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West Indies A tightened their grip on the four-day game in Mysore after their spinners ran through India A’s lower order on the third day

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2013
ScorecardVeerasammy Permaul took 5 for 85 as the home side capsized•BCCI

West Indies A tightened their grip on the four-day game in Mysore after their spinners ran through India A’s lower order on the third day. The home side lost their final seven wickets for 61 runs as Nikita Miller and Veerasammy Permaul showed off the depth in West Indies’ spin stocks and wrested a 184-run first-innings advantage.Miller, who bowled an unchanged spell of 26 overs either side of lunch, told the , “It’s a pitch where you don’t want to bowl too slow because the batsman will have enough time. You want to bowl slightly fast. That was the plan and we executed it.”We don’t want to give the Indians the upper hand,” Miller said. “So, we are looking at getting some more runs on the board, get a decent lead and take it from there.”Manpreet Juneja, the Gujarat batsman, followed up his recent impressive outings against New Zealand A with an 84 that steadied the hosts but his dismissal sparked a collapse that put the visitors in charge. India had moved on to 184 for 3 before Juneja was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Permaul. The rest of the batsmen were clueless against the spinners, with only the wicketkeeper-batsman Rohit Motwani providing any resistance. He was unbeaten on 28 as the visitors ripped through the tail to secure a lead that big enough to allow them the option of enforcing the follow-on, an option they didn’t take.That lead was stretched further by an aggressive 68 from Kieran Powell, who dominated an opening stand of 112 with Kraigg Brathwaite. Offspinner Parvez Rasool, who was the most successful bowler in the first innings, then struck twice as West Indies ended the day on 130 for 3, ahead by 314.Juneja, however, remained undaunted by the prospect of a tall final-day chase. “I think it is possible (India A win),” he said. “West Indies is on top as of now. If we have a decent target in sight, we might just go for it.”

It will be a battle to keep themselves in the hunt for the playoffs, since the side losing the game will find it hard to make the top four at the end of the league stage

The Preview by Amol Karhadkar04-May-2015

Match facts

Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Big picture

It will be a battle between two inconsistent outfits. It will also be a battle to break away from the bottom of the pile. And most importantly, it will be a battle to keep themselves in the hunt for the playoffs, since the side losing the game will find it hard to make the top four at the end of the league stage.Ever since Delhi Daredevils broke their longest losing streak with back-to-back wins, they have maintained an alternate loss-win trend in the last five matches. Going by that trend, it is their turn to win on Tuesday. But for that to happen, they will need their middle order, especially Yuvraj Singh, to fire.Besides, they will need to step up in the field. Allrounder Angelo Mathews said that Daredevils’ poor effort against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday was the worst fielding performance in the tournament. If they cannot show stark improvement in their ground fielding, they will find it difficult to stay in contention.Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, have finally found things going their way after a four-match losing streak at the start. They have won their last three games and with Parthiv Patel getting a big one in Mohali on Sunday, Mumbai Indians have now had each of their top-six scoring at least one fifty this season. If they can continue in the same vein, Daredevils will have their work cut out.

Form guide

Mumbai Indians WWWLW (last five matches, most recent first)
Delhi Daredevils LWLWL

Watch out for

Lasith Malinga may have been their highest wicket-taker, but Mitchell McClenaghan has been instrumental in starting the Mumbai Indians’ winning spree. The New Zealand left-arm fast bowler, who warmed the bench virtually for the entire World Cup campaign, had to wait for his chance in the IPL too. Ever since he came in for the injured Corey Anderson, McClenaghan has been a revelation and has given the much-needed impetus to the Mumbai Indians attack by picking wickets regularly.Imran Tahir was the joint-highest wicket-taker of the season when he was benched against Rajasthan Royals at the CCI on Sunday night, as the Daredevils management chose to boost its pace department on a green track. The legspinner would be keen to return and make a statement.

