Once the match was reduced to nine overs a side, the hosts defended their total of 64 with Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka picking up five wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2018ICC/Getty

South Africa continued their 16-day domination at home by whitewashing Bangladesh 3-0 with a 23-run win in a rain-curtailed T20I in Bloemfontein. After the match was reduced to nine overs a side (three overs of Powerplay), South Africa defended their total of 64 with key contributions from fast bowlers Marizanne Kapp (2 for 8) and Ayabonga Khaka (3-10).Put in to bat, Tazmin Brits, South Africa’s new 27-year-old opener, top-scored with a 22-ball 29. Only one other player – Dane van Niekerk – scored in double digits as Brits took them to the eighth over, in which South Africa lost two wickets. Captain and offspinner Salma Khatun picked up 2 for 18 from her two overs.In the chase, Bangladesh were strangled from the start. Shabnim Ismail began proceedings with a maiden, which was followed by Kapp and Khaka striking in consecutive overs. Khaka struck again, twice actually, in three balls in the sixth over, and reduced the visitors to 26 for 4. The result was a formality thereafter. Only opener Shamima Sultana (12) and No. 6 Fahima Khatun (10) faced more than 10 balls each.South Africa had also beaten Bangladesh 5-0 in the ODI series.

Shadab’s career-best 4 for 32 bundled Zimbabwe out for the lowest ODI total in Bulawayo

The Report by Danyal Rasool13-Jul-2018
AFP

Pakistan romped to victory against Zimbabwe in the first ODI at Queen’s Sports Club, Bulawayo, pummelling the hosts by 201 runs. It was their first win of the year, but on the evidence of the gulf in ability between these two sides, it appears inevitable they will add four more in the next ten days or so.A career-best 128 from opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq helped Pakistan amass 308. It was plenty against the beleaguered Zimbabweans, who didn’t at any point look like either keeping in touch with the run rate or knitting together a partnership.A side depleted by infighting, and lately, injury, never looked like a batting unit of international calibre. While some of the weaknesses were papered over by Solomon Mire’s brilliance in the T20I tri-series, they stood well and truly exposed on Friday.Debutant Ryan Murray was, if you were particularly determined in looking for a positive, unbeaten on 32 by the time the innings wrapped up for 107, but only one other batsman crossed 20. It was a feeding frenzy for Pakistan’s bowlers, Usman Shinwari beginning the bloodbath with two early wickets, while Shadab walked away with career-best four for 32 to seal Pakistan’s fifth biggest win in ODI history.Pakistan, who were put in to bat under overcast skies in the morning, were unusually cautious in the first hour or so, in stark contrast to the approach they’ve become known for over the past two years. The run rate was under four for the first 15 overs, and they didn’t seem to get out of second gear even after that.It wouldn’t be remiss to give the Zimbabwean bowlers some credit for that, though. The opening pair was excellent with the new ball, Blessing Muzarabani and Tendai Chatara maintaining a steady off stump line that repeatedly threatened to draw Imam’s outside edge. Despite being slow, the innings was played almost entirely on Pakistan’s terms. When Fakhar Zaman and Imam did begin to accelerate slightly, Zimbabwe looked short on ideas as to how they would be contained.They brought on 18-year old offspinner and captain of the Under-19 Zimbabwean team Liam Roche, a debutant with a pleasing high arm action and a mop of hair almost just as eye-catching. And he struck the big blow in the 25th over, removing Fakhar with a sharp catch off his own bowling to claim his first international wicket.By then, Imam, who had looked so tentative against the new ball, was slowly coming into his own. Playing his first match in Zimbabwe – he hadn’t been part of Pakistan’s triumphant tri-series last week – he was solid once the first 10 overs had been seen off. It still wasn’t the modern one-day innings you might have come to expect from a 21-year old opener in this new Pakistan side.It took him 75 balls to reach his 50, but after that, he was chiefly responsible for picking up the pace of the innings. It began when he smashed Roche out of the attack shortly after Fakhar fell, hitting four boundaries in his seventh over and hurtling towards his second ODI century.As Imam began to tire after reaching his century – given a reprieve when wicketkeeper Murray put down a tough diving chance on 77 – it was debutant Asif Ali who gave the innings the impetus it lacked for the first 40 overs. The power hitter Pakistan have been crying out for in leaner times over the years, smashed four fours and two sixes in a 25-ball 46, catapulting Pakistan past 300.While Asif was in full flow, it looked as if Pakistan would get close to 325, but Chatara, who ended up arguably the best Zimbabwean bowler on the day, removed him two overs before the close to drag Pakistan back.However, those hypothetical few runs they might have added were decidedly academic in the end, with Zimbabwe looking far removed from putting up any meaningful resistance to this world-beating Pakistan side. The thought there are four more of these games to go is a somewhat disconcerting one, not least for the Zimbabwean players who’re sitting this one out.

