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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.”

With Middlesex appealing the two-point penalty imposed as a result of their slow overrate in the abandoned game at The Oval a few weeks previously, it remains possible they could jump back above Somerset in the table

George Dobell12-Oct-2017Somerset are preparing to take legal action against the ECB should they suffer relegation as a result of Middlesex’s appeal against an over-rate penalty.Somerset finished one point above Middlesex having beaten them in the final game of the season and, as a result, Middlesex were relegated.
But, with Middlesex appealing the two-point penalty imposed as a result of their slow over-rate in the abandoned game at The Oval a few weeks previously, it remains possible they could jump back above Somerset in the table. As a consequence, Somerset could still face relegation.But Somerset’s chief executive, Lee Cooper, has claimed the ECB will have “brought the game into disrepute” if his club are relegated and threatened immediate legal action.”The implications of overturning the [over-rate penalty] decision are significant,” Cooper told Somerset members at a club lunch that was also broadcast on Facebook. “We would be relegated. Having fought so hard to survive, that would be an unfair outcome.”The decision regarding Middlesex’s points deduction was made and because of that ours and other teams’ tactics were determined by what we needed to do to stay in Division One.”One example of that was the last game: if we needed two extra points, we would have had completely different tactics. We would have scored 300 in the first innings and we would have been fine. We prepared a result wicket, we won the game and we achieved the number of points we needed to survive. If in retrospect the ECB change that decision, they have brought the game into disrepute.”If they overturn their decision, the case goes to the High Court and is deferred until 2019. What does that do to the game of cricket and where are we next year? So the decision that will be taken this afternoon is: do we go along that path and effectively play the same game that Middlesex are playing? On balance, I expect we’ll issue legal proceedings this afternoon.”Shortly after the members’ lunch, Somerset issued a statement confirming they had instructed a London law firm to prepare a case.Cooper, who was appointed in June but has only been in the role at Somerset a few weeks, also raised some doubts as to the integrity of the ECB disciplinary process. As well as claiming the ECB had already broken their own rules by allowing Middlesex an appeal – at the time of the original penalty, the ECB said there was no right of appeal available – Cooper said he had been given some sort of “reassurances”
that the appeal was now taking place only so the ECB could be “seen to be going through a process” and Somerset had “nothing to worry about.”As a result, he suggested he had little trust in them.”The conversations [with the ECB] started with them saying ‘Middlesex have no right of appeal’ and that was quite conclusive,” Cooper said.
“Since then it has gained some traction and an appeal process is underway, which is a contradiction.”We have reassurances – albeit not guarantees – from the ECB that they need to be seen to be going through a process but that we have nothing to worry about. [But] Having said there was no right appeal and now there being an appeal, we are not trusting that.”We are left with a decision: we either trust that we’ll be okay or we issue legal proceedings against the ECB.”The ECB has been contacted for comment.

Mayank Agarwal and Gautam Gambhir struck half-centuries for India Blue before thunderstorms washed out close to two sessions in Greater Noida

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Gautam Gambhir reached his 61st first-class half-century before rain hit Greater Noida•AFP

