Opening batsman M Vijay and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav were dropped from the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-20181:57

‘Vijay’s exclusion is slightly perturbing’ – Chopra

Batsmen Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari have been called up to India’s Test squad for the final two matches in England. Opening batsman M Vijay, who was out for a pair at Lord’s and then dropped from the XI at Trent Bridge, and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, whose selection in the second Test had raised eyebrows, have been dropped.It is understood that Vijay’s poor form – six single-digit scores in his last 11 innings – has prompted the team management to think about grooming a younger opener. At 34, Vijay’s international future now looks uncertain.Kuldeep has been sent back home to play for the India A team in two four-day matches against Australia A in Visakhapatnam. The decision is believed to be made because of the conditions in England, where one spinner in the XI has usually sufficed. India coach Ravi Shastri told the media at the end of the Trent Bridge Test that offspinner R Ashwin, who was suffering from a hip injury, would be fit in time for the next Test in Southampton starting August 30. There is also left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja in the squad.”Ashwin will be okay,” Shastri said. “The fact that he bowled 20-25 overs clearly suggests it [the hip injury] is not that bad. This break will be ideal for him. If there was a Test match starting in three days’ time, then it would have been a problem.”1:39

The Prithvi Shaw story

The 18-year old Shaw captained India to the Under-19 World Cup title in February and has since been part of India’s A teams. He also has an IPL contract with Delhi Daredevils. Vihari, meanwhile, has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket, and the 24-year old averages 59.79 from 63 first-class matches. No one currently playing first-class cricket has a has a better average.Both men are in good form as well, having each struck centuries against South Africa A in Bengaluru at the start of August. They were also part of the A team in England last month, when Shaw was especially effective as an opening batsman, scoring 188 in a four-day game against West Indies A. That is his highest score – he has seven centuries in all – in 14 first-class games since making his debut for Mumbai in January 2017. Vihari began his career with Hyderabad but has now moved to Andhra, a team he now captains. Among his 5142 runs are 15 hundreds and 24 fifties, including a highest score of 302 not out.Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was ruled out of the first three Tests with a lower-back issue, was absent from this squad as well. Having aggravated the injury while playing the third ODI against England in July, he has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. BCCI’s release announcing the squad did not contain any updates on the fast bowler’s fitness.India squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hanuma VihariIndia A squad for four-day matches against Australia A: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Mayank Agarwal, R Samarth, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ankit Bawne, Shubman Gill, KS Bharat (wk), Shahbaz Nadeem, Kuldeep Yadav, K Gowtham, Rajneesh Gurbani, Navdeep Saini, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohammed Siraj

Surrey appear unstoppable on their title march after deposing of the defending champions in three days

