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With his focus firmly on a reboot, Nair found ways to make up for lost chances, making a carefully constructed 92 not out against India Blue in Alur

Shashank Kishore in Alur23-Aug-2019Having fallen behind in the race to be in the middle order of the Test team, Karun Nair served a timely reminder of his ability to dig in and make it count, and in the process be in sight of his first first-class century since December 2017. His 92 not out for India Red, a carefully constructed knock full of restraint and self-discipline, left India Blue wondering if they had misread the surface. On a day in which only 68 overs were possible, India Red put up 163 for 2, Nair putting together an unbroken 120-run stand with Ankit Kalsi, who ended the day unbeaten on 48.The make up of the Duleep Trophy is such that the focus is largely on individuals rather than teams – made up of fringe players and domestic performers – and the platform was Nair’s to do what he could with after his side lost openers Priyank Panchal and Abhimanyu Easwaran – both in the frame to be India’s third opener – inside the first hour. Abhimanyu was out in the day’s first over, lbw to a full-inswinging delivery from left-arm pacer Aniket Choudhary. Panchal fought through the first hour and then fell shortly after drinks when he wafted at one from Diwesh Pathania that left him.From there on, Nair reconstructed the innings with a stoic display, going through long periods where he left the ball repeatedly even as the bowlers asked questions of him. The restraint also involved leaving alone full deliveries around the fifth stump, despite cover left open. He wasn’t in the mood to oblige invitations to drive.Against left-arm seamers, after being troubled early on by late inswing, he resorted to shuffling from outside leg, and found his groove immediately with a delightful on-drive to get going. The only lofted hit through the day was the chip over mid-off to bring up his half-century off left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar, off the 101st delivery he had faced. It was a shot that drew applause from his father, who for most parts of his knock was unmoved from his vantage point up in the grass banks.His temperament and approach stood out in his 189-ball knock. Nair didn’t play a single shot in anger and completely shelved the cut and sweep. Yet, he found ways to make up for the lost scoring opportunities. As the afternoon progressed and the field spread, he milked the singles without much hassle, and offered words of encouragement to his younger batting partner, who made 511 runs in seven Ranji Trophy innings last season.”I had to grind my way early on, it wasn’t easy,” Nair said afterwards. “The ball was moving around early, and we needed stability at that stage. As a batsman, you have to first play to the situation. I was happy to have been able to fight my way through. It’s not as if I made a conscious effort to cut down on some of the shots, but when you show discipline and it pays off at the end of the day on the scoreboard, it feels nice.”This has come about because of my hard work. I’ve realised you can’t keep throwing away starts, so I wanted to focus that much more. Starting the season well was important.”The last one year or so has been a testing one for Nair, who was dropped from the Test side after the England tour without being given an opportunity. Then he saw his replacement Hanuma Vihari make the XI and score a fighting half-century on debut. Then a string of low scores led to him being left out of the India A squad, of which he was captain until November 2018. Then an underwhelming Ranji Trophy season – 224 runs in ten innings – even led to the coaching staff contemplating resting the Test triple centurion. On to the IPL, where he was signed by Kings XI Punjab for INR 5.6 crore in 2018, he was largely forced to carry drinks. These led him to introspection, before he finally decided it was time to look ahead to the future “without any baggage”.This could have dented the confidence of most. It most certainly hurt Nair, something he made apparent in a rare blow-over of inner thoughts, which he likes to keep to himself at the best of times. He stated firmly that no one from the team management or the selection committee had spoken to him – an India A captain, a domestic regular for Karnataka. For Nair, recently engaged and in a phase he describes as “very happy”, it’s all in the past. The focus is on a reboot.”I needed the break [after the IPL] mentally,” he said. “I had time to go away and think about my cricket and where I’m at. I thought about the mistakes and worked towards rectifying it. I realised that I needed to just keep batting, even if it meant doing double sessions at times. The time lost can’t come back. The best way to overcome confidence issues is if you can keep batting and spend long periods. So the last two months gave me that time and chance to work on my game and improve. Hoping it will pay off.”

