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Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, believes that some of the players could be playing for their careers come the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval

Brydon Coverdale13-Aug-2013Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, has said that some members of the squad could be playing for their careers during the final Investec Ashes Test at The Oval next week. Lehmann said the loss at Chester-le-Street on Monday was “bloody hard” and that Australia should have won “quite comfortably” given the strong platform set by the openers Chris Rogers and David Warner, who contributed to a start of 147 for 1 in a chase of 299.But the loss of No.3 Usman Khawaja, lbw to Graeme Swann, then Michael Clarke to a ripper from Stuart Broad, Steven Smith hooking a bouncer down onto his stumps, and Shane Watson and Brad Haddin walking across their stumps to be lbw meant a collapse of 6 for 34, leaving far too much work for the tail. Lehmann said the continued failure of the Australians to stand up at the big moments meant there was much on the line at The Oval.”Yep. There is nothing wrong with that. I’m happy for you to write whatever you write there,” Lehmann said when asked if players could be playing for their careers. “To play for Australia, you have to perform to a level that’s acceptable to everyone in our team, and also the Australian public and the media, and at the moment we’re not doing that.”I think they’ve fought really hard and they’ve shown glimpses of challenging a really good side obviously, but we haven’t done that consistently enough. So we’ll back them as we have and we will continue to back them, but at the end of the day performances count.”From our point of view the blokes have got to learn. If they don’t learn we will find blokes that will … If they’re not, and making the same mistakes, then we’ve got to change, and that’s a simple fact of cricket and results.”The manner in which several of the Australians got themselves out during the chase was especially frustrating to Lehmann, who simply wanted his men to play straight. England’s bowlers, Stuart Broad in particular, bowled well after tea and dried up the runs, but Lehmann said several of the Australian batsmen had contributed just as much to their downfall.”Blokes are missing straight ones. That doesn’t help,” Lehmann said. “I thought Warner got a good ball, to be fair, Clarke got a ripper and probably Rogers got a decent ball. The rest should have played a lot straighter and they know that.”The one silver lining for Australia on the fourth day was the 109-run opening stand between Warner and Rogers, Australia’s best opening partnership in a Test chase since 1995. Warner played a mature innings that mixed defence with a desire to score, and Rogers added to his first-innings 110 with a tenacious 49, leaving them locked in as the opening combination for the time being.”The way they played today, yes,” Lehmann said when asked if Warner and Rogers could stay at the top for the next year or so. “Warner was very good today. I was very impressed with him today and Rogers has been probably the find of the tour for us, the way he has gone about it, and his demeanour off the field and what he brings to the playing group as an experienced player. So I have been really impressed with both of them.”So much so that when Lehmann was asked if Watson would be considered at The Oval if he was unable to bowl due to his hip/groin injury, he responded that “no-one’s guaranteed, apart from Michael Clarke and Chris Rogers, I would think”. The Australians travel to Northampton this week for a two-day tour match ahead of the final Test.

Victoria strode back into contention against an injury-affected New South Wales on day two of the Sheffield Shield match at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2013
ScorecardVictoria strode back into contention against an injury-affected New South Wales on day two of the Sheffield Shield match at the MCG.Entering the match on top of the table, the Bushrangers had been well behind after day one, but a rare spell of legspin by their captain Cameron White brought a swift end to the Blues’ innings before they had advanced to an unreachable advantage.NSW were immediately stricken at the start of the second innings when Doug Bollinger broke down with a hamstring strain in his second over, and after the first four wickets fell, White and David Hussey steadied the innings significantly with a dynamic stand.Hussey’s unbeaten 59 was his first Shield half-century of the season.

England have named three uncapped players in their squad for the women’s one-day and Twenty20 series against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2013England squad

Charlotte Edwards (capt), Arran Brindle, Georgia Elwiss, Natasha Farrant, Lydia Greenway, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones, Heather Knight (ODIs only) Susie Rowe (T20s only), Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Lauren Winfield, Danielle Wyatt

England have named three uncapped players in their squad for the women’s one-day and Twenty20 series against Pakistan.Natasha Farrant, a 17-year-old left-arm seamer from Kent, Surrey’s allrounder Natalie Sciver and Yorkshire’s Lauren Winfield, a wicketkeeper, have received their first call-ups for the matches that begin on July 1.England will be without three senior players who are currently recovering from injury. Katherine Brunt, the player of the year, is not yet fit after the foot injury she picked up at the World Cup, Holly Colvin broke a thumb playing league cricket and Laura Marsh is still recovering from shoulder surgery. The trio will now aim to be ready for the Ashes series later in the season.In the absence of Brunt, Anya Shrubsole will have the responsibility of leading the attack while the series will give England a chance to assess the strength of their squad players before facing Australia.The visit of Pakistan will be the first series for England’s new high performance manager, Paul Shaw, who has taken on an expanded role after the previous head coach, Mark Lane, stood down last month.

