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And can Ireland nullify any such calculations with their first win against India across formats?

Vishal Dikshit22-Aug-2023

Big Picture – Will Bumrah give chances to Jitesh, Shahbaz and Avesh?

India have largely achieved what they wanted from this Ireland series. Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna have made excellent returns to form and fitness and have subsequently been drafted into the Asia Cup squad. Ruturaj Gaikwad has returned to the T20I set-up with one unbeaten knock and one quick half-century. Sanju Samson looked fluent during his 40 in the second T20I before Rinku Singh sparkled on what was effectively his debut. Shivam Dube has auditioned as the back-up for Hardik Pandya’s role – although he could do with some more wickets. And Ravi Bishnoi grabbed four wickets in the two games after going wicketless in his only outing in the Caribbean. And, India have the series in the bag.So now they can turn attentions to the players who’ve been on the bench in Malahide. Jitesh Sharma could be given his India cap and bat in the lower middle order with licence to showcase his hit-from-ball-one skills. Shahbaz Ahmed could also come in – confident after his haul of wickets in the Deodhar Trophy – to give India another all-round option while resting the more-established Washington Sundar. And Avesh Khan, once such a promising force with the white ball, could do with another chance to prove he has ironed out his flaws.Ireland will have to step up big time with both bat and ball to give India a fight. In the first game, they slumped to 59 for 6 against two bowlers returning from injury, who were not yet at their peak. Opting to bowl in the second match, all India’s batters bar one flourished, Ireland leaked too many in the death overs, and their top four batters – barring Andy Balbirnie – couldn’t find answers to Prasidh’s short balls and Bishnoi’s wrong ‘un.Related

• Avesh Khan ready for reboot after being 'all over the place'

Even if they leak runs again, which isn’t a crime in T20s, Ireland’s batters will have to shoulder most of the responsibility if they want to register their first win against India after ten unsuccessful attempts.

Form guide

India WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland LLLWW

In the spotlight – Shivam Dube and Paul Stirling

Allrounder Shivam Dube had a second coming of sorts in the IPL this year with the bat. He had his most prolific season – 418 runs at a strike rate 158.33, including a whopping 35 sixes (second-most in IPL 2023), while also averaging 38. More than half of those runs and 22 of those 35 sixes came against spin, though, and the conditions in Ireland are as different as they could get from Chennai (his home base at the IPL) – soggy, overcast, and quicker, bouncier, greener tracks. He faced only pace in the second T20I and scored 22 not out off 16 balls. His challenge will be to score more off the short stuff should it come his way, and be a wicket-taking option in the middle overs in conditions that better suit him.Paul Stirling has been scoring all around the world in the last couple of years – in the Vitality Blast and the Hundred in England, at the Lanka Premier League, the Pakistan Super League, the Caribbean Premier League and the SA20, apart from in international cricket. He
took the added responsibility of the captaincy from Balbirnie in July, but he hasn’t scored much against the No. 1 T20I side in this series. He fell to Bishnoi’s googly in the series opener before being bounced out by Prasidh for a duck and, with Ireland’s batting under pressure, Stirling will be eager to end the series with a significant contribution.

Team news – Will Theo van Woerkom get a debut?

Samson could hand over the wicketkeeper-batter reins to Jitesh, Shahbaz could come in for Washington, and Avesh for Arshdeep Singh, since Bumrah and Prasidh would want more game time before the Asia Cup. The only question would be whether India would want to make as many as three changes.India (possible XI): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Rinku Singh, 5 Sanju Samson/Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Washington Sundar/Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Arshdeep Singh/Avesh Khan, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Jasprit Bumrah (capt), 11 Prasidh Krishna.Ireland have used the same XI in both games and, with nothing more to lose, they could also hand a debut to Christchurch-born left-arm spinner Theo van Woerkom. He was part of New Zealand’s Under-19 World Cup squad in 2012 but has qualified for Ireland, with an Irish background on his mother’s side. He could come in for legspinner Ben White. They could also try out Ross Adair (Mark Adair’s brother) at the top or batting allrounder Gareth Delany in the middle.Ireland (possible XI): 1 Paul Stirling (capt), 2 Andy Balbirnie, 3 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 4 Harry Tector, 5 Curtis Campher, 6 George Dockrell, 7 Mark Adair, 8 Barry McCarthy, 9 Fionn Hand/Craig Young, 10 Josh Little, 11 Ben White/Theo van Woerkom.

