Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh’s Test captain, has said coach Chandika Hathurusingha gave Tamim Iqbal the role of “helping” the bowlers closely during the last session of the Dhaka Test against England

Mohammad Isam03-Nov-2016Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh’s Test captain, has said coach Chandika Hathurusingha gave Tamim Iqbal the role of “helping” the bowlers closely during the last session of the Dhaka Test against England. He said that the four senior players in the field – himself, Tamim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah – were given specific roles and told to lead the team from the front.Parallel to Bangladesh’s 108-run victory last Sunday, there had been ongoing speculation about Mushfiqur’s captaincy after it appeared that Tamim was in charge of making bowling and fielding changes in the 22.5 overs after lunch in which Bangladesh took all ten England wickets as they were bowled out for 164. He was in discussions with Shakib Al Hasan and Mehedi Hasan ahead of every over, and was also setting fields for them.It is highly unlikely for Tamim, despite being Mushfiqur’s deputy, to usurp the role on his own, but Hathurusingha only described what had happened inside the dressing-room during the tea break in an interview this week with ESPNcricinfo, saying he was disappointed after England got to 100 for no loss at the tea interval and told the players to step up to the challenge.Mushfiqur said that other players apart from Tamim, such as Mahmudullah and Mominul Haque, were also tasked with specific roles, which ultimately helped Bangladesh take all ten wickets in one session.”During the tea break, the coach was angry towards the players, which was obvious as we were not able to execute our plans in the middle,” Mushfiqur told the . “The bowlers also struggled to execute. We had a group chat comprising all the senior players and the coach. He told the senior players to step up and take the responsibility. We were given some roles. Tamim was standing at mid-off so that he could help the bowlers closely.”To add to that, close-in fielders like Mominul [Haque] and Mahmudullah Riyad , they were also given roles to distract the batsmen. Shakib and Miraz meanwhile, were given roles as bowlers so that they could get the breakthroughs. With the combination of everyone’s effort, we were able to win the match.”Mushfiqur skirted the notion that he wasn’t in charge of the team, saying the players tried to implement on the field the messages that Hathurusingha sent from the dressing room.”Coach always tells us, whoever has the ball in his hand, he is the captain at that time as only he knows how and what to do in that particular situation and what is the plan,” he said.”So, all the 11 players in the team always try to follow that and whatever message we receive from the coach, we discuss and try to implement that on the field. Especially us, the four senior members of the team, were given instructions to lead from the front and fulfill the responsibilities.”While it doesn’t answer who exactly decided that Mushfiqur should not be in charge of bowling changes and fielding positions, it is clear that there are rumblings about Mushfiqur’s captaincy within the Bangladesh cricket hierarchy. Ever since he lost his limited-overs captaincy to Mashrafe Mortaza in September 2014, Mushfiqur’s leadership in Tests has come under a lot of scrutiny, especially after his defensive approach during the second Test against Pakistan in Dhaka.Mushfiqur said he was still up for all three roles – batting, wicketkeeping and captaining – in the Test arena, though he would accept anything that the board decides for the team’s benefit.”I think I am enjoying all the three roles at the moment,” Mushfiqur said. “If you notice, wicketkeeping has always been my first priority. I have scored a double-hundred in Tests and also kept wickets in the same game. There is always a soft corner for it (keeping).”But if the team management and the board decide that they might get the best outcome by picking someone else and approach me, then I will have to think about it. I will decide which will help my team as we all are part of the team.”BCB president Nazmul Hassan, on the day following the Test, said he was aware of Tamim taking charge of fielding and bowling changes but didn’t want to comment on Mushfiqur’s captaincy, saying he would talk to the incumbent soon.Bangladesh’s next Test series is against New Zealand in January 2017, closely followed by Tests against India and Sri Lanka.

