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Amid much nostalgia for a bygone era of West Indies cricket, Australia are only thinking of making life difficult for the beleaguered tourists

Daniel Brettig06-Dec-2015Amid much hand-wringing and nostalgia for a bygone era of West Indies cricket, Australia’s players are not allowing themselves to think of anything other than doing their very best to make life as difficult as possible for Jason Holder’s beleaguered tourists.While Cricket Australia’s administrators deal with the dual issues of a poorly opponent and a problematic Hobart Test match likely to be watched by a disconcertingly small crowd, the players arrived in Hobart with their minds on matters of a more micro nature.Not for them the high-minded questions of how to improve Caribbean cricket or draw a big gate to Bellerive Oval; simply the task, as Peter Siddle stated, of keeping West Indies down after they were well beaten by a modest CA XI in Brisbane. Playing and winning matches is Siddle’s living, and the loss of his CA contract earlier this year – something he will now regain after resuming in the Test team – has left him very aware of what he must concentrate on.”They have some strong weapons with their bowling attack,” Siddle said on arrival in Hobart. “They can blast teams out when they bowl well. So I think that’s going to be the big part. We’re going to have to bat well against them I think. That’s going to be their key, their bowling. And then we try and exploit their batting which won’t be quite as strong.”I haven’t really taken too much notice [of the tour game]. The young Aussie side played a bloody good game up in Queensland, did well. You can’t look too much into a tour match there, it’s their first experience of getting on the shores and having a hit out. No doubt they’ll come down here a lot more switched on and a lot more competitive side in the Test-match arena.”Though the series victory over New Zealand was welcome, this remains a transitional Australian side under a new captain in Steven Smith, with a bowling attack now relying very much on reserve strength after the retirement of Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson plus a foot injury to Mitchell Starc. Siddle was recalled in Adelaide, and after shrugging off a jarred back during that match is still striving to make his place secure again.”I think at this stage, I’m still essentially playing for my place,” he said on arrival in Hobart. “I guess being out of the side for so long and having a couple of games here and there makes you feel like that. At the moment it’s just taking it game by game, which is what I was doing when I wasn’t playing. Just making sure I prepare well and be ready to go and get out on the field and perform well.”At the moment that’s all it’s about, just performing well this week in preparation, getting everything right, get the body right and be ready to go on game day. The West Indies are going to be a lot more competitive in the Test-match arena, so it’s about getting through this first game and seeing where we end up after this.”Australia prospered by building pressure on New Zealand’s batsmen in Adelaide, having struggled to do so earlier in the series in Siddle’s absence. There will likely be more of the same in Hobart, against West Indies batsmen well known for showing a lack of application when denied plentiful scoring opportunities. As Siddle observed, what was good enough for Glenn McGrath will certainly work for his Australian successors.”Glenn McGrath is probably the perfect example, I reckon,” Siddle said. “He has been our greatest fast bowler. So I think that’s a good example to go by and I’ve spoken to him a lot and tried building my game a little bit on him. How he was consistent, his patience and being able to work batsmen over.”I think that’s what I’ve shown over the last little bit, that’s what I can do. I think it was a good example in Adelaide how the team as a bowling unit did that against someone like Kane Williamson who they thought wouldn’t crack under the pressure of building pressure and patience. And we got him cheap both innings doing that and he’s one of the class players in the Test arena over the last little bit. I think it’ll work and it’s shown it can work.”

