Bengal behind as batsmen struggle

Bengal squandered an opportunity to dominate the Ranji match against Mumbai, and conceded a big lead

The Report by Siddhartha Talya at Brabourne Stadium02-Dec-2012
Scorecard
Ankeet Chavan’s 4-61 is his best haul so far in first-class cricket•Fotocorp

Bengal have never beaten Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, and at stumps on the second day it seemed they may have squandered another opportunity to end that winless run since 1949. Bengal have had a frustrating tournament so far, and the current game is threatening to head the way of their low-scoring encounter against Madhya Pradesh in the previous round, which they had lost. Having bowled Mumbai out for 297, Bengal should have got themselves into a position to take a lead, but their batsmen, barring opener Arindam Das, who stayed through to the finish to be stranded on 98, let them down. Ankeet Chavan, the left-arm spinner, picked up four for 61, his best haul in first-class cricket.The Brabourne Stadium track continued to offer assistance to the seamers, and helped the spinners derive extra bounce and sharp turn. But Bengal’s performance had less to do with the conditions than failing to seize on a second chance offered through slip-ups in the field from Mumbai. Three senior Bengal players, including their captain, were guilty of that. Manoj Tiwary, who did better than his counterpart Rohit Sharma, was given a life on 23 when Wasim Jaffer dropped a simple chance at slip. Wriddhiman Saha, the vice-captain, was bowled off a no-ball on nought and Subhomoy Das was put down at first slip on 19. Tiwary added just 16 more after his reprieve, and the other two fell the very next delivery.Mumbai came hard at Bengal. They rarely stationed more than two fielders in the deep, and showed the urgency in their approach, if not their fielding, to defend a gettable total. They began with four slips and a gully for Dhawal Kulkarni and the steady flow of wickets that followed enabled them to retain packed close-in fields against the seamers as well as the two specialist spinners. The first wicket, of Rohan Banerjee, was a slice of luck, however, as he was run out after being sent back while attempting a third run. Shortly after, the first ball Kulkarni bowled round the wicket got him the wicket of Writam Porel, who was caught at third slip.Tiwary is not one to look completely settled but he’s got a prolific record in domestic cricket to back up his style. His brief innings today had its fair share of plays and misses. It included a leading edge that wasn’t far from extra cover, an edge over the slips, an airy shot into the off side that almost carried, and a missed chance by Jaffer at slip off Chavan’s next ball. Tiwary counter-attacked, lofting Chavan for successive boundaries that over, one being a six over long-on. He added 72 with Arindam but loosely chipped a flighted delivery from Chavan to mid-off immediately after punching a short ball through cover for four.Chavan bowled consistently from the Club House end, and round the wicket, targeting some rough areas on the track. He averaged 63.5 for his four wickets on flat tracks in the two games before this, and his captain Rohit Sharma had an extended conversation with him on the eve of this game. “It was a pep talk. On my part, in the previous games my bowling wasn’t that good as such so I had to do well getting this game. Fortunately, the wicket favoured me and it happened,” Chavan said. “On that [flat] wicket, we needed patience and [were required to] just keep bowling, and if the batsman made a mistake, you could get him out. Here, you had chances of getting him out.”Saha was bowled by a flighted delivery from Ramesh Powar, only for the umpire to double-check for a no-ball and rule that Pawar had overstepped. But the next ball was even better, as Pawar got it to jump off a good length and rap Saha on the glove, resulting in a catch at short leg. Subhomoy looked promising during his innings, smashing Pawar over his head and welcoming Kulkarni in his new spell with an imperious drive down the ground. He, too, was put down, by Hiken Shah at second slip, but prodded again at one of Chavan’s deliveries that turned away to be caught at first slip. Bengal had slid to 132 for 5.There was still depth in Bengal’s batting, but Abhishek Jhunjhunwala nicked Avishkar Salvi after looking good with a couple of boundaries and Chavan trapped Laxmi Shukla in front while he tried to sweep. All this time, as wickets kept crushing Bengal’s hopes raised by partnerships that had looked encouraging, Arindam’s solidity and assuredness stood out at the other end.Arindam, playing his first game in this Ranji season, cashed in on the width provided by seamers to pierce the off-side field. He used his feet well against spin, though he, too, had some nervous moments when he edged to slip, but the ball had bounced before reaching the fielder as he had played it down with soft hands. As Mumbai spread the field to give him the single when Bengal were eight down, he still managed to find the ropes, once pulling Kulkarni handsomely past two men in the deep. But he was to be deprived of a ninth first-class ton, as Kshemal Waingankar nipped out the last two wickets and robbed Bengal of greater consolation.

