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The Surrey batsman will leave the Test party in order for him to get game time with the Lions in the UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2018England will release batsman Ollie Pope from their Test party in Sri Lanka, in order for him to get game time with the Lions, who are embarking on a tour of the UAE to play Pakistan A in all formats.Pope made his Test debut in the summer against India, scoring 54 runs in three innings, but the performance of Ben Foakes on debut in Galle has limited his chances of making further appearances in Sri Lanka. Pope was initially included as the spare middle-order batsman in the squad, but Foakes was called up after an injury to Jonny Bairstow and subsequently scored a century to help set up England’s victory in the first Test.With Bairstow working back to fitness and pushing for a return to the team, and Joe Denly also in the squad, England have a surplus of batting options. The management has therefore decided that Pope would be better served playing than ferrying drinks. He will leave for the UAE on Wednesday, the first day of the second Test in Pallakele.”It is important that Ollie is playing and the selection panel felt that to aid his development the best course of action is for to him to go and play for the Lions in a competitive series against Pakistan A,” Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, said.”Ollie needs some game time before the West Indies Test tour early next year and will get more out of playing competitively for the Lions rather than spending the next three weeks in Sri Lanka on the sidelines. He will get the opportunity of playing up to eight matches across all formats in the UAE.”England Lions play one four-day match in Abu Dhabi, starting on November 18, followed by five unofficial ODIs and two T20s.

Somerset and Middlesex are not the only counties in danger of relegation but their meeting at Taunton next week has the makings of a sudden death affair

