevertheless, Pandey said he had planned to begin batting at around the 35th over, which is exactly when he entered after Hardik and Rohit were dismissed by Angelo Mathews off consecutive deliveries. Pandey spent 19 balls getting to double figures, and had scored only in singles until the 42nd over. All this, also, went roughly as he had hoped.”I had a chat with Ravi [Shastri] yesterday and even today before the start of the game, about how I take some time before I start playing my natural game,” Pandey said. “I need to take at least six to 10 balls to know what the wicket is like. It was spinning a bit, when the middle order got out. There were wickets falling on the other side but I had to keep my calm and rotate the strike. Eventually it came off for me.”India did, in fact, suffer a mild middle-order stutter, losing three wickets inside three overs for 12 runs, as Rahul fell in the 37th. So good had the stand between Kohli and Rohit been that they were always going to get a commanding score. But that they eventually reached the mammoth 375 for 5, however, was thanks to the unbeaten 101-run sixth-wicket stand between Pandey and MS Dhoni, which came off 74 deliveries. Pandey’s share in it was 45 off 32 balls – Dhoni hitting 49 not out off 42 in his 300th ODI.”I have played a few games with [Dhoni] already now, and I know how he plays,” Pandey said. “I know how he likes to rotate strike. I like to bat with somebody who loves to do that. Occasionally we get some boundaries and that’s how we keep the scoreboard ticking. With Mahi bhai, you are always on your toes and he keeps giving you advice.”

Ghana pipped Vanuatu in a Group B thriller, while David Hooper and Josh Butler kept Guernsey’s hopes of a semi-final slot alive in Group A

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2017

Semi-final scenarios

All teams have an off day on Tuesday before the final day of round-robin play on Wednesday. Guernsey play Qatar in what is effectively a quarter-final match in Group B with the winner joining Italy as the second semi-finalist from their half of the draw while Italy play Cayman Islands for a chance to claim the top spot in the group.
In Group A, Jersey play Ghana for a chance to go to 3-0 and seal a semi-final spot while Germany play Vanuatu in the other match. Should Jersey beat Ghana and Vanuatu beat Germany, it would create a three-way tie for second place in the group with the second semi-finalist determined by net run rate. Germany currently have the best net run rate of the three.
Germany can clinch a semi-final spot with a win and a Ghana loss while Ghana can likewise take the spot with a win plus a Germany loss to Vanuatu. The possibility also exists of a three-way tie for first place should Jersey lose to Ghana and Germany beat Vanuatu but Jersey currently have a +0.939 net-run-rate advantage over Germany. Jersey will automatically clinch a semi-final slot in spite of a loss if Vanuatu beat Germany.

Group B

Ghana played their second nailbiter in a row on Monday but this time came out victorious with a two-wicket win over Vanuatu. New-ball strikes were key once again for Ghana as Vincent Ateak removed day-one top-scorer Jonathan Dunn for 12 while Obed Agbomadzie took three wickets for the second day in a row including the key scalps of Patrick Matautaava and Nalin Nipiko to set Vanuatu back at 41 for 4 in the 14th over. Captain Andrew Mansale top-scored with a battling 26 before his side was bowled out for 124 in 47.2 overs.The 16 unused deliveries proved vital as Ghana’s attempts to drive home a net-run-rate advantage nearly backfired spectacularly with victory in sight. Ghana were 116 for 3 when captain Peter Ananya was dismissed for 50 by Matautaava at the start of the 31st over. Subsequent attempts by the middle order to score quick runs to kill off the match were foiled by a pair of run-outs before Nipiko claimed wickets off back-to-back balls in the 34th over to put himself on a hat-trick with Ghana eight down with two runs still needed for victory. But 18-year-old Godfred Bakiweyem pinched a two off the hat-trick ball after entering at No. 10 to clinch a tense win.Jersey moved a shade closer to a semi-final berth with a five-wicket win over Germany in Benoni. Medium pacers Charles Perchard and Ben Kynman and left-arm-spinning allrounder Ben Stevens took two wickets each in a collective bowling effort to restrict Germany to 248. Germany captain Rishi Pillai top-scored for his side with 46 before they were bowled out in the final over.Stevens followed up his five-for from day one with his first fifty of the tournament, striking 53 off 65 balls while teaming with Peter Gough and Jonty Jenner for a pair of half-century partnerships. Sussex batsman Jenner then saw Jersey across the line, finishing with an unbeaten 68 off 65 balls including eight fours and a six as victory was sealed with 32 balls remaining.

