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The Trinbago Knight Riders held on to complete a nine-run win against Barbados Tridents in Port of Spain

The Report by Peter Della Penna08-Sep-2018Getty Images

Denesh Ramdin’s second half-century of the season was backed up by a tight bowling effort to guarantee Trinbago Knight Riders’ top-two finish in CPL 2018, as the defending champions held on for a nine-run win over Barbados Tridents at Queen’s Park Oval. Fawad Ahmed’s three wickets catapulted him to the top of the tournament’s wickets chart and increased the Knight Riders’ lead at the top of the table to three points. The Tridents, meanwhile, suffered their seventh consecutive loss to finish with the CPL’s wooden spoon for 2018.Chart busting MunroColin Munro had a modest night overall, comfortable enough to let his partners do the work after the New Zealand international has done most of the heavy lifting for the Knight Riders through the season. Chris Lynn blasted 29 off 10 balls in their 35-run opening stand while Ramdin did the bulk of the scoring in a 75-run partnership that gave the Knight Riders a fantastic platform through the 11th over.Munro’s 28 off 29 balls served as his third-lowest score of the season, and he had a pair of lives in the fifth over as well, dropped on 1 and 2 off Mohammad Irfan by Shai Hope and Dominic Drakes respectively. But his good fortune meant he went on to break Chadwick Walton’s single-season CPL scoring record of 458 runs set in 2017; Munro now has 464 runs on the season with a minimum of three more games to go, in what is shaping up to be a Player-of-the-Tournament campaign for the top-order batsman.Ram’s denThe Knight Riders wicketkeeper was hidden down the order earlier in the season with limited opportunities to contribute in the final overs. But Sunil Narine’s extended slump in form triggered a reshuffle that has seen Ramdin move up to No. 3 in an effort to rekindle the batting flair of both men. Ramdin responded with 90 runs over the last two matches, including 51 off 31 balls against the Tridents.Ramdin took over from Lynn to keep the Knight Riders momentum going early by bashing Roston Chase for two fours and a six over deep midwicket at the start of the fourth, then cracked Jason Holder for a pair of boundaries in the sixth to round off the third-highest Powerplay of CPL 2018 at 68 for 1. Another maximum off Chase took Knight Riders past 100 to end the 10th over and put Ramdin three away from his half-century.His departure in the 13th at the hands of Imran Khan came not long after Munro’s exit and the Knight Riders innings soon stalled, going a stretch of 33 deliveries without a boundary. It took a late burst, however, from Dwayne Bravo – with three fours and two sixes from the 16th to the 18th overs – to ensure Ramdin’s effort wasn’t wasted.All crossed upTeams bowling second at the Queen’s Park Oval have typically had difficulty gripping the ball with the nighttime dew, which is why Fawad’s three wickets stood out in a Man-of-the-Match performance.Not for the first time this season, Fawad struck with his first delivery of the night to bowl Tion Webster with a googly in the fifth over. Another googly cleaned up Sunny Sohal to end the seventh after he had cracked a pair of sixes off American team-mate Ali Khan in the Powerplay. Fawad capped off his haul in the 13th, beating Shai Hope’s charge to make it 92 for 3. The Australian said afterwards that he resorted to bowling with a scrambled seam all night in order to be able to get a handle on a very wet ball and the strategy paid off.Forty-tudeFor the third time in five matches, Nicholas Pooran made it into the forties but once again failed to cross fifty, run out by a direct hit from Bravo at extra cover at a critical moment with three overs to go. It ended a 50-run stand with Holder, but the whole scenario was emblematic of the Tridents’ lack of a finishing kick that has contributed to their seven-match losing streak.With 39 needed from 18, the onus was on Holder to get the Tridents home. But Ali Khan claimed the Tridents captain by inducing a skier to long-off at the start of a masterful four-run 19th, leaving Chase and Shamar Springer to get 24 off the last over bowled by Bravo. Springer could only muster nine from the first four balls, thereby securing Knight Riders’ top-two finish after the league stage.

Ollie Pope was named Young Player of the Year and Sophie Ecclestone won Women’s Player of the Summer

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2018Kent’s Joe Denly has capped a fine season across all formats, at the end of which he won an England recall after eight years out of the set-up, by being named the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) Players’ Player of the Year. Denly also scooped the Vitality Blast and Royal London Cup awards at the PCA’s end-of-season bash at the Roundhouse in Camden.Nominated alongside Kent team-mate Matt Henry, and Surrey pair Rory Burns and Rikki Clarke, Denly won the most votes from his peers after a season in which he scored 1729 runs, alongside taking 57 wickets with his late-flowering legspin. Last week, he was named the PCA’s Most Valuable Player, a prize worth £10,000.”Being here tonight and being the NatWest PCA Players’ Player of the Year, it’s a very proud day and the ultimate accolade in domestic cricket,” Denly said. “It’s been a very enjoyable 12 months that’s for sure.

