The Chinnaswamy seems to be tailor-made for the visitors’ batting line-up, and they carry the confidence of an opening win while RCB look to bounce back from defeat vs CSK

Hemant Brar24-Mar-20241:44

Jaffer: T20 World Cup selection won’t play on Kohli’s mind

Match detailsRoyal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Bengaluru, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)Big PictureAfter a defeat at Chepauk against Chennai Super Kings, RCB are set to begin a three-match stretch at home. Over the years, their attempts to make the M Chinnaswamy Stadium a fortress have not borne fruit, and it is not going to be any easier on Monday when they face Punjab Kings.The Chinnaswamy is known for its flat pitches and high-scoring games, and Kings’ batting line-up – packed with power-hitters – seems to be tailor-made for it. They will also carry the confidence of having won their opening match against Delhi Capitals, where most of their batters looked in good nick.Against CSK, RCB’s batting had come undone against Mustafizur Rahman’s offcutters. Kings, too, have a left-arm seamer in Arshdeep Singh who has an offcutter and a recently developed legcutter. While Kings will be hoping he plays a similar role for them, the ball is unlikely to grip at the Chinnaswamy, especially during a night game.The silver lining for RCB in their defeat to CSK was Anuj Rawat’s performance. After they were reduced to 78 for 5, Rawat smashed 48 off 25 to revive the innings. If he can make regular contributions, it will help RCB solve their death-overs troubles; they were the second-slowest batting side in that phase last season.Team newsRCB could consider bringing in Reece Topley for Alzarri Joseph, while Kings are expected to continue with the winning combination.Impact Player strategyRoyal Challengers Bengaluru
If RCB bat first, Dinesh Karthik starts, with Yash Dayal coming in as Impact Player in the second innings. If they bowl first, Yash Dayal features in the playing XI, with Karthik replacing him during the chase.Probable XII: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (capt), 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Cameron Green, 6 Anuj Rawat (wk), 7 , 8 Reece Topley/Alzarri Joseph, 9 Karn Sharma, 10 Mayank Dagar, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 Punjab Kings
If they bat first, Prabhsimran Singh slots in the XI. Arshdeep Singh will replace him in the second innings. Vice versa, if they bowl first.Probable XII: 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 , 4 Sam Curran, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Shashank Singh, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Rahul Chahar, 12 Stats that matter Kagiso Rabada has a great record against the RCB batters. Against Faf du Plessis: 16 runs in 13 balls, two dismissals. Against Virat Kohli: 27 runs in 24 balls, three dismissals. Against Glenn Maxwell: 23 runs in 20 balls, two dismissals. Against Karthik: 14 runs in 19 balls, three dismissals. Harpreet Brar has been Kings’ go-to bowler in the middle overs (7 to 16). Among those who bowled at least ten overs in that phase last season, Brar’s economy of 6.18 was the best. He has a favourable match-up against Maxwell, dismissing him three times in 14 balls. But du Plessis has taken him for 79 runs off 46 balls without getting dismissed. Jonny Bairstow has a strike rate of over 200 against each of Mohammed Siraj, Karn Sharma and Maxwell. He has a combined 101 runs in 42 balls against them without getting out even once. Kohli has enjoyed batting against Arshdeep and Harshal Patel. Against Arshdeep, he has 44 runs off 23 balls without being dismissed, and against Harshal, 43 in 27 balls for one dismissal. Rahul Chahar, though, has been able to keep him quiet, giving away only 32 runs in 37 balls while getting him out once. Karthik has hit Sam Curran for 59 runs in 23 balls without being dismissed.Pitch and conditionsSince the start of 2018, teams have scored at 9.42 per over at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the highest scoring rate at any venue that has hosted at least five IPL games. Don’t expect anything different on Monday.The temperature will be around 28C, with no dew expected.Quotes”The communication to me has been very clear. I am supposed to be batting down the order but if we lose early wickets, I have to bat in the middle order. Keeping wicket last season in the last couple of games gave me a lot of confidence, and I am looking forward to continuing as a wicketkeeper-batsman this season as well.”