Can Bangladesh overcome batting woes?

ESPNcricinfo previews the first Test between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Chittagong

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya08-Dec-2011

Match facts

Friday, December 9
Start time 0930 (0330 GMT)What does Mohammad Ashraful have in store this time?•PA Photos

Big Picture

It’s been 11 years since Bangladesh made their Test debut and 71 games later their status as a Test-playing nation continues to divide opinion. There have been those who’ve been dismissive of their ability, others have been more generous and patient about their progress. There have been some highs, though very rare. They challenged Pakistan in Multan and Australia in Fatullah, and beat a severely-depleted, strike-ridden West Indies in 2009, but 61 defeats, and most of them by a comprehensive margin – 34 by an innings – is a bitter, embarrassing fact to digest.Their fast bowlers aren’t express but their spinners have been quite effective, and remain their biggest strength. It’s in the batting that the team has been found most wanting. While their batsmen have promised much and even earned some success in limited-overs cricket, and won a few sessions in Tests, batting time, preserving their wickets and proving their durability are areas in which they’ve failed consistently.They’ve, once again, found the going difficult in recent weeks, struggling against Pakistan’s slow bowlers on pitches keeping low and taking turn, and face an even more testing challenge in the five-day format. If the results in the recently-concluded ODI series are anything to go by, Bangladesh don’t stand much of a chance but how hard they make Pakistan’s bowlers work for their wickets will be the focus.

Form guide

Bangladesh: LDLLL (most recent first)
Pakistan: DWDWW

In the spotlight…

Mohammad Ashraful is back in the Bangladesh squad. Again. Once their best batsman, his form underwent a serious slump and he was relegated to the fringes of the national team. He was dropped for the Tests against West Indies in the series before this, and Stuart Law, the Bangladesh coach, said he’d have to perform in domestic cricket to warrant selection. In his last three innings on the domestic circuit, Ashraful scored two half-centuries and a ton to win his place back. Some say his call-up is a backward step; that it’s time for other youngsters to take Bangladesh’s batting forward. He’s still only 27, and has plenty to offer. How desperate and determined he is to ensure his selection this time is one for some time to come remains to be seen.One of the best slow bowlers in the world currently, Saeed Ajmal, who is on top of the ODI bowling rankings, has had plenty of success in Tests as well. He’s well acclimatised with the tracks in the Middle East, where Pakistan play England early next year, and can be potentially lethal with his variations on even slower pitches in Bangladesh. At 34, recognition has taken time to come to Ajmal but in Pakistan’s post-spot-fixing revival, Ajmal has been a key performer. The Bangladesh batsmen didn’t have too many answers against him in the ODIs and it doesn’t bode well for the Tests either.

Team news

Bangladesh have left out opener Imrul Kayes and Raqibul Hasan from their Test squad. Mahmudullah, who missed the Test series against West Indies due to dengue fever, makes his way back and so does Ashraful. Bangladesh have also selected batsman Nazimuddin, and medium-pacer Robiul Islam in the squad. Allrounder Naeem Islam has been withdrawn from the Bangladesh squad for the first Test after failing to recover from sinusitis and flu-like symptoms.Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Shahriar Nafees, 3 Mohammad Ashraful, 4 Nazimuddin, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 7 Mahumudullah, 8 Nasir Hossain, 9 Elias Sunny, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Shahadat Hossain.Pakistan are without Junaid Khan and should they choose to go in with two seamers, Aizaz Cheema could open the bowling with Umar Gul.Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rehman, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, Aizaz Cheema.

Pitch and conditions

It rained in Chittagong during the Test against West Indies but the weather forecast is encouraging for this game, with plenty of sun for the next few days. The pitch is usually slow with adequate assistance for spinners, calling for graft and patience from batsmen which is something Bangladesh have rarely shown.

Stats and trivia

  • Both of Pakistan’s wins in Bangladesh, in 2002 which was the last time they played a bilateral series in this country, were innings victories. Taufeeq Umar, Younis Khan and Mohammad Ashraful were part of that series.
  • Younis Khan is 60 away from reaching 6000 runs in Tests.