Rilee Rossouw secured his first Hampshire century and as the pitch flattened out it all looked remarkably unhurried

ECB Reporters Network23-May-2018
ScorecardRilee Rossouw ended his Ageas Bowl hoodoo by scoring his first home century for Hampshire as they beat Essex Eagles by six wickets in the Royal London One-Day Cup.Batsman Rossouw scored 99 on his debut for Hampshire and 90 during Monday night’s victory over Surrey, but his only hundred had come on the road, at Somerset last year.But he collected 111 against the Eagles to send Hampshire top of the South Group as they kept up their 100 per cent record in the competition.Hampshire, who had lost five of their last six List A matches against Essex, had been set 304 to win after Adam Wheater, Tom Westley, Ravi Bopara and Ashar Zaidi had all plundered half centuries.Sam Cook managed to strike early to dismiss Hashim Amla, the South African flicking around the corner to Dutch debutant Shane Snater at short fine leg.But Rossouw and James Vince comfortably compiled no-risk runs as the pitch flattened.Both scored half centuries, Rossouw in an uncharacteristically restrained 62 balls while Vince only needed 41 balls, in a stand of 126 of the second wicket.Vince tickled behind to end on 66 and Joe Weatherley was bowled, both by Ravi Bopara, however Rossouw, who passed his 5,000 List A run, wasn’t to be stopped as easily.The South African did have one minor scare on his way to three figures when he required medical attention after diving into the crease while taking a quick single on 92. But composed himself after a ten minute delay to reach the milestone.Rossouw was eventually bowled by Bopara, who ended with figures of three for 49, for 110 but Jimmy Adams, striking an effortless run-a-ball 51, and Brad Taylor scored the remaining 51 runs.Earlier, Hampshire captain Vince won the toss and inserted Essex on a used track, which slowed throughout Monday night’s game with Surrey.Varun Chopra and Wheater negotiated the power-play comfortably, but leg spinner Mason Crane’s introduction to the attack in the 11th over broke the 67-run opening partnership when he deceived the former with a googly.Wheater appeared in fine fettle for a brisk 70, his half century coming off 49 balls, as he used a lightening quick outfield to his advantage.But after a 76-run stand with Westley he failed to hook a Brad Wheal bouncer away from the prying hands of Vince at mid-on.The loss of Dan Lawrence, run out by Brad Taylor’s direct hit at point, two overs later saw Essex stick to an almost regiment six runs an over for the remainder of the innings.Westley clocked his fifty in 48 deliveries, brought up with slog-sweep maximum, before he was bowled by off-spinner Taylor.Skipper Ryan ten Doeschate edged Gareth Berg behind, to start an 84-run collective between Bopara and Zaidi.Both attempted to push the run-rate up, Zaidi cleanly striking a pair of maximums with Bopara bring up his half century, from 58-balls.But despite Zaidi, who ended up 57 not out from 43 balls, Essex seemed below par as they posted 303 for six – Bopara the last wicket to fall in the innings as he ballooned to Vince at long-on.And so it proved as Rossouw’s century made sure Hampshire chased them down with 16 balls to spare.

Alex Davies posted his maiden first-class century to help Lancashire set Essex 478 to win – or four full sessions to save the game – in a decidedly one-sided opening match of the Specsavers County Championship season.

