Category Uncategorized

Brad Haddin and Shane Watson are the latest members of Australia’s one-day squad to be rested with both men to sit out of the third and fourth ODIs against West Indies

Cricinfo staff09-Feb-2010Brad Haddin and Shane Watson are the latest members of Australia’s one-day squad to be rested with both men to sit out of the third and fourth ODIs against West Indies. Tim Paine will join the squad for his first international appearances since he broke a finger on Australia’s one-day tour of India in October.Paine made an impressive start to his ODI career after coming in for the injured Haddin during the series in England and he is likely to open the batting with Shaun Marsh. Haddin has not missed an international game since the first Test of the summer and he is the only Australian to have played every match in that time.The other addition to Australia’s 13-man squad is Adam Voges, who was with the group for the limited-overs series against Pakistan but only played the final match. Watson was rested from two games against Pakistan but Australia are keen to be extra cautious with him due to his importance as an opening batsman and bowler in the Test and one-day formats.”After a busy international summer, and with an upcoming tour of New Zealand in mind, the national selection panel has taken the opportunity to manage the workloads of Brad Haddin and Shane Watson for the next two matches of the Commonwealth Bank Series,” the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said. “Tim Paine and Adam Voges are the players added to the squad.”Paine thoroughly deserves another chance behind the stumps for Australia in ODI cricket after playing so well in England, the ICC Champions Trophy and India late last year. Voges was unlucky to miss selection for the opening two matches of the Commonwealth Bank Series against the West Indies but now has a chance to press for selection.”Australia hold a 2-0 lead after convincing wins over West Indies in the opening games at the MCG and Adelaide Oval. The squad has been named for Friday’s third match in Sydney and Sunday’s fourth game in Brisbane and the selectors will reassess ahead of the fifth and final ODI in Melbourne on February 19.Australia squad Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Cameron White, Michael Hussey, Adam Voges, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz, Clint McKay, Doug Bollinger.

With India playing their three Super Eight games at different venues in the span in five days, adjusting quickly to conditions will be crucial

Sidharth Monga19-Jun-20246:54

We’ve pushed the needle forward with our batting – Dravid

As this India leadership group starts its last two weeks at the helm, it is a good time to look back. Their biggest legacy will be dragging India towards modern limited-overs batting. Look at its biggest manifestation: Virat Kohli is a much better T20 batter while retaining qualities that made him an ODI great. In India, though, legacy is judged by ICC trophies. That unfortunately remains the yardstick for a team now used to staying among the best at other times.In what has been a bit of an irony, what seems like a last hurrah for Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma at helm and will eventually decide how fondly they are remembered by the wider public, their real legacy of pushing the aggression envelope has had to take a back seat. Two of their biggest hitters, their modern T20 batters, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube, have had to play like they would in the middle overs of an ODI.”Like you rightly said, a lot of the impetus over the last few years – and I think we’ve done it in most parts – has been to push the needle forward,” Dravid said. “If you look at a lot of our stats and numbers, we have pushed the needle forward in terms of our batting.”There’s no question about it. Sometimes in certain conditions – you’ve just got to be mindful of conditions also. I think sometimes we just get carried away in T20 cricket and just talking about pushing the needle forward, pushing the needle forward. But then, it’s also, cricket is a very condition-specific game. It’s one of the only sports left where the surface makes such an impact on the actual skill levels, the actual performance levels, what is an acceptable performance level. It’s one sport that we play where the surface makes a huge difference and it has to be brought into consideration at all times.Related

• Six-hitter Dube awaits his moment to unleash

• Hayden expects short-of-runs Kohli to 'work out what to do' in the Caribbean

• Afghanistan's bowlers will ask questions, and India's batters must answer them

“I think we saw that in the US, and we saw that in New York, that had to be brought into consideration not only for us but for other teams as well. I think everyone had to do that. Actually, even in Australia [during the last T20 World Cup], there were times where you had to bring that into consideration. Not every wicket is Hyderabad or not every wicket can be the same. So, I think that’s something we pride ourselves in as well. I think we are trying to also get that ability to be smart in our decision making, to try and assess situations cleverly.”If India get the kind of pitches they had in New York, they are favourites. In the Super Eight, though, they, like most other teams, will have to deal with the unpredictability of new conditions in every match in the West Indies, and quickly decide how to approach their innings. In cricket’s other formats, batting is a reactive exercise: the bowlers start the action, and batters react to the merit of the delivery. In T20, the batters’ approach plays a bigger role. And it all depends on conditions.Rahul Dravid: Cricket is “one of the only sports left where the surface makes such an impact on the actual skill levels, the actual performance levels, what is an acceptable performance level.”•ICC/Getty Images