Suranga Lakmal defended seven runs off the final over to cap off Sri Lanka’s most inspired showing in the field and best batting performance of the series so far

The Report by Firdose Moonda08-Aug-2018Suranga Lakmal defended seven runs off the final over to cap off Sri Lanka’s most inspired showing in the field and best batting performance of the series so far and end an 11-match losing streak against South Africa.After rain interrupted both innings, South Africa’s target was reduced to 191 runs off 21 overs and they looked set to reach it. They needed 69 runs off the last 10 overs with seven wickets in hand when Sri Lanka started a squeeze which became a strangle. South Africa lost six wickets for 54 runs as Thisara Perera and Lakmal took Sri Lanka to their first win in the five-match series.Sri Lanka created a position of strength for themselves from the start of the match. Upul Tharanga and Niroshan Dickwella put on their first opening partnership over 50 in the series, Kusal Perera scored a quickfire half-century, Thisara added a fifty of his own and Dasun Shanaka, playing his 10th ODI and first since November 2016, top-scored with 65 off 34 balls.The only South African bowler who was somewhat spared was the most experienced. JP Duminy was the only member of the attack who conceded at under six runs to the over as the inexperience of the rest of the pack, who were without Kagiso Rabada, showed.Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will take confidence from their much-improved efforts albeit against a South African XI missing many of its regulars. The depth of the South African attack was tested throughout Sri Lanka’s time at the crease and the young seamers struggled with consistency of length and line in damp conditions.Dickwella took advantage as soon as Lungi Ngidi went too full and was particularly severe on debutant Junior Dala, off whom he took three fours in the eighth over. Duminy, who was introduced in the 10th over, ended the opening stand when Dickwella got a leading edge trying to paddle him past Quinton de Kock but that did little to stop the runs. Tharanga took over from where Dickwella left off and sent Andile Phehlukwayo for back-to-back fours and Wiaan Mulder for a six over long-off. Mulder had the last laugh in that situation when he bowled Tharanga with an offcutter but his yo-yo outing saw him finish as South Africa’s most expensive bowler.Suranga Lakmal takes flight•AFP/Getty

