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Leg-spinner’s 4 for 23 proves decisive after Ami Campbell’s fifty

ECB Reporters Network09-Jul-2022Sarah Glenn played a starring role as Central Sparks inflicted a 22-run defeat upon Western Storm in a sun-drenched Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy encounter at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium.Chasing a target of 207, Storm came up short at 184 for 9, their cause fatally undermined by the 22-year-old leg-spinner from Derby, who took 4 for 23 from 10 overs. New ball bowler Grace Potts weighed in with 2 for 33 and seamer Elizabeth Russell took 2 for 48 as the top and middle order were blown away. Only tailenders Lauren Filer and Sophia Smale offered any kind of resistance, these two contributing 58 not out and 32 respectively, and staging a defiant ninth wicket stand of 73 by way of consolation.Ami Campbell proved the mainstay of Sparks’ innings, top-scoring with 50 from 75 balls, while captain Evelyn Jones and wicketkeeper Abi Freeborn grafted their way to 44 and 35 respectively in a total of 206 all out from 50 overs after the visitors had won the toss.Impressive with the new ball and again at the death, Lauren Filer claimed 3 for 36 from 10 overs and was ably supported by Niamh Holland, who took key wickets during the middle overs to return figures of 2 for 17.But Storm lacked the application required with the bat on a typically slow and low Bristol pitch to follow up last week’s opening win over Lightning, handing their opponents the opportunity to atone for defeat at the hands of Southern Vipers in their first game.The game was all but over as a contest when Storm lurched to 48 for 6 inside 14 overs, the victims of poor shot selection and some outstanding bowling.Potts set the tone, having Georgia Hennessy caught at the wicket without scoring and then inducing Alex Griffiths to hole out to mid-off as the hosts forfeited both openers inside seven overs with 17 runs on the board. Fran Wilson was next to go cheaply, bowled playing back to Elizabeth Russell and missing a straight one, at which point Storm were 31 for 3 in the tenth over.A difficult situation became positively parlous when Sophie Luff and big-hitting Dani Gibson succumbed to the first and sixth balls of Glenn’s opening over from the Ashley Down Road End. Caught in two minds, Luff was pinned lbw, while Gibson played across the line and was bowled. When Nat Wraith edged a catch behind off Russell in the next over, Storm were in dire straits.There followed 18 dot balls, a passage of austerity that culminated in Glenn having Holland held at slip. Katie George was then bowled by Glenn, terminating any fanciful notion Storm supporters might have harboured of an against-the-odds triumph.Understanding the risks associated with pushing too hard on a worn surface, Sparks’ top-order batters had earlier demonstrated a willingness to graft for their runs, a quality that set them apart from their opponents.Filer served early notice that this was far from a batting paradise, mustering impressive rhythm and pace from the Bristol Pavilion End to remove Davina Perrin and Thea Brookes while the fielding restrictions were still in place.Campbell rode her luck against Storm’s main strike bowler, cutting hard to backward point and being put down by Wilson before she had scored. She certainly made good her escape, the left-hander surviving a sticky start to match Jones blow for blow in a stand of 64 for the third wicket as the visitors reasserted themselves.Prepared to wait for the bad ball, these two were severe on anything short or wide, advancing the score to 109 for 2 at the halfway stage of the innings. Just when a half-century appeared to be hers for the asking, Jones blotted her copybook, playing across the line to a straight delivery from off spinner Chloe Skelton and departing bowled for 44.Skelton’s clever variations on pace and flight almost produced another wicket, but she was unable to hold onto a hard return catch offered up by the fortuitous Campbell, who went on to raise 50 from 74 balls, with eight fours.Dropped catches looked likely to cost Storm dear when George fumbled at deep square leg to allow Freeborn a life on three, much to the chagrin of the returning Filer. Yet partial salvation was at hand for the home side in the form of Holland, who claimed two wickets in the space of 13 deliveries after being introduced in the 34th over. Campbell clipped a swinging ball to Skelton at short fine leg, while Glenn was bowled for two as Sparks were reduced to 156 for 5. Ria Fackrell contributed 16 in a partnership of 32 in seven overs with Freeborn before being bowled by Gibson as Storm turned the screw.As Sparks attempted to accelerate, so Filer struck to remove Freeborn, caught at the wicket by Wraith having hewn 35 from 58 balls. Gibson ran out Georgia Davis and then bowled Potts, while Wraith ran out Hannah Baker off the final ball of the innings.Campbell’s demise in the 35th over proved a turning point, Sparks adding a mere 63 runs for the loss of six wickets in their final 15 overs thereafter. Yet once Glenn went to work, it proved more than enough.