In a way, the previous two weeks of the T20 World Cup have been a bit of a lottery. You get put in, you take two extra overs to decide what a par score is, and you could be done for. That’s all it takes. That is likely what happened to Pakistan when they played USA. How do you mitigate the uncertainty, though? Dravid was asked exactly that a day before the start of India’s three Super Eight matches in five days in Barbados, Antigua and St Lucia.”We feel we’ve got the experience and the knowledge and also the ability to counteract different situations that may present themselves,” he said. “And then, of course, we are looking at things that the past games that have been played here, what have been the scores, what’s the level of swing that people are experiencing, amount of turn they’re getting, what’s the bounce. So, you look at all of these factors and you come up with some basic ideas.”But again, I think you’ve got to keep an open mind. I think that’s an important thing. You might have all the stats, you might have all the data, but on the day, sometimes conditions can be very different to what you think it is. Just because a particular ground has produced certain number of runs in the past or even 10 days prior, it can be very different because the preparation of a wicket, the weather, so much can change.”Even in the two or three days leading into a particular game, a lot can change that can force you to recalibrate and rethink. I think we will have to do that, be quick and smart and be able to do that and assess the conditions. I hope we will do that.”If New York was any indication, though, one change, though subtle, is clearly visible. India adjusted down instead of adjusting up. Err high rather than low. The top order, especially Kohli, showed enough faith in the batters to follow. It would have been easy for Kohli to play at a run a ball there but that is not his role. That seems to be the back-up option, and one for someone else to take. Nothing can guarantee success in T20 knockouts but that approach, provided they can manage to retain courage and indifference towards the end result, might just hold India in better stead than on previous attempts.

Cheteshwar Pujara top-scored with 59, the only batter to pass 30 as India were dismissed for 163 in their second innings

Alex Malcolm02-Mar-2023A remarkable eight-wicket haul from Nathan Lyon put Australia on the brink of a rare Test win in India. The game, however, was far from over after a stunning first-innings batting collapse from the visitors and an obdurate half-century from Cheteshwar Pujara kept the hosts in the contest in Indore.Day two was even more chaotic than day one, with Lyon claiming 8 for 64 to bowl India out for 163 in the second innings on the stroke of stumps, setting Australia a target of just 76. It would not have been that many without Pujara’s 142-ball 59. It might not have been that many without another chaotic Australian collapse in the morning session that will give India’s bowlers hope on the third day.Australia had led by 77 runs with six first-innings wickets in hand at drinks on the second morning only to lose 6 for 11 in 34 balls of chaos to let India back into the game. On a spinner’s paradise, Umesh Yadav took three wickets in three overs to finish with figures of 3 for 12, while R Ashwin bagged three at the other end to bowl Australia out with a lead of just 88. Their tail has provided no resistance on the entire tour, but this was statistically among the worst lower-order collapses in Australia’s Test history.Related

• The last grand battle between Pujara and Lyon?

