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Fast bowler cites interference in 2015 World Cup semi-final as biggest regret after calling time on career

Firdose Moonda12-Feb-2020Vernon Philander has admitted that interference in selection ahead of the 2015 World Cup semi-final, and the recent crises at Cricket South Africa (CSA) both contributed to hastening his retirement, which took place last month. In an extensive interview with Afrikaans weekly , Philander confirmed he would have considered playing longer but opted to end his international career and sign a Kolpak deal, because “too many things went wrong” in the country’s cricket administration.”As a player you get to the point where you’ve had enough,” Philander said. “Cricket SA’s previous administration only looked after themselves; the players were the last people they worried about. Too many things went wrong and I had to decide what was the best way forward for me. I am 34 and have a good career behind me, but I would have considered playing longer if it wasn’t for the chaos in our cricket administration.”Though CSA’s long-running battle with the South African Cricketers’ Association, which centred on the now-scrapped proposed domestic restructure, ended last week, the relationship between players and administrators has been strained for several years. In 2015, trust between players and administrators severely broke down when, on the eve of South Africa’s semi-final against New Zealand, former CEO Haroon Lorgat contacted the national team selectors to remind them of their transformation commitments. Ultimately, that resulted in Kyle Abbott, South Africa’s best bowler at the tournament, being left out and Philander, who had nursed a hamstring injury throughout the competition, included in the starting XI.Speaking for the first time on the incident, Philander revealed he didn’t think he should have played. “It’s difficult for me to look back on that,” he said. “I blatantly and openly told the coach that the best player must play. He told me, ‘you’re the best man for the day, you play’. But they were clearly not open and honest with me and Kyle. There were things happening behind closed doors.”South Africa lost the match on the penultimate ball, ending what was considered by many to be their best chance to win a World Cup. Philander only played three more ODIs, later in 2015, and was not considered in the format again. And in early 2017, just as Abbott had nailed down a regular Test spot, he signed a Kolpak deal and ended his international career.Philander traces those repercussions back to what happened before the semi-final and although he and Abbott remain friends, neither felt the same about CSA since. “When I go to Durban, I have a beer with Kyle. There are no hard feelings between us two. But the point is: Cricket SA must sort out their stuff. What happened was a knock to both of us.”Performance-wise, they have both recovered, with Abbott dominating on the county scene – including 17 wickets in one match for Hampshire against Somerset last summer – and Philander finishing as South Africa’s seventh-highest Test wicket-taker, but South Africans may always wonder if there could have been more from both of them.Philander, in particular, struggled with his fitness towards the latter stages of his career and seems to have grown increasingly disillusioned with the way the team was handled during former coach Ottis Gibson’s tenure, which ran from 2017 to 2019. “The administrators became too involved with the game and the players,” he said. “It was also easier for them to target Ottis because he’s a foreigner. They could tell it him, “Do this, do that.”The transformation targets, specifically the black African component, has been highlighted in the last two years with former CEO Thabang Moroe understood to have wanted a significant say in team composition. Moroe currently faces allegations of mismanagement and his position is occupied by acting CEO Dr Jacques Faul, under whom large-scale changes have taken place.Former captain Graeme Smith is acting as director of cricket and is likely to accept the job permanently post a commentary stint at the IPL, Mark Boucher has been appointed head coach until 2023 and “credibility”, in Philander’s words, is returning, but too late for him to reconsider.ALSO READ: Philander – One of those good things we didn’t appreciate enough when we had him“Hopefully we will see a turnaround in the administration and on the playing field,” he said. “We must put out heads together and decide which direction we are going in. Hopefully we can make the path for younger players better.”That suggests Philander is still interested in staying involved in South African cricket in some capacity, something Smith was at pains to say he would welcome. Philander has committed himself to Somerset for the upcoming English summer but with Kolpak deals set to be nullified at the end of the year, he may be available for the South African set-up sooner than expected, if the money is right.”In successful teams like Australia, England and India, former players are involved but in South Africa, we lost our former players to other countries where they do coaching because the money is much better,” Philander said. “We have to decide what we are willing to pay to keep former players in the country and ensure that our cricket goes forward again.”Even if Philander is not absorbed into CSA’s systems, he will continue to do work through his foundation which seeks to use sport to provide alternatives to young people in previously disadvantaged areas of the Cape. Philander is from that part of South Africa and said his background of “learning to survive” is behind his drive to make a difference.”We try to give children other routes away from gangs, drugs and alcohol. I say to myself that I can’t help everyone in the whole world but if I can help one or two, it’s something.”

