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South Africa are now at No. 8 on the Super League table, while Ireland will have to go through the qualifying tournament to try and qualify for the World Cup

Firdose Moonda09-May-2023South Africa are “obviously chuffed” to have qualified directly for the men’s ODI World Cup, to be played in India later this year, after spending the bulk of the World Cup Super League outside of the top eight. And they have the weather in Chelmsford to thank for it.With the no-result in the first of three ODIs between Ireland and Bangladesh on Tuesday, even if Ireland go on to claim the series, they cannot surpass South Africa in eighth place on the Super League points table. Ireland are guaranteed a ninth-place finish, though, and will compete in the ten-team qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe, which runs from June 18 to July 9, and also includes former world champions West Indies and Sri Lanka.”We’re obviously chuffed to qualify directly because it makes life a lot simpler not having to go through the qualifying tournament,” Rob Walter, South Africa’s white-ball coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “But there would have been an upside to competing in the qualifier given the very quiet winter we have.”The men’s team last played ODI cricket against Netherlands on April 2 and have no matches scheduled until August 30, which amounts to almost five months of inaction after a redemptive summer, which ended with good results over England, West Indies and Netherlands, after chastening visits to Australia for the T20 World Cup and a Test series.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

South Africa returned empty-handed from both, but neither format mattered as much as ODIs. They started the year in 11th place on the Super League standings – well outside the automatic qualification zone – after series losses to Pakistan (2021 – home), Sri Lanka (2021 – away) and Bangladesh (2022 – home) and forfeiting a series in Australia (scheduled for January 2023) to allow their top cricketers to be available for the inaugural SA20 league.South Africa gave themselves the best chance of progressing to the World Cup with series wins over England and Netherlands, which lifted them into No. 8, but the final outcome was not in their hands, as they waited for the Ireland vs Bangladesh matches to take place.

Planning for World Cup already on, Rob Walter confirms

Walter confirmed that Cricket South Africa had put in place “two plans based on either eventuality” to execute: one if a trip to Zimbabwe was necessary, and another if South Africa held on to eighth place. The first of those would have necessitated Walter’s return from his home in New Zealand earlier than planned and seen a return to action for top players shortly after the end of the IPL on May 28. Now, they will only be called on later in the winter. The second plan has already begun, with a camp at the high-performance centre in Pretoria from Tuesday.Related

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“What we have now is the chance to spend some quality time outside of competition getting ourselves ready for a marquee event,” Walter said. “We have a number of camps planned throughout the winter in the lead up to the Australia series which obviously forms our final preparation for the World Cup. There is also the ‘A’ side tour to Sri Lanka, so we have tried to ensure significant skill development opportunities and time in the middle from a competitive point of view.”South Africa A, captained by Tony de Zorzi and with eight Test caps, will play three one-day matches and two four-day games against Sri Lanka A next month. The white-ball fixtures were pencilled in on Sri Lanka’s request, to ready themselves for the qualifying tournament in June. Gerald Coetzee and Tristan Stubbs, who earned ODI caps this year, are both in the touring party, and could put themselves into consideration for the World Cup squad.The bulk of players who will be involved in the ODI plans are involved at the IPL. Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Heinrich Klaasen, Wayne Parnell and Sisanda Magala have all played, while Lungi Ngidi is also at the tournament, though he has not got a game. South Africa also have players at the Hundred and CPL over the winter and CSA will monitor their performances throughout this time.”All players have an individual analysis highlighting strengths and specific areas of focus in the period,” Walter said. “This is all planned alongside our players’ involvement in the different leagues that continue on through the winter.”

Keith Barker hits back with four wickets as Hampshire find late new-ball breakthroughs