• 'It was a massive moment' – Lyon on Smith's catch to dismiss Pujara

• Lyon banks on dad's wisdom and smart reviews to overcome Indore tussle

• Stats – Lyon trumps Kumble, and India's rare batting slump

Pujara had to work exceptionally hard to erase India’s deficit without much help from his top-order teammates as Lyon never let them breathe during an unwavering spell from around the wicket after lunch. Pujura stood firm but he never stood still in nearly four hours of attrition to keep India alive. Having learned from his mistake in the first-innings, he played almost exclusively on the front foot with a vertical bat, always playing in front of his pad, and used his feet superbly to smother the spin of Lyon, Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann. It was something his team-mates could not manage. Shubman Gill fell to a wild heave across the line to Lyon in the first over after lunch. Rohit Sharma misjudged the length going back to a full ball from Lyon. Virat Kohli played an ill-fated cross-bat shot off the back foot to Kuhnemann, before Ravindra Jadeja was unable to get his bat in front of his pad as he was trapped plumb in front by Lyon.India’s deficit though had been whittled to just 9 by tea and it quickly became a lead of 23 with six wickets in hand just four overs after the break. Shreyas Iyer thumped three fours and two sixes to leave Australia wondering if they had let the game slip from an impregnable position, just as they had done in Delhi.But Steven Smith, who captained magnificently in Pat Cummins’ absence, pulled the right rein by bringing Mitchell Starc into the attack. Shreyas chipped the ball to midwicket where Usman Khawaja took a diving catch to his left, having spent almost all of the second session off the field.Cheteshwar Pujara was superbly caught by Steven Smith at leg slip•Getty Images

Shreyas’ exit allowed Lyon to attack again from around the wicket. He beat KS Bharat on the outside edge with one that slid on to crash into middle and off before trapping R Ashwin plumb with one that spun back past the inside edge.India led by 52 with three wickets in hand but Australia were still sweating with India’s best batter in the series Axar Patel joining Pujara. Lyon kept probing, Smith kept tinkering with the field, and eventually the reward came. Smith took a stunning one-hander at leg slip having left that position vacant quite a lot during Pujara’s innings. Lyon was able to claim the final two wickets without Axar doing major damage and they avoided a nervy couple of overs starting the chase on the second night in the process.It was sweet relief for Australia having earlier butchered a chance to take the game well beyond India’s reach in the first innings. Peter Handscomb and Cameron Green had added 30 without loss and without any drama in the first hour of day two. Both batters had defended well and used their feet smartly to find scoring options without huge risk. Less than half an hour later Australia were all out with a lead of just 88, having lost 6 for 11 in 34 deliveries.It was a stunning turnaround sparked by Ashwin and Umesh, two bowlers Rohit had hardly used in the first hour. Ashwin found the perfect length that he had been searching for on day one and extracted some extra turn and bounce to have Handscomb caught at short leg. Umesh then claimed the key scalp of Green with a ball that just straightened a touch off the seam and had Green playing the wrong line as tried to work through the leg side. He was hit on the back leg and adjudged lbw by Joel Wilson. Had he not been given out, India would have had no reviews to use. Ball tracking had it clipping the outside corner of leg stump. Australia folded from there as they have done so often in this series with Umesh castling Starc and Murphy’s off stump with fast reverse-swinging deliveries from around the wicket while Ashwin got through Carey and Lyon’s defences with ease.

The second tour will make up for the matches lost when NZ called off the tour this year because of security concerns

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2021New Zealand are set to tour Pakistan twice next season, the two boards confirmed on Monday.The two teams will first face each other between December 2022 and January 2023 for two Tests, which will be part of the World Test Championship, and three ODIs, which will be part of the ODI Super League (for qualification for the World Cup). New Zealand then return to the country in April 2023 for five ODIs and five T20Is – the ODIs, in this instance, will be solely for ICC rankings points and not part of the ODI Super League.Related

• New Zealand, depleted and against all logic, are in Pakistan for a clash of unequals

• Ajaz Patel disappointed, but not surprised with his exclusion from home Tests

• 'There was no way we could stay in the country'

• Latham: NZ missed chance to share 'historic' moment

• England's withdrawal is a slap to Pakistan's face

The first visit will be a part of the Future Tours Programme, while the second was agreed to make up for the matches lost when New Zealand called off their limited-overs tour of Pakistan in September this year minutes before the scheduled start of the first ODI, citing security concerns. The limited-overs tour in April 2023 will have two additional ODIs being played, along with those scheduled in the 2021 series.”It’s good to be going back,” NZC chief executive David White said in a statement. “Our respective chairmen, Ramiz Raja and Martin Snedden, had very fruitful and constructive discussions while in Dubai, further strengthening the bond between the two organisations.”After being especially critical of the NZC’s decision when they abandoned the tour this year, Ramiz said that the board was “pleased with the outcomes of our discussions and negotiations”. “This reflects the strong, cordial and historic relations the two boards have, and reconfirms Pakistan’s status as an important member of the cricket fraternity,” he said.