The first four-day match between Pakistan A and Zimbabwe A ended in a draw at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2016

ScorecardFile photo – Peter Moor stood out with 157 in Zimbabwe A’s strong first-innings batting performance•AFP

The first four-day match between Pakistan A and Zimbabwe A ended in a draw at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, as the hosts got some valuable match practice ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka.Zimbabwe A, fielding a full squad of Test players, opted to bat first and were reduced to 193 for 5 before Peter Moor took charge of the game and scored 157, studded with 11 fours and eight sixes. Contributions from Richmond Mutumbami (38) and Graeme Cremer (54) helped Zimbabwe put on 251 for the last five wickets and reach 444. Legspinner Shadab Khan took 4 for 114 and left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar took 3 for 112 for Pakistan.Pakistan’s response started with the loss of two quick wickets, but opener Zain Abbas scored his second first-class century as he set up partnerships with Shohaib Maqsood (54) and Saad Ali (62) to take them out of trouble. He scored 137 before falling to Cremer, who ended with 4 for 82. Allrounder Fahim Ashraf scored an unbeaten 61 to take Pakistan to 358.Malcolm Waller scored an unbeaten 87 in the second innings that lasted 75.2 overs before Zimbabwe declared on 219 for 5. Sikandar Raza (40) and Craig Ervine (38) managed to get some time in after veteran Hamilton Masakadza got out without scoring. Asghar had an impressive outing once again, taking four of the five wickets that fell.Fakhar Zaman (40*) and Zain Abbas (39*), the Pakistan openers, took them to 72 for no loss before play ended.

It was hard to avoid a sense of deja-vu as Alastair Cook accepted that England’s batting had let them down in Mohali

George Dobell in Mohali29-Nov-2016It was hard to avoid a sense of deja-vu as Alastair Cook accepted that England’s batting had let them down in Mohali.He was quite right, of course. By failing to take advantage of winning the toss here, England surrendered their best opportunity to control the game. On a surface that Cook described as “400 par” – and it was at least that – England instead succumbed to 283 all out and surrendered the pitch at its best to an India side who were determined to utilise it.Whereas four England batsmen had scored centuries (three in the first innings, one in the second) on what Cook described as a similar surface in Rajkot, here Jonny Bairstow was the only man to make 50 in the first innings.”You need a big score on a wicket like that,” Cook said, “and we weren’t good enough to make one. Jonny Bairstow made a good 80, but we need hundreds. The pitch wasn’t too different to Rajkot, maybe slightly harder to score on, but it was 400 par and we were below it. We just weren’t good enough.”While Cook’s candour is welcome, England have now lost four of their most recent six Tests with batting failures a recurring theme. If the collapses in Dhaka (where they lost 10 wickets for 63 runs) and Visakhapatnam (where they lost 10 for 63) were especially eye-catching, the batting at The Oval (England were 110 for 5 on the first day having won the toss) and here (where they were 87 for 4 before lunch on the first day) was equally culpable.And while they seem to have found the answer to their problem at the top of the order in Haseeb Hameed, Moeen Ali was not convincing at No. 4 (or No. 3 in the second innings) and Hameed is now unavailable for the rest of the series. Moeen and Jos Buttler both picked out the fielder after trying to hit over the top in the second innings – victims of good bowling, for sure, but also a lack of patience – underlining the suspicion that England were still trying to find a way to blend their naturally positive approach with the discipline required for Test cricket.Their struggles against spin are familiar, too. While the pitches in this series have deteriorated and turned a little, there has been none of the extravagant assistance that some anticipated. Instead, on perfectly reasonable surfaces, England have struggled to deal with an accurate, disciplined spin attack who have exposed some flawed techniques and uncertain temperaments.Cook was criticised for his “they’re no supermen” comments after the Visag Test (some even suggested he was “taunting” India), but he came very close to repeating those remarks here.”There were not magic balls,” he said of England’s second innings struggle. “Maybe Jonny Bairstow was the only one that was a good piece of bowling, but apart from that there wasn’t a huge amount misbehaving from the pitch. It was good accurate bowling, as you expect from India in these conditions, but not unplayable. You can talk all you want but the top order have to go and deliver.”While the phrase “the only one that was a good piece of bowling” in unfortunate – and almost certainly a reflection of a lack of eloquence more than a lack of grace – there is a valid point in there somewhere. Cook, for example, missed a 46 mph delivery that turned about one degree. Moeen and Buttler fell to sucker punches. It was soft cricket that was thrown into its proper perspective by a 19-year-old with a badly broken finger. His teammates were, quite rightly, proud of his performance: one or two of them might have felt it contrasted with their own.Ultimately, professional players have to take responsibility for the way they play. They have to make their choices and live by the results. But these are the times that coaches also earn their keep and there have been times of late when it has been unclear what England’s approach is meant to be: are they blocking their way to safety – as they attempted in Visag – or trying to counter-attack to success, as they showed, in fits and starts, here. Both options are reasonable, but a lack of confidence in their defence has been a feature of several of these batting failures. England have usually preferred aggressive players to defensive ones – consider the selections of Ben Duckett, for example – and here picked an excellent limited-overs players (Buttler) who had played just one first-class game in the previous year. There is not a lot of evidence to suggest this aggressive approach is working.Perhaps the brief holiday they will have now is well-timed. Several of the squad will travel to Dubai for a few days, with no formal training planned. “It will mentally give us a break from cricket,” Cook said. “We can come back more refreshed.”Cook also admitted England may have erred in their selection for Mohali. The presence of a third spinner – and a second off-spinner, in particular – was superfluous, with Cook suggesting the option of a fourth seamer would have been more beneficial.”All of us probably misread the pitch,” Cook said. “we thought it was dry and would spin more. If we had known what we do now, we would have gone four seamers two spinners. The seamers were always in the game with reverse and the way we bash length, we can control the scoring rate very well.”That does not necessarily mean that England will play four seamers in Mumbai. As well as injury concerns over seamers Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes, England hope to have Zafar Ansari, the left-arm spinner, available for selection again and expect that surface may provide more assistance to spinners. The last time England played a Test there, in 2012, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann shared 19 wickets between them.

