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Allrounder Yuvraj Singh and fast bowler Ashish Nehra have both returned to India’s T20I squad for the upcoming series against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-20155:54

Chopra: A fresh lease of life for Yuvraj

Allrounder Yuvraj Singh and pacer Ashish Nehra have both returned to India’s T20I squad for the upcoming series against Australia. Yuvraj has not played for India since the 2014 World T20 final, while Nehra’s last international game was in 2011.

Ins and outs in the T20 squad

In: Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ashish Nehra
Out: S Aravind, Stuart Binny, Amit Mishra, Axar Patel, Ambati Rayudu, Mohit Sharma (injured)

The selectors made six changes to the T20 squad that lost 2-0 to South Africa in October, including a maiden call-up for 22-year-old allrounder Hardik Pandya.There was no place in either the ODI or T20 team for Ambati Rayudu, Stuart Binny and Amit Mishra, while Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja were recalled to both squads.Shami made the cut after completing his recovery from a knee injury he suffered during the previous tour of Australia, in December 2014, while Jadeja’s rich vein of form in the Ranji Trophy and the recently-concluded South Africa Tests also earned him a spot in the 15-man squad. Harbhajan Singh, who made an international comeback during the South Africa series in October, kept his place in the T20 squad, but was dropped from the ODI team.Yuvraj, the Man of the Series during India’s World Cup win in 2011, was included on the back of strong performances in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he is currently the third-highest run-getter with 341 runs at an average of 85.25.”Yuvraj Singh will always remain special.” Sandeep Patil, the chairman of selectors, said. “The selectors are very happy, and the captain is also very happy to have him back. We cannot promise any player whether he will be part of the next tour or the World Cup. We want every player to perform and every player has a chance to come back in the team.”He said the selection of senior players like Yuvraj and Nehra was to give the selection committee an opportunity to assess them ahead of the World T20. “We have introduced and given many youngsters [opportunities], which we are very happy about,” Patil said. “This game is not only of youngsters, this game also needs to have experience. And we are looking at the World Cup T20 championship in India where we will certainly need experienced players.”Yuvraj was widely criticised for his performance in the 2014 World T20 final – a 21-ball 11 which sucked the momentum out of India’s innings, paving the way to a six-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka.He was subsequently left out of the international scene, but continued to attract big bucks in the IPL; he was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 14 crore in 2014, before being signed by Delhi Daredevils for Rs 16 crore in 2015. His form, though, continued to be inconsistent, as he managed just 248 runs from 14 matches at an average of 19.07 in IPL 2015.Nehra, in stark contrast, was one of the best performers in the last IPL, picking up 22 wickets from 16 matches to help Chennai Super Kings into the final. Nehra has played just one match since then, but Patil felt the seamer’s experience would come in handy.”Keeping in mind World T20, this is a chance for a lot of players to use as a platform. Those who have not been selected, they were all discussed. We have extended the pool.”Nehra is a consistent performer in the T20 format. He will be useful in the team. We will need experienced players in the World T20, and the Australia tour is perfect chance to give them a shot.The BCCI also confirmed that MS Dhoni would continue to captain both the ODI and T20I teams till the 2016 World T20, quelling speculations surrounding his future.”There were a lot of stories going around,” Patil said. “Selectors wanted to send a very clear cut message to all, to the media and the players – and I am not talking about India team players – but general players, that who is going to be our leader.”There is only three months time. I am happy that all selectors were of the same opinion that Dhoni should be the captain till the T20 World Cup. What happens after that we will let you know after the T20 World Cup.”T20I squad: MS Dhoni (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Harbhajan Singh, Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra

They put up a 96-run first-wicket stand to take India to a strong total as Bangladesh fell 59 short in the chase