A thunderstorm that turned the Greater Noida Sports Complex ground into a swamp washed out close to two sessions of play after Mayank Agarwal and Gautam Gambhir struck half-centuries at the top of the order after Yuvraj Singh’s India Red elected to bowl.Yuvraj, perhaps mindful of his side being bowled out in under two sessions in their Duleep Trophy opener at the same venue last week, was left to wonder what may have been had they converted two opportunities – one each from Gambhir and Agarwal – in the 34.2 overs that were possible. A majority of those were bowled by the pace trio of Nathu Singh, Pradeep Sangwan and Ishwar Pandey in search of seam movement when there was none on a fresh surface that had less grass cover than the one used for the previous game.Gambhir, batting with an open-chested stance, seemingly in a bid to negate the away-going deliveries that have often discomfited him over a period of time, was troubled early on by his Delhi team-mate Sangwan. In the third over of the morning, the left-arm pacer saw an edge fall short of second slip and then had a shout for lbw turned down, but released the pressure in the very next over when he grassed a miscued pull at fine leg off Nathu.Agarwal’s technique outside off stump also came under scrutiny, but unlike Gambhir, he was happy to trust the bounce and hit through the line. After Nathu’s initial burst, he looked increasingly comfortable against the Pandey and the spin of Akshay Wakhare and Kuldeep Yadav.Kuldeep, the left-arm wrist spinner who picked up his maiden five-wicket haul last week, didn’t get the kind of purchase he would have hoped for. He was also guilty of bowling a touch flat and short as Gambhir, who captains him at Kolkata Knight Riders, eased him repeatedly behind square on the off side.Agarwal, who had a lucky reprieve minutes from the tea break when he fended a Nathu bouncer back for a return catch off a no-ball, got to his fifty in the second over after the break when he lofted Kuldeep over the infield. Gambhir then struck Sangwan for successive boundaries to raise his half-century before retiring to the dressing room to see a gentle drizzle turn into a thunderstorm.

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.

Yorkshire’s out-of-favour quick bowler Oliver Hannon-Dalby is midway through a two-week trial with the county champions, Warwickshire

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2013Yorkshire’s out-of-favour quick bowler Oliver Hannon-Dalby is midway through a two-week trial with the county champions, Warwickshire.Yorkshire have given Hannon-Dalby permission to look for another county, even though he is still under contract, after discussions about his future. Whether to offer him the chance to switch to Edgbaston will be the first decision facing Warwickshire’s new director of cricket, Dougie Brown, and bowling coach Graeme Welch.Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of professional cricket, said: “We spoke to him when we came back from South Africa about his future and his chances of regular first-team cricket. I can’t really say too much because we are not sure how things will go.”Hannon-Dalby, one of county cricket’s tallest bowlers at 6ft 8in, has failed to progress since he made an impact in first-class cricket in only his second match by taking five wickets against Warwickshire in the early part of the 2010 season.Brown said: “He is here with Yorkshire’s blessing, but there is a chance that they might decide to take him on their pre-season tour of Barbados. At the moment, all we are doing is having a look at him.”Yorkshire, who released the former England fast bowler, Ajmal Shahzad, early last season before his contract had ended, have strengthened their fast-bowling resources by signing Liam Plunkett from Durham and and Jack Brooks from Northamptonshire.

James Taylor has admitted that his England Lions side is struggling to score on Asian pitches

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2012James Taylor, captain of the England Lions side beaten in Bangladesh, has admitted that his squad has shown the same frailties as the England senior side struggling against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates – a lack of runs on Asian pitches.England Lions had the consolation of a comfortable 32-run win against Bangladesh A in the first of two Twenty20 contests in Mirpur on Sunday, but whatever the outcome of the Twenty20 series they will head to Sri Lanka smarting over a 3-2 defeat in the ODIs. Taylor himself, who was regarded as the likeliest stand-by for the England side, should injuries strike them in the Middle East, has also yet to make a convincing case for promotion.”Throughout the series, the batsmen haven’t quite performed as they’d have liked,” Taylor said. “We did a little bit better today. Bowlers have generally bowled well and we’ve fielded well as a unit. We just haven’t fired with the bat yet. But I’m sure that’ll come in Sri Lanka.”The quality is good over here but the wickets couldn’t be more different from England. It is all a new experience for us. It’s been a tough tour but playing here at a young age will definitely help us in the future.”Bangladesh have changed their personnel so much that after six matches even the England Lions captain sounds no closer to learning the names of his opponents. “I don’t know the individual names,” he conceded, “but the slow left-arm bowlers have bowled considerably well. Different personnel coming in every match makes it hard to plan. They’ve got some talented players in Bangladesh that’s for sure.”