At a time when the loss of South African players to Kolpak deals has returned to the spotlight, a review into the state of the game in the country has picked out retaining talent as one of the key areas that needs to be addressed

Firdose Moonda09-Jan-20173:14

‘I respect Kyle’s decision, but don’t agree with it’ – du Plessis

At a time when the loss of South African players to Kolpak deals has returned to the spotlight, a review into the state of the game in the country has picked out retaining talent as one of the key areas that needs to be addressed.On Monday it was confirmed that David Wiese had followed the path of Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw into English domestic cricket joining Stiaan van Zyl, Simon Harmer, Hardus Viljoen who signed for counties last year.One of seven recommendations made in the national team review, which was implemented last year after collective struggles of the various South Africa sides, said CSA needed to “formulate and execute a strategy to minimise or stop the loss of ‘players of national interest’ in our setup.”After the confirmation of Abbott and Rossouw quitting international cricket last week, Test captain Faf du Plessis appealed for CSA to address all the issues that may have played a part in their decisions.

Key recommendations from the review panels

• Appointing a director of cricket to oversee the performance of the national men’s team

• Appointing the convener of selectors in a full-time role and make talent identification at lower levels part of his role

• Create a strategy to prevent the loss of players in the national set-up

• Consider the option of contracting franchise coaches to CSA

• Encourage ex-players to contribute

• Ensure the South Africa A team and High Performance Centre produce a calibre of players that can make the step up to international cricket

• Build a strong culture for the national team

• A seventh franchise at domestic level and the limiting of each franchise squad to 15 members

“It’s a red flag and we have to address it. It’s important that we look at how we can learn from this and make sure that this isn’t something that two years from now, has meant we’ve lost 10 or 15 players and we say, ‘oopsie’,” du Plessis said. “We need to make sure we get better at it. There’s too much talent in South Africa to lose guys like that.”Responding to the review, CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat said significant investment in players and coaches at all levels was about to be made. “We are already in the process of rolling out new coaching structures and individual player performance plans after the Board approved funding in excess of R100 million over the next four years,” he said. That amounts to US$7.3 million, which will see a substantial amount of money being invested in South African players.Player retention was just one point of a wide review conducted into South African cricket. Revamping the coaching structures and expanding the domestic scene to include one more franchise were also among the most important recommendations presented to CSA by the review panels.Two panels – one to look into national issues and one domestic – were convened by CSA last year after a summer of discontent on the South African circuit. In April, when South Africa had tumbled from No.1 to No.7 on the Test rankings and were booted out of the World T20 in the first round, CSA set up a four-person independent review panel to look into the under performance of all national teams.CSA felt they needed a comprehensive dissection of the issues which also saw the women’s team also struggled at the T20 and the under-19s appear hapless in defence their 2014 World Cup title. They also put in place a domestic review to determine whether that system was serving the international game as best as it could.But, in June the national review panel was abandoned after CSA and some of the members failed to agree terms. Still, the domestic review went ahead and in the months since then the national review panel was reconstituted despite the upturn in South Africa’s fortunes and completed its work. CSA’s board will now consider the suggestions before deciding which ones they would like to implement.Coach Russell Domingo’s role does not appear to have been scrutinised – as was initially the plan – perhaps because was already been given a contract extension until the end of the England tour in August this year. However, the suggestion to employ a director of cricket indicated the panel believes Domingo does need to be accountable to someone other than the board and that South Africa needs a more centralised coaching structure. CSA already has a general manager of cricket, former national coach Corrie van Zyl, but may look at other options.The other significant point was made around involving former internationals, something South Africa have started to do. This season, Mark Boucher and Ashwell Prince have taken up franchise coaching roles, Jacques Kallis was invited to a South Africa training session at Newlands and Graeme Smith was part of the review panel. Having these players, who were all part of the generation that won the Test mace, involved in some capacity is thought to be key to building the culture known as Protea Fire, which Smith cultivated.Although there were no recommendations around transformation – CSA already has targets in place at both national and domestic level – both panels stressed the importance of embracing a commitment to change. In a statement, the review panel encouraged a change in mindset as cricket sought to offer opportunities to all South Africans.”It should not be a numbers game which leads to a focus on the numbers instead of the root causes of the problem. Rather, it should be something that is tackled holistically throughout the system – and this calls for a deep-seated mind shift for all involved in cricket for it to be sustainable. Essentially, we will only know that we have the strongest team possible on the field if there has been equal access for all,” the statement read.The biggest domestic issue tackled was the size of the franchise system. More than ten years ago – in the 2004-5 season – CSA abandoned their 11-team provincial in favour of six franchises, effectively almost halving the number of professional cricketers in the country. This has resulted in a narrowing of opportunity, with only around 90 contracts available per season.In a bid to stem the talent drain and seek out a deeper talent pool, the panel recommended the addition of one more franchise to increase player number to 105. A possible location for this franchise was not revealed but the Eastern Cape – the heartland of black African cricket – is a likely possibility.