Stats and trivia

• Paul Stirling is fifth among the all-time T20I run-scorers, behind the high-profile names of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Martin Guptill and Babar Azam. He will overtake Babar on Wednesday if he scores more than 77.
• Bumrah’s economy rate in this series so far is just 4.88 – no other bowler has gone at under six an over.

Pitch and conditions

Wednesday is expected to be mildly sunny in patches, with more of cloud cover and windiness and some rain expected. The temperature is expected to settle just under 20 degrees Celsius. There are more chances of rain later in the evening especially so, with a 3pm local time start, we should get a completed game squeezed in, even if it is interrupted.

MS Dhoni has said his successor Virat Kohli would go on to win more games than he did, and that his team would “rewrite history” and become the most successful India side

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-20175:16

I think the team will do something very special in the coming years – Dhoni

Former India captain MS Dhoni has said his successor Virat Kohli would go on to win more games than he did, and that his team would “rewrite history” and become the most successful India side of all time.”That’s the kind of potential they have, that’s the kind of experience they have,” Dhoni said in Pune, in the lead up to the ODI series against England, Kohli’s first assignment as full time limited-overs captain. “If it is [about] the numbers, I think Virat and this team will win more games than me in all the formats.”Since Kohli took over the Test captaincy from Dhoni in January 2015, India won 14 out of 21 games, their lone defeat coming nearly a year and a half ago. During the same period India, under Dhoni, had a patchy ODI record – 15 losses in 33 matches – but did better in T20Is – 15 wins in 23 games. They also made the semi-finals of both the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20.Kohli, R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Shami had played crucial roles in those successes. All of them – apart from Ashwin – are under 30.”Though they are young, they have played a lot of cricket both in India and outside, and in pressure situations,” Dhoni said. “They have played in knockout tournaments – when it comes to the ODI and the T20 formats – and they have played under pressure. We’ve played a lot of Tests in India but they were not easy Test matches – we played on a lot of turning wickets where the lower order’s contribution was very important.”The whole pool of players seems to be one that will play cricket in the right spirit, the way it is supposed to be. I think they will do something very special in the coming years. Of course, the period will be slightly longer because they will be together for a long period. So, hopefully, with no injuries or serious problems to the core members of the group, they will do very well.”Dhoni said he and Kohli had hit it off from the start and praised Kohli for constantly raising the bar for himself.Dhoni on Kohli: “What’s brilliant is that if I go up to him with 100 ideas, he is comfortable saying no to all of them …”•AFP

“In Indian cricket, we’ve seen more often than not that a lot of cricketers, say, when they get five games and if they are out of the side, they’re always worried about the two games they didn’t get,” Dhoni said. “The best part about Virat is he wanted to improve in whatever chances he got. And that is the reason he is so successful right now.”If he scores a 60 or 70, he wanted to score a 100. He wanted to be there at the crease when India are chasing. So, I felt that was the key factor for me, and right from the start we have interacted a lot. He has improvised his cricket and his thinking.”Dhoni said Kohli would find the shorter formats easier as captain. “With more responsibility on him, he’ll keep getting better. My job will be to give him whatever my thoughts are from behind the stumps – reading the batsman, how they’re batting, what their strengths are, how the bowler is bowling.”What’s brilliant is that if I go up to him with 100 ideas, he is comfortable saying no to all of them because that’s what his responsibility is: to pick and choose what he’s really convinced about. I think that kind of relationship is very important because I shouldn’t feel, ‘Okay, if I am saying something, that should happen’, and he shouldn’t feel as if whatever is coming from my side, has to be implemented.”As captain, Dhoni hd moved up and down the batting order to suit the team’s interests. He did not think that would change under Kohli’s leadership.”Because I was the captain, I always felt because it was difficult for newcomers to come and bat at six or seven, I should be the person who takes that added responsibility of playing lower down the order,” he said. “I would’ve preferred batting at four and playing more overs, but felt it was more important to see if somebody else can bat at four and if I can bat at five, and that gives more power to our batting line-up.”At times, I found individuals can be very rigid. It is very difficult to adjust to that new mindset or change the game the way it is supposed to be played according to the team or that slot. I thought I was somebody who could do that and I was willing to do that for the team. It is the same as of now. If I am supposed to bat at Nos. 4,5,6,7, whatever the demand is for the team’s betterment, I am ready to bat there.”