Tim Wigmore at Kia Oval22-Sep-20171:53

I was just hoping to pull my weight – Sangakkara

Perhaps it was better this way. Sure, Kumar Sangakkara, in the final ever first-class game at a ground he has made into his private playground, was batting serenely, once again, with victory only 15 runs away. All inside The Oval were united in expecting him to stroke the winning runs.
Then Sangakkara took a couple of steps down the ground, drilled a delivery from Dom Bess back to the bowler, and suddenly was out. The silence that enveloped the ground, and even Somerset’s own players, reflected just how surprising this moment was. Sangakkara paused for a few moments, and then walked back. As he did so, every Somerset player shook his hand to congratulate him for a stupendous career – “You’ve got to appreciate genius when you see it,” explained their captain Tom Abell. Sangakkara took off his helmet to soak in the standing ovation he received from the entire ground. He walked up the stairs to The Oval changing room for the very final time, and that was that.A few minutes later, Ollie Pope, one of Surrey’s many young players to have benefited from the extraordinary privilege of three years with Sangakkara, strode down the wicket to thump a six to tie the scores. Two balls later, he lofted a four through long on and secure Surrey’s win. Sport, like life, can move on very quickly.Not that anyone will be forgetting Sangakkara anytime soon. His seasons at Surrey – not just the runs they have brought, but how he has carried himself – have enriched his legacy in the sport and, for those who stayed behind to take selfies with him or simply to say thanks, will not easily be forgotten.”That was very, very special to me,” Sangakkara said, crediting Surrey with rekindling his passion for the game.”The county professional is a very, very special breed of person and I’ve found a completely new respect not just for county cricket but for the game as a whole. To understand that wherever there is first-class cricket, the pride with which they play this sport, the pride in which the club supports the players and the pride with which the fans come and embrace those players, it’s something that suddenly hit me and it hit me once I retired from international cricket. I regret that but I thank Surrey for allowing me to rediscover that immense love and passion that first-class cricket and cricketers have for this game, and what an amazing breeding ground it is for players.”And what of this extraordinary summer, which has already brought 1407 County Championship runs? “I was just hoping to pull my weight in the dressing room. This has been something very special. I don’t really know how it happened. I’ve changed my batting over the last three seasons – I’ve changed my backlift, I’ve tried various things. Something this season has worked.”Whoever replaces him as Surrey’s overseas player – Mitchell Marsh and Hashim Amla are among the names being considered – will have quite a task. “For sides to evolve and grow, you need new ideas, new perspectives and new players coming in. Surrey has a great opportunity next year to look for somebody who will continue to make Surrey grow and for them to become stronger. And I think I’m not that guy, no matter how many runs I get for them. They need someone new, someone different. They have enough talent in that dressing room to be a real, real force in county cricket.”For all the vim with which Somerset bowled on an excellent cricket wicket – how their spinners would have loved assistance of the sort they seem certain to receive at Taunton next week – Ben Foakes’ swagger in the early evening sunshine ensured that Sangakkara’s farewell to The Oval would be in a victory. It was certainly an overdue one for the club: their last County Championship victory came way back on April 10.If Surrey’s target of 143 to win in 39 overs always seemed meagre, it has still taken all of Somerset’s resolve to get that far. After Abell flashed Rikki Clarke’s outswinger straight to second slip, Somerset showed great stoicism and application to add another 174 for the last five wickets.Once again, Steven Davies underpinned a Somerset recovery with an innings of finesse and fortitude. His move from The Oval to Taunton was expected to bring abundant runs; instead, it brought agonising early season struggles. Yet in recent weeks Davies has produced some of the most fluent batting of his career – and much of it against Surrey. After scoring 142, his maiden Championship century for Somerset, at Taunton against Surrey last month – since followed by another against Lancashire – Davies contributed innings of 86 and 52 here. His second innings featured an enthralling duel with Stuart Meaker, who bowled with great vim and located a yorker to uproot Davies’ stumps, only to be received by a no ball. It took a flighted delivery from Gareth Batty, edged into Clarke’s reassuring hands at slip, for Surrey to finally be rid of their old teammate.Then, they had Peter Trego to contend with. Few have embodied Somerset’s decline better this season: from averaging 44.58 in the nearly glorious 2016, he arrived at the crease with an average of 15.91 in 2017. Trego gave the impression of a man channeling Ferdinand Foch’s line: “My centre is giving way, my right is retreating, situation excellent, I am attacking.” If he could not entirely trust his technique, Trego could trust the eye and power that have earned him cherished status in Taunton; on this evidence, his driving has not lost any power. To his evident consternation, Trego would be bowled by Ryan Patel’s energetic medium pace, playing across the line to a straight delivery, but not before he had made 68. Still, Dom Bess’s driving, so crisp that it hinted he could one day be considered an allrounder, ensured 64 would be added for the final two wickets.That Somerset extended the final day beyond 5 o’clock also owed to a hint of fallibility from Sangakkara. The day after Surrey’s end of season awards had, essentially, been an exercise in handing out more awards to one man than he could carry, Sangakkara dropped Trego at first slip, a relatively straightforward chance. Maybe he was just making it easier for Surrey to cope with life without him.While Sangakkara heads to Old Trafford for his last ever first-class game, Somerset have what Abell called a “cup final” against Middlesex next week, needing to win to preserve their Division One status, a task made harder by the possible absence of Trego, who could only bowl one ball because of an ankle complaint. Their plight is partly a reflection of the underwhelming cricket – especially lax batting – that has marred their Championship season. But it is also a reflection that the quality in Division One may well be greater than ever before – and, the sheer ruthlessness of 25% of teams being relegated each year. As September nears its end, Somerset must summon all their reserves of spirit once again.

West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite said that the support of senior players was a major factor in achieving victory on his captaincy debut