Karachi Kings have the big names but question marks about their form remain. Have they done enough to avert the disaster of last season?

Danyal Rasool08-Feb-20170:48

PSL 2017 Preview: Karachi Kings

Inaugural season results
Karachi finished the 2016 campaign with the worst win-loss record of all teams. They did the double over the equally abject Lahore Qalandars, but lost all their matches against every other team. The excessively forgiving format meant they went through to the last four despite only two wins in eight, edging Lahore out on net run rate. There, they were walloped by eventual winners Islamabad by nine wickets, bringing a gloomy tournament to an aptly ignominious end.Team assessment
Karachi Kings were busy in the transfer market, most notably bringing in Chris Gayle and Kumar Sangakarra from Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators respectively; the latter has been appointed captain this season. This is the franchise’s third captain in a year. Shoaib Malik stepped down last season after the group stages, and Man of the Series Ravi Bopara was appointed for the eliminator.That brings us to the Kings’ only bright spot last year. Ravi Bopara, never one for attention-seeking, what with his workmanlike batting and military-medium bowling, finished as the second-highest run-scorer and joint fifth-highest wicket-taker. His 11 wickets included an astonishing 6 for 16 against the Lahore Qalandars, so far the best figures in the PSL’s short history. He has been retained, and might hope for a bit more support from his teammates this time around.Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard are the biggest T20 names, although their recent form has been mixed. Gayle was the third-highest scorer in the 2016 Caribbean Premier League, but his Bangladesh Premier League performance – of greater relevance, given where the PSL is being played – was ordinary, with 109 runs in five games. Pollard scored 145 runs in eight matches for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash, but Karachi Kings will need more than that from their volatile West Indians.Unburdened by the captaincy, Shoaib Malik may begin to play more freely. While his performance in last year’s edition was unremarkable, his outings in the CPL and the BPL have been solid – he has averaged 32.87 and 41.71 respectively. The evergreen Sangakarra, too, had a prolific BPL, ending up as the fourth highest run-scorer. However, his form in franchise T20 cricket over the past year or so has dipped, and might be a concern.The heart of the bowling attack has a Pakistani flavour, with Mohammad Amir, Sohail Khan and Imad Wasim comprising the three likely frontline bowlers. Amir was decent without being earth-shattering for the Kings last year, while Imad Wasim’s stock has risen since 12 months ago, owing much to his stellar international showings.Key foreign player
Karachi have a host of big-name foreign players, but none of them really convinces, either because of form or age. In such circumstances, it might be best to revert to what is already known and highlight Ravi Bopara once more. How a player who has never shown signs of the T20 nous he exhibited last season took the league by storm was nothing short of stunning. He will ply his trade on similar tracks to the ones he hit such a purple patch on last season, but with significantly more confidence. Similar performances this time around may even see him pushing for an international recall after a two-year absence.Under-the-radar local lad
It has been more than six years since Shahzaib Hasan last played for Pakistan, but a monster hundred in a List A game two weeks ago might give us a glimpse of the form he’s in. As a World T20 winner with Pakistan in 2009, he is unlikely to be fazed by anything the PSL can throw at him. He played only two games for Karachi last year, but if the side’s batting superstars fail to live up to their billing, Shahzaib could be given an extended run in the side, and remind Pakistani fans why a World Cup winners medal hangs around his neck.Kumar Sangakkara’s inclusion should bolster Karachi Kings’ batting•Daily Star