Roelof van der Merwe, the hero of the Titans’ victory in the first leg of the semi-final, starred with the ball in the second, taking five wickets to secure his team’s berth in the MTN40 final

The Bulletin by Firdose Moonda02-Dec-2010
Scorecard
Roelof van der Merwe, the hero of the Titans’ victory in the first leg of the semi-final, starred with the ball in the second, taking five wickets to secure his team’s berth in the MTN40 final with a 11-run victory against regional rivals, the Lions, at the Wanderers. The Lions, at 116 for 1 in the 13th over, were on track to chase 288 but a roller-coaster innings, containing dramatic collapse and nail-biting revival, ended their hopes of reaching the final.Jonathan Vandiar, the Lions opener, appeared as though he had pressed pause on last week’s innings – 130 in the first leg – and play on this week’s. It didn’t seem as though he had put his bat down between the two. Vandiar’s fifty came in a frenetic over in which he hit, in succession, a four, two sixes and another four. Together with Alviro Petersen, he put on a rapid first-wicket partnership of 116 inside 13 overs.The Titans’ needed van der Merwe to halt the Lions. He removed Vandiar and Richard Cameron off successive balls. Four boundary-less overs followed, and then Neil McKenzie, desperate to rotate strike, attempted a quick single. Henry Davids pounced on the ball at extra cover and a direct hit had McKenzie short. Zander de Bruyn got a faint edge off Albie Morkel and van der Merwe claimed his third wicket when Petersen nicked to Heino Kuhn. The Lions lost five wickets for 24 runs.Jean Symes and Thami Tsolekile accumulated quietly for the most part, except for an over from Faf du Plessis, whom they took for 19 runs to put the Lions back on course. van der Merwe returned for a third spell, though, and removed Tsolekile. With him went almost all of the Lions’ chances of a great escape.Symes’ valiant half-century almost stole the win for the Lions and he brought them within 14 runs of the target before van der Merwe had him caught on the rope. With 13 runs needed off the final over, Friedel de Wet attempted a big heave and was caught on the cover boundary, ending the game.During their innings, the Titans had looked set to score over 300 but ended on 287 for 8. Ethan O’Reilly had a forgettable outing that started with an over containing four wides, after which he watched Davids hit three boundaries in his second over. de Wet and Robbie Frylinck reined in the early charge from Davids and Gulam Bodi. Davids mistimed a pull shot to Richard Cameron at mid-on but the allrounder couldn’t get to it.The opening partnership was broken three balls later when Paul Harris took a diving catch at midwicket to dismiss Bodi. Davids wasn’t put off by Bodi’s departure and he and Jacques Rudolph surged on. Rudolph showed aggression, hitting two fours off the first three balls he faced and punishing Werner Coetsee on the leg side. It was up to Harris to break through again, this time with an arm ball which Davids missed.The Titans were hoping for van der Merwe to repeat his Friday night heroics with the bat and sent him in at No. 3, ahead of the in-form du Plessis. The move didn’t pay off, though, and in the 20th over a nervy van der Merwe top edged Harris, who raced to mid-on and attempted to take what should have been Coetsee’s catch. Embarrassingly, both fielders failed to take it. Harris had his man in his next over, when van der Merwe skied the ball to Frylinck at backward square leg.Rudolph’s assault continued with a classy display of dominance against spin and he reached his half-century with a pull off Harris. But during a rare lapse of concentration, Rudolph fed the ball straight to his opposite number, Petersen, at deep extra cover. That sparked a mini collapse as du Plessis and Morkel were also dismissed in the next two overs.The Lions did an impressive damage-control job and conceded only 40 between the 30th and 36th over. Former South Africa under-19 player Mangaliso Mosehle took the Titans closer to the 300 with three monstrous sixes in the final over.