Sruthi Ravindranath08-Oct-2022A superb batting display from openers Shafali Verma – who also picked up two wickets – and Smriti Mandhana helped India bounce back from a loss to Pakistan to secure a 59-run win against Bangladesh in Sylhet. With this win, India also put one foot into the semi-final of the Women’s Asia Cup.Mandhana and Shafali put up a 96-run first-wicket stand in 12 overs, following which Bangladesh fought to pull back things a bit. But Jemimah Rodrigues stepped in and made sure India did not lose the momentum, bringing up an unbeaten 24-ball 35 to take India to 159 for 5. Bangladesh were never in the chase from the outset, as they dawdled to 48 for 1 after 10 overs against India’s disciplined bowling, ending up with 100 for 7 in their 20 overs.Mandhana, Shafali lead the way
With Harmanpreet Kaur out with a niggle, Mandhana had said at the toss that they were targeting a total of 140-plus, and she looked set to achieve that from the get-go. With Shafali by her side, she started aggressively, coming down the track to hit Fariha Trisna and Salma Khatun for boundaries. Shafali then took over, slamming a six and two fours off Trisna’s second over. The duo feasted on Nahida Akhter’s left-arm spin in the sixth over, taking her for 17 runs, which included four fours. India’s score at the end of the powerplay stood at 59, the highest in this tournament so far.The duo used their feet adeptly, often trekking out of their ground to work balls into gaps. Bangladesh struggled to create chances as they let the stand go past 91 in the 10th over. But they finally found some relief – with the partnership just four short of touching 100, a mix-up resulted in Mandhana’s run-out for 47 at the non-striker’s end.It was a much-needed fifty for Shafali. She had scored a 39-ball 46 against Malaysia earlier this week following a slew of low scores. Her last T20I half-century had come in March 2021, against South Africa in Lucknow. She did not make the XI in the match against Pakistan, though she kept gloves while wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh was off the field due to a heat-related issue. With the Bangladesh bowlers bowling too straight, she targeted her favoured leg side and looked effortless doing that, as she brought up her half-century off 40 balls – her first fifty in 20 T20Is. Her innings came to an end in the very next over, when she missed a reverse sweep off Rumana Ahmed and was bowled.Rumana jolts India, but Rodrigues continues fine form
Rumana came back in the 17th over and dealt India further blows. With the run rate already having dropped after Mandhana’s dismissal, Rumana struck back-to-back in the last two deliveries of the over to remove Ghosh and Kiran Navgire to get her tournament tally to eight wickets. But in the very next over, Rodrigues struck two boundaries to ease the pressure. Rumana missed her hat-trick opportunity when she came on to bowl the 19th over and dropped a caught-and-bowled chance off Rodrigues. The batter then went on to slog-sweep Rumana for a four a couple of balls later while Deepti Sharma helped amp up the run rate with a six over long-on. Rodrigues had helped push India’s total to an above-par 159 for 5.Bangladesh stumble in chase
Bangladesh had to go at eight an over to chase the total down. But a superb effort by the India bowlers in the powerplay meant the openers couldn’t attack as much as they would have liked. Sneh Rana drew first blood, breaking the 45-run opening stand, following which Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana, who was coming off a 34-ball 53 in the match against Malaysia, joined Fargana Hoque at the crease in the 10th over, with the required run rate having zoomed above 10.With Fargana struggling at one end, Sultana made sure she compensated by showing intent to attack. She went after left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad, scoring two boundaries off her in the 12th over. But wickets kept falling at the other end, with Deepti removing Fargana for a 40-ball 30 and Rumana departing for a duck after a run-out.Sultana continued to find the gaps occasionally but found no support, with Bangladesh needing 69 off 12 balls. She was one of the victims of Shafali’s double-strike in the 19th over, falling for a 29-ball 36. Bangladesh huffed and puffed to 100 for 7 as they went down by 59 runs.