Availability
There was no transfer activity during the replacement draft for the Karachi Kings. Everyone in the squad is available for the duration of the tournament, and there are no injury concerns.Coaches and Staff
Mickey Arthur (head coach), Azhar Mahmood (assistant coach), Rashid Latif (director), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Asad Ali (physio)Karachi Kings squad
Kumar Sangakkara (c), Chris Gayle, Shoaib Malik, Kieron Pollard, Mohammad Amir, Ravi Bopara, Imad Wasim, Babar Azam, Ryan McLaren, Sohail Khan, Shahzaib Hasan, Saifullah Bangash, Khurram Manzoor, Kashif Bhatti, Abrar Ahmed, Abdul Hameed
Supplementary players: Mahela Jayawardene, Usama Mir, Rahat Ali, Amad Alam

The Committee of Administrators has barred disqualified BCCI and state association office bearers who are part of the IPL governing council from attending the IPL auction

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2017The Committee of Administrators has barred disqualified BCCI and state association office bearers who are part of the IPL governing council from attending the IPL auction. The tenth IPL auction is set to take place in Bangalore on February 20.The Committee of Administrators was appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations. The committee named three persons in particular – CK Khanna, Amitabh Choudhry and Anirudh Chaudhry – and also warned that any other IPL governing council member attending the auction should do so only after they have self-assessed to determine that they do not stand disqualified as per the Lodha recommendations.The release sent out by the BCCI said: “Mr. CK Khanna, Mr. Amitabh Choudhary, Mr. Anirudh Chaudhry and any other persons who claim to be ex-officio members of the IPL GC on account of being office bearers of the BCCI shall not be entitled to attend the IPL Player Auctions since the issue regarding validity of the undertakings filed by such persons pursuant to the order dated 2nd January 2017 is still pending before the Hon’ble Supreme Court.”Amitabh Choudhry had earlier tried to attend an India selection meeting as joint secretary but the Supreme Court had ordered that the meeting be convened by the board CEO Rahul Johri.The committee said it didn’t have the details of all the IPL members so they were expected to assess for themselves if they were disqualified. “The Committee of Administrators does not have complete data to determine whether each of the members of the IPL GC other than the ex-officio members are disqualified or not,” the release said. “In view thereof, the said other members are requested to assess for themselves as to whether they are disqualified or not. Should they attend the IPL Player Auctions, the concerned members would be deemed to have undertaken and represented that they are not disqualified as aforesaid.”The IPL governing council has four members out of which Rajiv Shukla, Jyotiraditya Scindia and MP Pandove stand disqualified under the Lodha Committee norms. Only Sourav Ganguly can now attend the auction. The committee said it might nominate persons as substitutes if required.The release said: “In the event less than 2 of the members are available to attend the IPL Player Auctions on 20th February 2017, any role that may ordinarily have been performed by the IPL GC in relation to the IPL Player Auctions will be performed by such persons as the Committee of Administrators may separately designate for the purpose, if required.”

Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said he is planning to meet the PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan upon his return to the country to inform him of his future plans

