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Kulkarni, Kotian and Mulani picked three wickets each to bowl Vidarbha out for 105

Shashank Kishore11-Mar-2024Vidarbha’s hopes of winning the Ranji Trophy for the third time seem to be hanging by a thread. They needed one big batting performance on the second day to inch closer to Mumbai’s 224. Even that would’ve perhaps just kept them in the game, but by being bowled out for 105, they seem to have conceded way too much ground to recover.That became increasingly evident when Musheer Khan and Ajinkya Rahane hit industrious unbeaten half-centuries in an unbroken 107-run third-wicket stand that helped Mumbai end the day effectively on 260 for 2.Resuming on 31 for 3, Vidarbha ran into an inspired Dhawal Kulkarni. The veteran, playing in his final Ranji Trophy game, built on his overnight two wickets by snaring a third when he had the in-form Atharva Taide nicking a superb away-swinger behind in the same over where he nearly had him lbw.Related

• Rahane, Musheer get down and dirty to leave Vidarbha in the mud

• Tanush Kotian raises his all-round game for Mumbai

• Heroic Shardul Thakur experiences his Ranji Groundhog Day

• 'Just a rough patch' – Thakur defends Rahane and Iyer after latest failures

Aditya Thakare, the nightwatcher, and Akshay Wadkar, the captain, resisted briefly in putting together 40 for the fifth wicket. It was the only passage where Mumbai were made to earn their wicket, with Tushar Deshpande, the fast bowler, resorting to short-ball tactics especially when the two offered good technique against the seaming ball.As he’s often done over the past two seasons for Mumbai, Shams Mulani, the left-arm spinner, delivered the breakthrough. He first had Thakare lbw with an arm-ball and then had Wadkar jabbing at one that dipped and spun away, as wicketkeeper Hardik Tamore took an excellent catch.From 85 for 6, offspinner Tanush Kotian got into the act, running through the lower order as Vidarbha lost all their seven wickets before lunch, lasting all of 45.3 overs. Kulkarni finished with 3 for 15, while Mulani and Kotian between them had 6 for 39.Deflated but needing early wickets to stay alive, Vidarbha had a shot in the arm when Yash Thakur clean bowled Prithvi Shaw with an in-ducker that snuck through bat and pad. One became two when Harsh Dubey, the left-arm spinner, had Bhupen Lalwani flicking to short midwicket to leave Mumbai 34 for 2, with their lead at 153.This is when Rahane and Musheer got together in the middle session. For a better part of their first hour at the crease, batting was a struggle. Rahane was beaten on both edges, he played and missed on a number of occasions and seemed extremely fidgety while defending, especially against Umesh Yadav’s late reverse.Musheer tried to negate the movement by batting well outside the crease and then taking a step further down the pitch as part of his trigger to try and meet the ball early. It didn’t necessarily make for pretty viewing with both of them struggling to get going, even as scoring was reduced to a crawl. At tea, Mumbai were 52 for 2 after 25 overs.After the break, Rahane seemed to turn a corner. He played a gorgeous on-drive and then executed a superb pull in front of square to get into his element. As his innings progressed, time spent at the crease helped him grow in confidence and runs began to flow. He brought out a trademark flick against the turn through midwicket off Aditya Sarvate and then superbly square drove Umesh for a four to bring up only his second half-century of the season.On 38, Rahane was given out lbw to Dubey, but was saved by the DRS when replays confirmed he had got a thin inside edge onto the pad. That he built on this reprieve and batted sedately for the remainder of the day had the entire Mumbai contingent delighted as they closed out a day of dominance.Rahane has been steadfast in his belief that it needs just one knock to turn the tide. After an entire season of struggle, it looks like there’s light at the end of the tunnel. He’d want – and all of Mumbai would want – for him to go on and get to that century and beyond to bat Vidarbha completely out of the match.

