What to expect from the IPL Governing Council meeting

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From safety protocols to assigning home grounds, here is what could happen during the Sunday meeting

Varun Shetty01-Aug-20207:35

Bal: Hosting IPL a far bigger challenge compared to a bilateral series

What’s the meeting about?

The IPL Governing Council is still awaiting a clearance from the Indian government to host the IPL in the UAE, and according to chairman Brijesh Patel, it “will come” soon. The BCCI has already submitted a letter of intent to the Emirates Cricket Board, and with that out of the way, the council will meet on Sunday primarily to finalise the fixtures and come up with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure safety as players from various countries gather in the UAE. The window for the tournament is between September 19 and November 10.

Who will attend?

The meeting will be chaired by Patel, and also feature BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. Other prominent members expected are IPL COO and BCCI interim chief, Hemang Amin, BCCI secretary Jay Shah, and BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal.

What are the pressing issues? What is an SOP?

Moving the tournament abroad itself isn’t new to the BCCI, but the main point of contention is the safety of doing it this time round. In comparison to, say, the recently concluded bilateral series between West Indies and England, the IPL will have a lot more variables: there will be eight teams, for starters, and they will have to be monitored strictly over a duration that could end up being close to three months.That is where SOPs come in – the procedures that will be defined in microscopic detail and enforced strictly to avoid any infections to the people involved.The SOPs will be drawn across various categories. For example, with something like the testing process: who will be authorised to conduct the tests, and how often will they conduct them? For a player who might arrive later than the rest of his squad, will there be a quarantine period? And how many tests will be required before he can play? What happens if a player tests positive, and what will that mean for the rest of the team given they’ll all be in the same “bubble”?Take that level of detail and apply it across the board to matters like who will be in charge of creating bio-secure bubbles – the franchises or the board – how populated those bubbles can be (will it involve just the team or even the support staff from, say, the hotels?), and how they will be secured against breaches.Get ready for an IPL unlike any other•BCCI

What else needs clarifying

Home grounds and match day protocols: With the fixtures, franchises will be assigned “home” grounds across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah that will likely be on rolling basis. A cap on the number of people allowed at the ground on match days is also expected to be laid down.Closed doors or not? UAE board secretary Mubashir Usmani believes that the active cases in the UAE will reduce from the current figure of about 6,200 by the time the IPL rolls around. He said the board will look to allow spectators to the tune of 30-50% capacity at the stadiums. Given that most sporting events are happening behind closed doors, the council will have to take a call on this.When can teams land in the UAE? Chennai Super Kings are already aiming to get to Dubai in the second week of August to kickstart training, and various franchises are reportedly looking at the August 20-22 window.What about the latecomers? Some players from Australia and England are expected to be engaged in an ODI series till the second week of September, and Lasith Malinga and Isuru Udana could be held up by the Lankan Premier League which is scheduled to end on September 20. Quarantine protocols will dictate how early such players will feature in the tournament.Player replacements Franchises are keen to understand how replacements will work during the tournament. The IPL normally allows mid-season replacements in case of injuries, and this time there will be the added possibility of players pulling out of the tournament for a variety of reasons.Will there be AB? There is also the matter of South Africa’s borders remaining closed both ways at the moment, which adds another dimension to the logistical issues for franchises, particularly to CSK and RCB, who account for six of the ten South African players in the league.Will Indian team players train together at Motera before the IPL? ESPNcricinfo understands that there was an idea to set up a national team camp in late August, and that franchises are waiting to hear on whether or not that will happen.Will families be allowed? Given that players could likely spend a minimum of two months inside hotels – longer for those who will play India’s Tests in Australia in December – there is the very serious question of whether families will be allowed to travel with them.

Ever wondered how much James Anderson puts into his bowling? How about breaking a rib from effort?

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At 38, Anderson claims his 29th five-wicket haul in Tests – only one seamer, Sir Richard Hadlee, has more