Osman Samiuddin02-Mar-2017The Pakistan Super League (PSL) has come and gone – for Misbah-ul-Haq at least – but no decision has emerged on the Pakistan Test captain’s future in the game, or at least a decision he is willing to share publicly.On Wednesday night in Sharjah, after the defending champions Islamabad United were knocked out by Karachi Kings, Misbah said he was planning to meet the board chairman Shaharyar Khan upon his return to Pakistan to let him know about his future plans.Questions about his future have become a permanent feature at Misbah’s press events these days, though they have increased since the Test series defeat in Australia. He was even asked about it by Ramiz Raja in Sharjah at the post-match ceremony following his side’s exit.He has been resolutely non-committal in his responses: before the PSL, he told ESPNcricinfo he would take a call after seeing how he fares in the tournament; during it, he told ESPNcricinfo he was likely to go on Pakistan’s next assignment, a tour of the Caribbean, where they are yet to win a Test series.After Islamabad’s defeat, he chuckled when the first question on the subject came up. He was asked about comments he had made in which he suggested he could go to the Caribbean as a player and not as captain.”I don’t understand what you want to hear from me,” he said. “I was asked whether I would go as a player or as a captain and this decision is for the cricket board. I have to decide whether I want to play or not, but, obviously, the final authority is always the cricket board on who will or won’t be captain.”Part of what will no doubt form any decision is his form. He began the PSL well, with an unbeaten 61 against Lahore in Dubai, but has since trailed off with a series of low scores with low strike rates.On Wednesday, he was bowled by an Imad Wasim delivery that skidded through his defence. And he admitted afterwards that his lack of runs had “made a difference” to Islamabad’s campaign. “It is important to perform in such pressure situations. When, as a senior player you don’t contribute, you have pressure on you, on the team.”The words more or less echo those he had been saying while on duty for Pakistan over the last few months: he averaged 15 in four Tests across New Zealand and Australia, and just over 26 if you include the three Tests against West Indies in the UAE just before that.Given his mode of operation, it is unlikely Shaharyar will make the first move. He has left it to Misbah to inform him of the decision. “I want to decide soon,” Misbah said. “I am very happy that the chairman has given me this honour that he has left it to me to decide. I am honoured by that. Obviously, I will tell him sooner rather than later because there’s not much time now [to the West Indies tour].”I will now go to Pakistan and speak to the chairman and tell him whatever my final decision is.”

In the repeat of the 2016 final, Sunrisers Hyderabad followed a similar winning script, scoring 200-plus and defending it after an early scare

The Report by Sidharth Monga05-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
4:52

Hogg: Middle-order show will give Sunrisers confidence

The IPL opens new seasons with a match between the previous edition’s finalists, and this year the teams seemed to have been handed the same lines. The characters speaking those lines changed, the stage changed, but Sunrisers Hyderabad once again posted a 200-plus total and defended it successfully after an early scare. This 207 was Sunrisers’ second-highest IPL score, one behind the final last year, and despite all their power and matches in Bangalore, Royal Challengers have successfully chased 200 only once in the IPL.Sunrisers’ captain David Warner seemed to be repeating his lines from the final but it was Yuvraj Singh’s sublime 62 off 27 that set up the 200 score after Moises Henriques provided him the springboard with 52 off 37. In response, Chris Gayle looked threatening as Royal Challengers raced away to 43 for 0 in four overs. Missing Mustafizur Rahman, Sunrisers found a new hero in Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan, who took the wheels of the chase off with quick legbreaks and wrong’uns, claiming two wickets on his IPL debut.Royal Challengers turn left
Missing Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, having lost Mitchell Starc again and having let go of Chris Jordan, the selection of the runners-up was going to be interesting. They tried to emulate the champions, going for three left-arm quicks, but they got them on against a batting line-up that relies on three big left-hand batsmen. All three of Warner, Shikhar Dhawan and Yuvraj boast better strike rates against left-arm quicks than their overall career numbers. Despite Tymal Mills’ impressive debut, there was only one winner here. In all, the Royal Challengers left-arm quicks bowled 38 balls to the left-hand batsmen for 78 runs, including some sumptuous hitting from Yuvraj against the two IPL debutants, Mills and Aniket Choudhury.Yuvraj and Henriques tee off
One of the under-rated players in Sunrisers’ triumph last year, Henriques batted effortlessly at No. 3 after Warner fell against the run of play. Even though Dhawan struck at a potentially damaging strike rate of 129 over 31 balls, Henriques didn’t let the momentum stall. And when he met Yuvraj in the middle, Royal Challengers had to face some carnage. Yuvraj had one of his nights where everything he hit went. The highlight of his innings was when Mills, one of the best at the slower legcutter, found him waiting for that very delivery. Yuvraj proceeded to send it sailing over midwicket for a six. Ben Cutting provided the final touches with two sixes in the last over, bowled again by Shane Watson.Cutting, Rashid, Hooda drag Royal Challengers back
After yet another ominous start from Gayle, Cutting began the comeback for Sunrisers. He first gave Gayle what no one else had: a bouncer. Then came the offcutter, the delivery that had dismissed Gayle in the final. A wide yorker made an appearance. Despite just a five-run fifth over, Royal Challengers had had the first win. They had made Rashid bowl in the first six: in bowling 546 balls in T20Is, Rashid had bowled only one over inside the front six. Rashid, though, rose to the challenge, and bowled Mandeep Singh in trademark fashion: bowled with a straighter delivery, making it 14 of his 40 right-hand victims bowled. Now the World T20 final repeated itself. Warner went to the part-time offspinner in Deepak Hooda – remember Joe Root? – and Gayle holed out to long-off after hitting one six.Cutting, Rashid, part II
Kedar Jadhav and Travis Head, though, kept Royal Challengers alive with a 56-run partnership in 5.1 overs. With 93 required in 8.3 overs, the asking rate was still in check, especially with Watson still in the shed. This is when Jadhav attempted an ambitious second only to find an effortless and flat direct hit from fine leg. Cutting had once again dragged Royal Challengers back. Rashid now repeated his second-favourite dismissal, the wrong’un to the left-hand batsman, as Head top-edged a slog sweep. Against the quality of Sunrisers’ attack, Watson alone was always going to be one man too few, and they fell short by 35 in the end.