The effects of the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals players on allegations of spot-fixing have had their first off-field fallout, with one team sponsor reported to have withdrawn advertisements featuring Sreesanth

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2013The effects of the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals players on allegations of spot-fixing have had their first off-field fallout, with one team sponsor reported to have withdrawn advertisements featuring Sreesanth.Kent R-O Systems, a Delhi-based company that sells water purifiers, has withdrawn its campaigns featuring Sreesanth but has not yet taken a call on their association with the team. “We have taken down the ads with immediate effect since they feature Sreesanth in them. For now, we are just taking off air the ads with players whose names have come up,” Mahesh Gupta, chairman and managing director, Kent R-O Systems, told . “It is just three people who have been named. We have a very respected captain [Rahul Dravid], who also expressed his shock. At the moment nothing has been said about the management or the team as whole being involved, I don’t think team should suffer because of certain individuals.”Supertech Cement, another corporate sponsor, has decided not to review their sponsorship. In a statement, RK Arora, chairman of Supertech said, “It is only three players in individual capacity who have been caught in wrongdoing. The team still stands untouched and it is playing very well and in a professional manner. We have no intention at present to review our sponsorship and have full faith in the franchise. We will continue our support for Rajasthan Royals.”Corporate sponsors of the team, which include companies like Supertech Cement, Nissan and Tata Consultancy Services, are reportedly opting to wait until investigations into allegations are over, before taking a call on sponsorship.Sreesanth was also removed from the advertisement for Kerala Lottery, a state-run lottery, instructed to do so by the state minister for finance, KM Mani.

Andrew Strauss scored his first Test hundred since December 2010 as England took a firm grip on the match

The Report by David Hopps18-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentaryAndrew Strauss celebrates his first Test hundred since December 2010•Getty Images