Steven Smith and David Warner will expect their team to adapt to New Zealand conditions without the assistance of a tour match as preparation

Daniel Brettig08-Jan-2016Australia captain Steven Smith and his deputy David Warner will expect their team to adapt to New Zealand conditions without the assistance of a tour match as preparation, for a series in which the visitors can claim the No. 1 Test ranking.Much was made of the poor preparation granted to both New Zealand and West Indies on their visits to Australia this summer – Brendon McCullum’s side was humbugged by a Blacktown pitch they deemed unplayable, while Jason Holder’s team had only one warm-up match in Brisbane before being badly beaten in Hobart. Australia’s trip across the Tasman has an even skimpier lead-in.A Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Western Australia is set to be played in Lincoln near Christchurch to afford adaptation opportunities for some members of the Test squad. However, Smith and Warner are among those set to be occupied by the concurrent ODI series that precedes the Tests, and Smith said he expected his players to find other ways to adapt.”There’s a lot of ways where you can replicate what you’re going to get,” Smith said. “You can get soft balls and get them to swing, you can bat on grass against spinners for subcontinent where the ball does unpredictable things, so things like that where you can work on what you’re likely to face and try to find a way to be successful against it.”I’ve had a few chats about it to some of the boys. I think when you’re under pressure you go back to what you know. I think that can hurt you a little bit sometimes away from home, I think you almost have to find another way to do things, whether that be playing in England and New Zealand making sure you’re playing under your eyes … that’s one thing I’ve spoken about to a few of the boys.”We’ve always played quite well at home but the challenge for us is to make sure we’re winning series away from home, and that starts with a tough series for us in New Zealand. Hopefully we can adapt to the conditions we’re going to be faced with in New Zealand, I dare say they’re going to have a bit of grass on them and they’re going to swing a little bit so we’re going to have to be better than we have been previously on those sorts of wickets, hopefully we can adapt well.”A win over New Zealand away – something Australia have achieved in every attempt since a drawn series in 1993 – would propel Smith’s team to the top of the ICC rankings, provided England defeat South Africa in the series they presently lead 1-0. In the case of a drawn series between those two countries, Australia could claim top spot by defeating New Zealand 2-0. The stakes are high.When asked whether he would prefer to play in the Shield match rather than the ODI series as a better way to get used to New Zealand climes, Warner said it was important Australia played their strongest side in the 50-over matches. At the forefront of his mind was Australia’s loss to New Zealand at a raucous Eden Park during last year’s World Cup.”We’re trying to win series for our country,” Warner said. “The one-day series is going to be obviously the first thing we play over there and we’re going to try and set out to win that. I look back at Eden Park during the World Cup and we were quite poor there. That’s something we’ve got to try and be better at – winning away from home. We’re definitely going to put our best team on the park.”It’s going to be not too dissimilar to England I think. It’s going to be swinging conditions but I think the wickets are probably going to be a bit greener. We saw the wicket against Sri Lanka where it was sort of green day one, day two then actually flattened out a little bit. I think it spun from memory.”We’ve got to go over there and play with the same intent we do here in Australia. We know the swinging conditions are probably going to favour them a little bit more than us. We’ve got to be on top of our game to beat them over there at their home.”Warner joined the Australian ODI squad that flew to Perth on Friday ahead of the five-match series against India, though his wife Candice is nearly due to give birth to their second child. “Fingers crossed it comes when it’s due,” Warner said. “That’s later towards the end of this month. I’m just looking forward to playing the first couple of one-dayers and obviously I’ll be by the phone waiting for that phone call.”

Phil Simmons has not been fired, but he has been asked to answer “breaches of confidentiality”, according to the WICB chief executive Michael Muirhead

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-20151:43

West Indies’ year-long saga continues

Phil Simmons has not been fired, but he has been asked to answer “breaches of confidentiality”, according to the WICB chief executive Michael Muirhead, after the West Indies coach was suspended because he had alleged outside interference in the selection of the ODI squad for the tour of Sri Lanka.Muirhead said they hoped to reach a decision on Simmons’ future in the next seven days.”What has happened with Phil Simmons is most unfortunate, rest assured he has not been fired,” he said. “Let us say he has been called to answer breaches of confidentiality and bringing the WICB into disrepute. He will be given a fair hearing by a panel and a decision will be made within the boundaries of our own HR policy.”During the process he will continue to enjoy the full benefits of his full remuneration. The mater will be dealt with in an expeditious manner and it is our intention to have a decision within the next seven working days.”Clive Lloyd, the West Indies chairman of selectors, also issued a statement saying such outbursts could not be excused. Simmons had said that he and Lloyd had been in agreement about wanting Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard back in the ODI squad, but had been outvoted 3-2 by the other selectors.”Phil has apologised to all for his recent public statements and how strongly he would have felt on certain selection matters of the team,” Lloyd said. “We agreed – at times – that we will have a difference of opinion, but we cannot condone such outbursts. Therefore, we will always seek discussion and dialogue at every stage of the selection process and work towards the best interest of West Indies cricket.”Simmons was suspended on Monday, two days after his outburst in which he said he had not been given the best ODI squad even though the captain Jason Holder also wanted Bravo and Pollard in the team. His comments came before the squad was officially announced by the WICB. An email from Muirhead informed Simmons of his suspension with immediate effect, six months after he had taken up the job. Former fast bowler and selector Eldine Baptiste was handed the role of interim coach for the tour of Sri Lanka.