ECB Reporters Network09-Apr-2017
ScorecardAlex Davies put a troubled season behind him by posting his maiden first-class century to help Lancashire set Essex 478 to win – or four full sessions to save the game – in a decidedly one-sided opening match of the Specsavers County Championship season.Essex knocked off 89 of the runs in 38 overs before the close. They lost both openers in the process as Lancashire closed in on their first Championship win in 12 attempts.The day, though, belonged to Davies. He had been within one run of a century against Kent at Old Trafford almost two years ago, but batted throughout the 94.3 overs of Lancashire’s second innings at Chelmsford to finish unbeaten on 140.Essex were made to pay dearly for dropping the wicketkeeper-rookie opener twice on the second afternoon when he had just 10 and 26. Neil Wagner floored a third chance on the long-leg boundary off Tom Westley, but by then the 22-year-old had 132 to his name.Davies showed he had all the orthodox shots in the textbook as well as a punishing reverse-sweep, one of which was sent scudding to the boundary off Simon Harmer, another lobbing gently over Wagner standing at point.A fierce drive off Wagner was so straight it smashed into the stumps at the bowler’s end and ricocheted for one of his 21 boundaries. Twice he stepped back to leg and cut Wagner firmly square of the wicket. He took successive fours off Ravi Bopara to bring up the century partnership with Dane Vilas. It was not far off brutal.Davies had reached his half-century from the penultimate ball of the second day, and went to lunch on the third 97 not out. He pushed his third ball after the interval through midwicket off Harmer to reach three figures from 214 balls with 17 fours.Davies had to fight back from 11 months out of the game with a knee injury that required an operation during the winter.He said: “There were a couple of dark moments during that time. But you have to stay positive and have belief in your own ability, belief that you will get back fit, that you will get back playing. It was tough to watch Lancs last season and see people move ahead of me. But I had that belief deep down, the hunger, and that will stand me in good stead.”Yes, there are days when you think, ‘I’m injured’ and you get down on yourself. But deep down it’s always been there and hopefully there is plenty more to come. But this was really amazing and it’s good to get it off my back really. I’ve had a lot of chances in the past and not quite got over the line. It’s just another day, but a really special one at the same time.”Head coach Glen Chapple told Davies during the winter that he would be both No1 wicketkeeper and opening batsman. “I love it,” he said. “I want to bat higher, I don’t want to be the keeper who bats seven. I want to bat higher because I believe I can. It fits best for the team at the moment that I open the batting, and if it’s best for the team it’s good for me.”It was a chastening experience for newly-promoted Essex who enjoyed only two moments of success in the field during the day. The first arrived in the seventh over of the day when Aaron Beard took his second wicket of the innings. Liam Livingstone, having helped put on 51 with Davies, tried to force the young bowler through the off-side but only picked out Nick Browne at cover point and departed for 28.Lancashire’s third wicket fell 49 overs later when Jamie Porter took out Vilas’s middle stump and precipitated the declaration. In between Davies and Vilas made hay in the sunshine, adding 183 runs and taking the game out of Essex’s reach. Vilas reached 92 off 165 balls, with just five fours, and it looked for all the world like he was set fair for a ton.The Essex openers negotiated seven overs before tea and a further 11 afterwards without undue alarm before Browne carelessly gave his wicket away. He dragged a rank long hop from Stephen Parry straight into Haseeb Hameed’s hands halfway back to the boundary at midwicket for 18.With just 12 runs added, Varun Chopra (29) played across one from Ryan McLaren and turned to see his off stump cartwheeling into the distance. Westley had lives when 10 and 11, dropped by Shivnarine Chanderpaul at short extra cover off McLaren, and then by Livingstone at slip off Parry. But he reached the close on 27 with Dan Lawrence on 13.

With the highest run-scorer, Alex Hales, and the highest wicket-taker, Reece Topley, in the ODI series against South Africa, England’s coach Trevor Bayliss identified fielding as the main difference between the two sides