Cameron Ponsonby21-Apr-2022Daniel Bell-Drummond’s 12th first-class century dominated day one, but a late collapse and a four-wicket haul from Keith Barker would see Hampshire finish the day slightly on top with the score at 271 for 7.It is easy to forget that Bell-Drummond is still only 28. His professional debut in cricket came over a decade ago and he was just a teenager when England’s new managing director Rob Key dubbed him as a player with the potential to play 100 Tests. And even ten years on, he is still England U19’s all-time leading run-scorer.Key’s prediction seemed particularly astute when Bell-Drummond, aged 21, scored a 92-ball century against Australia in 2015 and followed it up in 2016 with a first-class season where he averaged 68.07. Glory awaited.But then the runs dried up. Whereas he scored nine first-class centuries in the first five years of his career, the following six would add just three more (including today), as his red-ball runs were replaced with white. His form with the bat mirrored the wider pattern of the domestic game, where England’s short-format batting stocks are growing deeper than ever, while anyone with a pulse and Ed Smith’s phone number got a go at the Test team’s batting order. It is a recognition of Bell-Drummond’s lack of form in 2017 (avg 24.39) and 2018 (19.00) that even from the highs of the previous years the call never came.Nevertheless, given the clear potential Bell-Drummond had shown in the first half of his career, and the subsequent England selection policy of backing the potential of youth, you could be excused for wondering whether Bell-Drummond ever felt hard done by that the punt on potential that others have since received was never an opportunity afforded to him a few years earlier.”No, not at all”, Bell-Drummond said at the close of play. “I think if I was good enough then, I should be good enough now. I probably haven’t been as consistent as I’d have liked since 2016, so not at all. If anything, I see it as the opposite. Obviously, everyone loves a cap but I want to make sure I’m good enough if I get to that level. I think times are changing as well, Alastair Cook was playing then and a few runs were being scored. It’s been in the media about the wickets – obviously, we’ve had some really good ones here this year, but I think it’s a really different time. I don’t have any regrets.”It would be too much to describe this innings as a redemption for Bell-Drummond but it will hopefully be a new beginning for a player who only last year had found himself out of the Kent side. And lessons too can be taken from the success of Bell-Drummond’s team-mate Ben Compton, who today scored 27 in his first innings in a Kent shirt that hasn’t finished with him reaching three figures.Compton, a late entrant to the first-class game, has been celebrated as an example of where determination and commitment to a goal can take you. His reward would appear to be the potential of a long professional career now ahead of him. And yet the newbie Compton and the veteran Bell-Drummond are, of course, the same age.”I definitely do take admiration from Compton and how he’s started,” Bell-Drummond said. “It’s been unbelievable, to be honest. Maybe he expected it, but I don’t think we thought we’d signed this calibre of player. But he’s an awesome player and he’ll go from strength to strength.Related

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“But it just shows his ambitions and how strong he is mentally. I take a lot from that. That’s the main thing I’ve learnt. In terms of my career, I just try to take each day as it comes. I know how good I can be, but I just really want to be more consistent. I’ve done really well in white-ball cricket, so now it’s just about adding the red-ball side to it.”Both sets of skills were on show today as Bell-Drummond played the seam of Kyle Abbott, Mohammad Abbas and Keith Barker with patience while targeting the short leg-side boundary when facing the leg spin of Mason Crane.And for as long as Bell-Drummond was at the crease, the day looked set to be a dominant occasion for Kent, whose only brief wobbles with the bat were right at the start of the day when Zak Crawley edged behind off the bowling of Abbas and then, 100 runs later, when Compton and Tawanda Muyeye fell in quick succession.The double breakthrough had sparked some life into Hampshire, with captain James Vince bellowing “150 for 5!” across the ground in both hope and expectation as the hosts stood at 113 for 3.But Bell-Drummond and Jordan Cox, who made 51, would take Kent past 200 and beyond, and it was only in the last hour of the day that Hampshire looked like taking any sheen off their efforts, with Kent sitting pretty at that stage on 239 for 3.But when Bell-Drummond was given lbw off the bowling of Abbott for 149, Kent proceeded to collapse. It is the nature of the four-day game that while good things take a long time to arrive with the bat, bad things can happen very quickly. And in the final hour Kent would lose four wickets for just 26 runs as Barker struck twice with the second new ball to add to his earlier wickets of Muyeye and Compton.”They bowled well with the second new ball so the game’s still in the balance,” Bell-Drummond said. “Obviously we’d have liked to have gone in three-, four- or five-down at the end of the day but we’re still pretty content and for the most part it was a good day.”