Group A

Italy moved to 2-0 and clinched a spot in the semi-finals with a six-wicket win over Qatar. Captain Gayashan Munasinghe took 3 for 52 opening the bowling before Hasnat Ahmed ripped through the tail to claim 4 for 37 as Qatar were dismissed for 209 in 46.3 overs.Openers Gian Meade (51 off 84 balls) and Rakibul Hasan (62 off 67 balls) got the chase off to an emphatic start with a 123-run stand. Damian Crowley fell four short of his second fifty in a row but by the time he was dismissed Italy needed just 23 to win. Peter Petricola took Italy over the line with an unbeaten 21 to secure victory with 49 balls to spare.Guernsey bounced back from their opening-day loss to Italy with a six-wicket win over Cayman Islands. Opener Sacha de Alwis had taken Cayman to a strong position near the halfway point of the innings by top-scoring with 60 after they chose to bat first but things turned south when he was second out to fall with the score at 115. Medium pacer David Hooper put the brakes on the middle order by taking 5 for 36 as Cayman managed just 99 runs off the final 28 overs to finish on 214 for 9.Josh Butler (93 off 87 balls) dominated a 97-run opening stand with Matthew Stokes in reply while Oliver Newey produced a half-century for the second day in a row, making a brisk 54 off 38 balls. Guernsey eventually reached the target with 13.3 overs to spare, putting themselves back in the hunt for the other semi-final spot from Group B while Cayman Islands have been eliminated from semi-final contention.

This will be the third full Test series Mathews has missed since October last year, and his unavailability will leave Sri Lanka with decisions on the make-up of their top order

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Oct-2017Angelo Mathews has been ruled out of the second Test against Pakistan, although it was earlier hoped he would have sufficiently from a calf injury to join the team in Dubai. Team management has confirmed his unavailability.Mathews’ absence will leave Sri Lanka with decisions on the make-up of their top order. With Lahiru Thirimanne and Kaushal Silva having had modest outings in the Abu Dhabi Test, the chances of either Roshen Silva or Sadeera Samarawickrama making a debut, have risen.This would be the third full Test series Mathews has missed in the past year. Last October, multiple leg injuries had kept him out of the Zimbabwe tour, before a hamstring tear sustained in January then ruled him out of the Bangladesh Tests at home.Sri Lanka are 1-0 up in the two-match series, but are now preparing for their first ever day-night Test. The match begins on Friday.

The hosts need another 105 runs, with eight wickets in hand, to beat Ireland A in the only unofficial Test

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2017
ScorecardSportsfile via Getty Images

Two late strikes by Andrew McBrine jolted Bangladesh A late on the third afternoon, leaving them with 105 runs to get on the final day to beat Ireland A in Sylhet. Depite the late stutter, the day belonged to the home side after Sunzamul Islam’s five-for sunk the visitors for 213 in the second innings.McBrine removed Zakir Hasan and Nazmul Hossain Shanto in the fourth over of Bangladesh A’s 132-run chase. Shadman Islam and Al-Amin remained unbeaten on 14 and 9 respectively, as the hosts finished on 27 for 2 in 11 overs.Ireland A were earlier bowled out for 213 runs in 60.2 overs after Bangladesh A stretched their first innings lead to 82. Bangladesh A began the day on 322 for 6 but lost their last four wickets for only seven runs in the morning.Ireland A then slipped to 100 for 4, with only James Shannon standing firm at the other end. He lasted till the 40th over – scoring 90 off 118 balls with seven fours and three sixes – and took Ireland past 150. Sunzamul, however, kept chipping away and had returns of 5 for 90. Mahedi Hasan took three wickets while Ebadot Hossain and Jubair Hossain took one each.

Rejuvenating the Edgbaston academy is a prime target as an old favourite returns to Birmingham

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2017Graeme Welch is rejoining Warwickshire as bowling coach after losing out on the same role with England to Essex’s Chris Silverwood.Welch served as bowling coach at Edgbaston for four years from January 2010, during which time the club won the County Championship title in 2012 and the Clydesdale Bank 40 in 2010.He left the club in 2014 to take up a role as elite performance director at Derbyshire but when that did not work out he subsequently moved to Leicestershire as assistant coach in September 2016 only for them to finish bottom of Division Two in the Championship.Welch’s reputation as a bowling coach remains unblemished, however, and Warwickshire were quick to hail his return as the next step in a coaching reshuffle that saw Alan Richardson released from the role last month.Ashley Giles, sport director at Warwickshire, said: “Graeme Welch is an outstanding bowling coach who was part of an excellent coaching team that delivered trophies at Edgbaston.”In our view he is one of the very best bowling coaches in the game and it came as no surprise to us when he was recently connected with the position of England bowling coach.”We are delighted that he has chosen to return to Edgbaston where he will not only be responsible for getting the first team back to winning ways but also building a bowling academy equipped to develop a new generation of bowlers, from all backgrounds, capable of delivering continued success in all formats for Warwickshire and the Birmingham Bears.”Welch said: “I have enjoyed my time at Leicestershire, but the chance to return to Edgbaston was one I could not turn down. I have been lucky enough to be part of successful Bears teams in the past as both player and coach and am very excited by the challenge of building a bowling academy which will bring success to the club on a sustained basis.”Leicestershire responded quickly to fill the vacancy, appointing John Sadler, who initially rejoined them as Second XI Coach last winter before taking charge of first team affairs alongside Graeme Welch for the final three matches of the 2017 season. Sadler and Paul Nixon, Leicestershire’s new coach, played in the same Foxes side and were both key members of the team that in the early years had the most successful record in the country.