Spinner’s new deal may increase the likelihood of Dom Bess leaving the club

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2019Jack Leach, the England left-arm spinner, has signed a two-year contract extension with Somerset that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2022 season.Leach, who was born and raised in Taunton, has been part of the club’s system since his childhood, and has been a first-team regular since the 2016 season, when his 65 wickets at 21.87 apiece nearly fired Somerset to a first Championship title.He was perhaps unfortunate to miss out on a red-ball central contract with England – he has been given an incremental contract instead – and is currently in New Zealand, preparing to play in the first Test at Mount Maunganui on November 21.”I’m very happy to sign this new contract,” Leach said. “I’m a Somerset fan at heart so I’m very proud to represent the county. I have a great relationship with the members and fans, and I can’t thank them enough for the support they give the team and me as an individual.”I’d also like to thank Jason Kerr [head coach] and Andy Hurry [director of cricket] for the belief they have shown in me. I’m looking forward to the winter and can’t wait for next season.”Hurry said: “Everyone at the club is delighted that Jack has committed his future to Somerset. He is an exceptional talent and a big influence in the dressing room. I can’t speak highly enough of him both as a player and as a man.”He has a genuine passion for the game and in particular for Somerset. That shows itself every time he trains, in his diligent preparation and in his wholehearted performances every time he takes to the field. We feel that he has a major role to play for both Somerset and England over the forthcoming years.”Leach’s extension is something of a blow to Dom Bess, the offspinner who played two Tests for England in May 2018 but found himself in the Somerset 2nd XI later that summer.Bess – who twice went on loan to Yorkshire last summer – is contracted until the end of next season, and is unlikely to change clubs this winter despite Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale publicly registering his interest in making that move permanent. But having played only nine times for Somerset in all formats last year – seven in the Championship and twice in the One-Day Cup – another frustrating season may leave Bess with no choice but to look elsewhere given he retains ambitions of a long international career.

His resignation comes less than five months into his two-year contract with the BCB

Mohammad Isam17-Dec-2019The BCB has accepted Charl Langeveldt’s resignation as the Bangladesh bowling coach after he emailed the board explaining that he has an offer from Cricket South Africa. Akram Khan, the BCB’s cricket operations committee chairman, confirmed Langeveldt’s departure less than five months into his two-year contract.”Langeveldt said he has offer to work in South Africa’s senior side, which is why he requested the BCB to let him go,” Akram told the Bengali daily on Tuesday. “We have decided to release him.”Langeveldt’s link with a role in the South Africa team is part of an overhaul in their coaching setup, which saw Mark Boucher named head coach recently.Langeveldt, who was appointed by the BCB on July 27, came in as part of a similar overhaul in the Bangladesh coaching staff. He replaced Courtney Walsh, while Russell Domingo took over as head coach in place of Steve Rhodes. Daniel Vettori later joined as spin-bowling consultant, replacing Sunil Joshi.With Bangladesh touring Pakistan next month, the BCB has exactly a month to replace Langeveldt although Champaka Ramanayake, the BCB academy’s bowling coach, could take over on a temporary basis as he has done in the past.

The home side have again been able to keep the opposition low on runs and under pressure

Andrew McGlashan30-Dec-2019It has been a tough season for visiting captains to Australia against a dominant bowling attack. Between them, Kane Williamson and Azhar Ali have scored 119 runs in eight innings. It is not the only reason the home side are on the verge of a summer clean sweep, but it’s a big part of it.Williamson has one Test left, at the SCG, to turn the numbers around in what has been a series to forget. Some of the problems have been out of his control (injuries to Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson and the shot selection of some of his top order) but his captaincy has been under the microscope and the runs, that so often come in a torrent, have turned into a trickle.ALSO READ: McCullum counsels Williamson amid New Zealand strugglesOn another day the lbw decision in the second innings in Melbourne – that was shown to just be clipping the top of leg stump – would have gone his way, but such is the game in tough times. After a promising start to the first innings in Perth he fell to a spectacular catch at second slip by Steven Smith then gloved the first ball from Nathan Lyon to short leg in the second. His dismissal in the first innings at the MCG, a skewed top-edge pull, was one of more un-Williamson-like shots you will see.Former captain Brendon McCullum was critical of Williamson during the second Test although made the point of having a one-on-one conversation with him.”It’s not just Kane. Many of our players have had a pretty tough time over here and that’s the pressure that gets put on,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. “You saw his dismissal it was pretty unlucky, and on another day it can be given not out and he carries on and could have got a hundred.”Kane is fine. Like all players you go through ups and downs and some times are more challenging. This is obviously a challenging part of his career, as it is with all players.”Kane Williamson walks off after his dismissal•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