Matt Roller at Chelmsford06-Sep-20181:55

Surrey make it eight and promotion race hots up

ScorecardNot since 1999 have Surrey won eight Championship games on the bounce, and their current run certainly has a once-in-a-generation feel to it. That run owed much to the dual spin threat of Saqlain Mushtaq and Ian Salisbury; this time, it has been all about the seamers.On the third day at Chelmsford, led by Morne Morkel and the evergreen Rikki Clarke, they bowled Essex out for the second time in just over three sessions to go 43 points clear at the top of the Championship, and look certain to secure the pennant before the final round of games. Ravi Bopara offered staunch resistance with an unbeaten 81, but despite being some way short of their bullish best, Surrey’s pace attack was simply too good.For some time this fixture had been earmarked as a final test of Surrey’s credentials. Away from home against the reigning champions, it should have been a tough challenge; instead, they cruised to victory with a full day to spare.Surrey have proved over the course of the year that Championship cricket requires a squad rather than just a team. They have used 20 players, and that Tom Curran, who did the early damage, was playing for just the second time in this competition this season, showed their impressive level of depth.Curran was fearsome in his opening burst, running in with his collar up and his hair slicked back. He trapped Varun Chopra lbw early, before beating Tom Westley’s outside edge time after time and eventually ending his difficult stay at the crease by sending his off stump cartwheeling.It seems a long time since Curran made his Test bow at the MCG back in December, and his youngest brother Sam has overtaken him in England’s long-form plans this summer. But Tom remains a fine bowler at the Championship level, and his first spell of the day was a reminder of his worth in red-ball cricket. He bowled with hostility and an extra yard of pace, and found enough movement off the seam to keep Essex guessing.The middle-order destroyer was again Clarke. He made good use of a helpful pitch to remove Dan Lawrence and Nick Browne, both caught in the slips off back-of-a-length balls that lifted sharply, before Rory Burns’ stunning catch in the gully accounted for Ryan ten Doeschate to leave Essex five down going into lunch.At that point, the only question was whether or not Essex could make Surrey bat again, and thanks to Bopara and some old-fashioned tail-end slogging from Jamie Porter and Sam Cook, they did. Bopara was the only Essex batsman throughout the game to look comfortable at the crease, as he rotated the strike well and scored fluently both sides of the wicket. When he brought up a 76-ball half-century, he had hit just three boundaries; it was an innings that highlighted the importance of ticking over against quality bowling.But in truth, Bopara’s knock served only to delay the inevitable. Morkel returned to remove Simon Harmer for a pair, and then ended Porter’s fun after a couple of lofted boundaries off Clarke, before Bopara and Cook added 18 to leave Surrey needing two.The impact Morkel has had on this Surrey team cannot be overstated. His Championship debut was the first game of this eight-match winning run, and it would be brave to suggest that is in any way coincidental. He now has 42 wickets at 14.57, and has terrorised Division One batsman up and down the country. He did not bowl as well as he can here, but a couple of sharp bouncers to Michael Pepper and Porter showed that his pace has by no means dropped.Surrey now go to New Road next week to play bottom club Worcestershire in the knowledge that a win will effectively, if not mathematically, seal the title with two games to spare. On the basis of this run, they will be worthy winners.

Another defeat for Sri Lanka was mitigated by the knowledge that the game had turned on a couple of key moments

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele20-Oct-2018Sure it’s another Sri Lanka loss, and sure they are ruing their mistakes yet again, but at least this time it is specific moments that lost Sri Lanka the game, rather than overs upon overs of incompetence. Dasun Shanaka, whose run-a-ball 66 did the most to propel Sri Lanka toward respectability, pinpointed two of the instances in which his team had let the match slip.The first of these was his own run-out, he said. Having just struck two towering sixes off Olly Stone in the 42nd over, Shanaka seemed as if he was just beginning a death-overs cannonade. But then, disaster. Thisara Perera mis-hit a ball into the leg-side, more or less directly to the fielder ranging close at midwicket. Shanaka took off from the non-strikers’ end, perhaps especially eager to regain the strike because by now he was seeing the ball so well. He had run about halfway down the pitch before he realised Thisara had correctly turned down the run, and was run out trying to regain his ground at the non-strikers’.”There was no run there,” Shanaka said. “I came out too far. Normally I have this habit of coming down the wicket about two feet whenever a shot is played. It’s a fault that I have that I need to rectify – it’s not Thisara’s fault.”When I went in we were 102 for 4, and I played my normal game without any pressure although we had lost wickets. If I had continued batting longer we could have got a result in our favour. If had stayed with Thisara for the 50 overs, we could have got around 290-300.”Sri Lanka ‘s other costly mistake came when they were bowling, in what would turn out to be the final few overs of the game. Joe Root mis-hit a sweep off the bowling of Dhananjaya de Silva, and although the resulting top-edge was caught at short fine leg, Sri Lanka had too many men outside the circle – Kasun Rajitha having failed to come in from the boundary to mid off.Umpire Lyndon Hannibal called a no-ball, denying the hosts the wicket. Had Sri Lanka reduced England to 112 for 3, the Duckworth-Lewis-Steyn par score would have reduced almost all the way to that total, meaning they could then have applied more pressure on Eoin Morgan and the new batsman as the rainclouds gathered.”If we had not made a mistake of having five fielders outside the circle and got Root’s wicket it would have been a close game,” Shanaka said. “We could have built on the pressure from there and forced another mistake.”For England, meanwhile, Morgan dwelt on the frustrations of a rain-hit series, and spoke about the many unquestionable positives for his side for what seems like the millionth time after arriving in the country. What choice does he have, really? England really have been that dominant.But there was an area in which he felt his side had let themselves down in this particular game. No fewer than three clear-cut wicket opportunities were spurned, with a tough catch being dropped, an easy stumping being missed, and a run-out chance going astray. Elsewhere, he felt, the ground fielding has also been sloppy.”The fielding wasn’t good,” Morgan said. “It was average. It’s definitely something we can improve on. We were better in the last game but today we weren’t anywhere near as good as we should be.”