Marnus Labuschagne will get his first taste of captaincy at domestic level when he leads Queensland in their final Marsh Cup game of the season against South Australia.Labuschagne, 29, has never captained at professional level before and will get the chance to lead Queensland at Karen Rolton Oval with state captain Usman Khawaja and vice-captain Jimmy Peirson both resting from the clash.Khawaja is resting ahead of the New Zealand Test tour despite having not played since the Brisbane Test against West Indies which finished on January 28 and he is unlikely to play until Australia’s first Test of the series against New Zealand starting on February 29 in Wellington.Peirson has a knee complaint and is being managed ahead of the Sheffield Shield clash starting in Adelaide on Friday with 25-year-old wicketkeeper Dylan McLachlan to make his List A debut after strong performances at club and 2nd XI level.Labuschagne was one of only two players under 30 in Australia’s last Test XI and was one of only three in Australia’s ODI World Cup winning team, with Travis Head subsequently turning 30 in December. Australia haven’t developed a wide group of prospective leaders under 30 although Head has been elevated to the co vice-captaincy of the Test team this summer.Labuschagne was set to captain Australia A against New Zealand A in the three-match 50-over series back in September last year but was called up to the ODI tour of South Africa with Victoria Shield captain Will Sutherland taking the reins.Alex Carey is set to feature for South Australia having not played since the Brisbane Test. Jake Fraser-McGurk, who was called into Australia’s T20I squad, may now be available having not been selected in Perth. Queensland fast bowler Xavier Bartlett is unavailable due to being involved with the Australia side.South Australia batter Henry Hunt is also set to miss the remainder of the season after breaking his nose and fracturing his jaw in a fielding mishap during their loss to Victoria at the Junction Oval last week. Hunt was struck in the face while attempting to take a catch and is due to undergo surgery on Thursday.Queensland and South Australia can’t make the Marsh Cup final as they occupy the bottom two spots on the table with one game remaining. Victoria and New South Wales face each other in a top-of-the-table clash at North Sydney Oval on Wednesday with the winner likely to host the final. But defending champions Western Australia, who are aiming for a hat-trick of titles, have a chance of clinching second spot when they face Tasmania in Hobart, who also retain a mathematical hope of making the final depending on results.Australia allrounder Cameron Green will not play for WA but is likely to feature in the Shield clash starting on Friday in Hobart. WA could name several debutants with offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli, young quick Bryce Jackson and experienced Midland-Guildford batter Keaton Critchell all named in a squad of 13. Critchell is not contracted but made twin centuries for WA’s 2nd XI against Tasmania’s 2nd XI in a four-day game last week.