Former 2nd XI player has had successful stints in global franchise tournaments including CPL

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2023Donovan Miller, the former Essex 2nd XI player whose coaching credentials include stints in charge of Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League and Jozi Stars in South Africa’s Mzansi Super League, has been appointed the club’s Pathway Fast Bowling Lead Coach.Miller, 43, also assisted England’s World Cup preparation in 2019 and worked closely with the Ashes squad. He has also previously worked with several current Essex first-team bowlers, including Jamal Richards, Sam Cook, Jamie Porter and Aaron Beard, who have all graduated through the Club’s academy system.”I want to thank Essex Cricket for giving me this opportunity,” Miller said. “I have been involved with the county in different roles for several years and it’s an environment I know very well with there being some exciting talents right throughout the pathway.”The chance to help develop the next generation of bowlers excites me. Furthermore, the county is very flexible regarding the franchise work I have been involved with and continue to encourage me to gain more experience abroad.”I was in the final interview process for a head coach role with another first-class county however, when this opportunity comes along at a county I call home, I decided to take on the role.”In 2021, Miller was assistant coach at St Kitts and Nevis Patriots when they won the CPL, after which he spoke out about his lack of opportunities to prove his coaching credentials in English cricket.”It feels as if I have to work 250 times harder to achieve half as much as some other coaches,” Miller told ESPNcricinfo. “I don’t think of myself as a boastful man, so this is not easy to say but, if you look at my record, it is far better than many of those who seem to go from job to job without problem.”

Virender Sehwag has quit Delhi and is set to move to Haryana for the forthcoming domestic season

Amol Karhadkar22-Aug-20151:31

Kalra: Sehwag was contemplating move for a few years

Virender Sehwag has quit Delhi to move to Haryana for the forthcoming domestic season. Sehwag confirmed in a text message to ESPNcricinfo that he had acquired a no-objection certificate from the Delhi & District Cricket Association.’I am really looking forward to playing for Haryana this domestic season. It is an exciting setup with a lot of youngsters in the side,” Sehwag said. “It will be nice to share the dressing room with a side that is bubbling with youth. I will be looking to share my experiences with them and hopefully shape some of their careers in the process.”Sehwag’s switch doesn’t come as a surprise. In fact, his departure from his home team was anticipated this season. Even in 2009, he had threatened to walk out, alleging nepotism and corruption in Delhi cricket.According to a DDCA insider, however, Sehwag’s move to Haryana is more about getting a youngster like Milind Kumar a regular place in Delhi’s Ranji side than about Sehwag being disillusioned with the association. Last year, with Sehwag finding his touch with the bat in the middle order, Milind had to be benched for most of the Ranji season.”He has applied for an NOC. Considering he is a very senior player and has got a better offer for personal reasons, we will respect his desire to move on,” DDCA vice-president Chetan Chauhan told ESPNcricinfo. “We seriously admire his achievements and appreciated his contribution to Delhi and Indian cricket.”Sehwag tallied 568 runs at 51.63 in Delhi’s disappointing Ranji Trophy campaign last year. With age not on his side, Sehwag is understood to have sounded off his close mates during the last year’s Ranji season that he would no longer feature in the Delhi dressing room.Haryana are set to gain from Delhi’s loss. Despite having a balanced bowling attack, lead by Mohit Sharma and Amit Mishra, Haryana have struggled in recent years with a fragile batting order. Sehwag could well provide the missing spark in their inconsistent batting line-up.