PCA Awards winners

Reg Hayter Cup for the NatWest PCA Players’ Player of the Year
Joe Denly
John Arlott Cup for the NatWest PCA Young Player of the Year
Ollie Pope
NatWest Women’s Player of the Summer
Sophie Ecclestone
Specsavers Test Player of the Summer
James Anderson
PCA One-Day International Player of the Summer
Jos Buttler
PCA County Championship Player of the Year
Tom Bailey (Lancashire)
Vitality Blast Player of the Year
Joe Denly (Kent)
Royal London One-Day Cup Player of the Year
Joe Denly (Kent)
ECB Special Award
Mick Hunt
Harold Goldblatt Award for the PCA Umpire of the Year
Michael Gough
Greene King PCA England Masters Player of the Summer
Ali Brown

“The last couple of years is about enjoying cricket and having a good understanding of what works for me and what doesn’t, and really sticking to that and enjoying that.”Playing against fantastic cricketers throughout the years and being recognised for your contribution to your team, and what you achieved in that year is something very special and to be proud of.”Ollie Pope, who made his Test debut during he summer as well as scoring 986 runs for Championship winners Surrey, was the winner of the PCA’s Young Player award, while spinner Sophie Ecclestone was named Women’s Player of the Summer after taking 20 wickets across six ODI and five T20 appearances for England.”It’s a special year, whether that be getting my call-up or more importantly, winning the Championship and contributing in that successful side,” Pope said. “It’s obviously an exciting time for county cricket and this country in general.”It’s incredibly special and this makes it even more special. Coming from players we play against is awesome.”Ecclestone, who made her England debut in 2016 as a 17-year-old, was earlier in the day named in the squad to go to next month’s Women’s World T20.”I’m so proud of myself,” she said. “Now to be playing on the big stage with all the girls is obviously amazing. My family have worked so hard for me and I’ve worked hard for myself. It tops off an amazing year. Definitely extra special to know they recognise what I’ve done as well, so it’s extra nice.”For the second year running, James Anderson was England’s Test Player of the Summer, while Jos Buttler, who was absent with the limited-overs squad in Sri Lanka, received the one-day player award. Lancashire seamer Tom Bailey won Championship Player of the Year, with Denly claiming the white-ball double.Burns, who alongside Denly and Pope won selection to England’s Test squad for Sri Lanka, was named captain of the Greene King Team of the Year, selected via the PCA MVP rankings. The retiring Lord’s groundsman Mick Hunt received the ECB Special Award for his 49 years of service at the Home of Cricket.David Leatherdale, the chief executive of the PCA, said: “The 2018 NatWest PCA Awards are a fitting finale to what has been an exceptional summer of cricket. With Eoin Morgan leading England to white-ball domination, Joe Root taking England to a 4-1 victory over India and Heather Knight captaining a clean sweep of summer series, the national teams are in great shape.”This is all underpinned by a successful domestic structure and I would like to congratulate Hampshire, Worcestershire and Surrey on their titles and Warwickshire and Kent on achieving promotion.”However, tonight is about championing the best individual players throughout the season and I would like to congratulate all of tonight’s winners. There is no higher praise than to be voted for by all your team-mates and your peers.”Greene King Team of the Year: Rory Burns (Surrey, capt), Alex Davies (Lancashire), Joe Denly (Kent), Ian Bell (Warwickshire/Birmingham Bears), James Vince (Hampshire), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Dane Vilas (Lancashire, wk), Rikki Clarke (Surrey), Ed Barnard (Worcestershire), Matt Henry (Kent), Morne Morkel (Surrey)

Internal experience was cited by CA’s chairman David Peever as the reason to choose Roberts as James Sutherland’s successor