Peter Della Penna28-Aug-2016West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite said the support given to him by senior players was a major factor in achieving victory on his captaincy debut. No one was more pivotal than allrounder Dwayne Bravo, whose nerveless final over clinched a one-run win over India in a run fest at the Central Broward Regional Park in Florida.”I just want to publicly say thanks to all the senior guys for the help and support they give me on the field throughout the 20 overs,” Brathwaite said after the win. “Everyone always has suggestions and it kind of eased my role as captain, as a new captain as well, to have such maturity and such experience on the field always lending a helping hand.”Before the final ball, we were just fiddling with fields and wondering if to double-bluff or just try to stop the two. So Bravo finally decided and I asked him, ‘What’s your plan?’ He said, ‘A slower ball.’ I didn’t believe he’d bowl a slower ball but I told him, ‘I’m backing you. Execute. Express yourself.’ I know he came out trumps for us once again and for how many ever years he’s been doing it in T20 cricket for West Indies, once again he bowled a champion over, stuck to his guns and bowled a very, very top last delivery to one of the best finishers in world cricket.”Outside of the final over, Brathwaite said the game as a whole was one of the most memorable T20 affairs he’d been a part of, made even more special by the fact that it ended with a victory, in his first match leading the side.”It’s a relief. I always wanted to get that first one, that first win as captain,” Brathwaite said. “I know it was a fantastic team effort by the boys. I think that was one of the better T20 games I’ve ever been a part of and it was a fantastic spectacle and I’m just happy that my first game could be memorable but most importantly that we came out on top.”Brathwaite was playing in the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill for the first time, having been with the West Indies Test squad throughout the four-Test series earlier in India’s tour. But with the exception of Brathwaite and Marlon Samuels, the other nine members of the West Indies XI on Saturday had all recently played at the stadium last month, when the Caribbean Premier League held a six-match leg at the facility, while Samuels had also played for West Indies at the ground in 2012.The West Indies squad’s familiarity with the nuances of the venue proved vital at the start of the match, in particular for Evin Lewis and Johnson Charles. One aspect of the ground is the deceptive wind patterns. From field level, the breeze is only faintly detectable. However, standing at the top of the grandstand one will notice the jet stream that cuts through the roof of the stands and blows from elevation northwest above the ground. All that’s required is to get underneath the ball and mother nature does most of the work carrying it over the ropes for six.Charles utilised this jet stream to score brisk half-centuries for St Lucia Zouks against Jamaica Tallawahs in both innings he played at the venue last month while Lewis made 79 for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots against Trinbago Knight Riders. On Saturday, West Indies reached 164 for 1 after 11 overs, and 109 of those runs came in the six overs batting from the Pavilion End, hitting with the jet stream.The last over in that stretch was Lewis’ 32-run 11th over which began with five sixes off Stuart Binny. In all, 16 of the record 21 sixes hit by West Indies on the day came batting from the Pavilion End, making a mockery of the 73-yard boundary measured off by groundsman Mark Perham. Conversely, India only scored 62 runs from their first six overs batting from the Pavilion End.Lewis, who was Man of the Match for his maiden hundred in just his second T20I for West Indies, said afterward that having the experience of playing in the ground recently as part of the CPL was a definite advantage over India at the start of the game.”It had a big impact obviously,” Lewis said. “I played two games on the wicket. Kudos to the groundsman. He’s been doing an extremely good job. I just went out there and backed myself, hit the balls in my scoring areas and put them away.”

Gary Ballance eased his England disappointment by inspiring Yorkshire to a seven-run Duckworth-Lewis victory over Derbyshire in a rain-affected Royal London Cup game at Derby

ECB/PA27-Jul-2015
ScorecardGary Ballance work hard for his runs on a sluggish surface•Getty Images