For Australia it has been a case of a plan very much coming together. “It’s one of the things we most talk about in our strategy, make sure we keep the opposition captain under pressure so we are doing that at the moment,” coach Justin Langer told Cricket 360. “He’s a very, very good player, one of the gentlemen of the game, so if we can do that for the rest of the series it gives us a big advantage.”There has been an acknowledgment in recent years that Williamson, who captains across all formats, needs his workload managing. After this tour, New Zealand have a full visit by India before returning to Australia for ODIs then hosting them for T20Is to complete the season. Williamson missed the T20I series against England in November due to a hip problem but has also sat out the occasional match, although with the T20 World Cup less than a year away that will be a tricky balancing act. “Everything is always up for discussion and it’s always healthy to debate,” Stead said.In terms of the immediate prospects for the Sydney Test, New Zealand’s batsmen were given a template of how they can succeed from the unlikely source of makeshift opener Tom Blundell whose second Test century – following his debut hundred against West Indies when he was the wicketkeeper – was a stirring display for the embattled team.”The way he went about crafting his innings was exceptional in only his third test match, and first as an opener, showed the way that we have to find more from our guys,” Stead said. “He’s sat on the sidelines the last couple of series but you can see the improvements that are being made. It’s fantastic for him and our team that he showed the capabilities are there for us to perform against a great Australian team.”As far as how the squad as a whole is managing after two crushing defeats in a series that started with such high expectations for a side that had reached No. 2 in the world, Stead said team spirit remained intact and paid tribute to the vast numbers of travelling supporters who cheered them to the end at the MCG.”We were obviously beaten up a wee bit by Australia again. I want to acknowledge how well they played; we’re up against a quality team at the very top of their game. We’re a tight knit bunch and it’s not the first time we’ve been beaten and won’t be the last. Our ethos is about trying to find small improvements, day in and day out.”In my time involved in cricket in New Zealand I’m not sure I’ve ever seen or experienced anything like that. Our players acknowledged the crowd at the end, and if we could replicate that at every test ground…it felt like the Barmy Army that lifts England. Hearty congratulations to those people who got out and kept supporting us. When times were tough they kept singing and chanting and it was pretty special.”

“We will rather make sacrifices today and survive tomorrow,” says Zimbabwe Cricket chairman

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2020Even as they pushed for a first ever Test win against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe’s cricketers did so knowing their salaries would be cut after the two-Test series. Zimbabwe had been defeated in the first Test by 10 wickets, though they fought well in the first half of the match.Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said “it can’t be business as usual” given the financial crunch the team faced, and indicated that this was being done to ensure better long-term financial health.”It’s an on-going process,” Mukuhlani was quoted as saying by Associated Press. “But yes, we will have to cut back. It can’t be business as usual.”Obviously it’s a bit of a touchy subject. But I will assume that everyone will accept it. We will rather make sacrifices today and survive tomorrow. It’s bring and take, a bargaining process.”Zimbabwe have faced monetary troubles for several years. On occasions, these have led to players threatening strikes, while more regularly, several promising cricketers have left Zimbabwe to carve out cricket careers elsewhere.Last year, the ICC had banned all Zimbabwe teams from participating in any international competitions citing government interference in running the national board. During the ban period, the ICC had also stopped all funds to Zimbabwe Cricket. The government had fired the board amid allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement, sparking the ban. The cricket board was later reinstated and the ICC lifted its ban in October 2019.However, the ban stopped Zimbabwe from playing in the qualifiers for the T20 World Cup that will be held this year in Australia.ALSO READ: ‘The smaller teams want to play more, but they can’t because the cash is not there’ – Alistair CampbellFormer Zimbabwe captain Alistair Campbell had recently told ESPNcricinfo in an interview that playing the Test series against Sri Lanka would leave a big hole in the budget for Zimbabwe Cricket.”That’s going to make a big hole in the budget,” Campbell had said. “But it’s a sort of catch-22 isn’t it? You know that you’re making a loss, and it might impact some of your further tours, but you’re eager to play Test cricket. These opportunities don’t arise [often], so you can’t cancel it. You have to go ahead and try to make a plan.”Zimbabwe were allotted a grant of USD 94 million from the ICC for an eight-year period from 2017. But Mukuhlani, who is part of the ICC board as a representative of a Test-playing nation, said there has been reduced financial help from the ICC in other areas for many countries and that’s exacerbated the problems in Zimbabwe.