David Warner and Pat Cummins both miss the series while Australia have a few other niggles in the squad

Andrew McGlashan03-Dec-20207:50

Moody: India should expose Sundar, Agarwal to T20I cricket

Big Picture

A very quick change of format and into one where there is a little more urgency to get things right ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup. As per the ICC rankings, this series pits second against third, so it has the makings of a good contest on surfaces that are likely to favour the bat.Australia were the top-ranked side earlier this year but lost that tag during the 2-1 series defeat in England: last summer they won five out of their six matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, peaking nicely for the home World Cup that was ultimately postponed due to the pandemic.In this series they are already without David Warner and Pat Cummins while Marnus Stoinis is recovering from a side strain, Mitchell Starc missed the last ODI with a back niggle and Ashton Agar appeared to pick up a calf strain. Mitchell Marsh is also missing from the side that finished the series in England, so there will need to be some new allrounders in the middle order.ALSO WATCH: Pandya, Jadeja and the quicks give India first win of the tour (Indian subcontinent only)
India’s players (as with a number of the Australians) are coming off the IPL, albeit with a gap of a few weeks, so their T20 games should be in decent order. They could feature a couple of players who were not part of the one-day series and there will be eyes on what combination they go with at the top of the order. With the first of the Test warm-up matches overlapping with the second two matches, it could be some players are released for that contest.

Form guide

Australia WLLWL (last five completed matches)
India WT (won Super Over) T (won Super Over) WW

In the spotlight

Glenn Maxwell is in a bit of form. The one-day series brought 167 runs at a strike rate of 194.18, which followed on from his successful series in England. Between that was a very lean IPL where he did not manage a single six. The interesting part about this series will be how Australia use him in the batting order given how well he has struck the ball in the one-dayers. There could be a temptation to give him as much time as possible, but he also has the ability to play a role few others can in the latter overs. Don’t be surprised to see him bowling in the powerplay, either.Jasprit Bumrah looked as though he was getting his mojo back in the third ODI after a slow start to the tour. He claimed the decisive wicket when he speared one into the base of Maxwell’s stumps and, importantly, was playing with a smile on his face again after letting some frustrations become clear in Sydney. His IPL form was outstanding – 27 wickets with an economy of 6.73 – but it remains to be seen if he plays this whole series before focusing on Test cricket.

Team news

When Warner was rested for the last T20I against England, Wade took his place so that could be the route again this time, although D’Arcy Short has been added to the squad. The absence of Mitchell Marsh and probably Stoinis opens slots in the middle order. Alex Carey was dropped for the last match against England but could regain his spot. The bowling could be a range of combinations depending on the status of various niggles.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 Matthew Wade, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Moises Henriques, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 AJ Tye/Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood Does KL Rahul move up the order? All his runs in IPL came from top of the order, and he opened in his last T20I series. If he moves up the order, India will have to decide between playing a specialist batsman in Manish Pandey and allrounder Washington Sundar. Given the batting form of Hardik and Jadeja, they may well look towards an extra bowling option in Sundar, who has had decent IPL form coming into the series. Also, T Natarajan could be handed a T20I debut.India (probable) 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Manish Pandey/Washington Sundar, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 T Natarajan, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

It has the makings of a high-scoring contest. In the BBL, Manuka Oval has the highest run rate (8.56) of any ground to have hosted more than a single game. It has only hosted one T20I – last year between Australia and Pakistan – when the home side comfortably chased 151.The forecast is for a fine evening.

Stats and trivia

• In 20 T20Is between the two countries it is 11-8 in favour of India although Australia won the previous series 2-0 in India
• Since January 2019, Australia has the highest batting average in T20Is

Quotes

“I’m going to be hanging around the T20 group, try and put my hand up for selection. Also at the back of my mind there is a Test series coming up, so preparing for that. But you’ve got to prepare for where you are right now and that’s the T20 guys.
Allrounder Cameron Green, who debuted for Australia during the ODIs

With Phil Simmons pulling out of the race, the shortlist has shrunk from six candidates to five