One of their main demands is to be exempted from government taxes, at least until they break even on their investments

Umar Farooq28-Nov-2018Three years into its existence and with none of the teams close to making profits, PSL franchises are urging the PCB to revisit its revenue-share model ahead of the fourth season. One of their main demands is to be exempted from government taxes, at least until they break even on their investments.Five franchises – the sixth one, formerly Multan Sultans, is currently without ownership – met with the PCB a day after the draft in Islamabad, where they were unanimous in their concerns about the league’s financial model. A three-member committee including Javed Afridi, owner of Peshawar Zalmi, Salman Iqbal of Karachi Kings and Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, has been formed to find ways to make the PSL more “sustainable” and gain tax breaks.The federal government as well the provincial government of Punjab have asked the PCB to make an official request for exemption in writing, one which will be put in front of the cabinet for a decision. Should they decide not to offer any relief, ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB could register the PSL in Gilgit-Baltistan, a northern province where they could take advantage of laxer taxation. Afridi revealed that registering the league as an offshore company is also an option.Over the last couple of seasons, franchises have raised concerns about the amount of tax they have paid on top of their franchise fees and other operational expenses. The first set of commercial and sponsorship rights deals the PSL signed up when it launched have now ended, and with enhanced deals now being inked in, as well as the scare caused by Multan Sultans’s financial meltdown, the remaining five have sensed this is the time to push for a greater slice of the pie.”Especially after Multan Sultans, we all are concerned about the league’s sustainability,” Afridi told ESPNcricinfo. “All eyes are on the PSL because this league is going to pave the way for other sports in the country. But with this model we are afraid we cannot go any further.”All five franchises came in together in the national spirit and spent a lot of money for the best interest of the country but for how long are we going to bear the losses? We are actually sucking money from our parent companies and are not even close to breaking even. We need a roadmap with a model which is more sustainable.”There should be parameters that should be laid down with tax exemption for sports because in future we will also have a hockey league and there should be a national sports policy to encourage investors to come forward. We have been paying 16% sales tax to the provincial government and 10% as witholding tax to the federal government without making profits. We met with finance minister Asad Umar last week and he seems to be very passionate about the game. They sought some time to revert back to us and we are hopeful this year there should be a permanent resolution to our problems.”The financial model adopted by the PCB in 2016 offers equal shares from a central revenue pool to all franchises, despite the difference in franchise fees. The two most expensive franchises – Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars, sold for USD 2.6 million and USD 2.5 million respectively per year – have argued that the revenue shares should be on a pro rata model, reflecting the expense of the franchise fee. Quetta Gladiators pay USD 1.1 million per year as their franchise fee, as comparison. In theory, however, both Karachi and Lahore should have greater commercial opportunities, based as they are in the two biggest cities in the country.The five franchises have also asked for an increase in their revenue shares. Afridi confirmed that each of the five franchises are operating at losses since the inaugural edition in 2016. For the first three years, the PCB put 85% of the PSL’s media rights revenue, 50% of the title sponsorship rights money, and 50-60% of the gate money into a central pool, which was then shared out equally among the franchises.Another bone of contention is tied to the falling value of the Pakistani rupee against the US dollar. According to the agreements signed in 2016, franchise fees have to be paid in dollars – at the time it was signed, the exhange rate was PKR 105 to the dollar. Over the last year, as Pakistan’s economy has slowed down, it has shot up to PKR 134. The franchises want to peg the rate or pay in Pakistani rupees at the same rate when the contracts were signed.In 2015, the PCB had sold the first five PSL franchises for USD 93 million for a ten-year period. Karachi was the most expensive, with the ARY media group shelling out USD 26 million for ownership. Lahore was sold for USD 25 million, Peshawar for USD 16 million, Islamabad for USD 15 million and Quetta for USD 11 million.PCB’s new title rights deal with HBL, at USD 14.3 million, is nearly three times bigger than the last deal in 2015. But the renewal is pegged at the same dollar rate signed three years ago, an option not offered to franchises.

