The fast bowler Shaun Tait will miss Australia’s limited-overs matches in India this month and at home against Sri Lanka in November after having surgery on his right elbow

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2010The fast bowler Shaun Tait will miss Australia’s limited-overs matches in India this month and at home against Sri Lanka in November after having surgery on his right elbow. Tait is expected to be out of action until at least early December, which also leaves his World Cup hopes in doubt as the squad will be announced later that month.”Shaun Tait underwent corrective elbow surgery this afternoon for a chronic elbow complaint and his return to cricket will be determined by the speed of his recovery from surgery,” Cricket Australia’s doctor Trefor James said. “It is not anticipated he will be able to play within the next two months.”Tait has been in and out of Australia’s one-day side over the past few years but he made a strong return during the series against England in June. He was a key man during the World Cup triumph of 2007 in the Caribbean, when he finished equal second on the wicket tally.Most recently Tait, who no longer plays first-class cricket, helped South Australia reach a semi-final at the Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa. His absence will be a major blow to the early-season hopes of the Redbacks in the new split-innings one-day competition.

MS Dhoni is aware of the problem and, although he isn’t overly concerned since the results have been favourable, he doesn’t like it

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2010India have endured tense second innings in three out of their previous four Tests because of top-order collapses at P Sara, Mohali and Motera. It’s made for riveting watching but MS Dhoni is aware of the problem and, although he isn’t overly concerned since the results have been favourable, he doesn’t like it.”Our performance in the second innings is not that great in recent times. We were a bit bothered,” Dhoni said on the eve of the second Test against New Zealand in Hyderabad. “The kind of experience we have, if you can do well in the first innings there’s no reason you can repeat it in the second.”Those horrible starts ended pleasantly for India because VVS Laxman came to their rescue. He scored an unbeaten 103 after India were 62 for 4 in Colombo, an unbeaten 73 when his team was reeling at 124 for 8 in Mohali, and 91 after India were reduced to 15 for 5 in Ahmedabad. The last collapse was the most surprising, because it occurred on a lifeless pitch during one inspired spell from Chris Martin. This New Zealand attack was thought incapable of disturbing the most experienced line-up in the world.Even the most experienced line-ups in the world, though, are vulnerable to palpitations. Dhoni spoke of the mild panic in the dressing-room as the match lurched from heading towards an inevitable draw to India being a wicket away from defeat. “Of course there was [panic], frankly speaking, but we knew we needed one partnership,” he said. “What happens when you lose quick wickets is that your heartbeat goes up and at times you tend to commit mistakes. We were a bit worried but we were waiting for that one good partnership to happen.”It’s just the mental barrier or mindset. At times you tend to go too ahead of the game. In the last Test, maybe we thought the wicket is difficult to get out on, so maybe it will end in a draw. It’s always good to be in the present. We aren’t too bothered about it [the collapse] but it has happened a bit too frequently.”Another common factor during India’s troubles in Mohali and Ahmedabad is Gautam Gambhir making a second-innings duck. He did not play at the P Sara but Gambhir made one in Galle as well and India lost by ten wickets. He now has three second-innings ducks in a row and only 86 runs in his last nine innings. Gambhir was among the first specialist batsmen at practice today and he knows he has a little more rope and the backing of his captain.”In Gautam’s case, you might say it’s a fear of failure but I think it’s a fear of performance,” Dhoni said. “He’s set his benchmark so high and in India when you set a high benchmark you’re expected to better it. He’s in that phase where you have the pressure of performance rather than the pressure of failure. He will realise that he needs to set his own benchmarks and think practically about what is a good performance.”Unlike on innumerable occasions in the past, though, India are not without a ready replacement opener. M Vijay has made the most of the few opportunities he has been given – a match-winning century against Australia in Bangalore being his most recent effort. Should Gambhir’s fallow patch cause him to run out of rope, Vijay will step in. But not yet.”Gautam Gambhir is the best pick for the opening slot right now,” Dhoni stressed when asked for how long a person could be selected on experience. “M Vijay has done well in whatever format and wherever he has got a chance. But he will have to wait for some more time.”The Gambhir-Sehwag combination at the top of India’s order was the driving force behind them claiming the No. 1 ranking in Tests. Long may it continue, is what the team is thinking.