He had tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, but is now clear to play the Karachi Test

Umar Farooq10-Mar-2022Faheem Ashraf has cleared his rapid antigen test for Covid-19, less than 24 hours after he was found positive for the virus. Ashraf, who had tested positive on Wednesday, was initially supposed to undergo a five-day isolation period, but has now been given the go-ahead to join the Pakistan squad ahead of the second Test against Australia in Karachi.Ashraf, an integral part of the Test side, had missed the first match in Rawalpindi due to a hamstring injury he picked up towards the end of his PSL season with Islamabad United. With him back in the fold, Pakistan will have more balance in their XI, as Ashraf can bat at No.7 and provide handy support to their four-man attack.Ashraf’s absence in the Rawalpindi Test was one of the main reasons Pakistan opted to tweak the pitch, as they looked to nullify Australia’s pace attack.Pakistan called up Iftikhar Ahmed and Naseem Shah in the first Test to cover for the absences of Ashraf and Hasan Ali – the latter, a key member of their pace attack. Hasan missed out because of an adductor strain, which he also picked up during the PSL. Both Iftikhar and Naseem played, though the former — likely a direct replacement for Ashraf – only bowled three overs.With Ashraf joining the squad, Pakistan are confident that Hasan will also be fit for the second Test, allowing them to bring back an opening pair that took over 80 Test wickets in 2021 and were the second and third-highest wicket-takers for the year. The rest of Pakistan’s squad returned negative tests, meaning that Haris Rauf is back in contention for selection. Rauf missed the first Test after testing positive for Covid-19.Ashraf has played 13 Tests at an average of 35.11 scoring 4 half-centuries including his 91 against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui and taking 22 wickets at a bowling average of 34.09.

“I look forward to that challenge and test my body, physically and mentally”

Alex Malcolm24-Jan-2022Keeping wicket and opening the batting in Test cricket has been, arguably, the toughest juggling act in the history of the game, but Alyssa Healy is adamant that she wants to do the job again in the women’s Ashes Test starting on Thursday in Canberra.Healy has opened in her last two Test matches, but her returns across the four innings have given a clear indication of how difficult the task of opening and keeping is in the longest format. She made 58 in her first Test innings as an opener in the 2019 Ashes but it was the first innings of the match, giving her the chance to start fresh. She then kept 107 overs before walking straight back out to bat, and made 13 in the second innings.Related

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In her last Test, against India earlier this summer, Australia fielded first and Healy kept for 145 overs before walking out to bat under lights against the pink ball. She made 29 from 66 deliveries and then made just 6 in the fourth innings after keeping for 37 more overs in the third innings of the match.”There’s obviously ongoing chats about it,” Healy said. “I think the approach we took in that last Test match we played was we’ll see how we go. I mean, if things don’t quite go to plan, we’re out in the field for an extended period of time and I am feeling fatigued then we make that call on the fly and maybe I don’t open the batting. But I’m always going to stick my hand up and say I’m ready to go and ready to contribute whether that be at the top of the order or with the gloves, so I’m sure it will be okay.”Hopefully, we get the full four days in and I’m out there for all four days. I look forward to that challenge and test my body, physically and mentally. The chats are being had but at this point in time, considering it’s such a one-off event for us, I want to be involved as much as I can.”Only five wicketkeepers in the history of women’s Test cricket have averaged more than 30 while opening the batting, with England’s Betty Snowball the only one to average more than 40. Snowball is the only women’s player to make 400 runs in the dual role, averaging 66.57 with one century and three half-centuries.Betty Snowball keeping during England’s tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1934-35•National Library of Australia