Norman Vanua, who stole an improbable two-wicket win for Papua New Guinea against Ireland, has said that he himself was at a loss for what to do after the result

Peter Della Penna in Belfast15-Jul-20152:34

‘Best feeling ever’ – Norman Vanua

Papua New Guinea’s rise to ODI status has been one of the feel-good successes in world cricket over the last four years. Their journey has included famous wins over Hong Kong in their maiden ODI and Netherlands in their maiden first-class Intercontinental Cup match.But as good as those wins were, they could not prepare PNG for the spontaneous jubilation that overflowed when Norman Vanua’s match-winning six sailed over midwicket to slay Ireland at Stormont. Before nearly getting rugby tackled by Assad Vala and John Reva, the denouement to the match was so sudden that Vanua himself was at a loss for what to do after the fourth six in six balls flew off his bat to clinch an improbable two-wicket win.”I was in shock actually,” Vanua told ESPNcricinfo. “As soon as the ball left the bat, I was like, ‘What do I do?’ I turned around and all my team-mates were running after me. I was like ‘oh it’s a six so I have to run and celebrate’. So I was in shock and the boys just got into me. It is really good, the best feeling ever scoring the winning runs.”The three sixes off John Mooney in the 19th over made for a sweet reversal of fortune for PNG, who in 2012 at the Qualifier in the UAE were victimized by Bermuda’s Janeiro Tucker, whose three consecutive sixes in the final over killed PNG’s chances of advancing to the playoff stage. The bowler that day was captain Rarua Dikana, now the PNG team manager, and on Wednesday, he was one of the first to sprint on the field to give Vanua a bear hug.The win was all the more improbable coming from PNG’s No. 10, who entered with the score at 93 for 8, with the team needing 31 from 19 balls. Vanua was cold-blooded in knocking off 28 of those runs, with all four of his sixes effortlessly timed to perfection over the leg side, including three in five balls off the tournament’s leading wicket-taker Mooney.”To be honest, there were a lot of things going through my mind,” Vanua said. “I just reflected back on how many overs were left and assessing the boundaries, which one was shorter to hit from. It worked out pretty well. I used the shorter boundary in the (18th) to bring the score down a bit. In the last two overs, I just said if it’s in my zone I’ll hit it otherwise I’d just take a single off it. Happily they came through.”I just kept my cool, tried not to think too much and just played to my strengths hitting the ball down the leg side. It worked out for me. I sort of planned it when the bowler was running in to put him off his lengths. I sort of mixed up my stance and ran up and charged him and it worked pretty well for me.”In a tournament that has seen its fair share of upsets – Jersey over Hong Kong, Oman over the Netherlands and Afghanistan – PNG’s win is remarkable in a different context. PNG already entered this tournament as a top-six Associate and had previously beaten Ireland in a warm-up match ahead of the last World Twenty20 Qualifier. But that was in the UAE in a match that did not really count for anything.A few members of this side toured Ireland as juniors during the Under-19 World Cup Qualifier in 2011, but they never played in Belfast. The senior team has not been in Ireland at all since the ICC Trophy in 2005, where they finished 11th out of 12 teams. So not only did PNG break Ireland’s 21-match tournament winning streak dating back to 2012, they did it on Irish soil.”We’ve played against some good teams but we’ve never done it against Ireland,” Vanua said. “We played them in a warm-up match at the last qualifiers where we beat them but this one, to win in a pool match, it should be up there. We’ve had lots of good victories but this is probably the best one for me I think.”LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It” blared out of the speakers not long after the match had ended and PNG’s players celebrated like rock stars. As they huddled together for another rousing rendition of their own victory song, the Ireland players and coaches were forced to walk past the PNG tent to get back to the pavilion.When the singing got louder and more joyous, several Cricket Ireland staff and other event volunteers came out to take in the scenes. Even Ireland coach John Bracewell could not hold back from cracking a smile. PNG earned the win and deserved to soak it up for all it is worth.The victories over Hong Kong and Netherlands were the result of diligent preparation and impressive performances with bat and ball. Lega Siaka’s century against Hong Kong last November, and the 200-run fifth-wicket partnership between Assad Vala and Mahuru Dai against Netherlands last month were match-defining, but PNG’s Cinderella story had lacked one shining moment.Not anymore. Vanua’s mammoth six over the trees lining Upper Newtownards Road at Stormont is now frozen in time for Hanuabada’s heartiest.