George Dobell23-Aug-2020If you ever wondered how much James Anderson puts into his bowling, it’s worth thinking back to how his South Africa tour ended.Anderson broke his rib in the Cape Town Test. Not because he sustained a blow. But through the repeated effort of pushing his body through the rigours of fast bowling. The England medical team said they had never seen such an injury.By the time he left the pitch – pain etched all over his face having tried to bowl his side to victory – he had delivered 37 overs in the match. Not bad for a 37-year-old. And nor was his analysis: 7-63. In the first innings, he had become the oldest England seamer to take a five-for since Freddie Brown in 1951.Now 38, he took another five-wicket haul here. Ridiculously, really, it was his 29th in Test cricket. Only one seamer, Sir Richard Hadlee, has claimed more.Perhaps of more interest, the return, 5-56, put Anderson on the brink of 600 Test wickets. He requires only two more now. And while he has yet to take a second-innings wicket this summer, the way in which he is bowling suggests Pakistan may need some help from the weather to deny him.He could – should, maybe – have reached the landmark already. At one stage, late in the day, he saw three catches put down off his bowling in the space of 10 balls. All of them should have been taken, though to be fair, the light was murky.ALSO READ: Light was ‘seriously dangerous’ for tailenders – BessA few years ago, Anderson’s reaction might have got the better of him. Oh, he looked furious all right. But who wouldn’t? And he didn’t say a word. Instead, he walked back to his mark and concentrated on creating another chance. The fourth of them in 22 balls was taken to finish off the innings and seal his haul. You suspect relief was the overwhelming emotion in the England dressing room.But Anderson’s ability to control his emotions has been one of the many areas in which he has improved in recent years. Until 2014, he was famously grumpy on the pitch. And while he felt he needed that edge to spur him on, there were times it seemed to spill over and become a distraction. Remember the Ravi Jadeja incident at Trent Bridge? Whatever really went on in that corridor, the repercussions rumbled on for a long time and persuaded Anderson he needed to change.He learned he didn’t need such a side. Just as few of those West Indies bowlers needed to say much to convince their opposition they were in hostile territory, so Anderson realised he was best served by concentrating on his craft and allowing the results to sort themselves out. That’s how to claim four chances in 22 balls despite the disappointment and distractions of missed chances.But nothing has ever come easy to Anderson. Yes, he was drafted into England’s international teams as little more than a kid: 20 years old and blessed with an ability to swing the ball late at sharp pace.But within a couple of years, attempts to refine his action saw him lose his pace, his swing and, eventually, his fitness. The stress fracture he suffered left him a spectator during the 2005 Ashes and threatened, for a while, to derail his career.All the time he was sidelined he was watching, though. Watching and talking and learning. Friends talk of him as a “cricket geek”. It’s meant fondly. But while others may want to turn off between games, Anderson watches all the cricket he can: Test cricket; T20 cricket; even videos of county footage to ensure he is informed not just about his opponents but so he can pick up any new skills. Have two fast bowlers even reinvented themselves in their mid-30s the way Anderson and Stuart Broad have? That spirit of self-improvement may define them both.Later, as a member of the four-man attack that took England to No. 1 in the Test rankings, he was obliged to operate as both strike and stock bowler. Yes, he took some wickets on days when the ball jagged around in England. But oh, he earned them from all those days he answered the call from captain after captain, not knowing where else to turn, for yet another spell on a heartbreakingly flat pitch. Really, anyone who thinks Anderson has had it easy hasn’t been paying attention.All those overs took their toll. That right shoulder has bowled more deliveries than any seamer in the history of Test cricket. At this stage it’s held together by habit and hope. At one stage, in late 2016, those closest to him recall him not being able to pull on his t-shirt or tie his shoe laces without significant pain. The England management told him not to worry about the tour to India. Relax, they said. Take your time. Come back to the team for the next English summer.But he was having none of it. Instead he persuaded his then manager, the former county player Luke Sutton, to pad up and face him in the indoor nets at Old Trafford. Anderson would then video the sessions and send them to the England management with a message that basically said ‘Look! I’m fine! Get me to India.’ He arrived in time to play in the second Test and claimed four wickets.Let’s put that in perspective. Anderson was, by this time, a fast-medium swing bowler in his mid-30s. He had proved, as MS Dhoni put it, to be the “difference between the sides” on the previous tour, in 2012. He had nothing to prove to anyone. He could easily have skipped the tour, protected his figures and waited for the green pitches and Dukes ball of the next summer. What sort of madman would insist on the heartbreak of India?Well, the sort that becomes a champion. The sort that doesn’t know when they’re beaten. The sort that loves not just the plaudits on the good days, but the graft that goes with the tough ones. The sort that breaks a rib through the effort of trying to win a game for their country. The sort that, you suspect, won’t ever have had their fill of this great game of ours.Again, it’s worth thinking back to that South Africa tour at the turn of this year. Anderson talked eloquently of this enduring love for the craft then. Not for taking wickets or winnings matches, so much. More about the craft and effort. The love – yes, that was the word he used – of claiming a second new ball on a flat wicket with the opposition set. Of the satisfaction he felt when “you struggle to get out of bed to walk to the toilet”.The outcome of all this is that Anderson has taken 330 Test wickets (at a cost of 23.91) since he was 30. And, for all the talk of struggling overseas, he’s claimed two five-wicket hauls in his most recent five Tests overseas. And three in his last 13. Yes, he’s not as quick as he was. But if pace was everything, Tino Best would have more Test wickets than Vernon Philander and Jofra Archer would have been the man leading the team off the pitch on Sunday.Logic tells us it will end soon. He’s 38, for goodness sake, and England’s next Test tours are to Sri Lanka and India. By the time the Ashes come back round, he’ll be 39 and Australia, surely, is no country for old men. Really, any day could be the last. Enjoy it while you can.So, yes, time will get him eventually. It has a broader bat than Sachin and more patience than Boycott. But Anderson’s been defying convention and logic and expectation for a while now. Who is to say he won’t keep doing it for a while yet? And he only needs 102 more wickets to reach the 700 mark.