Quotes

“It’s actually time for the batsmen to show something because our bowling and fielding was not bad in the series. Bangladesh always bounce back strongly when they fell in dire state.”
Shahriar Nafees
“If they stick to their goals, they will give us tough competition. It will not be easy for us since Bangladesh are playing in home conditions.”
Younis Khan

Disappointed Dravid confident of saving the game

At the end of the second day, with India falling hopelessly behind, Rahul Dravid didn’t promise to show “what batting actually means”, but said India believed they could get out of this rut

Sidharth Monga at SuperSport Park17-Dec-2010Rahul Dravid is not a man for false bravado. At the end of the second day, with India 230 runs behind, with three days to go and eight South African wickets still standing, Dravid didn’t promise to show “what batting actually means”, but said that the team believed they could get out of this rut.”We are way behind in the game, that’s pretty obvious,” Dravid said. “We are far behind. But yeah we have got to bat well in the second innings. Yeah, it’s going to be tough, but we have got some quality there. We have shown some fighting spirit in the last couple of years. We have got to believe that we have got that and we are going to have to play well.”Dravid is not alien to India’s slow starts on important tours, but was distraught the team went back to old ways. “I thought we had come a long way over the last few years to correct that,” he said. “Over the last decade we have tried to correct that. We sometimes do tend to start off slowly, and in a three-match series you cannot afford that sort of thing.”Dravid, though, can’t do anything about one of the reasons behind this particular slow start. “In an ideal world, you know, you would play warm-up game or a couple of warm-up games before a tour like this,” he said. “But we don’t live in a Utopian world, we don’t live in a perfect world, you have got to make do with what you have. We tried to do the best we could, we came here as early as possible – some of us – and practised a bit. The conditions yesterday were a bit different from what we have practised on also, but having said that, there’s still a lot of cricket left in this series. We have got to keep our heads up, and we have got to show some fighting spirit with the ball tomorrow and later with the bat.”Despite the weather leading into the match, South Africa are not looking for an adventurous declaration just as yet, which could mean India will begin their second innings some time after tea on day three – weather permitting and assuming South Africa won’t collapse against the run of play. That would leave India more than two days to bat, facing a deficit of around 450.”We just can’t think about how many runs behind we are, and how much time is left,” Dravid said. “We have got to play ball by ball, hour by hour, session by session, we have to bat for long periods of time. We can’t afford to look too far ahead, we are so far behind in the game.”That the pitch has eased out considerably does give Dravid hope. “We saw today that it did get a lot better. It will be interesting to see how it plays as the game goes on. We have got to still bat really well, with us so many runs behind on the fourth and the fifth day. It’s a good test, it’s going to be a great challenge.”

Asif shines with six on Pakistan's day

Mohammad Asif completed a stunning six-wicket haul before the end of his 18th over as part of Pakistan’s broader demolition of Australia. In union with Mohammad Sami, who dismissed Australia’s top three batsmen before the first drinks break, Asif exploite

The Bulletin by Alex Brown at the SCG03-Jan-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Mohammad Asif was the toast of the Pakistan team with 6 for 41•Getty Images