Mushfiqur Rahim has been informed that he will play the upcoming Tests against Sri Lanka as a specialist batsman. Liton Das will take over the wicketkeeping duties

Mohammad Isam02-Mar-20171:33

Isam: Liton’s gain, Sabbir’s loss

Bangladesh’s manager Khaled Mahmud has said that Mushfiqur Rahim has been informed he will play the upcoming Tests against Sri Lanka as a specialist batsman, and has to give up his position as the designated wicketkeeper. This means Liton Das, the other specialist wicketkeeper in the Test squad, will take over the role.Mushfiqur’s wicketkeeping came under focus after he missed plenty of chances during the Afghanistan series last year. In Bangladesh’s last Test, against India in Hyderabad last month, his missed stumping of Wriddhiman Saha cost the team and highlighted his frailties behind the stumps. During the interim, the BCB had said that the matter will be discussed with Mushfiqur, which is what the team management has done ahead of the Test series in Sri Lanka.”The coach [Chandika Hathurusingha] and I have informed Mushfiqur officially [that he will play only as a batsman],” Mahmud told the Bengali daily . “He is the best batsman in the team. He is in such form that we believe he will be able to give more to the team, which is why he will bat at No. 4 and will not be keeping wickets. Mushfiqur has taken the decision positively, which is the best part.”We gave him examples of Kumar Sangakkara and Brendan Taylor whose batting improved as soon as they gave up wicketkeeping in Tests. It is hard to play as wicketkeeper, captain and batsman.”Liton kept wickets in the three Tests he played in 2015, against India and South Africa. The last time Mushfiqur was told to play as a batsman was during the 2016 Asia Cup T20s when he shared the duty with Nurul Hasan during the tournament at home.With Mushfiqur now slated to bat at No. 4 and Liton being confirmed a place in the XI, the team management will now have to decide between Mahmudullah and Sabbir Rahman in the middle order. While Mahmudullah has just struck his first Test fifty after a long gap, Sabbir hasn’t got a big Test score despite a promising start to his career.

The CAC also added Shyama Shaw to the women’s senior selection panel

Shashank Kishore19-Jun-2023Thilak Naidu, the former Karnataka wicketkeeper and Ranji Trophy winner, has been named the chairperson of BCCI’s junior selection committee (men). He fills the position left vacant by S Sharath, who was elevated to the senior men’s selection panel in January this year.The rest of the panel, comprising Ranadeb Bose (East Zone), Harvinder Singh Sodhi (North), Pathik Patel (West) and Krishen Mohan (Central) remains the same. The first task for Naidu’s panel will be to identify a pool of players and prepare them in the run-up to the Under-19 World Cup to be held in Sri Lanka early next year.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sulakhana Naik, Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape, formerly a national selector himself, lent weightage to Naidu’s candidature owing to his experience and body of work since his retirement in 2012.Naidu’s first-class career saw 93 matches in which he took 220 catches and effected 18 stumpings. He was also an aggressive lower-order batter, making 4386 run at 34.80, including eight centuries. Naidu chaired Karnataka’s junior selection panel from 2013-16 and was also part of the senior selection committee in 2015-16.The CAC also named Shyama Shaw as part of the women’s senior selection committee. The former allrounder represented India in three Tests and five ODIs in the mid-1990s and has since served in various administrative capacities, most notably as a Bengal selector for two terms. She replaces Mithu Mukherjee in the panel.Shaw joins the panel chaired by former India left-arm spinner Neetu David. Also in the committee are Arati Vaidya, Kalpana Venkatachar and Renu Margarate. Their immediate task will be to pick the India ODI and T20I squads for the limited-overs tour of Bangladesh in July, the team’s first international assignment since the T20 World Cup in South Africa in February.The announcement of the selection panel is likely to be followed by the appointment of a full-time head coach, for which the BCCI had invited applications in May.ESPNcricinfo has learnt the board was keen on appointing Gary Kirsten for the top job. However, Kirsten* confirmed he hadn’t been approached. Among those in contention are Amol Muzumdar, the former Mumbai captain, and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the former India allrounder and current interim head coach. The search for a “big international name” is believed to be one of the reasons for the delay in appointment.It’s understood Charlotte Edwards hadn’t thrown her hat into the ring until recently; it couldn’t be confirmed if that stand has changed. The World Cup-winning former England captain is currently head coach of Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League.The new coach is likely to be given a two-year term to begin with, especially because there are two ICC events – the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2024 and the 50-over World Cup in India in 2025 – within this period.0900GMT The story has been updated with Gary Kirsten’s response.

