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India captain MS Dhoni has said the decision to send Virat Kohli in in place of Shikhar Dhawan on the fourth morning was a late one, which resulted in “unrest” in the dressing room

Sidharth Monga at the Gabba20-Dec-20145:23

Match Point – ‘If the nets are no good, don’t bat in them’

The fourth day’s play at the Gabba began with India 26 behind and with nine wickets in hand, and with talk how these Indian batsmen were different: they would not get into a grim battle for a draw and roll over and die; they were going to go for the runs and set some sort of target for Australia.But even before they could get to attempting that, India were in turmoil. Two of their main batsmen injured themselves because of what they believed to be poor net pitches, and they did not even realise until five minutes before start of play that overnight batsman Shikhar Dhawan was not fit to bat immediately.So unimpressed were India with the practice facilities that they issued an official statement stating how the groundstaff had not paid heed to their requests for fresher pitches. Suddenly, all the simmering tension boiled over.ESPNcricinfo understands India are not happy that there is no gym at the Gabba. The only facility present at the stadium belongs to the Brisbane Lions, the AFL team that shares the stadium with cricket. When the Indians wanted to use the gym, the Lions were training at the facility, and turned down their request. More discontent surfaced with two of the players having to step out of the stadium to find vegetarian food on the third day of the Test.However, MS Dhoni conceded that India could have handled the early-morning crisis. The team knew that Dhawan had been hit on the hand, but realised he was not fit to bat only five minutes before 10am. “We went to practise, and the wicket wasn’t good for it,” Dhoni said. “A few of the batsmen batted, and Shikhar got hit and left. After that I had padded up and went in. He was a bit uncomfortable, but he didn’t react as to he won’t go out to bat. He came back to the dressing room, and Duncan [Fletcher] and I were there, and the by the time I finished my batting I too found the wicket to be a bit uneven.”We also came back early, but by the time we came back it was quite close to the start of play. And there we saw Shikhar wasn’t really 100% fit to go in to bat. It was quite late, and we could only give maybe five-10 minutes’ notice to Virat that he would go in to bat. That’s one area, which we could have handled a bit better, but it’s something that we will have to take it in our stride. We thought he [Dhawan] took a blow, but he was good enough to bat but he was not. As you saw he went into bat late.”That kind of a scenario, there is a bit of unrest in the dressing room. The calmness of the dressing room goes for a toss. It was a bit late to verbally resolve the problem. What was really needed was some kind of a partnership, 20-25 minutes batting and things would have been normal. But that didn’t happen. That was the area we lacked, and we couldn’t really capitalise on.”In hindsight, you could probably see Kohli did not really look settled. He, too, had taken a blow on the left forearm. He played 10 balls before playing Mitchell Johnson on. India went from 1 for 71 to 5 for 87, a collapse they never really recovered from, despite a brave half-century from Dhawan and spirited bowling in defence of just 127. Dhawan decided to bat on without going for scans, “playing through pain” at No. 8, and crossed 50 for the first time in six Tests, adding 55 to his overnight 26.Although Dhoni made more diplomatic comments at the post-match press conference, the statement released by India in the first session was strong. It said: “The Indian team has been asking for the fresh net practice wickets several times for last two days, which have not been provided. Instead of that, they [curators] have asked [us] to practice on worn-out wickets, which have uneven bounce. Because of that, two of our batsmen got injured today morning. One of the two batsmen, Shikar Dhawan, had a right wrist injury. Because of that he was unable to bat in the morning. He is being examined by our physio, and will assess his fitness in some time.”Dhoni was more sedate in his comments after the match. Asked about the overall facilities at the Gabba, Dhoni said, “It can improve. I don’t really want to create a controversy, but it can certainly improve.”ESPNcricinfo understands that such a request was indeed made to the groundsmen at the Gabba, but the Indian team was told those new pitches were being saved for future matches. The fresh practice pitches are being prepared on a specific time-frame, which means they will not be ready for use until a Brisbane Heat training session on December 23. India have not lodged an official complaint with Cricket Australia on the matter, though.The Gabba groundstaff was bemused and surprised at not just the complaint, but also that the request was made in the first place. Curator Kevin Mitchell jr prepares the practice wickets for a full week of training, with the intention that they wear in a similar style to the pitch used for the match. Ryan Harris, who missed selection due to injury for this Test, batted on the same practice surface on the fourth morning, facing fast bowler Ben Cutting, and reported no problems with the conditions. Harris even joked that he had no bruises because he used his bat.”The practice wickets are fine,” Mitchell said. “They wear just like a match pitch does and reflect what is happening in the middle. We have never had a complaint from another touring team.”Australia captain Steven Smith was on the side of the ground where Australia have not lost since 1988. “None of our players had any problems with those wickets, to be honest,” Smith said. “I think they’re very good practice wickets. They emulate pretty much what you get out in the middle. That’s what you want at your playing ground and I don’t think any of our players had any problems with them whatsoever.”