Jonathan Trott helped settle a slightly nervy England as they closed in on a famous series victory in Nagpur, reaching the close of the fourth day with a lead of 165

The Report by Andrew McGlashan16-Dec-2012
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Jonathan Trott dug in for a vital, unbeaten half-century that pushed England towards safety in the match•BCCIJonathan Trott helped settle a slightly nervy England as they closed in on a famous series victory in Nagpur, reaching the close of the fourth day with a lead of 165. He and Ian Bell added 67 for the fourth wicket after India had given themselves a glimmer by removing Kevin Pietersen shortly after tea with England’s advantage still less than 100. Now England are a solid morning session away from their goal.While India’s bowlers did a respectable job on a pitch that refused to break up, their approach in the morning session had been bizarre as they plodded along for 13 overs adding just 29 runs before MS Dhoni finally declared with a narrow deficit. Batting so defensively did nothing but take time out of the game, a situation England were quite happy to go along with. Since India lost quick wickets yesterday evening their only hope has been third-innings panic, which has happened in the past when a draw is the favoured result.When Pietersen fell, inexplicably shouldering arms at Ravindra Jadeja as Trott did in the first innings, England were tottering on 94 for 3 and Dhoni’s hopes were far from dead. Due to the scoring rate of less than two an over – England did not break that barrier until the 62nd over – the lead had not been carried far away from India and the one batsman thought most likely to do that was the one walking back.Trott, though, played a superb hand, timing the ball as well as anyone has managed on this docile surface. He was off the mark first ball with a sweep and regularly picked off deliveries through the leg side. There was also a curious route for one of his nine boundaries when the ball slipped out of Jadeja’s hands, during his delivery, and lobbed towards the on side. As Trott was completely within his rights to do he skipped out and smashed the no-ball to the square-leg fence.It was also an innings that created some spice in the match. On 43, Trott went to cut Ishant Sharma and India were convinced there was an edge but Kumar Dharmasena, who had earlier made a mistake in giving Alastair Cook caught behind, was unmoved.Next ball Sharma followed through close to Trott, who responded by blowing a little kiss, and tensions began to grow. At the end of the over there were heated exchanges with the umpires involving Dhoni and Virat Kohli – a likely future India captain, who did not carry himself very well. Meanwhile, a few minutes later, Snickometer (which would not be part of DRS were it in use) did not register any sound.Trott was unmoved and, in fact, probably motivated further. He went to 49 with an off-drive against Sharma, a rare shot on this slow pitch, and next ball had his half-century from 106 deliveries. India, however, were still festering. Towards the end of the day R Ashwin pulled out of a delivery and warned Trott for backing up too far. It belied the growing frustrations.Bell provided solid support following the potentially vital loss of Pietersen. It was an important period for him after a lean series – he will need to continue on the final morning – and he collected runs calmly. There was one moment of fortune when he edged Ashwin through a vacant slip where two balls earlier Virender Sehwag had been stood. The fourth-wicket stand came at almost three an over, a largely unseen rate in this match.The day brought a total of 190 runs, but midway through it did not appear even that total would be reached. After India’s strange approach, Cook and Nick Compton put all their efforts into ensuring against early mishaps for England. Progress was at snail pace but, especially for Cook, there was too much at stake to suddenly try anything too flamboyant.The first boundary of the day did not come until five minutes before lunch, when Compton edged Ashwin to third man, and Cook had reach 5 from 78 deliveries when he slotted away a cover drive.For the second time in the match Cook was removed through an umpiring error from Dharmasena when he played forward to Ashwin and the ball spun past the outside edge. There was a strong appeal, and a noise, but replays confirmed that Cook’s bat had struck the ground and he had missed the ball. It left Cook with a match tally off 14 off 121 balls but it did nothing to dilute the epic nature of his series, which ended with 562 runs.Compton’s solidity alongside Cook has been one of the major plusses to come out of this series. His defence had been firm throughout the afternoon session but in the final over before tea he was given lbw to Ojha. Replays suggested an inside edge but the ball was also caught in the gully so the presence of DRS would only have changed the mode of dismissal.At that point it had been one of the more forgettable days of Test cricket in recent memory, but the final session was far more entertaining for a variety of reasons. There will be debate about how India handled themselves, but at least it showed the passion remained. That has not always seemed the case in this series. England, though, as they had done on Saturday, did not lose their cool and finished the day stronger. They are very close now.