Fast bowler frustrated by timing of injury, just as he was hitting his stride in career

Andrew Miller19-May-2022Mark Wood is a naturally ebullient fellow, but even he admits he’s “clutching for straws” when trying to take any positives from the timing of the elbow injury that has interrupted his career just as he was hitting full flow.As recently as January, Wood was right at the top of his game. He alone among England’s players emerged with his reputation enhanced during a chastening Ashes campaign, bowling with off-the-peg heat and hostility to claim 17 wickets at 26.64 in their 4-0 defeat, including a career-best 6 for 37 at Hobart in the last of his four appearances.The troubling run of injuries that had held him back in his earlier years – including three ankle operations in the space of 12 months in 2016 – seemed to have been put behind him, and at the age of 32, he was ready too to cash in on the bonus of a £735,000 deal with Lucknow Super Giants at the IPL. Life was pretty “mint”, as the man himself might have put it.But then, during the first Test of England’s tour of the Caribbean in Antigua, Wood felt “acute pain” in his right elbow while warming up in the nets, and barely a fortnight later, he was undergoing an operation in London to remove bone and scar tissue that had been causing an impingement issue in his action.Although his initial target for a comeback is this summer’s T20 Blast for Durham, Wood admits that his rehab is “slower progress” than anticipated, and after featuring in five Tests in the winter just gone – the heaviest workload of his career – he doesn’t envisage adding to his total of 26 caps until the back-end of the summer, against South Africa in August and September, at the earliest.Related

• Mark Wood: 'My role isn't to try and go for five, six an over, it's to try and get good players out'

• Jofra Archer ruled out for summer after suffering back stress fracture

• Mark Wood elbow injury rules him out of action in Antigua

• Mark Wood out of West Indies tour, IPL 2022 with elbow injury

• Mark Wood undergoes surgery to tackle 'impingement issue' in right elbow

“I’m off half a run-up,” he said. “I’m hoping that I can get off my full run-up in the next couple of weeks and then hopefully play for Durham after that. But at the minute it’s a little bit slow going. Every time I bowl at the moment there’s still a bit of swelling. They’ve assured us that that’s normal, because I’ve had surgery five weeks ago, so it’s obviously still a little bit raw.”If I can build up through one-day cricket first, that will make it easier for us to then come back in the Test matches later in the summer. But, from the roster of fast bowling, I think we’re all trying to get fit as quick as we can, but it’s slow going at the minute.”After probably two years of not many injuries at all, playing a lot of games felt pretty good,” he added. “To now have a sustained period off is pretty frustrating, when I felt like I was coming up to the best part of playing for England, bowling consistently quick, and taking wickets. But if I do get back, I’ve got the confidence of that two years that I can fall back on.”The unspoken concern, however, is that elbow injuries are particularly devastating to 90mph-plus fast bowlers. Jofra Archer, whose own return to cricket received a further setback on Thursday with news of a stress fracture to his back, has undergone two operations since succumbing to injury on the tour of South Africa in January 2020. And Wood admitted that the two had been comparing notes in their rehab.”I saw him the other week. I mentioned my elbow and said how it was feeling. He said it was similar to how he was feeling at the same stage when he was coming back. I ran it by him to make sure I was on the right path.”I’ve messaged him a few times when I’ve felt he might have been down in the dumps, to tell him to keep his head up and stick with it. I think he was appreciative. But Jofra doesn’t need me to tell him that. He’s very strong-willed and I’m sure he’ll be back with a bang. It’s just about when he’ll be back. He’ll bowl rapid when he’s back.”After the extended periods in England’s bio-secure environments over the past two seasons, Wood has at least been able to enjoy some family time during his rehabilitation, including with his two-year-old son, Harry, whose favourite three things, he says, are “digger, insects and looking at the moon”.But, he added, it’s scant consolation for the interruption to his prime years. “I’m clutching at straws looking for positives. I’m really disappointed with this injury to be honest. The West Indies was a huge disappointment. Going there as a perceived senior player, I really wanted to give a good account of myself, and then the IPL after that would have been a big thing for me personally.”I’m really disappointed that I didn’t fulfil that period of my career, which I really hoped to do. I’m a lot better at dealing with things like that now, I’m not as up and down anymore – I guess Morgy’s rubbing off on us a little bit – but I really wanted that to be a big impact for me.”Wood can at least console himself with the fact that he has achieved many of the things that might have eluded him during his earlier injury set-backs – he is a World Cup winner from 2019, and now has three five-wicket hauls among his 82 Test wickets.”It does make it a bit easier, feeling more comfortable in myself and within the team,” he said. “I know what it takes to go into rehab and get back up to speed, this is my fifth time doing it after an operation. It’s never always an upward curve and plain sailing, there’s always some little bumps along the way. But at some point I’ll be back, and when I’m back, I’ll be ready to let loose again.”Mark Wood and other England cricketers surprised Leicester Electricity Sports Cricket Club during an inter-squad friendly game organised by Test partners LV= Insurance. The club will receive support to train a new coach and relaunch their women’s team as part of LV= and the ECB’s commitment to support 4000 coaches through their #Funds4Runs community initiative. Visit Funds4Runs for more information