Defending 11 in the Super Over, Warriors’ spinner Sunil Narine delivered a wicket maiden to secure his team’s second win of the 2014 CPL

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2014
Guyana Amazon Warriors won the Super Over
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe spelling in this poster supporting Sunil Narine was not spot on, but the prediction was•LatinContent/Getty ImagesA low-scoring contest in Guyana boiled down to one of the most remarkable finishes in Twenty20 cricket. Red Steel made two grievous errors in the field in the final over of the chase, allowing Guyana Amazon Warriors’ last wicket to tie the game, after which Sunil Narine took the spotlight. Defending 11 in the Super Over, the Warriors’ spinner delivered a wicket maiden to secure his team’s second win of the 2014 CPL.Narine was up against Red Steel’s wicketkeeper Nicolas Pooran, who had hit the spinner for 11 runs off four balls during the chase. In the Super Over, however, Pooran could not get bat on ball for the first four deliveries, before holing out at long-off. Warriors had already all but won the game, and Narine beat New Zealand’s Ross Taylor with the final ball to complete his maiden over.Red Steel should have never let the match enter the Super Over phase. Like Narine later, Dwayne Bravo also had 11 to defend, and Warriors had only two wickets in hand. He conceded two off the first ball, none off the second, and Krishmar Santokie was run out attempting a second run off the third. That left Bravo with eight to defend off the last three balls, and he could do little about the shambles that followed.Ronsford Beaton cut the fourth ball to point, where Fidel Edwards misfielded to allow a boundary. He slogged at the fifth and scampered a double after the ball fell in no-man’s land. The last ball did not fall in no-man’s land. Needing three to win, Beaton skied a catch to the keeper and not only did Pooran drop it, he was also unable to prevent the second run that tied the game. Unfortunately for him, Narine was about to make his evening much worse.Until that manic finish, the match had been a sedate affair, with the bowlers dominating after Warriors chose to field. Evin Lewis and Pooran were the only Red Steel batsmen to pass 20, and Pooran’s 37 off 17 balls helped his team reach 118 for 8 in 20 overs. Narine and Beaton took two wickets each, and Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez claimed 1 for 11 in his four-over spell.Chasing 119, Lendl Simmons was firm at one end but Warriors lost many wickets at the other to slip to 43 for 5, with Samuel Badree taking three wickets. When Simmons fell with the score on 56 for 6, Red Steel were firmly on top. Christopher Barnwell, however, found a steady partner in Narine, whose first act in thwarting Red Steel was contributing 16 to a partnership of 44. When they fell in quick succession, though, the game seemed up, until those errors in the field allowed Warriors to tie the match and then play their ace.

As on the first morning, Essex’s bowlers tore through Worcestershire, finishing the job they had started two days ago