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2019India are gearing up to announce their next head coach. Former captain Kapil Dev and his Cricket Advisory Committee made up of former coach Anshuman Gaekwad and former women’s captain Shanta Rangaswamy are conducting meetings with the candidates and are expected to make a final call on Friday evening. ESPNcricinfo understands that the shortlist shrunk from six candidates to five on Friday, with Phil Simmons pulling out of the race.Of the candidates appearing in front of the CAC, Shastri, who is in the West Indies with the India squad, was the last to take his interview. Here’s a quick look at everyone still in the running.Ravi ShastriThe incumbent and the favourite. Shastri has been on the job since the end of the Champions Trophy in 2017 and received strong and public endorsement three weeks ago when India’s captain Virat Kohli backed him to keep the job. India were ranked No. 1 in Tests and ODIs at various times during Shastri’s last tenure, made it to the World Cup semi-final and beat Australia in Australia for the first time in Test history.Mike HessonThe strategist. You might have noticed him on cricket broadcasts explaining how teams could go about getting players like Kane Williamson out. Well, imagine that info going directly to the Indian dressing room. Hesson coached New Zealand to the World Cup final in 2015 and is widely considered to be quite astute at reading conditions and helping his players adapt to them. New Zealand showed that during the World T20 in 2016 when they went into their opening game on a rank turner without their two best bowlers Trent Boult and Tim Southee and bowled India out for 79.Tom MoodyThe franchise heavyweight. Moody’s been everywhere. He led Sunrisers Hyderabad to their first IPL title in 2016. He’s been with Rangpur Riders in Bangladesh, Multan Sultans in Pakistan, Melbourne Renegades in Australia (as director of cricket) and has been sought after in international cricket as well. He was coach of Sri Lanka for a while and was in line to take charge of England before losing out to Trevor Bayliss.Robin SinghFour-time IPL champion. He’s been with Mumbai Indians for nearly a decade and that trophy cabinet keeps getting bigger. Robin has also worked with the Indian team previously – he was the fielding coach when they won the inaugural World T20 in 2007. Outside of that he’s had stints with India’s Under-19 and A teams, the Hong Kong national team, USA’s women’s team, CPL side Barbados Tridents and domestic teams in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.Lalchand RajputThe outsider. But, he was India’s manager when they went on that fairytale run in the 2007 World T20 followed by the tri-series win in Australia. As a player, he was one of those opening batsmen that was very hard to get out. And as a coach, he’s had brief stints with Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and India A.

****

The Kapil-led CAC was formed after the previous panel, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, had to be disbanded owing to the BCCI Ethics Officer finding the last two subject to conflicts of interest under the new constitution of the board. Incidentally, a conflict complaint has been lodged against all three members of the Kapil-led CAC with the BCCI’s ethics officer DK Jain yet to give a verdict.In fact, the former India women captain, Diana Edulji, who sits on the three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA), the supervisory authority of the BCCI, was against the formation of the Kapil-led CAC saying the CoA did not have the powers to appoint the ad-hoc panel. However, her two other CoA colleagues, Vinod Rai and Ravindra Thodge, approved the Kapil-led CAC even though Jain has not yet given his clearance.GMT 1055 The article was updated with the news of Simmons pulling out.

Bell finished unbeaten on 145 as Warwickshire chased down 300 in a match featuring four individual centuries

ECB Reporters Network01-Jun-2018Warwickshire 300 for 5 (Bell 145*, Trott 100) beat Durham 299 for 8 (Smith 119, Richardson 111, Patel 3-51) by five wickets
ScorecardIan Bell scored a brilliant unbeaten century to guide Warwickshire to a five-wicket win over Durham in their Royal London One-Day Cup match at Emirates Riverside.Bell was outstanding with fellow former England man Jonathan Trott, who also scored a hundred, as the two players shared a stand of 202 to grind down Durham’s total before Bell saw his side through to the victory. Will Smith and Michael Richardson both scored centuries for the home side, but their efforts were in vain as the Bears edged the contest.The visitors won the toss and elected to field. Olly Stone and Keith Barker struck early to remove Paul Collingwood and Graham Clark, while Tom Latham also fell cheaply for 13.Smith joined Richardson with the score at 54 for 3. Richardson found his rhythm, although before his first milestone of the day he was dropped by Sam Hain on 47.Richardson made his half-century off 49 balls, maintaining his solid form in the 50-over game. Smith too relaxed into his innings, and the pair were able to put Warwickshire under pressure. They reached their 100-partnership off 102 balls before Smith brought up his fifty in style with a massive six off Stone.Durham passed 200 with back-to-back boundaries from Richardson, who reached his second List A century. He reached his highest 50-over score of 111 before he was dismissed, ending his partnership of 161 with Smith. Smith upped the ante to reach his hundred off 98 balls, including eight boundaries and a six. He fell in the final over for 119, although the home side were still able to post 299 from their 50 overs.Warwickshire were put on the back foot in their reply as Ed Pollock and Sam Hain were dismissed within the opening three overs. However, Trott and Bell proved their quality to stabilise the innings.Trott played with a fine tempo to his innings and was the first of the experienced pair to reach his half-century off 68 balls, and soon brought up the 100-partnership with Bell from 125 deliveries. Bell took slightly longer than his partner to score his fifty, getting over the mark in 74 deliveries, scoring five boundaries as the visitors continued to grind down the total.The experience of both former England players took the game away from Durham. The two veterans displayed nous to knock the ball around the park and dispatch the ball to the boundary when necessary to keep the required rate down. They continued the imperious nature of their batting, working the ball around the ground, reaching the 200 partnership off 207 deliveries.Trott was the first to three figures, calmly stroking the ball down the ground to reach his 22nd List A century, although he fell drilling a Collingwood delivery straight to Richardson. Bell remained focused and brought up his hundred from 108 balls.The wickets of Adam Hose and Tim Ambrose did not deter Bell as finished his flawless innings with a flurry of late boundaries to secure the vital victory.