Harry Tector hit 64 off 33 balls but Ireland were still comfortably outplayed in Malahide

Deivarayan Muthu26-Jun-202212-over game
Harry Tector cracked a career-best 64 not out off 33 balls, but India hunted down 109 in a 12-over shootout in the first T20I of the season at Malahide. After intermittent rain and a wet outfield delayed the start of play by just over two hours, Tector’s one-man show led an Ireland rally from 22 for 3 to a competitive total.That, however, seemed a lot less competitive once Ishan Kishan dashed out of the blocks. Although seamer Craig Young cut Kishan’s innings short at 26 off 11 and then pinned Suryakumar Yadav for a duck next ball, Deepak Hooda, promoted to open the batting for the first time in his 160-match T20 career, ushered India home with 16 balls to spare.Bhuvneshwar revels in powerplay
A greenish Malahide track that offered both swing and seam was right up Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s alley. After moving one away from Andy Balbirnie, Bhuvneshwar let rip an inswinger that hit the top of the Ireland captain’s off stump and sent him packing for a duck.Bhuvneshwar then greeted No. 3 Gareth Delany with a sharper inswinger which pinged the pad, but it was doing too much to threaten the stumps. Bhuvneshwar’s two overs in a truncated four-over powerplay cost two runs.After winning his first toss as India captain, Hardik Pandya gave himself the new ball, ahead of debutant Umran Malik, and struck with his second legal delivery, when he had Paul Stirling slicing a catch to mid-off for 4 off 5 balls. Delay threw his bat around for 8 off 9 balls before Avesh Khan had him nicking behind to wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik.Harry Tector helped Ireland recover after losing early wickets•Sportsfile/Getty Images

Tector lights up Malahide
Despite wickets falling around him, Tector once again showed why he is one of the most exciting young batters in Irish cricket. He had started 2022 with three successive half-centuries in the Caribbean in ODI cricket and now he showed that he could cut it against India’s IPL superstars in T20Is as well.Tector laid into Axar Patel’s left-arm fingerspin, lacing him for back-to-back fours through the covers. In all, twenty-nine of his 64 runs came through and over that region.Malik marked his arrival with a 148kph thunderbolt, but his only over on the evening cost 18 runs. He erred with both his lines and lengths and Tector was offered the chance to both drive and hook the bowler for boundaries.Tector pressed on to notch up his half-century off 29 balls and, in the last over of the innings, he audaciously reverse-scooped Avesh for four. However, there wasn’t enough support from the rest of the Ireland batters who could cobble together only 34 off 39 balls at a strike rate of 87.17.Hooda opens, Hardik at No.4
India shook things up by bumping Hooda up to the top, along with Kishan, in place of Ruturaj Gaikwad. While Kishan hit three fours and two sixes in 11 balls, Hooda dawdled to 5 off 7 before turning up the tempo to end with an unbeaten 47 off 29.He advanced at offspinner Andy McBrine and launched him over long-on for six and in the next over shovelled debutant Conor Olphert over the same region for another six. He forged a 64-run third-wicket stand with Hardik, who bashed his way to a 12-ball 24 from No. 4.After taking a pasting from Kishan in the early exchanges, left-arm seamer Josh Little bounced back to trap Hardik lbw. Hooda and Karthik, however, coolly closed out the game to put India 1-0 up.