Alan Gardner at Chelmsford25-Sep-2014
ScorecardGraham Napier blew away Worcestershire’s middle order but it won only pride and not promotion•Getty ImagesAs on the first morning, Essex’s bowlers tore through Worcestershire, finishing the job they had started two days ago. Victory had practically been assured after ten wickets fell in the first session of the game – practically assured from the moment the toss was conducted, according to Steve Rhodes – but there was little of the accompanying drama as both sides trudged off the final time this season with a metaphorical pebble in the shoe.For Essex, Hampshire’s imperious dismantling of Glamorgan, which would be confirmed within the following hour, meant that they missed out on promotion once again. It was small consolation for Paul Grayson that his side, who won six of their last seven games, collected the highest number of points (229) by a team finishing third in Division Two.No team has accumulated that many before and not gone up and only once would they have finished outside the top two – in 2003, the days of three up, three down, when Worcestershire and Northamptonshire had 245.75 and 237 respectively but Gloucestershire were still promoted with 190 points in third.Worcestershire, meanwhile, were also left feeling bilked by Hampshire. The two were tied at the top for most of the season but, with four games left, Worcestershire had a 45-point advantage on Hampshire. That lead was steadily eroded and, needing what turned out to be five points from their visit to Chelmsford to pick up the Division Two title, they fell painfully short. The cost is to pockets as well as pride: club and players will share around £50,000 in prize money, half of what the champions receive.Grayson has watched his side miss out altogether for a fifth season running, after they last won promotion in 2009, but took great encouragement from the second half of Essex’s Championship campaign. In all formats, Essex won 22 matches in 2014, behind only Warwickshire, T20 champions and runners-up in 50-over and Championship cricket, who were victorious 24 times.”I’m really pleased with the cricket we’ve played this year, especially in the second half of the Championship,” Grayson said. “Our form in four-day cricket over the last six weeks has been outstanding. I feel for the players, because there’s four or five lads who really deserve to play in Division One.”Essex used 25 players in the Championship this year and the first half of their campaign was undermined by a “horrific” injury list which at one point saw David Masters, Graham Napier, Reece Topley and Tymal Mills all injured at the same time. Essex’s only two defeats came against Hampshire and Worcestershire but they fell off the pace in failing to win for eight games after their opening fixture. “When we put our best 11-12 on the park, we would give any team in the country a good game,” Grayson said.”We were struggling for players, we played a few triallists, played a few academy players, a few club players, couple of lads out of minor counties – but when you miss the quality of that attack, it’s very difficult to get 20 wickets and win games. One more win early season, I think would have given us a great chance of getting promotion. But credit to Hampshire and Worcestershire, and good luck to them, they’ve played some very consistent cricket all year.”I’m disappointed with the fact we didn’t win a one-day trophy this year because we felt we were strong in both formats. We won 10 matches in our T20 campaign, had a quarter-final here against Warwickshire – but they played better than us. Then we played them in the quarter-final of the 50 overs and they played better than us again. That was the tough one to take, because we felt we would win a one-day trophy this year.”Rhodes can look forward to Division One cricket again after Worcestershire’s fifth promotion since the Championship was split. However, he felt Essex had taken a “big gamble” with the pitch, which was green in the middle and bare at both ends, and said his side’s chances of securing the title had effectively disappeared with the flip of a coin.”We came knowing we needed six points,” he said. “So when we turned up, we were absolutely desperate to win the toss because the wicket it was obvious was going to be darting around all over the place. When we lost that toss, it was a major, major blow to us trying to get any batting points. That first morning, to try and get to 200 and a first batting point, that was a hell of a task.”We were 33-1 outsiders to win promotion at the start of the season, so for us to do that has been excellent. We’ve got a very, very young side and they’ll be better for the experience.”With the script written in this match, Napier burst into the spotlight as Essex came close to wrapping things up inside the first session. Masters nipped one through Tom Fell’s defences to break an 82-run partnership with Moeen Ali, before Napier struck twice in his first over. He bettered that with three more in five balls, denying Moeen a century when he top-edged a pull to midwicket on 98. Napier had taken 5 for 11 in 25 deliveries at that stage but Jack Shantry and Brett D’Oliveira ensured lunch would be taken one last time at the ECG with an enterprising stand.

Stuart Broad may have to call time on his England Twenty20 career to give him a better chance of staying fit for Test and one-day international cricket