Stats and trivia

• Lendl Simmons’ average of 48.69 is the best for any batsman who has played at least 10 innings in the IPL. The Mumbai Indians opener has tallied 633 runs from 14 innings and is followed by Chris Gayle who has an average of 46.79
• Imran Tahir has the best strike-rate among bowlers who have bowled at least 250 deliveries. In 14 matches, Tahir has picked 22 wickets at 13.5 balls per scalp, with S Aravind (14) and Sandeep Sharma (15.4) close on his heels

Quotes

“We knew we just needed to get one win that would get the ball rolling.”
“We need to win and keep in contention. It’s still a wide open tournament.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the second Test between England and New Zealand at Headingley

The preview by Alex Winter28-May-2015

Match facts

May 29-June 2, 2015

Start time 11am local (1000 GMT)4:02

‘England should stay aggressive’

Big Picture

England’s week couldn’t have gone better at Lord’s. It was was a major surprise to everybody that they turned things around in such dramatic fashion having slipped well behind in the game. It was reckoned to be their greatest victory since the India tour of 2012 and a style of cricket not seen since the great days of Michael Vaughan’s captaincy. Suddenly people are giving the England cricket team a second glance.England have a new man to empty the bars. The new Botham, the new Flintoff, the new Pietersen, whoever you reincarnate in Ben Stokes, his draw was on show to the wider British public for the first time. They may have slept through his hundred in Perth; probably didn’t even realise a match was on when he hammered Notts in last season’s Royal London Cup semi-final; but here was his ability displayed on the grandest stage (and in glorious high-definition in a limited number of living rooms).They have even sat up and taken notice at Headingley. It has been the chilliest of Springs in northern England, hardly weather to encourage a big turnout, but Yorkshire have sold 5,000 tickets since Moeen Ali’s springing catch brought England victory and, with almost 40,000 sold in all, have reason to join the Stokes fan base.The challenge for England now is to keep entertaining. Will they continue to play aggressive cricket? Brendon McCullum wondered. His New Zealanders are committed to taking the game to the opposition, in any situation it would seem following some of the final afternoon dismissals at Lord’s, but England may have stumbled across a strategy that paid off handsomely and largely thanks to one man.McCullum said New Zealand themselves had to decide what brand of cricket they wanted to play when he took charge. His uber-positive style has seen them go undefeated in their last six Test series but now they need victory at Headingley to keep that run going. McCullum regards New Zealand as the “authentic” believers in aggressive cricket and pointedly wondered if England, traditionally more conservative, had just stumbled across such an approach. Under Headingley’s tyrannical skies, there will be times when a spot of conservatism might not go amiss..

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
England WLWDW
New Zealand LWWWDThings went better for Alastair Cook at Lord’s than he could have expected•Getty Images

In the spotlight

Lord’s can be a difficult place for opening batsmen, particularly on debut, and Adam Lyth made just 7 and 12 in his first Test. He should feel more relaxed on his home ground and it was during this Test last summer that the man he replaced, Sam Robson, made a century. Unfortunately for Robson it could well be his only Test hundred. Lyth, more used to the demands caused by Headingley cloud cover, will hope a solid showing here will lead to bigger things.Questions were asked of how well New Zealand’s IPL contingent would cope with the quick turnaround to Test cricket and Tim Southee did not appear to have made the switch seamlessly, looking a little jaded having sent down 58 overs, taken three wickets, and conceded 266 runs at four-and-a-half an over. Will he have recuperated in time for a better showing at Headingley?

Teams news

England are likely to be unchanged from Lord’s. James Anderson and Mark Wood were both reported to be a “bit sore” but are both anticipated to be fine.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Adam Lyth, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Joe Root, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Moeen Ali, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James AndersonNew Zealand have two injury worries. BJ Watling, who missed the second Test on the last tour, is still struggling with his knee that saw him not able to keep wicket for most of the Lord’s Test. His exclusion would rob New Zealand of an influential player in their run of six undefeated Test series. Corey Anderson also has a back problem; if he plays he is likely not to bowl. His injury concerns will be felt at Somerset, where he has signed up for the NatWest Blast. Luke Ronchi, for his Test debut, and Doug Bracewell are in line to replace the injured pair.New Zealand (possible) 1 Tom Latham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 Luke Ronchi (wk), 7 Mark Craig, 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

Headingley generally comes up with a good Test wicket and the bigger influence on conditions will be the situation overhead. It has been a cold spring in Yorkshire and the weather is forecast to be unsettled throughout the match, particularly on Sunday. “We still scored over 730 runs and took 20 wickets at Lord’s,” McCullum reflected. “On most occasions when you out those sorts of numbers on the board you would probably say you’d win the Test match.” It probably would be at Headingley.