Despite the long tour, the Australia captain says he is in a better condition heading into The Oval this time compared to in 2019

Andrew McGlashan26-Jul-2023The Ashes is secured, but there is a huge amount at stake for Australia at The Oval. Return home with a 3-1 series win, to go alongside the World Test Championship title, and legacies will be secured. Draw the series, from being 2-0 up, and it will be mission incomplete.Many of this Australian squad featured in the 2019 Ashes series, which ended 2-2 when England won at The Oval. That has gnawed away at them, particularly after they had responded impressively from the Ben Stokes miracle at Headingley to win at Old Trafford.Pat Cummins remembers the final game of that series as the only occasion he worried he would miss a Test through fatigue, although he still ended with five wickets and bowled the most of Australia’s quicks, having also played the ODI World Cup earlier. This time, he is under scrutiny both as bowler and as captain, having endured a tough few days in Manchester. But he insists he has the gas in the tank for one final push. You wouldn’t expect him to say anything different.Related

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• Australia retain Ashes, but can they close out the series?

• Cummins: 'Good to retain Ashes but work to do next week'

• Warner quashes retirement rumour, eyes Ashes victory

“I remember turning up here in 2019 for the fifth Test and I was wrecked,” he said. “It’s probably the only time in my career where I thought I genuinely might not be able to play. But I still did a decent job then. And I feel in a much better position now.”So, for the second time in four years, Australia reach The Oval 2-1 up but via different routes and aiming to achieve what they have been unable to do since 2001. This time, they were perhaps two good sessions of cricket away from securing this series outright in Leeds. England were 142 for 7 at lunch on the second day, still 121 behind, and for all their love for a run chase there is a good chance that, had they conceded a hefty lead, the game would have gone.Instead, largely through Ben Stokes and Mark Wood, England cracked 95 off ten overs to draw almost level and then, later in the day with Australia’s lead approaching 100, Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne handed their wickets to Moeen Ali. There were a few twists to come but that’s where the mood of this series shifted.At Old Trafford, Australia were outplayed in a manner that has rarely been seen in recent years – over an extended period, rather than a single crazy session such as the one that cost them in Delhi earlier this year. In Manchester, a lazy first-day batting display then became a rudderless performance in the field as Zak Crawley, Joe Root and latterly Jonny Bairstow made merry.Australia admitted how poor they were, but have also tried to play it down somewhat by saying they always expected it would come given how England play. When it did come, they did not have any answers. Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh ensured a touch of equilibrium was resorted on the fourth day, but only the rain saved them.It all means they come back to London, where this tour started at the beginning of last month with the World Test Championship final, needing a victory (or at least be in a strong position for one should weather intervene again) to honestly be able to leave knowing they were the better team.”It’s a big one,” Cummins said. “If we win this one and you look back, it’s been an incredible tour over here really. We’ve played five games, we’ve won three and only lost one. It’s already a fantastic tour. But to go home winning the urn would be phenomenal. It’s a final thing to tick off the list of titles to win for a few of the guys, who you never [know] if you’ll get another chance at it. We’ve said the whole time, our aim is to come here and win the Ashes and that’s the opportunity ahead of us.”As Cummins alluded to, it will be the last Ashes Test in England for a lot of this side. In fact, it probably marks the start of a transition for both teams: the youngest member of the England attack at Old Trafford was Wood at 33.”They’ve got world class bowlers in their attack,” David Warner said. “They’re all mid-30s, like myself, so it’s just great to see them keep coming. They probably don’t have much cricket left in them and it will be sad to see a lot of those guys leave and we have to applaud the way that they’ve kept coming year after year.”Pat Cummins and Alex Carey could be borderline names when Australia pick the team for their next Ashes series in England•Associated Press

For Australia, of those who have featured in the series, you can only say confidently, as much as is possible with the uncertainties of professional sport, that Labuschagne, Travis Head, Cameron Green and Todd Murphy will have the chance of returning in four years’ time. Marsh and Alex Carey (35 by then) are perhaps borderline names, as is Cummins himself who will be 34. The team will start disbanding as soon as the next home summer with Warner the first to depart, at the SCG against Pakistan in early January if he makes it that far.”We know we are an experienced team,” Cummins said. “But that means there are some people who are close to the end of their career. That means we’ll have to find some new guys, who I think it won’t be very hard to find, but no doubt the team’s going to change over time. Maybe it’s this moment, I don’t know.”While some are questioning how long Cummins will be able to marry the role of lead fast bowler and captain, he sees the upcoming changing of the guard as something exciting.”We’re very individualised in how we let everyone be themselves and do it their way,” he said. “Some of that’s down to the fact that we’ve got guys that have played 100 Test matches [and] 15 years of first-class cricket. If there’s new guys [coming] in maybe you need to shift that a little bit more. It’s exciting – that’s what I like about the job.”But before the future, comes the immediate challenge. Being crowned Test world champions was deserving reward for two years of excellent Test cricket, but coupling that with an Ashes series win in England – something that has passed by a number of very fine Australian players – is needed to ensure that this group of players has its place in history.