Only six wicketkeepers in the history of men’s Test cricket have made more than 400 runs opening the batting with India’s Budhi Kunderan the only one of those to average more than 40 (43.46).Healy has had remarkable success opening the batting in the shorter formats and suggested that it remained, to her mind, the best place to bat in in Test cricket too.”I still think opening the batting is the best time to bat in any format,” Healy said. “It’s going to be a little bit tricky, obviously with the new red ball, but I’m looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge that the England attack are going to throw at us.”Healy was keen for some time in the middle coming off one of her leanest WBBL campaigns. In her last nine matches, including in the WBBL, the WNCL and the first T20I against England, she has only reached double-figures four times and passed 20 once, scoring 51 for NSW against Victoria.But Healy does have a history of coming off lean spells and delivering on the big stage, having starred in the 2020 T20 World Cup after a horror spell in the lead-in.”I’m actually a little bit quietly excited about the opportunities of some slightly longer-format cricket, obviously the Test match and then the one-dayers leading into a World Cup,” Healy said. “I feel like everything’s back where it should be for me at the crease, and whilst it may or may not have looked like it in the first T20, I feel like I’m in a really good place with my batting again.”So I’m really excited for the opportunity to spend a bit of time out in the middle and, hopefully, get my team into a really good position to win whether it be a Test match or a one-dayer.”The identity of Healy’s opening partner remained a mystery, with Beth Mooney pushing to be fit to play despite fracturing her jaw last week. Rachael Haynes has also put her hand up to open, after having missed the Test against India because of a hamstring injury.”Absolutely no idea. We haven’t even had that discussion yet. We were just trying to get through these T20s. I don’t know the chat around Moons, I’m not really sure where they’re at with her, whether or not she’s playing, not going to play, likely to play, so I can’t really answer that question,” Healy said. “But I’ve got no doubt that we’ve got a lot of coverage here and obviously with the Aussie A squad around, someone would come in and do a really good job. Whoever it might be, I’ll just welcome them to the crease like I did Meg [Lanning] the other night.”

“Our bench strength has been as strong as it has ever been. That’s a great sign for Indian cricket”

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2021The 3-1 victory against England was Virat Kohli’s 10th series win in a row at home as India captain. It extended India’s dominance at home to 13 straight series wins with their last home defeat coming against Alastair Cook’s England in 2012.The manner in which India dominated England, especially in the last three Tests – they won the pink-ball ball Test in two days and the fourth Test in three days – no doubt pleased Kohli. According to him, the biggest strength India showed was their “comeback” after losing the series opener in Chennai by massive margin of 227 runs. Following are the key men and points Kohli pointed out during the presentation that played a key role in India winning the series and booking a berth in the World Test Championship final.On the two key match-winners: R Ashwin and Rohit Sharma
“Ashwin has obviously been a banker for us in the past six-seven years in Test cricket. His numbers speak volumes of what he has done in the last few years.Related

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“Rohit’s knock was the defining moment in us coming back into the series. Getting 160 (161) on that pitch is as good as getting 250 on any good batting wicket. It is definitely one of his best Test knocks, if not the best. That gave us the kind of momentum we needed as a side and it really got us into the contest. So, yeah, it was an outstanding innings.”He batted really well at the top of the order throughout the series, he gave us important knocks, important partnerships as well which is unnoticed when you don’t get those three figures.”On what pleased him the most after the first Test defeat
“The comeback pleased me the most. The first game was a bit of an aberration in the way that we play as a team – that was just a hiccup. England outplayed us. The toss became very crucial because of the way the pitch played on the first two days; I don’t think the bowlers were in the contest at all.3:22

What made Axar Patel so effective?

“From the next game onwards it was more exciting cricket and we got into the game early. Even in the second innings (of the first Test) in Chennai we bowled and fielded with a lot more intensity. So for me the comeback was way more pleasing and the way we batted in the second Test match in Chennai.”On Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar making an impact when it mattered
“Our bench strength has been as strong as it has ever been. That’s a great sign for Indian cricket. The idea was exactly this: to have youngsters who come in and perform with fearlessness, take the situations on so that when the transition happens eventually it is not difficult for Indian cricket and the standard does not fall below what we have set in the last few years.”It is up to the individuals as well, like taking the situation on, like Rishabh and Washy did with that game-changing partnership and then Axar as well – a 100-run partnership. These are the kind of situations where individuals stand up and say: ‘okay, I’m going to make a mark and be that player who can be counted on.’ That is what exactly what they have done.”On India’s 13-series winning streak at home
“You obviously are happy when you are winning so many series but there are always things to improve. Like, after the first game in Chennai, we had to pick up our body language. We spoke about the fact that nothing is a given whether you are playing at home or away because every team at international level is a quality side and we need to be at our A game to be able to beat them. And that is exactly what our mindset is. I know in the future as well we’ll have hiccups, we’ll have a few things that will be a concern, but we will have to keep ironing them out and that’s been the hallmark of our team.”