England seamer says he struggled after calf problem forced him out of 2019 Ashes

George Dobell03-Aug-2021James Anderson has admitted he had to be talked out of retirement by his wife after a series of injury setbacks.Anderson managed just four overs in the 2019 Ashes after a recurrence of a calf injury ruled him out in the opening moments of the first Test. In the aftermath, he concedes he was struggling with the prospect of more rehabilitation work and it required the intervention of his wife, Daniella, to persuade him to continue.He has claimed 42 more Test wickets at a cost of 23.00 since then, becoming the only seamer in Test history to reach the milestone of 600 wickets.”A big reason I am still playing cricket is my wife,” Anderson said ahead of the first LV= Insurance Test against India at Trent Bridge. “She’s been really supportive.Related

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“When I pulled my calf in the first Ashes Test, it was the second or third time I had pulled my calf and I was really considering whether I wanted to go through the rehab again. She basically took us away on holiday and told me to stop being silly. She told me to carry on.”Of course there have been difficult moments. I think everyone goes through it playing professional sport, whether you are out of form, have a loss of confidence or if it’s injuries. There are all sorts of things you have to deal with. For me it’s about having a good support network: friends and family that you can rely on and lean on.”My wife has been really supportive. She wants me to keep playing; she encourages me to keep playing. She’s quite happy for me not to be around the house I think.”Despite his age – he celebrated his 39th birthday a few days ago – Anderson dismissed any suggestion that the next 10 Tests (five against India and five against Australia) could prove the finale of his career.”Absolutely not,” he said. “I feel like I’m bowling as well as ever. I feel great physically. I’m just looking forward to this series against India.”We’ll look at everything else once we’re past this. That’s something I’ve done really well throughout my career. But right now I’m bowling as well as I ever have and I’m really looking forward to this series.”James Anderson in action during England nets•Getty Images

Anderson has an excellent record at Trent Bridge. In 10 Tests at the ground, he has claimed 64 wickets at an average of 19.62 apiece with seven five-wicket hauls. He also made his highest score – 81 – here against India in 2014. While that Test may be best remembered for rumours of an altercation between Anderson and Ravi Jadeja as the players made their way to the dressing rooms after a session, it remains a ground upon which he has happy memories.”I do like playing here,” Anderson said. “I feel at home here. It is such a friendly place to play. The stewards and staff are incredibly friendly. It’s just somewhere I feel really comfortable.”In years gone by, swing has played a big part here. It’s a ground where you look up [at the atmospheric conditions] not down at the pitch. If there’s cloud cover or if it’s humid, it’s generally a good place to bowl. If there’s a bit of grass on the wicket it will carry to the keeper and slips.”While conceding the India battling line-up is “riddled with talent”, Anderson insists he is relishing the prospect of testing himself against them and Virat Kohli, in particular.”I’m definitely excited to play against him again,” Anderson said. “You always want to challenge yourself against the best in the world and he’s certainly that. We know how big a player he is for them both as a batsman and as captain, he has a huge influence on that team. So we know he’s a big wicket and to be honest I don’t care if I get him out. As long as somebody gets him out that’s the main thing. He’s an important wicket.”But I think challenging yourself against the best in the world is really exciting and their top six is riddled with talent. It’s going to be a big challenge for us seam bowlers.”