Stats and trivia

• Alastair Cook needs 32 runs to surpass Graham Gooch as England’s leading Test runscorer.
• James Anderson is just one wicket away from becoming the 12th bowler to take 400 Test wickets
• Brendon McCullum needs 88 more runs reach 6000 in Tests: he would be just the second New Zealander to reach the mark after Stephen Fleming
• New Zealand’s first Test victory in England came at Headingley in 1983

Quotes

“It is a balancing act – maybe there have been times when I have been too conservative in the past.”
“We went down the other day but I thought we played some pretty good cricket during that Test. I make no apologies for how we play. We need to play an aggressive and innovative form of cricket. It gives us our greatest opportunity.”

Durham’s inexpensively assembled side defended 155 rather comfortably in the end, as Lancashire lost five wickets for four runs in eight balls

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford22-May-2015
ScorecardMark Stoneman top-scored for Durham with 55 (file photo)•Getty Images

The mellifluous tones of The Cure’s Robert Smith boomed out from the loudspeakers but Lancashire fans clearly don’t regard Friday in May as sufficient reason to fall completely in love with short-form cricket. A grey evening matching the gloom of the Crawley band’s early albums probably explained the modest attendance of just under 4000 at Old Trafford.Then again, maybe those who stayed away knew a thing or two. For instead of watching Lancashire chase down 155 in a fashion they have come to know rather well, the home supporters watched Durham’s inexpensively assembled side defend that score and do so rather comfortably in the end as Steven Croft’s men lost five wickets for four runs in eight balls.That collapse left the last pair of George Edwards and Stephen Parry collecting singles of little consequence in the final over as Durham’s players completed their second successive victory in this year’s NatWest T20 Blast and their first in eight games against Lancashire.The defeat may seem harsh on Ashwell Prince, who anticipated his 38th birthday next week by making a career-best 78 off 51 balls before he was run out by wicketkeeper Phil Mustard when his side needed 24 runs off ten balls. Prince, though, was never really given the support he needed from his colleagues. Alviro Petersen was the next highest scorer with 20 and Alex Davies was the only other batsman to reach double figures. Whereas Durham had been 91 for 2 at the midpoint of their innings, Lancashire had managed just 62 for 3 at the same stage and they then needed 34 off the last three overs.There were no stars in Durham’s attack but there were a lot of hard workers at the coalface of this game and the visitors deserved their win. The best bowler was probably legspinner Scott Borthwick, who conceded only 21 runs from four mid-innings overs delivered at a time when Lancashire were looking to put the hammer down. Yet Usman Arshad and John Hastings collected a couple of wickets apiece and there were three run-outs as Mark Stoneman’s men maintained their mental discipline and gave away nothing at all.

Insights

This was a match of two collapses, Lancashire’s, 4 for 5 (1.2 overs) significantly worse than Durham’s, 50 for 8 (8.1 overs) and it was for that reason that they emerged defeated and will look back and at a missed opportunity chasing a manageable target. Four run-outs, including three in 16 balls, in a chase is simply unforgivable.

Curiously, though, even as they reflect on their victory in the cool of Saturday morning Durham may still regard their innings as something of a missed opportunity. With skipper Stoneman and Paul Collingwood both batting well and without hazard the visitors had galloped to 105 for 2 in the 12th over but then lost their last eight wickets for 50 runs in just 8.1 overs. It was nothing like the collapse Lancashire achieved but it seemed significant at the timeThat gradual decline from outright prosperity may have been particularly irritating for Stoneman, whose 57 was both a career-best short-form score and only his second half-century in T20 cricket. Certainly his 38-ball innings, which included three relatively orthodox boundaries off an Edwards over, seemed to have laid foundations for a total of about 180.At the other end, Calum MacLeod employed cricket’s favoured T20 demolition firm, Scoop, Ramp and Clobber, to damage Tom Bailey’s figures, and when MacLeod had lost his middle stump trying to repeat the scoop off Jordan Clark, Collingwood maintained the innings’ momentum by hitting 30 off 19 balls.As so often in T20, though, spin changed the game. Offspinner Arron Lilley removed Collingwoood in his second over when a reverse sweep only dollied the ball to Davies behind the stumps and Lilley then dismissed Stoneman in his next when the wicketkeeper completed a stumping at something like the third attempt. Davies later stumped Borthwick but also missed at least a couple of other chances on an evening when his various accomplishments were trumpeted to all and sundry by a band of raucous supporters.None of the missed opportunities in the second half of Durham’s innings were costly. Only Gordon Muchall reached double figures and both Edwards and Bailey picked up a couple of wickets. Bailey, indeed, bowled Hastings, much as he had accounted for opener Mustard, with an outrageous slower ball which the batsman totally misjudged. The 24-year-old thus matched the chutzpah exhibited in an earlier era by Franklyn Stephenson and Chris Cairns.That, though, rather encapsulated the nature of the contest. One remembered the individual excellence of Bailey, Prince and Lilley but it was Durham’s band of hard-working cricketers who took the two points. “Let’s Dance” the crowd were exhorted endlessly but neither they nor Croft’s players ever showed their best moves. “Hi-ho” blared those loudspeakers at a volume to disturb the dead but it was Durham’s eleven players who went off to work.