Mitchell Santner hit the winning runs for the visitors in a dramatic final over

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Sep-2019For the second time in succession, a substantial fourth-wicket stand swung a run-chase decidedly in New Zealand’s favour in their T20I series in Sri Lanka. Despite a drama-filled final over, in which two wickets fell, and a third should have had two fielders not collided at wide long-on, fifties from Colin de Grandhomme and Tom Bruce proved sufficient to propel the visitors to victory with two balls and four wickets to spare. New Zealand thus sealed the series, despite not having had the services of their two most prolific T20 batsmen – Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor – for this innings.The chase, which had several similarities with Sunday’s performance, was calculated. Once again, Sri Lanka took three early wickets – Akila Dananjaya striking three times in the space of seven balls. But then de Grandhomme and Bruce came together, and the pair calmly set about building a partnership, picking up the singles and twos on offer first, before taking aim at the boundary only later in their association. Like on Sunday, Sri Lanka should have had New Zealand’s eventual top-scorer dismissed for 36, but substitute fielder Lahiru Madushanka slipped beneath the high chance off de Grandhomme’s bat, and could not even get a hand to the ball. He would go on to make 59 off 46, Bruce would be out in the last over for 53 off 46, and it was their 109-run stand off 88 balls – a record for New Zealand against Sri Lanka – that formed the spine of the innings.Sri Lanka had not bowled particularly well – Lasith Malinga in particular conceded 39 runs in four wicketless overs – but still had one final chance of sneaking a victory, when legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga ran Bruce out first ball of the final over, and then had Daryl Mitchell caught at long-on next ball. New Zealand still needed seven from the last four deliveries, and should then have lost Mitchell Santner to make it three successive wickets. But Shehan Jayasuriya, who took an outstanding running catch at wide long-on, was tripped up in his stride by an oncoming Kusal Mendis, and was sent crashing into the boundary. Both fielders might have sustained substantial injuries, taking several minutes to get up. What was worse was that a ball that should have provided a dismissal had now conceded a six – Jayasuriya unable to jettison the ball in time.Earlier, Guptill had to go off the field with a sharp pain in his abdomen, and was unavailable to bat. Taylor had been ruled out of this game with a hip injury sustained during practice.New Zealand had to shuffle their top order to make up for Guptill’s absence, sending Tim Seifert in to open, and promoting Scott Kuggeleijn to a pinch-hitting No. 3. But Akila quickly sewed up the top three, having Colin Munro caught at long-on in his first over, before nailing Kuggeleijn and Seifert lbw in his second.Thanks to some early boundaries, however, de Grandhomme and Bruce had time to play themselves in. Once the Powerplay ended, they respected the spinners, until in the 12th over, against Hasaranga, they decided to hit out again. Two fours and a six from that over set New Zealand back on track with the asking rate. With regular boundaries coming after that, they would not fall behind again. De Grandhomme completed his fifty in the 15th over, and the pair’s century stand came up in the 18th. The batsmen had given their team such a cushion that even those dramatic late wickets could not sufficiently shake the chase.Sri Lanka’s own innings had been a stuttering effort, in which virtually every batsman who came to the crease appeared to go through a period of struggle. Kusal Mendis did his best to compensate for Kusal Perera’s lack of timing, hitting two memorable leg-side sixes in his 26. Even Mendis could not strike at better than 108, however, and Sri Lanka’s run rate at the end of the Powerplay was only slightly over six. It did improve through the middle period, as Niroshan Dickwella and Avishka Fernando prospered against spin in a third-wicket partnership worth 68 off 44 balls, but after those two batsmen departed – for 39 and 37 respectively – the middle order could not quite provide an explosive innings. Sri Lanka’s 161 for 9 was perhaps 15 runs short.

With the series effectively reduced to two ODIs, a win on Sunday will mean an unassailable lead