One innings into England’s Test summer, Andrew Strauss’ authority has been emphatically re-established. That it should take place at Lord’s was entirely appropriate because there is something about Lord’s that encourages the best in him. He is attuned to its trim and orderly air and after an unrewarding winter that brought his right to the England captaincy into focus he has never valued it more.Strauss has struggled to establish an air of superiority at the crease over the past two years, and his delight at his fifth Test hundred at Lord’s suggested that beneath his placid exterior he had felt the tension. An undemonstrative man, he greeted his rasping square cut against Darren Sammy with a roar of satisfaction. It has never become a debate about his fitness to lead, more a growing concern about his batting state of health. That is no longer up for debate and England are better for it. Whatever else will we talk about?Lord’s is never happier than when imagining that it has sustained an England captain, especially a captain as courteous as Strauss, and the crowd’s fondness for him was apparent in their cheers. “Commendable stuff,” one could imagine the members muttering as he crashed a cut or stroked a straight drive, a greater than average number for him, proof enough that he was on his mettle.West Indies, diminished by IPL, were persistent but no better than that and none of their pace bowlers swung the ball despite the same overcast skies under which James Anderson, initially, and later Stuart Broad had been so impressive on the first day. Strauss’ edgiest time came as his century neared and Fidel Edwards and Darren Sammy baited him with a succession of wide deliveries. He flirted with a few and was dropped off a no-ball on 95 when Edwards overstepped and the ball went through the hands of Shivnarine Chanderpaul at first slip.Jonathan Trott, at his most unobtrusive, was a perfect ally for much of the day in a stand of 147 in 52 overs, but Trott departed for 58, surprised by one that seamed from Darren Sammy, when Strauss was 96. That left Kevin Pietersen to introduce a brief celebratory mood, once the hundred was achieved, until he was out cutting at Marlon Samuels. Two deliveries with the second new ball were enough for the umpires – and probably enough for Edwards who had a calf strain – and even though the floodlights were on they called a halt ten minutes early.Alastair Cook was the only other batsman to fall, dragging Kemar Roach on to his leg stump before lunch as he cut at a ball that was close to him. Roach is West Indies’ primary source of top-order wickets and was initially all jingle-jangle as he dashed in with earrings shining and heavy gold necklace swaying, touching 88mph at times, but for much of the day he lacked the dash that had brought him 19 wickets in three Tests against Australia.England also had to contend with a Test debutant, Shannon Gabriel, an athletic Trinidadian with a strong action. Rarely for England these days, they had no footage of him, leaving Strauss to learn on the hoof. It was a bit like playing for England in days of yore – or sometimes like playing for the West Indies even now. Technically bereft, England coped rather well, which is a relief to know at a time when the financial markets are in such turmoil that everybody in the country might soon have to trade in their iPads and return to subsistence farming.When he plays at Lord’s, Strauss does not just dominate an attack; it is as if he outranks them. He strolls jauntily down the steps with the Lord’s pavilion behind him as if leaving an office in the City for a morning meeting. He was beginning an England summer in the customary manner, with a Test at Lord’s and it felt fitting. It was strange to recall that had Glamorgan not hit financial difficulties this Test would have taken place in Cardiff.He is so comfortable in his surroundings that he began his innings as if embarking upon a series of pleasantries. “Good morning, Mr Roach, my name is Strauss. How do you do?” He got off the mark with a thick edge against Fidel Edwards through gully, but an orderly cover drive in Edwards’ next over was the first boundary of 19 filed in the out tray. He likes the ball coming on to him and, even though this Lord’s pitch was a slow one, the West Indies attack suited him. He was in his element again and, with no spin bowler other than Samuels’ occasionals in the West Indies ranks, he knew that the rhythms of the day were not about to change.Time to reflect upon his unbeaten 31 over lunch was probably not what Strauss needed, given his habit of getting out when set over his fallow two-year period. He made only a single in the first 35 minutes after lunch as the hum of Lord’s provided a soundtrack to a somnolent afternoon. Then suddenly his half-century was secured with three boundaries off Sammy: a clip off his pads, a straight drive that left two fielders sprawling and finally a present outside leg stump which he flicked to the long-leg boundary.Trott was also not about to be rushed. He might have been out twice on 17. West Indies were confident enough about Sammy’s lbw appeal to engage in a bout of hand-slapping only for umpire Aleem Dar’s decision to be upheld on review. Then, in Sammy’s next over, Trott feathered one. Hot Spot and Snicko both showed contact but West Indies’ appeal was half-hearted and Trott got away with it.Stuart Broad, England’s darling of the first day, had needed only one ball on the second morning to round up the West Indies innings, so finishing with Test-best figures of 7 for 72. Gabriel had received his first Test cap in a little ceremony before start of play and pushed respectfully forward to his first ball only to nick it to Graeme Swann at second slip.That left Shivnarine Chanderpaul unbeaten on 87, 13 runs short of what would have been his 26th Test century. Once again he was the stalwart of West Indies innings, batting in a middle-order position where statistics insist he is most productive. He did not face another ball after taking a single from the first ball of the last over on the first day and watched West Indies’ last two wickets fall from the non-striker’s end. He is unlikely to learn from the experience; he plays in his bubble and at his time of life, if any new thoughts strayed into it, it would burst at the shock.

Pakistan’s tour of West Indies is an opportunity for youngsters in the squad to establish their career, team manager Intikhab Alam has said

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2011Pakistan’s tour of West Indies is an opportunity for youngsters in the squad to establish their careers, team manager Intikhab Alam has said. While Pakistan have it in them to be successful on the tour, discipline, he said, will be key.”We’ve brought some youngsters with us and I think it’s a golden opportunity for them to make a name for themselves, to make a career in the sport,” Alam said. “Umar Akmal has special talent. The people of the Caribbean will like the way he plays because he’s so entertaining and hits the ball exceptionally.”Now [after the semi-final finish at the World Cup] the expectations are even higher for this tour, because we have never won a series out here before. Overall all the boys need to put in the hard work, commitment and discipline for us to leave the Caribbean happy.”It was a long journey from Pakistan but we travelled well and the boys are well,” said Alam, who played the last of his 47 Tests at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad in 1977. “We enjoy touring the Caribbean. I personally have spent a lot of time here and cherish the friendship of greats like Sir Garfield Sobers, Clive Lloyd and others.”Pakistan, who arrived in the West Indies on Friday, had their first training session in St Lucia on Saturday and will play their first tour game there on Monday, against Vice Chancellor’s XI led by Combined Campuses & Colleges captain, Omar Philips. The first ODI is on April 23 in St Lucia.Vice Chancellor’s XI squad: Omar Phillips (capt.), Miles Bascombe, Nkrumah Bonner, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Kyle Corbin, Keron Cottoy, Fidel Edwards, Kevin McClean, Gilford Moore, Kjorn Ottley, Shervon Penco, Raymon Reifer, Chadwick WaltonPakistan squad: Shahid Afridi (capt.), Misbah-ul-Haq (vice-captain), Abdur Rehman, Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq, Hammad Azman, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Salman, Sadaf Hussain, Saeed Ajmal, Tanveer Ahmed, Taufeeq Umar, Umar Akmal, Usman Salahuddin, Wahab Riaz