Daniel Brettig03-Oct-2018To the ring of applause from his Cricket Australia underlings, the new chief executive Kevin Roberts insisted he was the right man to drive culture and reputation change for the governing body. He did so despite his intimate role in its long road towards the dual infamies of the 2017 players pay dispute and the 2018 Newlands ball-tampering scandal.Flanked by the CA chairman David Peever, who joined the board on the same day in 2012 and has been Roberts’ close ally and leadership sponsor throughout, the 46-year-old former first-class batsman, then-apparel executive for Canterbury, Adidas, Colorado and 2XU, declared his intent to repair relationships and rebuild trust with the Australian community. He will need to do so while remaining closely linked to the episodes that caused those bonds and trust to be eroded in the first place.Notwithstanding the succession jockeying that ensued after James Sutherland announced his intention to resign in June, throwing up candidates such as John Harnden, John Warn and Christina Matthews, Roberts’ succession had seemed ordained almost from the moment he left the CA Board to become a part of Sutherland’s executive team in late 2015. Peever duly cited internal experience as the major reason to choose Roberts, who led CA’s side of last year’s fractious pay dispute with the Australian Cricketers Association.”I did absolutely play a key role in those negotiations and our strategy was endorsed by CA and the state and territory associations, we were all in it together,” Roberts said. “But we do have a lot to reflect on and learn from, as we have. There’s no doubt it was a challenging situation, but we move forward, we learn and we make commitments as to how we grow the game and how we grow those partnerships into the future.”We obviously can’t change history, what we can do is work very closely with the ACA on a sustained basis over many years. To make sure the relationship with the ACA and the players is not defined by negotiations that happen over a few months every five years or so, but the relationship is defined by how we work together, to develop national teams, to support our players and to help them develop as athletes, as competitors and as people. The key learning is the importance of the relationship being defined by how we work together over a sustained period, rather than having this pressure cooker type build up to a five-yearly negotiation.”So we’ve got over three and a half year until the next MoU needs to be negotiated and our commitment is to build a stronger relationship in that period. That’s the greatest learning to come out of it, to have that foundation. There will be bumps in the road for cricket along the way, no question, we’re all human and we’ll experience some challenges along the way, but when we work on really sincerely and genuinely building that relationship with the ACA, and continuing to strengthen our relationship with players, cricket will be in a far better space when it comes time to contemplate the next MoU down the track.”Roberts’ appointment was met with a cautious response from the ACA president Greg Dyer. “This is a critical time for Australian cricket,” he said. “The cricket public need to reconnect with the game and this will begin with CA being open, fair and transparent in order to regain their trust. The on and off-field events of the past 18 months have created an expectation that a number of things will need to change.”The findings and recommendations of CA’s Longstaff and McCosker reviews will hopefully identify the changes that need to occur. Just as the players have been held accountable, we also expect that CA will be fully accountable in taking the difficult steps required to restore the reputation of the game.”The wider cultural review of CA, prepared by the corporate ethics expert Simon Longstaff, was handed to the board in recent weeks, meaning its contents were able to be viewed before a final decision was reached. Peever declined to comment on its content, but said that implementing review’s recommendations would be a critical early task for Roberts, whether it was strengthening the link between CA and the national teams or building a more open and constructive relationship with the ACA.”We recognise it is likely as we work through what needs to happen with the information that comes out of the review, that someone with strong experience both in leadership and in leading cultural change will be a very important leader in the organisation,” Peever said. “So Kevin’s credentials in that respect helped the Board have very strong conviction about his appointment.”There’s no doubt when you look at the [MoU] process, we can all learn from that. But that said, the outcome for cricket has been a good outcome, and just let me reiterate we have professionalised the women, our men are the best-paid sportsmen in the country, and with the agreement of the ACA we have been able to now stream off some of the above expected revenues into grassroots. Those conversations are going on now. I refer to the foundation that has been set, and that’s a very important part of that foundation.”In his corporate career, Roberts had some intriguing moments. He was still with Adidas when the company cut ties with CA as sponsor and supplier in 2011, leading to a deal with Asics. More recently, Roberts departed his role at 2XU to join CA in a fractious year for the sportswear brand, involving the collapse of its biggest US customer The Sports Authority. One of 2XU’s biggest shareholders is Tanarra Capital, whose principal happens to be the Sport Australia chairman, John Wylie.Among other issues for Roberts to tackle is the improvement of relationships between CA and its sponsors and broadcast partners. In the latter category, at least, there are fresh starts to be had with Seven and Fox Sports, both of which have bet big on cricket’s reputation not being so damaged as to affect their chances of leveraging off a $1.18 billion broadcasting deal to draw eyeballs to their free-to-air, pay television and digital platforms.”I think the challenge is to unite the cricket community and build trust and respect from the level that it’s at now, and we’ve got a great opportunity to do that,” Roberts said. “We’ve got such a rich tapestry as a cricket community across the nation, and part of that rich tapestry is the diversity of views, the diversity of needs, the diversity of communities. It’s a great opportunity to unite Australian cricket across all of that diversity, but that is a challenge and a compelling challenge.”A saying that’s very relevant to sport is things are rarely as good or as bad as they seem. That’s very true coming out of the Cape Town incident, which was let’s be honest a low point for our sport. But things are most certainly not as bad as they seem to some right now, and we push forward with optimism. Cricket is a game that embraces optimism, it’s all about optimism and I’m sure the cricket community feels the same way. So I’d characterise cricket’s relationship with its communities around the country as good, and we aspire to be great.”We won’t be perfect, but I absolutely promise that we’ll be genuine in our intentions to build respect, build trust, and we’ll try to bring fans and players closer together. Our players in the national men’s and women’s teams are outstanding young Australians, and we want to help other Australians understand more about those male and female players, just what great people they are, and at the same time help our players empathise with fans and what they’re experiencing in the game. It’s really all about bringing those two groups together.”Standing at the back of the room was Sutherland, who will formally exit his role at the CA AGM on October 25, more than 17 years after he was appointed in June 2001. “I am confident Kevin is ready to lead Australian cricket through the sport’s next stage of growth,” he said. “He has been a key member of our executive team over recent years and provided terrific support to me in my role. I congratulate him on his appointment and wish him the very best.”