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge26-May-2014
ScorecardStuart Broad required injections in his knee to get him through the World T20•ICCStuart Broad may have to call time on his England Twenty20 career – and with it the “kudos” that goes with being captain – to give him a better chance of staying fit for Test and one-day international cricket.The 27-year-old fast bowler is playing competitive cricket for the first time since the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh as Nottinghamshire take on Durham at Trent Bridge and bowled six overs in no obvious discomfort after suffering tendonitis in his right knee.But Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket and now one of the England selectors, said that the likelihood the problem would flare up again placed a question mark over Broad’s involvement in all three formats at international level.Given his importance in England’s Test and ODI attacks, managing his workload would probably mean sacrificing his place in the Twenty20 side.”Stuart is a key man for Test cricket and one-day internationals, so in terms of managing his fitness I think we are going to have to look at Twenty20 for Stuart,” Newell said.”The last two or three years he has picked up a lot of little things and he would want to have played more cricket than he has.”There is a lot of ODI cricket coming up and how you manage the workload for players like Stuart through the summer and as you prepare for the 50-over World Cup next February is something that will have to be looked at.”Broad needed painkillers to get through the World Twenty20 and was rested for England’s current one-day series against Sri Lanka. Earlier this month, speaking at the launch of Royal London’s sponsorship of English one-day cricket, Broad expressed a desire to continue in all formats but Newell believes he would accept the need to give one up to give himself a better chance of prolonging his Test career, even if it means relinquishing the captaincy.”Of course there is kudos in being captain, but I think he will get his head around [losing] that,” Newell said. “He is proud and ambitious, but captaincy in a longer form of the game, perhaps in one-day cricket, would remain a possibility.”In the shorter term, Newell expressed concern that the poor weather forecast for the remainder of the current round of matches would not help either Broad or Ben Stokes in their plans to prove themselves match-fit ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka next month.Broad has the current match against Durham and Nottinghamshire’s next Championship fixture, against Sussex next week, to get some overs into his legs. Stokes, who is back in action in this match following his self-inflicted broken wrist, is scheduled to play also against Middlesex at Chester-le-Street. The first Test begins on 12 June.”I was quite impressed with what Stuart did,” Newell said. “He bowled a good length, the full length we talked about on this pitch and swung the ball early on to the left-handers.”But the forecast for the next two days is poor and if he comes out of this game with only six overs it will be disappointing and there will be a need for him to bowl a lot of overs at Hove.”Newell said that the same would apply to allrounder Stokes, although in his case he simply needs to demonstrate overall fitness. Although he still has some residual pain from needing a screw inserted to help his damaged scaphoid bone knit together, his bowling mechanism is not affected.”Ben has that bit of magic about him, he makes things happen,” Newell said. “He is a real competitor, he has a bit of fight, as you could see in Australia when he took it to the Aussies and stood up for himself. Once he is fully fit, as a fourth seamer he gives England what Shane Watson gives to Australia.”He is desperate to start playing again and the only danger is that he rushes back too soon. Durham play Middlesex next and we will be looking at how much cricket he can get in.”Matt Prior’s chances of regaining his place as wicketkeeper will also depend on how much cricket he can play in this and the next round of games. There was no play at all in Sussex’s match against Middlesex at the Merchant Taylors’ School Ground in Northwood on day one and the question mark over Prior’s Achilles tendon means that he will have to demonstrate not only that he can keep wicket without discomfort but to show no reaction afterwards.”After what happened in the winter, the first Test against Sri Lanka is a massive game for England and you have to go into that match with people who are 100 per cent fit,” Newell said. “You don’t want to be worrying about injuries or managing fitness.”Newell, who was interviewed for the England coach’s job, has put aside his disappointment at missing out to Peter Moores and his relishing his involvement as a selector, a role in which his willingness to share his thoughts with frankness and clarity can only be welcome.”It is a challenging time,” he said. “There are probably only four or five players who are inked in, which is interesting given the history in the last few years.”He identified the wicketkeeper’s position and the debate over replacing Graeme Swann as the spinner in the side as the biggest of the immediate challenges.”Swanny not being around is one of the biggest headaches,” he said. “Are you going to pick an out-and-out spinner, in which case you go for the best spinner, or is there a balance of team to be had? If your spin bowler is a batsman of quality, such as Moeen Ali or Samit Patel, and you have an allrounder such as a Stokes or Chris Woakes or Ravi Bopara type, then the wicketkeeper could come in as low as eight.”The ‘keeper situation is massive. If you are going to have high-quality seam bowling you want to have a good man behind the pegs. There are two camps of keeper – there is the Kieswetter, Buttler, Bairstow group and there is the Foster, Read group, more the old-school wicketkeeper. I watched Foster last week and he was terrific. There will be an interesting debate there.”What has come out of the winter is a complete rethink with five, six, seven spots up for grabs, which is a bit scary but exciting at the same time.”

Sri Lanka will head into the first Test at Lord’s generally fortified in their hopes of scalping England at home for the third series in a row and a little wiser about their starting line-up