England pulled off a 3-0 whitewash on their 2018 tour, but their captain is mindful of keeping his expectations realistic

Madushka Balasuriya12-Mar-2020The last time England rocked up on Sri Lankan shores, in late 2018, they had a settled side that had been together for the better part of four years, and were just months away from winning their first-ever World Cup title. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, couldn’t buy a win, and a number of those who played in that series would find themselves out of the eventual travelling squad for the World Cup.A year and a half on, Sri Lanka finally look to have settled on more or less their favoured starting XI, with a pleasing blend of experience and youth. In Mickey Arthur, they also have one of world cricket’s pre-eminent coaches leading the way. England are still a top-quality unit, as showcased by their recent exploits in South Africa, but they are now once again at the start of a rebuild.With the Test Championship final coming up next year and an Ashes tour of Australia in 2021-22, England captain Joe Root believes they once more have something to build towards.”I think for us building towards that Test Championship final would be a huge achievement,” Root said at the pre-series media briefing in Colombo on Wednesday. “It’s something that we’re aiming for as a team, and obviously, we’re also always judged on how well we do in The Ashes as well, so it’s a long process in making sure that we’re always trying to peak when we’re going up against Australia and travelling over there.”Long-term a big focus for us is trying to get some consistency and how we want to go about playing our cricket. Similarly with the guys that we’re going to be selecting, it’s a real opportunity for them to long-term take this team up the rankings, and hopefully play those big moments and big games that really matter.”In the build-up to their World Cup triumph, England’s tour to Sri Lanka in hindsight proved to be a signpost moment for the type of cricket that would eventually win them the trophy. Not only did they win that series in 2018, they decimated the hosts, winning series in all three formats including a 3-0 Test-series whitewash.What made the wins all the more impressive was their manner they came in, as England beat Sri Lanka at their own game. Their batsmen dominated the home spinners, while their own spinners – Jack Leach, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid – wreaked havoc, combining for 48 wickets.This time around, only Leach remains from that vaunted trio, and while Matt Parkinson’s four-for in England’s first warm-up game would likely have strengthened his case for a starting berth in the first Test in Galle alongside Dom Bess – who picked up three in the game – they’re both relatively untested at the highest level. In terms of the batting too, there are many who haven’t played top-level cricket on subcontinental surfaces. As such, Root isn’t getting too far ahead of himself in expecting a repeat performance from 2018.”It is a different team that we’ve brought this time around,” he said. “We’re expecting the surfaces to be slightly different, and we’re quite open-minded about what to expect. But ultimately it gives an opportunity for some of the other guys to show what they’re capable of.”I think last time we came at a different time of year for starters. It was a lot wetter. And I’m sure Mickey [Arthur] and everyone have put their own stamp on things, and are playing cricket very differently.”There were very extreme conditions [in terms of the pitches] last time around as well, and I felt we found a very good way of exploiting that. It probably suited some of the guys that we had on tour, and the way they played their cricket.”I think it’s important to have an open mind coming in to this series. If we just went in and expected it to be exactly the same then we could find ourselves getting stuck, and I think it’s really important that we play what’s right in front of us, and make sure we respect the surface and the opposition. And I’m sure there are one or two guys that want to put their stamp on this team and take it forward.”Matt Parkinson has a laugh during England’s opening tour match in Sri Lanka•Getty Images

For Sri Lanka, this will be an opportunity at redemption, though with Rangana Herath retired and Akila Dananjaya suspended, their spin contingent comprising Dilruwan Perera, Lasith Embuldeniya and Lakshan Sandakan is not as strong as it once was. Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne, however, chose to draw confidence from his team’s performances against New Zealand and South Africa in recent series, where it’s been the seamers more than spinners that have been the cornerstone of their victories.”We didn’t do well in the last series [against England], and they played really well in these conditions. And compared to other countries [we’ve faced at home] they were really good at taking on our spinners. But I think Dilruwan is there, and there are a few talented young bowlers as well. And we saw against South Africa and New Zealand in recent tours that they have a really good mindset.”Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur meanwhile believes that the recent ODI-series win against West Indies and the Test-series win in Zimbabwe have been great learning experiences for his players, albeit in different ways.”[The performances against West Indies in the ODIs] is certainly how we want to play our cricket, and I think our selections are going to reflect that going forward,” Arthur said. “But just to go back to the Zimbabwe series, we played on incredibly flat and slow wickets, which just sort of did nothing for the game really, and the game just didn’t move at all. And it was kind of a war of attrition, you had to just wear the opposition down. But we got a lot out of that tour, because we had to focus and had to be really disciplined through those two Test matches.”We find we got a hell of a lot out of that tour which was great for us. Certainly our brand of cricket – and I think that’s the way all teams play cricket now – is you want to take the game forward. But there are times when the session or game requires that you wear the opposition down, and that was very much our focus in Zimbabwe – primarily because of the conditions.”Nailing down that brand of cricket, Arthur feels, has been helped by the settled nature of Sri Lanka’s squad which he now believes has an ideal blend of youth and experience.”I think we’re really confident. First of all you’ve got to stay up with the trends of world cricket, and then you sort of look at the brand you want to play from there, and then you find the players that fit that brand.”We have some very young players, we have some very exciting players, we’ve got some very skilled players, intermingled with a couple of experienced players – Angelo [Mathews], [Dinesh] Chandimal, Suranga Lakmal. We feel we’ve got the balance right.”The first Test begins in Galle on March 19.