Sri Lanka’s slapdash day in the field reached its nadir just when they needed to be at their most ruthless

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2018Sam Curran said that his crucial tenth-wicket stand with James Anderson had been “quite a bit of fun”, as England overcame another mid-innings wobble to post a hugely competitive 285 on the first day of the second Test at Pallekele.Curran had been playing a supporting role to Adil Rashid on 16 from 64 balls when Anderson came out to join him with the score on 225 for 9. But he went into overdrive thereafter, crashing a total of six sixes and a four before being last man out for 64, his third half-century in just seven Test appearances.And, when Jack Leach struck before the close to demonstrate the demons that could be lurking within the surface in the coming days, the true value of that late volley of runs had been amply demonstrated.”It was crucial,” said Curran at the close. “You saw in the evening how much it spun. Getting close to 300 was massive for us.”Rash [Adil Rashid] played beautifully before tea and I tried to take over where he left off. We got a nice score on the board, and it was a great positive for Leachy to bowl a beautiful ball to get rid of the opener this evening.”Anderson’s contribution to the last-wicket stand was seven runs out of 60, but having successfully overturned a first-ball lbw decision, he was made to face just 12 balls as Sri Lanka allowed Curran to dominate the strike through some lacklustre field placings.”I was a little surprised,” said Curran. “I gave myself a chance to take a few balls up top. They weren’t bringing in the field.Jack Leach made the initial breakthrough•Getty Images

“But me and Jimmy had quite a bit of fun out there. He was probably the one telling me to calm down and trust him. It was real good fun out there. It’s a nice score on the board with the surface breaking up and cracks getting a bit bigger.”Curran also paid tribute to Jos Buttler’s earlier half-century, a sweep-heavy 63 from 67 balls that had kept England’s score moving in spite of the top-order wickets falling around him.”Jos came in and played the way we know he can do: sweeping, reverse sweeping, running down,” he said. “They looked like they started to panic a little bit almost. It got to the stage after lunch he was almost reverse-sweeping or or sweeping every ball, with the field all over the place.”There’s a ball in that wicket that generally is going to get you out. You’ve got to back your ability and take those risks when you can,” he added. “Rooty’s been massive in the dressing room saying ‘don’t worry about making mistakes’, we’re just trying to go out with a positive mindset.”Malinda Pushpakumara, Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner, admitted that, as a consequence of their positive approach, England’s total had been significantly higher than his side had bargained for.”We thought we should restrict them to 200,” he said. “But the last pair added 60 runs and that’s a big bonus for them. It will be tough for us. Our batsmen need to score all those runs. Our plan is to get 350 plus. We have to go for that plan.”Curran, however, was confident that England had the bowling attack to cement their dominance going into the second day’s play.”The spinners are going to have a huge role tomorrow,” he said. “We’ve got three great spinners all bowling very nicely. The wicket is starting to turn from the straight which is a great sign for us, with a score we are fairly happy with.”The next couple of days are going to be exciting for spin bowlers and batters are going to be on their toes.”

India’s captain singled out the quick for special praise after they secured a 2-1 series lead over Australia and retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Sidharth Monga at the MCG30-Dec-20182:20

Laxman: Bumrah’s variations remind me of Wasim Akram

Virat Kohli, the best batsman in the world today, doesn’t want to face Jasprit Bumrah. That’s a scary message for the batsmen world over. After India took an unassailable 2-1 series lead, checking the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in for a return journey to India, the best batsman in the world spoke glowingly of the best bowler in the world, at least across formats put together if there are people yet to be convinced of Bumrah’s status in each individual format.Bumrah began the year as a surprise entrant into Test cricket after having played no first-class cricket in 2017, but has ended up with five-fors in all the countries he has gone to. He has the best yearly haul for an Indian fast bowler, and is a lock to be the fastest Indian quick to 50 Test wickets. His captain was ever so grateful. Kohli began with talking about bringing Bumrah into the longest format through the unconventional route.”I think the fact that he was showing amazing levels of energy and fitness in white-ball cricket and hence he was so good because he was not giving runs with the new ball, he was getting wickets, he would come back in the death overs and not bowl one loose delivery,” Kohli said. “He was training like he wanted to play Test cricket, he was that obsessed about his fitness levels and his work ethics. So we discussed before South Africa that if we put him as a surprise package, he could be lethal if he gets his lines and lengths right.”