A look at the key points that are likely to be discussed when the tournament’s governing council meets on Saturday

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Mar-2020Despite having deferred the IPL until April 15, the tournament’s governing council will meet on Saturday in Mumbai to review the precautionary steps needed to be put in place for the marquee event to start in April. The IPL top brass will also be meeting the owners/top executives of all franchises to explain the situation and address the various questions they will have. ESPNcricinfo looks at the key points that are likely to come up for discussion.More double-headers?It is understood that to mitigate the late start to the IPL, the organisers are likely to stretch the tournament with the final on June 5. With the tournament now possibly starting two weeks later, the BCCI would be under pressure to fit in all the 60 matches in a tight window. Originally, the final was scheduled for May 24 in Mumbai, but it is understood that the organisers are thinking of extending the schedule till June to reduce the prospect of several double-headers.In the original IPL schedule, there were only six double-headers, all to be played on Sundays. However, with the window likely to be shrunk now, the tournament may feature more double-headers.Both the broadcaster, Star Sports, as well as the teams were not in favour of too many double-headers for different reasons. Star didn’t prefer the afternoon matches that start at 4pm as they did not attract good ratings. The players didn’t want the afternoon matches as the IPL is played during the peak summer when the mercury hovers close to the 40-degree Celsius.However, during Saturday’s meeting, the franchises are likely to raise the red flag at extending the tournament beyond late May due to the unavailability of some of the overseas players, especially those from England, who are scheduled to play a three-match Test series against West Indies starting on June 4. The ECB had already informed the IPL governing council that all England players would be available until May 26.Visas for overseas playersFocusing on containing the spread of the coronavirus that has claimed close to 5000 lives and infected over 135,000 people across 120 countries so far, the Indian government, with the approval from its prime minister Narendra Modi, had decided on March 11 to impose severe restrictions on tourists into the country, including non-resident Indians and overseas citizens of India. “All existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/International Organizations, employment, project visas stand suspended till April 15, 2020,” the Indian government had said, stating the restrictions would come into play from Friday.The franchises have been concerned about that ever since and would want clarification from the IPL governing council on Saturday. Overseas players and support staff participate in the IPL by getting a business visa on which they get employment. The franchises would want to know whether the overseas contingent would be exempt by the government or not.As per the visa rules listed by the Indian government, foreign coaches and players are to be given employment visas. The following categories of foreign nationals are eligible for an employment visa: “Foreign nationals who are coming to India to take up employment as coaches of national/state level teams or reputed sports clubs, and foreign sportsmen who are given contract for a specified period by the Indian clubs/organizations (This will not include foreign nationals who are engaged in commercial sports events in India on contract (including coaches), for whom appropriate visa would be B-Sports visa).”Playing in limited venuesInternally, the governing council and franchises have also been considering whether to limit the number of venues and cluster the eight teams together at one or two places to limit the movement. But officials from more than one team said there were many cons to this idea as far as the franchises are concerned. The biggest downside being the teams stand to lose the home advantage, something crucial in a multi-team tournament.Then there is the commercial aspect. The franchises have already locked in ground sponsors and flights across the season, and have spent a lot of money. Of course, the franchises do understand this is an extraordinary situation, but they would look for good compensation form the BCCI, which recently hiked the staging fee and revoked the standing money earned by the four teams that make the playoffs.Another measure the governing council might consider, in case the conditions are not deemed fit to start the tournament from April 16, and the window is further shrunk, is to change the format for this season. This could probably be done by reducing the number of home and away matches, or by coming up with a revised format that could be a level-playing field for all eight teams.