Former England assistant coach hopeful of opportunity for 2023 season

Matt Roller07-Nov-2022Paul Farbrace has declared his interest in a role in the Hundred next year, after leaving his position as Warwickshire’s director of cricket at the end of the 2022 county season.Farbrace turned down a job offer during the initial recruitment phase for Hundred coaches in 2019 in order to join Warwickshire after four years working with Trevor Bayliss as England’s assistant coach, and said he would be interested in a role in the tournament if an opportunity presents itself.Head coaches in the Hundred are appointed on rolling one-year contracts and while most incumbents are expected to stay put for the tournament’s third season in 2023, Gary Kirsten appears unlikely to return after Welsh Fire’s winless campaign.Farbrace left his role at Edgbaston in order to spend more time with his family, who live in Kent, but is due to spend two of the next four months in the UAE, coaching Team Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi T10 after taking the role on last year, before returning in January as head coach of Sharjah Warriors in the inaugural ILT20.”Before I took the job at Warwickshire, I was offered the head coach role at one of the Hundred teams when I came back from [England’s tour to] the West Indies,” Farbrace told ESPNcricinfo. “But I turned it down at the last minute because the Warwickshire role had come up.”I definitely would be interested, if things go well at these two franchises and an opportunity comes up in the Hundred. If I get a chance next year, that could be a nice way to go. As much as I love county cricket, the Hundred is a great tournament.”Related

• Paul Farbrace named as Sussex head coach after departure from Warwickshire

• Gary Kirsten leaves Welsh Fire after winless 2022 season

• Paul Farbrace set for T10 coaching role with Bangla Tigers

• Mark Robinson vows to 'get Warwickshire back' to where they belong

• Paul Farbrace on T10 cricket: It's about being on the front foot every ball

Farbrace hopes to use the winter to see whether he can take his skills as a coach from county and international cricket into the franchise world, and is approaching the challenge with an open mind. “For the first time in my life, I’ve actually given myself a bit of a breather,” Farbrace said. “The only time I’ve ever been in this position is when I got the sack at Kent 11 years ago.”I don’t know yet whether franchise cricket is for me or not but I’ve got these two opportunities and it gives me a chance to see what I want to do. Warwickshire was a 12-months-of-the-year job and after four years living in Birmingham with my wife living in Kent, it was probably the right time. With franchise cricket, you can do a month away and then a month at home.”Team Abu Dhabi finished third under Farbrace last season and he has signed Chris Lynn, Alex Hales and Adil Rashid for 2022 in a bid to win the title for the first time. “It was a real eye-opener for me last year,” Farbrace said. “I went in thinking it was going to be brutal for the bowlers but actually, it’s just as tough for the batters because you’re expected to line up world-class bowlers and hit them out the park.”We’ve learned from last year in how we’ve set our squad up: we took the second-most wickets and thought that would slow runs rates down at the end but didn’t quite manage that, and that cost us, so we’ve got a little bit more variation in our attack this time round. It’s a brilliant environment to be around with world-class players in every team.”

Narine hasn’t played for the West Indies since August 2019

Firdose Moonda26-Jun-2021West Indies captain Kieron Pollard has said that Sunil Narine could return to the T20 side after he regains confidence in his bowling action. Narine, who was warned for a suspect action at last year’s IPL, has not been named in the squad to play South Africa in the five-match T20I series starting from Saturday. Earlier this year, following his absence from the T20I squad to play Sri Lanka, Narine had told the selectors that he was “not ready” to return to international cricket.”He (Narine) had indicated to the selectors that he might have been available after the IPL,” Pollard said. “Then, the IPL was cut short halfway through so he might not have got the necessary preparation or confidence in his action, so he indicated that he is still not ready. We’ll play it by ear as we go along.”Related