Mohammad Asif completed a career-best six-wicket haul as part of Pakistan’s broader demolition of Australia that called into question Ricky Ponting’s decision to bat first on a Sydney green-top. In union with Mohammad Sami, who dismissed Australia’s top three batsmen before the first drinks break, Asif exploited the heavy pitch and atmospheric conditions to full effect to rout Australia for 127 – their second-lowest total batting first at the SCG and worst at home since 1996.Ponting was left to rue the decision to bat first on a green, seaming pitch after rain delayed the coin toss until shortly before 2pm. Not since his infamous decision to send England into bat at Edgbaston in 2005 has Ponting called correctly and opted to bowl. How he must wish to have his time over.Only a 44-run eighth-wicket stand between Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Hauritz saved Australia from complete embarassment although, as it stood, the humiliation ran deep enough. Sami, playing his first Test in more than two years following a stint in the unauthorised ICL, scythed through Australia’s top order with seven overs of express pace and prodigious movement to account for Phillip Hughes, Ponting and Shane Watson before the first drinks break.Asif then swung into gear in the period leading up to tea with the wickets of Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North and Brad Haddin. He went onto remove Hauritz and Johnson to finish with the career-best figures of 6 for 41 as Australia were rolled inside 45 overs.Pakistan’s opening batsmen, Imran Farhat and Salman Butt, added 14 runs without loss before bad light stopped play 4.1 overs into the tourists’ innings. Both survived the odd anxious moment, particularly against Doug Bollinger, but their battles paled into insignificance compared to those experienced by the Australian batsmen against a Pakistan attack at its enigmatic best.Sami was an eleventh-hour inclusion in the Pakistani side after the withdrawal of Mohammad Aamer, one of the heroes of Melbourne, with a groin injury. The move almost paid immediate dividends when Sami had Hughes, a replacement for the injured Simon Katich, dropped by the hard-handed Umar Akmal at backward point from his first delivery. Retribution followed in the next over, however, when Sami lured Hughes into an aggressive push to a straighter, fuller delivery that flew low to Faisal Iqbal at second slip.The inspired paceman then removed Ponting with his very next ball, wafting at a shorter delivery that reared off the surface, and might well have completed a hat-trick had Billy Doctrove ruled Watson out to an excellent lbw appeal that struck him on the front toe. The Pakistanis sent the decision for video review, however Hawk-Eye confirmed Sami’s 150kph bolt had struck the batsman outside the line of off stump. Watson successfully dodged that bullet, but was not so lucky in Sami’s next over, edging a seaming, straightening delivery to Kamran Akmal.That left Sami with figures of 3 for 5 from his first four overs, and Australia gasping for breath. Clarke rounded out an eventful hour by successfully overturning Asoka de Silva’s decision to adjudge him lbw to an Umar Gul delivery that was comfortably clearing the stumps, but his defiance ended shortly after the drinks break when he was bowled through the gate to an Asif delivery that straightened off the pitch.The task fell to Hussey and North, both well short of peak form, to pull Australia from the mire. Neither looked comfortable repelling Asif’s relentlessly probing lines and it came as little surprise when Hussey fell to a top-edged pull-stroke that was accepted by Misbah-ul-Haq in the slips. North followed next ball, waving at a delivery outside his off-stump, and Asif completed the first session rout by removing an attack-minded Haddin.Australia enjoyed a brief period of respite in the final session as Johnson and Hauritz took the attack to the Pakistanis. The hosts showed no nerves through the nineties – a curious twist on an oft-mentioned topic this summer – as the lower-order duo pounded 17 runs from one Danish Kaneria over to guide the team into triple figures.But the wheels fell off thereafter. Hauritz was bowled to an Asif delivery angled back into the right-hander, while Johnson fell attempting to loft over extra-cover. Umar Gul completed the rout with the final wicket of Doug Bollinger – the sixth Australian batsman to post a single-figure total – to close out the hosts’ innings in just 44.2 overs.Much will be made of Ponting’s “anti-Edgbaston” moment at the coin toss, but few of Pakistan’s wickets were the result of exaggerated aerial or surface movement. Disciplined Pakistani bowling and questionable Australian decision-making played as much of a role in the hosts’ disintegration as swing or seam. Let the inquest begin.

Teenager Meso named in South Africa's squad for Women's ODI World Cup

Bosch, de Klerk, Shangase and Dercksen are also first-timers for an ODI World Cup

Firdose Moonda03-Sep-2025Karabo Meso, the 17-year-old wicket-keeper batter, will go to her first World Cup after being included in South Africa’s squad for the ODI tournament in India and Sri Lanka which starts later this month.She has just two ODI caps to her name and has played seven senior internationals in all, but has featured in two Under-19 World Cups and won the SA20 Schools title with Steyn City earlier this year. Meso is one of two players who will play at a World Cup for the first time. Offspin-bowling allrounder Nondumiso Shangase, who was recalled to South Africa’s squad in May, is the other.Top-order batter Anneke Bosch and allrounders Nadine de Klerk and Annerie Dercksen will also feature in an ODI World Cup squad for the first time; they have previously been in T20 World Cup squads.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The rest of South Africa’s 15-player group is as expected, led by Laura Wolvaardt with significant experience in different departments. Allrounders Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus and Chloe Tryon and seamer Ayabonga Khaka all played important roles in South Africa reaching the last ODI World Cup semi-finals and will be present again.As reported last week, there was no room for former captain Dane van Niekerk, who was included in a training camp but her international comeback remains a while away.Others present in that camp but not making the squad are batters Lara Goodall and Faye Tunnicliffe, seamer Ayanda Hlubi, legspinner Seshnie Naidu and allrounders Eliz-Mari Marx and Luyanda Ntuza. Miane Smit, an allrounder who bowls offspin, has been included as the lone travelling reserve.”The make-up of the squad is underpinned by the consistent selection process that was adhered to during the recent ICC Women’s Championship cycle, while taking into account the subcontinent conditions and the different characteristics of the group required for a successful tournament of this nature,” Clinton du Preez, South Africa’s convenor of selectors, said.Under head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, SA have lost four ODIs in 10 outings•Cricket South Africa