England bowlers have all the answers to spark staggering Australia collapse

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Woakes, Archer, Sam Curran claim three wickets each as Australia crumble

Valkerie Baynes13-Sep-2020England 231 for 9 (Morgan 42, Zampa 3-36) beat Australia 207 (Finch 73, Labuschagne 48, Woakes 3-32, Archer 3-34, S Curran 3-35) by 24 runsEngland’s bowlers answered every question asked of them to snatch an unlikely victory and level the series 1-1 as Australia capitulated in the second ODI at Emirates Old Trafford.Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer gave England every hope of avoiding their first bilateral ODI series defeat at home since 2015 by claiming three crucial wickets each before Sam Curran chimed in with three wickets of his own after a staggering Australian collapse to seal the win and keep the series alive going into Wednesday’s final encounter.Aaron Finch and Marnus Labuschagne put on 107 for the third wicket to build on the solid foundation set by Australia’s bowlers, who restricted England until a late partnership worth 76 between Rashid and Tom Curran gave the hosts something to bowl at.Chasing 232 for victory after England had won the toss, Australia stumbled to 37 for 2 and then lost four wickets in the space of 21 balls – three of them to Woakes – to give England more than a sniff of the victory which had seemed so distant after their performance with the bat and again when Finch and Labuschagne were cruising.Archer defied a used pitch which had been keeping low with devastating speed and bounce in an excellent five-over opening spell which delivered 2 for 22. He dismissed David Warner for a seventh time in international cricket with a scorching delivery up around the ribs which drew an edge through to Jos Buttler.Archer hit Finch on the helmet but the blow failed to trouble the visiting captain who, having passed the necessary on-field concussion testing, settled back into his rhythm even in the face of another wicket as Archer struck again with a short ball that reared up and found the shoulder of the bat as Marcus Stoinis fended awkwardly and was caught behind. Finch and Labuschagne wrested back control until Archer and Woakes returned and wreaked havoc.England brought in the Curran brothers for Mark Wood, who pulled up with a sore ankle, and Moeen Ali, left out in what Eoin Morgan described as “a tactical move”.Those tactics came under the microscope on a pitch which rewarded Australia’s legspinner, Adam Zampa, whose 3 for 36 combined with some miserly bowling by the seamers had contained England so well. But the decision paid off amid Morgan’s masterful captaincy as England again stood up against huge pressure.Zampa’s opposite number, Adil Rashid, was wicketless after his first three overs, having conceded 27 runs from them. Rashid returned from the opposite end only to be punished by Finch bringing up his half-century with a bottom edge through fine leg and a straight hit that sped through Rashid’s hands and all the way to the rope at long-off.Both Currans had failed to make inroads up to that point, prompting the return of Archer and Woakes. Archer struck Finch another brutal blow on the chest but Finch shrugged it off by clipping the next ball to the leg side and running a swift two.Labuschagne pulled Woakes gloriously for four and then brought up the 100-stand with Finch via a single off the next delivery. But Woakes made the breakthrough England so desperately needed when he dismissed Labuschagne lbw for 48 from 59 balls after England successfully reviewed umpire Michael Gough’s original not-out decision, sparking Australia’s collapse.Mitch Marsh entered with Australia needing 88 from 20.1 overs, having scored 73 in the first ODI and an unbeaten 39 in a player-of-the-match performance as Australia won the third and final T20I. But when Archer had Marsh so flummoxed on the sixth ball he faced that he chopped on, the spring returned to England’s step.They were positively jumping when Woakes bowled Finch for 73 as Australia lost a third wicket for just one run in the space of 11 balls. Archer had just completed his 10 overs with 3 for 34 when Woakes struck again next ball, bowling Glenn Maxwell for 1. From 144 for 2, Australia were 147 for 6 needing 82 runs from the last 15 overs.With Archer and Woakes – who claimed 3 for 32 – bowled out, England turned again to Rashid and the Currans. It was Sam Curran who claimed two wickets in consecutive balls, bowling Pat Cummins and having Mitchell Starc caught behind as Australia crumbled further to 166 for 8.Zampa survived the hat-trick ball but Sam Curran had the final say when he had Zampa caught by Archer to claim his third and put England within one wicket of triumph. Rashid claimed the last wicket when he had Alex Carey stumped off a googly as England won by 24 runs with eight balls to spare.Australia were unchanged from their 19-run victory in the first match despite Steven Smith passing a second concussion test in a move Cricket Australia insisted was precautionary after he took a blow to the head during training which kept him out of that game.Starc almost struck with the second ball when he had Jason Roy given out lbw to a delivery that pitched in line and nipped back in. Roy had the decision overturned on review when the DRS showed that the ball was going over the top of the stumps, but Starc made a breakthorugh a short time later with a ball that held its line and found the edge from a prodding Jonny Bairstow, caught behind for a duck.He inflicted more pain when Joe Root attempted to drive and edged the ball hard onto his back knee, and when Roy was run out to a sniper-like throw from Stoinis in the covers, England were 29 for 2.Root laboured to 39 off 73 before Zampa had him caught by Finch at first slip, putting England at 90 for 3. Root’s dismissal sparked a mini gear-shift from Morgan, who struck three fours in five balls from Marsh and Zampa, but when Finch changed up the attack with the re-introduction of Cummins, who struck with his third ball back to trap Buttler lbw for 3, England suffered another setback.Zampa dismissed Morgan lbw for England’s top score of 42 and Sam Billings with a legbreak that was too full for the cut attempted by Billings, who ended up chopping onto his stumps and trudging off with just 8 from 28 balls. The hosts then lost Sam Curran and Woakes in quick succession, but Rashid’s rearguard 35 from 26 balls combined with Tom Curran’s 37 off 39 limited the damage.