Earlier, a handy knock from Pat Cummins kick-started Australia’s comeback

Tristan Lavalette23-Feb-2024Josh Hazlewood bowled superbly with the new ball before legspinner Adam Zampa returned to form as Australia tore through a shorthanded New Zealand batting order to wrap up the T20I series in Auckland.While their thrilling victory in the first game was highlighted by a magnificent chase, Australia’s disciplined bowling attack shone here with Hazlewood’s terrific opening spell setting the tone. Zampa then took over with four wickets as Australia clinched the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy with a thumping victory, with a match to spare.It was a stellar comeback for Australia, who were staring down the barrel at 138 for 7 after being sent in at Eden Park.New Zealand’s woes were compounded when wicketkeeper-batter Devon Conway injured his left thumb early in the match and was not able to bat. An X-ray did clear him of a fracture, but he will be further reviewed.The series finale will be played at the same venue on Sunday.Hazlewood stars early, Zampa bounces backAustralia were seemingly defending a sub-par total, but Hazlewood was on the money with trademark accurate line-and-length bowling. After being carted by Finn Allen for a six on his third delivery, Hazlewood exacted revenge when Allen unluckily played on.Hazlewood relished the surface’s bounce and zeroed in on a nervy New Zealand top order with his initial three-over burst capped by a maiden. Astonishingly he bowled 15 dots in his first 18 deliveries. It was an important hit-out for Hazlewood, who won’t be playing in the IPL due to the birth of his first child.Josh Hazlewood bowled 17 dot balls in his four overs•Getty ImagesWith Mitchell Starc rested, quick Nathan Ellis had his opportunity as he eyes a spot in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad. He bowled his usual array of offcutters mixed with piercing yorkers to finish with 2 for 16 from three overs.Zampa slammed the door shut on New Zealand with the wickets of Josh Clarkson and Adam Milne on successive deliveries. It was a relief for Zampa, who had been pummelled for 107 runs across his last two T20Is.Australia’s strong performance in the field was highlighted by returning wicketkeeper Matthew Wade sprinting towards fine leg and completing a fine diving catch to remove opener Will Young.New Zealand struggle without ConwayWithout opener Conway, who returned to form with a half-century in game one, New Zealand’s batting order was out of sync as they crashed in the powerplay.Skipper Mitchell Santner promoted himself to No. 3, but it backfired and their hopes rested on Clarkson and Glenn Phillips.Clarkson could not get going in his first T20I innings before being bowled by Zampa, who ripped apart New Zealand’s middle order, including Phillips for 42.Smith fails to impress, Australia’s hard-hitting backfiresAfter being overlooked in the series opener, Steven Smith appears to not be in Australia’s first-choice XI for the T20 World Cup. But with their campaign to be played on slower and turning surfaces in the Caribbean, Smith will almost certainly make the squad.Pat Cummins pulls behind square during his 28 off 22 balls•AFP/Getty ImagesWith Australia trialling their line-up, Smith was given an opportunity at the top of the order while David Warner was rested.After not scoring off his first two deliveries against Milne bowling over 140kph, Smith decided to go for broke. He carved a cut over backward point then scooped a six over fine leg in an audacious manner reminiscent of the stroke he unfurled in the waning moments of the thrilling Gabba Test against West Indies.Smith’s most inventive stroke was a scoop to wide fine leg after shuffling well outside off stump. But he fell in the next over to a wicked inswinger from Lockie Ferguson on review to end his brief 11 off 7 balls.Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh then tried to smash almost every delivery to the boundary in a rapid half-century partnership. Australia were eyeing a huge total after clubbing 74 in the powerplay, but Head’s dismissal for 45 off 22 balls triggered a collapse of 6 for 53 amid a slew of miss-hits.Tim David, Australia’s hero at the death in the first game, came out at the halfway point and he was clearly not as comfortable coming to the crease earlier than expected.David made just 17 off 19 balls, but a handy late knock from Pat Cummins kick-started Australia’s comeback.Boult cops early punishment, Ferguson and Sears restrict AustraliaExperienced seamer Trent Boult returned to international cricket for the first time since last year’s ODI World Cup. But he has been playing plenty of T20 franchise cricket and hoped to provide New Zealand with a spark after their attack copped a pounding in the first game.Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne are all smiles after bowling Australia out for 174•AFP/Getty ImagesBoult, however, had a torrid first over when he leaked 20 runs, including unluckily being hit for two sixes that flew off Head’s outside edge. Things didn’t improve much for Boult, who finished with 0 for 49 off four overs.But Boult played his part with tough catches at long-on to dismiss Marsh and Glenn Maxwell. New Zealand clawed back with Ferguson backing up his impressive performance in the first game to finish with 4 for 12 – the best T20I figures for a New Zealand bowler against Australia.He bowled mostly a tight length to restrict Australia’s power-hitters with his bowling effort marked by 13 dot balls.Ferguson was well supported by fellow speedster Ben Sears, who proved an inspired selection with 2 for 29 from four overs. He mixed his pace superbly with numerous slower deliveries frustrating Australia’s batters in the middle overs.

Juventus have named Randal Kolo Muani their top striker target for the summer, with Rasmus Hojlund low on the club's priority list.

Juventus prioritising Kolo MuaniHojlund and Castro backup optionsComplete revolution in attackFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Juventus have considered Bologna's Santiago Castro alongside Manchester United's Hojlund as possible summer signings, but coach Igor Tudor has specifically requested the club go after Kolo Muani first, according to

Juventus have already signed Jonathan David on a free but they want a partner to play alongside the Canadian forward.

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Juventus are planning a major overhaul of their attacking unit. With Dusan Vlahovic attracting interest from AC Milan and Timothy Weah nearing a move to Marseille, the Bianconeri hope to reinvest the proceeds to strengthen the squad. While they have secured the permanent signing of Francisco Conceicao, progress on a deal for Jadon Sancho has been limited.

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Juventus are also seeking re-inforcements in midfield with links to Sporting CP's Morten Hjumland and Tottenham's Yves Bissouma. Juventus have also expressed interest in Fenerbahce's Sofyan Amrabat.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR KOLO MUANI AND JUVENTUS ?

Juventus will hope that they can strike a deal with Paris Saint-Germain for Kolo Muani, with the striker not seem to be part of Luis Enrique's plans. He will hope that he can continue in Turin after enjoying a good loan spell at the club in which he scored 10 goals and provided three assists.