Unequivocal support for head coach in wake of call for sacking for attending family funeral

George Dobell01-Jul-2020West Indies cricket are “blessed” to have Phil Simmons as coach, according to Cricket West Indies (CWI) president, Ricky Skerritt.In an unstinting demonstration of support, Skerritt made it clear that Simmons’ role as head coach remains “not in any way threatened” despite demands from one CWI board member, Conde Riley, for him to be sacked.”I want to assure West Indies cricket fans that Phil Simmons still has the full backing of CWI, no matter what has been said,” Skerritt said. “When all is said and done, Phil’s job is not in any way threatened by that letter.”Riley, also the president of the Barbados Cricket Association, suggested Simmons had “endangered the lives” of the entire West Indies touring party by temporarily leaving the bio-secure ‘bubble’ in Manchester to attend a family funeral.”There was no question of me not going to the funeral,” Simmons said. “It is a very, very hard time for us. My wife, my daughters and my son needed that support. This has not been an easy time for my family. My wife was very close to her father and his passing has hurt us. All the guys [in the West Indies touring party] have been very close to me. It won’t disrupt us. It will just make us a little stronger going into the Test series.”Family is a huge thing for me. It’s the same thing we’re trying to build here and everyone is supporting everyone. If someone wants to try and use that against me, all well and good. If that is to break up the camp and change our focus, that hasn’t worked. I had to do what is right for my family, just as I will do what is right for CWI for the rest of the series.”As Skerritt made clear, Simmons had permission to attend the funeral and his departure and re-entry were managed by the medical teams from CWI and the ECB. He has subsequently remained in isolation at the team hotel – he has watched the on-going warm-up match from his hotel-room balcony – and been tested twice for Covid-19. Both tests have been negative.ALSO READ: Phil Simmons faces sacking call after attending family funeral“He went through a very vigorous recruitment process nine months ago and was the best man we could have found for the job,” said Skerritt. “He’s still the best man. I’m confident the people of the Caribbean have already thrown their support behind Phil and will continue to do so.”Phil is the right man at the right time. We’re so blessed to have Phil back with us and to have Jimmy Adams as his boss. I don’t think I need to worry at all with those two guys leading the cricket.”It is a well-established policy for CWI players and officials while on tour to be given permission for compassionate leave as and when needed. The matter of coach Simmons’ exiting and returning to Old Trafford should never have controversial in any way.”While Skerritt admitted his request for Riley to withdraw the letter had, at this stage, fallen on deaf ears, he offered an olive branch of reconciliation towards the Barbadian.”My only response was to ask him to withdraw the letter,” Skerritt said. “It was an unnecessary and hasty burst of emotion. I’m stunned that the letter reached the public.”But Conde is a tremendous custodian of the game of cricket in Barbados. He gets my respect and I probably tolerate stuff like this more than I would with others. I think quietly at the right time we’ll make up. The problem is there are very strong influences around him and outside of the board who try to bring distrust and throw cold water on cricket-first activities we’ve been moving forward with.””Cricket administrators have to understand that our role is to provide the best possible environment for cricket and to give the best support and resources to our cricketers and management team,” Skerritt continued. “Giving them a sense of controversy and possible distrust and confusion is one of the worst gifts you can give.”

Rory Burns scores 90 as England declare before taking two quick wickets before close