• Narine and the fading of offspin

• Narine indicates he's 'not ready' for WI return

• Russell returns to WI squad

Narine last played for West Indies in August 2019, in a series against India, but there have been complaints over his bowling action since 2014. He was part of the first half of this year’s IPL and has played for Trinidad and Tobago in the Super50 Cup before that, where he performed well with the ball. Given that spinners are likely to play a significant role in the next T20 World Cup, whether it is held in India or the UAE, Narine could be an important player for the West Indies; but for now, they have to plan without him.That’s no different to the way West Indies are usually forced to prepare for major tournaments – without big-name players – and Pollard explained it’s one of the reasons their bilateral record has suffered. West Indies have only won two of their last eight T20I series but are the current T20 World Cup holders and have won the title once before, in 2012.”Our results in ICC tournaments are good and I wouldn’t want to change that,” Pollard said. “It’s just that when it comes to these kinds of series, it’s about having the guys available or not. In World Cups, we tend to get the guys we want to have playing, playing.”But West Indies do have several superstars available for the South Africa series – with Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo in the squad. But that has come with criticisms of its own that Pollard is well aware of. “We hear the noise, sometimes loud and clear. When you look at it from a logical perspective if you go with only youngsters, there will still be noise. Whatever you do, there will be noise.”Gayle is 41, Fidel Edwards is 39, Bravo is 37, Lendl Simmons is 36 and Pollard is 34. The average age of the 13-man group is 31 years and nine months, and an obvious concern is whether West Indies are doing enough to ensure there is a smooth transition from one generation to the next or if they will be left with a vacuum when the senior players retire.For now, Pollard is not thinking about that but rather how to get the best of the players he has, while he has them.”If these guys are assets to us, why not use the little bit of cricket they have left in them?” he asked. “Some of these guys play around the world and then when we see them around the world, we ask why they are not playing for us, and now they are.”

Southee and Boult pick up two wickets apiece as India fold for 242

The Report by Sidharth Monga28-Feb-2020
The depth in New Zealand’s five-man seam attack pulled India back from positions of strength on two occasions to leave them bowled out for 242; their openers knocked 63 off that total by stumps. While Kyle Jamieson starred on the scoreboard with a maiden five-for, the other three frontline quicks played their part: Trent Boult took the first wicket, Tim Southee took out Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, and Neil Wagner’s short-pitched bowling broke India’s biggest stand of the series.At 63 overs, India’s innings was shorter than either of their digs in Wellington but, thanks to more positive intent and a quicker pitch, they ended up with a bigger score. And yet they will be disappointed that despite three fifties from their specialist batsmen, despite lives through dropped catches, they ended up with the third-lowest Test total in an innings that featured three or more scores of 50-plus from the top-seven batsmen.On an individual level, there was improvement as all three half-centurions made technical or mindset adjustments after Wellington. Out of sorts with lack of footwork and struggling against the short ball, Prithvi Shaw got his front foot moving and scored a 64-ball 54 to give India a rollicking start. Two men in the spotlight for their slow going in Wellington and their captain’s subsequent remarks about intent, Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari batted with urgency and purpose in their half-centuries, but aggression got the better of both of them with the team score in the 190s as India lost their last six wickets for 48 runs.Asked to bat once again, India had a tough job in the morning after a delayed start because of an early-morning drizzle. Shaw, though, went on to show that conditions in New Zealand can look tougher than they are. His forward movement allowed him to track the swing, and his instinctive positive batting remained intact. As a result, Southee in particular couldn’t bowl the really full swinging ball, and Shaw made merry every time Southee pitched even slightly short of a good length. There was a gorgeous on-drive off the full ball too.Boult, though, brought New Zealand some cheer by setting up Mayank Agarwal by moving the first four balls of the sixth over out, in, out and in. Pujara showed he was mindful of his attitude to loose deliveries after he was guilty of not always taking advantage of them in Wellington. To the 13th ball he faced, a full wide one, he threw his hands, ending up slicing it over point. Shaw at the other end made sure Colin de Grandhomme, first-change bowler, couldn’t achieve a repeat of Wellington where he bowled at under two an over.As early as the 19th over, New Zealand went to Wagner and his short-pitched bowling, which nearly brought immediate benefit. Shaw hooked the second ball from Wagner, top-edging it just over the tallest man on the field, Jamieson, at fine leg. That brought up his fifty, a credit to him and the support staff that they could figure a way out of his Wellington issues in one net session between the Tests. Minutes before lunch, though, Shaw had a drive at a full wide one from Jamieson, falling to an acrobatic catch by Tom Latham at second slip. New Zealand would struggle to maintain that catching form.Kohli had tense few minutes to survive before lunch, and Williamson immediately went to Southee. Before lunch, Southee kept dragging Kohli across with outswing outside off before bowling the perfect delivery immediately after lunch. These are not always bowled by design, but you reap the benefits only if you are accurate. This was an outswinger just outside off, but it seamed back in upon pitching and hit him in front, leaving Kohli no chance. A more defensive batsman might have perhaps got an inside edge, it was that good a delivery.While Pujara had now begun driving well, and timing them instead of punching them, Rahane committed a mental error in Southee’s fifth over after lunch. Just visually, Rahane has looked the most comfortable of India’s batsmen on tour, defending late and playing under his head, but this time he was drawn to defend in front of his body, and the outswinger took the edge. When Jamieson pushed Vihari back, hit him on the finger, and then drew an edge to a full one, 80 for 1 was all set to become 134 for 5. Except that BJ Watling dived in front of first slip, and managed to get only fingertips to it.Pujara and Vihari then batted freely, especially against Boult, which meant New Zealand went to plan B in the afternoon. Wagner kept the batsmen honest with a seven-over spell for just eight runs, mixing the bouncers and knuckle balls, nearly getting Pujara with one. But India didn’t allow de Grandhomme to settle, which meant the run rate remained healthy. However, just before tea, Wagner did his job. Having had enough of his bouncers, Vihari decided to take Wagner on in a fresh spell. He kept a pull down, upper-cut him for a four, drove a knuckle ball, but to what turned out to be the last ball before tea he managed only a glove through to Watling. Time and again, it has been seen that there is only one winner when you start taking Wagner’s bouncers on, which will make Vihari question his approach moments before tea.If Vihari’s dismissal was disappointing, Pujara’s was near inexplicable. Just after tea, Pujara went to hook the tallest bowler in the opposition, managing only a top edge to a ball not that short. At the other end, de Grandhomme and Watling reprieved Rishabh Pant in successive deliveries, but the uncertainty that Jamieson’s height brings got the better of him in the next over. Pant pushed at a length ball outside off, but his feet remain rooted, thus producing a played-on dismissal.Umesh Yadav was no match to Jamieson, and Ravindra Jadeja – selected ahead of R Ashwin for his batting – top-edged another short ball to give Jamieson the five-for. A 26-run roulette for the last wicket took India to 242, but the bowlers sans Ishant Sharma had a big task.In the 23 overs before stumps, India kept the batsmen honest, but couldn’t produce an opportunity that would go to hand. Tom Blundell and Latham batted watchfully, respecting the good balls and then cashing on the odd loose ones. They will hope the loose ones will increase in number if they can keep India on the field for a long time on day two.

