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The ongoing National T20 Cup to be used to showcase Pakistan’s preparedness for the international white-ball series

Umar Farooq03-Oct-2020Zimbabwe Cricket will send a five-person delegation to Pakistan to assess the arrangements for the bio-secure bubble ahead of their six-match limited-overs series in the country.The PCB is currently staging the six-team National T20 Cup in the country in biosecure bubbles. The first leg of matches is currently on in Multan, where the ODI leg of the Zimbabwe series will be played, and the remaining games will be in Rawalpindi, the venue for the T20Is. The National T20 Cup is expected to serve as an example for the Zimbabwean delegation. Lahore, meanwhile, is hosting the National T20 Cup for the second XIs, while the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, with both the first XIs and second XIs, will be held entirely in Karachi across six venues from this month.Comprising three ODIs and as many T20Is, the tour is scheduled to begin on October 30 in Multan with the ODIs, which are a part of the World Cup Super League. Zimbabwe will carry a 32-member squad to cater to both the formats as well as for the intra-squad warm-up matches.This will be Zimbabwe’s first tour of Pakistan after 2015, when they became the first Full-Member nation to visit the country after the terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009. On that occasion, each of the touring Zimbabwe cricketers was paid US$ 12,500 by the PCB to make the visit, a practice the PCB continued till 2018 in a bid to get international cricket going in Pakistan again. With the situation having changed significantly in recent years, there is no financial inducement for the Zimbabweans to visit this time, five-and-some years on from that historic visit.The delegation, comprising two health officers, one security in-charge, and two ZC executives are expected to land in Islamabad on October 10. Their official inter-city travel will begin after they return two negative tests within 48 hours of arrival in Pakistan’s national capital. Once given the go-ahead, they will begin their inspection in Rawalpindi during the National T20 Cup, followed by a visit to Multan. The Zimbabwe squad will also undergo two Covid-19 tests within a space of 48 hours: one in Harare prior to their departure on October 19, and the other upon arrival in Islamabad on October 20.On September 4, the PCB had announced a full domestic season, with six associations staying and playing in bio-secure bubbles, and opening up the training facilities at its National High Performance Centre in Lahore – all in a strictly controlled bio-secure environments. It has also issued an advisory to restart the sport at the grassroots and recreational levels with adequate safety measures in place.The Covid-19 situation in Pakistan is understood to be getting better, with a sense of normalcy beginning to trickle in since last month. Tourism, stores and malls, restaurants, educational institutions and public transport have resumed operating.

Baroda to decide in Apex Council meeting about Dav Whatmore, their 66-year-old director of cricket

Shamya Dasgupta03-Aug-2020Bengal head coach Arun Lal doesn’t want life to “grind to a halt” because of the Covid-19 situation, while the Baroda Cricket Association is getting ready to write to the BCCI to request that its director of cricket, Dav Whatmore, be allowed to continue in his job for the forthcoming domestic season.Lal is 65 and Whatmore 66, and the reactions are to the BCCI’s recommendation that state cricket associations “discourage” individuals above 60 to be a part of training camps in their respective centres for the foreseeable, Covid-19-affected future.”Generally, we will take it as it comes,” Lal told ESPNcricinfo. “Things are very uncertain, and we are all intelligent enough to know the pitfalls, but we can’t let our lives grind to a halt. We’ll take all precautions, be aware, be intelligent about it, but I am not going to die before my death by sitting at home.”In its missive, the BCCI has specifically mentioned that “those individuals with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, lung disease, weakened immunity, etc” among the support staff (as well as umpires and groundstaff) are to be considered vulnerable, having a higher risk of contracting Covid-19. “All such individuals should be discouraged from participating in the camp activities until suitable guidelines” are issued by the government, the standard operating procedure (SOP) document sent out to the associations said.In many ways, Lal fits the BCCI’s criterion for people who should be kept away from team activities, whenever they begin, as he is a cancer survivor. Lal, however, stressed that he had been taking all possible precautions, training hard himself, and also keeping tabs on the activities of the Bengal players – the team typically connects over video conferencing once in a while to compare notes.Elsewhere, there’s Whatmore, who was signed up by Baroda earlier this year. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, the state association’s CEO and former Mumbai cricketer Shishir Hattangadi said, “These are, as of now, guidelines, given to us by the BCCI, preventive SOPs. The BCCI hasn’t barred anyone, they have only recommended. We will discuss the matter in our Apex Council meeting this week and then decide what to do, what to write to the BCCI.”Our coach is over 60, but he’s an international coach, he is fit. I’m sure there won’t be a problem.”The Covid-19 situation in India has continued to be serious, with government data at the time of filing this putting the number of active cases in the country at 579,357. A decision has been taken to shift the much-delayed IPL to the UAE – to be played from September 19 to November 10 – and the BCCI has expressed confidence than a truncated domestic season could still be hosted in the country.To put in place regulations and guidelines for conducting the domestic tournaments in these extraordinary times, the BCCI’s medical team had put together the SOPs, primarily meant for the players and coaching staff to resume training, help them understand how to operate in a sterile environment, the dos and don’ts of social distancing in a team environment, and what to do if someone tests positive.