‘Credit to our first-class set-up back home’

Kohli attributed India’s success with the old ball to the grind in often unsympathetic conditions in the country’s premier first-class competition, the Ranji Trophy.
“Our first-class cricket is amazing, we have tough sessions where you have to run in and bowl with the old ball and that’s the skill level you saw in this game,” he said.
“We were far better with the old ball and that’s why we got the breakthroughs and ended up winning the Test match. Credit has to go to the first-class set-up back home, which provides different challenges to fast bowlers.
“People often say we don’t have the conditions but it makes you tougher. If you embrace that, you’re going to come out and do special things when the pitch is not offering that much and win Test matches for your country. And our bowlers vouch for that as well.”

Bumrah is blessed with a freak action, but it is his sharp mind as much as that action that sets him apart.”The mindset he has is what separates him from anyone else in the world right now,” Kohli said. “He looks at the pitch, and he doesn’t think, ‘Oh it’s a hard toil on this wicket.’ He thinks how can I take make a breakthrough for the team and your mindset separates you from the rest. He is as strong-headed as I have seen anyone in the past, and that’s the key to his success, that’s what I have seen in the past 12 months.”The way he has matured in Test cricket, and the areas he has bowled so quickly in his Test career, I think it’s a scary sign for the batsmen around the world in Test cricket. I mean if there is a pitch like Perth, I wouldn’t want to face Jasprit Bumrah to be honest because if he gets on a roll he can really crank it up and the way he bowls is so much more different to anyone and I think he realises that more than the batsmen, and that’s why he is so confident about his skills.”Kohli went on to call Bumrah the best bowler in the world.Now that the series can’t be lost, India can breathe a little easy, but Bumrah’s partners in Sydney – a Test, Kohli said, India want to win and not just hang on to for a draw – will be crucial. It is a pitch that Tim Paine expects to turn, which makes R Ashwin’s fitness that much more important.”I think Ashwin’s very close to being match-fit,” Kohli said. “He has been bowling a lot of overs, and I’m sure these next four days [three] will make him even stronger. So regardless it being the last Test match, he will be willing to push himself and start for the team, but again it depends on what kind of pitch we get in Sydney.”Kohli’s focus on the nature of pitch might suggest Ashwin might get in only if they play two spinners. At the moment, though, they don’t want to think too much about Sydney.”We are very happy,” Kohli said. “Leading the series for the first time in Australia. We will take the trophy back home regardless of what happens in the last Test. Although our aim is to win the series here, which is what we came here thinking and that hasn’t changed regardless of whatever happened. But it is important to realise this moment, and it is important to understand how much hard work we have put in to reach this scoreline. We have to appreciate that as a whole team.”

Her 3 of 12 restricted Sri Lanka to a below-par score before the hosts chased down the target with over five overs to spare

The Report by Liam Brickhill at Newlands01-Feb-2019South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk’s all-round brilliance set up a resounding seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first T20I at Newlands. Van Niekerk led the way with three cheap wickets as Sri Lanka were held to 90 for 8, and then followed that up with an unbeaten 71 from 55 deliveries to complete the hosts’ chase with more than five overs to spare.Sri Lanka captain Chamari Atapattu called correctly at the toss and opted to give her team the chance of setting a total but van Niekerk’s 3 for 12 scuppered a good start and rattled the middle order.Hasini Perera combined with Anushka Sanjeewani in an opening stand of 20, Sanjeewani swiping two leg-side boundaries in Masabata Klaas’ first over but then chipping a drive to Tumi Sekhukhune in the covers attempting a third. After her dismissal, Hasini helped to guide Sri Lanka to the reasonably stable position of 26 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay, but the innings began to stagnate as van Niekerk brought herself on with the field spread and started to choke the flow of runs.Her first over went for just two runs, and with the first ball of her third she had a frustrated Hasini caught at short fine leg by Lara Goodall for 27 – the top score of the innings. In her next over, van Niekerk struck twice to have Shashikala Siriwardene caught by a backpedaling Shabnim Ismail at long-off before bowling a slogging Atapattu with one that spun into the left-hander.In the very next over, Sekhukhune flattened Nilakshi de Silva’s leg stump with a full, swinging delivery and Sri Lanka were floundering at 53 for 5 in the 14th over. Imalka Mendis struck two late fours in her 25 to boost the run rate a little, but Sri Lanka’s eventual total was well under par.Van Niekerk showed just how far beyond a competitive total the visitors were when she strode to the crease and stroked four fours to motor through the Powerplay at a run a ball. Unafraid to loft the ball, she brought up a 40-ball fifty in the 11th over, crunching three fours in four balls off Inoka Ranaweera.By then, South Africa were already closing in on victory, and wickets at the other end did little to stem van Niekerk’s charge. Tazmin Brits was the next highest scorer with 10, but van Niekerk entered the 70s and ended the game with her 13th four, slapping medium-pacer Udeshika Prabodhani straight back over her head to the boundary.