The Preview by Hemant Brar10-Aug-20198:30

Ganga: Gayle’s performance will determine his destiny

Big Picture

The paradox of the Indian ODI team is that they have a top three that is the envy of the world. Conversely, the strength of the top order has meant that opportunities for the middle order have been scarce. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli have been so successful for so long, that the middle order hasn’t really been tried, or tested. Moreover, the frequent chopping and changing has meant that the No. 4 spot, which has been a position yet to be nailed down, has still not gone to a set claimant.KL Rahul had started at No. 4 in the World Cup before moving up to open in the absence of Dhawan, but didn’t find a place in the XI for the rain-hit first ODI. Rishabh Pant has batted at No. 4 in his last five ODIs, but with Shreyas Iyer also in the mix now, it could be a more natural fit to have him at four and Pant at five.Iyer had a good showing with the India A side, and apart from him, Manish Pandey is also in the fray. Iyer played the first ODI of the series but the rain didn’t allow India to bat as only 13 overs of play was possible in Guyana. But as the caravan moves to Trinidad for the second (and then the third) ODI, it will be interesting to see what India’s plans are.West Indies, on the other hand, will be looking to make Chris Gayle’s 300th ODI a memorable one. With the series effectively reduced to two ODIs, whoever wins this game will be assured of not losing the series.With the inclusion of Roston Chase in the side, West Indies are looking for someone to provide stability amid their big hitters, which was lacking during the World Cup. Their real rebuilding, though, will only start once Gayle says goodbye, and one of John Campbell and Shai Hope partners with Evin Lewis at the top of the order.

Form guide

West Indies WLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)India LWWLWChris Gayle practices before the match•IDI via Getty Images

In the spotlight

Who other than Chris Gayle? After a below-par World Cup, the big Jamaican found some form with scores of 122 not out and 94 in the Global T20 Canada, but struggled on a two-paced pitch in the first ODI. His 4 off 31 in the series opener was his slowest ODI innings when he has faced at least 25 balls.Sunday will present another opportunity for Shreyas Iyer to push his case forward as a solution to India’s No. 4 problem. While he batted at No. 3 – Pandey took the No. 4 spot – in the ‘A’ team series last month, Iyer scored 187 runs from four innings at an average of 62.33. After not getting a chance in the T20I series and the washout in the first ODI, he will be looking forward to carrying his good form at the international level as well.

Team news

With hardly any play possible in the series opener, the teams didn’t really get to test their chosen XIs. Barring fitness issues, both sides are likely to be unchanged.West Indies XI: (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Fabian Allen, 9 Carlos Brathwaite, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Sheldon CottrellIndia XI: (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk) 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Kuldeep Yadav

Pitch and conditions

Since the start of 2010, spinners have fared better at Queen’s Park Oval, averaging 27.40 as compared to the fast bowlers’ 31.12.Four out of the last five ODIs here have been affected by rain, and while it poured down on the eve of the match as well, the forecast for Sunday is clear. It’s likely to be partly cloudy with temperatures hovering around 25-degrees centigrade.

Stats and trivia

• Sunday’s match will be Gayle’s 300th ODI. He will overtake Brian Lara as the most-capped West Indies player in the format.
• Gayle (10,397) is also nine runs away from overtaking Lara’s tally of 10,405 ODI runs, the most by a West Indies batsman.
• Kuldeep Yadav has taken 94 wickets in 52 ODIs. He has three more games to break Mohammed Shami’s record of being the fastest Indian to reach the 100-wicket mark.

Quotes

“Personally, I am not thinking about batting only at No. 4. I want to be someone who is very flexible, batting at any number.”

The key question to be resolved will be around the “one-odd” spot that Virat Kohli had indicated was up for grabs