The left-arm quick was able to arrest a fast start from the opposition while the opener helped seal a straightforward chase with a career-best 71

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Al Amerat13-Feb-20192:46

We were ready for Scotland coming hard at us in the first six overs – Seelaar

Netherlands’ bowling unit rebounded after a thunderous start by George Munsey to restrict Scotland to 153, before chasing down the target with one ball and seven wickets to spare in the Quadrangular T20I Series opener. A Dutch record opening stand of 100 by Tobias Visee and Stephan Myburgh ensured a stress-free chase.Having been sent in, Scotland put on 33 for 0 after two overs as Munsey clattered five fours and two sixes. He had hammered 71 off 34 balls to set up a record total of 221 the last time these two sides met, in Amstelveen in June last year. But Netherlands held the Scots to 120 off the final 18 with a fightback sparked by Fred Klaassen.Given the nod over Paul van Meekeren in the starting XI, the left-armer justified his inclusion by taking the key wicket of Munsey, lbw in the fourth over. Combined with Kyle Coetzer’s dismissal at backward point in the previous over off Shane Snater, momentum shifted dramatically back in favour of the Dutch, and they never relinquished it.Netherlands were sharp in the field early as well, with Max O’Dowd taking two catches at deep square leg. One of them was a sensational diving effort when Richie Berrington couldn’t keep a sweep down against Pieter Seelaar’s spin, to make it 44 for 4.Calum MacLeod survived an early chance on 9 and then again on 47 when O’Dowd spilled a comparatively easy chance at deep square leg before the reigning ICC Associate Player of the Year upper-cut his seventh four over third man to reach his half-century. MacLeod added 53 for the fifth wicket with Craig Wallace and eventually top-scored with 53 off 45 balls. In the 18th over, he was bowled shuffling across his stumps to scoop Timm van der Gugten, negating Scotland’s best chance of a late surge.Visee struggled early in Netherlands’ reply, taking seven balls to get off the mark, but a sliced four over the slips in the second over helped ease his nerves. In nine previous T20Is, his best score was 25 but by the eighth over he was on 37 and proceeded to drive Michael Leask for six, cover drive and sweep him for four and bring up his maiden T20I fifty off only 29 balls.Normally the aggressor in any opening stand for Netherlands, Stephan Myburgh was content to ride shotgun until he flicked Leask to deep square leg in the 12th over to signal the century stand. Visee was bowled a few deliveries later for 71 by Safyaan Sharif but Ryan ten Doeschate and Wesley Barresi saw Netherlands home with an unbeaten 33-run stand to give the Dutch an early advantage in the quadrangular series.