He also believes the current Test team under Virat Kohli is the best-ever India team

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2020Sunil Gavaskar, the first man to 10,000 Test runs, was a batting template for an entire generation of Indian cricketers. He’s pleased that the next generation is raising the bar further. In an interview on ‘s E-Inspiration series, Gavaskar praised Rohit Sharma’s attacking style in particular, saying he would have loved to have been a free-flowing opener like Sharma.Since the start of 2015, Sharma has averaged 62.36 in 97 ODI innings and strikes at 95.44, with 24 centuries during that period. He is also currently the only batsman to have made multiple double-centuries – three – in ODI cricket, and is part of one of the most prolific ODI partnerships in history alongside Shikhar Dhawan. In the last home season, India transitioned him into a Test opening role as well, where he made a boisterous start with three centuries in five games.Gavaskar himself had a successful career as an ODI opener, finishing with an average of 35.13 in 108 matches. And while a strike rate of 62.26 was not automatically frowned upon during his playing time, he suggested that more belief in his own abilities might have made him score at a faster rate.”The way you see a Rohit Sharma opening the batting in one-day cricket, Test cricket smashing from the first over,” he said. “That is what I wanted to play. Circumstances and, of course, lack of confidence in my ability did not allow me to do that. But when I see the next generation doing it, I am absolutely over the moon, I love watching the next generation because there you see progress. You see how they are setting the bar higher for the next generation.”On a related note, Gavaskar said that the current Indian Test team under Virat Kohli is the best they’ve ever had. India are currently third in ICC’s Test rankings, one rating point behind New Zealand, and two behind Australia who are No. 1. They do, however, have a 64-point lead at the top of the World Test Championship standings as they brace for a Test series against Australia at the end of the year.Virat Kohli receives the ICC Test mace from Sunil Gavaskar•ICC

“I believe this team is the best ever Indian Test team in terms of balance, in terms of ability, in terms of skills, in terms of temperament. Can”t think of a better Indian Test team,” Gavaskar said. “This team has the attack to win on any surface. It doesn’t need any help [from] conditions. They can win on any surface. Batting-wise, there were teams in the 1980s that were pretty similar. But they didn’t have the bowlers that Virat has.”Much of India’s recent success in Tests, particularly the series win in Australia last year, has been credited to a potent and versatile bowling attack. The fast bowlers have near-identical numbers to the spinners under his captaincy, to the degree that no other Indian captain has ever had. The roster was part of the management’s plan to develop a bowling attack that would work anywhere in the world, and has made India a strong threat in overseas Tests. What’s left now, suggested Gavaskar, is a more rounded batting line-up.”[…] Without a question, India has got such a varied bowling attack today and that is so essential. There is a saying that if you don’t take 20 wickets, you won’t win a match. We have got the bowling to take 20 Australian wickets on one run less than what India has scored. You need to score runs also. We saw that in England in 2018. We saw that in South Africa in 2017 when we went there. (India lost both series)”We got 20 wickets every time but we didn’t score enough runs. But now I think we have also got the batting to be able to score more runs than Australians.”

The Australia one-day captain is determined that the team shouldn’t be distracted in any way by the return of the banned pair