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Apr-2019India’s World Cup squad will be named in Mumbai on April 15. The meeting is likely to be attended by Virat Kohli, the India captain who is scheduled to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore in their away match against Mumbai Indians the same evening.Although the deadline set by the ICC to announce squads for the World Cup is April 23, it is understood that the India selectors wanted the players to have extra time to prepare themselves for the tournament that India last won in 2011 at home.MSK Prasad, the chairman of India’s selection committee, had pointed out as early as in February that his panel had shortlisted a pool of 20-odd players from which the final 15 would be picked. “Maybe one spot might go to the last minute, otherwise we are very clear about the rest,” Prasad had told ESPNcricinfo in an interview.Prasad had also pointed out that the selection panel would not look at IPL form to firm up the vacant spots, “only because we have already made up our minds”. “We will only be observing the performances of the players we think should be in the squad and the list of stand-byes. We have rounded up on 20 players. We will follow the form of these players,” he had elaborated.
Kohli, too, reiterated the point before the home ODI series against Australia last month, saying the team management and the selectors needed to be “absolutely clear” about the team they wanted for the World Cup. “I don’t see anything changing despite how the IPL goes for any of the players. If one or two players don’t have a good IPL season, it doesn’t mean that they are out of the picture for the World Cup. Those things are not going to matter.”The Australia series was India’s last ODI tournament before the World Cup, and they lost 3-2 despite wins in the first two matches. After the result, Kohli had insisted the Indian team was not “panicking”. “As a side, combination-wise, we are pretty sorted condition-based,” he said. “Maximum one change, you’ll get to see condition-based. But other than that, the XI we want to play, we are pretty clear about it.”The questions are likely to center around the No. 4 slot in the batting order and the position of the second allrounder after Hardik Pandya. Vijay Shankar’s good form since the New Zealand series has raised the possibility of him slotting in there, instead of Ravindra Jadeja, who has performed that role since the Asia Cup.
Then there is the No. 4 batting slot, the bigger puzzle. Since the 2017 Champions Trophy, India have tried out 11 batsmen in that position with Ambati Rayudu getting the most games. During the home series against West Indies in October last year, Kohli had backed Rayudu for the position, as he provided the balance and had the smarts to do well in that key position. However, since then, Rayudu has just one fifty to his credit, which has allowed other aspirants to queue up. And the number of contenders has only gotten longer.Apart from Rayudu, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant are the frontrunners for the position. Of these, Pant was a late addition to the race. The selection panel believes the left-handed Pant provides a good option in the middle order, especially against bowling attacks that are stacked with wristspinners. Pant has played only five ODIs, but his fearless batting has impressed the selectors, Kohli and the senior team management, as well as India A coach Rahul Dravid.The one other talking point for the selectors is the composition of the fast-bowling attack. As things stand, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar should be certainties. Pandya could play the role of the part-time seamer, but should India then have a fourth specialist seamer? If that is the case, then the possibilities are likely to be Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini, who, the selectors believe, could be a dark horse due to his extra pace and ability to bowl aggressive lengths.

The batting coach said India had enough time, options and “fluidity” in their batting order to plug any weakness

Nagraj Gollapudi at Headingley16-Jul-2018India are yet to work out a “settled” middle order in ODIs and they do not have the “depth” in their lower order. With the World Cup a year away that might seem to be a matter of concern, but batting coach Sanjay Bangar said that India had enough time, options and “fluidity” in their batting order to plug any weakness.India’s middle-order woes were exposed at Lord’s on Saturday, as the second half of their innings was subdued and they stuttered to a virtual standstill in the final hour. It was the first instance since the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup that India failed hit a single six in an ODI. India didn’t score more than 10 runs in an over during in the final 15 overs, and only 42 runs came off the last 10, which is the fewest scored by India in the last decade.The lack of intent did not sit well with the Indian fans at Lord’s. They did not spare MS Dhoni, who was booed at various times during an innings where he ran out of partners and eventually lost rhythm. Although it would be easy to blame Dhoni, you could understand why he did not want to press the accelerator with the other members of India’s middle order – KL Rahul, Suresh Raina and Hardik Pandya – found wanting.Bangar said that India were not sweating because they had enough options to work out a World Cup middle order. Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey and Ajinkya Rahane could all still be viable options if the current occupants did not make an impact. Rayudu failed the yo-yo fitness test and Raina was called up as his replacement. Pandey and Rahane have been tried at different times in the past, but left behind more questions than positive impressions.Although India have not tried it yet, one way the middle order could be strengthened would involve pushing Rahul to No. 3 and having Virat Kohli bat at four. That way India can retain their authority in the top order while having their best batsman at the controls in the second half of the innings. This way Kohli would not only act as a cushion for the top order, as he showed during the T20s in Ireland and England, but also ease the pressure on Dhoni, who can play with more freedom at Nos. 5 or 6.But India are not ready yet to change the default settings. “We did change a bit [the batting order], certainly in the T20 format where KL played at three and Virat batted at four,” Bangar said in Leeds on the eve of the final match of the ODI series and the limited-overs leg of their tour. “But looking at this series and the performances that Virat has got at No. 3, especially in the last series when he scored three hundreds against South Africa in five games [we won’t alter the batting order].”Bangar, though, did not rule out a change of strategy, keeping in mind India have 21 matches before the World Cup, good enough time to figure out a solution. “We are looking at, in terms of the games remaining, where we could look at settling the middle-order slots. We will see as to players available, the fitness of the players. So a lot of spots are open. The good thing about that is the bench strength we have in a Rayudu, or a Manish Pandey or Ajinkya Rahane. There are enough spots for each and every eventuality that we might face leading up to the World Cup.”MS Dhoni buckles on his pads at India training•Getty Images