Both countries will play a combined total of 29 Tests in the next cycle of the Future Tours Programme

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Dec-2017Ireland and Afghanistan’s desire to play consistent Test cricket is on the verge of fulfillment as both countries are scheduled to play a combined total of 29 Tests in the next cycle of the Future Tours Programme (2019-23).Ireland will play 16 Tests while Afghanistan are scheduled to play 13, in a calendar which is due to get a final approval at the ICC annual conference in June 2018.It is a big shot in the arm for both Ireland and Afghanistan, who secured Full Membership in June. Even before the new FTP kicks in, both countries have secured opponents for their maiden Tests. Ireland will host Pakistan in May 2018 in Malahide while Afghanistan are set to travel to India next year with the itinerary likely to be finalised shortly.Ireland and Afghanistan, along with Zimbabwe, are not part of the Test Championship league, which will commence immediately after the 2019 World Cup. Nonetheless, the new FTP allows both to cut their teeth in Test cricket, albeit at a slower pace compared to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe – the last three entrants into the format. In their first five years Bangladesh played 40 Tests while Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe played 24 Tests each.Ireland ‘s roster is somewhat richer in comparison to Afghanistan’s in that they play half of the top-nine countries. Ireland are scheduled to play a one-off Test against Australia (2019), Sri Lanka (2020), England (2021) and then host New Zealand and South Africa in 2022. In addition, Ireland will face Afghanistan (5 Tests), Zimbabwe (4 Tests) and Bangladesh (2 Tests).Both Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will play nearly equal number of Tests at home and away. Ireland will play seven home Tests and nine away while Afghanistan seven at home and six away.Presently, Australia are the only upper-tier country to play against Afghanistan in the new FTP. Both countries will play a one-off Test in 2020 and 2022. Afghanistan’s other opponents will be: Ireland (5 Tests), Zimbabwe (4 Tests), Bangladesh (1 Test) and West Indies (1 Test).Zimbabwe are scheduled to play 17 Tests in the four-year cycle. Out of the 17, Zimbabwe will play Bangladesh in six Tests followed by four each against Ireland and Afghanistan, two against Sri Lanka and one against West Indies.Playing fewer Tests and focusing on limited-overs cricket is now part of Zimbabwe Cricket’s restructuring plans.Compared to 17 Tests (12 at home) Zimbabwe will play 40 ODIs and 31 T20s during the next FTP.

The New South Wales coroner has released the findings of his inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes

Brydon Coverdale03-Nov-20163:52

Brettig: ‘Hughes inquest findings could change cricket’

The death of Phillip Hughes was a tragic accident arising from a “minuscule misjudgement” from the batsman and no players or umpires were at fault, according to the New South Wales coroner Michael Barnes.Mr Barnes on Friday released his findings from the coronial inquest into the death of Hughes, who was struck on the neck by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG in November 2014. Although the coroner determined that Hughes had been targeted by bouncers during his innings, he found that no laws of the game had been breached, and Hughes was well-equipped to deal with such bowling.”Phillip was targeted by short-pitched balls bowled at or over leg stump or middle stump that placed him in greater danger of being struck,” Mr Barnes said. “Of the 23 bouncers bowled on that day, 20 were bowled to him.”However, in view of the evidence of the other players, the presiding umpires, and Mr Taufel [former umpire Simon Taufel], that Phillip was, because of his high level of skill and confidence, comfortably dealing with the short-pitched balls, I conclude that no failure to enforce the laws of the game contributed to his death.”Such was his skill and experience, he was well able to deal with such bowling, but even the best can’t perform perfectly all of the time. He could have avoided the ball by ducking under it, but such was his competitiveness, he sought to make runs from it.”A minuscule misjudgement, or a slight error of execution, caused him to miss the ball which crashed into his neck with fatal consequences. There is absolutely no suggestion the ball was bowled with malicious intent. Neither the bowler, nor anyone else, was to blame for the tragic outcome.”