This will be the first major tournament South Africa will play under head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, who succeeded Hilton Moreeng in a permanent capacity last year. In Mashimbyi’s tenure, South Africa have been inconsistent, with four wins in ten ODIs, including a series win over West Indies in June. Mashimbyi was occasionally without some senior players – such as Kapp for the tri-series in Sri Lanka – but will have one more opportunity to fine-tune his combinations before the tournament starts.South Africa tour Pakistan for three ODIs to be played between September 16 and 22 before moving on to India for their World Cup opener against England. Their recent tournament run has included two ODI World Cup semi-finals and back-to-back T20 World Cup finals, and there is expectation for them to take the next step and claim a cup. Mashimbyi is confident this group of players can deliver.”From the moment I joined this team, and even before my time when the squad went through the qualification phase, it was all about working towards this moment,” Mashimbyi said. “We can look back at the amount of preparation we have put in and know that we have done our best. We are ready to send a squad to the World Cup that will make South Africa proud.”We believe we have the squad of players that can go out there and deliver on the world stage. Now it is all about carrying that belief with us every step of the way, along with the support of the entire nation.”

South Africa squad for Women’s ODI World Cup

Laura Wolvaardt, Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Chloe Tryon

Travelling reserve: Miane Smit

'This means more to me than the other two' – Paris pushes his limits to help WA to a Shield hat-trick

Injury-prone left-arm seamer plays eight games in a Shield season for the first time in his career including five in a row to bag 39 wickets and lead WA’s title-winning attack

Tristan Lavalette25-Mar-2024With Western Australia just one wicket away from a hat-trick of Sheffield Shield titles after an electric passage of play late on day four, Joel Paris was in a reflective mood and turned to experienced teammates Sam Whiteman and Hilton Cartwright.”I reckon this means more than the other two [titles],” he told them.Moments later Paris sealed WA’s comprehensive victory over Tasmania with a blinder of a catch in the gully to trigger scenes of jubilation on-and-off the field at the WACA. “The boys reckon I put a little bit of mayo on it,” laughed Paris as he recalled to ESPNcricinfo his diving effort to his right.”I was just happy it stuck. We had to grind away, we haven’t had it all our way. We played unbelievably well in Victoria to get a home final and then we’ve probably played our best cricket this week.”This one probably sits right at the top for me. We haven’t had the quicks available this year that we normally have and we’ve just had to keep going. It’s very special.”Related

  • Rocchiccioli fights off flu to elevate his case to be Lyon's heir

  • Whiteman: We have to be one of the great WA teams

  • Gannon and Rocchiccioli lead Western Australia's surge to Sheffield Shield hat-trick

Without frontliners Jhye Richardson, Lance Morris and Matthew Kelly for most of the season, WA had to rely on their fringe quicks. Cameron Gannon, who took eight wickets in the final, and Charlie Stobo stepped up at the backend of the season, but it was the reliable presence of left-armer Paris that held the attack together.Paris was unlucky to only take two wickets in the final as he again set the tone with menacing new ball bowling in both of Tasmania’s innings. He exploited the grassy surface superbly and consistently beat the bat with sharp seam movement.Paris finished the season with 39 wickets at a remarkable average of just 15.2. In 44 first-class matches since debuting in late 2015, he has taken 174 wickets at 20.05 and striking at 45.9.As can be gleaned from his relatively limited number of first-class appearances, Paris has endured a litany of injuries during his career forcing WA to be cautious with his workload.After a delayed start to the season due to a hamstring injury suffered playing for Australia A against New Zealand A in Brisbane, Paris’ durability impressed as he played five straight Shield matches – along with WA’s triumph in the Marsh Cup against New South Wales – culminating with the Shield final.”When you’re in a situation where you just have to keep going, I think your body senses that and just finds something,” Paris said. “I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to achieve this year. The amount of cricket I’ve been able to play…certainly haven’t been able to do it before.”We’ve probably been in a position in past seasons where I’ve been able to rest a little bit more than what I have this season. To get through was really special.”Paris, 31, played two ODIs against India in 2016, but his injuries and the depth of quicks in Australian cricket have kept him away from the international stage.Paris, however, remains on the radar of the Australian hierarchy. Along with playing for Australia A last year, Paris was in the frame for selection on the last Ashes tour.”That desire to play for Australia is always there. For me that will never go away until I put up the boots,” he said. “If an opportunity comes up, I’ll absolutely take it.”Paris is unsure of his offseason plans, with a stint in the UK a possibility but dependent on his body. Right now, however, he is eyeing a well-deserved breather.”I’ll be putting the feet up for a little bit,” he said. “I’m going to enjoy this one [title] as much as possible.”