Firdose Moonda at Newlands14-Feb-2016With the highest run-scorer, Alex Hales, and the highest wicket-taker, Reece Topley, in the ODI series against South Africa – roles-reversed from the Test series where South Africa lost despite leading both tallies – England’s coach Trevor Bayliss identified fielding as main difference between the two sides.”The batting and bowling was fairly even – both teams relied on about three of their batters and bowling was similar,” Bayliss said. “But they’re a better fielding team than us at the moment.”Although England did not put down any catches in the decider in Cape Town, they dropped several in the preceding games, including three at the Wanderers that could have sealed the series. JP Duminy was let off when he was on 1, AB de Villiers on 9 and Chris Morris on 14. The last of those cost England the most. Morris took South Africa to within one run of a series-levelling victory and, not for the first time on this tour, Bayliss has stressed the need for England to work on their fielding.”We’ve got a number of guys that are not the quickest in the field but I also think it’s an attitude thing,” Bayliss said. “You want the ball coming at you; you want to prove to people that you can field. At times, some of us don’t want the ball to come anywhere near us. When we are good, we’ve very, very good but it’s something we’ve got to continue to work at.”Progress is something England have done a lot of since their disappointing 2015 World Cup campaign and their new attitude has already brought them some success. They won series against New Zealand and Pakistan and came from 2-0 down to take Australia to a decider.Despite losing three in a row to squander the advantage in South Africa, Bayliss believed they remain on the right track. “I don’t think we are far off. We’ve played some pretty good cricket,” he said. “It’s a fine line. Had we taken some catches, we could be sitting here having won 3-2. We’re disappointed to lose the series having played some very good cricket.”He said that translating that good cricket into good results more often will come as players mature and become more consistent. “We’ve got some work to do there and that will come with experience. At some point that experience has got to pay dividends.”An example of how that is already working is Hales. After struggling through the Tests, in which he scored one fifty and did not get past 26 in his other seven innings, Hales finished on top of the run charts with four fifties, including a 99, and a century in the final match to prove his quality.”He was disappointed with the number of runs he scored in the Test arena but the way he has played here is top class,” Bayliss said. “I think he is more comfortable will his role in the team and the way he goes about playing the one-day game. Now he’s got to take that into Test arena. The way he has played here, there is no reason why he can’t do the same in Test cricket.”Hales, and the rest of the England line-up, have been asked to look at someone like AB de Villiers for further instruction on how to develop as batsmen. De Villiers took control of the chase and guided South Africa from 22 for 3 to victory.”We’ve got to take a leaf out of AB’s book. The way he paced his innings and the way he went about it, it was top class. The best batter in the series did his job today and he showed everyone else how to do it,” Bayliss said. “Hopefully the guys will learn from it.”

Brad Haddin believes the umpiring standard has been poor this Ashes, and would like DRS to be taken out of the players’ hands, and decided upon by the umpires

Brydon Coverdale19-Aug-2013Australia’s vice-captain Brad Haddin has questioned the standard of umpiring throughout the Ashes series and believed that on-field officials were second-guessing themselves because of the presence of DRS. Haddin also reiterated the call he made after the first Test at Trent Bridge to have the review system taken out of the hands of the players and left at the sole discretion of the umpires.Haddin was clearly upset when he was given out lbw by umpire Tony Hill in Australia’s second innings in Chester-le-Street, where he tried to work a Stuart Broad delivery to leg. Haddin asked for a review and the umpire’s call stood after HawkEye suggested the ball would have just grazed the very top and edge of the leg bail. When asked what it was he had said to the umpire as he walked off, Haddin said he had muttered the words: “Not again”.Haddin was quick to point out the umpiring had not been the cause of Australia’s disappointing scoreline in the series and he commended England for having performed better, but he said that both teams would likely feel that the standard of officiating in the series had been below-par. Hill particularly was under the spotlight in the fourth Test, where he made a number of incorrect decisions, but all the officials have erred throughout the series.”I think England deserve to be in the position they are at 3-0. I think they’ve played the better cricket,” Haddin said. “But in all honesty, I think the standard of the umpiring in this series has been something that they could have a look at. I know players deal with pressure in different situations and some guys respond to it and some don’t. I think with the umpiring in this series, there have been times when they have cracked under the pressure of a campaign like [this].”I think DRS has put too much pressure on the umpires on the field. I think they’re second-guessing themselves with their decisions … I should’ve hit it [in Chester-le-Street]. But I think from both teams we’ve had some things that we’ve sat back and said ‘how can this be happening?’.”Teams haven’t always had to sit back and say it – they can do so out on the field while the replays are unfolding live on the big screen. After a review, the umpires and players typically stand around the pitch in their own little groups and watch the big-screen replay, which often brings plenty of jeering from the crowd if the umpire was shown to have made a mistake.”I do think it does place pressure on the umpires because the crowd react,” Haddin said of the replays. “If it’s a home crowd here they’re always going to lean towards England. I do think DRS has put a lot of pressure on the umpires on the field. I’ve gone on record before saying it should be taken out of the players’ hands and let the umpires deal with it. If they think it needs to go upstairs, let them go upstairs.”There are also questions over whether umpires would make the same decisions for the same deliveries, depending on whether a team still holds reviews or not. If, for example, an Australian bowler appeals with no reviews left, and the England batsmen still have reviews available, an umpire might feel more inclined to give a line-ball decision out because England have the option of challenging, whereas Australia do not.”I think the umpires are aware where DRS is at, who’s got one left or who’s got none left, and I think it can influence their decision,” Haddin said. “I think it needs to be taken out of the players’ hands, and let the umpires have total control. The bottom line is you just want to have more decisions right than not. You don’t want to be talking about DRS or umpire decisions in such a big series.”The fifth Test at The Oval begins on Wednesday with Aleem Dar and Kumar Dharmasena standing as the on-field officials and Hill as the TV umpire. Together with Marais Eramsus, they are the only four members of the ICC’s Elite Panel of umpires who are able to stand in an Ashes series, as the remaining eight men on the panel are either from England or Australia.