Daniel Brettig21-Mar-2019Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch has revealed that Steven Smith and David Warner were “nervous” in their meeting with the current ODI squad in the UAE, stressing that the process was about making sure the former leaders were aware of what they needed to do to fit in with a vastly different set-up in the wake of their bans over the Newlands scandal.Smith and Warner were captured on a Cricket Australia video news release suggesting that they had slotted seamlessly back into the team they are still banned from representing until March 29. Both batsmen are now bound for the IPL, where they will attempt to make the runs that will help justify their likely selection in the squad for the World Cup in England and Wales. In response to questions from the team media manager, Warner said “it’s like we didn’t really leave”, while Smith offered a near echo with “it’s almost like we never left”.However, Finch spoke more frankly about the meeting, which took place minus injured fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, and felt that the imminent returns of Smith and Warner would take some adjusting to by both parties.”It was a really good few hours we had with them,” Finch said. “It’s always a bit tougher when it’s just in a meeting-type setting, but it was good to get them in and for the boys to just go to the bar and have a beer with them the night before, to sort of break the ice a little bit for the next day. They came in with almost bright eyes. It’s a totally different set-up to when they left it.”What’s important is they’re really keen to slot back into how this current side works and what we’ve been doing really well. They were probably as nervous as anyone coming back into the group – you’d think guys with 20-odd Test hundreds would just come back in. But it is a different time and they have been out for quite a while.ALSO READ: What Smith, Warner reintegration really means“But their respect for the group and everything was fantastic. I think it’s about managing not just their expectations – but everyone’s expectations – first up.”Since Smith and Warner were banned alongside Cameron Bancroft, Australia have taken on a new coach in Justin Langer, while CA was subject to a cultural review that arrived with many damning conclusions for the governing body and the national team. For all that introspection, many questions about Newlands and its lead-up remain unanswered, leaving Finch wary of how the presence of Warner and Smith with the team would be received in England.”The reality is there’s going to be a lot written and said about their returns. We’d be very naive if we didn’t expect that,” Finch said. “But for us it’s about concentrating on what we can do as a side…it might just be not reading the news for a couple of days, which is at times easier said than done.ALSO READ: Cameron Bancroft to captain Durham on comeback from ban“You just have to go about your own business and make sure you don’t let that become a distraction and at the end of the day, they’re not the ones writing articles or pushing their own [agendas]. It’s important to remember it is going to be what other people’s opinions are and that’s not always reality.”In terms of how Finch will use Smith and Warner as sources of advice, the captain was candid in noting that while the former leaders had plenty to offer, they would not be captaining the Australian side by stealth.”You use them tactically, no doubt,” said Finch. “They’re such great resources to have as a captain when you’re out on the field. It’d be silly not to use them. There might be days you don’t use them at all, there might be days you use them a lot…every situation is different in a game.”It’s important you lean on them when you need to. But them going about their own business and preparing and getting their mind right to play is the most important thing for the side.”As for whether the recall of Smith and Warner would create a squeeze in the Australian top order, Finch had no hesitation saying that if required he would be happy to move down the order to accommodate a better balance in the ODI team. “If that means me batting at six, I’ll comfortably do that. If it’s at the top, three or four – it doesn’t matter,” he said.”Personal results aren’t what this side is about. I think that’s what has made our improvement as dramatic and quick as it has been. If you go in just solely focused on scoring a hundred or thinking ‘if I bat five I’m not got to get a hundred, I don’t get enough opportunity’, that’s not what is best.”

Dasun Shanaka and Thisara Perera ransacked Bangladesh’s bowlers, after a fifty from opener Kusal Mendis, to help Sri Lanka chase down 194 – their highest in T20Is

The Report by Mohammad Isam15-Feb-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAssociated Press