West Indies captain says more must be done to keep players in the international game

George Dobell28-Feb-2019Jason Holder has called upon the ICC and the Federation of International Cricketers Associations (FICA) to ensure a “substantial minimum salary” for international cricketers.Speaking in the aftermath of Duanne Olivier’s decision to sign a Kolpak deal with Yorkshire, effectively ending his international career, Holder revealed he had held discussions with FICA on the subject and warned that if players kept favouring domestic leagues over representing their country, it could become hard to “continue putting up the front” about the quality of international cricket.Olivier, aged 26 and recently established in South Africa’s Test team, joined an exodus that has, in recent months, seen compatriots Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw prefer a future as Kolpak registrations in county cricket to representing their national team. With players from some nations able to earn more and sign longer-term contracts from domestic leagues, Holder feared more of them could be lost from the international game.There were 14 Kolpak registrations playing county cricket in 2018, while West Indies has previously struggled with the availability of some players due to schedule clashes between the international game and T20 leagues.”It’s really sad to see another quality player lost to Kolpak cricket,” Holder said. “Until something is properly done to keep players a little bit more grounded financially, I don’t know how much longer you can continue putting up the front.”People still want to see international cricket being at the forefront. I just think, going forward, we need to find a way to keep players playing for their country so we can have an attractive product. Probably the ICC and FICA need to get together and institute a substantial minimum salary so that players will feel comfortable coming home to represent their country.West Indies captain Jason Holder during a net session•Getty Images

“Test cricket is something that has picked up in the last year and a half. West Indies beating England; Sri Lanka beating South Africa: these are significant things. These can continue to spark Test cricket. There’s so much prestige behind it and so much work behind it. I can only hope we can find some common ground where players are properly compensated and encouraged to play Test cricket as opposed to running off to domestic leagues.”Personally I have had a few conversations with people at FICA. They are doing a hell of a job trying to get a level playing field for everyone and trying to have a fair standard for players and for leagues to be able to attract players. I don’t want to speak of a figure at this time but I’ve had discussions with people at FICA and we are trying to find solutions to these problems.”It’s just ongoing discussions. I don’t know if we’ll find a middle ground as soon as we like. Hopefully in the not too distant future we can find common ground where players are playing for their countries and also have time to play in domestic leagues.”Holder, who has signed a short-term stint as an overseas player for Northamptonshire in the early weeks of the season, also hinted that he had received Kolpak offers. And while he reiterated his commitment to West Indies cricket for the foreseeable future, he did suggest he could look to “cash in” towards the end of his career.”Most young cricketers in this day and age have had that dilemma,” he said. “It’s about what you want as a player. I’ve had age on my side, getting into West Indies cricket early and wanting to commit to it. I wanted to give myself a fair shot at a good international career and, if I stay fit and healthy, I can always cash in at the back end of my career.”Some other players don’t feel that way because of their personal needs. I don’t judge people for their decisions. They have to live with the decisions and be happy with the ones they make.”But it’s really sad that you lose quality players due to domestic leagues and with a lot more players going Kolpak.”

Assistant coach integral to development of new white-ball philosophy set to take charge at Warwickshire next month