Ben Stokes has seemingly realised how much the game means to him and resolved to take every opportunity to be the best player he can be

George Dobell27-Nov-2018″He’s a madman.” That was the succinct verdict of Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, on Ben Stokes. It was said with a smile, of course. And meant as a compliment. For it was Stokes’ commitment to the team cause and extraordinary levels of fitness that provoked it.The specific moment that inspired the comment came from the final ball at the end of the third day’s play in Colombo. Bayliss had just seen Stokes complete a sprawling stop on the long-on boundary which saved three runs.Nothing unusual about that, you might think. Except Stokes was the bowler at the time. And after the batsman, Lakshan Sandakan, had driven one down the ground, Stokes had chased the ball down himself, culminating in a full length dive and drag back. At the end of a long day, during which Stokes had batted and bowled in the heat, it was a fine demonstration of stamina and determination.A few hours later, Bayliss bumped into Stokes again in the team hotel. Bayliss had just finished dinner; Stokes had just finished another session in the gym.It’s no coincidence he has been able to bowl 10-over spells (albeit, one split by the tea interval) in this heat. Or that he has been the one bowler to exceed 90mph and manage to intimidate batsmen on these slow surfaces. His dedication to his fitness on this tour – the extra runs in the heat of the day, the extra gym sessions – has been remarkable. He looks fitter, stronger and quicker than ever before.While Stokes has always been fit, it may be relevant that his dedication appears to have gone to another level since he returned to the team. For the pain of missing the Ashes and the realisation that he could face a far more prolonged absence from the game – following his arrest after a night out in Bristol – appears to have brought some clarity to Stokes.Instead of unwinding over a few drinks, he tends to unwind over a few laps of the grounds or hours in the gym. He has realised how much this game means to him and resolved to take every opportunity to be the best player he can be.”Certainly I think he’s learnt a lesson since that time,” Bayliss said, referring to the events of September 2017. “The way he’s conducted himself since he has come back into the fold has been exemplary.”To see him bowl the ball and then chase the ball all the way to wide mid-on to save it, that’s commitment, that. He’s a madman. How many other blokes in the world would you see do that? No one. And that says a lot.”I got into the lift a couple of nights ago after dinner on the third day and he was getting out. He’d just come back from the gym! That’s how hard he works. He deserves everything he gets from the game.”You can throw the ball to him, you can put him in any situation with the bat, you can put him where the ball is coming in the field. For me, he’s the first pick. His averages may not be the greatest in each of his positions. But you add those three disciplines together, it adds up to one hell of a player.”There remains the possibility that Stokes could face further time out of the game. He and Alex Hales will face disciplinary proceedings from the ECB in December, though the smart money suggests the fact that he has already missed the Ashes and lost the vice-captaincy of the team would mean any further suspension has already been served.Either way, it seems there is an acceptance that the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Committee may well not have legal jurisdiction over foreign T20 leagues, so any potential ban would only apply to international or county cricket.Ben Stokes was rewarded for a fine, long spell•Getty Images