Dasun Shanaka and Thisara Perera ransacked Bangladesh’s bowlers, after a fifty from opener Kusal Mendis, to help Sri Lanka chase down 194 – their highest in T20Is. This after fluent fifties from the returning Soumya Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim, who was passed fit after a niggle, led the hosts to their highest total in T20Is.Kusal Mendis, who had replaced the injured Kusal Perera, struck his maiden T20I fifty to give the chase direction. Sri Lanka then suffered a wobble when they lost Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis and Upul Tharanga in quick succession, but Shanaka and Thisara added an unbroken 65-run stand for the fifth wicket to take their team home.Mendis and Gunathilaka kickstarted the chase with four boundaries off seamer Mohammad Saifuddin in the second over, which cost 19 runs. While Mendis was particularly strong through midwicket, Gunathilaka regularly pierced the off-side gaps with cuts and drives. The pair added 53 for the opening stand before left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam – one of Bangladesh’s four debutants – had Gunathilaka stumped for a 15-ball 30.Mendis, however, continued his aggression: he welcomed Mustafizur Rahman into the attack with a hat-trick of boundaries through the covers. He went on to bring up a 25-ball fifty when he slugged Afif Hossain – also on debut – over midwicket for a six. The offspinner hit back when he had Mendis holing out to long-off two balls later.Tharanga didn’t last for too long thereafter, falling to a catch at the mid-wicket boundary in the ninth over but Shanaka restored Sri Lanka’s rhythm with back-to-back sixes off Mahmudullah in the next over.Saifuddin then leaked three boundaries in the 11th over but Rubel Hossain gave Bangladesh hope when he had Dickwella top-edging a catch to fine leg. Thisara and Shanaka then, however, combined to tear up the Bangladesh attack. Thisara was particularly severe on Rubel, hitting 18 runs off six balls, including two sixes. He finished with 39 not out off 18 balls while Shanaka hit an unbeaten 42 off 24.Bangladesh’s bowling starkly contrasted with their batting. Sarkar marked his return to the team with a maiden T20I fifty. He could have been dismissed for 12 had Gunathilaka hung onto a return catch in the second over. Sarkar then took three fours off Isuru Udana in the next over before Gunathilaka bowled debutant Zakir Hasan for 10.Just as Sarkar looked to reach a higher gear, he was given out lbw off Jeevan Mendis’ first ball. Replays indicated that the ball had pitched outside leg stump and was also heading past leg stump. Sarkar, who had fell over trying to pull the delivery, didn’t go for a review and walked off.Afif Hossain, also on debut, fell two balls later, with wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella showing great awareness to track down the googly, which had hit the back of the bat.Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah then got into the groove and relaunched Bangladesh’s innings in the last 10 overs. Mahmudullah smashed Jeevan Mendis over long-on before he hit Sri Lanka’s debutant Shehan Madushanka over the extra-cover boundary. He eventually fell for 43 off 31 balls, having struck two fours too. Mushfiqur, who posted his highest T20I score, then applied the finishing touches, but in all, it wasn’t enough for Bangladesh.

A round-up of the second day of Group A matches in the sixth round of the 2016-17 Ranji