He is confident he, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan and Waqar Younis will work well together on the England tour

Umar Farooq11-Jun-2020Mushtaq Ahmed said it would require clear communication and tactful management to ensure Pakistan’s high-profile coaching team worked smoothly with the players on the team’s upcoming tour of England. The former Pakistan legspinner has been brought in as spin bowling coach, one of two big-name appointments for the England tour, the other being Younis Khan as batting coach.This is the first time since Bob Woolmer’s appointment as head coach in 2004 that Pakistan is travelling with a fully Pakistani backroom staff. The reasons why the PCB had wanted to avoid an all-local environment in that time included internal politics, trust deficits, and infighting that plagued the side in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Besides, the lack of professionally qualified coaches in Pakistan meant the local options were limited.”We all are on the same page with a clear-cut predefined role,” Mushtaq said. “Misbah is our head coach. Younis is going to deal with batsmen as consultant, Waqar [Younis] will be working with the bowlers, and I am doing mentoring and working with spinners. So all of us from the same generation who played modern-day cricket are coming together to work for Pakistan. The problem will arise when there is a communication gap, [so] we have to look out to gel the team. If there is any conflict, it needs to be resolved there and then and move on. We have to play smart.”We all are sensible people and this [combination] is going to work well. I have worked with big coaches and the biggest example is dealing with Andy [Flower] and KP (Kevin Pietersen). Both didn’t have the mutual understanding but England still won big games. I had a role there, I used to mentor KP and at the same time worked with Andy as well to manage the communication gap. So we (the Pakistan dressing room) shouldn’t allow that communication gap to create misunderstandings. We are very optimistic that we will all come together and graciously share our experiences and stay united on tour.”Mushtaq also downplayed the perception that Younis does not get on with the PCB. “Younis Khan is a straightforward guy and people learn with the passage of time,” he said. “With age you learn a lot. Younis is a wonderful guy. Whenever you talk to him sensibly, he always responds positively. His work ethics are great and we give his example to youngsters to follow his lifestyle and how he manages his routines. He is a professional and has a tough mindset and we need people like him. He has the experience playing everywhere in the world in tough situations and coming out fighting against odds.Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq enjoyed a good relationship as players•AFP

“His personality of being a tough guy is very useful for players going to England in the ongoing situation. Sometime mental toughness takes more weight than talking technique. With him (Younis) around in the dressing room, players will have a good role model in front of them.”Mushtaq has been in the coaching business for over 10 years, starting in 2008 when he worked with the then England coach Peter Moores. He has since then established himself as a reputed spin-bowling consultant, and his time with the England side coincided with the best years of Graeme Swann, who ended up becoming one of England’s greatest spinners. He worked with spinners in Pakistan for several years following on from that, but it is believed his coaching style made players more dependent on the coach. Pakistan’s high-performance coach Nadeem Khan doesn’t want this to happen.”In the 90s we didn’t have a lot of coaches and I always believed you were your best coach,” Nadeem said. “When you analyse yourself on your own, you have a better prospect of becoming a good player quickly. These days, [the amount of] cricket has increased drastically and players don’t have time to keep a balance between playing matches, fitness [work] and updating themselves with information.”They are playing all formats and are fully engaged series after series. We had more time in the nets on our own, and with less cricket, we had ample recovery time. But in today’s cricket players need coaches, expert coaches to manage [their workload]. Teams these days take a bigger pool of coaches and consultants, and sometimes the support staff easily outnumbers the playing side in the dressing room.”It’s very important to have a relationship with players and you have to take ownership. It’s about communication and a player needs help and information. I used to think that players needed to develop on their own, but they don’t have time to work on their own. They are not even properly enjoying the victories or learning from the failures because they are playing back-to-back cricket. This is exactly where the role of a coach comes in.”