LSG captain KL Rahul says the move was more of a precaution, coach Justin Langer says the tearaway quick will have a scan nevertheless

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2024

Lucknow Super Giants express pace bowler Mayank Yadav has had another injury scare at IPL 2024, having walked off against Mumbai Indians after the first ball of his fourth over. His captain KL Rahul said that was more of a precaution after he complained of pain in the same area he’s had issues with, which had kept him out of five games before this one. He will have scans on Wednesday to rule out further issues.”I have not really spoken to him,” Rahul said at the post-match presentation. “He was out in the last game because of a slight pain in his side, not a side strain, but slight pain there. After the first ball [of his fourth over], he said the same thing, ‘ [it’s hurting a bit]’. So I said might as well go out and not risk the next five balls. He is still young and precious to us, so we need to look after him.”Mayank, 21, had earlier played three matches at this IPL before being sidelined because of abdominal soreness.Related

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“Looks like he is sore in the same spot,” LSG head coach Justin Langer said. “His rehab has been perfect, he bowled pain-free in the last week and looked in great condition. But we’ll have a scan and find out tomorrow.”In his first two IPL matches, against Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mayank had bagged the Player-of-the-Match awards with three-fors in both games when he went past 150kph regularly and surprised with his speed on the big stage, especially without much experience in domestic cricket; Mayank had played just one first-class match, 17 List A matches and 10 T20s before making his IPL debut.At the toss on Tuesday, Rahul had said he had been keen to get Mayank back in the playing XI as quickly as possible. “He has bowled really well in the couple of games that he has played and has a huge impact for us. As a captain, I am always tempted to bring him in the team as quickly as possible,” Rahul had said. “So I have been pushing the physios and the medical team to get him ready as quickly as possible. Even if he is about 95 [% fit], I keep pushing them to give him the confidence to play the game. But obviously, they know better than I do. I will make emotional decisions, and so will Mayank.”Against MI, Mayank had bowled his first three overs – while cranking up the pace – for 31 runs before he was given the 19th over. His first ball went through Mohammad Nabi to crash into the stumps but the fast bowler then went off the field, for his over to be completed by Naveen-ul-Haq. Mayank did not look in visible discomfort when he went off and was later subbed out as the Impact Player at the innings break for Arshin Kulkarni.Mayank had started his day in dramatic fashion when he came on after the powerplay and his first delivery, at 144.1kph, struck Nehal Wadhera in the helmet. He also went past the 150kph mark later in the over but largely bowled his on-pace deliveries in the 140-147kph range and pitched most of his deliveries in the short or short-of-good-length area.

England captain ignores criticism of approach, while his return to bowling draws nearer

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2024Ben Stokes, England’s captain, has promised that his team will park the disappointment of their crushing 434-run loss in the third Test in Rajkot, and move onto Ranchi later this week fully focussed on bouncing back to claim a 3-2 series victory.After challenging India hard over the first two days of the contest, England’s resolve collapsed on days three and four, with their final 18 wickets tumbling for 217 runs, either side of a free-wheeling second innings from India that was lit up by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s unbeaten 214.The upshot was India’s largest victory by runs in Test history, and caused England’s ultra-positive approach to come under intense scrutiny – most particularly in the wake of Joe Root’s fateful reverse-scoop against Jasprit Bumrah on the third morning which triggered England’s slide from a threatening overnight scoreline of 207 for 2.Stokes, however, insisted his side would not be swayed by outside opinion, and that they would instead double down on the dressing-room mentality that has carried the team to 14 wins in 21 matches since the start of the 2022 home summer, including a remarkable 28-run victory in the first Test in Hyderabad.”Everyone’s got a perception and opinion about things,” Stokes said during the post-match presentations. “But again, the people in the dressing-room’s are the opinions that really matter to us.”We know that things don’t always work out exactly how you want it to, but at 2-1 down in the series, still got two games left, so we’ve got a great chance to come home with the trophy at 3-2.”We’ll make sure that we’re moving on and focusing on what we’ve got coming up ahead, because games can be won and lost in the head. We’ll be leaving all the emotion and disappointment from this week, and moving on to the next one.”Root’s first-innings dismissal was described in one English newspaper as “the worst shot in Test history”, but the criticism of England’s batting also encompassed Stokes’ departure for 41, caught in the deep while trying to hit Ravindra Jadeja for six.1:17