Jonny Bairstow was the biggest beneficiary on the opening day of England’s first warm-up match against Pakistan A as he scored an unbeaten 66 to press his claims for retaining a spot in the middle order for the Test series

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2015
ScorecardJonny Bairstow was the biggest beneficiary on the opening day of England’s first warm-up match against Pakistan A, as he scored an unbeaten 66 to press his claims for retaining a spot in the middle order for the Test series.Alastair Cook, Joe Root and Adil Rashid also began with half-centuries, but Moeen Ali fell for 22 after being given the first chance to open. Jos Buttler also failed in his first innings since a lean finish to the English season.Bairstow was given the opportunity at No. 5 ahead of James Taylor, who had been tipped for a spot after his successful one-day series against Australia and prowess against spin. But Bairstow, who returned to the Test side against Australia at Edgbaston, took his chance after a sticky start where he reached 11 off 46 balls before hitting his first boundary. He ended with 66 off 112 deliveries.

Root enjoys being back in the hot seat

Joe Root is eager to get back into the thick of the action after his post-Ashes break and the time away appeared to have done little to disrupt his 2015 run-scoring form as he eased to 59 before retiring against Pakistan A.
“I definitely feel like I benefited from it,” Root said “It’s very important that you don’t drop off … lose performance through tiredness or over-playing. I feel really fresh now, and raring to go for this series. I’ll crack on now and make sure I’m absolutely ready for whatever Pakistan throw at us in that first game.”
England have been sweating it on the early days of the tour with temperatures in the 40s and Root said that to spend time in the middle in such conditions was priceless ahead of the Test series which begins in Abu Dhabi next week.
“Personally, it was great … very valuable – to get used to the surroundings, the heat, the surface and facing lots of overs of spin which, after an English summer, is not something you’re necessarily accustomed to.
“It’s going to be hard work. But there’s no point moaning about it – ‘poor me’ is not for our team. We’ve just got to get on with it. It was a pitch that did spin, from pretty much the start and I think we played it really well.”

The most fluent batting of the day came during the unbroken 103-run stand in 24 overs between Bairstow and Rashid, the latter skipping to a 78-ball fifty, while the pair opened up in the closing overs with a six apiece.Pakistan A, who were boosted by the late inclusion of national captain Misbah-ul-Haq as he sought some practice ahead of the Test series, gave England a taste of what is to come by sending down a large quantity of spin – 50 overs in all – with left-armer Zafar Gohar finding the most success. Gohar claimed 3 for 72, which included the wickets of Bell, who had been given a life on 5 by Adnan Akmal, Buttler and Cook.The first breakthrough of the day, though, went to pace when Moeen hooked Zia-ul-Haq to long leg where Ehsan Adil took a fine diving catch. Moeen had not always looked certain during his stay of just over an hour, but being given the first chance during the warm-up matches reinforces the view that he is the favoured route for the first Test.Bell was scratchy during his stay either side of lunch and eventually fell lbw sweeping at Gohar, although he clearly thought he had hit the ball. Cook then tickled the same bowler to leg slip having reached his fifty off 126 balls, the sort of anchor role England will need on this trip.Root had not batted in the middle since the final Ashes Test but soon found his groove. His fifty came off 84 balls and a short while afterwards he trotted off to allow others a chance before England’s batting time ran out at the end of the day.Ben Stokes could only manage 6 before he fell cutting at the offspin of Iftikhar Ahmed and Buttler was lbw to Gohar third ball. Buttler had problems against Nathan Lyon during the Ashes, a series where he made just 122 runs at 15.25, and it is not beyond the realms that his position as keeper in Tests becomes threatened by Bairstow if his returns do not improve on this tour.