Graham Manou has been sacked as South Australia’s captain and they will look to the batsman Michael Klinger to lead the revival

Cricinfo staff30-Apr-2010Graham Manou has been sacked as South Australia’s captain and they will look to the batsman Michael Klinger to lead the revival. In 2009-10 the Redbacks made the final of the Twenty20 competition, which qualified them for the Champions League, but finished last in the Sheffield Shield and FR Cup to signal an off-season of change.The wicketkeeper Manou’s two-summer reign is over following a mix of poor form, tactical mistakes and a nagging knee injury. The state’s overhaul has also involved cutting Mark Cosgrove and Dan Cullen from the squad, while they have signed the fringe Victorian pair of Aiden Blizzard and Rob Cassell.Klinger’s appointment is a surprise considering he was not part of the Twenty20 outfit last season and the Champions League will be the immediate priority. A cautious batsman, Klinger has been outstanding in the past two summers and has won back-to-back state player of the year awards. He scored 886 runs at 63.28 in 2009-10 to follow his 1203 first-class runs in 2008-09.Callum Ferguson, who has appeared in 25 ODIs, has been appointed vice-captain and is currently recovering from a knee reconstruction. “We have expressed the need for change within our culture,” Jamie Cox, South Australia’s director of cricket, said. “These two men are both enormously respected throughout the cricket community for the way they prepare and play the game and I know they will develop into a very strong leadership team.”

Veteran seamer acknowledges T20 version is unlikely goal as she focuses on 2025 campaign

Andrew Miller28-May-2024Kate Cross, England’s veteran seamer, says she hasn’t given up hope of competing for a berth in England’s T20 World Cup squad in Bangladesh this winter, but admits her more realistic goal is the 50-over version in 2025, as she prepares to lead the line once more in the third ODI against Pakistan at Chelmsford.Cross, 32, claimed two wickets in England’s 37-run victory in the series opener at Derby on Thursday, and with a total of 85 at 25.35 in 64 ODIs to date, is by a distance the most experienced seamer in England’s white-ball ranks.In the T20I format, however, she has played just three matches in the last four years, and by her own admission, she missed her chance to impress when recalled for England’s shock series loss to Sri Lanka in September last year. The second of those three matches also took place at Chelmsford, where Cross returned figures of 0 for 33 in 2.2 overs as Chamari Athapaththu inspired her side to victory.As such, while the squad’s main focus is on building towards Bangladesh in October, Cross acknowledges that this final ODI is a big chance for her to hone the skills that have kept her at the forefront of England’s 50-over plans for the past five years – and to help raise the team’s standards after an “untidy” display, studded with 31 wides, in last week’s win in the series opener.Related