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2016Mumbai bowled out Uttar Pradesh for 225 to pick up a slender first-innings lead and end the second day 59 runs ahead in Mysore.A double-strike by Tushar Deshpande (3 for 66) in the 16th over reduced UP to 45 for 4, after Shardul Thakur had removed overnight batsman Saurabh Kumar in the first over of the day. Rinku Singh, playing only his second Ranji game, scored his second fifty, but found little support from the other end till Kuldeep Yadav (50) put on 53 with him for the eighth wicket. He was dismissed for 70 by debutant Aditya Dhumal, with the score on 170 and UP still 63 behind.Kuldeep put on 46 for the ninth wicket with Imtiaz Ahmed (19) to bring UP close, but fell to Abhishek Nayar (2 for 19) after reaching his fifty, with UP nine short of the first-innings lead.Mumbai were 51 for 2 at stumps, having lost Kaustubh Pawar for 29, and Dhumal, who came in as nightwatchman for Shreyas Iyer.
Saurabh Wakaskar’s 104 helped Railways take a 127-run first-innings lead against Baroda in Nagpur.Railways began the day on 39 for 0, after Avinash Yadav’s five-wicket haul had reduced Baroda to 183 on the first day. Wakaskar and Shivakant Shukla (51) added a further 54 to that score, before Yusuf Pathan dismissed Shukla. Only three other batsmen got to double figures, and there were no other significant partnership in the innings, even as Wakaskar brought up his seventh first-class hundred and took Railways past Baroda’s score.Medium-pacer Atit Sheth’s struck regularly to finish with 4 for 54. But Mahesh Rawat’s 79-ball 72 stretched Railways’ lead to 127 before he was the last man out with the score on 310.Baroda were 27 for no loss at stumps.Axar Patel and Rush Kalaria took two wickets each as Gujarat reduced Madhya Pradesh to 162 for 5 after putting on 302 in the first innings at the Reliance Cricket Stadium in Nagothane.Gujarat had begun the day on 224 for 4, but were reduced to 225 for 6 within the third over. Medium-pacer Gaurav Yadav (3-57) took both those wickets, before removing Karan Patel shortly after to leave Gujarat reeling at 243 for 7. But overnight batsman Manpreet Juneja (79) put on 47 with Kalaria (28) to stretch the score past 300. Chandrakant Sakure took the last three wickets to finish with 4 for 65.In MP’s response, Rajat Patidar put on a 47-run second-wicket stand with Rameez Khan (13), and 74 for the third wicket with Naman Ojha (28) after losing his opening partner Aditya Shrivastava in the third over. Patidar scored 71 before Jasprit Bumrah removed him late in the day. Kalaria then removed Harpreet Singh Bhatia as MP ended the day five-down. Devendra Bundela (16*) and Shubham Sharma (4*) were at the crease.Sudip Chatterjee’s 100 took Bengal to 337 against Tamil Nadu in Rajkot.Bengal scored at the same rate as on the opening day – just above two an over. They added 147 in 64 overs to their overnight score of 190 for 3.Overnight batsman Agniv Pan fell in the fifth over of the day for 59. Sudip Chatterjee, who had retired hurt on 34 on the first day, returned to join Shreevats Goswami (35) and the pair put on 44 for the sixth wicket, before Goswami was removed by medium-pacer K Vignesh. Chatterjee then batted with the lower order to stretch the score to 337 and bring up his first century of the season, after scoring fifties in the first innings of each of the previous three matches he played. He was dismissed by K Vignesh, who finished with 4 for 70.Tamil Nadu lost Washington Sundar in the first over of their response, but Abhinav Mukund (19*) and Kaushik Gandhi (25*) took them to stumps without further damage, as Tamil Nadu ended on 60 for 1.

In the aftermath of the comical controversy, in which Ishant Sharma was left out of Delhi’s Ranji Trophy squad as he didn’t respond to phone calls and text messages, coach Ajay Jadeja has admitted there is a need to “communicate better with the media.”

Gaurav Kalra26-Sep-201510:19

‘We are here to win Ranji trophy’ – Jadeja

In the aftermath of the comical controversy, in which Ishant Sharma was left out of Delhi’s Ranji Trophy squad as he didn’t respond to phone calls and text messages, the team’s newly appointed coach Ajay Jadeja has admitted there is a need to “communicate better with the media.” After the issue generated headlines, Ishant was included in the squad though he only made himself available from the second game of the season, leading to another round of embarrassing headlines for the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA).”I think we need to get better at communicating with the media and putting out clearer statements and making life easier for the media, so that they can have the right story and have one person talk about it,” Jadeja told ESPNcricinfo. “For the players, there should not be pressure on them to reply to the media or even for the selectors. We need to get better at communication, but every story that I have read says the same thing. The headlines keep changing, the stories say the same thing – that when he is ready, he will walk in. I don’t think anyone who has played the game or been around the game would question that. Which team in India would not like Ishant to play for them if he is available?”Jadeja, 44, comes into the role of head coach at a tricky time for Delhi cricket. Reports of rampant factionalism have dogged the early part of the season. Veteran players, such as Virender Sehwag and Mithun Manhas, have moved on to other associations, while some, like Rajat Bhatia, have been dropped altogether. Jadeja, who came through age-group cricket in Delhi and has played for the state in the past, recognises the challenges that await him.”Since it (Delhi) is the capital, it is always in the news, mostly not for the right reasons but fortunately till now I was given an offer to work with the team a few days ago,” he said. “I must confess that I haven’t faced a problem till now. The team has been picked by three selectors who are chosen by the government. I have been gratified by the association. I heard that there were three teams that were first put out but at the moment, things are looking good and that is what we hope.”File photo – In the absence of senior players like Virender Sehwag, Delhi’s responsibilities will rest on their captain Gautam Gambhir•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the absence of this core group of senior players, Delhi have named a young squad. Jadeja, who has been a player-coach in his stints at Haryana and Rajasthan, is excited about the opportunity to shape young careers.”For any coach, when you have young players coming in, their mindset or game plans are not set. It is easier to mould someone who is young and does not have set ideas,” he said. “I think it becomes easier for a coach when you have someone who is 18, 19 or 20, and not too experienced. It is easier to chat and talk to them because they are open to ideas whereas all of us who get old and are coming towards the end of our careers, have made up our mind that this is our limit, this is the way I play and I don’t want to tread a new path and I know what I am doing.”Jadeja also expects to forge a strong working relationship with captain Gautam Gambhir, the only player of international pedigree available for Delhi at the start of the season. While conceding that they have few shared interests outside cricket, Jadeja insisted having two individuals not afraid to “voice their opinion” at the helm will be a positive for the team.”He has always been the man who leads the team and he will be the man who leads this Delhi team as well because, whether it be KKR [Kolkata Knight Riders] or the time he led India, he likes to lead from the front,” Jadeja said. “I would be sitting on the backseat with a hat on top and, if needed, I’ll guide him, but he is the man in charge.”Whether we win the Ranji Trophy at the end of the season remains to be seen but the only aim of anybody who walks into that dressing room is to win the Ranji Trophy because we are not here to participate, we are here to win. That is what I, my captain and each of us believe and that is why we are going to the ground every morning and trying to do the best we can.”