Duckett defends Root’s reverse scoop dismissal

His departure at 299 for 6 triggered a final collapse of 5 for 20, and an India first-innings lead of 126. However, Stokes remained adamant that the speed of England’s innings had been an important consideration, seeing as they were also due to bat last on an increasingly spin-friendly pitch, and that his proven approach to power-hitting was the best means to achieve their aims.”If you look at the situation we found ourselves in going into day three, to give ourselves a chance of winning we had to try and press the button after the lunch break,” he said. “They got some quick wickets, so we had to absorb the pressure that India threw at us there. But me personally, I sensed that as an opportunity after lunch to go out and have ‘one of my days out’, we’ll call it.”I’ve got an unbelievable belief in myself that I can do that,” he added. “Just like I have an unbelievable belief in every individual in there that, on their day, they can turn the game in our favour. We wanted to be bowling at the back end of day three, that came a lot earlier than we wanted to, but that’s how some things go. Nothing goes your way all the time.”Stokes also praised Ben Duckett’s “unbelievable” first-innings knock of 153 from 151 balls, adding that “that was the tone that we wanted to set for our whole innings”. By the end, however, he conceded that Jaiswal’s response, a second double-century of the series featuring a world-record-equalling 12 sixes, had been “phenomenal” to behold.”Every game has been filled with multiple, unbelievable things to be able to witness as a supporter,” Stokes said. “Jaiswal’s double-hundred was, honestly, it was just phenomenal to watch it, even though we’re on the wrong side of it. Obviously we’re very disappointed to be on the wrong side of the result, but one thing we’re very good at as a team, and also myself, has been able to leave everything that’s gone behind us.”With a short turnaround to the fourth Test, Stokes acknowledged that changes to England’s seam attack could be on the cards, with James Anderson and Mark Wood putting in big shifts in tough conditions in Rajkot. One potential boost for England, however, could come from the captain himself, who has been rehabilitating from recent knee surgery, and believes he’s not far away from a return to match bowling for the first time since the Lord’s Test in June last year.”I’m not going to lie,” Stokes told TNT. “I feel really good. I’ve managed to get my first ball out 100% on day one or day two here. Me as a person, I like to maybe jump the gun a little bit too much. But yeah, things are feeling really good. But I’ve got a whole body to get used to bowling again. So I’m not saying no, but not saying yes either.”

Islamabad United 163 for 8 (Guptill 50) beat Multan Sultans 159 for 9 (Usman 57, Imad 5-23) by two wicketsMultan Sultans might possess the formula for getting to PSL finals, but it’s Islamabad United who know how to win them. Déjà vu struck for the Sultans, who saw yet another PSL final snatched away from them off the final delivery in a low-scoring thriller of a final. Imad Wasim was United’s hero, having turned back the years to deliver a sensational all-round performance, taking five wickets before ensuring he was out in the middle to watch Hunain Shah angle the final delivery behind point to seal United’s third title.If the drama of last year’s epic final – which Sultans lost by a run – could not be eclipsed, it was certainly emulated in Karachi today. United appeared to have won that final at several stages through both innings, never more than when they reduced the Sultans to 127 for 9. But Iftikhar Ahmed’s cameo – an unbeaten 32 off 20 balls, got the Sultans to 159, a total that a stellar bowling attack felt they just about had the personnel to defend.And what a defence they mounted. United opened the batting with two 37-year old New Zealanders, having dropped the out-of-form Alex Hales, even if Colin Munro was clearly still struggling with the leg injury that kept him out of the previous three games. While Martin Guptill made the most of the Powerplay, clean timing and pure power on full display, Sultans chipped away from the other end, bogging United down with a slew of spinners on a surface that had begun to grip.Martin Guptill goes on the attack during his half-century•PCB

Khushdil Shah’s twin strikes removed Munro and Salman Ali Agha, before, at some point impossible to define, what should have been a cakewalk became a grind. Shadab Khan, supremely assured with bat all tournament, attempted a panicked slog after an unconvincing start off Iftikhar, and paid for it with his wicket. Azam Khan struggled to get going, and even Guptill was being dragged back to earth as nerves began to shackle the most fluid team in the PSL.But there’s only one way United know how to get out of trouble, and Azam and Guptill began to free their arms once more. Guptill scythed down Usama Mir, the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, with two sixes and a four, before Azam plundered 15 off a wayward Chris Jordan over, and the pendulum swung again.But it was never going to be straightforward, and a mix-up between the pair saw Guptill depart after a swashbuckling half-century. David Willey, perhaps this year’s stand-out fast bowler, struck to put down Haider Ali, whose power-hitting in the eliminator got United to this stage. Iftikhar, whose contribution so often this evening looked as if it would be decisive, prised out Faheem Ashraf, the man who, six years ago, had struck the six that sealed United’s last title, and suddenly, all that was left was Imad and the tail.Late on in the first innings, Imad had sneaked into the dressing-room to have a quick smoke, but there was no getting away from the stress he was under now. A decisive battle between Iftikhar and Naseem Shah, and then Jordan and Imad, in the 18th and 19th overs finally looked to have tipped the game off the tightrope it had been walking until then, with 23 off those two overs bringing the equation down to eight off six. A clip through mid-on brought the game down to below a run-a-ball, and a pair of singles levelled the scores.But the drama just wouldn’t end. Naseem miscued a pull shot with the ball kissing the edge, and as one Shah walked off, his younger brother Hunain was tasked with finishing the job off. And while he looked like the calmest man as he poked it through the infield to seal the win, the sobs he broke into afterwards belied the steely front the 20-year old had put on.Imad Wasim took a five-wicket haul in the final•PCB