Inoka Ranaweera starred with 2 for 17, before Pakistan needed three off the last ball, which Nida Dar couldn’t put away

Mohammad Isam13-Oct-2022Achini Kulasuriya bowled a stunning final over to help Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the second semi-final and march into the final of the Asia Cup. Kulasuriya bowled full and straight throughout the over and left Pakistan needing three off the last ball. But Nida Dar could not clear cover, where Kavisha Dilhari dropped the catch running backwards but recovered well to return a throw to the wicketkeeper, who ran Dar out to squeeze out a one-run victory.It is Sri Lanka’s first T20 Asia Cup final, having made it to the title clash three times when the tournament was an ODI affair. Pakistan would feel hard done by, as they were cruising till captain Bismah Maroof was at the crease.Kulasuriya does the magic
When Maroof got out in the 18th over, Pakistan were in the driver’s seat, needing a run-a-ball 16. But Inoka Ranaweera bowled a superb penultimate over – giving away just four and prising out big-hitting Ayesha Naseem cheaply – to leave eight for Kulasuriya to defend. Kulasuriya bowled full mostly and did not allow Aliya Riaz and Dar to free their arms. Eventually, it was down to three needed of the last ball but Dar couldn’t take Pakistan home, leaving Sri Lanka screaming in delight in front of the sparse crowd in Sylhet.Kulasuriya did not let the over-rate punishment, due to which they were allowed a fielder less outside the inner ring in the final over, hamper them. Sri Lanka would also be thankful to their batters for their fine effort earlier, particularly at the start when they got a few boundaries to get things going.Sanjeewani gives Sri Lanka quick start
Sri Lanka raced to 39 in the powerplay, thanks mainly to wicketkeeper-batter Anushka Sanjeewani’s 26 off 21 balls. After being promoted to open, she struck a four and a big six over square leg but fell in the last over of the fielding restriction. Chamari Athapaththu also hit a six but was the first batter to get out when she tried to slog Dar over long-on and was bowled.Nashra Sandhu’s classic left-armer’s delivery – pitching in line and turning away past the outside edge – then deceived Sanjeewani, bringing an end to Sri Lanka’s powerplay exploits.Bismah Maroof made 42 off 41 balls to set up the chase•Asian Cricket Council

Sandhu revives Pakistan after big stand
Harshitha Samarawickrama, however, ensured Sri Lanka didn’t let their good start go waste, adding 50 for the third wicket with Nilakshi de Silva. But the pair managed just one boundary between them, which Samarawickrama got during her 35 off 41 balls, before Sandhu removed her in the 18th over. Sandhu also had de Silva caught-and-bowled in her previous over, and finished with 3 for 17 from four overs.Sadia Iqbal and Aiman Anwer too bowled excellently in the last few overs, both picking up a wicket each as Sri Lanka made only 35 runs in the last five overs. They slipped from 102 for 3 with 14 balls remaining, only to be restricted to 122 for 6 after 20 overs.Muneeba fires up Pakistan
Pakistan responded to Sri Lanka’s fast start with one of their own. Sugandika Kumari was hit for back-to-back fours by Muneeba Ali before Sidra Ameen hit one in the third over of the chase. Muneeba struck the ball sweetly through point first, before executing the sweep to perfection on the next.But Muneeba fell in the next over when she was run out trying to get a quick single. She twisted her ankle in the process, but her presence for a few more overs might have helped Pakistan carry on further after a bright start.Bismah gets Pakistan to the brink
Sri Lanka stayed in the game with the wickets of Ameen and Omaima Sohail by the 11th over, but Maroof kept things tight at her end. She played the ball around for plenty of singles, apart from four boundaries. She struck two through fine leg, one past short third and the fourth over long-on.Maroof added 42 for the fourth wicket with Dar but fell while trying to work the ball to the on side against Kumari. Little did she know her side would end up losing the game despite setting up the chase.

ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the one of the punished players and a coach were not given a fair hearing by the BCB’s three-member enquiry committee that investigated their role in two controversial lower-tier league matches held last month

Mohammad Isam11-May-2017Cracks have emerged in the BCB’s investigation into two controversial lower-tier league matches held last month in the Dhaka Second Division League. Documents obtained by ESPNcricinfo suggest that one of the players and a coach, who were punished and accused of “tarnishing the image of Bangladesh cricket”, were not given a fair hearing by the three-member inquiry committee formed by the Bangladesh board.On May 2, the BCB had approved a report that concluded that Lalmatia Club and Fear Fighters Sporting Club should be scratched from the league, bowlers Sujon Mahmud and Tasnim Hasan be banned for 10 years each and the captains, managers and coaches of the two teams be handed five-year suspensions. The board also imposed a six-month ban on umpires Shamsur Rahman and Azizul Bari for their inability to handle the matches properly.While announcing the verdict, the committee’s convener Sheikh Sohel said that the clubs never complained against these two umpires or raised any issues on umpiring in general. However, letters obtained by ESPNcricinfo show that BCB directors were aware of umpiring complaints and had even exchanged memos on the issue during the 2015-16 season.In a letter dated April 22, 2016, the chairman of the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) – the BCB body that runs the four-tier Dhaka league – had written to the BCB’s committee of umpires, urging that in response to verbal complaints made by the participating clubs, nine umpires should be barred from officiating. Among them, were Shamsur and Azizul.Sohel said the clubs never expressed their displeasure to the committee about poor umpiring standards.
“I want to ask a question to the club officials: why didn’t they give us a letter if this was happening for such a long time? Why didn’t they tell the umpires’ committee? Also, these two umpires did other matches too, why didn’t anything similar happen in those games?”Sailab Hossain Tutul, the member secretary of the umpires’ committee, said the clubs are required to address their grievances to the umpires’ committee but many of the clubs are aware of the protocol of making all their complaints to the CCDM, which has been followed for decades.He also claimed that Shamsur and Azizul were assigned 10 matches to preside over together this season, primarily because of their mutual understanding with each other. Tutul, however, admitted that no other umpiring pair was allocated as many games to officiate together in through this season.”If a club has any complaints about an umpire, they have to directly address to the umpires’ committee,” Tutul said in a May 5 interview to the Bengali daily . “Other [umpires] are also paired, but not to such an extent. Maybe the umpires’ allotment committee didn’t think too deeply about it. We try to appoint pairs who are comfortable with each other.”It is understood that Shamsur and Azizul were given lighter punishments in the May 2 verdict because neither of the two teams under scrutiny – Lalmatia and Fear Fighters – submitted written complaints. However, it has now emerged that Lalmatia bowler Sujon, captain Faisal Ahmed Bonik and coach Asadullah Khan had written statements submitted to the BCB’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit on April 18.Sujon wrote that the umpires didn’t allow their captain to see whether the coin fell in favour of Lalmatia’s call at the toss, and that when Sujon had got off the mark with a boundary, one of the umpires came up to him and asked him to get out on his own, failing which the umpire threatened to “take charge”. Sujon claimed that his dismissal – stumped – was unjust as he was well within the crease.Biplob, the Lalmatia coach, wrote that he had arrived at the ground after the match had already begun. In a separate interview to the Bengali daily , he said it was Lalmatia’s assistant coach who was in charge of the match against Fear Fighters as Biplob himself was occupied with umpiring in an indoor tournament nearby, organized by a company owned by Akram Khan, one of the members of the fact-finding committee. However, when Biplob finally reached the City Club Ground, he found his side struggling at 20 for 6 and was subsequently informed by his captain that he wasn’t allowed to see the coin at the toss.”Being utterly disappointed with the unethical proceedings, I left the field and later came to know the outcome,” wrote Biplob.He said even though he didn’t appear at his hearing in person, he was told to await a call from the fact-finding committee. Upon receiving the verdict, Biplob said he was surprised to have been handed a five-year ban despite neither being present at the ground nor having given a statement to the committee.That turn of events was similar for the Fear Fighters captain Tanumoy Ghosh, who was down with jaundice in his hometown Rajshahi during the hearing. Like Biplob, he, too, was told to wait for communication from the committee, but he never received any. It is understood that Ghosh was punished on the basis the statement by Tasnim, the bowler who had deliberately conceded 69 runs in 1.1 overs.