On a pitch that looked more like it was four days old, India crumbled to 201 all out thanks to Dean Elgar’s part-time spin. But the hosts’ own spinners had a strong say in the final moments of the day to keep the Mohali Test even

The Report by Alagappan Muthu05-Nov-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:14

Manjrekar: Dean Elgar was SA’s wildcard

Some balls turned. Others didn’t. The batsmen were uncertain. And 12 wickets fell on the day, nine of them to spin, as the Test season in India began with a distinctly subcontinental flavor. Some like M Vijay felt untroubled at the crease. Others didn’t last long enough to figure things out. South Africa would feel aggrieved that Faf du Plessis and Stiaan van Zyl fell in the latter pile after they bowled India out for 201.At 28 for 2 after the first day’s play and having gone in a batsman short – JP Duminy has not recovered from his hand injury – South Africa will need a big first session tomorrow, and have two grand players of spin in Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers to pin their hopes on.But if part-time spinner Dean Elgar could swindle four wickets in eight overs, India’s frontliners should be chomping at the bit. R Ashwin already has a wicket. Ravindra Jadeja, on his Test return, played his second-longest innings and struck with his second ball and Amit Mishra ripped a couple of legbreaks that could easily have taken Amla’s edge or his off stump.”Never seen so many cracks in Chandigarh ever,” said Sunil Gavaskar. “If you’re a spinner, what more do you want,” said Anil Kumble. It was dry and consensus was it had been rolled less than usual. Safe to say that the pre-series demand for turning tracks has been met.The agenda was to bat first and bat big. Virat Kohli won the toss on his 27th birthday and his first Test as captain at home to give his team the opportunity to do so. Only the voodoo that part-time spinners do hit India hard as Elgar, better known to be an opening batsman, one-upped two key players. Cheteshwar Pujara, who could have built India’s innings around him, was trapped lbw with a straight ball and Ajinkya Rahane, who has shown he can resurrect top-order wobbles, nicked the one that turned sharply.That Elgar has the knack to shock opposition line-ups is not entirely a surprise. His first Test wicket was Misbah-ul-Haq, when he was cruising towards a century in Dubai in 2013. He bested Steven Smith as well, at a time when South Africa were at their wits end after a 184-run partnership in Cape Town in 2014.They weren’t facing as dire a situation today, but Amla trusted his experiment so much that the frontline spinner Imran Tahir had to wait till the 44th over to bowl and Elgar was celebrating like King Kong – banging on his chest with each India batsman he swatted away. At one point he was on a hat-trick when Wriddhiman Saha nicked a beautifully flighted delivery to first slip to reenact Rahane’s dismissal. The trick was simple – he bowled at an enticingly slow pace to pull errant drives and the batsmen either nicked off or the gap between bat and pad was exploited.India owed a good portion of their runs to a fifty from Vijay, who looked as in control as the rest looked flustered. The difference perhaps came as a result of the batting styles: Vijay played late and delicately, the others tended to jab and push to feel bat on ball. He was exquisite on the drive and the flick because he picked the line and length early and then committed to a stroke. The conviction behind them was apparent, the power never ever so. He breezed to 75 runs, with 12 fours, in only 136 balls. Then there was Jadeja, returning to the side after six back-to-back five-wicket hauls in the Ranji Trophy, and showing an improved tenacity to bat as well. But otherwise there wasn’t much.Shikhar Dhawan, backed by the team management to deliver, retained his place as opener but couldn’t muster any fight. He had knocked back three balls and flashed at the fourth wide outside off stump to bag a duck and give Vernon Philander and South Africa the early strike they needed.Topping up on that seemed unlikely when Pujara joined Vijay and put up a sturdy 63 runs for the second wicket. They left the ball watchfully, ran well between the wickets and ushered the bad balls to the boundary as good Test batsmen should.Good Test bowlers make that difficult and Steyn did persuade Vijay, who was yet to score, to feel outside his off stump. But the edge went too quickly for Harmer at gully. Then there are bowlers like Elgar, who rock up at the right time and deliver the right ball. It was the orthodox left-arm spinner’s delivery but it just did not turn as Pujara was clearly expecting and was trapped leg-before, another of those dismissals where he missed a straight ball.Kohli fell to his own intent. He plays with hard hands. He likes coming at the ball. He wants to force it onto his bat and one of those times coincided with a Kagiso Rabada delivery that came quite a bit slower off the track. The leading edge was taken and Elgar, again, pouched a catch diving forward at short cover. That South Africa have made all these inroads without Morne Morkel, who has not sufficiently recovered from his foot injury, indicates the depth of their resources and the disciplines they have maintained. But they, like India, went in with five bowlers and six batsmen and will need every one of them to step up tomorrow.