But though United’s win was ultimately wild and frenetic, how they set it up in the first innings was its polar opposite. A gameplan that was designed craftily was executed to perfection, using Imad and Shadab in the powerplay to smother a Sultans top order that has looked imperious all the way through this season. Mohammad Rizwan would have fallen in the first over but for an overstepped Naseem right boot, while Yasir Khan was deceived in the flight by a canny Imad the following over. Sultans’ attempt at a low-value wicket saw them send in Willey, but he would last just three balls, a hoick followed by a chop that rattled into the stumps.Usman Khan has been the Sultans’ unlikely standout batting star, but United refused to let any batter truly gain momentum. Naseem accuracy was metronomic and his pace fearsome, so while he never picked up a wicket, his first three overs went for just nine. It was built around eight overs of devastating spin from Shadab and Imad, who picked up eight wickets between them, including a collapse that saw the Sultans lose 5 wickets in 12 balls and teeter on the brink at 127.But United hadn’t quite managed to account for Iftikhar, the man with the highest strike-rate this tournament, and he made sure to save his best for last. Slogging with the magical freedom that clarity of thoughts can give you, he walloped Mills for 13, and then an otherwise faultless Naseem for 18 in the final over to get his side up to 159, a below-par score, but not an indefensible one. He had held up his end of the bargain with both bat and ball, but his team-mates had built up a debt he could, despite his best efforts never truly pay off. And when United came to collect, they ensured they took the silverware with them.

We all remember the kid who sat in the front row at school, head down, giving the right answers and always happy to help teacher

Andrew McLean22-Jun-2005

We all remember the kid who sat in the front row at school, head down, giving the right answers and always happy to help teacher. The big question being asked in New Zealand ahead of their tour of Bangladesh is whether there is any difference between the teacher’s pet and Kyle Mills?There is a certain irony that Mills is now the likely spearhead – when New Zealand last met Bangladesh, in the 2003 World Cup – Mills had the unfortunate analysis of 0 for 32 off six overs after being handed the new ball. It must also be said that an average of 33 and a best haul of three wickets in 33 one-day appearances are hardly the credentials for a Test strike bowler.With no record of success to speak of, one can only speculate on the reasons for his inclusion. Do the selectors see potential that is yet to be shown? Is it just that he’s a nice guy? Or was it a great first-class season with the bat a couple of years ago? The best explanation I’ve been able to extract is that “he’s keen to do the job”.What is clear is that Mills enjoys a good working relationship with the coach John Bracewell, who continues to give his charge every opportunity. He was even handed the new ball ahead of Daryl Tuffey and Ian Butler for the recent Champions Trophy match against Australia.It is also interesting to see that only a tiny section of the New Zealand media has questioned his inclusion in the Test side. Perhaps it’s because no-one expects Mills to make the starting XI. On paper it appears that Mills is the 14th man and the fifth seamer behind Butler, Chris Martin, James Franklin and Jacob Oram. The fact that five quicks were selected instead of an extra batsman is in itself odd. Was it to ensure there is a place for Mills?Bracewell has indicated that Oram will be tried at No. 6, which would allow him the luxury of picking four other bowlers, of which two are sure to be the spinners Daniel Vettori and Paul Wiseman. Butler should be there for his pace in Shane Bond’s absence, while Franklin deserves another chance after his success in the third Test at Trent Bridge in May. At best, Mills should be 12th man but, given some of Bracewell’s recent selections, that is by no means a foregone conclusion.Even leaving Mills aside, Bracewell’s plans are proving hard to follow. In March he said that Brendon McCullum was the long-term answer at No. 6, and gave him a couple of knocks there against South Africa. Then in England, for no obvious reason, McCullum batted at No. 3 in the second innings in all three Tests after coming in down the order in the first.Now Oram is in line for a promotion. While his batting is much improved following his maiden hundred against South Africa last summer, it is hard to believe he is No. 6 material for the November series against Australia.Michael Papps’s late withdrawal from the side is also ironically timely. With the likely opener dislocating his shoulder, Mathew Sinclair has received a late recall, although he should have been there from the start after a prolific tour of South Africa for New Zealand A that included a hundred and a double-century in the unofficial Test series.Although he made an excellent 74 when he filled in for the injured Craig McMillan against South Africa in March, Sinclair was surprisingly left out of the tour of England that followed. Although he has three scores over 150 including two over 200, Sinclair’s Test appearances have been unpredictably sporadic, to the point where the former international Dipak Patel recently wondered whether it might be his personality that kept him on the sidelines.Although Hamish Marshall holds down the No. 3 spot in the one-day side, Bracewell earlier indicated he was being considered as a middle-order option for the Tests. Presumably then Sinclair will slot in at his favoured first drop, with the captain Stephen Fleming continuing as opener. However, with the number of about-turns Bracewell has done in his first year as coach, it would not be surprising to see something totally different and Sinclair carrying the drinks.Andrew McLean is the host of The Cricket Club radio show in New Zealand, and will be providing daily reports during the Bangladesh-New Zealand Test series.