Board not convinced with Malik’s response to corruption charges

Danyal Rasool10-Jul-2020Saleem Malik’s ongoing quest to be reintegrated into Pakistan cricket has been pushed back once again by the PCB. The board believes Malik hasn’t again responded satisfactorily to the contents of a conversation 20 years ago in which he talked about fixing cricket matches.While Malik insists he had submitted a response last month to the board regarding a sting operation by an English tabloid 20 years ago, the PCB does not believe his response appropriately addresses the matter.After the Qayyum report was released in 2000 – in which Malik was banned for life – the now-defunct newspaper released a video in which Malik was allegedly caught offering to potentially corrupt players and games in exchange for money.The reporter involved in the sting – Mazher Mahmood – was the same as the one that carried out the 2010 Lord’s spot-fixing operation. The revelations and allegations arising from the sting were not part of the Justice Qayyum inquiry; that inquiry took place in the year before this story and the report had been made public days before the sting.While Malik remained out of the fold for a number of years, he has recently begun to appeal to the PCB to reintegrate him, and made himself available for coaching or mentoring roles. The PCB, however, remain adamant that will not be possible until Malik has substantively dealt with the questions that the sting raised.Malik submitted his response in June, but the PCB’s statement on Friday makes clear they are not satisfied with its contents. ESPNcricinfo understands the board believes the response to be irrelevant to the issue at hand. “In the backdrop of the above, the PCB will be unable to proceed any further until such time you respond on the said matter,” the statement said.Malik’s cricketing career was ultimately sullied by match-fixing scandals. In a judicial inquiry that began in 1998 and continued for 13 months, he was found guilty of bribing Australian cricketers Shane Warne and Mark Waugh to lose the 1994-95 Karachi Test. Malik was fined Rs 1 million and banned for life in 2000, but eight years later his sentence was overturned by a Lahore sessions court, allowing him theoretically to return to the fold. However, today’s statement from the PCB makes clear little progress has been made between the two parties since Malik began his latest attempt to completely rehabilitate himself.Danish Kaneria after his meeting with the PCB integrity committee•AFP

The PCB accused the former captain of “denial and avoidance” with respect to the transcripts, and referred to an apology he had made in 2014 in which he appeared to “accept my wrongdoing, apologise to the fans and start my rehabilitation process”.The PCB also addressed Danish Kaneria’s recent appeals for rehabilitation. The legspinner was banned for life in 2012 by the ECB after a disciplinary panel found him guilty of corruption after a stint in county cricket in the UK, implicated during fellow player Mervyn Westfield’s criminal trial. The board told the player he was appealing to the wrong party, and was advised to approach the ECB, the board that had banned him in the first place.”You were banned for life by the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission after it was established that you had ‘knowingly induced or encouraged Mervyn Westfield not to perform on his merits in the Durham match'” the statement said. “You subsequently challenged the decision before the Appeal Panel of the Cricket Disciplinary Commission, which was upheld. Then, you appealed before a commercial bench of the High Court in London, which was dismissed. Then, you appealed before the Court of Appeal (Civil Division), which was rejected. The PCB’s rehabilitation programme is offered to players upon conclusion of the respective periods of ineligibility and not for players who are serving life bans.”

ECB says all 18 first-class counties have agreed to play in the same red-ball and white-ball competitions

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2020First-class counties in the UK will compete for the Bob Willis Trophy in a four-day competition as part of a shortened 2020 domestic season, the ECB has confirmed.The ECB said on Friday that all 18 first-class counties had agreed to play in the same competitive red- and white-ball competitions, following a delayed start to the season due to the Covid-19 pandemic.As reported by ESPNcricinfo in May, the four-day competition will feature three regional groups of six teams who will each contest five first-class games with a five-day final expected to be played at Lord’s. The winner will claim the Bob Willis trophy, named after the former England captain who died in December. A shortened Vitality Blast competition will begin on August 27.ALSO READ: County Championship could include Lord’s final with hopes for August startNeil Snowball, ECB managing director of county cricket, said in a statement on Friday that the counties had “been united with a common goal to get back to our core function of playing cricket”.”The commitment of the chairs and chief executives of the first-class counties to work together to achieve that ambition has been resolute and we will remain in close discussion as we continue to assess risk factors that need to be mitigated in order to ensure the safety and welfare of their players, coaches and staff,” Snowball said.”We are all delighted that agreement has been reached across the game and we are now in a position to look forward to and prepare for a new men’s domestic season starting on 1 August.”ESPNcricinfo understands that the counties voted by a narrow margin to play first-class and T20 cricket in the abbreviated season while some, including Hampshire, held safety concerns about hotel stays and voted to start the season with a 50-over competition and not play first-class cricket in 2020.Venues would contact ticket holders for men’s domestic matches and first-class county members to inform them of the options available to them after a new fixture schedule has been announced, the ECB said.