Ashley Noffke in contention to be named England Women head coach

Former Australia allrounder has enjoyed success with Brisbane Heat and Queensland Fire

Matt Roller11-Nov-2022Ashley Noffke, the former Australia allrounder, is a contender for the vacancy as England women’s head coach, ESPNcricinfo understands.Noffke, who played one ODI and two T20Is for Australia in 2007-8, has enjoyed recent success as head coach of Brisbane Heat and Queensland Fire, winning the 2019-20 Women’s Big Bash League and 2020-21 Women’s National Cricket League.He signed a contract extension last year that runs until 2025 but is understood to have been interviewed for the vacancy created by Lisa Keightley’s departure. Noffke is highly regarded in Australian cricket and previously worked as Australia women’s assistant coach under Matthew Mott, who became England men’s white-ball coach earlier this year.Jonathan Finch, the director of England women’s cricket, interviewed several candidates last week and an appointment is expected in the next 10 days. The job was advertised in September and the successful candidate will start on a three-year fixed term until November 2025.Two other contenders share the name Jon Lewis: the former Gloucestershire seamer who is men’s pace-bowling lead at the ECB, and the former Durham batter who has worked with England’s women as a batting consultant over the last 18 months.Further candidates for the role include Jon Batty, who has coached Oval Invincibles to the title in both editions of the women’s Hundred, as well as Michael Bates, the wicketkeeping and fielding coach who has worked extensively in the women’s game, and Gareth Breese, the Welsh Fire and England women’s performance pathway coach.Charlotte Edwards, the former England captain and current Southern Brave, Southern Vipers and Sydney Sixers coach, has previously ruled herself out of the running.England are expected to name a squad for their upcoming West Indies tour shortly after a coach is announced.

Shakib, Rutherford and Rossouw lead stellar LPL draft line-up

Bavuma, Khawaja and Pooran also part of the drafts ahead of the second season’s kick-off on July 30