Bayliss, at least, is very keen that his key allrounder should be at England’s disposal as much as possible.”I hope he’s available for our next game,” Bayliss said. “That [case] hasn’t affected him. I haven’t heard it mentioned once around the changing room. He can lift the tempo with whatever he does for the team. The team at different times definitely take his lead.”Stokes’ performance was, in Bayliss’ view, one of the highlights of a memorable tour. But he was equally delighted by England succeeding in conditions in which they have a modest record with a bold approach he has long advocated.”Our adaptability was probably the most pleasing thing,” he said. “We spoke, before this series, about how if we were going to come here and win we couldn’t do things the same as teams may have done in the past. We had to play a little bit differently to get a different result.”So, the way the boys went about it, trying to put the pressure back on to the Sri Lankans, well, you really can’t argue with it. It’s been successful.”To win away from home has been very difficult for most teams. So to come here and win in those conditions, will have given the boys confidence.”Issues remain, though. Bayliss admits that the openers’ spots are “probably not” nailed down and accepts that Jonny Bairstow will have to adapt as a batsman to prosper in conditions where seam bowlers have more assistance.”In these conditions, batting at No. 3 is no problem for Jonny,” Bayliss said. “His challenge will be when we get home on to the seaming decks. But he’s certainly a very talented player and I’m sure he’ll do whatever he can to adapt his game to that position at home as well.”Few changes are anticipated when the squad for the Caribbean tour is announced in a couple of weeks. There seems every chance England could play three spinners in at least one of the Tests – “a few of the wickets over there do take spin, they’re very subcontinent like,” Bayliss said – while Jason Roy may come into contention.”He’s getting close,” Bayliss said. “He’s been spoken about the last one or two times we’ve spoken about squads. It’s a bit hard to say we’d go past the 16 or 17 players we’ve had here on this successful tour. But certainly he is a batter who’s been spoken about.”Bayliss now goes to his home in Australia for Christmas – he will take part in the selection meeting via Skype or similar – while most of the players return to the UK on Wednesday. They depart for the Caribbean on January 11.

Angelo Mathews, who had been axed from the limited-overs squads due to fitness and run out issues, is back in the squad

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-Dec-2018A change in selection committee has brought yet another change in the limited-overs leadership, with Lasith Malinga named captain of the ODI and T20 squads to New Zealand. Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella has been named vice-captain.Dinesh Chandimal had most recently led Sri Lanka’s ODI team, against England, while Thisara Perera was the T20 captain in the same tour. But with Graeme Labrooy’s selection committee ousted, and Ashantha de Mel’s panel freshly installed, Malinga has been handed the captaincy, only three months after he made his return to the international level. Malinga had been dropped from Sri Lanka’s teams for over a year, due to form and fitness concerns. He had made his return to the top level during the Asia Cup in September, and has had some success with the ball since then.Angelo Mathews, who had been axed from the limited-overs squads due to fitness and run-out issues, is back in the squad.Also in the side is 33-year-old legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna, who last played an ODI in October 2017, and 32-year-old batsman Asela Gunaratne who last played in January. Prasanna’s inclusion may partly have been motivated by the fact that he has played List A cricket in England, where the World Cup will be held next year. There was no place, however, for 23-year-old opener Sadeera Samarawickrama, with Danushka Gunathilaka returning to the limited-overs sides instead.Elsewhere on the bowling front, there was no Akila Dannajaya following his suspension due to an illegal bowling action, nor in fact for left-arm spinner Amila Aponso. The only frontline slow bowlers in the squad are wristspinners – Prasanna, and left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan.Nuwan Pradeep, Dshmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara make up the pace-bowling contingent, where there is no place for Suranga Lakmal.Chandimal had been ODI captain only for that England series, after Mathews had earlier been stripped of the captaincy and cut from the team entirely. New chief selector de Mel had in fact been critical of Chandimal’s Test captaincy in the past few weeks, suggesting Chandimal was too reliant on coach Chandika Hathurusingha for direction. De Mel said to : “Chandimal, every time he wants to make a change he is looking at the dressing room. As captain he should be able to stand on his feet and take a decision.”Mathews, Chandimal and Thisara are all in this squad, but perform no official leadership functions.Sri Lanka play three ODIs and a T20I in New Zealand. The first of those matches is scheduled to be played on January 3, at Mount Maunganui.ODI and T20I squad: Lasith Malinga (capt.), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Angelo Mathews, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Asela Gunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Lakshan Sandakan, Seekkuge Prasanna, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara.