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“I think how we played in Derby probably wasn’t how we would like to play the game,” Cross said. “We were a little bit untidy with the ball, probably not at our best in the field. And we probably didn’t put as much pressure on the Pakistan bowling attack as we would like.”We actually haven’t lost an ODI series under Jon Lewis [since November 2022] so it goes to show we’re doing a lot of really good things, but how do we keep that mindset positive all the time? We were probably disappointed with ourselves in Derby, that we could have been a little bit more ruthless in some of those moments.”We know on our best day we can beat any team, we saw that in the Ashes last year when we were able to put Australia under pressure in real key moments. But what we sometimes forget is that we’re asking some really young, inexperienced players to be perfect. The group is trying to learn and improve whilst we play international cricket and that’s a really difficult place to be.”We’ve not got these windows now where you’ve got eight weeks at your region or at Loughborough training, and purposely just working on one thing. Because you’re in an England shirt, you’re expected to be absolutely perfect all the time, but that’s something we have to measure ourselves on correctly. As much as we don’t want to be bowling 40 wides in a game, we obviously don’t do that on purpose.”With bad weather in Chelmsford on Tuesday, England’s practice was limited to some indoor sessions for the batters, but as Cross admitted, the team’s mental preparation is the key factor given the intensity of their current workloads across formats and tournaments – which includes the white-ball series against New Zealand in June and July, followed by the next edition of the Hundred, which culminates in August.”There’s always something around the corner,” she said. “We’ve got South Africa this winter, we’ve got an Ashes just after in January, and then we’ve got the 50-over World Cup next year as well. So you always feel like you’re constantly building for something. And underlying all of that are the basic skills that we’re trying to top up all the time.”So the priority is T20 cricket at the moment for us, but for me, I’m probably thinking more about the 50-over stuff and prepping for that World Cup in 18 months’ time. That might be different for Alice Capsey and Lauren Bell, so it’s exciting that we’ve got all this stuff on in the calendar and so much to look forward to. But in terms of this series, it’s really important to be able to practice with the mindset that we want to take into that [50-over] World Cup.”As for the T20 World Cup, Cross insists she can still be involved, and plans to use both the Charlotte Edwards Cup and Northern Superchargers’ Hundred campaign to push her case for a squad berth. But, given Bell’s pre-eminence as England’s frontline seamer, and her own failure to seize the moment last year, she accepts her place in the pecking order.”I was in the squad for about four years without getting an opportunity, but I hold my hand up, in the Sri Lanka series I didn’t execute anything that I wanted to,” Cross said. “I know that I’ve probably lost my opportunity there. I’ve had a chat with Lewey [Jon Lewis] a few times and he just needs to see me be successful in T20 cricket. But the way the team is balanced at the moment, we’ve got one out-and-out seamer in Lauren Bell who’s been exceptional in that format, so you’ve basically got to be knocking her out of the team.”What Belly does brilliantly is swing the new ball and then come back and take wickets at the death to close games out. So it’s quite a nice blueprint to be able to follow and aspire to.”But it’s just about knowing yourself as well,” she added. “Obviously, as a 32-year-old, I probably know my limitations a little bit more than some of the younger girls, but you still want to take those opportunities if you do get them. It’s a real fine balancing act. But our priority is wearing this shirt and doing the best that we can for England.”

New South Wales, after putting up 320, had reduced the home side to 102 for 6 before they fought back

AAP22-Feb-2023Jimmy Peirson, the captain, turned around a poor run of form with a defiant unbeaten century to keep Queensland in touch with New South Wales in their Sheffield Shield match at the Gabba.Queensland ended the second day on 281 for 8, just 39 runs shy of New South Wales’ 320.Thanks to Peirson’s 115 not out, Queensland recovered from a precarious 102 for 6 to prevent New South Wales collecting a potentially match-winning lead in the first innings.Peirson, who had failed to reach double-figures in his past six innings across all forms of the game, struck 13 boundaries in reaching his sixth first-class century.He found a valuable ally in Xavier Bartlett (32), as the pair adding 91 for the eighth wicket. Mark Steketee added further lower-order resistance to end the day on 27 not out.Sean Abbott did the early damage for New South Wales with two wickets in the first session as Queensland limped to 51 for 4 at the conclusion of a rain-impacted opening session.Max Bryant (40) offered the strongest resistance from Queensland’s top order with a quick 40, but his dismissal – bowled shouldering arms – was emblematic of Queensland’s early fortunes.Abbott knocked over Jack Wildermuth after the break for seven and ended the day with 3 for 63.Earlier, New South Wales, who were nine wickets down overnight, added nine runs to their overnight tally to post 320 in their first innings. New South Wales, who haven’t won a game yet, need a victory at the Gabba to avoid a record winless streak, while Queensland started the match in a four-way share of second.