Beuran Hendricks, Dane Peterson, Pieter Malan and Rudi Second also in line to make their Test debuts

Firdose Moonda16-Dec-2019South Africa have named six uncapped players in their squad for the first two Tests against England, the first of which begins on Boxing Day. Fast bowlers Beuran Hendricks and Dane Paterson, opening batsman Pieter Malan, allrounder Dwaine Pretorius, wicketkeeper-batsman Rudi Second and middle-order batsman Rassie van der Dussen are all in line for a debut.Aidem Markram has also been named in the squad after he had fractured his wrist while on tour on India and hasn’t played since, but Lungi Ngidi, who suffered a Grade 1 hamstring tear ahead of the Mzansi Super League (MSL) playoff, was not considered. The squad includes only a single specialist spinner in Keshav Maharaj, with Dane Piedt and Senuran Muthusamy both left out from the party that toured India. Theunis de Bruyn, the No. 3 batsman, was the biggest casualty from the India whitewash and has been dropped while allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo has been recalled.”The high number of uncapped players coming into the squad is a reflection of our policy to acknowledge players who do well at franchise level and have put their hands up for selection,” Linda Zondi, CSA’s recently reinstated independent selector, said.Paterson is the best example of that. He is second on the list of wicket-takers in the 4-Day Franchise Series, with 18 wickets at 21.55. The leading wicket-taker, Malusi Siboto, was not considered while the third-placed bowler, 19-year-old Gerald Coetzee, suffered a hamstring injury at the Mzansi Super League (MSL) and will play in the Under-19 World Cup instead. Paterson’s competition is likely to be Hendricks, who has only played in two first-class matches this summer and has taken three wickets at 32.33.”Paterson has been the second leading wicket-taker in four-day cricket this season, including a seven-wicket haul in an innings, and we want to go into the Test series with a full arsenal of fast bowlers who have always provided one of our traditional strengths. Beuran Hendricks is also part of this strategy and adds variety to the attack as a left-arm swing bowler,” Zondi said.This means South Africa’s first-choice attack is likely to be made up of familiar names: Rabada, Philander, Maharaj and the recently-capped Anrich Nortje. Paterson and Hendricks could come into the mix if an all-pace attack is considered, especially at the usually spicy Centurion wicket where the first Test will be played.South Africa may also consider a seam-bowling allrounder, which is where Pretorius and Phehlukwayo could be in contention. Pretorius has recovered from a broken hand he suffered during the MSL, and is fit for today’s final. Phehlukwayo, meanwhile, has been a regular white-ball player for South Africa. He has played just four Tests – two against Bangladesh, one against Zimbabwe and one against India – but scored 156 runs in six innings and took five wickets in his three matches for Dolphins this summer. Allrounder Wiaan Mulder, who made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in February, was not considered because of a back injury.South Africa’s bigger conundrum will be in the batting line-up, where everything from Elgar’s opening partner to the middle order is up for debate. Markram has not played any cricket since punching a wall in Pune, but will have a chance to prove his worth in a round of 4-day fixtures starting Thursday. If he doesn’t impress, Malan may come into the reckoning. He lies 10th on the list of run-getters, with 199 runs in six innings at an average of 33.10, identical figures to his younger brother Janneman, who has also been overlooked.At No.3, Zubayr Hamza has been preferred to de Bruyn, who scored 82 runs in five innings in India (one as a concussion substitute) before being dropped. De Bruyn has instead been picked in the South Africa A side that will play England in a warm-up match from Friday, and could make a case for selection during the second half of the Test series. Temba Bavuma will captain the A team, which also includes Reeza Hendricks and Kyle Verreynne, both of whom may consider themselves unlucky to have missed out on the Test squad.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Verreynne sits fourth on the first-class run-charts and Hendricks ninth, but van der Dussen is the batsman the selectors have gone with for the first two Tests.Van der Dussen was South Africa’s second-highest run-scorer during the World Cup where he showed remarkable composure. He also hung around the Test squad for the first match in India before returning home to score 307 runs in three matches for the Lions at an average of 76.75, including one hundred and two fifties. Van der Dussen is currently 10th on the Franchise 4-day charts and third on the averages.The wicketkeeper position, which has been Quinton de Kock’s for most of his career, is also in competition. Second, who was included in the squad to tour India but withdrew after an injury, is back in contention. Second has scored 220 runs in four Franchise first-class matches this season at 31.42 and has been included in the squad, leaving no room for Heinrich Klaasen, who made his debut in India.The A team, meanwhile, will be coached by former Test opener Ashwell Prince, and includes MSL stars such as batsman Pite van Biljon and bowler Nandre Burger. Prince will be assisted by former national assistant coach Malinbongwe Maketa and former Warriors coach Piet Botha.”The selection of the A side to play England in a three-day tour match is confirmation of our policy to make this team our official South African second XI and it has a good mix of experienced and young players,” Zondi said.Squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Beuran Hendricks, Keshav Maharaj, Pieter Malan, Aiden Markram, Zubayr Hamza, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Vernon Philander, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second, Rassie van der DussenSouth Africa A squad: Temba Bavuma, Nandre Burger, Theunis de Bruyn, Reeza Hendricks, Pieter Malan, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dane Piedt, Lutho Sipamla, Glenton Stuurman, Pite van Biljon, Kyle Verreynne

Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s Test and T20 captain, said he didn’t “feel the same” after the side crashed out of the Champions Trophy as he had done following their semi-final defeat in the 2015 World Cup

Firdose Moonda12-Jun-2017South Africa’s Champions Trophy exit has caused them less grief than their 2015 World Cup semi-final defeat to New Zealand because, rather than dominate the pool stage, they stumbled through in the ongoing tournament. Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s Test and T20 captain and the man involved in two run-outs in the must-win match against India on Sunday, admitted South Africa were below-par throughout their group games and could not realistically have expected to win the event.

Du Plessis to skip England T20s

Faf du Plessis has confirmed he will not play in the three T20s against England and will return home to await the birth of his first child. Du Plessis’ wife, Imari, is due in early July but he is hopeful baby du Plessis will make an appearance before that to ensure he can play the first Test, which starts on July 6.
Some of South Africa’s other big-name players will also miss the T20s, and will take a break before the four Tests. ESPNcricinfo understands that Hashim Amla and JP Duminy are among the group that will go home. South Africa will announce their T20 squad later this week and AB de Villiers, who has opted out of the Tests, is expected to be among the names.

“In 2015, I sat afterwards and I was extremely disappointed. It was the lowest point of my career because I felt that was our time to win a tournament. We played a good game of cricket that night. We were right in it until the end,” du Plessis said on Sunday evening. “Today, I don’t feel the same. I just feel extremely disappointed with the way we played. We didn’t pitch up as a team.”Du Plessis does not think South Africa’s collective disappearing act necessitates changes in personnel and expressed confidence in the squad that represented the country at this event. “These are the players. There’s not anyone else in South Africa that’s better than the guys right here,” he said.He also backed his captain AB de Villiers despite increasing public opinion that a change in leadership could be the key to changing South Africa’s major-tournament fortunes.”It’s so hard to put all this pressure on AB and almost blame him. I can certainly tell you he has led the team really well, he has done everything,” du Plessis said. “The team let him down. I ran him out. There’s nothing that he did wrong today. We were beaten, not even by a better team; we just played our worst game of cricket in a while. Every guy in his role in the team must take responsibility for not fulfilling his job today.”Unlike de Villiers, who said he had no answer for South Africa’s lapses under pressure, du Plessis repeatedly pointed to a dereliction of duty – not just against India but in the tournament as a whole – as the reason for their failure this time.”It’s just the way we played in this tournament. I don’t think it was just today. The game against Pakistan was a very inconsistent performance as well. [Against] Sri Lanka – one or two guys put their hands up but it wasn’t a great game of cricket. All in all, it hasn’t been a good tournament for us,” du Plessis said.”It’s just personal performances. The answer lies in there. Every guy has got a job in this team and, generally, when we play well, guys do their jobs very well. If I use an example, [from] the top five in the last year and half, there have been a lot of hundreds. [In] this tournament there hasn’t been. I am a No.3 batter, I need to score hundreds. Quinny [de Kock] is an opener, he gets hundreds for a living and all of us are to blame. AB had a quiet tournament but it’s the same thing. All of us need to do our jobs and if we don’t, we can’t expect to win trophies. It’s as simple as that. The answers lie in us not doing our jobs consistently.”Hashim Amla scored the only hundred in South Africa’s campaign