It would be a sad end to England’s campaign if West Indies spring a surprise against Australia on Wednesday

Abhishek Purohit in Mumbai12-Feb-2013The finalists of the 2009 Women’s World Cup, England and New Zealand, could have their last chance to qualify for the final of the 2013 edition snatched from them before they step onto the field at Brabourne Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. If West Indies manage to surprise confirmed finalists Australia at the MIG Club ground in the suburb of Bandra in a morning start, the final on Sunday will be between the same sides.Though England left-arm spinner Holly Colvin said all that was in her side’s control was to go out and beat New Zealand under lights, there is no doubt that Charlotte Edwards and Co will be keeping a close eye on developments at MIG Club. The West Indies-Australia game will not be televised, though, and England and New Zealand will have to rely on score updates.West Indies have not beaten Australia in three previous ODIs, but those matches were back in the 1993, 2005 and 2009 World Cups. If Australia are shocked, and there has been no shortage of shocks in this tournament – courtesy Sri Lanka and West Indies – it will be an unfortunate way for defending champions England to exit.Apart from Australia, England are the only side who haven’t had a bad game in the tournament. Unlike Australia, who are undefeated, England lost twice, but they could have won those matches. Their one-wicket loss to Sri Lanka came off the last ball of the game. Their own last-wicket pair of Colvin and Anya Shrubsole took them within one stroke of ending Australia’s streak, only to fall short by two runs.Edwards’ side has showed character by roaring back from both the defeats, something the captain had said after the Sri Lanka match would not be hard for them to do. India were quelled by 32 runs, and West Indies were routed for 101 in a six-wicket win. Then, at the start of the Super Six stage, arrived the shattering defeat to old rivals Australia, as England failed to close the game after dismissing their opponents for 147.Edwards looked spent after that match. England had been in Mumbai all the while and she said getting away to Cuttack to play South Africa would be helpful. More than a thousand miles away from Mumbai, England bulldozed South Africa, who managed 77.Twice, England have had to regroup, and twice, they have done it. In 2009, they had hardly been tested on their way to the title. In 2013, the rest of the world has shown it’s catching up, and England have shown that champions will withstand blows and come back stronger.Tomorrow will be a big day personally for Edwards as well. She’s 33, the elder statesman of the game with most ODI runs, most ODI appearances and second-most as captain, and this might be her final World Cup. She has made no secret of what a successful defence of the title will mean, calling it a crowning glory in a 17-year long career. If Australia go down to West Indies, it will be a heartbreaking end to Edwards’ ambition.England have lost just three of their previous 15 ODIs to New Zealand, but will go into the game hoping Australia are able to avoid the West Indies banana peel. If they don’t, the last Super Six match will cease to be anything more than a practice game for the third-place playoff on Friday.