Tim May, an architect of the first collective agreement between Cricket Australia and the players, has challenged the board to provide better justification for ending the fixed revenue percentage model

Daniel Brettig19-Apr-2017Tim May, one of the architects of the first collective bargaining agreement between Cricket Australia and Australia’s cricketers, has challenged the board to provide better justification for its desire to end the fixed revenue percentage model that has remained in place over the past 20 years.In an exclusive ESPNcricinfo column, May took issue with CA’s contention that the model had “done its job” of ensuring international male players were the best paid in the country while domestic players are paid competitively relative to other sports. While lauding movs to raise pay for women, he questioned why it had been determined that domestic players in particular must now be locked into a wage.He did so while noting that every major sport in the United States – where May has been based for more than a decade – makes use of revenue sharing models, invariably offering the players a far higher percentage of revenue than the figure of around 26% Australia’s cricketers have been entitled to since that first deal was struck with the Australian Cricketers Association in 1998. May wondered why CA wished to break it up at a time when domestic players were about to provide a greater share of the game’s revenue – via the Big Bash League- than ever before.”For the past two decades CA and ACA have built a culture of players and administrators working together to grow the game and share in its success – but now with this success moving to a new level, one party no longer wants to play ball,” May wrote. “The stakes here are high. CA’s position threatens to set back by decades the relationship between players and administrators.”To change the system so radically, it needs to provide a valid and compelling argument. The onus is on the board, not the players. CA needs to explain why, for 20 years, the revenue-sharing model has worked so successfully and yet now it suddenly can’t work. It’s a tough one for it because, as far as I can see, there really isn’t a valid argument.”In 1998, May worked alongside James Sutherland, then commercial manager at what was then the Australian Cricket Board, to sort out the finer details of the deal that has remained in place with minimal changes over the past two decades, most of which have seen Sutherland in place as CA’s chief executive.Having observed the way the game is changing, particularly via the emergence of Twenty20 leagues across the globe, May argued that the model is now more valuable than ever, providing the players with a genuine stake in the game down under that helps to dissuade some from simply pursuing T20 competitions year-round. At the same time it means the cost to CA rises or falls depending on the total amount of money being raked in, rather than putting pressure on the board in the event of a tour cancellation, or the boycotts like the one threatened by India in early 2008.”The uncertainty of projected revenues was one of the main reasons that the ACB agreed to the introduction of the revenue-sharing model in the first place,” May wrote. “It’s of massive benefit for them. Ask any business if they would like to make their largest expense variable and I suspect they would jump at the chance. For CA to imply that the shared risk-and-reward ideology is outdated is nonsense. Far from being obsolete, it is more relevant now than perhaps any time in the past 20 years.”Scheduling disputes, unforeseen circumstances and uncertainty around ICC distributions can play havoc with projected revenues, placing CA in danger of not being able to meet other obligations, such as development of the game. In 2008, when the Indian team threatened to go home after the Sydney Test, CA faced a revenue black hole amounting to tens of millions in TV rights.”Uncertainty to do with global issues is a genuine concern. These days we have heightened security challenges and the spectre of terrorism. There is the possibility the international cricket schedule could be affected, leaving Australia in a bind. These are valid and sensible current arguments to keep player expenses in line with the fluctuations of revenue.”