Gary Ballance eased his England disappointment by inspiring Yorkshire to a seven-run Duckworth-Lewis victory over Derbyshire in a rain-affected Royal London Cup game at Derby.Ballance top-scored with 69 from 70 balls in Yorkshire’s 239 for 6 from 42 overs and although Hamish Rutherford replied with a 44-ball half-century and Billy Godleman hit 45 off 38 balls, Steven Patterson took 3 for 37 as Derbyshire fell short of a revised target of 197 from 29 overs.The rain which delayed the start by 90 minutes had slowed up the outfield and on a sluggish pitch, boundaries were elusive with only 31 runs coming from the opening nine-over PowerplayIt was no surprise when Alex Lees mistimed a pull to mid-on and although Glenn Maxwell straight drove Shiv Thakor for six, he again failed to build on a promising start and flicked Alex Hughes into the hands of deep midwicket in the 15th over.Mark Footitt had Andrew Gale lbw playing across the line to leave Yorkshire on 91 for 3 after 21 overs but Ballance and Jack Leaning provided the momentum required by working the ball into the gaps to add 83 at a run a ball.Leaning pulled Alex Hughes over deep mid-wicket for six but the runs came mainly from astute placement against disciplined bowling, backed up by fielding which was excellent given the conditions.A top-edged hook by Leaning to long leg ended the stand but Ballance cleared the long on boundary and added 36 from 25 balls with Tim Bresnan before a superb one-handed diving catch by Hughes removed the former England international.Ballance was caught behind trying to slog-sweep Ben Cotton with two overs left but Liam Plunkett’s unbeaten 17 from 12 balls took Yorkshire to a competitive total before more rain delayed the game by just over an hour and left Derbyshire chasing a revised target.Godleman drove and pulled Jack Brooks for two fours from the first over and cut and drove Bresnan for two more boundaries in the second but Wes Durston then pulled Brooks to midwicket where Ballance held on at the third attempt.Godleman drove Bresnan back over his head for four and Yorkshire’s frustration increased when Ballance dropped Wayne Madsen at point on 9 two balls later.Madsen drove Patterson down the ground for four but next ball was bowled attempting a ramp and Derbyshire suffered another setback in the next over when Godleman was caught behind trying to drive Plunkett.A mix-up with Rutherford saw Thakor needlessly run out but 11 came from the 17th over bowled by Plunkett and Rutherford raised Derbyshire’s hopes by pulling Will Rhodes for six.Maxwell took a stunning one-handed diving catch at point to remove Hughes and although Rutherford drove the Australian for six and Chesney Hughes hit him for another maximum, Derbyshire’s hopes ended when Rutherford holed out to long-off for 56 before Cotton and Matt Critchley were dismissed in the final over.

Should Glenn Maxwell go to India on next month’s tour it will only be as Australia’s third-choice spinner, with Michael Beer heavily favoured to be named the second spinner behind Nathan Lyon

Daniel Brettig15-Jan-2013Should Glenn Maxwell go to India on next month’s tour it will only be as Australia’s third-choice spinner, with Michael Beer heavily favoured to be named the second spinner behind Nathan Lyon, for the four-Test series.Earlier this summer, Maxwell was chosen ahead of Beer as the lone spinner in the Australia A team that faced the South Africans at the SCG, and was later 12th man for the Test on the same ground. But his struggles for wickets against Sri Lanka’s batsmen have made it clear that the Victorian allrounder is still well short of international standard as a bowler.Known for his customary brio in interviews and the dressing room, Maxwell has admitted that so far, the Sri Lankans have had much the better of him. In this his comments recalled Stuart MacGill when he was rendered bereft by India’s batsmen during the 2003-04 summer. Giving away 50.78 runs per wicket during the series, MacGill remarked that it wasn’t so much that the visitors could read what he was bowling, more that they didn’t care.”Their (Sri Lanka’s) feet are a lot crisper, they go forward and back a lot easier and they seem to have a lot better idea on where they can hit and where they can score,” Maxwell said. “They’ve been excellent in the few games I’ve played against them. It’s been tough. I played the Chairman XI’s game [in Canberra] and they played me really well and hit me to wherever they wanted.”I’ve been coming on when they’ve been consolidating their partnership or there wasn’t a whole lot of pressure. The other night they were 30 runs away from winning. Any time when you come on as a spin bowler on a seaming wicket it’s not a good time to come on, especially if we’ve only got 170 on the board and that was the batters’ fault. I’ve got to keep hanging in there.”Six matches into his ODI career, Maxwell remains wicketless, and scores of five and eight in the first two matches against Sri Lanka did not inspire a great deal of confidence with the bat either. Beer meanwhile has been bowling solidly as ever for the Perth Scorchers in the BBL, digging the ball into the pitch and changing his pace in a manner reminiscent of the best method for taking wickets in India.Beer’s summer has not always appeared likely to end with a spot on Australia’s next Test tour. At the start of the summer the national selector John Inverarity indicated that another left-armer, Jon Holland, was the man next in line behind Lyon. Holland was then invalided out of the season with a serious shoulder injury, but Maxwell was preferred for Australia A. Before that match, Inverarity spoke of Beer in measured and not altogether promising tones.”Michael is well regarded and is a good, steady spinner,” Inverarity had said. “We feel that he’s a known quantity, we don’t need to find out a lot more. And he’ll be bowling in the Shield game [for Western Australia v Victoria]. It’s an ideal opportunity for Glenn Maxwell. You’re the spinner, you get on with it, and see how he responds to that.”Now that Maxwell has admitted this spin-bowling business is not easy, Beer’s known quantity will be more reassuring for Inverarity and his panel.