Keshav Maharaj made his first appearance in the series and had Kusal Mendis lbw with the score on 100 but then Sri Lanka wrested control. Kusal Perera and Angelo Mathews put on 59 runs for the fourth wicket, and both fell to rash shots. Mathews threw his bat at a delivery outside off, got a thick outside edge and de Kock flung himself to his right to pluck the ball out of the air while Kusal Perera, after bringing up fifty off 28 balls, holed out to long-on.That left Thisara to launch the late assault and he did not disappoint, though he was overshadowed by his junior partner. Shanaka’s first shot in anger was a slog-sweep over midwicket off Duminy and he then thumped Mulder over mid-off, sent an Andile Phehlukwayo slower ball over midwicket, hoicked Dala off his hips and then took 21 runs off Dala’s final over to bring up fifty off 30 balls. By then, Thisara had joined in on the fun too and almost took Ngidi’s hand off as he slammed the ball past him for four, smoked him for six over midwicket and found six more over Ngidi’s head. Thisara’s fifty came off 44 balls.Sri Lanka scored 105 runs in the last ten overs to finish on 306 and South Africa’s target was revised to 308 runs in 39 overs at an asking rate of 7.9, which then became even tougher when the rain returned after two overs of the reply. South Africa were 21 without loss and were off the field for an hour and a quarter. When they returned, they had to score 170 runs from the remaining 19 overs, at an asking rate of 10.50.De Kock, in his first match as captain, grabbed the chase by the scruff of the neck and was on 23 off 12 balls when he was bowled by a Lakmal full-toss as he tried to cut. Reeza Hendricks, the centurion from the third match, drove Shanaka to cover, where Dhananjaya de Silva needed a second attempt at the catch, so it was up to Hashim Amla to steady things.Amla’s fluency returned and with Duminy at the other end, the boundary was plundered often. The pair put on 57 for the third wicket and had South Africa on track. But when Amla was dismissed, slicing an Akila Dananjaya ball to point, Sri Lanka started to claw their way back.Mathews took a low catch at extra cover to dismiss Heinrich Klaasen and Duminy was run-out by a Shanaka direct-hit at the non-striker’s end in the same over, leaving the crowd clearing their throats as South Africa stumbled. They were 130 for 5 after 13 overs, needing 61 runs from 48 balls. Phehlukwayo slammed two fours off Lahiru Kumara but was bowled by Thisara while playing across the line, and Mulder was caught off a pull shot by Dhananjaya at short midwicket which left David Miller with Keshav Maharaj and the tail.Miller needed to keep strike, with Maharaj’s penchant to swing wildly, and the balance between run-scoring and run-refusal was delicate. Maharaj got lucky with an inside egde off Lakmal past the keeper and showed some measure of his batting ability when he struck Thirsara back over his head for four but missed an attempt to slap him through cover again and was bowled. At that stage, South Africa needed eight off the final over and when Miller tried to go big off the second ball, a well-disguised slower delivery, he played on to end South Africa’s challenge.

Ben Stokes gave Durham a flying start but when he departed the Sussex attack took charge