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2021 • Updated on 04-Jul-2021Shakib al Hasan, Usman Khawaja, Sherfane Rutherford and Rilee Rossouw are among the leading names to have registered to compete in the Lankan Premier League, Sri Lanka’s premier T20 franchise competition. The LPL is scheduled to begin from July 30 this year and run for three weeks, and despite concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic derailing plans, several top T20 cricketers from around the world are set to take part.James Faulkner, Ben Cutting, Temba Bavuma, Brendan Taylor and Nicholas Pooran have also made themselves available for the draft, as are former Indian all-rounders Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan. Pakistan, too, are well represented, with Haris Sohail, Mohammad Irfan, Shan Masood and Mohammad Hasnain having registered.Sri Lanka Cricket vice-president Ravin Wickremaratne said: “Last year’s success has certainly made a difference with more players from many cricket playing countries looking forward to play in the LPL, which is a very good sign for the League and Sri Lanka cricket.”The inaugural edition of the LPL was won by the Jaffna Stallions last year, one of five teams that took part in the tournament. According to SLC, 135 million viewers across television and digital platforms tuned in to watch the final between the Stallions and the Galle Gladiators, with fan engagement throughout the tournament generally quite high.SLC will be hoping for similar numbers this time around, though Sri Lankan fans hoping for live action will have to wait a little longer, with the tournament likely to once again be held behind closed doors in Hambantota.Concerns over the LPL being hosted in July-August first arose following the postponement of the Indian Premier League earlier this year. Despite SLC’s successful hosting of the inaugural LPL, there were growing doubts over SLCs ability to guarantee a secure bio-bubble for players and staff amidst the growing number of cases.”It’s definitely going to be a challenge, there’s no question,” head of SLC’s Medical Committee Prof. Arjuna de Silva had told ESPNcricinfo. “Last time we were in the middle of the second wave, but this time it’s a totally different ball game.”SLC, for their part, have remained firm in their stance, assuring player safety citing the success of several inbound international series in the past year. De Silva also added that SLCs intention to hold all matches at a single stadium, the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, and the fact that it was close to a scarcely used airport in Mattala, meant the LPL was less likely to suffer the same pitfalls as the IPL.Bangladesh: Shakib-ul-Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mehdy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Liton Das, Soumya SarkarAustralia: Usman Khawaja, Ben Cutting, James Faulkner,Ben Dunk, Callum FergusonWest Indies: Sherfane Rutherford, Nocolas Pooran, Sheldon Cottrell, Rayad Emrit, Ravi Rampaul, Dwayne Smith, Denesh Ramdin, Johnson Charles, Rowman PowellPakistan: Haris Sohail, Waqas Maqsood, Muhammed Hasnain, Mohammed Irfan, Shoaib Maqsood, Shan Masood, Anwar Ali, Ammad Butt, Usman ShinwariSouth Africa: Temba Bavuma, Rilee Rossouw, David Wiese, Jon Jon Trevor Smuts, Morne Morkel, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Hardus ViljoenAfghanistan: Asghar Afghan, Mohammed Shahzad, Najibullah Zadran, Naveen Ul Haq, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Naveen ul Haq, Qais Ahmad

'Australia set a benchmark for us to aspire to' – NZ coach Gary Stead

“I think we can (take confidence from recent form). India were the No.1 ranked team and we beat them two-nil,” he said

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2020New Zealand coach Gary Stead has called Australia a “benchmark” that they try and aspire to and has welcomed more white-ball fixtures against them in the coming years.”I look at what’s coming ahead in the next few years, and I do see that we are playing Australia in white ball cricket reasonably regularly.. They are a great team, we respect them a lot for the way they play their cricket. That’s ultimately, sometimes, they set a benchmark for us to aspire to,” he said.New Zealand were thrashed three-nil in the Tests in Australia in December, but subsequently whitewashed India in ODIs and Tests at home, although they themselves were on the wrong side of a T20I whitewash that preceded those. On the back of those results, Stead believes New Zealand come to Australia a confident side.”I think we can (take confidence from recent form). India were the No.1 ranked team and we beat them two-nil in our home conditions and played really well in the ODis series prior to that as well. I think we have played some really good ODI cricket in the last three or four years and hopefully we can continue that on”Australia, on the other hand, are coming off a three-nil hammering in the ODIs in South Africa, before which they were beaten two-one in India, despite having taken a lead in the series opener. But Stead expects Australia to be a different beast at home, and certainly “never vulnerable”.”I think Australia are never vulnerable at home,” he said. ” It’s one of the toughest places to come and play in world cricket I guess as well. Their reputation, and the record that they have I guess, you see the record and that’s why they do have that reputation. And so, I mean, they have come off being beaten in South Africa, but all a lot of teams struggle away from home, and I guess no different for us, that’s going to be our biggest challenge.”It is an unusual time for ODI cricket as it takes the backseat for most teams in terms of importance with the World Cup still more than three years away, and with the Test Championship and the T20Is – given the T20 World Cup later this year – taking priority. The timing of the Australia-New Zealand series was questioned by former Australia captain Michael Clarke who called it “token games of cricket”, and head coach Justin Langer admitted that Australia have some weary players, but Head was quick to dismiss the “some games are not important” argument.”I think every game you play for your country is an important game, so I don’t sort of buy into the it’s not important sort of series,” Stead said.
“You can make your importance out of these series and what you do, and how you play, and who you select, and what you are looking for as well. So for us, every opportunity we get to play for New Zealand, it is a proud moment and certainly go out there and try and win every game we play.”Stead also felt that though the formats are different and the conditions may not be the same as the current ODIs come the T20 World Cup, any information that they can gather playing on Australian grounds could be beneficial.”It is a different format, but I guess the more information you can get, and the more intel you can get on all the grounds, the good thing is. I’m not sure if the pitch conditions will look the same in the T20 time. So you take all those factors in. you can look at the Big Bash, and scores and things that go on there and who is successful at different grounds before you come to making your final decisions. But I guess ultimately we select the 15 that we think can do the job here, and we’ll do that for the World Cup as well.”