George Dobell16-Feb-2019Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, is to leave in the next few weeks to take on the role of sport director at Warwickshire. He will start his new job at the conclusion of England’s Caribbean tour in mid-March meaning he will not be with the team during the World Cup.Farbrace was a key architect in England’s improved white-ball form. Although he was in position during the debacle of the 2015 World Cup, having been appointed in April 2014, his period as interim coach, between the sacking of Peter Moores and the arrival of Trevor Bayliss, saw England play a far more aggressive style of cricket and results improve sharply.He previously led Sri Lanka to the World T20 title in 2014 and had spells coaching England women, England Under-19s and Kent. He has also turned down approaches from several counties and at least one country, Bangladesh.”I have had five fantastic years with England,” Farbrace said. “It has been a brilliant experience working with world-class coaches, players and support staff. I have been fortunate to taste some genuine success and be part of the development of some excellent players, who have the world at their feet this summer.”There is never a great time to leave an international set-up and despite what will be a fantastic summer for English cricket, the opportunity to shape the future of one of the game’s biggest counties was too much to resist. It would have been tough for me to have turned down the opportunity once Warwickshire showed an interest in me.”I am very grateful for the opportunity that Warwickshire’s Chairman Norman Gascoigne and Chief Executive Neil Snowball have offered me and I am looking forward to starting a new chapter in my career development.”Finally, I would like to thank the ECB, and in particular, Trevor Bayliss, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root and Ashley Giles for their support in what has been a difficult decision to make. I wish them every success this summer. I believe they have the right attributes to create history by lifting the World Cup in July and winning The Ashes that follows it.”While his departure, ahead of a World Cup for which he had been planning for four years, is unfortunate it is not a complete surprise. Farbrace, like several of the other England coaches, was out of contract at the end of September. With no job security and his chances of gaining the England head coach role apparently diminishing – there seemed to be a view that a new voice was required – he has taken the chance to leave. His predecessor was Ashley Giles, who is now managing director of England men’s cricket at the ECB.”I would like to thank Paul for all his efforts over the last five years as a key figure in England’s success across the red and white ball formats,” Giles said.”Paul was integral, alongside, Andrew Strauss, Trevor Bayliss and Eoin Morgan, in transforming our white-ball strategy, which has seen us become the best team in the world leading into a World Cup year. His efforts in developing players in the elite environment will benefit him in his new role at Edgbaston.”He is an ambitious professional and highly regarded and respected in the game and the opportunity at Warwickshire is something that would have been difficult for him to turn down. I respect his desire to take this on and wish him every success in leading the county on their return to the top flight of Specsavers County Championship.”I will now start the process to find a successor and work closely with our existing set-up to ensure we have everything in place ahead of a busy summer of international cricket.Other candidates for the Warwickshire role included former England head coach Andy Flower and David Parsons, the ECB performance director.

The secret is to adapt, because mysteries get solved easily these days, feels the offspinner about the emerging bunch of young spinners

Sruthi Ravindranath in Jaipur25-Mar-2019He might not have used a moniker to describe himself like his Kings XI Punjab team-mate Chris ‘Universe Boss’ Gayle, but R Ashwin had no reservations in calling himself one of the top bowlers in the T20 format. The Kings XI captain even threw numbers at doubters and pointed to his success during the 2016 T20 World Cup to make his case.”In terms of the T20 format, my stats are at 6.72 [6.85 as per records] as my economy rate and I’ve played highest number of games in the IPL alongside Harbhajan [Singh],” Ashwin said in Jaipur ahead of his team’s IPL 2019 opener against Rajasthan Royals. “The last T20 World Cup, I played extraordinarily for my side and won Man of the Match in a game as well. That’s where I’d like to rest my case.”For the record, among frontline Indian offspinners in the IPL, Harbhajan has played 150 matches, while Ashwin has played 125.It’s been nearly two years since Ashwin turned out for India in coloured clothes, but he still remains India’s top wicket-taker in T20Is with 52 dismissals. Over the last couple of years, with the spotlight shifting from fingerspinners to wristpinners, Ashwin has struggled to break into the side – Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been match-winners in recent times with the white ball.A number of young spinners with various weapons in their arsenal have emerged in recent times. Ashwin argued that with technological advancements, no bowler could remain deceptive for too long, adding that adaptability was the only way around.
In a bid to adapt and reinvent himself in the limited-overs format, Ashwin had tried bowling legspin apart from his usual fingerspin variations in the IPL last year. Recently, he also stated that his exclusion from India’s limited-overs teams was down to a “perception” that wristspin is a must in the shorter formats, and insisted he was no “slouch” in white-ball cricket.”Cricket nowadays reveals everything. There is a lot of analysis and cameras can read out every movement of your fingers. The secret is to adapt to conditions. Look at Virat Kohli, earlier he was very strong on leg side but he adapted and now he is as strong on the off side too,” Ashwin said.While India captain Kohli had said that IPL form would have no bearing on World Cup selection, Ashwin believed he could make an impact. “Although I think the formats are very different, adapting will be the key. This time we do have a big break between the IPL and World Cup so whoever is in good form is going to get a place,” he said.It’s unlikely that Ashwin – who has been branded a red-ball specialist – would be considered for the World Cup, especially with Ravindra Jadeja and Kedar Jadhav around too. Jadeja came back into the ODI fold during the Asia Cup last year – after sitting out for more than a year – and has been an integral part of the side since then, valued for his lower-order hitting and experience. Jadhav, meanwhile, is primarily a middle-order batsman, but has been impressive with his low-angle slingy spinners in the middle overs.”India have a number of multi-utility cricketers. These are players who excel in one skill and constantly work on other skills as well,” Ashwin agreed. “In the Indian team, there’s Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar. Even Suresh Raina was an allrounder at a point. And there’s me and Jadeja who bowl as well as bat. Nowadays cricketers are very aware that you’ve to contribute both ways.”