Hazlewood won’t play on Boxing Day but Cameron Green emergence as a like-for-like replacement has caused England captain Joe Root problems

Alex Malcolm24-Dec-2021Josh Hazlewood won’t play in the Boxing Day Test and there might have been a time when the sight of their big quick standing at the back of the nets not participating in training would have been a cause for concern for Australia.But Cameron Green’s emergence in this series as a bona fide Test bowler, who has earned his place as a top-six batter, has completely changed the dynamics for this Australian team and given the selectors confidence to not rush any of their big quicks back from injury.Hazlewood’s side strain needs more time, but the other quicks looked in fine fettle at the MCG nets on Christmas Eve with Mitchell Starc bowling superbly and showing no signs of the rib issue that flared while batting in Adelaide.With Pat Cummins set to return, Jhye Richardson looks on track to keep his place following his five-wicket haul which means Michael Neser is likely to miss out.Green was hardly used on the final day in Adelaide with Australia’s stand-in captain Steven Smith revealing that team management had suggested Smith avoid bowling him for workload reasons although Smith did turn to him late in the day as England’s resistance lingered longer than expected.Related

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But Green said he was ready to go if called upon and is feeling fine in the lead-up to Boxing Day.”I was completely fine and ready to go,” Green said. “It’s just we’re in a really good position. I think Nathan Lyon was bowling beautifully from one end, and then we’ve got three world-class pace bowlers to choose from so I wasn’t really required.”I think they just thought we could probably get through the game without bowling me. And then keep me even more fresh for this game.”Green talked about himself as Australia’s fifth bowler who is just there to “keep it tight at my end and give the other guys a bit of a spell.” But’s he’s been far more than that in this series so far. In Hazlewood’s absence, he has become Joe Root’s nemesis. Hazlewood has dismissed Root 8 times in Test cricket, more than any other bowler in the world.Since Hazlewood’s side strain, Green has stepped as Australia’s most like-for-like replacement to knock over Root twice in three innings, with Green’s extra height and bounce, much like Hazlewood, causing the England captain problems.”I’ve played two poor shots to him,” Root said of his dismissals to Green. “The one thing that he brings to the table is that extra bit of bounce.”The danger we get sucked into in these conditions is it doesn’t do as much as it does in England. So you feel like you can play at balls more frequently and you end up getting sucked into playing the shot that you don’t need to. I think that’s the most frustrating thing on my part, an experienced batter shouldn’t be making that mistake twice in two games. Hence why I’ve been doing the work and I expect better from myself.”Cameron Green roars in celebration after dismissing Joe Root•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Green believes he is doing anything specific at his end and has felt he has been fortuitous on two occasions.”It’s a bit of fun a moment, isn’t it?” Green said. “I’ve just got very simple plans to him. Basically, just keep it tight, hold it from one end, and the other guys do their job.”I’ve just got lucky a couple of times.”But he’s a world-class player. And even the scores he’s got so far, he obviously hasn’t got a hundred but he’s batting beautifully out in the middle. So we’ve got to be on our game again.”For as well as Green has bowled, his primary role in the team is as a top-six batter. He is yet to really settle at Test level after six Test matches despite dominating Sheffield Shield cricket over the last two years. He made 33 not out in the second innings in Adelaide after having his off-stump knocked back by Ollie Robinson and Ben Stokes for 0 and 2 in his first two innings of the series.Green’s setup and preliminary movement for both dismissals were forensically critiqued by former Australia captain Ricky Ponting on Channel Seven’s broadcast of the Adelaide Test. Green has seen Ponting’s breakdown and has worked on making the necessary adjustments.But Green admitted that he was still trying to get mentally comfortable with playing at Test level, mirroring a process he needed to go through at first-class level a few years ago.”It’s definitely something I’m still working on,” Green said. “You still get a bit overwhelmed when you go out to bat or bowl. But I think that’s pretty natural for any 22-year-old playing Test cricket. That’s definitely something to work on, but it’s a work in progress.”