The news that Zimbabwe Cricket’s interim board has decided to suspend itself from Test cricket is the first sensible move that it has made in a long time

Martin Williamson18-Jan-2006What do you think of the Zimbabwe situation? Send us your feedback

Peter Chingoka can do one more thing to help Zimbabwe cricket – get out © Getty Images
The news that Zimbabwe Cricket’s interim board has decided to suspend itself from Test cricket is the first sensible move that it has made in a long time. But having said that, it had backed itself so far into a dark and lonely corner, there were few other options left available.Make no mistake, the brains behind today’s announcement was not Peter Chingoka, the board’s increasingly isolated and discredited chairman. It was the ICC pairing of Ehsan Mani and Malcolm Speed.Mani and Speed held private talks with Chingoka in Karachi last week. Although a bland media release did not indicate that anything particularly exciting had resulted, it appears that Chingoka was given a lifeline to buy his country time, much as ZC were given in 2004 at the time of the first player rebellion.The alternatives were dire for Zimbabwe and embarrassing for the ICC. Despite Chingoka’s bluster, it was unlikely that Zimbabwe could have raised a side to tour the Caribbean capable of taking a Test match beyond two days. It is quite possible that other boards added to the pressure by making it clear that playing Zimbabwe was a financial disaster in the making they would no longer entertain.By continuing to play one-day cricket, Zimbabwe will keep themselves in the shop window – albeit, in a dusty corner of it – and allow their players the international exposure they have to have to be encouraged to continue. Most importantly, the potential damage and embarrassment that can result from an ODI is less than in a Test where there is no hiding place for mediocrity.There are sure to be conditions. The ICC will not allow the cavalier dismissal of board members and administrators on racial grounds, and there will be a close examination of the accounts which Chingoka’s opponents claim have been milked dry. Furthermore, Zimbabwe Cricket will have to be far more open and honest than has been the case in the last three years.Given luck, courage, encouragement and strong leadership, then this gives Zimbabwe their last chance to survive in mainstream international cricket. But much will depend on the Mugabe government who, after all, pull all the strings in the country. Too much involvement from them could undo any other progress.With regards to the board’s leadership, do not expect Chingoka and his sidekick Ozias Bvute to survive long. The talk in African cricket circles towards the end of last year was that he was looking for a dignified exit, and as recently as last week he was indicating in private that he had had enough. It’s too late to salvage his reputation, but if this suspension is to work he must step down. He is distrusted by players and stakeholders inside the country, and his remaining presence is a serious block to real progress.The coming months will tell, but in the meantime Speed and Mani should be congratulated on using common sense. They might have done no more than buy Zimbabwe time, but if this move does fail, no-one can accuse them of not trying.