A round-up of the fourth day of the seventh round of Division One of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2010Pakistan International Airlines seamer Aizaz Cheema sparked an unprecedented collapse that saw Water and Power Development Authority lose by 18 runs, when they were just 24 runs away from victory with five wickets in hand at the Marghzar Cricket Ground in Islamabad. Chasing 326, Sohaib Maqsood and Aamer Sajjad had taken WAPDA to a comfortable 259 for 2. Maqsood was caught and bowled by seamer Kamran Sajid for 103. Cheema then had his first burst of wickets, getting rid of Hasan Adnan and Bilal Khilji for ducks, and then Sajjad for 70. WAPDA lost their last five wickets for five runs, with Cheema getting another three to finish with figures of 6 for 82 in the second innings and 10 wickets in the match. The loss means WAPDA lose top spot in the table, while PIA move up to joint fourth.Opener Ahmed Shehzad’s 94 helped Habib Bank Limited move to the top of the table as they beat Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited by eight wickets at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. HBL ended the third day on 80 for 1, and needed 101 to win on the final day. They took just 20.4 overs to reach the target with Shehzad, who was on 45 overnight, making an unbeaten 94 of 121 balls to anchor the chase. ZTBL seamer Mohammad Khalil, who is the leading wicket-taker this season, struck early in the day, getting Fahad Masood out caught behind before a run was scored. But Shehzad and Saleem Elahi, who scored 39, took HBL home. The win had been set up by HBL’s bowlers when ZTBL were bowled out for 118 on the first day, with Azhar Mahmood picking up five wickets. Shehzad’s knock took him to second position in the season’s run-charts with 719 at an average of 102.71.Sialkot picked up nine points as they beat Karachi Blues by nine wickets at the National Stadium in Karachi. Rameez Raja (2)’s century on the third day had kept Karachi in the game after they followed on, but their lower order couldn’t do enough to earn a draw on the last day. Sialkot seamers Prince Abbas and Imran Malik, who took six wickets in Karachi’s first innings, picked up two wickets each on Tuesday, as the hosts, who were 250 for 4 overnight, were dismissed for 371. That left Sialkot 153 to chase in around half a day. They only needed 27.5 overs as Mohammad Ayub got 84 off 85 balls, which kept him at the top of the season’s run charts.Rawalpindi needed just 13.3 overs on the fourth day to complete an eight-wicket win over Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. Islamabad managed to add just six runs to their overnight score of 230 for 9 before Rawalpindi seamer Sadaf Hussain took Islamabad’s last wicket, completing his five-for with it. The visitors were left with 50 to win. They got the runs in 10 overs and moved up to joint fourth in the table, while Islamabad stay at third from bottom.Only two overs were possible on the fourth day at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad as the match between Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and National Bank of Pakistan ended in a draw. NBP picked up three points for the first-innings lead, keeping them in fourth position. After an action-packed first two days, which saw 20 wickets fall, rain hit Faisalabad and barely any play was possible on the third and fourth day. SNGPL’s bowlers had made things interesting by taking four wickets in the 17 overs possible on Monday, leaving NBP 130 ahead with six wickets in hand.

If it was any other team Rajasthan would be deliriously happy but since its Mumbai, who have won the Ranji Trophy 39 times, they are cautiously optimistic