Worcestershire’s lower-order batsmen made the most of a window in the weather late in the third day against relegation rivals Lancashire at New Road.

17-Aug-2012
ScorecardWorcestershire’s lower-order batsmen made the most of a window in the weather late in the third day against relegation rivals Lancashire at New Road. The match was at standstill for more than five hours before Gareth Andrew and Ben Scott came out to add 27 runs and lever their side up to 251 for 7.Scott (14 not out) twice drove Kyle Hogg for four and when Andrew (12 not out) clipped the same bowler backward of square to register a second bonus point, Daryl Mitchell called his side in. With 27 balls still available before the 110-over cut-off, his declaration denied Lancashire an opportunity to try for the two wickets they needed for a third bowling point but Paul Horton and his new opening partner, Luke Procter, negotiated seven overs to the close.Allrounder Procter, promoted to the top of the order after Stephen Moore was left out, nudged the only boundary off Chris Russell as they made 10 without loss. Where the game goes from here depends on whether the captains are prepared to strike a deal. Otherwise the last day is set to be a battle for bonus points.Only eight overs were squeezed in before lunch but that was enough to dash Worcestershire batsman Neil Pinner’s hopes of making a maiden century some 15 months after being dismissed for a duck in his only previous Championship innings.Resuming on 79, the 21-year-old, who has been playing for Kidderminster Victoria in the Birmingham League, confidently clipped Glen Chapple’s third ball for two but this was the only action before a shower stopped play after two overs. After a 35-minute delay, Pinner added a single in the first over but 21 dot balls were logged before Worcestershire added another run.For Pinner, that proved to be the end of the road after batting for nearly four hours. As on Saturday, when he was out for 98 in Kidderminster’s game at Himley, a three-figure score eluded him. Having played so well, hitting 11 boundaries from 190 balls, he was leg-before for 82 when moving across his stumps as he shaped to turn a delivery from Chapple off his pads.It was a well-deserved success for Chapple, Lancashire’s 38-year-old captain, who eventually got through 31 overs with a return 4 for 60. Like his new-ball partner, Hogg (2 for 63), he beat the bat often enough to merit even better figures.

Durham’s hopes of booking a Friends Life t20 quarter-final place took a major knock with a four-wicket defeat to Warwickshire off the last ball at Edgbaston

11-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Durham’s hopes of booking a Friends Life t20 quarter-final place took a major knock with a four-wicket defeat to Warwickshire off the last ball at Edgbaston.Their chances of reaching the knockout stage are now in the balance as they move on to a crucial final north group fixture at home to Northamptonshire on Thursday. The Dynamos suffered a second successive defeat despite a valiant effort by Dale Benkenstein as their one-day captain made an unbeaten 50 from 32 balls in lifting his team to 145 for 5.After failing to reach 140 in their previous three completed innings, Warwickshire may have approached their task with some uncertainty but the recalled Neil Carter injected new confidence at the top of the order.After an early wicket for Liam Plunkett, Carter made 38 from 36 balls and most of the hard work was done while putting on 73 with Darren Maddy. Maddy cut and drove sixes off Paul Collingwood and Plunkett before Carter was leg-before to Scott Borthwick and a first win in seven games was eventually secured after a late wobble against the spinners.Gareth Breese dismissed Maddy (40) and Rikki Clarke during a spell of 2 for 18 and with five wanted off the last over from Borthwick, Jim Troughton (28) and Keith Barker fell to catches on the boundary. However Chris Woakes found a gap on the off side to squeeze the final delivery away to the rope.For a team with so much at stake, the first half of Durham’s innings was a non-event with four wickets down for only 49 runs after a catalogue of errors on a pitch that demanded some caution.The resurgence began in the 12th over as Collingwood and Benkenstein targeted Ant Botha’s left-arm spin with leg-side sixes in a quick-fire stand of 36. It needed a spectacular one-handed catch by Clarke, at full stretch on the mid-wicket boundary, to remove Collingwood for 24, but Breese turned up the heat on Warwickshire with an unbeaten 31 from only 22 balls.The all-rounder took three boundaries – a six followed by two fours – in the final over from Barker and an unbroken partnership of 65 in 51 deliveries with Benkenstein at least gave Durham’s bowlers something to work with.