The Sri Lanka sports minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, has said that the Sri Lanka players would be paid 65% of their dues within the next two weeks

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2011The Sri Lanka sports minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, has said that the Sri Lanka players would be paid 65% of their dues within the next two weeks, while the balance amount would be paid by January 15 next year.”We will be able to complete the full payment by January,” Altuthgamage told the Sri Lankan parliament on Tuesday.Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has not paid their players their salaries since the 2011 World Cup ended in April after running up debts of US$32.5 million to finance the building of two international cricket stadiums in Hambantota and Pallekele, and to renovate the ground in Colombo, for the World Cup.Aluthgamage said that the ICC had agreed to pay US$2 million to SLC and that the coach and players would be paid out of those funds. The Sri Lankan Cricketers’ Association (SLCA) has contacted the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) seeking assistance over the delay in the cricketers’ salaries for series following the World Cup this year.South Africa’s cricketers lent their support to the Sri Lanka players ahead of the upcoming bilateral series between the sides, saying it was a credit to the Sri Lanka team that they had kept going, but the issue needed to be resolved soon.Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, said the board had told him they would try and sort out the payments within the next week. ” We discussed with the Cricket Association last week and they promised it will be sorted out before the Test match, Dilshan told reporters at a press conference in Benoni. “I can’t push more than that. I’m here to play cricket. I have to focus on that.”Dilshan also thanked the South Africa players and FICA for their support. “It [statement by SA cricketers] has definitely helped. Thanks to Graeme Smith and AB [de Villiers] for giving a statement, and to FICA.”Sri Lanka have struggled since the World Cup, losing Test and ODI series to Australia, England and Pakistan. But Dilshan said he didn’t think that the payment saga had affected his team’s performances. “We try to play good cricket. Everyone wants to play cricket. We are not worried about payments. We know it is important but we have come here [South Africa] to play cricket. That’s the main target as a team.”

With Virender Sehwag gone, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel gave India a South African welcome – one that involved tenderizing gloves, bruising bodies and the smell of lacquer and leather

The Bulletin by George Binoy16-Dec-201038.1 overs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball-details
Gautam Gambhir had the hardest time against the South African fast bowlers•AFP