On a slow pitch, Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tiwary and MS Dhoni led Rising Pune Supergiant to 162, a score they defended by 20 runs via Washington Sundar’s 3 for 16, clearing their path to the IPL final

The Report by Nikhil Kalro16-May-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:59

‘Last two overs of Pune’s innings made the difference’

After being asked to bat on a favourable chasing ground, Rising Pune Supergiant lost the majority of the first innings. But it was an atypically slow surface at the Wankhede Stadium and Rising Pune utilised those conditions better than Mumbai Indians did to clear a path to their maiden IPL final.Rising Pune defended 162 comfortably in the end, by 20 runs, for their third win over Mumbai this season. Mumbai, despite having squandered the shootout for the final in front of a packed home crowd, will have a second chance in the second qualifier in Bengaluru on Friday.At the forefront of a sublime bowling performance was teenage offspinner Washington Sundar. His fuller-than-good length and straight lines meant the batsmen were not able to attack either side of the wicket with any conviction. His quick pace didn’t let them get under deliveries either. The 17-year old finished with 3 for 16 from four overs and the Man-of-the-Match award.The harder task on the night, though, was with the bat. Manoj Tiwary and Ajinkya Rahane struck patient fifties, setting a platform for MS Dhoni to use his wiles and hitting prowess at the end to help Rising Pune finish with a decent score and sufficient momentum.A strong start
In Mumbai’s last league game at this venue, Kings XI Punjab defended a total of 230 by just seven runs. Even with the possibility of dew and the short boundaries, Rising Pune may not have been aiming that high after losing the toss, but they knew they needed to get close.Planning, check. Execution, a big red cross. Rahul Tripathi fell over a flick and was bowled. Steven Smith’s leading edge was snaffled up at backward point. Rising Pune were 9 for 2 in two overs. The surface may have been slow, and Mumbai’s variations were effective, but after that start, a score of close to 170 was the best Rising Pune could hope for, which meant Mumbai were never out of the game.Different pitch, same Dhoni finish
Rising Pune had laboured to 121 for 3 after 18 overs. The five overs prior to that yielded just 32 without a wicket as Mumbai’s bowlers found the right length to Dhoni and Tiwary. Dhoni’s strike rate in his first 10 balls in the IPL, before this game, was 88.52. Against Mumbai, he could only muster 14 off his first 17 balls.But then Mitchell McClenaghan, not for the first time this season, missed his yorker. A high full-toss was hit for four and the resulting free-hit went for six over long-on. Dhoni anticipated McClenaghan’s good or short length in the second half of that over, and sat back to hit two sixes.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Jasprit Bumrah hadn’t pitched anything in Dhoni’s half all through the match. But in the final over, he gifted two good length balls that were smashed for sixes as Rising Pune plundered 41 off the last 12 balls. Their score of 162 was below par at this ground, but the momentum and confidence – of having defended a similar score before on this ground earlier this season – was firmly with Rising Pune.Falling behind from the start
Rising Pune had only one way forward – exploiting a two-paced Wankhede surface. Even if they didn’t get early wickets, they had to keep Mumbai in check because batting was going to get harder. Jaydev Unadkat brought out his offcutters in the first over and conceded just one run. Mumbai were already behind the game.Parthiv Patel hit 33 off 16 in the Powerplay, but Mumbai lost three wickets. Lendl Simmons was run-out, backing up too far at the non-striker’s end. Rohit Sharma was undone by umpiring error, given out lbw despite a thick inside edge. Ambati Rayudu found midwicket with a pull; the second wicket in Sundar’s over. Mumbai were 42 for 3 inside the fielding restrictions and behind the asking rate.Undone by conditions
Timing shots and picking slower deliveries was getting tougher. Why? After a bowler releases his delivery, batsmen pick the speed through the air and then adjust accordingly. But with the ball gripping the surface, it came onto them slower than expected. Mumbai, having played seven league matches on an even, true Wankhede pitch, weren’t used to that pace. Unadkat used his slower balls, Shardul Thakur his knuckle balls and Sundar an effective change in pace, to thoroughly flummox Mumbai’s batsmen.