Jon Culley24-Aug-2018
ScorecardIf timing is everything, then maybe Sussex have theirs just right going into the meaningful part of the season. Hard on the heels of Division Two leaders Warwickshire in the race for promotion in the Championship after four wins off the reel, they have repeated the sequence in the Vitality Blast.Having finished their South Group programme with three straight victories to slip deftly into a quarter-final place, they put a dent in Durham’s revival with a fourth in a row to give themselves a chance of finishing Jason Gillespie’s first season as coach with a trophy.Ben Stokes, unexpectedly, was given the green light to play for Durham, despite the injury to his left knee, although not as a bowler. Desperate to make a meaningful contribution in only his fifth appearance for his county this year, he was sent in at the top but fell for 34 off 24 balls, albeit unluckily.It might be unwise to bet against Sussex. Certainly, it is difficult to think of a team with a bowling attack better suited to this format than theirs, whether the requirement is for raw pace or canny spinners. The full range of their skills were in evidence here.They make a slightly less compelling case with the bat although, that said, Laurie Evans is probably playing as consistently well as he has done in this format and in the 20-year-old Bermudan Delray Rawlins they clearly have a young batsman with an exciting future.Rawlins, in only his seventh appearance in T20, made 42 from 34 balls in an innings full of swagger. In a low-scoring match in which no batsman managed to clear the Riverside’s long boundaries, his partnership with Evans, adding 70 for the third wicket between the fourth over and the 13th, made victory for his side a formality in the end, Evans sticking around to get the job done with an unbeaten 66.Durham punished pace on to the bat at the start, but Chris Jordan took heed and Jofra Archer and Tymal Mills followed suit by reining themselves in. Will Beer and Danny Briggs, both highly accomplished slow bowlers in T20, brought all their experience to bear in the middle overs and squeezed the life out of what had been a highly promising start by the home side, who had chosen to bat first.There was no doubt about the turning point of the night, early in the piece though it was. Durham had made the perfect start. They were 42 without loss in three overs, 62 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay. Stokes had been in his element, going hard at everything and making the pace work in his favour. Four of his six boundaries came in Archer’s first over.But Sussex had seen success with virtually the first slower ball of the innings when Jordan had Graham Clark caught off a top edge and when Beer, who has had to be patient in the competition this year with Rashid Khan occupying the legspinner’s berth, entered the game immediately the field dropped back he snared the key wicket with the last ball of his first over.Becoming impatient after 10 balls without adding to a boundary count of six in his first 13, Stokes went to reverse sweep but missed and was hit squarely in front. Umpire David Millns raised the finger, and although the replays showed that the ball pitched a fraction outside the line, Durham should still have built better on the start the England allrounder had given them.Beer and Briggs bowled superbly, conceding only one boundary between them as Durham went 10 overs without getting a single shot across the rope. Stuart Poynter’s 28 off 24 balls pushed the total up to 140 with some solid blows at the death but that was never likely to be enough, even for a side used to defending small totals.Indeed, with no Imran Tahir or James Weighell, missing with a broken hand, they were down two of their three leading wicket-takers. Mark Wood, in only his third appearance in this summer’s competition, removed Luke Wright early on and forced a misjudgment from Rawlins when the youngster, who had played some wonderful shots, allowed his cockiness to get the better of him. But it was not enough.Evans played with measured authority, taking the anchor role to allow Rawlins his head, their partnership putting Sussex in an unstoppable position, taking the lead thereafter in what turned into a relative canter into the last four, with five wickets and 10 balls to spare.

If fit, the fast bowler, who hasn’t played for South Africa since the Galle Test in July, would have been selected alongside Dale Steyn for the upcoming ODIs against Zimbabwe

Firdose Moonda19-Sep-2018Vernon Philander has begun bowling rehabilitation this week as he recovers from an ankle injury that could sideline him until at least November.Philander has struggled with his ankle since twisting it against India in late 2015 and while the latest recurrence of the niggle will not affect his Test-playing ability, it may impact his chances of making a case for World Cup selection.If fit, Philander would have been picked alongside Dale Steyn for the upcoming ODIs against Zimbabwe but he will miss out. Philander also cannot be considered for the white-ball trip to Australia in October-November but may have an opportunity to return during the T20 tournament that is due to be played from early November to mid-December. However, it’s likely Philander will only make a comeback on Boxing Day, when South Africa host Pakistan.Philander last played for South Africa in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle in mid-July, where the injury flared up. He did not play the second Test in Colombo and has not played any county cricket or in any T20 leagues since as he concentrates on recovery. Surgery is an option, but that would require a longer recovery time and CSA’s medical team are opting for a more conservative approach.

Having set Tim Paine’s men 462 to win, Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas landed three body blows to the Australian aspiration of seeing out the 137 overs they need to survive