Derbyshire’s England fast bowling hopeful Mark Footitt endured a frustrating day in front of National Selector James Whitaker as South African batsman Colin Ingram led a Glamorgan recovery at Chesterfield

ECB/PA06-Jul-2015Glamorgan 167 for 3 (Ingram 73*) v Derbyshire
ScorecardColin Ingram made a steady half-century after the rain•Getty Images

Derbyshire’s England fast bowling hopeful Mark Footitt endured a frustrating day in front of National Selector James Whitaker as South African batsman Colin Ingram led a Glamorgan recovery at Chesterfield.Whitaker would have been impressed by the ball that removed Ben Wright for a duck but Footitt lacked the consistency that earned him a place on England’s recent pre-Ashes camp in Spain and ended with figures of 1 for 65 from 11 overs which included eight no balls.With Ingram counterattacking to score an unbeaten 73 with 16 fours , Glamorgan closed an opening day in which 64 overs were lost to rain and bad light on 167 for 3 with their hopes of winning five consecutive championship games for the first time still very much alive.Footitt had destroyed Glamorgan’s batting at Derby last season and the visitors must have feared the worst when Wayne Madsen won the toss and gave his attack first use of a green pitch on an overcast morning. The conditions looked ideal for bowling and Glamorgan were soon in trouble as Tony Palladino and Footitt reduced them to 10 for 2 in the third over. Jacques Rudolph played defensively at the ninth ball of the day only to see it spin back into his stumps and Whitaker’s journey to Queen’s Park was rewarded when Footitt had Wright caught behind off a rising ball.It was his 40th championship wicket of the season and his 165th victim in an unbroken run of 40 first-class matches since early May 2013 but his chances of adding to that were ended by the first of four stoppages which allowed only nine overs to be bowled until the light improved late in the afternoon.When play did finally resume, Bragg and Ingram took the total to 73 before Bragg lost his off stump to a ball from Taylor that nipped back but also kept low and Mark Wallace was forced to retire hurt when he was struck on the left hand in the seamer’s next over. But Ingram was playing with growing authority and when Footitt switched to the Pond End for one over, he cut him for successive fours before driving Shiv Thakor down the ground for another boundary.Footitt reverted to the Pavilion End and was driven past mid-on by Ingram for his 12th four which took him to a 64 ball 50 which was an impressive effort in the conditions. With Craig Meschede also profiting from some loose bowling, Ingram was able to look back on a good day for the Welsh county. “It was a tough one going on and off but I was really excited with the way the guys played positively. We did well to put runs on the board today and if we can come out tomorrow and bat well, we can seize the opportunity because if you bowl a good line and length, there’s enough for the bowlers.”Madsen admitted he was disappointed with the way his team ended the day. “We got off to really good start this morning but it was a very poor last session when he bowled too many boundary balls. I know it’s a quick scoring ground but we were poor in our execution and gave them too many boundaries.”