It lasted three deliveries. After weeks of anticipation, and a four-and-a-half-hour rain delay, the duel between Dale Steyn and Virender Sehwag ended the moment the batsman touched the ball at SuperSport Park. Anti-climatic it may have been, but the South Africans were in raptures. With Sehwag gone, Steyn and Morne Morkel gave India a hostile welcome – one that involved tenderising gloves, bruising bodies and the smell of lacquer and leather. India were hustled and hurried by bouncers, but it was the fuller follow-up delivery that brought South Africa the wickets.The Indians had spent a week at Gary Kirsten’s academy in Cape Town customising their preparation for today but no simulation could match the reality of Steyn and Morkel. The batsmen were unable to score – even if only to get off strike, to deny the bowler consecutive deliveries at a particular player and the time to execute plans. Of 122 deliveries bowled in the first session, 101 were dots and India’s accomplished line-up continued to underperform in their bogey country.Overnight and early-morning downpours had dampened conditions, prompting Graeme Smith, with an attack far classier than India’s previous opponents New Zealand, to put India in. The first delivery set the tone: Steyn hit Gautam Gambhir’s back pad and a close lbw appeal was denied. Sehwag shouldered arms twice in Steyn’s opening over, and in the bowler’s second, he attempted to flay the ball through cover point. It moved away a fraction and flew off the edge to Hashim Amla, placed at third man for precisely that. Steyn 1, Sehwag 0, India 1 for 1 and stunned.Gambhir was perhaps lucky on 1, when a ripsnorter from Morkel rose from a length and sped towards his face. Gambhir began to sway and then fended helplessly. The ball appeared to kiss the glove and was pouched by Mark Boucher, but umpire Steve Davis shook his head. Morkel had touched speeds of 150kph during his first spell and was perhaps just too quick.The reprieve cost South Africa only four runs, perhaps the hardest runs Gambhir has made. Morkel pounded in from round the wicket, pitched the ball short of a length, angled it into the left-hander, targeting the body and sometimes the head. Pinned to the crease without room outside off, Gambhir ducked and defended in discomfort.There was no respite against Steyn either. Following a brief exchange of words, Steyn let rip. Gambhir took his eyes off the bouncer and took the ball on his back. The next ball was fuller, moved away from the left-hander, and beat the tentative poke outside off stump. Gambhir was soon put out of his misery, though, and it was the follow-up ball to the bouncer that got him. Having been cornered by the short-pitched attack from Morkel, he drove at a fuller one with poor footwork, and edged to first slip.Dravid had appeared the most comfortable, relatively speaking, taking his bottom hand off the bat to fend off rising deliveries, careful to leave anything outside off, and compact while playing deliveries aimed at his body. Morkel then got one to jag sharply into him from outside off. Dravid was caught on the crease, hit on the pad and Morkel was celebrating his 100th Test wicket, having reduced India to 27 for 3.The smattering of rain-resistant spectators gave Sachin Tendulkar a warm reception and he responded to adversity by taking on the less-threatening Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Tendulkar pulled him twice for fours from outside off stump, drove fluently through cover and guided to third man. Neither Tendulkar nor VVS Laxman was tested much by South Africa’s support act, but their respite was fleeting and ended soon after the break for tea.Tendulkar continued to attack Steyn, edging past his stumps before driving through extra cover and cutting past point – all for boundaries. Steyn responded with two similar deliveries, on a good length, straight and fast. The first beat Laxman’s flick from the crease and uprooted middle stump. The second beat Tendulkar’s flick from the crease and hit the pad, otherwise it too would have uprooted middle stump. Between those dismissals Suresh Raina, who appeared brittle as a leaf in a thunderstorm, had edged Jacques Kallis to third slip. India, at 71 for 6, were being cooked on a .Harbhajan Singh fought, as he usually does, but a trigger movement towards leg as the fast bowlers attacked him betrayed nervousness. He hit the day’s first six, clouting Tsotsobe over long-on, before losing his grip on the bat while attempting a third to be run out. The tailenders had no chance against the barrage, and only Dhoni, with his awkward movements, threw a few counterpunches.Rain had threatened to ruin the opening day of the series, the terrific efforts of the groundstaff had ensured it wasn’t washed out, and similar efforts from South Africa’s fearsome new-ball attack ensured that lost time was made up.