Jenny Thompson spends a day in the commentary box with the Sky team

Jenny Thompson08-Jun-2006

Nasser Hussain and Michael Holding in full flow © BSkyB Broadcasting
It’s 10.28am. I’m in the deceptively small Sky commentary box at Trent Bridge. Fewer than 30 cubic metres are stuffed with seven Test legends, three production crew – and me. I am one privileged sardine.Questions come thick and fast. “Vandort’s the tall one, isn’t he?” “What does Kapugedara do?” “How do you pronounce Jayawardene?” They all help each other out, with Barney Francis, the cucumber-cool producer, verifying matters calmly. And you do need to be calm around here.Notes are shuffled, throats cleared and last-minute facts are shouted out by Rich, the stats guru who sits with the commentary team on the front row, just off camera. His information supplements the fruit-machine, a glittery screen offering all manner of facts and figures and just one of eight shiny monitors. At the back sit Francis and the graphics operator, Steve, who records where every single ball ends up throughout the day. No wonder he’s hoping for a three-day Test.It’s time to go to air. “Good luck, everyone,” says Francis. The opening music kicks in and then there’s silence; a rare hush amid a bustling hive of work. Pre-recorded packages are played out, including Nasser Hussain’s dart against the spin machine Merlyn. Gamely he came out of retirement for the feature – and now he prepares himself for the inevitable onslaught from his colleagues. “Go on, let’s have a joke, how not to play spin.”They may have 34,746 Test runs, 632 wickets and 592 Test caps between them, but nobody is beyond a bit of ribbing. Hussain is usually the target. “As a player he was so heart on his sleeve,” explains Francis. “Because he so easily gives it away, they know that and just rib him.” But the man who captained England for five years takes it well – and gives it back, too, with punch and panache.”It’s a long day and they have to concentrate,” says Francis. “Even when they’re mucking about. The way they get through it is to rib each other all the time.” You can say that again. As David Gower says, “It’s the old’uns versus the young’uns, Ian and myself versus Nasser and Mike.” Just like a Test dressing room, then – and just think what a Test line-up they’d make. “There’s a lot of cross-generational banter as well as pure dressing-room banter,” Gower continues. “It helps pass the time of day, really.”Do you play tricks on each other? “No, that’s more Jonathan Agnew’s line,” says Gower. So, instead you just settle for stitching each other up when live? “Yes, that will do,” he laughs. Hussain goes on to demonstrate, with an on-air dig at Lloyd. “What’s going on with your tie today, David?” Lloyd fingers the lurid Donald Duck number and asks: “What’s wrong with my tie?!” He grins.It’s hard not to be happy around here. With such good banter it’s easy to forget you’re there to do a job, as Francis explains. “It’s a very fun place to work. It’s very easy to get caught up in that.” Yet he doesn’t, and neither does anyone else – it’s a slick operation. The second it’s time to go live, each person clicks into gear, a seamless shift, as if getting ready to face a delivery. There are similarities to playing, says Gower. “It’s a performance of sorts. You have days when things click into place and happen.”But nothing will quite match up to the buzz, or the gut-wrench, of being out in the middle. “Playing is more emotional. There’s not really an equivalent of getting a hundred or of getting a duck. If I get my first word wrong at 10.30 you don’t have to wait till the next morning to come back.”

David Lloyd … in one of his more demure ties © BSkyB Broadcasting
It’s a great life, is this – and I have the proof: if you can tell a tree’s age by its rings, you can tell who’s been commentating for Sky the longest by how deep their tan is, and I put this to a very brown Botham. In a Benaud-esque touch, he can’t remember the last winter he saw. He pauses to think and at last says: “It was playing football” – which means that he’s since missed out on more than two decades of British winters. Way to go.The newest boy Atherton is commensurately the palest, but there’s a reason for that, Botham suggests: “Atherton’s anaemic!” Ah yes, it’s a constant, brilliant banter-fest all right, and there are all the nicknames under the sun. Some are self-explanatory or familiar – Bumble, Nass (or Nasty), Ath and the Cake (Beef-Cake, geddit). Then there’s Lubo, for Gower. Why? “I went to a restaurant in Adelaide 237 years ago,” he begins, then tails off. “It’s a long story!” Mikey Holding is too cool for a nickname – Whispering Death is a bit of a mouthful here, Death would be plain wrong.But of course the commentators are just one part of the story, the royal icing on a very rich cake. A constant reminder of this is the information which burbles through a mic from the director Mark Lynch who is in a far-off truck, busily controlling his troops in mystical terminology: “Standby 8. Roll B. Wipe B.”Francis and his gang are in constant communication with Lynch and the other crew dotted around the ground, from trucks to cameramen to floor managers. As Lloyd says, “Everybody’s very conscious that we want to make it work. It’s fascinating – there are teams everywhere. You just want it to work.” And work it does, all right.