The Report by Valkerie Baynes26-Jul-2020You know those times – hopefully they’re rare – when someone says or does something to offend you and you walk away, seething and speechless. You play it over in your mind and then, much later, you think of the perfect comeback: “I should have said this. If only I’d said that. I wish I’d shown ’em.”Stuart Broad had the chance few of us get to set that person we think has wronged us straight and he took it, more than once.Left out of the England side for the first Test, won by West Indies at the Ageas Bowl, Broad made it clear in an interview during the game that he wasn’t happy about it. It probably wasn’t to everyone’s liking, almost certainly not the selectors, but it was decent PR for Broad – he was hungry, driven and eloquent. But he wasn’t done there.”And another thing…” Broad may as well have said has he backed up words with action, his new-ball burst of 3 for 1 from 14 balls helping set up England’s victory in the second Test.”And another thing…” Broad may as well have said as he whacked West Indies’ bowlers round Emirates Old Trafford en route to the equal third-fastest fifty in England Test history on the second day of the deciding match of the series. His 62 from 45 balls batting at No. 9 lifted England’s first-innings total to 369 after a mini-collapse on the second morning had left the hosts 280 for 8.”And another thing…” Broad only went and took 6 for 31 to help bowl West Indies out for 197 in reply before lunch on Sunday, still 172 runs adrift.England’s batsmen rallied round their mate to ensure Broad’s retorts were rammed home, Rory Burns, Joe Root and Dom Sibley all adding their own “take thats” as they each passed 50 in guiding their side to a 398-run lead.Burns fell short of a hundred, caught sweeping for 90 to go with his first-innings 57, before England declared their second innings at 226 for 2. Burns shared a 114-run partnership with Sibley – the first for England’s openers at home since 2016 – and then another 112 with Root, who remained not out after an momentum-stealing knock of 68 off 56 balls.With England needing to win the match to reclaim the Wisden Trophy, their tactics were in part dictated by a poor forecast for Monday.It meant West Indies had to face six overs before the close, and of course it was Broad who helped England make strides towards their goal of taking ten wickets. He had opener John Campbell caught by Root at first slip for a third-ball duck and then removed nightwatchman Kemar Roach, caught behind, to move to 499 Test wickets before stumps.Broad began the day with two wickets already, having combined well with James Anderson in favourable conditions the previous evening. But that was just the precursor to Broad’s spell of 4 for 14 from four overs which ended West Indies’ first innings.Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer opened the bowling on the third morning with Jason Holder not out 24 and Shane Dowrich on 10, their side still 33 runs from saving the follow-on.The batsmen successfully navigated a spell of short-pitched bowling and secured their first target. Dowrich did well to see off the barrage, given the fact England’s bowlers have targeted him with the short ball in this series.But when Broad came on, he struck with his third ball, removing the dangerous Holder four runs shy of his half-century with a lovely length ball that seamed in and struck the knee-roll, breaking up a partnership worth 68.Woakes thought he had Holder out for 38 four overs earlier to a brilliant diving catch by Ollie Pope at midwicket, until it was revealed he had overstepped for only the second time in his 35-Test career.Holder’s eventual dismissal, just after he had reached the milestone of 2000 Test runs, left his side exposed, and Broad swooped.In his third over of the day, Broad had Rahkeem Cornwall out lbw for 10 and, three balls later, he drew Roach forward with a ball that nipped away off the seam, found an edge and was swallowed by Root at slip to claim his five-wicket haul.”And another thing…” Broad wasn’t done. He then claimed last man out Dowrich, who top-edged a pull to mid-on, to give Broad figures of 6 for 31 from 14 overs. Broad is now the leading wicket-taker for the series with 14, despite missing that first Test.England’s second innings started terribly for West indies when Holder had to leave the field after Burns edged a Roach delivery in his direction at second slip and the ball bounced awkwardly into his left thumb.No sooner had Holder returned to the field after lunch, with his thumb heavily strapped, than wicketkeeper Dowrich was off nursing a swollen lip after Burns left a Shannon Gabriel short ball which deceived the keeper with some late swing, hit the top of his glove and smacked into his face.A bleeding Dowrich spent the rest of the day in the changing rooms – he was seen shortly after the incident holding a small piece of ice to his lip – as he was replaced initially by Shai Hope before substitute Joshua Da Silva donned his gear and took over, making his first appearance of the series.In the meantime, Burns and Sibley set about extending the England lead, their union eventually broken by Holder when he had Sibley out lbw for 56, which included seven fours.As soon as Burns was out, Root joined him on the walk back to the changing rooms, where Broad was preparing to return in full flight.

Head coach wants one of his players “to set themselves targets of getting a big hundred” in bid to save Test