Sriram Veera24-Dec-2010Mumbai all out 252. If it was any other team, Rajasthan would be deliriously happy but since it’s Mumbai, who have won the Ranji Trophy 39 times, they are cautiously optimistic. “There is a long long way to go,” says Aakash Chopra, Rajasthan’s premier batsman, a sentiment shared by the wrecker-in-chief Pankaj Singh, who grabbed a five-wicket haul.”It’s a great position to be in at the end of the first day but we have to capitalise on it,” Chopra said. “A slender lead won’t help; we need to bat them out of the game. That’s the only way to do it. It will need tremendous application and determination from our batsmen but the good thing is we, as a team, are desperate to do well. They have a good bowling unit and they know how to defend; it’s going to be a fascinating second day’s play.”Pankaj Singh harassed the Mumbai top order with an incisive spell. He knocked out opener Omkar Gaurav in his second over but it was his second spell that really rocked Mumbai. He removed Sahil Kukreja and Rohit Sharma with deliveries that seamed through the defences of the batsmen. Rohit’s wicket, in particular, gave him the most joy. “I used to be a bowler that mostly took the ball away. I have worked hard in the last two years to get the ball back in and am now confident of moving the ball both ways. I took one away and he slashed it over gully. I pitched the next one fuller and moved it back in; he was late on the defence and it went through the gap to bowl him.”Chopra was effusive in his praise. “Pankaj bowled a superb line and troubled all the Mumbai batsmen. The seam position was brilliant. Remember, it’s a strong and in-form batting line-up and he bowled his heart out. Rohit was late on his defensive stroke and the ball moved in to bowl him. Pankaj is our senior bowler and he stood up today.”Pankaj had good support from Deepak Chahar,who removed Ajinkya Rahane and Abhishek Nayyar, the only batsmen to cross 50, and from Sumit Mathur, who prised out the big wicket of Wasim Jaffer. “It was an offcutter and Jaffer was looking to work it to the on side but it sneaked through the bat and pad gap to clip the bail,” Chopra said.Mumbai were tottering at 116 for 5 but Rajasthan knew that they have the reputation of getting out of tough situations. “With Mumbai, you can’t relax even if you take out their top order,” Pankaj said. Chopra shared the feeling and believed the onus was on the seniors of the side to ensure that the youngsters didn’t relax. “You have to reign in your emotions and make sure you don’t think beyond the game and beyond yourself as that’s what leads to your destruction. Only the 10 and 11 don’t bat; you can never get complacent and to the credit of the youngsters, no one did. Everyone knew the job wasn’t over till it was over.”Pankaj believed his hard work over the last two years was paying off. “It’s a great feeling. I knew at the start of the game that if I can do well against Mumbai the performance will count for something. I took 33 wickets before this game (the highest by any bowler, in Super and Plate league, this season) but people might say, ‘Oh, he has taken those in the Plate league; it doesn’t count. I was highly motivated. And to take five wickets, and that too after they chose to bat, gives me great satisfaction.”Chopra, who hit a triple ton in the last game, was understandably cautious when asked about his thoughts on how the game would pan out. “My gut feel? Well, let’s leave it to me,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t want to make my gut feel public. Let’s just wait and see how the game unfolds.”

A round-up of the fourth day of the first round of the Regional Four Day Competition

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2011Jamaica joined the England Lions and Combined Campuses and Colleges at the top of the points table after they comfortably beat Guyana at the Alpart Sports Club in St Elizabeth. Legspinner Odean Brown spearheaded Jamaica’s 165-run win as he ran through Guyana’s middle and lower order picking up five wickets.Guyana, who were set a target of 359, had started solidly with the openers Rajindra Chandrika and Shemroy Barrington putting on 58 runs on the third day before stumps. They added another 17 runs on the fourth day before Jerome Taylor struck to dismiss Chandrika. The dismissal opened the floodgates as Guyana kept losing wickets at regular intervals and failed to string together any substantial partnerships. After the opening stand of 77, the next-highest partnership was 29 for the third wicket between Leon Johnson and Assad Fudadin. Both batsmen were dismissed on 117 as Guyana lost eight wickets for 76 runs to slump to 193 all out.The match between Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados at Guaracara Park ended in a high-scoring draw. T&T, who were 390 for 9 overnight, were bowled out for 413 with Rayad Emrit unbeaten on 97. Barbados reached 234 for 3 before play ended. The star of Barbados’ second innings was Kraigg Brathwaite who made an unbeaten 102. He was the first centurion in a game that had six half-centuries scored, which included three scores in the nineties. The second round of games starts on February 11.