The Report by Danyal Rasool10-Oct-2018Pakistan put themselves seven wickets away from a third straight Test victory over Australia in the UAE, after taking three wickets after tea on the fourth day of the first Test. Having set Tim Paine’s men 462 to win, they landed three body blows to Australian aspirations of seeing out the 137 overs they need to survive. All three wickets were claimed by the unstylish brilliance of Mohammad Abbas within 12 balls of each other when the score reached 87 – Australia’s version of the unlucky number 13. Usman Khawaja once again displayed his desire and commitment to be an integral part of the Australian Test squad looking ahead, finishing the day unbeaten on a steely half-century.As was the chase in the first innings, Australia’s openers continue to lead the resistance against a Pakistan surge. Khawaja and Aaron Finch picked up where they left off after their 142-run stand was broken yesterday, adding 87 for the first wicket. Aside from four overs at the top by Abbas, who was his consistent, probing self, the spinners operated for almost the entirety of the session before tea. But the Australian openers were wise to their wile, picking Bilal Asif early – perhaps even out of the hand – and their footwork did not let them down.If someone had told Australia they would bat 50 overs today without losing a single wicket to spin, they would have snapped your hand off. But Abbas, always unsung but perpetually impressive, ensured the day would still firmly be Pakistan’s, with a spell of fast bowling so unerringly accurate even the Dubai surface could not help but reward him with wickets. Finch, who he had worked over with phenomenal forbearance in the first innings, once again succumbed to a similar delivery. Straight and tailing in, this one clattered into his pads a little quicker and sharper than the opener had been expecting. It trapped him dead in front.Two balls later, Shaun Marsh poked at one that seamed away, giving Sarfraz Ahmed an easy catch, while his brother Mitchell was trapped in front in much the same way as Finch. Both failed to trouble the scorers, but Travis Head stepped up to the occasion and put together an unbeaten 61-run partnership with Khawaja, showing the sort of mettle Justin Langer would’ve wished was more on display in this Test match.There was plenty to suggest Yasir Shah and Asif will continue to grow in stature as the match progresses. The odd ball spun sharply enough to worry the batsmen, and Yasir occasionally found the inside edge to keep the short leg interested. Pakistan set an unnecessarily negative field, before lunch, though; there were a number of fielders on the boundary in what were not conventional catching positions. Against a team that still required more than 400 runs to win, there was little need of such conservatism.Mohammad Abbas traps Aaron Finch in front and gets the decision in his favour•Getty Images

For Australia, though, the work is less than half done. They must bat out at least 90 overs if they are to avoid defeat here. Pakistan’s declaration came eight overs after lunch, when Shafiq holed out with Pakistan’s lead at 461, attempting to launch Nathan Lyon over the midwicket boundary.Any hopes Australia may have had of running through Pakistan this morning were dashed by a sedate, sensible partnership between Imam-ul-Haq and Haris Sohail. The pair guided their team out of the slightly uncomfortable overnight score of 45 for 3 with a 65-run partnership. It was hard to say whether the pitch had flattened out considerably since the last two sessions on Tuesday, or if it was just a case of Haris and Imam applying themselves better. They waited for Lyon’s turn while going after Jon Holland.The first hour took the lead entirely out of the territory Australia were hoping for. But they did hit back with Holland and Marnus Labaschugne dismissing the Imam-Haris pair in quick succession, but with the lead having surpassed 450, Pakistan were well on their way.The fall of the overnight batsman brought Shafiq and Babar together, and the pair maintained the tempo the left-handers had set. A six – off Holland, predictably – from Babar set the partnership rolling, and Australia began to leak runs thereafter. The pair rotated the strike regularly, finding boundaries almost every over, speeding towards the imminent declaration. Forty-one came off the last eight overs before lunch, and by the end, even Australia looked to be going through the motions.By the end, though, Khawaja and Head were certainly fully focused, and will need to remain that way for a final day that will surely test their character, endurance and abilities to the fullest.

India’s captain and vice-captain have told in a letter to BCCI that they see no reason to replace Ramesh Powar as head coach, and that the decision to drop Mithali Raj during the World T20 semi-final had been unanimous