Valkerie Baynes26-Jul-2020Series don’t come much tougher than travelling to England to face on-song pace duo Stuart Broad and James Anderson. That was the assessment of Phil Simmons, West Indies’ head coach, after his side were bundled out for 197 in their first innings at Emirates Old Trafford and then went two wickets down early in their second, needing to bat out the rest of the match to retain the Wisden Trophy.”Wherever you go it’s going to be tough, in England’s it’s going to be toughest with two bowlers, one there in 600, one there in 500 wickets and it’s going to make things hard,” Simmons said after play on the third day of the deciding Test, with his side still trailing by 388 runs.”On this wicket, we showed in the first innings of the second Test that… we were doing what was necessary, we were getting scores, we got a few fifties, but you’ve got to carry on, and these guys keep coming and they’re relentless. So I think it’s, it’s one of the most difficult places to bat, especially against these two experienced bowlers.”ALSO READ: Can West Indies keep their eyes on the prize?Broad already has eight wickets for the match, having taken 6 for 31 in West Indies’ first innings before dismissing struggling opener John Campbell and nightwatchman Kemar Roach to put them at 10 for 2 in their second and leave himself on 499 Test wickets.Broad and Anderson started the day with two wickets apiece before Broad’s 4 for 14 in four overs halted West Indies shortly after they had avoided the follow-on. Anderson, playing his 153rd Test, now has 589 scalps to his name.With the ball only six overs old, the duo are likely to feature heavily when play resumes with England seeking eight more wickets to win the match and reclaim the Wisden Trophy after levelling the series with victory in the second Test.Jermaine Blackwood’s 95 in West Indies’ first-Test victory at the Ageas Bowl remains his side’s highest individual score, while No. 3 Shai Hope is yet to pass 25 for the series.Opener Kraigg Brathwaite, unbeaten alongside Hope at the close, made 65 in the first Test and 75 in the second, while Shamarh Brooks made twin scores in the 60s last week. But the need to convert such starts into big innings is now vital if West Indies have any chance of holding out for a draw and retaining the trophy.”Yes, we’re struggling where the runs are concerned, and we’ve struggled since after the second innings of the second Test, but all in all, a lot of work has been done,” Simmons said. “Guys are going to go home on empty but that’s what you want at the end of a series – they’ve given their all, and if all isn’t good enough, you take that, and you work out how you get better.”We haven’t got any centuries in this series so I’m always going to be putting pressure on them to go there. The wicket is still a good wicket to bat on so they have to set themselves targets of getting a big hundred on this wicket. Tomorrow is only the fourth day so we have a lot of time so we’ve got to show that determination to get big scores.”Rain is expected to wipe out much of Monday, which would still leave England time to bowl their opponents out on the final day, but it would also see West Indies needing to resist for a far shorter period.It may also give Shane Dowrich some extra recovery time after he was hit in the face by a Shannon Gabriel delivery which deflected off Dowrich’s wicketkeeping glove.Dowrich has also been struggling with the bat, having made 61 and 20 in the first Test and a pair in the second before he was out for 37 on Sunday, Broad’s last first-innings victim. At this stage he has not looked like needing to call upon a concussion substitute to bat in his place, although Simmons said team medical staff would “see how he wakes up in the morning”.”He was lucky that it came on to the glove first,” Simmons said. “He has a little cut on the lip but no damage to the teeth or anything like that, just a cut and it’s been sealed up by the doctor. So I guess now all he has is a big headache.”Simmons praised fast bowlers Gabriel and Kemar Roach who, along with Jason Holder and spinner Roston Chase have toiled hard through all three Tests.Gabriel, originally in the touring party as a reserve following ankle surgery, has looked particularly tired and stiff at times, often leaving the field for physio treatment and rest, but Simmons defended his team selections, saying all were fit to play.”It’s tough, it’s been tough going into this third back-to-back Test,” Simmons said. “I’m so appreciative and excited for the work that the bowlers have put in, especially the two quicks who played in all three Test matches and have given us everything they have. I’ll always raise a glass for them.”The fast bowlers especially have done a lot of work but I didn’t see any of them faltering in this game. The two fast bowlers did their job.”