'KL Rahul has proven he can succeed in all three formats' – Rahul Dravid

The India A coach isn’t unduly worried by the opener’s poor form over the last few months. He also feels India will go into the 2019 World Cup as favourites

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2019India will start the 2019 World Cup as favourites, according to Rahul Dravid. The India A coach believes India are playing “very good cricket” at the moment, and hoped they could peak at the right moment.Speaking to journalists during India A’s ongoing home series against England Lions, Dravid said he expected the pitches in England to be flat and unlike those he experienced during the 1999 World Cup in the same country.”The wickets will be very different compared to 1999, they’ve become very flat,” Dravid said. “I expect it to be a very high-scoring World Cup. We went with India A last year, and 300 was regularly scored, so it’ll be a lot more high-scoring than 1999. We used the Duke’s ball then, now it’s Kookaburra… plus two new balls and field restrictions are there, so we can’t compare the World Cups.”But India are playing very good cricket and definitely go in as one of the favourites. Hopefully, the boys can peak over the next few months.”KL Rahul has struggled for form over recent months, but Dravid believed the opener’s ability would help him bounce back. In his last 12 innings, Rahul has gone past fifty just once and has scored only 55 runs in three 50-over games for India A against England Lions.”I have no doubt that Rahul has quality and ability,” Dravid said. “He’s playing the four-dayers [against the Lions], and he’s proven he can succeed in the international level in all three formats. He’s one player who has hundreds in T20Is, Tests and ODIs so I’m not worried about his form.”The one-dayers against Lions were also an opportunity for Dravid to test India A’s bench strength, and he was pleased with the contributions of the young players drafted in. He also highlighted positives that came from the seniors in the side who remain in contention for a ticket to England.”Ajinkya [Rahane] (140 in three games) came here and scored runs,” Dravid said. “[Hanuma] Vihari, Shreyas Iyer did quite well. The seamers Deepak [Chahar] and Shardul [Thakur] did well. Navdeep [Saini], Avesh Khan and Axar Patel have been excellent. Both the legspinners [Rahul Chahar and Mayank Markande] showed promise and potential, so there were a lot of performances that the selectors can look at and be happy about.”It was also a younger squad, so it was an opportunity to bring the younger players for the last few games – you saw the likes of Rituraj Gayakwad, Himmat Singh, Siddhesh Lad, Ricky Bhui. They’ve not been part of our set-up, but we want to slowly bring them in because they’ve done well in one-day and Ranji games.”Rahul Dravid receiving his ICC Hall of Fame cap•International Cricket Council

On the topic of the Ranji Trophy, Dravid said it was inevitable that some India A tours would clash with the country’s premier first-class competition.”It’s not an easy one to avoid. But in this series, we didn’t pick anyone still playing the Ranji Trophy quarters, semis and finals… so we’ve given importance to that,” Dravid said. “But it’s not easy, we need to balance out the needs of some of the players, we need to develop them and give our players a level and standard higher than domestic cricket. If we don’t challenge our players at a slightly higher level than domestic and first-class cricket, then how can we develop them for international cricket?”We try to not make them clash, but sometimes the clash is inevitable. Like going to New Zealand [in December 2018], it was a very fruitful exercise to play in those conditions… and if the season clashes, then there’s no way we can balance it out. So yes, we do try to avoid clashes but inevitably it sometimes will happen.”Dravid was keen to play down the margin of India A’s one-day victory against a solid Lions outfit captained by Ben Duckett. Dravid felt India A had been heavily challenged by the visitors, and that the scoreline simply reflected of who did better in the crunch moments.”Even though the scoreline reads 4-1, there were many situations where we were challenged and pushed against the wall,” Dravid said. “But we showed some good fighting spirit.”They pushed us. There were a lot of close games, one wicket or a small phase of play their way and they would’ve won it. It was a lot tighter than 4-1, we just won the key moments, so credit to the boys.”Dravid’s next job is to oversee India-A’s four-dayers against the Lions, which begin next week. Rahul is part of that squad too, and is expected to take his place at the top of the order. The first game begins on February 7 in Wayanad.