Somerset stumble in 12-over chase despite 43 not out from 20 balls from rookie

ECB Reporters Network04-Sep-2020Birmingham Bears overcame Somerset and the weather to claim a four-run Vitality Blast Central Group under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.The match was interrupted for an hour and three-quarters by rain, which set in with the Bears 85 for 4 from 11 overs. When play became possible again at 9pm, the umpires ruled that it would be a 12-over match.Birmingham added 22 in the final over of their innings, Sam Hain finishing 55 not out in a total of 107 for 4, and Somerset were set a revised target of 125 to win under DLS.They could manage only 120 for seven, Tom Lammonby top-scoring with 43 off 20 balls , and lost a game they seemed to have under control before the rain-break.Somerset skipper Lewis Gregory struck a double blow for his side in the second over of the match to reduce the Bears to 2 for 2.First he took a return catch to dismiss Ian Bell for a duck off a leading edge and two balls later had former team-mate Adam Hose caught behind attempting to pull a short ball, also without scoring.Ed Pollock responded by pulling the first six of the game off Ollie Sale and cleared the ropes again in Gregory’s next over with a sweet pick-up over long-on.Pollock was looking dangerous when trying one big shot too many off Josh Davey in the fifth over, a thick edge carrying all the way to James Hildreth at third man.The opener departed for 20, but soon Hain was taking up the attack, despite being hit on the grille by a short ball from Lammonby when on 17.Having already claimed a maximum off Sale, Hain clubbed Lammonby over mid-wicket for another six to bring up a half-century stand with Will Rhodes.The pair had added 53 in 6.3 overs when Rhodes was bowled by Lammonby looking to open the face of the bat. Only two more deliveries were bowled before the rain set in.After the break, Warwickshire’s one remaining over of batting saw Hain smash two fours and two sixes off the inexperienced Sale, a surprise choice to bowl it, to reach a 31-ball half-century.Babar Azam posted notice of Somerset’s intent by pulling the first delivery of their innings from Tim Bresnan for six. But two balls later the veteran seamer took revenge, having the opener caught behind attempting to cut.James Hildreth arrived to hit two quick boundaries, but the first ball of the second over from Olly Stone saw Steve Davies miscue a catch to mid-on.Hildreth replied with a square cut four and an upper cut six as the over ended with Somerset 28 for two. But Tom Abell was caught at cover off Henry Brookes and worse was to follow for the hosts in the fourth over, bowled by Jeetan Patel.Hildreth was slow responding to a call for a quick single and failed to beat Bresnan’s throw to the bowler’s end. The batsman pulled up clutching a hamstring and had to be helped from the field.Gregory was given a life on 5, with the score 44 for 4, when Michael Burgess missed a stumping chance off Jake Lintott. But Eddie Byrom holed out to long-on of Brookes to make it 50 for five and Gregory quickly followed, lbw to Lintott.Lammonby and Roelof van der Merwe (25) swung lustily in the closing overs, but had been left too much to do. Twenty-year-old left-hander Lammonby took the game down to the wire with some savage blows, but couldn’t quite turn the tables.

He will work with fellow Australians Andrew McDonald and Steven Smith

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2020Former Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne has been reappointed as the team’s mentor and brand ambassador for IPL 2020.He will work with the head coach Andrew McDonald – the pair was former team-mates at Victoria – and captain Steven Smith.ALSO READ: IPL 2020 Team Preview: Combination questions for Rajasthan Royals with Ben Stokes doubtful“On my dual role, it’s always a great feeling to be back with Royals – my team, my family,” Warne said in a statement released by the franchise. “It’s exciting to be working across all elements of this franchise that I love. We have worked towards our vision of becoming a global team that fans around the world love and follow. This season I am looking forward to working as a team mentor and joining up with an excellent backroom staff in Zubin Bharucha [head of cricket] and Andrew McDonald. Hopefully, we can have a successful season and achieve big things in the coming months.”Jake McCrum, the Royals’ COO, welcomed Warne back into their set-up. “He is one of the all-time greats of the game and is very special to us here at Rajasthan Royals. Shane is someone who exemplifies our vision of driving innovation and we’re delighted to have him with us supporting both the growth of our franchise globally, while also motivating our players for success on the field.”The IPL will run from September 19 to November 10 in the UAE. The Royals, who finished seventh last season, will open their campaign against Chennai Super Kings on September 22 in Sharjah.