Chennai Super Kings set to test Delhi Capitals' ability to adapt to crisis

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Capitals have shown they can adapt to key players being ripped away due to injury. Can they keep doing it?

Hemant Brar16-Oct-20207:37

Should Sam Curran continue to open the batting for CSK?

Big picture

Since pulling off a Super Over heist against the Kings XI Punjab in their opening game, the Delhi Capitals have shown an indomitable spirit. They are currently second on the points table with six wins from eight games but their journey has been anything but smooth.ALSO READ: Fantasy Picks: Pick Dhawan as captain and Curran as vice-captainRight at the start, their main spinner R Ashwin had to miss two games after hurting his shoulder. Then Amit Mishra’s tournament was cut short with a finger injury. Ishant Sharma played just one match before an abdominal muscle tear ruled him out. But the Capitals dealt with those blows so effectively that the absence of such key players was never felt.However, the latest roadblock – a hamstring injury to Rishabh Pant – is proving a bit trickier to handle. With no other Indian wicketkeeper in the squad, the Capitals have been forced to play Alex Carey, which means there is no place for Shimron Hetmyer in the side. His replacement, Ajinkya Rahane, managed 15 off 15 and 2 off 9 in the last two games, of which the Capitals lost the first one and somehow sneaked in a win in the second.On Saturday evening, they will be facing the Chennai Super Kings, who after numerous permutations and combinations finally seem to have figured out their best XI. The side that played in their last game, against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, had seven bowling options while boasting a batting line-up with no tail whatsoever.Their approach too was fresh and positive with Sam Curran opening the innings to take advantage of the powerplay and MS Dhoni coming in at No. 5. The result – a third win in eight games – ensured they didn’t slip too far behind in the playoffs race. A win against the Capitals would provide further momentum to their campaign.

In the news

  • Before the Royals’ game, Pant underwent a fitness test but wasn’t able to clear it. The Capitals, who are in a comfortable position on the points table, may not want to rush his comeback.
  • Shreyas Iyer too had hurt his shoulder against the Royals and was off the field for most of the chase. At the post-match presentation, Shikhar Dhawan said though Iyer was in pain, he was able to move his shoulder. It’s understood he is likely to be available for Saturday’s game.

Prithvi Shaw got something in his eye? MS Dhoni to the rescue•BCCI

Previous meeting

Prithvi Shaw smashed 64 off 43 balls to power the Capitals to 175 for 3. Kagiso Rabada then picked up 3 for 26 as the Capitals’ bowlers restricted the Super Kings to 131 for 7 to script a 44-run win.

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Anrich NortjeChennai Super Kings: 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Sam Curran, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Karn Sharma

Strategy punts

  • Watson may or may not open for the Super Kings but expect the Capitals to match him up against Axar Patel. The left-arm spinner has dismissed Watson six times in eight T20 innings while conceding only 44 runs off 43 balls.
  • Deepak Chahar has dismissed Shaw four times in five T20 innings, the most by any bowler. In those five knocks, Shaw has managed only 38 off 37 balls against the seamer. Chahar has also got Ajinkya Rahane out thrice in three innings while giving away just 19 runs off 16 balls. Against Dhawan too, he has impressive numbers – 35 runs off 44 balls with one dismissal. All that sets up an interesting powerplay battle.

Stats that matter

  • The Super Kings have dominated the head-to-head contests by winning 15 of the 22 games between the two sides.
  • Teams batting first have won five out of seven games played in Sharjah this IPL.
  • The Super Kings’ scoring rate of 7.2 in the powerplay is the worst in IPL 2020.
  • Seventeen wickets taken by the Capitals spinners so far in the tournament are second only to the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s spin unit, who have 18. The Capitals spinners have a combined average of 19.3 and an economy of 6.3. No other spin attack has an average below 25 or an economy under seven.
  • In the Capitals’ six wins, they have had six different Player-of-the-Match award winners – Marcus Stoinis, Shaw, Iyer, Patel, Ashwin and Anrich Nortje. Five of their batsmen have more than 150 runs this IPL and four of their bowlers have taken more than seven wickets.
  • Rabada has 49 wickets from 26 games in the IPL. The record for the fastest to 50 wickets in the tournament belongs to Sunil Narine, who reached there in 32 games.