The duo shared a 94-run stand for the fourth wicket to lift Sixers to 177 before Abbott and Curran sent Heat packing for 98

The Report by Sam Perry20-Jan-2019The Sixers easily disposed of the Heat in Sydney on Sunday, led by a sizzling James Vince innings and a tame Heat reply.The Englishman made 75 from 45 deliveries, enabling the Sixers to post an imposing 177. After slumping to 2 for 16 after four, the Heat weren’t ever able to make a dent.The result moves the Sixers to ten points and second position, while the Heat remain rooted to seventh position with seven points. While enough time remains in the tournament for both sides to improve their position, a defeat was going to make matters difficult for the losing outfit.Sixers lay the foundationThe Heat won the bat flip and elected to field, leaving the Sixers to negotiate a wicket that appeared to be a fraction slow at first sight.Josh Philippe, promoted to open with Daniel Hughes, found the boundary four times from the first nine deliveries of the match before skying a Josh Lalor slower ball and departing for 17.Hughes kept the score rattling along, taking 13 from Jack Prestwidge’s first over, but soon departed when another Lalor slower ball – this one at 104kmph – had the opener dragging a pull shot on to his stumps.At 2 for 42 after the Powerplay, Henriques and Vince took up the mantle. The latter was able to free his arms regularly to find the rope as a solid partnership loomed. But an Henriques top-edge saw Lalor scoot around the edge of the third man boundary to take a good catch, arresting the Sixers’ momentum and bringing Jordan Silk to the crease.Getty Images

Vince and Silk take the game awayAs the Tasmania opener played himself in, Vince looked to accelerate, peppering the short boundary and providing plenty of work for Brendan Doggett and Prestwidge. Some solid boundary riding was interrupted when Doggett dropped a huge skier, and from there Vince stepped up a gear. He brought his fifty up in 35 balls, and was chief architect in setting up the Sixers total.It wasn’t without luck, as he was then dropped a second time by Doggett, this time after slogging Mitch Swepson to cow corner. The second was simpler than the first, and was painfully followed by a Vince six into the O’Reilly Stand.At this point, Silk joined the fray. Using all areas of the crease, he was consistently able to find runs through the leg side, at one point taking a Ben Cutting over for 17, as the Sixers closed in a total of 170-plus. With so many wickets in hand, Vince and Silk entered helter-skelter mode, before Vince eventually perished for 75 from 45 balls, caught after attempting to reverse sweep Mujeeb.Silk followed soon after, crabbing across too far as Lalor took his leg stump, handing the Heat pacer his third wicket. His fourth came after Alex Ross took a great catch running in from the deep after Tom Curran skied one to leg, and he then claimed a fifth – the only five-for of the tournament – after Jack Edwards was caught at long-off. It meant Lalor had 5 for 26, great reward for a spell that expertly mixed cutters and quicker deliveries.The Heat were never in itSteve O’Keefe opened the bowling and could hardly have started his team off better. He bowled Max Bryant with the fourth ball of the over, before containing Chris Lynn to finish with a wicket maiden. Ben Dwarshuis conceded one from his opening over, before O’Keefe returned and yielded only two.At 1 for 4 from three overs, the Heat needed to make a move. Bash Brothers Inc were able to combine for eleven from Dwarshuis’ next over, but Lynn came unstuck from Sean Abbott’s first ball, heaving one straight in the dewy air, leaving the ball to be well-held by Edwards.It was largely a run a ball for the period thereafter, which left the Heat needing nearly 12 an over with only eight overs gone. With the pressure mounting, Lloyd Pope then produced a delivery of quality,, enticing Jimmy Peirson from his crease, spinning it past the bat and allowing Phillipe to effect a sharp stumping.All that stood between the Sixers and a much-needed win was McCullum, and it was the flame-haired leggie, Pope, who picked him up. On 27 from 31, McCullum tried to sweep Pope in front of square, but sliced it all the way to Silk on the deep midwicket boundary, as he clasped it tight into his chest.The task was insurmountable from thereon, and the Heat’s batting slumped as a result. They lost wickets at regular intervals, with only Ben Cutting providing a sliver of light with a bright 28 before he was comprehensively bowled by Tom Curran, who led an excellent Sixers bowling performance, picking up 3 for 16.