Pakistan are set to play two Twenty20 internationals against England in Dubai in February to warm up for the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies at the end of April

Cricinfo staff24-Dec-2009Pakistan are set to play two Twenty20 internationals against England in Dubai in February to warm up for the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies at the end of April.”We have reached an agreement to play two Twenty20 matches against England on February 19 and 20 as part of our preparations for the World Twenty20 next year,” Wasim Bari, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief operating officer, told .Pakistan wind up their tour of Australia on February 5 while England will head to Dubai a month after their tour of South Africa concludes. The World Twenty20 will be held between April 30 and May 16.Pakistan are the defending champions and Bari said the latest development was aimed at discovering more talent. “We see the two matches as an opportunity to try and develop some new players and give more and more players the opportunity to play at the top level,” Bari said.He added that the Pakistan A team will take on England A for a series of three one-dayers in the UAE later in the year.

With no reserve day scheduled, Freedom advanced directly to the final, having finished first on the points table

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2025 – Match abandoned due to rainThe Qualifier 1 between Texas Super Kings and Washington Freedom in the MLC 2025 was washed out after relentless rain, with only toss possible. With no reserve day scheduled, Freedom advanced directly to the final, having finished first on the points table during the league stage. This will be Freedom’s second final in two years.The match was officially called off at 9.45pm local time in Dallas – two hours and 45 minutes after the scheduled start of play at 7pm, and 41 minutes before the cut-off time for a five-overs-a-side game.The toss took place on time at 6.30pm local time, with Freedom electing to bowl first. They made one change to the XI from their last league game, bringing in fast bowler Lockie Ferguson for Mark Chapman. Super Kings, meanwhile, went in unchanged.However, just minutes before the scheduled start of play, the stadium was placed under a lightning advisory, and the pitch was covered. After the storm passed, heavy rain followed, leading to the eventual abandonment of the match due to persistent wet weather.Super Kings will now face the winner of the Eliminator – between MI New York and San Francisco Unicorns on Tuesday – in the Qualifier 2.

Former club and ECB chair set to resume role despite controversy

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2024Colin Graves’ takeover of Yorkshire has been approved by the club’s members at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) at Headingley. Pending regulatory approval from the Financial Conduct Authority, he will become chair of a new board.Graves, who previously chaired the club from 2012 to 2015, warned members that the consequences of failing to approve his offer to refinance the club would be “far-reaching” and could include administration or insolvency. He required the support of two-thirds of the members present, and received 88.3% of the valid votes cast.His previous tenure covered part of the period for which Yorkshire were fined £400,000 for failing to address the systemic use of racist or discriminatory language, and Graves “personally and unreservedly” apologised to victims of institutional racism at Yorkshire last month.He was criticised by the ECB last year after dismissing previous allegations of racism as “banter” but the governing body have since described his return as Yorkshire’s “only viable option” and encouraged him to continue the club’s recent work in making cricket a more inclusive sport.The club said in a statement: “The Yorkshire County Cricket Club Limited (YCCC) is pleased to announce that the special resolution voted on at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held in the Long Room at Headingley, on Friday, 2 February, 2024 was passed.”One special resolution was voted on during the meeting, with the resolution passed by members. The result of the vote for the special resolution to make a number of changes to the rules of the Club required in relation to a refinancing proposal from Colin Graves as set out in the notice of the was announced, with members voting in favour of the rule changes.”In total, 746 members voted for the resolution, while 99 voted against and 48 invalid or spoiled votes were discounted.Graves will be joined on the Yorkshire board by three other members of the consortium whose offer of emergency funding to the club was voted through: Phillip Hodson, the Yorkshire-born former President of MCC; Sanjeev Gandhi, a former non-executive director of the Hundred, and Sanjay Patel, the long-term ECB executive who left his role as managing director of the Hundred last summer.Under the terms of the deal, Yorkshire will receive an immediate injection of £1 million, followed by further investment worth £4 million. Graves’ original involvement with the club came about in similar financial circumstances in 2002, when as the founder of the Costcutter supermarket chain, his bailout saved them from bankruptcy.His family trust, which is managed by independent trustees, is still owed nearly £15 million by the club.Graves has been invited to give evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee next month, with chair Dame Caroline Dinenage MP saying last month that his return “risks undermining what progress has been made so far”.