Fast bowler relieved to be given his chance, after pressure for places during Pakistan series

Andrew Miller22-May-2019At the age of 34, and with more wickets since the 2015 World Cup than any other England fast bowler, Liam Plunkett probably knew deep down that he had both the experience and the statistics to justify his retention in England’s 15-man squad for the tournament starting next week.But nevertheless, Plunkett still found himself “pacing up and down” in anticipation of his confirmatory phone-call from the national selector, Ed Smith – with his wife Emeleah choosing to keep schtum about some good work-related news of her own – as the battle for England’s final fast-bowling slots went right down to the wire.In the end, England chose to back Plunkett’s proven abilities as a deck-hitting middle-innings enforcer – a role in which he has claimed 85 wickets at 28.43 in 53 matches since 2015 – and instead it was the left-armer David Willey who missed the cut, a decision that Eoin Morgan, England’s captain, said had been the toughest of his career.”You always have that slight doubt in your mind,” Plunkett said at the New Balance England kit launch in East London. “Are they going down this route or that route? I felt like I deserved to be in that squad, but you just don’t know what they’re thinking.”To pass the time and to alleviate his nerves, Plunkett went back to basics, hitting the gym with a vengeance and topping up the fitness levels that will be crucial in retaining his edge as a fast bowler, after a dip in his average speed in the early part of the year appeared to have undermined his status in the side.”I think I did about 12 hill-sprints, and kettle bells, and bikes, pacing up and down,” he said. And all the while, Plunkett’s wife had been sitting on her own announcement – that, as a high-flying financial analyst in the USA, she had just been promoted to director at her company.”She didn’t tell me, she kept that quiet until I found out,” Plunkett said. “[We had a] fairly quiet [celebration], she’s worked just as hard to get there, so it was good to hear that news as well.”With that initial selection hurdle now out of the way, Plunkett can settle down to prepare for his role in what promises to be a gruelling six-week campaign. But with the average score in the recent England v Pakistan series pushing 350, he admitted it can be increasingly hard for a bowler in the modern one-day game to work out what exactly constitutes a good day at the office.ALSO READ: Team culture stronger than it’s ever been – Eoin Morgan “Ideally you want to go for 20 [runs], but realistically, bowlers will take 2 for late-40s, 2 for 50 now, especially when there’s a score like that, and people are going for 60, 70 [in their ten overs],” he said.In fact, Plunkett found himself passing the time with Chris Woakes during their twelfth-man duties in the Pakistan series, trying to compare batting and bowling landmarks in the modern landscape.”I was speaking to Woakesy on the bench the other day, trying to relate what a fifty would be like in bowling figures, and what a hundred is like,” he said. “We couldn’t work out what it would be. Ten overs, 2 for 20 would be like a double-hundred or something. It’s tricky, a tricky period to bowl in.”Plunkett has been around for so long, he can remember the days when feats that can seem common-place in the current climate still seemed extraordinary – such as England’s thrashing by Sri Lanka at Headingley in 2006, when Sanath Jayasuriya led an assault on England’s target of 322 inside 40 overs.”I remember going for 50-odd off nine and I was devastated,” he said (it was actually 46 off five, if the above game was the one he was recalling). “Worst day of my life, but it’s changed a lot now. If you’re picking up 2 or 3 for 50, I’ll snap someone’s hand off, especially in that middle part when you’re breaking the game up, and getting two or three of their main batsmen out.”That middle period remains Plunkett’s point-of-difference in the England set-up. His ability, alongside the legspin of Adil Rashid, to disrupt well-set batsmen and prise openings in an opposition innings, remains a valuable option for England to have in their armoury, even if the arrival of Jofra Archer could provide Morgan with an alternative go-to bowler.”Jofra’s an amazing talent,” Plunkett said. “It’s great to have him in the squad as someone who can rock up and bowl at 93mph consistently, and he can bowl in any part of the game also, so that just adds a bit more variation in the middle. If I’m not picking up, or Rash is not picking up, he can come in and I can work well with Jofra, or Rash can work well with Jofra. It’s good to have that versatility in the middle.”You get compared a lot,” he said, when asked to weigh up the merits of England’s various seam options. “I’ve been through a lot since the World Cup in 2007, and whatever squad you’re in, there’s someone chasing your tail. Whether it be Bally [Jake Ball], or the Overtons, or Lewis Gregory. Or whoever’s in the county circuit. You always get compared to someone”But I feel like I do a different role to the other guys. I think that’s what I’ve done well, and been successful at, and I don’t think they want me doing anything different.”You’re always working on your game, I’ve worked on my death bowling because every bowler has to be able to do all. Some people are better at stuff than other people, but if called upon, you want to be able to step up and do what you’re asked to do.”