It’s never dull when the Pakistanis are in town, and anyone who dares to treat these matches as nothing more than an Ashes appetiser might well find themselves too full to move by the end of it

Andrew Miller at Trent Bridge28-Jul-2010It’s never dull when the Pakistanis are in town. While the team was tearing itself apart during a dreadful tour of Australia six months ago, there was a legitimate fear that this coming series would be a massive mismatch – especially when the PCB, in its infinite wisdom, chose to slap life bans on Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, the two batsmen most likely to bat England out of contention in any given contest.And yet, is there any team in the world with a greater gift for regeneration than Pakistan? The volatility of their performance against Australia at Lord’s – which culminated in the dramatic resignation of the brand-new captain, Shahid Afridi – gave way to a performance at Headingley that was forged from pure inspiration. With Mohammad Aamer swinging the ball like a latterday Wasim Akram, the two Ys were scarcely missed until the tense final stages of that fourth-innings run-chase. Who needs runs on the board when you can roll a side over for 88?Such is the nature of England’s latest opponents. Bursts of brilliance are to be expected throughout the coming four Tests, interwoven with periods – protracted or otherwise – in which Pakistan’s focus drifts off into the ether. It is a mercurial tendency that promises to deliver a flawed but fascinating series, and anyone who dares to treat these matches as nothing more than an Ashes appetiser might well find themselves too full to move by the end of it.”You know that Pakistan are unlikely to be on their game for the full five days of a Test match, and if you can make sure you can play consistent cricket, I think that gives you an advantage,” said England’s captain Andrew Strauss. “They have a good varied bowling attack, but I don’t think it’s our job to overly hype the opposition. Most Test teams you play against have got a good bowling attack, and Pakistan is one of the better ones we’ll see.”Nevertheless, England know they will have to be on their guard at a ground where swing bowlers have habitually ruled the roost, and against a team that may now be classified as the away side, but is likely to feel very much at home after two hard-fought Tests against Australia at Lord’s and Headingley.”I think it was very good to start the tour having played such a good side in the conditions,” said Pakistan’s captain, Salman Butt. “The local community and the local people from this country have all supported us and we are very thankful for this ‘homely’ atmosphere, though this is not home. Our side is very young, with limited experience, so it is good for us. We needed all the practice we could get, and this is the best possible practice we could have had.”While Strauss acknowledged that England were unlikely to catch their opponents cold after such a build-up to the series, he still felt that the schedule would ultimately tell against Pakistan. “They are more used to the conditions than they would be if it was the first Test match in the series,” he said, “but at the same time it’s a hard schedule with six Test matches in such a short time. The most important thing for us is that these are our own conditions, we’re very comfortable here, and we know what type of cricket we need to play. We need to use that to our advantage over the course of this summer.”England’s attack will have to perform at peak levels if they are to outshine a Pakistan attack that put Australia’s frontline seamers to shame in both the Lord’s and Headingley Tests. Aamer’s zippy left-arm line is perfectly complemented by Mohammad Asif’s stingy seam and the reverse-swing of Umar Gul, and as Butt admitted: “I am a lucky person to have all these three up my sleeve.”They’ve been producing results, taking wickets and troubling the batsmen, so I think these things are very eye-catching for all the teams and spectators,” he added. “They bring a lot of confidence to me as a captain and us as a team because whatever totals you manage, you are always confident you have a good bowling attack and you can defend it.”England’s own pacemen have plenty of strengths to call upon, although they aren’t exactly a like-for-like line-up. Stuart Broad is on his home turf, and is walking on air after a career-best 8 for 52 against Warwickshire earlier in the week, although seam not swing is his particular strength. The same goes for Steven Finn, whose 6’8″ frame will test the mettle of a Pakistan middle-order that occasionally looked vulnerable when the considerably less lanky Doug Bollinger started ramping up the aggro.But given Trent Bridge’s reputation for lateral movement, the focus will undoubtedly fall on James Anderson, a player whose credentials as the leader of the attack have suffered in recent months with his omission from the victorious World Twenty20 campaign in the Caribbean, as well as an off-the-boil showing in the recent spate of one-day contests against Australia and Bangladesh.”Jimmy Anderson is under some pressure, as we all are,” said Strauss. “We want healthy competition in the ranks, and it would be wrong ever to assume that your place in the side is cast in stone. I think we have got a fair amount of competition, both in the batting line-up now, and there are some bowlers chomping at the bit to get in as well. Jimmy, we know what he can do, and in the right conditions there’s no better bowler in world cricket, I don’t think. Like everything, we want our bowlers to be as consistent as possible in all conditions, so that’s the challenge for him.”The challenge for England is to treat the coming contests as an end in themselves, regardless of any temptation to look straight through the here-and-now and rest their gaze on the Ashes. With that in mind, Strauss is already attempting to be ambivalent about the state of Australia’s current preparations, particularly in light of that first-innings humiliation at Headingley.”My first thought was that it just proved I should have bowled first at Headingley last year,” he said, recalling how England themselves had been blown away for 102 by the Aussies, en route to a two-and-a-half-day defeat. “We had an interest in that series but it wasn’t a close interest, because it’s not that relevant right at the moment for us.”It was relevant to have a look at the Pakistani bowlers and how they were looking to bowl at right- and left-handers for instance, but as far as Australia is concerned, I still think that’s something that’s a little bit down the road. We don’t need to be side-tracked by that at this moment.”He is quite right of course. Come Thursday morning, and given the sort of cloudy conditions that hung over Trent Bridge on the eve of the contest, England might well have plenty to preoccupy them as it is.