England and Australia will play each other in ten consecutive Tests across two series home and away in 2013-14, after it was confirmed by Cricket Australia that the dates of the next Ashes series Down Under have been brought forward by a year

Andrew Miller28-Jan-2011England and Australia will play each other in ten consecutive Tests across two series home and away in 2013-14, and that could be followed by a further five-match series in 2015, after it was confirmed that the dates of the next Ashes series Down Under have been brought forward by a year.The situation, which last occurred in 1974-75, has been forced upon the two boards by the competing demands of the 2015 World Cup, which is also scheduled to be held in Australia and which, had the 2014-15 Ashes gone ahead as planned, would have required England’s cricketers to remain in the country for five months.A proposal to bring England’s next home series, in 2013, forward by a year was thwarted by the competing demands of the London Olympics. England’s subsequent home Ashes summer is now expected to take place in 2015, a year earlier than the 2016 date originally proposed, with the traditional four-year home-and-away rotation expected to kick in from then on.”It’s always been our aim to break that cycle of two huge events in the same winter,” Steve Elworthy, the ECB’s marketing director, told ESPNcricinfo. “To ensure that the teams have better preparation time for the World Cup, this is the only solution, but I also think it’s absolutely manageable. I believe the brand is strong enough, as we’ve seen this year. The home series is critical from our perspective to make sure our grounds are full, but when England head Down Under, they will be trying to replicate the performance that they’ve just produced.”Although the new dates have yet to be included into the Future Tours Programme, the proposed shift of England’s home series to 2015 is potentially significant, as it takes the series away from the competing interests of football’s Euro 2016 tournament, which would overshadow the build-up in June and July. Instead, the only other major sporting event in 2015 is the Rugby World Cup, set to take place in England at the end of the cricket season in October.A major consideration for CA was the prospect of a new round of TV rights negotiations, as the current deal is set to expire in May 2013. With India due to tour in 2011-12, followed by South Africa, England and the World Cup, the board is anticipating four consecutive seasons of high-quality international cricket.”The Ashes have an x-factor element that excites the Australian public,” CA’s spokesman Peter Young told The Sydney Morning Herald. “The Ashes make turnstiles spin and they drive the ratings up. In terms of the next media contract, it’s an ideal starting point because it’s a lucrative blue chip series and all the networks would give their eye teeth to get hold of it.”

Haroon Lorgat, chief executive of the ICC, is confident that security in Bangladesh is up to the task of policing the country’s remaining World Cup games

Firdose Moonda in Chennai05-Mar-2011Haroon Lorgat, chief executive of the ICC, is confident that security in Bangladesh is up to the task of policing the country’s remaining World Cup matches, despite the stoning of the West Indies team bus on Friday. “I am satisfied that the security is firm enough to withstand that sort of issue,” Lorgat said at a press conference in Chennai. “The police that were present there have made certain arrests.”Angry Bangladesh fans, whose team was bowled out for 58, the lowest total by a Full Member at a World Cup, threw stones at both team buses, cracking two of the West Indian team buses windows. None of the players were injured. Lorgat played down the incident, calling it “minor,” and explained why it was not as serious as had been originally reported. “It was a few individuals who threw pebbles at the bus, and they were pebbles.”Bangladesh has hosted three matches in the tournament so far, as well as the opening ceremony, and Friday was the first incident of any security breach. Bangladesh lost their tournament opener against India by 87 runs but there was no sign of aggression from the home fans after that. They had since leapfrogged the West Indies into eighth position on the ODI rankings, and the home crowd may have expected their team to beat the West Indies as proof of their loftier position. Lorgat thinks that may have caused the chaos. “It was, I guess, disappointed fans at the result of their home team being defeated so convincingly by the visitors.”England, who pulled out of a match in the 2003 World Cup against Zimbabwe because of security concerns, are the next team due to travel to Bangladesh. Netherlands and South Africa are also scheduled to play their group stages in Bangladesh and there were some rumours swirling that the teams may not want to go to the country and the matches would have to be moved. Lorgat stamped out any such possibility. “We have a very robust security plan in place and I am convinced that the tournament is going to continue as scheduled.”He did not rule out the possibility of moving games, but said that Friday’s incident was not enough to merit doing so. “We would not move a game lightly, but it is not something that we would discount. I don’t believe that particular incident justifies moving the game.” Bangladesh will host five more World Cup matches, including two quarter-finals.