ECB/PA29-Jul-2015
ScorecardJames Faulkner followed his figures of 2 for 27 with a vital 35•Getty Images

Lancashire secured their first Royal London Cup win at the third attempt, withstanding a fine spell from Junaid Khan, their former team-mate, to win a fascinating affair by two wickets at Blackpool.After a washout at Sussex on Sunday and Monday’s heavy defeat to Essex at Chelmsford, Lancashire kick-started their Group B campaign but it was far from easy as they crept across the line with two overs to spare despite bowling Middlesex out for 161.After winning an important toss, James Harris top-scored for Lancashire with 32 on an uneven surface. But Junaid, the Pakistan left-armer on debut for Middlesex, helped the visitors recover with two early wickets, and the chase stumbled to 93 for 6 in the 24th over.James Faulkner, however, backed up his earlier figures of 2 for 27 by making a crucial 35 in a stand of 47 with Jordan Clark, whose 29 from 63 balls was instrumental in seeing Lancashire home.Tom Bailey struck three times in an impressive six-over spell with the new ball having come into the Lancashire side for Kyle Jarvis, with the visitors slipping to 36 for 3 in the ninth.Dawid Malan was caught behind off a Bailey delivery with extra bounce; Sam Robson chopped on from one that kept low and Nick Compton was caught at midwicket after a top-edged pull.Bailey, with 3 for 31 from eight overs, was ably backed by new-ball partner Gavin Griffiths, whose only wicket was that of Ollie Rayner, who was caught behind to leave Middlesex reeling at 83 for 7 in the 28th over.In between, Faulkner had Eoin Morgan caught behind and James Franklin caught at short cover by Bailey off a leading edge, while Clark had Nick Gubbins caught at first slip.Steven Croft struck with his third ball of off-spin in the 37th over when John Simpson was lbw, leaving Middlesex at 111 for 8.But Harris and Toby Roland-Jones, who made 29, shared 50 in 61 balls for the ninth wicket to give themselves something to bowl at.Roland-Jones hit Stephen Parry’s left-arm spin for successive boundaries in the 47th over before holing out to deep midwicket. Harris then miscued a sweep to square leg next ball.Khan had Ashwell Prince caught at point in the third over of Lancashire’s innings and Karl Brown caught at second slip for a fluent 36, while Harris had Alviro Petersen caught at mid-off.Wickets continued to fall. Franklin had Croft, on his home ground, caught behind and snared Paul Horton caught at second slip.When Alex Davies edged Roland-Jones behind, Lancashire still needed 69 with Faulkner and Clark at the crease.The pair united for just short of 18 overs and Lancashire needed 22 to win when Faulkner gloved a lifter to slip as Junaid finished with 3 for 32. Clark then fell the same way to Harris, leaving Lancashire 15 short with two wickets left.But Parry settled their nerves before hitting the winning runs off Rayner’s off-spin, leaving Middlesex with only one point from two matches.

James Anderson has been included in a 14-man England squad for the final Investec Ashes Test at the Kia Oval but will not be risked unless he has completely recovered from the side injury which ruled him out of the Trent Bridge encounter.

Andrew McGlashan09-Aug-2015James Anderson has been included in a 14-man England squad for the final Investec Ashes Test at the Kia Oval but will not be risked unless he has completely recovered from the side injury which ruled him out of the Trent Bridge encounter.Anderson replaces Mark Footitt, the Derbyshire left-arm quick, in the squad while Liam Plunkett is retained among the pace options.Adam Lyth is also set to be given another chance at the top order despite a lean series in which he has scored just 86 runs at 12.28. There had been a suggestion that Alex Hales, the Nottinghamshire batsman who opens for England in limited-overs cricket, would be a replacement but the selectors have resisted change.James Whitaker, the national selector, said: “James Anderson is continuing to improve and with ten days to go before the Test may be able to play a part at the Oval although with the series won we will not be taking any chances given the cricket we have in the coming months.

England squad

Alastair Cook (capt), Adam Lyth, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, Steven Finn, James Anderson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid

“Regaining the Ashes is a superb achievement and is down to 18 months of hard work from the players and coaches and support from a lot of people since the last series in Australia. The contributions of so many different players at key times throughout the series so far is hugely encouraging.”England’s caution with Anderson is wise given there is no let-up in their schedule once the Ashes are finished. Although he is unlikely to play one-day cricket again, England have a three-Test series against Pakistan in the UAE which starts in mid-October then face South Africa in a four-match contest starting on Boxing Day.One potentially interesting scenario facing the England selectors for the final Test against Australia is whether to use the chance to give Adil Rashid – who has been in every squad for the series – a Test debut with a view to assessing him before the tour to UAE where spin will be a key component.It would be a tough decision over which pace bowler to leave out should they want to make use of Ben Stokes as an allrounder and play three quicks and two spinners, although one other route that could be explored would be to promote another batsman – probably Moeen Ali – to open alongside Cook in place of the struggling Lyth.England have been criticised for not giving Rashid a chance in West Indies earlier this year, but that became difficult after he had struggled badly in the warm-up fixtures. He has taken 25 first-class wickets for Yorkshire this season in six matches, and struck a century in the current Championship match against Durham.However, two years ago, England threw a debutant spinner in for the final Test against Australia but it was a chastening experience for Lancashire’s Simon Kerrigan who bowled just eight overs in the first innings and was plundered for 53 runs. He has not played for England again since, although was briefly around the squad last summer.

Imad Wasim, who led Pakistan to a 13-run win with his 4 for 11, said even though the pitch had good amount of turn, he used drift as the main weapon against Zimbabwe in the first T20

Liam Brickhill in Harare27-Sep-2015Imad Wasim has the air and confidence of a natural leader. A long-term captain of the Pakistan Under-19 side, he has also led Islamabad in both first-class and limited-overs cricket, and captained sides in the PCB Patron’s Trophy. In the midst of his match-winning spell of left-arm spin in the first T20I against Zimbabwe, however, Wasim was quite happy to follow the plans laid out to him by his captain and coaches.”Whatever is required, I do,” Wasim said. “Whatever my captain tells me, I do that.” He was deployed early against Zimbabwe opener Chamu Chibhabha, who has a reputation for preferring pace on the ball, and insisted “the coaching staff and captain were part of that decision.”Despite his respectful deference, Wasim is also a street-smart cricketer who has played the game professionally for almost a decade. On current evidence, he could be around for a lot longer. “Look, I’ve been playing cricket for ten years now,” he said. “First-class, and before that Under-19, so there is a bit of pressure coming into international cricket but I played in Sri Lanka, and against Zimbabwe at home, so I think I can cope with it now.”Wasim’s international debut came against Zimbabwe at home in May, in the second Twenty20 international. He had been selected on the basis of his all-round performances for Pakistan A. On a flat track at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, he bowled only two overs but played a more vital hand with the bat as Pakistan snuck home by two wickets.There were also some handy runs from him today, the best of which was a mighty loft down the ground for one of only four sixes in the entire match. It’s clearly a stroke he’s worked on: at Saturday’s centre net he spent the best part of an hour practising it. His 19 runs off 12 balls were crucial in a low-scoring game.”The wicket was not as good as we felt it was at the start, so I felt our score was okay,” Wasim said. “And to win by 20 or so runs in a low-scoring game is a convincing win.”Wasim’s all-round contributions included two run-outs, but it was his bowling which was most eye-catching. Though the wicket was taking spin, it was his drift which caused the most trouble. “The pitch was a bit slow, and it was spinning a lot, but you still have to bowl in good areas,” he said. “I use spin and drift, I do both. But was I using drift as a weapon today? Yes, definitely.”

Ravi Shastri, the India team director, has highlighted the need for patience to be successful against South Africa in the upcoming tour