Michael Neser and Ashton Agar achieve rare double in the space of an hour

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Neser followed a five-wicket haul with a century while Agar backed up a hundred with a five-wicket bag

Andrew McGlashan12-Oct-2020Within the space of about an hour on adjacent grounds in Adelaide, Michael Neser and Ashton Agar completed a feat that had not been achieved in the Sheffield Shield for 10 years by scoring a century and taking five-wickets in an innings during the same match.Neser, the Queensland seam-bowling allrounder, was the first to the landmark at Gladys Elphick Park when he brought up his maiden first-class century with consecutive boundaries thrashed through the leg side off Riley Meredith. It followed his opening-day figures of 5 for 32 to help bowl out Tasmania for 250.On the next-door ground at Karen Rolton Oval, Agar was working his way through the Western Australia lower-order and completed his five-wicket haul when he claimed a return catch offered by his brother, Wes. That haul followed Agar’s century which he completed yesterday as part of a 266-run stand with Josh Inglis.Before today, the last player to complete this double in the Sheffield Shield was Mitchell Johnson when he scored 121 not out and claimed 5 for 35 against Victoria at the MCG in November 2010. Before that, Steven Smith bagged the doubled when he made 100 against South Australia then took 7 for 64.Overall, they were the 33rd and 34th occasions of the double happening in Sheffield Shield cricket. Garry Sobers did it four times during the 1960s.Neser is still waiting to earn a Test debut having been a regular part of Australia’s Test squad over the last 18 months while Agar, an established part of the limited-overs squad, played the most recent of his four Tests – which included the famous 98 on debut against England – in 2017.

Ariful Haque stuns Barishal; Mahedi Hasan, Nurul Hasan hand Rajshahi narrow win over Dhaka

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Needing 22 to win in the final over, Ariful blasted four sixes against Mehidy Hasan Miraz to give Khulna a four-wicket win

Mohammad Isam24-Nov-2020Ariful Haque pulled off a Rahul Tewatia to drag Gemcon Khulna out of a huge hole against Fortune Barishal. Needing 22 to win in the final over, Ariful blasted four sixes against Mehidy Hasan Miraz, giving Khulna a four-wicket win with one ball to spare.It not only saved Khulna from the embarrassment of losing to arguably the weakest team in the tournament but Ariful also reprieved himself for sluggish batting until the 20th over. Ariful was on 24 off 29 balls and poised to be blamed for the loss.But Miraz bowled his offspin from around the wicket, and instead of attacking the stumps like his namesake Mahedi Hasan who bowled a string of yorkers in the day’s first game, he floated two full deliveries, both dispatched down the ground.After Ariful refused a single on the third ball, he lifted Miraz’s short balls over midwicket for two more sixes to sign off a brilliant comeback.Ariful had earlier come to the crease when Khulna were in trouble, and his sluggish batting hardly got them into a position of strength. Taskin Ahmed had removed both openers Anamul Haque and Imrul Kayes in the first over, but the bigger blows came a few overs later. First, Mahmudullah was sucked into a big shot by Miraz in the fifth over to be caught at long-on. Then in the following over, Shakib Al Hasan, having made only 15, holed out against Khan at deep square leg.Jahurul Islam and Ariful added 42 runs for the fifth wicket but it hardly gave Khulna any impetus. Jahurul struck 31 off 26 balls but Ariful got stuck at the other end. It was only when young Shamim Hossain came to the crease that Khulna looked like a chasing side.Shamim struck a six and three fours in his 18-ball 26 but when he was dismissed, Barishal looked in full control. Ariful, however, had other ideas right when it mattered.Barishal had earlier got off to a disastrous start after being put in to bat by Mahmudullah. Shafiul Islam had Miraz, opening the batting with Tamim Iqbal, caught-and-bowled off the first ball of the match. Barishal recovered slowly but then lost Iqbal on the last ball of the powerplay.Young Parvez Hossain Emon, however, made a half-century with three fours and four sixes, and although he struggled to put the ball away at times, the left-hander made sure his side didn’t veer into a big collapse so soon in the game. He added 32 for the fourth wicket with fellow Under-19 World Cup winner Tohwid Hridoy, who chipped in with 27 off 25 balls.Later, Mahidul Islam Ankon and Ahmed struck four sixes between them to take Barishal past the 150-mark. Shahidul Islam finished with 4 for 17, his best figures in T20s, while Shafiul and Hasan Mahmud took two each.Mahedi Hasan dispatches one away to the leg side en route to his half-century•BCB

Mahedi Hasan bowled a brilliant final over to help Minister Group Rajshahi clinch a two-run win over Beximco Dhaka in the opening game of the Bangabandhu T20 Cup.Mahedi bowled five dot balls – most of them yorkers – to a rampant Muktar Ali, who could only get a four through square leg off the fourth delivery. Off the next ball, the square-leg umpire sent a stumping appeal to his TV colleague, but it emerged that Mahedi had overstepped. Mahedi, however, made up for it by firing two more yorkers to give away just one more run, finishing with figures of 1 for 22 from his four overs. Earlier in the game, he had also produced 50 runs off 32 balls when Rajshahi had landed in trouble midway through their innings.Dhaka needing 30 runs off the last two overs, Mukhtar gave his side a lifeline by smashing three sixes off Farhad Reza. The first two of those went over midwicket while the last one was over long-on, as Dhaka managed 21 runs off the penultimate over. Eventually, it was an apt finish to a topsy-turvy game that could have gone either way.At the start of the chase, Dhaka had moved quickly, but lost three wickets within the first seven overs. Young Tanzid Hasan was run-out in the second over after hitting 18 off 11 balls. Mahedi then had Yasir Ali lbw in the fifth over, before Mohammad Naim, who also got off to a quick start, was caught one-handed at deep midwicket while trying to clear a long-hop from Arafat Sunny.Dhaka recovered through a 71-run fourth-wicket stand between Mushfiqur Rahim and Akbar Ali, the Under-19 World Cup-winning captain who chipped in with 34, including a six over long-on and four fours. But his dismissal with Dhaka still requiring 44 off the remaining 26 balls brought Rajshahi back in the game.Rajshahi had earlier built their total with two scoring bumps. They had started well with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, before newcomer Anisul Islam Emon placed them in a strong position in the powerplay. Shanto was the first wicket to fall in the fourth over, but Emon struck five fours and a six in an attacking 23-ball 35. But from 65 for 2 in the ninth over, they lost three wickets – Mohammad Ashraful, Emon and Fazle Mahmud – on the same score, reducing them to a position from where survival took more importance.But Nurul Hasan and Mahedi turned things around quickly after a short lull. The sixth-wicket pair added 89 runs before Nurul, having struck three sixes and two fours in his quick 39, holed out trying to ramp off Muktar. Shortly afterwards, Mahedi too skied to deep square-leg but only after an aggressive 52 off 32 balls with three fours and four sixes.Dhaka’s pace bowlers had a better outing than their spinners, who went for combined figures of 2 for 84 from their eight overs. Muktar took 3 for 22, while Rubel Hossain and left-arm quick Mehedi Hasan were both economical.