Inquest recommendations

Recommendation 1: Cricket Australia review dangerous and unfair bowling laws to eliminate anomalies, and provide umpires with more guidance as to applying the laws
Recommendation 2: CA continue research and development to find a neck protector that can be mandated for use in first-class matches
Recommendation 3: Daily medical briefings at SCG to ensure a clear process in case of any emergencies occurring on that day
Recommendation 4: Training of umpires to ensure they can summon medical assistance quickly

The coroner also said that while it was hard to believe that no sledging had occurred during the match, the evidence suggested that Hughes’ confidence and composure were unaffected by any such sledging. However, while Mr Barnes made no finding as to whether sledging had occurred, he hoped that cricket would use the opportunity to reflect on whether such tactics were appropriate to the game.”Hopefully the focus on this unsavoury aspect of the incident may cause those who claim to love the game to reflect on whether the practice of sledging is worthy of its participants,” he said. “An outsider is left to wonder why such a beautiful game would need such an ugly underside.”The coroner found that independent medical evidence had established conclusively that the injury suffered by Hughes was “unsurvivable”, regardless of the efficiency and skill of the emergency response. However, he also noted that there were failings in the emergency response on the day which might have prevented Hughes receiving life-saving treatment, had his injury not been so serious.”None of those on the field at the time knew how to summon medical assistance onto the field,” the coroner said. “Although it was immediately obvious that Phillip was injured, it was not clear whose responsibility it was to call an ambulance. An ambulance was not called for over six minutes after he was hit.”The person who called the ambulance did not have sufficient information to enable an accurate triage to be made by the ambulance dispatcher. As a result, the ambulance response was given a lower order of urgency than it would have been given had the relevant information about Phillip’s condition been conveyed.”Mr Barnes also said that the ambulance service was given inconsistent information regarding how to gain access to Hughes, and that important medical equipment was not immediately at hand at the ground. However, he noted that some changes had already been made to emergency medical response procedures as a result of Hughes’ death.”Not that anyone involved was lackadaisical or cavalier, rather the systems in place to respond to such an incident were inadequate,” he said. “Unless addressed, those failings could result in a preventable death occurring… All of those who responded to Phillip’s injury did so selflessly and to the best of their ability. They are to be commended.”Mr Barnes also found that, although Hughes had not been wearing the latest model of helmet at the time he was struck, even if he had been wearing the most modern equipment then available, it would not have protected the area of his body where the blow landed. He concluded that Hughes’ death was “a tragic accident”.”The family’s grief at losing their much-loved son and brother was exacerbated by their belief that unfair play had contributed to his death,” he said. “In the course of this inquest they have heard from independent experts, high-ranking cricket officials and some of the players who were on the field with Phillip when he played his last game of cricket.”Clearly, they do not agree with all that they heard. However, it is hoped that they accept the compelling evidence that the rules were complied with; that Phillip was excelling at the crease as he so often did, and that his death was a tragic accident.”Nothing can undo the source of their never-ending sorrow but hopefully, in the future, the knowledge that Phillip was loved and admired by so many and that his death has led to changes that will make cricket safer will be of some comfort.”Later in the day, the Hughes family issued a statement saying that they accepted the coroner’s findings. They also said they hoped the changes made to the game, in order to make it safer, as a result of their son/brother’s death would become part of his legacy.”[Father] Greg, [mother] Virginia, [siblings] Jason and Megan accept the coroner’s findings,” the statement said. “They have noted the four recommendations made by the coroner, and Cricket Australia’s commitment to implement them. They are deeply hoping that no other family has to go through the pain of losing a loved one on an Australian sporting field.”As the coroner has noted, Phillip’s death has led to changes that will make cricket safer. The Hughes family hopes that this will be part of Phillip’s legacy to the game that he loved so dearly. They would like to sincerely thank the many people who have been in contact throughout and since the inquest.”David Warner, one of the witnesses who gave evidence at the inquest, stood by his testimony despite Barnes’ conclusion that he found some of the players’ versions of events “hard to believe”.”I’m happy with my testimony. The umpires said the same thing, that there was no sledging out there, and I’ll stick to my word that there was no sledging out there,” Warner said. “And I think we have to respect what they handed down and respect what their thoughts are as well, and us as cricket and Cricket Australia our thoughts and respects are still with the Hughes family.”Warner said he did not think seriously abusive sledging or threats to kill, as alleged at the inquest, were an endemic problem in the sport. “If I go back four or five years, when I used to dish it out a bit, yeah, maybe,” he said. “I think at the end of the day we’re all adults and when we’re on the field we know what line not to cross, and whether you’re touching the player or you attack them personally, banter and sledging is about trying to create energy.”You’re talking to your team-mates and no direct threats to any player, that’s totally gone. I don’t even know if that was in the game. I’ve never been pointed at and said any words of any malice, for us it’s just normal banter. It’s not really sledging if you want to say it. I don’t think there’s any in the game at the moment at all.”