Batsman cast aside after fallow run in Test cricket, but T20I record stands up to scrutiny

George Dobell in St Lucia04-Mar-2019Dawid Malan “wants to prove a point” in the T20I matches against West Indies, having missed out on international cricket since he was dropped from the Test team at the start of August.While Malan admits he “probably didn’t score as many runs as I should have done” in his final Test appearances – he made 74 runs in five innings against Pakistan and India – it is clear that he feels somewhat unfortunate to have dropped out of the team in all formats of the game.You can see his point. He has made four half-centuries in his five T20I appearances with an excellent strike-rate of 150.60 and yet, even now, with England resting four members (Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali and Jason Roy) of the first choice T20 side, he is not absolutely guaranteed a spot in the team.Even more than that, he finished the 2017-18 Ashes as England’s leading run-scorer (he made 383 runs at an average of 42.55 and recorded a maiden Test century in what he referred to as a “breakthrough winter”) only to be dropped after the first Test against India.So while he accepts that his place on the periphery is a result of England’s batting depth in white-ball cricket, he also hints he believes he might have been given a bit more of an extended run in either the Test or T20 side.”You always want to play more and, when you average 50 with a strike-rate of 150, you do, probably selfishly, think you should be playing a bit more,” Malan said as England prepared for the first match of the series in St Lucia on Tuesday.”I think the hardest thing was, after that winter – the breakthrough winter – to have five innings and then be out of all three formats was pretty tough. You always have a few questions why.”It’s never easy being dropped. It’s your dream to play international cricket and you think it’s gone at that time. It’s been tough.”I definitely believe I’m good enough to play Test cricket. Five [actually six] innings ago in Test cricket I passed fifty. In my last T20 innings I passed fifty. I still believe I can play international cricket. I still believe I’m good enough, it’s just when I get the opportunity to score runs to show the selectors and both captains and people around the world that I am good enough.”Malan was particularly stung when Ed Smith announced in the media statement explaining the decision to drop him that “it may be that his game is better suited to overseas conditions”. As a result, Malan sought clarification from Smith.”It’s obviously hard when you play your whole career in a country to be told you’re suited somewhere else,” Malan said. “It is disappointing to be tagged with that.”I played with Ed at Middlesex and I’ve never had an issue with him. We did speak about a few things and were quite honest with each other, which is the way it should be. You don’t want to be walking away thinking ‘I wish I’d said this’ or ‘I wish I’d asked that’.”There’s been no dramas about that. From my point of view and Ed’s point of view it’s just a case of ‘if you want to get back in the Test team, score as many runs as you can in county cricket’. It’s pretty simple: score big runs, play the right way and if there’s a spot available, he could come knocking. I probably didn’t score as many runs as I should have done in those five innings after the winter.”So for me it’s about proving a point and showing I can play all over the world. My record across both formats is okay in Test cricket – to say the least – and decent in T20 cricket. So it’s just about scoring runs to get the opportunity to bat in both of those.”The guys that haven’t played want to show what they can do and that’s a massive driving point for us. It makes us a dangerous team that guys coming in want to prove a point.”

Chennai Super Kings stomped all over Kolkata Knight Riders to register a seven-wicket victory and claim pole position halfway through the IPL season

The Report by Mohammad Isam09-Apr-2019Chennai Super Kings stomped all over Kolkata Knight Riders to register a seven-wicket victory at Chepauk and claim pole position halfway through the IPL season. Deepak Chahar’s early wickets and the spin trio of Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja held back the Knight Riders line-up with accuracy, before the 109-run chase was dealt with quite easily by the hosts.Knight Riders managed to get past the three-figure mark mainly due to another major contribution from Andre Russell, who was unbeaten on 50 off 44 balls. It wasn’t one of his special knocks, though, as the Chepauk pitch unsurprisingly offered more to the spinners.MS Dhoni completes a stumping•BCCI