Birmingham get home with seven balls to spare as Adam Hose fires chase

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2020Birmingham Bears claimed their first win of this year’s Vitality Blast with seven balls to spare, but Glamorgan were left to rue the fact that no one supported their captain Chris Cooke, who made 72 in a disappointing total of 140 for 9.The Bears’ batsmen showed a more disciplined approach, with all their top order playing useful innings – this after their five-man attack had restricted the home batsmen to a below-par score.Chasing a moderate 141 to win, the Bears lost an early wicket when Prem Sisodiya, Glamorgan’s left-arm spinner dismissed Ed Pollock with his second ball, but Adam Hose soon made his intentions clear, by striking Andrew Salter for four then lofting the offspinner over long-on for six.After he was dropped in the gully on 14, Hose continued to play freely on both sides of the wicket, and with the 38-year-old Ian Bell in his usual sublime form, the second wicket pair continued to dominate. They had put on 64 in 8.2 overs, before Glamorgan made the next breakthrough, when Marchant de Lange bowled Hose. In the following over, Bell was mortified to see a long hop from Salter end up in deep midwicket’s hands.The Bears were well placed at the halfway stage, and with five overs remaining needed a further 35 to win – but after losing Will Rhodes for 16, the run rate increased and 18 were needed from the final two overs. But Timm van der Gugten delivered the penultimate over and was plundered for 22 runs by Sam Hain and Michael Burgess, including a six from a no-ball to end the game.Glamorgan, who elected to bat, were soon in trouble, losing their first wicket to Olly Stone’s first ball – the seventh of the innings – and at the end of the first Powerplay were 45 for 3. Stone, in only his second competitive game of the season, bowled within himself, and claimed two wickets in the innings.Cooke had rescued his team in the previous game, top-scoring with an unbeaten half-century, and much depended on him if Glamorgan were to set the opposition a challenging total. While his team-mates found ways of getting themselves out – two were caught on the midwicket boundary – Cooke was selective in his shot selection.Jake Lintott, a left-arm wristspinner who had played only four previous T20 games with Hampshire and Gloucestershire, and was making his Bears debut, made the most of a slow pitch with some turn, and ended with the excellent figures of 4-0-13-1.Jeetan Patel, the veteran offspinner in his final season, wasn’t so effective, conceding 36 runs, including two sixes, but the other Bears bowlers stuck to their task, while their fielders gave little away.Cooke continued to plunder the attack, and when he was out in the final over, he had struck 72 from 56 balls, which included three sixes and five fours. Such was his dominance, no other Glamorgan batsman, apart from Dan Douthwaite with 15, reached double-figures.Batting has been Glamorgan’s problem this season, and in this competition they will miss Colin Ingram, who is stranded in South Africa, and their influential allrounder David Lloyd, who has broken his foot.

The Australia Test captain believes he pushed himself a bit too hard during winter training

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2020In his drive to be as fit as possible for the summer, Australia’s Test captain Tim Paine has left himself nursing some hamstring tendonitis but confirmed he will be available for Tasmania’s opening Sheffield Shield match in Adelaide next week.Paine, who has spent the winter in Hobart amid the Covid-19 restrictions, revealed he had actually lost a bit too much weight during his fitness push and had been given “free rein” over his eating in recent weeks ahead of the start of the domestic season.”I did a bit too much running there at one point and I’m carrying a bit of hamstring tendonitis as a result,” he told Captain’s Call on . “Think I’m getting a bit old, but just tried to get myself very fit and probably ended up going a bit too far and losing a bit too much weight so the last month or so I’ve been given a bit of a free rein which has been lovely.”Paine is one of a group of Australia’s Test players who will feature in the opening rounds of the Shield which will be played in a hub alongside the likes of Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon.”I’m heading over to Adelaide next week,” he said. “Everyone is looking forward to it, getting back on the park for their states and especially for our Test players to be able to prepare with three or four Shield games before such a big series [against India] which I’ll be really important for us.”Confirmation of the schedule for India’s visit is still awaited but it will involve four Tests from mid-December to mid-January with the series expected to start in Adelaide. With the Afghanistan Test postponed they will be Paine’s only international outings of the season and when he might play again remains uncertain with the fate of Australia’s scheduled tour to South Africa in February still up in the air.The members of Australia’s limited-overs squad that toured England and did not head to the IPL completed their quarantine period in Adelaide on Friday. The New South Wales players have a little longer to prepare for the Sheffield Shield with the defending champions not beginning their campaign until October 22 against Victoria and they will head to Adelaide on October 18.”We are hoping Nathan [Lyon] can play all those games, he’ll be keen for some cricket after not playing in the UK,” New South Wales coach Phil Jaques said. “I think Starcy will want to play a couple of games as well leading into the Tests so we’ll see how many we get from those guys. Whatever we get is always a bonus, we always prepare as if we aren’t going to have them and then when we do it’s great to have them back.”

The Super Kings bowlers set up the win on a slow, low Abu Dhabi track that might have reminded them of Chepauk