Alan Gardner at Wantage Road08-Jun-2014
ScorecardDhammika Prasad, whose last Test appearance came at the start of 2013, took four wickets in Northampton•Getty ImagesSri Lanka will head into the first Test at Lord’s generally fortified in their hopes of scalping England at home for the third series in a row and a little wiser about their starting line-up after a gentle workout in one of the quieter corners of the county circuit. Dinesh Chandimal, promoted to open the second innings, managed only a single-figure score but Dimuth Karunaratne’s scratchy 38 did not quite cement the batting order. Four wickets for Dhammika Prasad, however, suggested at some clarity in the bowling.Karunaratne was dropped at slip on 32, slashing hard at David Willey, and then played a delivery from Matthew Spriegel on to his stumps shortly before Sri Lanka called a halt to their batting practice and the game was declared a draw. The decision to send in Chandimal ahead of Kausal Silva, whose 152 on Thursday assured his place for Lord’s, suggested at a final opportunity to stake a claim but neither he or Karunaratne managed to build an unequivocal case.Lahiru Thirimanne, Sri Lanka’s Test vice-captain, said afterwards that there were still some decisions to make on the final XI, while indicating he would bat in the middle order rather than return to opening. Neither Thirimanne, who also made a first-innings hundred, or Silva were required to pad up again in the 31 overs the tourists were afforded on the final afternoon, with only Kumar Sangakkara hinting at fluency before holing out short of a half-century.”Batters had the chance to bat through the innings and the bowlers did well, because it was not a bowling-friendly wicket,” Thirimanne said of the match, which became a three-day contest after Saturday was washed out. “Dhammika bowled really well, good areas and he bowled with some good pace. We have some experienced bowlers but we don’t have that extra pace.”That Sri Lanka’s second innings became a rather desultory affair was down to Northamptonshire’s unexpected resistance, as they passed 300 for only the second time this year. Rob Keogh made an impressive century before falling to Prasad, who was more threatening than his seam-bowling colleagues largely thanks to an effectively deployed bouncer. Shaminda Eranga, who did not feature against Northants, is already pencilled in as a member of the Test attack, with Chanaka Welegedara and Nuwan Pradeep seemingly contesting the third seamer spot.”It’s really tough [in England] because this is the early summer and we haven’t had that much practice. We’ll expect some tough conditions in the Test matches,” Thirimanne said. “We have to take 20 wickets to win matches, that’s the main thing we have to work on.”Confidence levels are really high. We haven’t had much luck in the past, we want to win a Test series here so that is the main concern. Boys are really confident.”There were a couple of encouraging firsts for Northants, two months into a season that has repeatedly given optimism a cold-water dunking. Keogh reached three figures, the first Northamptonshire batsmen to do so in first-class cricket in 2014; and Willey took his first senior wicket since September, bowling with encouraging pace and swing. He also clubbed 48, including a couple of sixes, before impetuosity got the better of him and he was stumped.Keogh’s landmark was indicative of the club’s travails in Division One, as much as his own promise. A broken finger – inflicted by another man who could be playing in the Lord’s Test, Liam Plunkett, during pre-season – had ruled him out of the early fixtures but he should have earned himself a run in the first team with this innings, notable for regular appearances of a vengeful cover drive, against an attack with 41 Test caps between them.Having navigated his way steadily from an overnight 26, Keogh was on 80 when the eighth and ninth wickets fell to Dilruwan Perera. Confident that first-class debutant Chad Barrett had the minerals to hang around, Keogh took his time before opening up with three fours through the off side against Pradeep to bring up the second hundred of his career. Barrett, initially nudging and blocking before becoming emboldened, hung around to help add 64 in little more than 12 overs.Sri Lanka had already expressed a preference for batting again ahead of the Test series, despite Northants starting the day well adrift of passing the follow-on target of 408. The hosts were not quite as accommodating as they had been in the first half of the match, however, with Keogh gluing together the lower order and 119 runs coming for the loss of just two wickets during the morning session.Dilruwan bowled an extended spell, tossing the ball up but extracting little turn, while Thirimanne rotated his seamers. Welegedara’s left-arm angle of attack appeared to test Keogh the most but he watched the ball well, picking up boundaries driving square of the wicket, to pass fifty in first-class cricket for only the third time.His stand with Spriegel was worth 86 when Dilruwan made the breakthrough – though it was more like leaning heavily on a partition wall than battering down the front door at Fort Knox. Spriegel had survived the only chance of the first hour when a nick off Prasad skipped low past Prasanna Jayawardene but he eventually fell chipping tamely to mid-on, giving Sri Lanka their first wicket in more than 30 overs.

Jack Taylor’s suspension from bowling for England and in competitive county cricket because of an illegal bowling action has been lifted by the ECB with immediate effect.

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2014Jack Taylor’ssuspension from bowling for England and in competitive county cricket because of an illegal bowling action has been lifted by the ECB with immediate effect.This follows a reassessment as permitted within the ECB regulations, carried out on 4 February 2014. This was subsequent to a period of remedial work undertaken by Taylor on his bowling action after an initial analysis in May 2013.Taylor, an offbreak bowler, had become Gloucestershire’s first-choice spinner before his season was abruptly interrupted by an investigation into the legality of his action.The Banbury-born bowler undertook much rehabilitation work in Gloucestershire as well as visiting the ECB’s national performance centre at Loughborough to seek advice from experts in bio-mechanical sports science.Gloucestershire’s director of cricket, John Bracewell, himself a former international offspinner, said: “This is great news and a lot of credit must go to Jack himself for the dedication and determination he has shown throughout what must have been a very tough time in his life.”I must thank our coaching staff. In particular, specialist spin bowling coach, Richard Dawson, who has put in hour after hour with Jack and Chris Bodman for his work on mind management. Lastly, thanks to the University of Gloucestershire for allowing us access to their first class 3D test facilities. Good job guys. Jack can now get on with his career.”

Sunil Gavaskar, the Supreme Court-appointed president of BCCI-IPL, has declined the request from the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) to reinstate Jaipur as the home venue of Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2014

Amol Karhadkar04-Apr-2014Ministry questions BCCI on anti-corruption, IPL venue

In a letter to the BCCI, the Indian sports ministry has sought information on the additional anti-corruption mechanisms put in place for IPL 2014. The BCCI has been asked to submit a reply by April 10.
The ministry has also questioned the choice of UAE as a venue for the first leg of IPL. The letter states: “Why a non-regular venue has been selected for holding some matches of IPL 2014 instead of choosing a venue which is on the regular international calendar of the ICC.”
While the BCCI did not respond officially to the letter, an administrator of the board privy to developments said the letter exposed the ministry’s “lack of knowledge”. “What can the BCCI do if the ministry doesn’t know that the UAE has been hosting Test matches regularly for the last five years?” he said.
The official also said that since the BCCI has already accepted most of the suggestions of the Justice Mudgal Committee report with regard to anti-corruption measures, the ministry should be more than satisfied with the reply. “Anyway the board has been explaining everything in detail to the Supreme Court, so replying to the letter shouldn’t at all be a matter of concern.”