Shahid Afridi has stepped down as Pakistan’s T20 captain but has said that he intends to continue playing international cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Apr-20162:31

Match Day – Afridi didn’t have the temperament for captaincy

Shahid Afridi has decided not to retire from T20 internationals following Pakistan’s exit from the World T20, but he has stepped down from captaincy in the format.”Today I wish to inform my fans in Pakistan and all over the world that I am relinquishing the captaincy of the T20 Pakistan team of my own volition,” Afridi said in a statement. “I would also like to inform that InshaAllah I intend to continue playing the game for my country and league cricket etc, and request my fans to keep praying and supporting me as long as I play for Pakistan or for any other league team all over the worldAfter the 2015 World Cup, Afridi, 36, had announced his intention to retire from international cricket following the World T20 in India. Earlier this year, however, he stated he was facing “huge pressure” from family and friends to not do so.Afridi was heavily criticised as a leader following Pakistan’s poor performances in the recent Asia Cup and the World T20. Pakistan’s only victories in eight games across those two tournaments were against UAE, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.Subsequently, a report from the coach Waqar Younis said the players “felt confused with what the captain was telling them to do” The team manager Intikhab Alam said Afridi was an “absolutely clueless” captain.Afridi had succeeded Mohammad Hafeez as T20 captain in September 2014. He won 11 out of 24 matches in that time. His batting and bowling form has also been dipping recently. Over the past 12 months, he has averaged 14.61 with the bat and 34 with the ball. Overall, he has led Pakistan in 43 matches, won 19 and lost 23.

Ajay Jadeja, the former India batsman, played for Haryana in a match against Hyderabad in the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai fuelling speculation of his return to domestic cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2013Ajay Jadeja, the former India batsman, played for Haryana in a match against Hyderabad in the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai fuelling speculation of his return to domestic cricket. Jadeja, in his first competitive outing after a six-year hiatus, scored 37, and put up a 75-run fourth-wicket stand with opener Sunny Singh, to guide Haryana to a 67-run victory.Anirudh Chaudhary, the Haryana Cricket Association (HCA) secretary, however, insisted that it was too early to comment on Jadeja’s immediate future. “I have spoken to some players there and they have said that having Ajay around has been a learning experience for them,” Chaudhary said. “Ajay has got a busy schedule, and already has a lot of other commitments. We at present are looking at him to mentor a few extremely talented players through different cricketing situations. As far as him playing for Haryana is concerned, it will depend on the selectors and also on Jadeja’s availability.”Jadeja, who made his first class debut for Haryana in 1988, was a prominent member of the Indian team in the 1990s. With 5359 runs, he is India’s eighth-highest run-getter in the ODIs and featured in three World Cups. He received a five-year ban in December 2000 for his alleged involvement in match-fixing.A plea by him seeking permission to play international cricket was dismissed by the Delhi High Court in November 2004, but he went on to play for Delhi a year later.

There are few more determined cricketers than Paul Collingwood and he
is now utilising the desire and experience that once helped England to
spearhead Durham’s unexpected rally to avoid relegation.

Myles Hodgson at Chester-le-Street08-Aug-2012
ScorecardPaul Collingwood made his highest score of the season•Getty Images