Nagraj Gollapudi03-Dec-2018Days after BCCI put out an advertisement to hire a new head coach for the Indian women’s team, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, two of India’s senior players, have made strong appeals to the board to stick with Ramesh Powar, who had held the job till November 30.In separate e-mails sent to the BCCI on Monday, Harmanpreet and Mandhana – the captain and vice-captain of the T20I team respectively – categorically stated that Powar should “continue” as the head coach keeping in mind the T20 World Cup in 2020 and that replacing him would only affect the growth of the Indian team.Under his contract, which ended on November 30, Powar was eligible for a one-year extension that was contingent on a positive appraisal. Instead, the BCCI opted to advertise for the head coach position, with interviews scheduled for December 20. The new coach, who will get a two-year contract, is likely to be shortlisted by the cricket advisory committee or a group of eminent cricketers.Harmanpreet’s email was titled “Humble Request” while Mandhana’s was “Sincere Plea.” Both marked their e-mails to the two-member Committee of Administrators (CoA), Rahul Johri (BCCI CEO), Saba Karim (head of women’s cricket) and the three BCCI office-bearers. The emails were also copied to Trupti Bhattacharya (India women team manager) and Sudha Shah (one of the national selectors). Neither player was available for comments, and ESPNcricinfo could not ascertain what prompted them to send the e-mails.However, ESPNcricinfo understands that the players wanted to let the BCCI top brass know about Powar’s impact on the team, despite his getting embroiled in the controversy over the omission of Mithali Raj from the semi-final of the World T20 last month. Raj had accused Powar of trying to “destroy” her career, and Powar responded by saying Raj had threatened to retire if she was not allowed to open in the World T20.After India lost to England in the semi-final, Harmanpreet said it was a collective decision to leave Raj out. Both Harmanpreet and Mandhana have reiterated that point in the letter, saying all decisions about the playing XI for the World T20 matches were unanimous and were always taken in the interest of the team. According to Harmanpreet, Powar was not solely responsible for the exclusion of Raj in the WT20 semi-final.”Ramesh Powar was not singlehandedly responsible,” Harmanpreet wrote. “The decision was entirely based on cricketing logic and observations from the past,” Harmanpreet wrote in the email, accessed by ESPNcricinfo. “Keeping in mind the need of the hour, me, Smriti, the selector (Sudha Shah) and the coach together in the presence of our manager felt that we should go ahead with the winning combination. And I believe it should have come to your knowledge that the intent was not personal but entirely based for the welfare of the team.”Both Harmanpreet and Mandhana emphasised the impact Powar had on the team during his short stint. Both pointed out that with India’s next international assignment — a bilateral tour of New Zealand — in January, and the T20 World Cup in “hardly” 15 months away, India could not afford another change of coach. Tushar Arothe had controversially resigned in July after a fallout with some of the high-profile regulars in the team.”There are hardly 15 months for the next T20 World Cup and a month to go for the New Zealand tour,” Harmanpreet wrote. “The way he has transformed us as a team, I feel no reason to replace him with any better at this point of time when the team is coordinating well with him and amongst each other.”Harmanpreet and Mandhana said that Powar’s biggest strength was he had got all players – seniors and juniors – into a state of mind where they played to win. Powar, the pair said, had changed the approach of the team and made the players gain immense self-belief. “Ramesh Powar not only improved us as players but did motivate us to set targets and challenge our own limits. He has changed the face of Indian women’s cricket team both technically and strategically. He has inculcated in us the sense of winning,” Harmanpreet wrote.Mandhana made the point that, under Powar, India had won “14 consecutive T20s” before the WT20 semi-final defeat.”Ramesh sir has changed the intent of players and given everyone confidence to express their selves on the field to their fullest. His one-to-one connect with each player has led to clarity in roles for all players and made everyone believe that they are matchwinners in his short tenure with the team.”Both Harmanpreet and Mandhana reflected on the controversy that Indian women’s cricket was plunged into in the aftermath of the leak of reports of Raj and Powar in the public domain. Harmanpreet said the defeat was “very disheartening”, but the Raj-Powar controversy had “stained” the image of Indian women’s cricket. She added that both Powar and Raj should resolve any “conflicts” between them by calling a “truce”, which would entail not just them, but entire Indian cricket would feel a “sense of security.”Mandhana said that for the sake of Indian cricket’s growth it was imperative that “everybody is on the same page” and differences be resolved “amicably.”Harmanpreet was blunt and said that in case the BCCI went ahead and replaced Powar, it could affect the team’s growth.”It takes a while to understand and select combinations and equate with a coach’s temperament. Another change of coach will affect our growth and we will have to start from scratch,” she wrote.