Paul Collingwood promoted to join three-man team of assistant coaches to support Trevor Bayliss at World Cup

George Dobell21-Feb-2019England look “99.9%” certain to appoint one head coach to succeed Trevor Bayliss. While the director of England men’s cricket, Ashley Giles, had previously hinted he was open-minded about splitting the role into two, covering limited-overs and Tests, he has now decided that appointing one coach will provide the “stability in culture and voice” that the teams require.That head coach will be supported by three assistant coaches, however, who will all be capable of stepping up to take charge at certain times to ensure the head coach can be rested as required.Giles has already taken the first steps towards implementing that structure by confirming that Paul Collingwood will join Chris Silverwood, the bowling coach, and Graham Thorpe, the batting coach, as part of the three-man assistant panel that will support Bayliss until the end of the World Cup in July.”I’ll put my cards on the table,” Giles said in Barbados on Thursday. “My feeling’s now 99.9% that we should have one coach.”One coach gives us stability in culture as well as voice. But I see it as one guy in charge – and prepared for time off – and three assistant coaches, not just one, that work together and help share the burden. We’ll see the start of that shape going into World Cup.”Paul Collingwood will be involved in the World Cup, but he is not replacing Paul Farbrace [who leaves for Warwickshire next month]. I think having one assistant puts a lot of pressure on that person.”While Giles insisted that no appointment was imminent – he confirmed he may hold “conversations” in the coming weeks, but that a formal process would not start for some time to avoid distracting from the World Cup or Ashes campaigns – he did hint that he would, in a perfect world, prefer an English candidate and suggested that Silverwood was a strong contender.”Spoons [Silverwood] is a candidate, yes. Seeing what he did as head coach of Essex was remarkable. They were a bit of a shambles when he came and, in two years, he’d turned them round completely. And he’s got a nice way about him. He’s a tough bloke, with a fair amount of discipline, but he communicates really well. We know he’s capable.”Being a head coach is a very different role from being someone we often call connectors. Paul Collingwood is a really good example of someone who connects really well with the dressing room. Some guys are really strong at that but don’t naturally lead well because it takes a different set of skills. But I think Chris Silverwood could do it.”What we don’t want is this massive distraction of a process during the World Cup or the Ashes. Chris Silverwood, Paul Collingwood and Graham Thorpe are really highly thought of because they do their jobs really well and they’ve got to continue that. But the whole focus for the team has to be on this summer and my job is to remove some of that interference.”The nationality of the head coach doesn’t matter. We need the best bloke to do it. But it would be nice at some point for us to have an English head coach. We’ve had one absolute head – I was white-ball head – in 20 years and he [Peter Moores] has done it twice. That’s not great for our coach development. But the coach doesn’t have to be English. We’ve got to get the right man for the job.”Giles also admitted that, such had been England’s focus on white-ball cricket in recent years, there may have to be a recalibration to ensure Test cricket received the attention it deserves.”We’ve still got a long way to go as a Test team,” he said. “There’s been a lot of focus on our white-ball cricket and that’s been the right thing to do but, given the importance to Test cricket and the World Test Championship to us, we do need to swing that pendulum back nearer the middle.”

“He was really nice, and just said any time to reach out and even sent me a message on Instagram, so that was pretty cool”

AAP15-Mar-2023Ravindra Jadeja is a man of his word. The India allrounder had promised Australia spinner Matt Kuhnemann a masterclass after the Border-Gavaskar series – and he did just that.As soon as the fourth Test in Ahmedabad ended in a draw on Monday, Jadeja made time to speak to the Australian newcomer. A self-confessed “massive fan” of Jadeja, Kuhnemann revealed after taking 5 for 16 in the third Test in Indore that he spoke with Jadeja after his debut in Delhi.”I said, ‘Have you got any tips for me after the [second] Test?’ He said, ‘Yes, at the end of the series’,” Kuhnemann had said in Indore.Related