Tom Curran, the Surrey pace bowler, has been added to the England Performance Programme for the training camps in South Africa and the UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2015Tom Curran, the Surrey pace bowler, has been added to the England Performance Programme for the training camps in South Africa and the UAE.Curran, 20, who was born in Cape Town, is due to complete his residential qualification period at the end of October and be eligible for England.He finished the season with 105 wickets in all cricket – 76 of them in the Championship to make him the joint-leading wicket-taker in Division Two – after claiming 10 for 176 against Northamptonshire at The Oval, including 7 for 35 in the first innings when he shared all ten wickets with his younger brother, Sam.James Whitaker, the national selector, said: “Tom has had a superb season leading the Surrey pace attack, and following confirmation that he is due to complete his residential qualification to play for England at the end of October, we are delighted to add him to the EPP fast bowlers group for the winter.”The EPP is initially split into two sections and Curran will join the fast-bowling group in Potchefstroom for a 10-day camp before linking up with the batting/spin bowling players who will be based in Dubai.Jake Ball, Craig Miles, Craig and Jamie Overton, Tymal Mills and Olly Stone are the other fast bowlers heading to South Africa.Sam Curran, 17, has been included in the England U-19 squad for a triangular series in Sri Lanka ahead of next year’s U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh.

VVS Laxman, in his 16-year Test career, established himself as one of the best players of spin bowling in the world but, by his own admission, it wasn’t a talent he had acquired when he first picked up the bat