Sunil Gavaskar, the Supreme Court-appointed president of BCCI-IPL, has declined the request from the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) to reinstate Jaipur as the home venue of Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2014.On Thursday, the IPL announced the final schedule for the tournament, which begins in UAE and finishes in India. Among the notable venues omitted was Jaipur, the home base of Rajasthan Royals. The IPL reasoned that since the RCA failed to produce the No-Objection Certificate from the state government, it was left with no choice but to pick Ahmedabad as the alternative, a preference given by Royals themselves.Although the RCA’s officiating secretary KK Sharma dispatched an emergency request on Friday to the IPL requesting for Jaipur to be included, Gavaskar made it clear that the decision could not be reversed. Gavaskar added that even Chennai and Mohali had lost out on a few home games due to want of permissions.”The BCCI-IPL had sent letters earlier to all the associations asking for their availability, security aspect in view of the fact that this is the year when the general elections are on,” Gavaskar said in his first interaction with the Indian media in Mumbai since taking over the interim role.”Having received letters from various associations, we have scheduled the matches according to the okays that we have received from various associations. There was that little bit of uncertainty about Jaipur. And not just Jaipur, as you see from the schedule, Chennai and Mohali also had issues. Therefore the endeavour has been to make sure that the schedule is not been disrupted.”In his letter, Sharma had said the RCA was “surprised” about Jaipur being ignored and felt the loss would be suffered by both the cricket body as well as the people.”We are surprised how the governing council of the IPL has shifted our home matches to Ahmedabad without even asking us. We shall suffer losses for the perpetration made as well as the people of Rajasthan shall lose their right to see the home team perform in front of them,” Sharma stated in the letter. “We would request you to kindly reschedule the itinerary and give us the due home matches as earlier.”However, Gavaskar pointed out that considering the internal legal dispute of RCA, Royals were happy to play in Ahmedabad instead of Jaipur.”Besides, I think the RCA matters are also sub-judice and therefore in view also of the fact that the Rajasthan Royals did indicate that they would be happy to play at Ahmedabad, the decision was taken. But it is also in view of the fact that every franchise has been talked to. Like I said, some of the regular venues have missed out. Some of the regular venues like Dharamsala, for example, have missed out. Chennai will get only a couple of matches because of the election situation. That is how it is, so it doesn’t rule these venues out from next season’s IPL but in the current circumstances, with the kind of uncertainty that was there, the decision was taken only because of that and not for any other reason,” Gavaskar said.Gavaskar, who spent his first week in the UAE overseeing the preparations for the first 20 matches from April 1 to 30, reassured that all the eight franchises will be compensated adequately for the additional costs incurred during the first phase.”I think that has been agreed to. That is understood that there will be compensation but what the quantum is is something they are working on,” Gavaskar said.Gavaskar said a formula was still being worked out and the franchises, too, will be involved before arriving at a final figure. “That is being looked at because it will take some time to calculate the exact amount of compensation, looking at the number of matches they will get, some number of matches they will miss out. There are a lot of factors to look at as far as the compensation package is concerned. I am pretty certain that they (franchises) will be happy. They won’t be too disappointed.”Asked whether he had made up his mind on whether to retain Sundar Raman, the controversial IPL chief operating officer, as a BCCI employee, Gavaskar said he is yet to take a call.”I am seized of the matter. Right now, I have just been in office for a week and therefore I am evaluating all the information that is coming to me. So, once all the information comes to me, certainly I will be able to (take the call).”

Dinesh Chandimal chose a thriller to end his half-century drought, guiding Sri Lanka home in the last over in the company of Ajantha Mendis