Simon Harmer claimed a six-wicket haul as Essex made Warwickshire follow on at Chelmsford

David Hopps at Chelmsford21-Jun-2017
Scorecard”We’re all mercenaries now,” said Brendon McCullum at the launch of South Africa’s T20 competition. At least you had to admire his honesty. T20 imports, like politicians, probably need aides alongside them to remind them what town they are in, and which dressing room to go into. If they ever feel insecure or rootless, presumably they just call up their bank balance.Similar accusations are levelled against the rush of South Africans now plying their trade in county cricket. Signed in a rush while Britain remains in the EU, and while the reciprocal labour deal survives, it does not take much for their emotional commitment to be questioned.They stalk the counties, making big runs, taking wickets and, by and large, lifting standards. In Premier League football, such signings are viewed as glamorous, part and parcel of the claim to be the best league in the world; in county cricket, the resentment over their short-termism and the loss of a place for an England-qualified player is never far away. The story is a more complex one.In this fraught climate, occasionally a player can become a much-loved member of county cricket’s community. Simon Harmer gives the impression that he can become one of those players. There is something about Harmer that suggests he will not be the sort of Kolpak signing who mentally never unpacks his suitcase. Essex, having initially offered him a one-year deal, have quickly upped it to three. He is seen as a good bowler and a good sort.Wickets will help, of course, and as Essex, the leaders, pressed for victory against Warwickshire, Harmer delivered them, his Championship tally lifted to 25. On a straw-coloured Chelmsford pitch now turning big but slowly, his offspin is central to Essex’s chances of victory. His 6 for 92 in 45.5 overs – the prime reason that Warwickshire followed on 258 behind – made that abundantly clear.In all, including a brief foray in Warwickshire’s second innings – the deficit cut to 231 for the loss of Ian Westwood and Jonathan Trott – Harmer bowled 39 overs in the day. By the end, he must have been so weary that even his floppy fringe failed to spring to attention in his bowling action with its usual vigour. He left the field to a guard of honour.Harmer bowled at the Hayes Close End from 11.30am until 4.35pm, with only breaks for lunch and tea. His afternoon stint returned 17-10-20-1. Throughout, his predatory semi-circle of close catchers lived in anticipation of reward. Warwickshire’s batsmen became increasingly becalmed. It is not often that Rikki Clarke takes 30 balls to get off the mark but he did so here, reaching 7 in 45 balls in all before Harmer’s big break-back had him lbw. With a quicker pitch, his rewards might have come quickly. Instead, he needed resolve as well as skill.Simon Harmer chiselled through Warwickshire’s batting•Getty Images

He seemed to have been given a well-deserved breather at one stage but it was only for a change of ends. That gambit brought rewards with three wickets in 17 balls to round up the lower order, lbw decisions against Keith Barker and Boyd Rankin and Jeetan Patel succumbing to a return catch.Patel had laid about him with gusto. Of his 71 from as many balls, – a season’s best – 36 came off Harmer in only 28 balls, all but one of them on the leg-side as he struck out with the spin to good effect.Apart from Patel, the only other Warwickshire innings of note was from Sam Hain, whose 58 was his first half-century in a season studded by a series of single-figure innings. He fell to a cracking wicketkeeper’s catch by James Foster, who had received a sighter the previous delivery when Hain’s edge bisected him and Alastair Cook at first slip. Ian Bell reached 32 before he jabbed a turning ball to slip.It might be that Harmer delivered the coup de grace with the last ball of the day. If you want a batsman to block out a final day, there are still few better choices than Trott, a batsman blessed with the method and mindset to slow life down. But he fell to a leave-alone, lbw, to give Harmer his seventh and final wicket of a productive day. No drip-fed resistance from Trott then in the closing hours.Trott has already summoned defiant hundreds against Surrey and Hampshire this season, both to no avail, but he fell twice in a manner that will not resonate easily with him. It was the combative left-arm pace of Neil Wagner that had defeated him at the start of the third day: a top-edged boundary against the fourth ball of the day when he ducked a bouncer but left his bat in the air; his dismissal against the next when he pulled to square leg.If Trott is feeling the effects of a challenging Warwickshire season, their chances of survival will be so much lower. They can begin with a defiant draw on the final day, but the odds are firmly with Essex – and an offspinner rapidly planting himself in the county’s affections. County cricket still hankers after loyalty and will open its arms to all who give it.