Umar Gul has said that he will try and dislodge India’s top order in Pakistan’s World Cup semi-final in Mohali on Wednesday

Sharda Ugra in Mohali28-Mar-2011Umar Gul is the man who operates in the shadows of his more colourful companions of the Pakistani bowling pack. Behind his captain Shahid Afridi among Pakistan’s leading wicket-takers at this World Cup – 14 wickets to Afridi’s 21 – Gul has emerged as the searing inquisitor with the new ball en route to Pakistan’s arrival into the semi-final.It will all come to a head in Mohali on Wednesday when Gul opens the bowling against the strongest batting contingent of the event. It is his first spell that could dictate how the rest of his team’s overs go, but Gul has identified what he needs to do. “The first three wickets in the top-order are very crucial for us. They are depending on the top three. I am looking for these three batsmen.” Now these are words tailor-made for screaming headlines, (“Gul targets top three”, “Gul wants to rip through India top order”) but Gul delivered them as if he were saying something routine. Like telling the physio about his ankles or ordering room service.Were Gul to run into India’s top three in their hotel corridor between now and Wednesday afternoon, there would be handshakes, smiles and pleasant chit-chat. It is a fact that most of the fans on both sides find hard to to digest, particularly two days before the World Cup semi-final that once again sets up one of the most over-heated rivalries in sport.Gul said that given the strength of the Indian batting, the World Cup had taken his bowling to the rhythm it needed at the right time. “Our bowling is very good. Afridi is the leading wicket-taker. I am happy with my performance and form. We have a bit of an advantage with our bowling but I am happy with the way the batsmen played in the quarter-final.” He said that the ideal combination for Wednesday would be the Pakistani bowlers being on top of their game on a friendly wicket, and the batting giving the start like it had against the West Indies.The advantages of working with coach Waqar Younis and assistant coach Aaqib Javed, both fast bowlers of skill and nous, had found strong echoes at the World Cup, according to Gul. “I’ve only fully understood in this World Cup how much help I have got from them.” On the tour to New Zealand, Waqar had informed Gul that he would be bowling with the new ball in the World Cup. “For the last one-and-a-half-years, I wasn’t able to deliver with the new ball because of which I lost my form.” In the last two-three months, however, working with both Waqar and Aaqib, had brought it all back, rhythm, confidence and success. “It’s been like I was bowling in the past, I’ve got my new-ball skills back, which is good for the team.”One of the biggest dilemmas facing Pakistan is whether to play Shoaib Akhtar in what could be one of his last matches. Shoaib was dropped following Pakistan’s defeat to New Zealand but Gul dismissed the talk that he had been omitted because of issues within the team about Shoaib’s conduct. “He was rested after the New Zealand match so that he can focus on his fitness. The way he has been practicing for three days, I hope he will do well.”Shoaib’s partnership with medium-pacer Abdul Razzaq and also the spin option of Mohammed Hafeez at the start has worked well enough, but Gul welcomed the idea of sharing the new ball with Shoaib. Asked whether he personally would like to partner Shoaib against India, Gul said, “Of course. He is our most experienced bowler and he has done very well in the past, especially against India. A little bit of pressure will be lifted off me too if he plays because in the last couple of matches, when Shoaib wasn’t there, all the pressure was on me.”Gul was asked whether he agreed with what MS Dhoni had said about the match actually being bigger than a final. He said, “See, I don’t think Dhoni was talking for himself, he was speaking about the expectations of the Indian people. As a player, no one would say this (a semi-final) is bigger than the final, but every cricketer feels the pressure of their people. We also feel the same pressure – our people also feel that we must beat India in each match. You can say that, if we were speaking not for ourselves, but for Pakistan’s people, then yeah, it’s a final and we will try to win.”A semi-final can’t be bigger than a final but it’s a big match, a high-pressure match.” Whether it is a knockout game or a league game, “any match against India is a big match always,” Gul said, and then, for the first time in the press conference, he smiled.The match was “crucial” for the teams but then Gul moved beyond the cricket. “It brings both countries closer, it’s very good not only for the players but also for both countries.” The prime ministers of both nations seem to agree with the fast bowler. “People from both countries want us to play each other often. Both fans enjoy the cricket because the more we play each other, it’s better. I hope it will be a good match and both countries play well.”He also understood what the consequences would be for the losing semi-finalists. “Always, whether you are the Indian or the Pakistani team, there is pressure. The supporters of both teams absolutely cannot bear a defeat. But we’ve done well in the World Cup, we’ve won six of our seven games. The kind of support we have got from Pakistan, we are very happy. Whether we win or lose is not in our hands, we will try and play good cricket.”The team had not heard of Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik’s comments about how they would be monitored closely following the spot-fixing controversy. “I am not aware of this until now … We don’t focus on the media; we are focussing only on our cricket. The kind of pressure we have had over the last several months and the way we have handled it, this (the Malik statement) is no pressure at all.”Before he walked off to be with his mates and in the shadows again Gul faced a question about whether he sought stardom of the kind enjoyed by Afridi and Shoaib. He could have given the safe answer but chose not to. He spoke like a young man doing the hard yards in a punishing profession. “It is only natural, every player hopes he will get the kind of fame that Sachin (Tendulkar) or Afridi has. It doesn’t work that way though. Players like that are idols, so Afridi and Shoaib, whether they perform or don’t perform, are idols for the people of Pakistan. They will always remain that way. Sometimes in the heart, yes I do wish that I have the same kind of fans that Afridi and Shoaib have, the same fan following.”Then the fast bowler in him returned and he said, “But even then, I am satisfied with the following I have but I am never satisfied with my performance. If I do well in one game I want to perform better in the next … I always want to try to perform better than the previous time.”No better time to perform than in a World Cup semi-final.Which is why in the evening, like Gul had earlier promised, the Pakistanis turned out for a fielding session under lights, spending an hour. It was meant to assess the dew factor in Mohali and to give their skills one final polish. Pakistan are not practicising tomorrow and this session under lights would be their last hour on the field before they walk out into the sun on Wednesday afternoon.