The ECB will begin their search for a replacement bowling coach after Ottis Gibson was released from his contract to take up the head coach’s role with West Indies

Cricinfo staff02-Feb-2010The ECB will begin their search for a replacement bowling coach after Ottis Gibson was released from his contract to take up the head coach’s role with West Indies. England leave for Dubai in mid-February for two Twenty20s against Pakistan before heading onto Bangladesh for a one-day and Test tour, and it seems unlikely a full-time appointment will be made in time for that trip.Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, and head coach Andy Flower will lead the search for Gibson’s replacement. “There has been much speculation in the last few days about the role of fast bowling coach,” Morris said, “but now Ottis has confirmed his departure, Andy Flower and I will begin the process of identifying the right individual who can join the England set up and build on the foundation laid by Ottis.”Gibson had become a well-respected member of England’s growing backroom staff and had been credited with the improving performances of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graham Onions. The England quick bowlers often spoke highly of Gibson who was the first man to successfully fill the hole left by Troy Cooley’s departure following the 2005 Ashes series.”I think Ottis has done a pretty good job,” the former England seamer, Angus Fraser, told Cricinfo. “He’s been quiet and undemonstrative, and he’s just gone about his business. He never sought the limelight and he had the respect of his players, which you do when you’ve had a good career yourself, and he dealt with them in a very mature way.”The ECB will want a high-calibre appointment to fill the vacancy and their search could well lead them back to South Africa, a country that has proved a popular source of players and coaches in recent times. Allan Donald is likely to be sounded out over his availability and is certainly one of the stand-out candidates currently not in a role, having missed out on the India bowling role that recently went to his fellow South African, Eric Simons.Donald held an interim role with England in 2007 but turned down the full-time position because of the touring commitments involved, and instead returned to Warwickshire. However, he left county cricket at the end of the 2009 season because of family reasons and returned home, and it remains to be seen whether he would be willing to uproot his young family again.Another option the ECB may consider is Donald’s former team-mate Shaun Pollock, who has taken his first steps into coaching with the Mumbai Indians at the IPL. It is also possible that South Africa’s current bowling coach, Vincent Barnes, could well be looking for a new job after the tour of India if the upheaval in the South African coaching structure continues.There aren’t many candidates from closer to home making huge cases to be considered. Kevin Shine held the position after Cooley departed and is now in charge of the fast bowling programme at the National Academy in Loughborough, but remains tainted by his back-room role during the 2006-07 Ashes whitewash in Australia.From those not currently in the coaching set-up, Darren Gough would make an interesting choice, particularly when it comes to the art of one-day cricket, although his lifestyle has moved away from cricket since retirement. Meanwhile Phil DeFreitas, the former England seamer, was in the running when Shine got the job in 2006.”The most important factor in who they pick now is that they find someone who fits in with what Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower want to achieve,” added Fraser.

Bengaluru and Lucknow are the other two venues for the five-team tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2025WPL 2025 will begin on February 14, a week later than earlier planned, with Gujarat Giants hosting defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the newly built BCA stadium in Vadodara. As ESPNcricinfo had reported earlier, Lucknow is the other new venue for the upcoming season, with Mumbai and Bengaluru to host matches as well.After the first six games in Vadodara, the tournament will move to Bengaluru for the next eight matches. Lucknow will then host four games before the last leg in Mumbai. Mumbai will also stage four games, including the Eliminator on March 13 and the final on March 15 – all at the CCI stadium.RCB will play four games at their home venue, the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which drew boisterous crowds last season. As for the UP Warriorz, they will play three games at their home base, Lucknow. Delhi Capitals are the only team who don’t have home games in the five-team tournament.Related

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Just like the previous season, all matches will be single-headers.In the new women’s FTP, a separate window has been allocated for the WPL, the most lucrative women’s franchise league.The WPL 2025 auction, which was held in December last year, turned out to be a big deal for uncapped Indian players, with Simran Shaikh, the Mumbai allrounder, fetching the highest bid of NR 1.9 crore (USD 223,000 approx).RCB had clinched their first WPL title in 2024 after beating Capitals by eight wickets in Delhi.

Star legspinner hopes the performance provides solace to people who are struggling back home

Ashish Pant15-Oct-20231:27

What made the Afghanistan spinners so good against England?