The airport has been shut down indefinitely with the hurricane expected to pass by Barbados on Sunday night local time

Edited PTI copy01-Jul-2024A hurricane warning has left the T20 World Cup-winning India team stranded in Barbados.Hurricane Beryl (Category 4) is expected to pass by Barbados on Sunday night local time with the centre of the storm approximately 80 miles off the south coast. India are currently staying at the Hilton Hotel. They were initially planning a charter straight home but the airport has been closed since Sunday evening. South Africa had left earlier on Sunday.BCCI secretary Jay Shah said that board is planning a felicitation for the victorious team after they reach India.”Like you we are also stuck here. After the travel plans are clear, we will think about the felicitation,” Shah told reporters in Barbados.Related

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Shah: New India coach to take charge from SL series

Shah has said that the Indian team will have a new head coach from the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka starting later this month, but did not reveal who has been finalised to succeed the outgoing Rahul Dravid.Former India opener Gautam Gambhir is the frontrunner to take up the position of the head coach. The Cricket Advisory Committee [CAC] has conducted the interviews for the post and shortlisted Gambhir and former India women’s coach WV Raman.”Both coach and selector appointments will be made shortly,” Shah who is in the Caribbean with the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup 2024, said. “CAC has interviewed and shortlisted two names and after reaching Mumbai whatever they have decided we will go by that. VVS Laxman is going to Zimbabwe but a new coach will join from the Sri Lanka series.”The Indian team is due to tour Sri Lanka for three T20Is and three ODIs starting July 27.2:46

What is Virat Kohli’s legacy in T20Is?