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-2015Ravi Shastri, the India team director, has highlighted the need for patience to be successful against South Africa. The two teams square off in a four-Test series, in addition to playing five ODIs and three T20s. India are a strong force on home turf, but have occasionally shown fatigue on such long assignments.Most of them were away from home though. India posed a significant threat to a 364-run target in Adelaide, but slipped away thereafter to lose the series 2-0. A similar theme was seen in England when India lost control of a 1-0 lead and in South Africa when they were noticeably drained in the second Test in Durban after a nail-biting draw in Johannesburg.Recently though, India came from behind to win a three-Test series in Sri Lanka, where several batsmen came up with innings of substance and perhaps more vitally, the bowlers showed they could build and maintain pressure for long periods of time. A continuation of those good habits will be necessary to beat the top-ranked Test team in the world, one which has lost only two Test series away from home in the last decade.”South Africa are the No. 1 team in the world,” Shastri told . “We have to play consistent cricket for long periods of time to put them under pressure. That will be the endeavour. Our style of play will not change. If you reflect on our performances in Australia and Sri Lanka, you will see that consistency was the difference between defeat and victory. Sustained brilliance will be the key against the Proteas.”And that – not letting the opposition off the hook after having them under pressure – demands a lot of patience. We weren’t patient enough both in Australia and during the first Test in Sri Lanka. Once the patience and discipline came, in the next two Tests, we saw the results.”India will have to accomplish that without Ishant Sharma, their premier fast bowler. He claimed 13 victims at 23.23 and became the fourth Indian seamer to 200 wickets, but was also in the spotlight for the send-offs he gave the opposition batsmen as a result of which he was copped a one-match suspension.”I know he has copped a lot of flak over the aggression and he will learn where to draw a line,” Shastri said. “But let me assure you, he has the backing of the entire team. I want him to be aggressive and I will be the first one to push him in that direction. But I will also mark the line. We will miss him for the first Test. He is our most experienced fast bowler.”The composition of the Indian batting line-up has been a topic of interest. But Shastri felt credit was due to the players for putting their hands up when the team needed it.”Cheteshwar [Pujara] had to sit out a long time and then was asked to open the innings. Not for a moment did he complain or give any excuses, and the reward was there for everyone to see. Ajinkya Rahane was asked to go at 3 when we needed more stability after Shikhar’s injury. Rohit [Sharma] was asked to drop back. They both did it in the interest of the team and they scored runs. It is a case of doing things willingly for the team. These guys don’t think, ‘What if’? They say, ‘Why not?'”When you have everyone fit and ready, the guys will be back in their normal positions. All the chop and change happened because we were encountered with so many injuries right through the series. What do you do then? You have to be flexible and people have to be prepared to do that.”

Anurag Thakur admitted to the IPL’s brand value taking a hit in the aftermath of the 2013 spot fixing scandal, but stressed on the market not having lost faith in the tournament and Indian cricket

Amol Karhadkar26-Oct-2015Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, admitted to the IPL’s brand value taking a hit in the aftermath of the 2013 spot fixing scandal, but stressed on the market not having lost faith in the tournament and Indian cricket.”As far as the branding is concerned, I personally feel yes, we got a hit,” Thakur said, while officially unveiling Vivo as the IPL’s title sponsor for the next two years. “In the last couple of years, we have struggled. But we have brought reforms in the last few months. That has paid off.

Mini-IPL proposed for CLT20 window

Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, has hinted at the possibility of unveiling a new domestic T20 tournament during the window that was earlier allocated for the now-defunct Champions League T20.
“After eight seasons of the IPL, we can proudly say that we have given a tournament which is successful, vibrant, and where talent meets opportunity not only for the Indian cricketers but also globally,” Thakur said.
“Today if we’re thinking of getting rid of one of the domestic T20 leagues, say for example the Syed Mushtaq Ali – I am not saying that we are going to do it – you have another set of tournaments where you have six to eight teams using that window to give opportunity to more players and play in that center.
“They will get the opportunity to earn more, play with better talent, and the competitive cricket will help Indian cricket to build better bench strength. That is just talk; I have thrown the idea about.

“We had four people lined up to bid for the title sponsorship. I am glad that Vivo came on board. They wanted to be partners for the next seven to twelve years but we had the option to go for only two years. As far as the brand is concerned, cricket is still a popular game and IPL still remains one of the strongest brands.”While he declined to spell out the names of the four interested corporate entities, he hinted that some of those “first-generation companies” will soon be unveiled as BCCI/ IPL partners. Thakur also added that the BCCI’s recent move to introduce ‘no conflict of interest’ declarations among representatives of its affiliates and former cricketers was an outcome of the 2013 scandal.”If you look at it, that’s an initiative taken by the BCCI, because where the incident started, when it happened, if someone in that crucial position was unable to take any call at that time, was that because of conflict of interest? Has that dented the image of the BCCI? In future, how you can take precautions?” he explained.”We wanted to draw a line somewhere against anyone having a conflict of interest, irrespective of whether he is a coach, player or administrator, so that the image doesn’t get any dent or no such untoward incident happens in the future. We are trying to create a paper which makes it clearer. We are trying to circulate a paper to all the members to come back with the various relations and clarifications, which will be discussed in the upcoming AGM on November 9.”