There are few more determined cricketers than Paul Collingwood and he
is now utilising the desire and experience that once helped England to
spearhead Durham’s unexpected rally to avoid relegation. Apparently
marooned at the foot of Division One when he took over as captain last
month, his best score of the summer has put them in sight of a second
successive victory.After representing England in 68 Test matches, 197 one-day
internationals and having led them to the World Twenty20 triumph in
Barbados two years ago, Collingwood was the obvious candidate to
approach when Phil Mustard stepped down at the mid-way point of the
summer. They had lost four of their first eight championship matches
and looked like a side preparing for next summer in Division Two.This is Collingwood’s third match as captain, during which time Durham
have narrowly lost against Sussex at Arundel, secured their first
championship win of the season over Middlesex and are closing in on an
emphatic win over Surrey, one of their relegation rivals. It has been
a staggering turnaround in fortunes, even for a player used to
confounding expectations during his international career.”The spirit has been excellent over the last few weeks, they guys are
ready for the challenge and we know it’s going to be a hard end to the
season,” Collingwood said. “We have to get ourselves off the bottom of
the table, but in many ways it’s an exciting time because it is a
good challenge and we believe we can do it.”Durham were indebted to Collingwood’s know how, in tandem with the
equally experienced Dale Benkenstein, which ensured they wore Surrey
down and instead of contemplating a narrow advantage, stretched it
into a commanding 181-run first innings lead. Both players scored
half-centuries during their 132-run stand, with Collingwood scoring 78
while Benkenstein’s 69 was his first time past 50 this summer, but
equally importantly it provided confidence within the dressing room
that it was possible to score runs on a pitch that claimed 14 wickets
on the opening day.That was underlined with Mustard and Callum Thorp adding an equally
valuable 72 for the eighth wicket, although not without controversy.
Mustard was given lbw when Zander de Bruyn angled the ball into his
pads but Jeff Evans, the umpire, changed his mind after consulting
with colleague Michael Gough after concluding he had got an inside
edge.Surrey’s irritation rose significantly and although Mustard only added
three more runs to his total before falling lbw to Jon Lewis, it was
an illustration of a difficult day in the field after their gamble to
bat first on the opening day backfired spectacularly. Jason Roy,
possibly still seething after his run out in the first innings,
illustrated that frustration by questioning the decision to give him
lbw shortly before the close.”I think Jason thought he’d hit the ball and we thought the two noises
were two pads, but we don’t have the DRS and all that sort of stuff in
county cricket so hopefully we won’t get too nit-picky about umpire’s
decisions,” Collingwood said. “They tend to equal themselves out
during the season.” That may be of little comfort to Surrey, who
should be expecting Roy to receive disciplinary action for his
reaction.Of greater concern to Chris Adams, Surrey’s director of cricket, may
be how Surrey struggled to develop a partnership similar to that
established by Collingwood and Benkenstein. They are lacking anyone
with that experience in their top order, but from the moment Zafar
Ansari, their young opener, flashed a wide delivery from Graham Onions
straight to Durham’s captain at slip, it was a struggle.Ben Stokes, Durham’s emerging allrounder, claimed two lbws in an
impressive nine-over spell including a wicket with his third ball and
any little hope of Surrey battling back into the match appeared to
have been lost when Steve Davies edged behind only eight balls before
the close.”It was a great effort by the bowlers,” Collingwood added. “There were
periods when we were batting when it felt really flat but we managed
to get the ball swinging and this Riverside pitch always seems to have
something in it.”

Dance anthems blared, Mojito glasses clinked and complimentary KFC was in garishly plentiful supply as Australian cricket grasped for a semblance of edginess at the BBL launch