A win by 321 runs against Central Zone in Sylhet has propelled East Zone to the top of the table

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Dec-2018A win by 321 runs against Central Zone in Sylhet has propelled East Zone to the top of the table from the third position in the last round of BCL 2018-19. Eight wickets from 18-year-old offspinner Nayeem Hasan bowled out Central Zone for only 134 in their chase of 456, giving East Zone 11.2 points compared to Central Zone’s 1.5.Nayeem completed his 10-wicket haul after Imrul Kayes (78), Mominul Haque (82) and Mahmudul Hasan (94) put on half-centuries in the first innings that saw East Zone pile up 425. Mahmudul fell six short of his second first-class hundred as he was bowled by Taskin Ahmed, who shone with 4 for 96 off his 19.5 overs. Abu Hider, Mosaddek Hossain and Mosharraf Hossain, meanwhile, took two wickets apiece.In reply, Central Zone managed only 224, undone largely by Taijul Islam’s 6 for 92. Opener Pinak Ghosh (51) and Mosaddek (57) were the only batsmen to chip in with fifties, their side losing the last five wickets for only 31 runs.Brisk hundreds from captain Mominul (100 off 106) and No. 4 Yasir Ali (101* off 109) in the second innings ensured East Zone declared on 254 for 3 after only 43 overs on the third day. The target of 456 proved too much for Central Zone, who folded inside 43 overs. None of their batsmen could reach 40 as Nayeem completed his second 10-for in first-class cricket.Meanwhile, South Zone remained in contention for the title, still 62 runs ahead of North Zone, who are five wickets down for 186 in their second dig in Chittagong. A convincing victory would help South Zone pip East Zone to the top of the table and the trophy.

India’s chief selector said the wicketkeeper-batsman, a ‘champion in the making’, wasn’t part of the Australia ODIs because he needed rest

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2019Rishabh Pant is “very much” part of India’s World Cup plans and his absence from the ODI squad currently taking on Australia is because he needed rest, according to MSK Prasad, the chairman of selectors.”Rishabh Pant played three T20Is and four Test matches in Australia and that had an impact on his body,” Prasad told PTI. “He needed complete rest for two weeks and then we will take a call on how many matches he will play against England Lions. Let me put it straight, he is very much in our World Cup plans. He is a champion player in the making and even he is not fully aware the kind of potential he has.”The England Lions team will tour India for five one-dayers and two unofficial Tests in January-February, and, as per Prasad, Pant is likely to feature in some of the one-dayers. Prasad also felt his selection committee was vindicated after picking Pant for the Test series in England in August, given his run with the bat and his glove work since then.”Ravi (Shastri) and Virat (Kohli) had advised him to put his head down and respect the match situation, and he did exactly that,” Prasad said, referring to the 21-year-old’s century in the fourth Test in Sydney. “He proved that he can switch gears seamlessly. When we picked him for Tests, experts were sceptical about his keeping but 11 catches in a Test, record dismissals in Australia series proves that selection committee is vindicated.”The latest young player Prasad’s panel has picked is Punjab’s Shubman Gill, who will join the team for their limited-overs tour of New Zealand. Prasad said that Gill had been picked as a reserve opener.”Shubman is comfortable both opening the innings as well as playing in the middle-order. For the New Zealand series, we are looking at him as the reserve opener behind Shikhar (Dhawan) and Rohit (Sharma),” Prasad said. “I won’t comment if he will make it to World Cup but he was phenomenal as an opener for India A in New Zealand.”We have discussed with Rahul (Dravid, the A-team coach) that Shubman is ready for international cricket. The best part is the clutch of A tours which has made all these players battle ready for the biggest challenge. Look at Hanuma Vihari and Mayank Agarwal… they don’t look intimidated when thrown into the deep end of the pool.”Prasad’s panel had rested Jasprit Bumrah from the home Test series against West Indies that preceded the Australia tour, and he held that if Bumrah had played that series, the bowler wouldn’t have managed to play all four Tests in Australia, where he played a leading role in securing a series win for India.”Trust me, had Jasprit played those two Tests against West Indies, he wouldn’t have played all four Tests against Australia,” Prasad said. “The support staff has really monitored him well. He is now fitter and stronger, and with [bowling coach] Bharat Arun continuously working with him, he has improved as a bowler.”But a lot of credit should go to Jasprit because Arun gave him a plan but it was up to him to make the effort to implement the plan. He has really worked hard. When we first picked him, so many were sceptical whether it was prudent to pick a white-ball specialist but at the end of the year, we can all see the results.”