Faf du Plessis, who was unbeaten on 43 off 45 balls, and Ambati Rayudu handled spin better, as they ensured an easy chase. But it was set up by how Chahar started the game, taking three wickets at the top which took the wind out of the Knight Riders innings.Chahar blows the topChahar’s reputation for being one of the most effective Powerplay bowlers got further enhanced after a three-wicket burst, as Chris Lynn, Nitish Rana and Robin Uthappa were all dismissed in his first three overs, reducing Knight Riders to 24 for 4 by the fifth over.All three fell trying the cross-batted pull-shot, with Lynn being trapped lbw while Rana and Uthappa were caught at short and deep midwicket respectively. Chahar’s initial breakthroughs provided the perfect platform for Super Kings’ spinners who then grabbed control.Knight Riders sink to spinHarbhajan had already got one wicket when Chahar was on fire at the other end during the Powerplay. He had the dangerous Sunil Narine toe-ending a slog which was caught at point. Tahir then removed Knight Riders’ captain Dinesh Karthik and Shubman Gill in consecutive overs. Both batsmen were caught trying to play the flick, Karthik caught at short midwicket while Gill had the googly slip through his bat and pads, to be stumped. Harbhajan added a second in his second spell, having Piyush Chawla stumped in the 16th over.Russell’s lone handDespite walking into the middle with the score at 44 for 5 in the ninth over, Russell rallied the Knight Riders’ floundering innings right till the end. He slammed Harbhajan and Chawla for sixes in between getting dropped by the former at midwicket, when on 8.When Knight Riders slipped to 79 for 9 in the 17th over, Russell farmed the strike with Harry Gurney, ensuring he faced 16 of the 21 remaining deliveries. He managed to hit two more sixes although his arms started to hurt by all the swinging of the bat.Super Kings undeterred by early blowsNarine removed Shane Watson and Suersh Raina in the first five overs but du Plessis and Rayudu eased their concern with a 46-run stand for the third wicket. They hardly pressed the panic button, and were only on the lookout for a boundary when presented with a bad ball or a big gap.Rayudu fell with 28 runs required in the last 5.2 overs, but du Plessis and Kedar Jhadav got them home with 16 balls to spare.

He was also expected to take up a short county stint in England to acclimatise ahead of the World Cup, but he wanted to stay in South Africa to be closer to his ailing father

Liam Brickhill04-Apr-2019Hashim Amla will return to cricket with the Cape Cobras during Cricket South Africa’s upcoming T20 Challenge, coach Ashwell Prince confirmed in Cape Town on Thursday. Prince also revealed that CSA were hoping Amla would be able to take up a short county stint in England to acclimatise ahead of the World Cup, but Amla wanted to stay in South Africa to be closer to his ailing father.”He is available,” Prince said at Newlands. “My understanding is that CSA would have preferred for him to be playing in the UK, but he wanted to be closer to home.”Cape Cobras will play five games in the domestic T20 tournament before South Africa’s World Cup squad is named on 18 April, and their tournament opener against Lions at the Wanderers on Sunday will be Amla’s first participation in competitive cricket since March 1. Amla last played
for South Africa in the two Tests against Sri Lanka in February, and was granted compassionate leave from the one-day squad to be with his critically ill father.The situation has improved a little but Amla, who turned 36 on March 31, is short of form and match practice ahead of the deadline for the announcement of South Africa’s World Cup squad. His place in that squad is not settled, and CSA’s selection convener Linda Zondi
told that the process of deciding upon that squad is giving him “sleepless nights”. Amla started this season in dreadful form, averaging just 10.14 with the bat with two ducks in seven innings for Durban Heat in the Mzansi Super League before turning things around somewhat with vital runs – including a 27th ODI hundred – during Pakistan’s visit. After some time away from the game to be with his family, Amla returned to the nets in Durban this week and will be flying to Cape Town to join the Cobras squad ahead of their first game of the CSA T20 Challenge. Prince believes that the tournament could provide Amla with valuable time in the middle.”I don’t think extending an innings has ever been a problem for Hashim,” Prince said. “It’s about getting in. In the Mzansi Super League, he didn’t manage that, which can happen after a long lay-off.”I still think there is a place for somebody to bat through the innings, and he is well capable of doing that. If he bats through the innings at a 120/130 strike rate, it allows other more natural ball strikers to play their game around him. There is an opportunity for Hashim to bat through the innings and if he does that half the time, then I think he is getting enough batting.”Prince also confirmed that JP Duminy will not be available for the Cobras’ first few games of the tournament as his rehabilitation from a shoulder injury that necessitated surgery and kept him out of action for most of the summer continues with strength and conditioning work as per CSA’s wishes.