Rashid Khan has always been in tune with the struggles of the Afghanistan people. At the time of the Taliban takeover, he was in the UK, playing in the Hundred, and all he wanted was “peace”. Now, in the aftermath of earthquakes that have wreaked immense damage in Herat, he hoped that their humbling of the men’s ODI World Champions England may give the nation some form of solace.”It will be a big celebration back home,” he told after the game “We don’t have that kind of wins and that kind of situation back home in Afghanistan where people could celebrate. I think cricket is the only source which gives them lots of happiness and lots of good memories and people back home just wait. We have lost so many games but still the kind of support we got from them…and they are so excited for us to be playing in that stage.””Winning the game against England was a big one for us, back home they will be so proud. Lately, we’ve had an earthquake back home in Afghanistan in Herat where lots of people lost their lives, more than 3000. Around 2000 people’s houses were destroyed. This victory will give them a little bit of smile on their faces and they could little bit forget those tough days.”Related

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• The Great Upset: Afghanistan bring World Cup to life with England conquest

Coming into the game, Afghanistan’s only win at the World Cup in 17 attempts, came against Scotland back in the 2015 edition. But having racked up their second-highest score at this tournament, the Afghanistan spin trio of Rashid, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi wove their magic as England went down by 69 runs in Delhi – their second loss in three games.Rashid played a huge role in the win, both with the bat and ball. He first scored a crucial 23-ball 22 coming lower down the order to arrest a slide as Afghanistan recorded 284 in 49.5 overs. He then followed it up with a three-wicket haul taking his side to the biggest upset of the competition this year.”Against a big team like England, it always gives you a kind of huge boost. We had very tough games in the Asia Cup and the series against Pakistan,” he said.There’s no keeping down Mujeeb Ur Rahman after he strikes•Getty Images

“We were very close there but we were not winning those games, which was disappointing to the players because they were working very hard and at the end they were ending on the wrong side. They were not getting the right kind of energy and boost up. This win will give us a lot of energy for the rest of the competition. Now we have the belief that we can beat any side at any time.”While Rashid’s major contribution came with the ball as he removed Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood, that isn’t the thing that had him smiling from ear to ear. “More than the three wickets, it was the 23 runs that were crucial. I was so happy with that, especially the cover drive off Mark Wood,” he said, “That is something I am more excited about after the game than my three wickets. That was the kind of contribution I wanted to have for the team. Happy after a long time to get three wickets. I was struggling a little bit to get the wickets as well but happy to get them at a very crucial time.”Along with Rashid, the other major influence in the game was Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman who first slammed a 16-ball 28 before picking 3 for 51 off his ten overs to take home the Player-of-the-Match trophy. After Fazalhaq Farooqi set the ball rolling with the wicket of Jonny Bairstow, Mujeeb made a mess of Joe Root’s stumps inside the powerplay.”As a spinner, it is very hard to bowl in the powerplay. You have only two fielders outside but that is something I have been working on in the nets,” Mujeeb said at the presentation. “Bowling with the new ball there and I try my best to be as consistent as possible and that is something which made me more effective. In the powerplay, you don’t have much of the areas to bowl wider or leg stump but I always try my best to bowl stump to stump and make it simple for myself.”Whenever I am bowling in the nets, same mindset and same mentality. I am bowling into the wicket and that’s where I am enjoying my bowling.”It’s a very proud moment to be here in the World Cup and beating the last World Cup champions. It is a great achievement for the whole nation, for the whole team and I think it is a kind of opportunity and we have worked hard for this day to beat such a big team and so happy for this performance.”Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi termed this win against England as Afghanistan’s best and was confident that this was just the start of his side’s journey in the World Cup.”This was the best win that we got today and the confidence will be there for the next games and all the country will be proud and happy,” he said. “Last couple of games we did not finish well, but we had the belief. This is not the first win that we are looking for. Moving forward, we will be positive for the next games. This means a lot for us. This was the first one, not the last one.”