Bangar also defended Dhoni and said that there was nothing else India’s most senior and experienced batsman could have done. “When the team loses four wickets, the lower order – at least with the combination we are playing at the moment – we do not really have the depth at Nos. 8, 9, 10 wherein the batsman at Nos. 6 or 7 could play with that sort of a freedom. It was purely because of that that we kept on losing the wickets and the set batsmen could not really exploit [the situation].”He [Dhoni] was just hoping that somebody would stick with him. There was a chance when he and Suresh were batting together, we were just hoping they could bat through till the 40th over and they could take the bowlers on. But every time he looked to do that he first lost Raina and then he lost Hardik so there wasn’t too much batting to follow for him to play in the usual fashion that he does.”Bangar felt that some of the India batsmen, like Raina, who featured in just one format and have come back to international fold after a while, would need more time to settle down. Bangar said that it was also difficult for the middle-order batsmen, who were often padded up but did not have much to do as all the good work had been already done by the top order, which has played a dominant role in Indian victories in the last few years.”The way our top order is batting, generally our middle order hasn’t got the number of opportunities that you would expect because the top order does the bulk of the scoring. And at times the middle order have to straightaway walk into a game situation. Not all of the players are playing all formats of the game. You also have to give some weightage to do that – coming back straight to international cricket, and doing the kind of things that are expected of you, especially in this format. So the continuity factor also plays a part, but we are trying to balance each and everything that we could possibly do.”

Peter Kippax, who played for the county as a legspinner in the early 1960s, has died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, aged 76

David Hopps18-Jan-2017Peter Kippax, who played for Yorkshire as a legspinner in the early 1960s and became an instantly recognisable figure in cricket circles in the north of England, has died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, aged 76.Kippax only played five first-class games but he was notable for the fact that the last two were 25 years apart: after making his final appearance for Yorkshire against the Pakistan tourists in 1962, he reappeared for MCC against his former county at the Scarborough Festival in 1987 – an opportunity he cherished.Legspin was an unfashionable occupation in Yorkshire, and the presence of England spinners such as Raymond Illingworth and Don Wilson further limited his opportunities, but he went on to enjoy a long career in Minor Counties cricket with Durham and Northumberland, as well as in league cricket in Yorkshire and the north-west. He also coached for many years in Yorkshire cricket circles and was respected as an innovative thinker.He founded Kippax Bats in 1976 and was a popular, effervescent figure around the county. The business, now based in Methley, is run by his son Chris and is one of a dwindling band of companies to grow its own English willow.

An ICC delegation led by chief executive David Richardson and chairman Shashank Manohar are set to meet various stakeholders in New York regarding progress for cricket in the USA

Peter Della Penna30-Sep-2016An ICC delegation led by chief executive David Richardson and chairman Shashank Manohar will be in New York City this weekend to meet various stakeholders regarding progress for cricket in the USA.The ICC Americas office has been acting in an administrative caretaker role since the ICC’s suspension of the USA Cricket Association (USACA) in June 2015. Manohar, Richardson, ICC chief legal counsel Iain Higgins, WICB president Dave Cameron and Singapore Cricket Association chairman Imran Khawaja, who is one of the three Associate representatives on the ICC board, are expected to be part of the delegation. The delegation will hold meetings while building a progress report to be delivered at the next ICC board meeting in October.According to several sources, the ICC travelling party will be meeting with members of the four advisory groups that were appointed in May to oversee the implementation of the ICC’s strategy for cricket development in the USA. That strategy includes goals for qualifying for the 2019 World Cup and 2020 World T20. ICC Americas administrators are expected to fly in from their new office in Colorado Springs to be in New York this weekend. Recently hired USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake is also expected to be in attendance.The delegation is also scheduled to meet USACA president Gladstone Dainty. The USACA announced on Thursday that it had secured a $70 million dollar licensing deal with a Pennsylvania-based entity called Global Sports Ventures, LLC. At a press conference in New York on Thursday, Dainty said that he was confident the ICC would lift the USACA’s suspension.”The ICC and the suspension of USACA, everybody knows about it,” Dainty said. “I’m not going to say how USACA feel about it. But at this time we feel good in the sense that the CEO of the ICC said that they’ve investigated long and hard, they found nothing and it is our expectation that we will be reinstated without a problem shortly. If we aren’t, then I’m sure that you guys are going to make sure that justice is done.”