Next summer’s ninth edition of the Big Bash League may be pushed back to start as late as Boxing Day

Daniel Brettig22-Jan-2019Next summer’s ninth edition of the Big Bash League may be pushed back to start as late as Boxing Day, while Cricket Australia is also considering a shift of the limited-overs domestic competition away from the early season carnival format it has occupied since 2013.Amid a season in which players, broadcasters and the Australian public have been forced to make some large adjustments, particularly for the major increase in the length of the BBL from 43 games to a full 59-game home and away schedule, ESPNcricinfo understands the governing body is considering numerous tweaks to the calendar for 2019-20.Though CA and the broadcasters Seven and Fox Cricket are wholly committed to the full home and away BBL format, there has been discussion of whether to move the starting point of the tournament to later in the summer, packing more games into January before building up to the mid-February finals series that is being tried for the first time in 2018-19.Such a move would follow common complaints by BBL teams and state associations that the pre-Christmas landscape is a challenging one for attracting supporters relative to the January school holiday period. Previous discussions of BBL matches being scheduled on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day led to two matches being scheduled on December 24 this tournament, but the BBL chief Kim McConnie has always made clear that organisers were learning what works and what does not as they go along.”We don’t [have set expectations]. It’s the first time we’ve ever done it,” she told in December. “The beauty of the Big Bash is it paves the way in many areas. We like the idea of ‘we’re going to try and see and learn along the way’. We don’t have any expectations other than learning on what works and doesn’t work.”At the same time, CA is considering a move away from the September-October carnival format for the domestic 50-over tournament for the first time in six years. That move, made in 2013 at the start of the previous broadcast deal cut with the Nine and Ten networks, squeezed the premier state-based white-ball competition into a few weeks, in a marked departure from the traditional format that had Sheffield Shield and limited-overs games interspersed evenly across the season.A shift back to scheduling state matches of either format during the months now occupied by the BBL appears close to impossible, but moving the domestic limited-overs tournament into shared windows with the two halves of the Shield rounds would allow players, coaches and selectors the chance to make assessments of their white-ball skills in a far more expansive way across a season than is currently the case.After Australia won the World Cup at home in 2015, the decline in the national team’s 50-over fortunes has coincided with the continuation of the tournament format, which was adopted for reasons including its closer resemblance to an ICC event and also the easier task it created for physical management of fast bowlers in particular over the course of a season.Pat Howard, the former team performance manager, was a noted advocate of the carnival format, which has divided opinion amongst players throughout. This season saw a trade-off between the abandonment of the experimental inclusion of a CA XI for younger players in the tournament with a format that meant that every team would play in the play-off matches, regardless of how many qualifying matches they won.Howard’s departure, alongside that of the former chief executive James Sutherland, is believed to have helped open up broader discussion about the state competition, even as the tighter tournament structure continues to have numerous vocal advocates within the system. Other factors in decision-making will also include logistical concerns for state teams and the preferences of Fox Cricket for broadcasting the 50-over tournament.