while du Plessis, de Kock and David Miller contributed a half-century each. Against Pakistan and India, the batsmen did not give their attack much to defend but Imran Tahir and Morne Morkel topped South Africa’s wicket-charts with five scalps apiece. Still, South Africa’s superstars barely shone. The No.1 ranked ODI batsman, de Villiers, scored just 20 runs in the tournament and the top-rated bowler, Kagiso Rabada, took only one wicket. There were dropped catches, misfields and a lethargy South African cricket is not known for, especially in light of their performances over the last few months.In the lead-up to this tournament, South Africa had won three ODI series in succession, including five-nil triumphs over Australia and Sri Lanka and victory in a decider over New Zealand. They equalled their longest winning streak in that time. But, after that, they went on a break for the IPL, came back and lost to England and crashed out of the Champions Trophy. Though du Plessis did not want to use the time off as an excuse, he recognised that it changed the momentum.”There was a big break in the last time we were together as a team but that’s definitely not an excuse – you should just pick up from where you left. I thought before the tournament we were ready, but the matches in the last three games, [we] have been playing at five or six out of 10 and if you want to win a world trophy you can’t be fighting at 50-60%,” he said.As a result, South Africa were undercooked and it cost them dearly. “We made a lot less mistakes during the season. In this competition we were rusty and cold and inconsistent and that’s not the team that’s been playing through the year,” du Plessis said.

Glenn McGrath insists Brett Lee’s bowling is still world class and he should be picked in Australia’s Test team as soon as he is fit

Cricinfo staff10-Nov-2009Glenn McGrath insists Brett Lee’s bowling is still world class and he should be picked in Australia’s Test team as soon as he is fit. While Lee has not played a Test since hobbling out of the Boxing Day match last year and is currently recovering from an elbow bone spur, he is also behind the young bowlers Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus in the pecking order.However, McGrath, who was launching Jane McGrath Day for January’s Sydney Test, said Lee remained a threat to international batsmen. “I think Brett’s still got a lot to offer, a lot of experience and what he brings to the team, that fear factor, there’s still that aura there he’s created,” McGrath said at the SCG.”In saying that, the guys that have done the job, the way Mitchell Johnson’s bowled, Pete Siddle has impressed me and Hilfy and Dougy Bollinger coming on the scene, you can’t fault any of them. It’s good, healthy competition [but] I would have ‘Binga’ in any team I played in if he’s back fit again.”Lee, 33, has taken 310 wickets in 76 Tests but there is a feeling the selectors doubt his ability to get through back-to-back five-day games. After recovering from ankle surgery, Lee did not play a Test during the Ashes series due to a side strain even though he felt he was ready for the final two games. The latest elbow setback, which resulted in an early departure from the India one-day series, came following some encouraging performances in the limited-overs sides.New South Wales face Tasmania in a Sheffield Shield match next week and Lee will have to play in that game to be a serious contender for the opening contest against West Indies from November 26. “In a Test the workload is going to be pretty heavy and I don’t think Brett would want to go into a Test where he was concerned [about his body],” McGrath, who took 563 wickets in 124 Tests, said. “If he broke down in that first match back it could damage his career a lot more than just sitting that one out and coming back when he was 100% right.”I heard he had a bowl at the nets yesterday and was pretty happy about how it went. If he can get through a four-day match then he can get through a Test match.”