‘Seniors will be there for CT and WTC’

Shah has also said that “seniors will be there” in next year’s Champions Trophy and the World Test Championship final, if India qualify for it, while a decision on whether Hardik Pandya succeeds Rohit Sharma as the next T20I captain will be taken solely by the selectors.”The transition has already happened with three greats retiring,” Shah said when asked about the team’s next phase following the T20I retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit and [Ravindra] Jadeja.”The way this team is progressing, our target is to win the World Test Championship final and Champions Trophy. There will be a similar squad playing there. The seniors will be there.”This means that the senior players, fitness permitting, are likely to be available for the nine ODI matches that India will play before the Champions Trophy scheduled for February-March 2025 in Pakistan.India’s ODI assignments before that include three games each against Sri Lanka (away), New Zealand (home) and England (home).8:43

Rohit Sharma: ‘This has to be my greatest achievement’

‘From Rohit to Virat, all excelled’

Shah also praised the efforts of Rohit and Kohli, who played a match-winning knock in the final against South Africa which India won by seven runs in Barbados. Both Kohli and Rohit announced their retirement from T20Is after the triumph and were joined by allrounder Jadeja in saying goodbye to the format a day later.”It was the same captain last year and same here in Barbados. We won all games except the final in 2023 [ODI World Cup] as Australia played better. This time we worked even harder and played better to win the title,” Shah said. “If you look at other teams, experience counts. From Rohit to Virat, all excelled. Experience makes a lot of difference. In World Cups, you can’t experiment much also. A good player knows when to say goodbye to the game, we saw that yesterday. You look at Rohit’s strike rate, it is better than a lot of young players.”India, who had lost big finals in the past decade, finally ended their title drought after losing two ICC finals – World Test Championship and ODI World Cup final – over the last 12 months and Shah hoped the winning run would continue.”I would want India to win all the titles. We have the biggest bench strength, only three players from this team are going to Zimbabwe. We can field three teams if the need arises,” he said. “The way this team is progressing, our target is to win World Test Championship final and Champions Trophy. There will be a similar squad playing there. The seniors will be there.”On Hardik’s all-round performance in the T20 World Cup and chances of him taking over the captaincy from Rohit, Shah said: “Captaincy will be decided by the selectors and we will announce it after discussing with them. You asked about Hardik, there were lot of questions over his form but the selectors showed faith in him and he proved himself.”India will next travel to Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series which begins on July 6 in Harare. Shubman Gill will lead the Indian side there with plenty of seniors being rested. Shah also confirmed that an India A team will be travelling to Australia later in the year ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

LSG needed 12 from the last over with seven wickets in hand. They could score only four runs and lost four wickets in the six balls

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-202319.1: Sharma to Rahul, 2 runs
Mohit starts with a pace-on yorker, which Rahul manages to dig out, and it goes over Mohit’s head. So slow is it hit that they come back for two. Badoni dives in to make the second possible19.2: Sharma to Rahul, OUT
And he has got out after turning an easy equation into a tough one. Slower short ball, into the pitch, cutting in, Rahul pulls, gets a top edge, and is caught at deep square leg. Rahul looks distraught: 0 off the first 6, 30 off the next 12, 20 off the next 20, 18 off the next 23.
KL Rahul c Yadav b Sharma 68 (61b 8×4 0x6) SR: 111.4719.3: Sharma to Stoinis, OUT
Slower short ball. The lethal slower short ball when you are desperate for boundaries. He has to create all the power. Slaps it down the ground but imparts only enough to reach long-on. Mohit is on a hat-trick, and GT are the favourites now.
Marcus Stoinis c Miller b Sharma 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 019.4: Sharma to Hooda, 1 run, OUT
Good from Mohit. He is not greedy. He knows the batters are expecting the slower ball, which is the wicket-taking delivery. He goes for the yorker, Hooda digs it out, they go for the second, and Badoni is run out. The second is never on.
Ayush Badoni run out (Shankar/Sharma) 8 (6b 0x4 0x6) SR: 133.3319.5: Sharma to Hooda, 1 run, OUT
Mohit is not focusing on the non-striker. He nails another yorker, Hooda digs it out to deep midwicket, and goes back for the non-existent second to keep the chances of a tie alive. The throw from the deep is spot on. He is gone. GT win if they don’t bowl a no-ball or a wide.
Deepak Hooda run out (Rashid Khan/†Saha) 2 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 10019.6: Sharma to Ravi Bishnoi, no run
Mohit beats him with a slower ball. That is a seven-run win after LSG needed just 56 off the last 10