A hard line adopted by the Indian board towards English county players practicing in India has its roots in a much deeper dispute

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Feb-2013A hard line adopted by the Indian board towards English county players practising in India has its roots in a much deeper dispute arising from the ECB’s refusal to allow IPL teams to play exhibition matches in Ireland and Scotland.The ECB holds the broadcast rights for both Ireland and Scotland and used its right of veto over televised fixtures in those countries to prevent what it saw as IPL infiltration on its own territory.This dispute over territorial rights flared up again recently when seven counties intending to send players to the Global Cricket School, a privately-run academy in Mumbai, switched instead to Sri Lanka after the ECB and GCS officials advised the counties that potential visa issues made this the best course of action.The counties – Yorkshire, Durham, Kent, Hampshire, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire – failed to receive permission to visit India from a muted BCCI as a stand-off between the Indian and England boards failed to be resolved.Tensions surfaced at the end of the fifth IPL last year when the BCCI approached both Cricket Ireland and Cricket Scotland directly, to check if they were interested in playing exhibition matches against a team of IPL players from different franchises.It is understood that Cricket Ireland’s initial response to the offer was that they did not have sufficient funds to host the matches. In response, the BCCI said it would underwrite the players’ costs and that the arrangement would therefore be financially attractive.However, ESPNcricinfo has learned that the ECB then refused to sanction the matches in any circumstances because it was concerned that its lucrative broadcasting deal with Sky TV, which guarantees exclusive TV coverage of cricket in England, Ireland and Scotland, could be undermined in the long term by the alternative attraction of an IPL side playing in Ireland. The Sky deal underpins the survival of first-class cricket in England.Under the terms of the ECB’s deal with Cricket Ireland for 2008-13, it gained ownership of media rights for all Ireland’s home international matches. In return, Cricket Ireland receives an annual fee, the chance to play in some of England one-day competitions should it so wish and coaching support.Details of the new TV deal have yet to be officially revealed, but it would be natural both for Cricket Ireland to want to maximise its income whilst maintaining healthy relationships with the ECB. In the meantime, it remains uncomfortably placed between two boards in conflict.Asked to clarify their respective position, all the boards involved – BCCI, ECB, Cricket Ireland and Cricket Scotland – declined to discuss the issues publicly. But it is clear that the ECB and BCCI both viewed each other’s behaviour as hostile.A BCCI official did say, however, that although communication channels between the two boards had not been closed, the ECB had a lot to explain before English county sides could be automatically welcomed again for developmental visits to India.The official said: “Discussions are still on but it has to be a two-way process. We can’t see how we can allow the counties to send their players to practice here when the ECB refuses to allow the IPL players to play even in Ireland. They must explain why they did it.”Irked by the ECB refusal, the BCCI had assumed a tough stance of its own. Last November, the ECB was forced to apologise to the Indian board for not taking the necessary approvals for the England Performance Programme (EPP) squad’s tour of India.Simultaneously, the Indian board’s secretary Sanjay Jagdale pulled up the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), demanding an explanation as to why the MCA had allowed the EPP to play games in Mumbai without gaining clearance from the Board.In the letter dated November 29*, 2012, Jagdale noted: “The Chairman brought to the notice of the house that there were instances where foreign teams were invited by state associations to play matches and attend practice camps. He advised all members not to entertain any foreign team without the prior permission of the Board.”*11:59pm, February 9: The piece had initially stated that the letter by Sanjay Jagdale had been dated November 31, 2012. This has been corrected.

With the help of technology that will be used for the first time in cricket coaching, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is set to introduce real-time video analysis for player training

Siddarth Ravindran05-May-2012With the help of technology that will be used for the first time in cricket coaching, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is set to introduce real-time video analysis for player training at its academy in Bangalore.The technology allows coaches to instantly access replays of deliveries on a hand-held device such as an iPad to provide more informed advice to players during a practice session. It can provide replays of a delivery from several different cameras, and can be used to monitor six nets simultaneously.The KSCA plans to initially use the technology for the Karnataka Ranji squad and at the Under-16 and U-19 levels in Bangalore, and intends to take it to smaller centres in the state like Mysore, Mangalore and Shimoga over the next year.The system is called Cognitive Video-based Coaching (CVBC) and was developed with the help of Belgium-based company EVS.Javagal Srinath, the KSCA secretary, was excited at the introduction of the new system. “We are the first to implement this,” he said. “In 10 years, coaching will be meaningless without technology like this.”The main advantage of the system, he felt, was that the instant feedback would help players analyse and work on their flaws during a practice session itself, instead of having to wait and watch it after the nets. He also said the CVBC will provide higher-quality pictures than those used in existing video analysis systems.The KSCA also has a large screen (6′ by 8′) for players and coaches to review a shot or bowling action immediately after a delivery.Srinath said any tips provided under the CVBC would be “proof-based”, which would help increase understanding between coaches and players.”Coaches will speak only from the pictures on the hand-held device or the big screen, giving no room for constructing contaminated imaginations in the mind of the players.”He said the new system would complement traditional coaching methods. “Even without technology, people will still score runs, cricket will still be played, but we are just trying to make the learning simple.”