The current application of the rule, he says, would make it very difficult for any former India player to take up a new role

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2019Former India captain Sourav Ganguly does not agree with the existing conflict-of-interest rule within the BCCI constitution, which supports the one-man-one-post concept. Ganguly, who was found to be breaching the rule recently, said the BCCI had to make the conflict rule more “practical” and allow people to perform multiple roles.Ganguly has been a strong opponent of the conflict rule ever since he and his former team-mates Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman were accused of being in conflict. All three were part of the inaugural Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) set up by the BCCI to make hig-profile cricketing appointments including that of India head coach.Ganguly, who is president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, is also on the coaching staff of the IPL team Delhi Capitals, and has also been doing media work as a commentator and columnist. Laxman writes columns in newspapers and is also a commentator in addition to being a mentor at Sunrisers Hyderabad.The Committee of Administrators (CoA) asked the BCCI’s ombudsman, Justice (retired) DK Jain to adjudicate. Tendulkar withdrew himself from all the BCCI committees even before the final judgement was released. Eventually Justice Jain found merit in the allegation and confirmed that under the BCCI constitution both Ganguly and Laxman were in breach of the conflict rule since they were performing multiple roles.”I wouldn’t say an exception be made to the rule [for celebrated former players such as himself, Tendulkar and Laxman, but] the rule has to be practical,” Ganguly said on Friday, during an event in Mumbai.If the rule remains in its current form, every former India player would find it impossible to take up a new role, Ganguly said. He took the example of Rahul Dravid, whose possible conflict of interest has been put in the spotlight by Sanjeev Gupta, a life member of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, the same person who pulled up Laxman and Tendulkar.Recently Dravid took charge as head of cricket at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Gupta has said this will put Dravid in a conflict of interest since he is also employed by India Cements, which is owned by the former BCCI president N Srinivasan. Justice Jain is yet to pronounce his findings in the Dravid case, even though the CoA has given him its view, which is that he is not in conflict since he has frozen his employment with India Cements.Rahul Dravid has been tasked with turning the NCA into a high-performance centre•Getty Images

“And what is conflict of interest?” Ganguly asked. “Today Rahul Dravid is appointed NCA head and there are issues about his conflict of interest of his job with India Cements. So you’ve got to be practical on that. You never know whether you would become NCA head or not, three years later you may not remain NCA head, but these jobs are permanent and these jobs remain with you. So it has got to be practically solved – even when you do commentary or coaching, I don’t see it as a conflict of interest. “Ganguly also took the examples of former players from other countries performing multiple roles, such as the former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who is head coach of Delhi Capitals. “Look at Ricky Ponting. He coaches Australia (Ponting is a consultant with Cricket Australia), he commentates, he is commentating in the Ashes now, and in the month of April next year he will be with Delhi Capitals.”I really don’t consider this as a conflict of interest; because these are all skill-based. You don’t decide whether you commentate or whether you coach or you are part of a franchise, because of your skill you get picked by people, and I don’t think it can be a conflict. It has to be bit more precise otherwise everything is going to be conflict.”Ganguly pointed out that the conflict issue had to be taken seriously, otherwise every appointment would be questioned. He provided the example of Vikram Rathour, the former India opener who is set to become India’s batting coach from September. Rathour, who was part of the previous national selection panel, has been facing conflict allegations since he is a relative of the former India offspinner Aashish Kapoor, who is the chairman of the junior men’s selection committee.Ganguly said it was “ridiculous” to call Rathour’s case one of conflict. “I was reading in the newspaper that there is issue of Vikram now with conflict with Aashish Kapoor being a junior selector. I find it ridiculous. If somebody else is a junior selector and somebody else is batting coach, how does it influence and how it is conflict? So these things need to be a lot clearer. I am firm believer that skills have to be kept separate because you cannot influence skills, it’s about one’s judgement of who’s better and who is not better.”Speaking at an event in Delhi on Wednesday, former India opener Virender Sehwag had also weighed in on the conflict-of-interest issue.”I understand that if I am a selector, and I have a cricket academy, then I might pick boys from my academy,” Sehwag said. “But as a coach, I don’t understand how will I be in conflict of interest if I have a cricket academy. Or if I am part of any association, then I cannot become a selector.”