In a chat with Sachin Tendulkar, former WI captain talks about how to succeed in England

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Jul-2020Protect your stumps. Play beside the line of the ball. Two nuggets of wisdom to succeed in England, from former greats Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar, to Jason Holder’s West Indies, before the first Test against England in Southampton. The visitors won the previous leg of the Wisden Trophy at home in 2019, but they have struggled in England, having failed to win a Test series in the country since 1988. They have managed only six Test wins during this period.Batting remains West Indies’ weakness. Holder and head coach Phil Simmons have underlined that as a big concern. In the rain-affected second intra-squad warm-up match in Manchester, none of the top-order batsmen even got a decent start. After the first-innings collapse in that match, Holder was embarrassed to admit some of his batsmen needed to “look in the mirror”.In the absence of Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer, West Indies will look at the pair of Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope to lead the batting department. They were the standout performers for West Indies on their 2017 tour, as the visitors clinched a rare Test win in the country at Headingly on the back of their heroics.However, both batsmen have struggled since. In terms of average, since their tour of England in 2017, Holder has been West Indies’ best batsman.Lack of application and focus, and absence of partnerships, have been outlined as the major issues with the batting by Simmons. Lara, meanwhile, said that batting remained the “key” to West Indies’ fortunes.”The key to any team taking the field, especially if they are taking the field after batting, is the amount of runs they have to play with,” Lara told Tendulkar in a chat on the . “This present West Indies team need the luxury of having runs on the board. They need their batsmen to come up trumps and give them that sort of comfort. So the effectiveness of a Kemar Roach or Shannon Gabriel will only come into play if they don’t have to go on the defensive because of the lack of runs. That has been our problem for many, many years.”According to Lara, quickly understanding the conditions, playing late, and dominating bowlers selectively were some of the cues West Indies batsmen needed to understand.When pressed by Tendulkar, who asked: “In short, your message to West Indian team is try and stay beside the line, don’t get behind the line too much?”, Lara agreed.”In England it is protect your stumps. And get acclimatised quickly, get the pace and bounce of the pitch, know what the bowlers are doing. And then when you feel comfortable then you sort of grow. You don’t necessarily have to dominate every single bowler that is bowling to you – if you get to 70-80 and there’s somebody that is giving you trouble, back off. That’s key.”When Tendulkar joked that West Indies ought to take Lara “seriously”, the former West Indies captain cited the example of Tendulkar’s masterful 241 in 2004 in Sydney where he abstained from playing the cover drive, a shot that had got him into trouble throughout the series.To cut out what hurts you, Lara said, was the “key” to batting.”You know that Sachin, as well. In terms of that great innings that you played in Sydney: it was not about a particular bowler getting you out, but it was a particular shot getting you out. And you stopped yourself from playing it and you were able to score in other areas. So it is similar sort of approach – be it your technique and may be having a problem with a particular shot or a particular bowler.A good example would be Australia. Playing against Australia, I will be 70-80 or may a 140 and [Glenn] McGrath comes back for a spell. And I know he is going to bowl 36 balls or six overs, seven overs, I don’t need to sort of take any great risks. Give your other guy at the other end, give him the opportunity to score.”Summing up the chat, Tendulkar said: “You just have to be smart.”Lara nodded, “Yes, that’s all”.

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.”