Daniel Brettig28-Jul-2011Dance anthems blared, Mojito glasses clinked and complimentary KFC was in plentiful supply as Australian cricket grasped for a semblance of edginess at the launch of the Twenty20 Big Bash League.Held at Carriageworks, a venue in Sydney’s inner west that is more synonymous with hip-hop festivals and art exhibitions, the event brought together a vast array of cricketers, sponsors, media and various other hangers-on.Some mixed better than others, as the old world tried to seek relevance and context in the new. Like the competition it launched, the night was an effort to broaden cricket, something achieved in a sartorial sense at least by the stipulation that no ties were to be worn by any of the male guests.Amid the mess, noise and a humdrum DJ set by a minor Australian celebrity, Erin McNaught, there was room for pondering about what it all meant. Cricket Australia are relentlessly hopeful about building the game’s audience and revenue streams, while the newly-anointed captains did their bit by attempting to manufacture on-stage rivalries between teams that are underpinned by market research rather than history.The absence of the Australian Test captain, Michael Clarke, told another story. Clarke has decided that he cannot take part in the BBL if he wants to devote his full attention to international cricket, a view shared by another absentee, Mitchell Johnson. One of Australia’s pace bowling hopes for the forthcoming Test match schedule is Trent Copeland, but he is on an underwhelming salary due to his lack of suitability for the highly limited tactical manoeuvres of T20.One of the wiser voices in the room was that of Marcus North, the former Australian batsman and West Australian captain, who can now add the leadership of the Perth Scorchers to his CV. He expresses no great love for T20 as a batsman, saying “I’m not one of those players who is going to be attracted to playing T20 cricket around the world, that’s probably not my style of the game”. But North is enthusiastic about the chance to attract new followers, and to potentially build club culture in a game whose loyalties have always been international and provincial in nature.”I think you’ll still get your cricket purists, but you get a completely different audience on top of that as well,” North told ESPNcricinfo. “We see families, people who’ve never really come to watch cricket or be interested in cricket, but love to be there and enjoy the occasion, enjoy the atmosphere.”You don’t have to go to a T20 game and have to watch every ball, you’re there with your friends, enjoying the occasion, enjoying the spectacle of being with friends and a great atmosphere with a full stadium. So it really broadens the viewers that watch this format of the game. I think it’s developed over the last few years, we’ve seen how successful it has been in India, and it’s been a bit of a success in Australia already. I think this takes it to a new level and will put T20 on the map in Australian cricket.”The map North speaks of is now dotted with domestic competitions and matches across three formats, seemingly diluting what was once a helpfully uncluttered pathway from grade cricket to Test matches via the Sheffield Shield battles between the states. Thinking over the question of what this will do to twist the ambitions of young players, North cannot be sure that ensuing generations will still find the prospect of a Test cap quite so alluring as that of a fat cheque.”It’s a good question,” North said. “It’s a learning curve, a bit of unknown what we’re dealing with at the moment, it has been quite public that it’s a little controversial the way the contract system has worked this year for domestic players. It has been talked about but it is a learning curve, this is a new competition, it’s influenced the way contracts are dealt with.”I feel if you do go speak to a lot of the cricketers around Australia, playing Test cricket and wearing the baggy green is still very, very high on their list. But it’s a hard one to answer, because I grew up in a different era to what the young guys are growing up in now. It is hard for me to comprehend striving to play for your state and not having that ultimate ambition to represent your country.”Whether that is going to influence players, the way this T20 revolution around the world is, the amount of money that’s being thrown, whether that’s going to influence the way the younger generation are going to look at representing Test cricket being their ultimate priority, is a question to ask the young guys. I certainly hope not, but hopefully there’s a balance, and the tradition and history of representing Australia with the baggy green continues to live strong.”A note of optimism can be found in the story of Dave Warner, whose emergence in 2011 as a batsman of Test match potential has illustrated that international cricket can still provide the most powerful attraction for a cricketer rolling around in T20 cash. It is a point of welcome irony that Warner has been the poster-boy for Mike McKenna, CA’s head of marketing and the BBL project owner, as an exemplar of the sort of player who can use T20 to become a star.Warner has now turned the concept around by allying the attention he gained through T20 with his own drive and ambition to play Test cricket. After belatedly breaking into the New South Wales Shield XI, Warner has been eye-catching for Australia A, helped by one of Greg Chappell’s more astute selection observations. This means McKenna may yet lose his most marketable name to the fuddy duddy old game played by men clad in white, as it competes with the BBL during the December-January holiday period.”He was the first player to go against the grain, but give credit to Dave that he’s had that perception to break, and perception is a hard thing to change, and he’s had to do that over the last couple of years,” North said. “He’s always been quite open and honest about wanting to play first-class cricket for NSW and to play for Australia and wear the baggy green.”It’s taken him a while but he’s starting to put the performances together. We saw how well he did perform in first-class cricket last year for NSW, and he’s been arguably the batter of the tour on the Australia A tour of Zimbabwe, so he’s making the right noises and putting his foot forward. That’s credit to Dave Warner, it isn’t easy to break perception and he’s put the work in that’s needed to adjust his game to make him able to play first-class cricket. So he’s an example of the new generation that’s been pretty focused on T20 but he’s been able to adapt his game.”Warner’s evolution, and the emergence of the spin bowler Nathan Lyon, has shown that T20 can add to the pool of Australian Test cricketers as much as it takes away. This much was cause for optimism, even as the 9pm closure of the Carriageworks bar reminded all present that CA are gambling on the BBL with a dwindling supply of chips.