The Report by Abhishek Purohit27-Dec-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLasith Malinga took 4 for 57 to keep Pakistan to 232•AFPIt had been widely noted that Dinesh Chandimal hadn’t made an ODI fifty in nearly a year. He chose a thriller to end the drought, guiding Sri Lanka home in the last over, with the No. 10 Ajantha Mendis for company. Sri Lanka went into the Tests with a scoreline of 2-3, but it could easily have been 1-4.Pakistan made the target of 233 look like 333, despite Kusal Perera’s quick 47 at the start. They absorbed those early blows, and came back with venom, their spinners tying Sri Lanka down and their fast bowlers taking crucial wickets. Chandimal and Mendis battled through all that pressure to engineer a win from 195 for 8, their unbroken stand of 40 coming in only 4.1 overs.It had looked all but over for Sri Lanka when Pakistan nipped out three wickets in three overs, and 38 were needed off 27 balls. Saeed Ajmal, who took two of those three wickets, then seemed to have effectively ended the game when Mendis was given out leg-before first ball in the 46th over. But even as Mendis started to walk away, Chandimal persuaded him to review. Over half of the ball was shown to have landed outside leg stump, and Mendis survived.Sri Lanka then took nine off Junaid in the 47th over, Chandimal continuing to hustle between the wickets and pulling a four. Next up was Ajmal’s last over. Sri Lanka could have opted to play safe and targetted the last 12 deliveries, but Mendis went after Ajmal. And then came the moment where Pakistan let it slip. Mendis hit an airy drive to cover’s left, but Sohaib Maqsood could not hold on to the sharp chance. Not only did Mendis escape a second time, he ran two. He then opened up and cracked a reverse-sweep for four off the last ball of the over.Sri Lanka still needed 18 off 12, but the issue was sealed in the penultimate over. Chandimal got underneath Umar Gul’s first delivery and swung it for six over deep midwicket. Not to be outdone, Mendis stepped out and lofted Gul for six over extra cover three balls later. Game over. With two needed off the final three balls, Mendis hit the winning runs with a slap over extra cover and let out a scream.The match seemed heading for an early finish when Perera pulled four sixes in Sanath Jayasuriya style on his way to 47 off 41. His opening stand with Tillakaratne Dilshan was worth 75 in 12.2 overs but Pakistan got the opening when Perera tried a reverse-sweep Mohammad Hafeez and was lbw.The spinners found turn and the runs dried up. Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara tried finding release against the pace of Junaid but succumbed. When Junaid pulled up to leave the field, Gul arrived to complete the 31st over, and induced Ashan Priyanjan to edge to the wicketkeeper first ball. Angelo Mathews was given caught behind as well, on review off Anwar Ali, with replays not indicating an inside edge onto pad but the two sounds settling it for third umpire Richard Illingworth.Sri Lanka teetered on the brink of defeat losing a clutch of late wickets, but Chandimal kept knocking the ball around and held his nerve along with Mendis.It was a gutting end for Pakistan, especially for Anwar. Drafted in for the final match, he clubbed an unbeaten 41 off 38 to lift Pakistan to a fighting 232 after they had slipped to 194 for 8.Sri Lanka’s attack finally turned up in the series, Lasith Malinga picking up four wickets. Barring the end, Pakistan rarely got going and when they did, they lost wickets to lose whatever momentum they had managed to build.Misbah-ul-Haq’s departure came the next ball after he had swung Malinga for six over deep midwicket to reach his 15th half-century in 32 innings in 2013. The leading ODI run-getter of the year had just showed signs of kicking on from a watchful start but his dismissal and Umar Akmal’s in the next over, meant Pakistan’s long tail had to bat out the last ten overs.Coming in at No. 7 in the absence of Shahid Afridi, Anwar managed to do that. He was on 7 when he was put down at slip by Mathews off Mendis in the 42nd over. He was then given out lbw in the 47th over off Malinga, but reviewed successfully, the ball shown to be missing leg stump on replays. He responded by lofting Malinga for successive boundaries in the 49th over, which went for 16.The late push meant Pakistan had a reasonable score to defend on a track that Mathews, at the toss, had expected to play slow. He had read the pitch superbly, for he opened the bowling with his medium-pace and went on to concede just 26 off ten overs, also dislodging the seemingly irremovable Hafeez for 41 with an incutter.Hafeez, the Man of the Series, hit back with the ball by removing Perera, but Chandimal, after quite some time, showed again why he is considered such a bright prospect.

Rishi Dhawan lasted just four balls in the morning and with his dismissal, any hopes Himachal Pradesh had for getting a positive result came to an end