Mashrafe Mortaza unfazed by ODI snub: 'Everything has an end'

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“I will keep playing as long as my mind and body are going well. I don’t know what awaits me.”

Mohammad Isam05-Jan-2021Mashrafe Mortaza has left the fate of his international career to the national selectors, after he was omitted from the preliminary squad for the upcoming ODI series against West Indies, Bangladesh’s first international games since the start of the pandemic.While Mortaza, 37, did play in Bangladesh’s last ODI series, completing a 3-0 win against Zimbabwe, he was later informed by the team management that they were looking to move on from him. Last month, the BCB president Nazmul Hassan reiterated those plans, saying that Mortaza was unlikely to be considered for national selection.Related

  • Bangladesh leave Mashrafe out from preliminary squad for WI ODIs

  • Gibson urges Mashrafe to retire from international cricket

The significance of Mortaza being dropped is the timing, especially with the 2023 World Cup qualification in focus. Mortaza, who is currently Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker in ODIs, however said that he wasn’t entirely surprised by the decision, adding that he would continue playing domestic cricket and make himself available for the senior side.”I have taken it professionally,” Mashrafe told . “It wasn’t a surprising news for myself or my family. Everything has an end. I am sure everything was considered before taking the decision.”I have mentioned my retirement thoughts before. I will keep playing as long as my mind and body are going well. I don’t know what awaits me. The selectors will decide on my international career. I won’t play any cricket after I retire. I am 37 years old. Everything comes to an end. I will leave cricket one day.”Given his age, Mortaza’s fitness is usually mentioned as a cause for concern but his track record, particularly in the last five years, is remarkable. Even during the recent domestic T20 tournament, Mortaza took a five-wicket haul in a short burst for Gemcon Khulna, shortly after recovering from Covid-19 as well as a hamstring injury.Mortaza said that speculation about his fitness has made him fitter, and helped him enjoyed cricket more.”I have never failed a fitness test in my 18-year career. I have always believed that hard work pays off. I knew my fitness would be a talking point so I always kept my fitness intact; even during the Bangabandhu T20 Cup, I passed the fitness test. I am pleased with the cricket I have played, which is why I want to continue playing,” he had said.

The Hundred teams set to finalise retentions ahead of draft

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The draft is set to take place between the second and third India-England Tests

Matt Roller01-Feb-2021Teams in the Hundred will confirm this week which men’s players they have retained from the squads they picked in the competition’s initial draft in October 2019, with the ECB billing Thursday, February 4 as ‘deadline day’.Following the Hundred’s postponement last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, men’s players who had been selected in the draft have been negotiating with teams, who were given the option of retaining as many players as they wished at a mutually agreed salary band. A number of retentions have already been announced, headlined by Jonny Bairstow staying at Welsh Fire on a top-bracket deal after losing his red-ball central contract.After the retention window shuts, a mini-draft will be held towards the end of the month in which squads will be finalised – though each team will then add a ‘wildcard’ player to their squad following the T20 Blast’s group stages in July.It is understood that on account of the logistical challenges posed by Covid, the draft will not be screened live from a studio like it was in 2019 and will instead be held behind closed doors. The ECB have been in discussions with broadcasters about how best to present the draft, and at this stage, it is likely to be staged virtually on Sunday, February 21 – between England’s second and third Tests in India, and after the IPL auction – with the picks in each round expected to be revealed on February 22 or 23.Related