Pat Cummins is expected to join last year’s Big Bash League runners-up the Perth Scorchers, who have re-signed the veterans Simon Katich, Michael Hussey and Marcus North

Brydon Coverdale11-Jul-2012Pat Cummins is expected to join last year’s Big Bash League runners-up the Perth Scorchers, who have re-signed the veterans Simon Katich, Michael Hussey and Marcus North. Cummins was part of the Sydney Sixers squad last summer but did not play a game due to his long-term foot injury, and his participation this season will again depend on his fitness and his international duties.Stuart Clark, the general manager of the Sydney Sixers, said on Fox Sports that Cummins would not be part of the Sixers squad this season, and he is believed to be joining the Scorchers. Clark also said that Cummins, whose injury problems continued this month when he was sent home from the ODI tour of England due to a side strain, needed to be handled carefully.”We all have to be on one wavelength with Pat Cummins, because he’s a fine prospect,” Clark said on Fox Sports. “No one is ever questioning that. But the last thing he needs is you telling him to do more weights and [someone else] telling him to do more running. The poor kid is just confused. He needs one solid training programme, probably set by Cricket Australia, and then run with it.”The Scorchers have not confirmed signing Cummins, but they have retained three important batsmen on their roster for next season. North will again captain the side and will be joined by Katich, who has retired from all other cricket in Australia, while Hussey’s appearances for the side will again be dictated by his Australia commitments.”It is great to have the skipper back on board,” Lachlan Stevens, the Scorchers coach, said. “Marcus is one of the most tactically astute players in the game today, and to have him involved in the planning and strategic direction of the team was very important to us.”I’m delighted that the only time we will see Simon Katich at top level cricket this summer it will be under the Perth Scorchers banner. The strength of character and tactical awareness that he provides helped to make us such a competitive side last year. He adds massive value on and off the field and we can’t wait to see him back.”Mike Hussey represents everything that is positive about Western Australian cricket, so to have him as part of the Scorchers line-up was a big priority for us, and we are very pleased that he chose to remain in the orange this season. We may not see Mike day in, day out, but merely having him as part of our squad is a huge benefit to every member of the team.”Daniel Vettori, who will play with the Brisbane Heat, remained the only international signing in the opening stages of the contract window, but Clark confirmed the Sixers were interested in attracting Sunil Narine, the West Indies spinner. Narine was the player of the tournament in this year’s IPL and, depending on West Indies’ schedule in December and January, will be keenly sought after by the BBL sides.”We’re looking at Sunil Narine,” Clark said. “There’s just some conflicting schedule issues with the West Indies Cricket Board. Hopefully we’ll be able to get him across for at least part of the season. If we can then he’ll be a fine prospect for us moving forward. We’ve still got some contract stuff to go, but he’s one player we’re looking at.”In other signings on Wednesday, Nathan Hauritz confirmed he would remain with the Brisbane Heat, and Johan Botha was confirmed as the captain of the Adelaide Strikers.