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The left-arm spinner was still buzzing on Tuesday about playing three Tests on his debut tour, after only flying over to join the squad following Australia’s series-opening defeat in Nagpur.Adding to it all, Kuhnemann was nicknamed “Jaddu” by his Sheffield Shield team-mates after running through South Australia in a game for Queensland in 2021.”It was probably about 15 minutes, he [Jadeja] was just giving me some awesome tips; we talked about everything,” Kuhnemann told AAP. “Nathan Lyon helped organised it [the chat] as well. He [Jadeja] was really impressed with Todd [Murphy], Gaz [Lyon] and myself so that was really cool to hear that from him.”He gave me some good tips for the next time we’re in the subcontinent, and some tips to go back home with as well. He was really nice, and just said any time to reach out and even sent me a message on Instagram, so that was pretty cool.”Interacting with some of the game’s greats during a whirlwind month has only fuelled the 26-year-old’s hunger and desire to keep improving at international level.Kuhnemann, Lyon and Murphy received the ultimate praise from Indian coach Rahul Dravid after the series, calling the Aussie trio the best spin attack the hosts had faced in their own conditions for more than a decade. All three had their turn taking bags of wickets across the four Tests, claiming 45 scalps between them, headlined by Lyon’s 22.”The way that it happened, I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Kuhnemann said. “Nathan Lyon took myself and Todd under his wing from the get-go, he was pretty much like a big brother to us over here.”I think we’re very lucky to have Gaz and his experience to learn off. I’m ready to get back in the nets, get back in there after speaking to Jadeja. I’m really keen to tinker with a couple of things, trying just to keep improving my skills and play as much cricket as I can.”If all of that wasn’t enough, Kuhnemann put his hand up to open as a nightwatch-opener during Australia’s second innings in Ahmedabad after Usman Khawaja was troubled by a leg injury. Kuhnemann became the first Australian to open and bat at No. 11 in the same Test match since Percy Hornibrook against England in 1929.

John Gleeson, the former Australia spinner, has died at the age of 78 in Tamworth, New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2016John Gleeson, the former Australia spinner, has died at the age of 78 in Tamworth, New South Wales.Gleeson was Australia’s 242nd Test cricketer and played 29 matches between 1967 and 1972. He took 93 wickets at an average of 36 with three five-wicket hauls. Gleeson also claimed 430 first-class wickets in a 116-match career between 1966 and 1975, predominantly for New South Wales.”He’s sadly passed away in the Tamworth hospital, aged 78,” the former Australia captain Ian Chappell relayed to viewers during Channel Nine’s coverage of a Matador Cup game.Gleeson was one of the early unorthodox spinners, delivering with an unusual action like Australia’s Jack Iverson before him and Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis decades later. “The folded finger-spinner they called him,” Chappell said. “He came from Tamworth, started out his cricket life as a wicketkeeper and he fiddled around flicking these balls … I think he started with a table tennis ball, and developed into a very fine finger spinner.”I spoke to him the other day, he’d come to grips with his situation and his last words were to me, ‘Don’t fret, mate, I’m in good shape’.”A late starter to first-class cricket at 27, Gleeson had honed his method for years prior, experimenting with various grips in backyard cricket ater being partly inspired by fellow “mystery” spinner Iverson. “The first time I saw it was a photograph in a 1951 Sporting Life magazine,” he said of Iverson’s grip in a 2008 interview. “I would bowl with the same grip with a tennis ball in backyard cricket, with a jacaranda tree as the wicket. It was quite natural for me to bowl a legspinner even if it looked like an offspinner – it was basically a reverse wrong’un: looks like an offspinner but is a legspinner.”Gleeson worked his way into the New South Wales state side and ultimately the Australian Test team after impressing Richie Benaud in a net session in the summer of 1966-67. He always remained somewhat miffed by the hype that surrounded his bowling style, which was a forerunner to other more lateral methods of spinning the ball that would follow in later years around the cricket world. His path to the Test side was to be smoothed by another net session, in Adelaide where he bowled to the then selection chairman Sir Donald Bradman.”He stood there, in his suit, at the batting crease, without a bat. I ran up and bowled. To get the ball to turn a fair bit I had to bowl a lot slower than I normally did,” Gleeson said. “I bowled him that ball [an off break] and he tried to let it hit the net, but it went the other way, flew up, and hit him on the hip. His eyes lit up and he just picked the ball up and threw it back to me. Next ball, I bowled him the wrong’un and then he wasn’t quite sure which way to go as he wasn’t reading from the hand.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said: “John captured the imagination of cricket fans everywhere as he bamboozled batsmen with his odd bowling grip, borrowed from another mystery Australian spinner, Jack Iverson.””We were deeply saddened to hear of John’s passing and are truly appreciative of his contribution to the game, which, beyond his distinguished playing career, included time as an administrator with World Series Cricket. As a cricketer, he will be remembered as someone who played for his country at the highest level and, with his unique skills, had the ability to regularly dumbfound the best batsmen in any team.”