The India allrounder coming back from injury has the chance to influence a tight game with his bowling on the last day at Wankhede stadium

Ankur Dhawan in Mumbai16-Dec-2018The IPL has done funny things to Indian cricket, particularly the fan. How else do you explain lusty cheering for Mumbai Indians Baroda allrounder Hardik Pandya as he tried with all his might to thwart Mumbai’s chances of securing a vital first innings lead at Wankhede stadium? Sure, there is merit in the theory that he is an India player, but MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli apart, not many have such a hold over crowds across the country.If it was a case of conflicted emotions – although there was no sign of it as the small crowd chanted his name like an anthem – they got the best of both worlds. Pandya obliged with a 137-ball 73 but Mumbai clung on to the cliff edge, securing a 29-run lead that may just keep them afloat in the Ranji Trophy.Pandya may have missed a maiden Ranji Trophy hundred, but it was his first major contribution with the bat in red-ball cricket since a whirlwind 93 at the start of the year in Cape Town. (He’d made a fifty against Afghanistan in between, but that came after India’s total had already gone past 300)Baroda had other heroes as well. Aditya Waghmode batted in mode to make 114 off 304 balls and Vishnu Solanki produced a more free flowing 133 to give Pandya the time he needed to find his feet, both literally and figuratively. At lunch he was batting on 3 off 29, struggling for rhythm but untroubled by the bowling as such.Match situations, though, can be fickle, and after cruising for 121 overs and looking set to surpass Mumbai’s 465 by a significant margin, wickets fell, as though through a series of trapdoors. A comfortable 351 for 3 became 378 for 6 when tea was taken, and two overs post resumption Baroda had slipped to a precarious 379 for 7. At that stage, it seemed like they were running out of luck, exemplified by Solanki’s questionable lbw decision earlier in the day, but soon enough Pandya was bowled off a no-ball and it became a level playing field once again.Reprieved on 41, he brought his side within 29 runs of Mumbai’s total before being pinned in front by Royston Dias as he tried to steal a single off the last ball of the over. It was not unlike the position he was in a few months ago at Edgbaston, when India needed 32 to win and Pandya was left with the awkward job of refusing singles when the field was spread, and scampering across when it came up. Eventually he was led to play a shot that wasn’t meant to fetch him runs or protect his stumps and he was dismissed.The difference here is that there’s an innings left and Pandya could enjoy the perks of who he is – an allrounder – and influence the result. While Mumbai would have undoubtedly been the happier side, having taken the lead, given the lack of time left in the game, they were also the only ones left in a position to throw it away – a tendency common among teams batting without purpose on final days. With his two quick wickets before stumps, Pandya has stoked that possibility.

Needing 286 in their second innings to make Victoria bat again, New South Wales crumbled under the relentless pressure of Boland

Alex Malcolm27-Oct-2018Getty Images

A sublime unbeaten 250 from Marcus Harris and five wickets from Scott Boland have put Victoria on the verge of a crushing innings victory over New South Wales at the MCG. Needing 286 in their second innings to make Victoria bat again, New South Wales crumbled under the relentless pressure of Boland.He forced a mistake from Daniel Hughes early in the innings before Nick Larkin and Kurtis Patterson put up some resistance. Larkin made a well-compiled 53 before he was bowled leaving a ball from Andrew Fekete that snaked back off the seam from well wide of off stump. Moises Henriques was trapped plumb in front by Boland and Jack Edwards was castled by a devilish inswinger from Tremain.The Blues slumped from 4 for 167 to 9 for 175 in the space of 12 overs. Patterson reached his second half-century of the match but again fell to a right-arm quick angling in and seaming away from around the wicket. In the first innings it was Chris Tremain who found his outside edge, in the second it was Boland.Boland also knocked over Daniel Sams and Daniel Fallins for his fourth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket after Fawad Ahmed accounted for Peter Nevill and Jason Sangha.The Blues’ last wicket pair of Mickey Edwards and Trent Copeland survived for 60 balls on the third evening to ensure the game went into a fourth day.Earlier, Harris pushed on from his overnight total of 210 to make an even 250. He faced 403 balls and struck 22 fours and a six in his remarkable innings to put his name up in lights ahead of the Test series against India.Harris got incredible support from Fawad, who posted his highest score in first-class cricket. He made 34 from 90 balls with four fours and a six to rub salt into the Blues wounds. Harris and Andrew Fekete also added an unbeaten 54 for the 10th wicket before Peter Handscomb declared.