A round-up of the action from the semi-finals of the 2011 Faysal Bank T20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2011Shoaib Malik’s unbeaten 88 off 49 balls gave Sialkot a commanding victory over Lahore at the National Stadium in Karachi, and with it a place in the final of the Faysal Bank Twenty20 Cup.A couple of early wickets meant Sialkot got off to a slow start in their chase of Lahore’s 167, but Malik held his nerve and controlled the innings. He and Shahid Yousuf, who scored 49, dragged Sialkot out of the hole they were in after the lost both openers inside the first three overs. Malik was the aggressor in the 127-run partnership and he timed the ball sweetly while hitting nine fours and three sixes. He had to up the run-rate as the innings progressed but did so enough to reach the target in 18.5 overs.The day had started with Lahore getting everything right. They won the toss on a flat pitch and looked set to get to an imposing target after a flying start. Imran Farhat set the tone, smashing two off the first three balls of the match for four. He and Taufeeq Umar both played classy innings and Lahore’s fifty was up in just four overs.Sialkot looked frazzled in the field as Lahore looked like they were building a huge total. The fightback began in the ninth over when Malik trapped Taufeeq lbw for 33 off 20 balls. Malik then got rid of Farhat for 73 off 44 balls with an arm ball that went through the gate between bat and pad. Lahore’s innings crumbled with four run-outs hurting their chances of reaching a winning score. There was some resistance from Ali Azmat, who got 18 off 13, but Lahore could not even bat the whole 20 overs, and their middling total was not enough.Rawalpindi Rams crushed Peshawar Panthers by 77 runs in the second semi-final at the National Stadium to set up a summit clash against Sialkot Stallions.Rawalpindi’s bowlers ripped through Peshawar’s batting order, dismissing them for only 91 in 16 overs. Umar Amin bowled a terrific spell, taking 3 for 14 in four overs, while Hammad Azam picked up 3 for 21. Mohammad Rameez, who took 2 for 41, was the only Rawalpindi bowler to concede more than six runs an over.Peshawar never got going in the chase. Rafatullah Mohamand’s 33 off 26 balls at the top was their best individual score and the five batsmen after him failed to reach double figures, ending the game as a contest.Rawalpindi also did not have a powerful individual performance from their batsmen but there were several useful contributions, which helped them make 168 before they were dismissed with one ball to go. The top three gave the innings a quick start – Rawalpindi were 65 for 3 in 6.5 overs when Tahir Mughal fell – and 91 at the half-way stage. Amin then contributed 30, the best score, and Sohail Tanvir made 26 off 17 balls to ensure a competitive total.Zohaib Khan was the best of Peshawar’s bowlers, taking 3 for 36, while Nauman Habib and Noor-ul-Amin took two each.

Daniel Vettori is unlikely to make the upcoming India tour due to a groin strain

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2012Daniel Vettori is unlikely to make the upcoming India tour due to a groin strain. The injury had kept him out of New Zealand’s second Test against West Indies last week as well. Vettori has been New Zealand’s lead Test spinner for over a decade and would have been a key member of the attack in the India series.”‘[There’s] a 90% chance that he won’t be there,” Ross Taylor, the New Zealand captain, said. “So we’ve got to look forward to seeing how the next spinner gets on over there.” New Zealand are yet to announce their squad for the series, but the frontrunner to take Vettori’s place is legspinner Tarun Nethula, who had been the second slow bowler on the recent West Indies tour.The India series starts on August 23, with the first of two Tests. There are also two Twenty20s lined up. New Zealand have just completed a difficult tour of the Caribbean, where they were comprehensively beaten in all three formats.

Shahid Afridi is expecting England to be a “real test” for Pakistan when they arrive in UAE next month

Umar Farooq08-Dec-2011Shahid Afridi is expecting England to be a “real test” for Pakistan when they arrive in UAE next month although Pakistan’s recent form against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will leave them in good heart ahead of the opening Test in Dubai on January 17.On the eve of their Test series against Bangladesh, Pakistan have won every trophy that has been available to them since sharing the Tests against West Indies, in the Caribbean, last May. However, that has included success against lower-ranked opponents including Ireland, Zimbabwe and now a struggling Bangladesh.Afridi won’t be part of the Test team having retired from the format but is back as a key member of the limited-overs outfits and is aware that the visit of England will be step up from their recent opposition. England are ranked No. 1 in both Tests and Twenty20 although remain mid-table in 50-over cricket following their 5-0 whitewash against India.”Winning (throughout the year) gave us a momentum and moral is high,” Afridi told reporters at airport on his return from Dhaka. “We have developed a winning unit but it will be exciting when we face England and that would be a real test. Playing against team like England or Australia is very exciting and then we will see where we stand.”Intikhab Alam, the former Pakistan coach, also believes the winning momentum will serve Pakistan well. “We are coming in with a lot of victories under our belt and every player is laden with confidence,” Alam told ESPNcricinfo. “But we have to be wary about our upcoming series against England. We definitely need to work harder in various departments.”Spin-bowling is likely to play a major role in the series and Pakistan are well stocked in that department with Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez having all made an impact in recent months.”We have two outstanding spinners and that’s could make a clear difference. With the bowling unit we can bowl out any team in the world twice,” Alam said. “But I again insist that fitness and fielding are the vital aspect and you can’t even afford to miss the half chances against a team like England. We are not a bad side if we make an analysis between our players and theirs we have got fair chance of beating them.”