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Hyderabad01-Mar-2013VVS Laxman, in his 16-year Test career, established himself as one of the best players of spin bowling in the world but, by his own admission, it wasn’t a talent he had acquired when he first picked up the bat. Failures early in his career taught him to respect spin bowling more and after hours of practice his batting had evolved to the point where he could master any attack.Laxman was speaking at the launch of , a compilation of the best Q&A long-form interviews published by ESPNcricinfo and Walt Disney. The book features 22 interviews with current and former players speaking on specific topics such as captaincy, swing bowling, commentary, batting etc. Those interviewed include Sachin Tendulkar, Ian Chappell, Mahela Jayawardene, Barry Richards, and Laxman himself.”I never got to play quality spin bowling when I was growing up,” Laxman said in a discussion with Harsha Bhogle and ESPNcricinfo editor Sambit Bal, responding to an extract from an earlier interview. “As a kid I always enjoyed playing fast bowling. I neglected playing spinners. At the end of the practice session I got extra throw-downs, asking the coaches to throw from ten yards so I could play quicker bowling. I used to practice on cement wickets using a plastic ball or a wet tennis ball.”When I started playing the Ranji Trophy, there were some quality spinners in domestic cricket and I remember I would invariably get out to Sairaj Bahutule (former Mumbai legspinner), playing against the spin and getting caught at midwicket. That’s when I came back to the nets and luckily Hyderabad had some quality spinners like Arshad Ayub, Venkatapathy Raju, Kanwaljit Singh. I practiced hard at the nets against them and I always felt that the hard work you put in the nets will reap results. Within a span of six months to one year I became an excellent player of spin. In domestic cricket we used to get tough wickets, like the one in Chennai for the Test (against Australia), and my confidence grew.”Laxman’s admissions could be a lesson for the touring Australian team, whose batsmen struggled against spin in Chennai. “You react to the ball that is coming at you,” he said. “If you focus on the guy holding the ball, your thought process changes. You should remove things like the state of the pitch from your thought process and only react to the ball. If you think too much about the wicket, you’re only expecting a certain kind of delivery and in the bargain you lose out on the shot you could have played.”Laxman also spoke at length about how it’s a bigger challenge for youngsters today to strike the balance between their game and their personality, compared to the scenario at the time he was growing up. He felt it is a challenge for the modern cricketer to manage distractions better, given that players nowadays have plenty on their plate to deal with.”It’s not just about distractions. It’s the amount of options available to you. For example, when I chose not to become a doctor and chose cricket as my career path, there was nothing in my life except cricket. When my friends went to movies etc, I used to go home, so I could be fresh in the morning for practice. Now, there are so many options. If you are not successful as a cricketer you could be successful in any other field. That is why now it is very important how you communicate with the youngsters. You cannot be negative with them. You have to be positive so that their interest in the game always remains.”There is so much of fame, adulation, scrutiny, and money [these days]. It is very important for any young cricketer to be as balanced as possible. It is very difficult to do so and I feel for them.”While he agreed that mentorship is important to a player’s growth, he insisted that a youngster should be educated on what his priorities should be at an early age.”What was the one thing that kept me going? It was the pride of playing for your country,” Laxman said. “That can be ingrained at a young age. [Money] is a danger. For young cricketers, their priorities should be emphasised. They should know that money is a by-product of what you’re trying to achieve. Pride and passion should be the first priority. I have noticed in the same coaching camps I used to attend as a kid, the parents now say ‘I don’t care if my son plays for India or not but I want him to get into one of the IPL franchises.’ There has to be a balance. That will happen in the ages of 16-19. The coaches at camps like at the NCA have to address the issue.”Coaching youngsters, he says, also needs to be handled with caution. “After my retirement my son suddenly became interested in the game, I don’t know why,” Laxman said, which was followed by laughter. “I just tell him to hit the ball. My nephew goes to a coaching camp and one day I was playing with the two of them. It was strange. My son was only hitting the ball without bothering about his head position etc, but my nephew would come to me as ask, ‘uncle, how is my elbow position?’ They are just aged 6 and 7. What structured coaching sometimes does is it removes the natural instincts of a player. Till a cricketer is mature, one should not load too much information on him. I notice spinners are at their best till they are 15, but they vanish. The coaches try to correct them and the player gets confused.”

Defending champions Rajasthan will take on Hyderabad in the quarter-finals of the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy in a rematch of their season opener last year

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Dec-2011

Ranji Trophy quarter-finals

(from January 2-5)
Hyderabad vs Rajasthan at Hyderabad
Karnataka vs Haryana at Bangalore
Tamil Nadu vs Maharashtra at Chennai
Madhya Pradesh vs Mumbai at Indore

Defending champions Rajasthan will take on Hyderabad in the quarter-finals of the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy from January 2 in a rematch of their season opener last year in the Plate League, when Hyderabad were routed for a Ranji record low of 21. A substantially improved performance this year led to promotion to the Elite League and they now have a chance to extract some revenge with the game being played in Hyderabad.Maharashtra, the other team from the Plate league to be promoted, will face Tamil Nadu, which finished first in Group B, in Chennai. Mumbai, which topped Group A after beating Punjab in their final league game, will take on Madhya Pradhesh in Indore, while Kanataka and Haryana match up in Bangalore.The BCCI has also sent the teams a notice stating that the respective zonal curators will oversee the preparation of pitches for all the Ranji knock-out matches. The BCCI’s directive comes after last season’s semi-finals, when Karnataka filed an official complaint against the Reliance Stadium pitch in Vadodara on which they lost to Baroda inside two days.