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Some teams, such as Trent Rockets, Southern Brave and Oval Invincibles, have retained the vast majority of their initial squads, while others, including Northern Superchargers, Manchester Originals and Welsh Fire, will have several picks to make. Around 30 spots will be free across the competition in the draft.ESPNcricinfo understands that the majority of English players who had been picked up on lucrative contracts have been retained, though a handful of consistent domestic performers including Richard Gleeson, Ben Foakes (both Superchargers), Danny Briggs (Fire) and Chris Wood (Invincibles) are set to be released into the draft pool, and Harry Gurney (Rockets) was yet to sign as the deadline approached. Salaries have been cut by 20% for 2021 but the banding remains the same, and some players have either negotiated a slot at a higher band – including Will Jacks (Invincibles) and Dawid Malan (Rockets) – or agreed to shift down.A number of overseas players including Marcus Stoinis (Brave), Chris Lynn (Superchargers), Qais Ahmed (Fire) and D’Arcy Short (Rockets) will be retained, while Shadab Khan (Brave), Fabian Allen (Invincibles), Mitchell Santner and Imran Tahir (both Originals) are among those set to be released. A full list will be revealed on ‘deadline day’, which is likely to include details of which salary band each player has agreed to.Availability of overseas players is posing a major headache for teams in their draft planning due to the uncertainty that Covid has introduced to the Future Tours Programme. West Indies are due to host Australia and Pakistan for multi-format tours which overlap with the start and end of the Hundred respectively, and teams are alert to the fact that other series could spring up at short notice, and that quarantine requirements both in England and overseas may further curtail availability.Some big names may be signed by teams planning for the long term, who would then sign short-term replacement players as cover but retain their stars in future seasons. Shaheen Shah Afridi, for example, is understood to have been retained by Birmingham Phoenix – despite his limited availability – as part of their long-term planning, while teams could go after players like Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer for the same reason.Jonny Bairstow was a top-bracket retention for Welsh Fire after he lost his Test central contract•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

That said, players without international contracts like Ben Cutting and Chris Morris may prove popular at the draft, and most teams will look to prioritise a strong core of domestic players. New Zealand and South Africa are not currently scheduled to play in the Hundred’s window from late July to late August, so their players may be attractive options, while depending on the dates for Bangladesh’s tour to Zimbabwe, Shakib Al Hasan may find a suitor.There is a long list of English players who were disappointed not to be picked up in 2019, many of whom will be anticipating deals this year after discussions between teams and agents in recent months. Olly Stone, Tom Lammonby, Samit Patel, Jamie Overton, Josh Cobb and Ian Cockbain are among those expected to attract interest after going unsold last time round.The end of the Kolpak era means that the players picked up as locals in the 2019 draft would now count towards a team’s overseas quota (three per squad, and per playing XI), and the majority will be released as a result. Dane Vilas, a surprise £125,000 pick by Manchester Originals in the first draft, is among those set to be released, though Welsh Fire and Oval Invincibles have considered retaining Colin Ingram and Rilee Rossouw respectively as overseas players.In the women’s competition, teams have until June to finalise their squads. There is no draft scheduled, with a less formal recruitment process in place, and eight further marquee signings are due to be announced later this month.

PCB chairman Ehsan Mani wants T20 World Cup shifted if India don't give 'written assurances' on visas

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

“Legally and constitutionally it’s our right to participate in the tournament and nobody can remove us from it”

Umar Farooq21-Feb-2021Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, has said that Pakistan will demand the T20 World Cup to be shifted out of India if Pakistan do not get written assurances from the host country on the safety and visas of every stakeholder. Mani said that the ICC in its contingency plan made UAE a back-up option, if India failed to host the tournament for any reason later this year in.The upcoming T20 World Cup was originally scheduled to be held in Australia but due to the pandemic, the cycle had been revised giving India rights to host the 2021 event while Australia have been asked to host the 2022 edition. Given the strained relationship between India and Pakistan, the ICC has been working together with the boards to obtain assurances for Pakistan’s participation.”Our government has never told us that we can’t play (in India),” Mani told reporters in Lahore. “We have agreed with the ICC that we are going to participate and we can’t contravene that. At the ICC level, I have clearly said we need a written assurance from the India government that not only our team and squad’s visas, we also need visas for fans, journalists and the board officials, but that’s also all written in the ICC host agreement and according to that we have put our demand.”ICC has also been a bit loose on it as they told us that it will be done by Dec 31, 2020, but it didn’t happen. I again raised it in January and in February directly with the ICC chairman, then I talked to ICC management and I told them that I need a clear decision by March. They are saying that by end of March. If it doesn’t come, I will demand the shifting of the event from India to UAE.”Cricketing ties between India and Pakistan have had their ups and downs since the two countries first met in the Delhi Test of 1952. The relationship over the last seven decades has been impaired with neither side touring the other country for a full series since 2007 when Pakistan last visited India. Bilateral ties between the two countries were snapped after the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 until a limited-overs series was played in 2012-13, though India and Pakistan have faced each other in international tournaments. The sides last met at the 2019 World Cup in England.Mani also brought up how the International Olympic Committee had suspended India in 2019 after Pakistani shooters were not issued visas for the World Cup held in New Delhi in February 2019. That sanction, however, was lifted after the union government promised that all participating athletes would be given a visa, and that it wouldn’t be judged politically. Mani called for this issue to be sorted too, and for cricket to stay out of politics.On a separate outstanding issue, the ICC has told the BCCI that it reserves the right to take away the 2021 men’s T20 World Cup from India after the board failed to secure a tax exemption for the tournament from the government.”It’s already been decided that if India can’t hold the event it will be shifted to UAE,” Mani said. “Legally and constitutionally it’s our right to participate in the tournament and nobody can remove us from the tournament and the ICC chairman does realise this.”Unfortunately, it’s unhealthy that especially cricket in India is being linked with politics. On a personal level, I have no problems with Sourav Ganguly and he is quite open about it, he wants to organise the tournament in India and I have no problems with it too if he can convince every stakeholder. But ICC has backup plans and if they (India) can’t do it, it will be held at an alternative venue.”The 2020 edition of the Asia Cup, which was postponed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, is also slotted for June this year. The tournament was originally meant to be played in Pakistan but PCB swapped the hosting rights with Sri Lanka’s 2022 edition as the PCB cannot feasibly host a tournament involving India around the growing tension between two countries. It was to feature the four subcontinent sides along with Afghanistan and an Asian qualifier. “The fate of the tournament hinges upon the qualification of India in the ICC Test championship. If they do (qualify) then its impossible this year and then we have to take it to 2023.”