Deivarayan Muthu01-Nov-20205:00

Tom Moody: Kings XI Punjab paid the price for poor first half of the season

After messing with the playoff chances of the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Kolkata Knight Riders, the already-ousted Chennai Super Kings took down the Kings XI Punjab along with them. The 23-year old Ruturaj Gaikwad, the second-youngest member in the Super Kings squad, provided another glimpse into their future with his third successive match-winning half-century in a chase. He calmly batted on around the more experienced Faf du Plessis, who was back from injury, and Ambati Rayudu, as the Super Kings knocked off a target of 154 and knocked out the Kings XI.The Rajasthan Royals, the Knight Riders, the Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Delhi Capitals, and the Royal Challengers will tussle for the three playoff spots that are still up for grabs.It was the Super Kings’ bowlers who had set up the victory on a slow, low Abu Dhabi track that might have reminded them of Chepauk. Lungi Ngidi had the returning Mayank Agarwal chopping on with a cross-seamer and then knocked over KL Rahul with a slower dipping yorker that was straight out of Dwayne Bravo’s playbook. Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja squeezed the Kings XI so much that they went nearly eight overs without a boundary following the powerplay.
Deepak Hooda then got on top of the conditions and the Super Kings attack, cracking an unbeaten 62 off 30 balls, but it wasn’t enough in the end for the Kings XI.Rahul, Agarwal reunite at the top
Agarwal, who had been sidelined for the last three games with injury, marked his comeback with a first-ball four off Deepak Chahar. He hit four more fours off his next 13 balls before Ngidi foxed him. With Agarwal back, KL Rahul took more chances in the powerplay, swishing Chahar, Shardul Thakur and Ngidi for boundaries. The powerplay ended with Kings XI at 53 for 1, with Rahul and Agarwal scoring 26 each.Ngidi then took pace off and removed Rahul as well, with the Kings XI slipping into a mid-innings comatose. Thakur hit a hard length and had Nicholas Pooran nicking off for 2 off six balls in the 11th over and Tahir trapped Chris Gayle for 12 off 19 balls with a skiddy legbreak. After having topped the wickets charts in IPL 2019 with 26 strikes, Tahir ended this season with a solitary wicket in three games.The Kings XI then probably missed a trick by not promoting Jimmy Neesham ahead of Mandeep Singh to counter Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm fingerspin. After the two big-hitting left-hand batsmen Gayle and Pooran were dismissed, MS Dhoni drafted Jadeja into the attack, and he knocked over Singh with a 992kph arm ball. When Ngidi had Neesham holing out, the Kings XI innings was crying out for a finishing kick at 113 for 6 in 17.1 overs.Hooda tees off
It was Hooda who gave that kick as the Kings XI took 40 off the last 17 balls. On a pitch where all the other Kings XI middle-order batsmen went at less than a run-a-ball, Hooda struck at over 200. After getting himself in with hard-run singles and doubles, he launched Tahir over extra-cover with the spin, clearing the bigger boundary.He then lined up Ngidi, smashing him for 27 off a mere nine balls. The fast bowler’s plan was to bowl wide yorkers, but he missed his lengths and Hooda punished him by repeatedly shuffling across off and hitting him cleanly through the line.CSK sign off on a high
In their last fixture, against the Kings XI in Dubai, du Plessis kept hitting over the top in the early exchanges, allowing Shane Watson some breathing space at the other end. On Saturday, du Plessis reprised that role and claimed 31 of the 57 runs the Super Kings made in the powerplay.Du Plessis’ innings could have been cut short at 5 had Hooda hung on to a difficult catch running back from mid-on off Neesham. Du Plessis finally fell for 48 off 34 balls when Jordan ditched his on-pace balls for cutters and had the batsman scooping a catch behind to Rahul.As for Gaikwad, he was middling balls, but he couldn’t quite find the gaps. He was given out caught at point by Singh on 20, but TV umpire Chris Gaffaney overturned the on-field call after checking that the ball had momentarily touched the ground before Mandeep grabbed it.It was Gaikwad who finished another chase, along with Rayudu, leaving the UAE with scores of 62*, 72 and 65* that gave him an average of 51 in the tournament, the best for a Super Kings player this season.

“All I can really control is how I go about it in my preparation,” said the 22-year-old

Reuters14-Nov-2020Few young Australian cricketers have generated as much excitement as Will Pucovski in recent years but he is ignoring the hype as he bangs on the door for selection ahead of the Test series against India.The 22-year-old was named among five uncapped players in a 17-man squad on Thursday after piling up 495 runs in two Sheffield Shield matches when opening the batting for Victoria.He will have another chance to impress selectors when he faces India’s bowlers in a tour match in Sydney from December 6.ALSO READ: Test squad talking points – Burns v Pucovski, Carey still No. 2 and caution over GreenThe Australia A game has been seen as an unofficial “bat-off” with incumbent opener Joe Burns, who has hit a lean patch for Queensland in recent Shield games.But Pucovski has little interest in giving oxygen to the speculation and has switched off his social media accounts to be free of distractions.Will Pucovski plays through the off side•Getty Images