The Bangladesh selectors’ contracts, which expire on April 30, will not be renewed the Bangladesh Cricket Board has said

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2011The Bangladesh selectors’ contracts, which expire on April 30, will not be renewed the Bangladesh Cricket Board has said. The three-man committee is headed by Rafiqul Alam and includes former captain Akram Khan and Zahid Razzak.The decision comes as part of a revamp of the Bangladesh cricket setup, after a disappointing World Cup performance. Coach Jamie Siddons departed earlier this month, after Bangladesh succumbed 3-0 to Australia at home, while a host of support staff are either leaving or under review. While bowling coach Ian Pont has already parted ways with Bangladesh cricket, strength and conditioning coach Grant Trafford Luden will stay on for another year and the future of fielding coach Julien Fountain and physio Michael Henry is as yet unclear.The BCB has also decided to initiate legal proceedings against Nimbus Sports International, to recover outstanding dues in connection with television broadcast rights.

Steven Smith has called Michael Clarke a “very, very good captain of spin” and believes he stands to benefit from Clarke’s close relationship with Shane Warne

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2011Steven Smith, the Australia legspinning allrounder, has called Michael Clarke a “very, very good captain of spin” and believes he stands to benefit from Clarke’s close relationship with Shane Warne. Smith is currently recovering from ankle surgery but hopes to start running next week and bowling within a month. If all goes well, Smith should get his first chance to play Test cricket under Clarke during the away series against Sri Lanka in August and September. The pair has already developed a solid working relationship in the limited-overs formats of the game.”He’s helped me out a lot,” Smith told the . “He’s a big believer in giving a bit of protection when you start off and when you get into your spell bring your men in. Warnie was a big believer in that as well. He thought if you had your men out and brought them in you were attacking. If you had to push men out it felt like you were retreating and the batsmen were on top.”I think that’s something Michael’s got from Shane by being good friends with him and that will help me out a lot with my bowling.”There is expected to be limited competition for the spinner’s spot in the playing XI. Offspinner Nathan Hauritz is still recovering from shoulder surgery, while left-arm spinner Michael Beer and offspinner Jason Krejza will be part of next month’s Australia A tour to Zimbabwe.Smith has also benefitted from the late Terry Jenner’s expertise, if not quite to the same extent that Warne did. “He [Jenner] is an absolute genius at what he does,” Smith said. “The sessions I had with him I learned a lot from and continue to learn a lot. There were a few things like tactics and trying to work out a batsman, looking at them even when you’re not bowling to them.”Looking at the way they’re doing things. See if you can pick up anything. It’s pretty tough coming on to bowl and trying to figure out what they’re doing. He also slowed down my run-up and made sure I was more composed at the crease. He got my bowling shoulder up a little bit higher to allow me to get over the ball a little bit more and help me with drift.”