South Africa's Lara Goodall gets rid of the 'disconnect' to fire in her second coming

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Thanks coach Hilton Moreeng as she makes “mental shift” to get her on-field performances to match her promise

Firdose Moonda14-Mar-2021Lara Goodall has dedicated her career-best 59* against India Women to national coach Hilton Moreeng, who she credited with believing in her even when she was not performing. The innings, Goodall’s second fifty in 25 ODIs, helped secure the series for South Africa Women, with a game to play.”It was nice to get the team over the line. The personal milestone was good but to be there at the end after grafting so hard in the middle and to win the game was special,” she said. “To coach Hilton, for all his faith in me. I know I haven’t always backed him up but he has always backed me as a player, so this one was for him.”Goodall was recalled by Moreeng and the selection panel for January’s home series against Pakistan after spending 15 months out of the international game. She was dropped after South Africa’s last tour of India, in 2019, where she played in two of the three ODIs and returned scores of 38 and 6. At that point, her ODI average was 15.14 – quite substandard for a middle-order batter.”I took that quite hard,” Goodall admitted, while conceding that she had clear weaknesses. “I wasn’t sure of my game and how to play spin and what my scoring options were. I didn’t really back myself so I was making half-hearted approaches.”She called what happened between training session and match day back then a “disconnect”; she was unable to translate her talent into runs for the runs national team, and she was forced to go back to the domestic set-up and refine her skills. “I looked at myself and saw that I needed to improve a lot to become a mainstay in this line-up. There was a slot in that middle-order, which I wanted to make mine.”In the 2019-20 summer, Goodall finished outside the top 10 in the CSA women’s provincial league and probably still wasn’t doing enough to be recalled. But then lockdown happened and, for her, it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. “I trained very hard during the lockdown and just came back with a different approach. It was more of a mental shift, because I felt that I always had the shots and the ability to bat.”One of the shots is the reverse-sweep, which she cheekily pulled out twice in the 48th over to put South Africa in touching distance of victory in Lucknow. “It’s a shot I’ve always backed myself to play. I’ve played it back home all the time. Once they took the slip out, that was always going to be my option. My conventional sweep wasn’t working so I had to go to that option and it came off. I was calm and I was set, which helped to execute such shots. And now that I am back I don’t ever want to go back to provincial structures for the whole season. I want to be playing for the Proteas with a view to the World Cup next year.”Related

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South Africa have identified the postponed tournament as theirs to challenge for. They automatically qualified for the event by beating New Zealand in New Zealand and Goodall believes their victory in India is an illustration of how seriously they should be taken, especially if they increase the margin of their series triumph in Wednesday’s final match. “The last time we came to India we got clobbered, so we came here with a point to prove. We are a lot more sure in our games. We back ourselves a lot more than we did a few years ago. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy with conditions. It was nice to come and make a statement and nice to show we have that belief,” she said. “And 4-1 is a lot better than 3-1, so if we win 4-1 in India it is a statement to the rest of the world that we are gunning for that World Cup.”There’s still a year to go and much more cricket to be played before that and South Africa may use the time to tinker with their combinations. The middle-order was a concern before this serious, and criticised for relying too heavily on the opening pair, which Goodall recognised. “We have a world-class opening partnership in Lizelle [Lee] and Laura [Wolvaardt] and we haven’t always backed them up in the past. We could always rely on our opening partnership but as a middle order, we had to look at ourselves,” she said. “We owed it to Lizelle and Laura. Today was for them. They’ve always given us the best starts.”Although Lee and Wolvaardt were responsible for setting up South Africa’s chase in this match, neither of them was there at the end. Instead, it was Mignon du Preez, who hadn’t scored a half-century in more than two years before today, Marizanne Kapp and Goodall who finished the chase, proving that there are others who can handle responsibility in the South African line-up. “We didn’t lose wickets in clusters, which has been our problem in the past,” Goodall said. “And to come here and win without Dane [van Niekerk] and Chloe [Tryon], who are big players for us, shows the immense depth and talent we have.”van Niekerk and Tryon are not on the tour as they both recover form lower-back injuries, but South Africa also won the last two matches without stand-in captain Sune Luus, who is ill, and regular wicketkeeper Trisha Chetty, who is carrying a niggle.