“I think it’s a bit of a media build-up to be honest, the big bat-off thing,” he told reporters on Friday. “I think all I can really control is how I go about it in my preparation and then obviously in the game so I feel like my batting’s in a really good place.”I’m off a lot of social media, so that makes it a lot easier. You can’t get tagged on Twitter and stuff if you don’t have the app, so that’s been a pretty easy one for me.”Australian cricket rarely fails to produce wunderkinds but experts have already marked Pucovski as a once-in-a-generation talent in the mould of Ricky Ponting or Steve Smith.”It would be ridiculous to say he’s not ready,” former Australia captain Ian Chappell told the Nine Network. “What the hell is he going to prove by playing more Shield cricket?”The pressure of playing Test cricket on home soil is at an entirely different level, though, and selectors may be wary of throwing Pucovski into the cauldron of a hugely anticipated series against Virat Kohli’s team.Pucovski has a history of battling mental health issues and has taken time off from the game twice when on the cusp of test selection.Replacing Burns, whose solid opening partnership with David Warner helped Australia whitewash Pakistan and New Zealand in the last home summer, would also be a bitter pill for the incumbent.”He’s been amazing, hasn’t he?” Australia coach Justin Langer said. “That said … we loved the combination of Joe Burns and David Warner. At this point, I’d say that will remain the same.”Pucovski has also struggled with a series of concussion injuries dating back to a serious head-knock suffered in school football. He believes the concussion problems may have contributed to his mental health struggles.”Obviously getting hit in the head a lot is not ideal from a physical or mental perspective,” he said. “But I’ve done a lot of work in that space to try and make sure my process is in a really good place.”

Isuru Udana clubs 34 off 12 in tied chase of 219 before bowling Super Over

Madushka Balasuriya26-Nov-2020
Super Over How the game played outAfter what seemed like endless setbacks, the first game of the Lankan Premier League is finally in the books, and it could hardly have been scripted better. Over 400 runs, dropped catches, monster sixes, quick fire fifties, an Andre Russell cameo – and a Super Over. Welcome to the LPL, ladies and gentleman.In the end though, it was the Colombo Kings that emerged victorious in a game that neither team really deserved to lose. The one-over eliminator saw the Kings set a target of 17, with the Tuskers only able to respond with 12, but that was arguably the least of the game’s highlights.While showcase knocks from Kusal Perera and Dinesh Chandimal would have pleased many of the cricket-starved Sri Lankan fans watching at home, it was 18 year-old Rahmanullah Gurbaz from Afghanistan that gave the LPL its first taste of firepower, punishing a lacklustre Angelo Mathews to kickstart the Tuskers’ innings. He and Perera put on 75 for the opening partnership inside the Powerplay period.After Gurbaz fell, Perera continued to carry his bat virtually throughout the innings, eventually falling in the final over. Perera’s partnerships with Kusal Mendis and Asela Gunaratne were calculated in their execution, and ensured that an ideal platform was in place for a late assault that saw 70 taken off the final five overs to propel the Tuskers to 219 for 3 – the highest ever score at Sooriyawewa – and one that should have been match-winning.However a reinvigorated Chandimal kept the Kings in the chase, with his 46-ball 80, and cameos from Laurie Evans, Thikshila de Silva and Russell kept the scoreboard ticking. But it was Isuru Udana’s outrageous late heroics that took the game into a decisive super over.Star of the dayThere were several that could have made this section. There was young Gurbaz’s blistering 22-ball 53, Perera’s brand of measured belligerence which brought him a 52-ball 87, and Chandimal’s homage to his early maverick years as he kept the Kings in the game with a 46-ball 80.Rahmanullah Gurbaz launched the LPL with a rapid half-century•LPL

But in the end it was Udana’s clutch innings of 34 from 12, inclusive of four monster sixes, that stole the show. When Russell holed out with 53 still needed from 19 deliveries, the Tuskers could have been forgiven for thinking the game was as good as done. But in Udana the Kings have a genuine game-changer, and really the only surprise by the end was that he was unable to finish the game off in regulation play.Turning pointIn the 18th over, with Russell back in the pavilion, the Kings’ hopes were waning. Udana, new to the crease, then top-edged one to Kusal Mendis coming in from cover, only for the chance to be grassed. With 50 runs needed off 16 balls, it seemed a mistake of little consequence at the time.The big missThe Tuskers executed their game plan almost flawlessly with the bat, but they will know that they lost the game in the field. Three catches were dropped over the course of the Kings’ chase, and while Udana’s was ultimately the most costly as noted above, it’s arguable that the Kings might not even have been in that position if Chandimal hadn’t been reprieved in just the second over of the chase.There was also a dubious non-wide call in fourth ball of the Tuskers’ Super Over chase. With 6 needed off 3 deliveries, Udana strayed down Gurbaz’s leg side – an obvious wide. If called it would have given the Tuskers an extra delivery and brought the equation down to 5 from 3. Instead, the subsequent dot ball saw the them needing 6 off 1.