The Report by Nagraj Gollapudi in Kannur08-Dec-2013
ScorecardPadmanabhan Prasanth and Vinoop Manoharan helped Kerala defend 196•ESPNcricinfo LtdRishi Dhawan lasted just four balls in the morning and with his dismissal, any hopes Himachal Pradesh had for getting a positive result came to an end. Kerala’s spin twins, Vinoop Manoharan and Padmanabhan Prasanth, wrapped up the tail to help Kerala secure an important victory and stay in contention to qualify for the knockouts.Dhawan had remained resolute during an eventful final session on the second day, after Himachal had thrown away a solid start from their openers. From 48 for no loss, Himachal’s batsmen were defeated by a fast-wearing surface, good spin bowling, and some terrible shot selection. In 11 minutes, the visitors had slid to 60 for 6.But Dhawan, in the company of Sangram Singh, who had been pushed to the lower order after opening in the first innings, reinvigorated hopes that had virtually vanished after the middle-order collapse. Even then, the challenge of chasing 196 on a turning pitch with a lot of bounce was too big and Sangram got out towards end of the day. The onus was on Dhawan but Prasanth Padmanabhan, the left-arm spinner who had bagged a career-best 7 for 55 to help Kerala gain a vital 40-run lead, accounted for the Himachal captain for the second time in the match. Dhawan had attempted a slog sweep against the turn in the first innings and was trapped plumb. Today, Padmanabhan changed his strategy a little bit.Former India wicketkeeper Chandrakant Pandit, who was recently appointed director of the cricket academy at the Kerala Cricket Association, had pointed out to Padmanabhan that one of the reasons he had failed to beat Dhawan was because he had been bowling a flatter trajectory on the second day. Keeping that in mind, Padmanabhan practiced bowling slow in the nets to give the ball more flight. His efforts paid off, as Dhawan lunged forward to defend a ball that dipped and turned away after pitching. The bounce helped take an edge and AV Jagadeesh gladly accepted the catch at slips.Himachal’s resistance ended quickly after that as Padmanabhan trapped Vishal Bhatia lbw to end with match figures of 9 for 106.Despite the loss, Himachal should be confident about qualifying for the knockouts because they are on the top of Group C with 23 points after six matches. Kerala have a home game against Maharashtra starting on December 14, followed by two away encounters. With six points from today’s win, Kerala are joint second along with J&K, but they need at least one more outright victory to seal their qualification.

Mitchell Starc, who is yet to cement his place as a regular in the Australia line up, has said that he would like a run of games to settle into a rhythm

Brydon Coverdale18-Aug-2013Mitchell Starc is due to play in the final Ashes Test at The Oval. That is based not on confirmation from the selectors, just the prevailing trend. Since the start of the tour of India earlier this year, Starc has alternated: in for Chennai, out for Hyderabad, in for Mohali, out for Delhi, in for Trent Bridge, out for Lord’s, in for Old Trafford, out for Durham. In for The Oval just makes sense.In fact, stretch it back even further and the only time Starc has ever played two consecutive Tests in a series was during the first two Tests of his career against New Zealand in late 2011. Starc has done some fine things during his 11 Test appearances, with both bat and ball, and his use of reverse swing has been one of his strongest weapons.That was also what cost him his place for the fourth Test, as the selectors felt Chester-le-Street would be more suited to seam rather than swing. Starc has at times struggled to find the right lines during this series in his search for movement in the air, mixing up his threatening deliveries with sprays down leg or wide of off, and while he knows he needs greater consistency, it is hard to achieve in such circumstances.”It would be nice to get a few games back-to-back and get that rhythm,” Starc said after Australia’s tour match in Northampton against the England Lions. “To have a chance at that consistency that everyone talks about [would be good] – ‘you’ve got to be more consistent,’ – well it’s a bit hard when you play one game and you’re dropped.”If Starc’s words seemed like a back-hander to the selectors, they were spoken genially enough, with a smile, and were more or less a statement of fact. It is hard to become more consistent when you’re in and out. Hard, but not impossible. Ryan Harris has shown that during his career, which has involved a similar mix of moving in and out of the side, often due to fitness concerns. Harris especially, has shown the value of consistently making batsmen play during this series.”For me it’s making the most of that new ball,” Starc said. “I’m pretty happy with where my reverse swing bowling is and how much I am getting the ball to swing but I guess [my goal is] doing more damage with the new ball and being more consistent when the ball isn’t doing anything at all. I know where I need to get better and it’s just a matter of doing it.”Another likely dry pitch at The Oval could help Starc’s chances of being recalled for his third Test of the series, especially given that the selectors may be reluctant to risk the injury-prone Harris now that the series is decided. Starc bowled reasonably enough against the England Lions, although he only finished with one wicket- Moeen Ali caught at second slip.”I was very happy with how it came out,” Starc said. “What we’ve spoken about over the last few weeks about where we want to bowl and plans and that sort of thing, [I was] happy with how we practiced those with James [Faulkner] and I especially.”The presence of Starc and Faulkner as the only two fast bowlers in the Northampton match meant that David Warner was called on for some sub-military medium pace as first change, but the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade was not required with his skiddy seamers. Had Wade been asked to bowl it would have created an interesting question over who would take the gloves, and Starc, a wicketkeeper during his teenage years, would have been one possibility.”Yeah, I was happy to take the gloves if he was given a bowl,” Starc said.He can’t get a consistent run in the team as a bowler and prolific lower-order batsman, so why not add another string to his bow?