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Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said that his team having to constantly play away from home has taken a psychological toll on the players

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2013Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said that his team having to constantly play away from home has taken a psychological toll on the players. Since the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, no team has toured Pakistan, citing security concerns.Pakistan have since played the majority of their home games in the UAE, as well as matches in New Zealand and England.”It is not an easy thing not being able to play at home for so long,” Misbah told . “There are players in this side who have not had a chance to play international matches in Pakistan.”Misbah also pointed to Jonathan Trott’s recent withdrawal from the England squad for the ongoing Ashes with a stress-related illness, as an example of just how big an issue homesickness can be. In fact, because of the recent series against South Africa in UAE, the Pakistan players were forced to celebrate Eid away from home.”Jonathan Trott’s example should be an eye-opener for the world. Imagine what the players have gone through in all these years,” Misbah said. “I think it’s time that the ICC and other cricket nations support Pakistan because international cricket away from home has tough demands on the players.”There is non-stop international cricket these days and it is extremely hard on the players to be away from their families for such long periods.”

Laxmi Ratan Shukla, the Bengal captain, said the pitch and the toss had played an inordinate role in the result of the semifinal

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Indore20-Jan-2014Laxmi Ratan Shukla, the Bengal captain, has said the Holkar Stadium pitch, and consequently the toss, played an inordinate role in the result of the semifinal, which Maharashtra won by 10 wickets inside three days.”I think, very openly and very personally, the toss is the main culprit,” Shukla said after the match. “The history here is such that whoever wins the toss wins the match. That was bad luck for us, losing the toss. But they [Maharashtra] played well, there’s no doubt about it.”On day one, when Maharashtra won the toss and bowled Bengal out for 114, the pitch was offering the seamers both movement and lift. Maharashtra, though, still had more than half the first day to negotiate when they began their reply. They weathered that period – helped by inaccurate first spells from Ashok Dinda and Sourav Sarkar – and eventually scored 455.Sangram Atitkar and Ankit Bawne, whose 113-run sixth-wicket partnership swung the match decisively Maharashtra’s way, both said the ball had moved around throughout their time at the crease. The life in the pitch became apparent again when Maharashtra’s seamers reduced Bengal to 188 for 7 in the second innings. But Bengal’s last three wickets still managed to clout 160 in just 117 balls to avert an innings defeat.Despite this, Shukla maintained the pitch wasn’t the ideal one for a semifinal. “In a Ranji Trophy semifinal if you get a better pitch you’ll get a five-day game,” he said. “It’s my personal opinion that the toss should not be a big factor. The Ranji Trophy is such a big event, and this is a big match – people have come from far, you journalists have come to cover the match – nobody likes it if the match is over in three days. I think there should be a sporting wicket, a natural one. I felt this was an unnatural one.”Asked how he defined an unnatural pitch, considering Bengal had prepared a greentop for their final home match of the group stage, Shukla said it came down to the hardness of the surface underneath the grass.”I agree we also played on greentops in Kolkata, but they were not like this,” he said. “The wicket was hard there, this one looks sloppy. You’ve been here from the first day, it was unplayable.”Shukla conceded, though, that Maharashtra’s bowlers had exploited the conditions – and their batsmen weathered them – better than those in his team. But the toss, he said, still played too big a role.”Obviously they played 100 or 1000 times better than us, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “But if I had won the toss, then who knows, maybe the same thing would have happened to them. But I don’t have any complaints. I’m not saying this with ill-will.”Surendra Bhave, Maharashtra’s coach, said it was no guarantee that his seamers would have bowled Bengal out cheaply after winning the toss.”To bowl them out for 114 on this wicket – yes, seaming track and our bowlers are bowling well – but everything has to click to bowl the opposition out for 114, “Bhave said. “When you get tracks like those, the first group of players who need to prepare themselves is actually batters. Toss is always a 50-50 thing, and you could be batting first on a pitch like this, so we had prepared both ways, and we had said that maybe first session, and one more hour, it will still be seaming. We have to buy time if we bat first.”Bowling first, whenever we have, we have always taken three to four wickets till lunch, and that keeps on happening, so obviously the bowling discipline and catching is working.”Asked how his seamers were able to exploit the conditions better than Bengal’s, Bhave said the skill-base of his three pace bowlers was “at par with any team in India right now.”

Brendon McCullum has termed the 4-0 win over India the “most satisfying” one-day contest he has been involved in and also called it a “ground-breaking” series for New Zealand

Abhishek Purohit in Wellington31-Jan-20140:00

‘A ground-breaking series for us’ – McCullum

Brendon McCullum has termed the 4-0 win over India the “most satisfying” one-day contest he has been involved in and also called it a “ground-breaking” series for New Zealand. India, the World Cup and Champions Trophy winners, were ranked No. 1 going into the series, and McCullum said few had given New Zealand a chance at that time.”From an ODI point of view, yes, this series is the most satisfying I have been a part of,” McCullum said. “India arrived here as the No. 1 team in the world and not many expected us to compete with them, let alone get a series whitewash. We didn’t allow them to play to their potential. But they are a very, very good team and as I have said before, we are very respectful of their standing in the game as the No. 1 team when they arrived on our shores. For us, as the No. 8 team, to put in a performance to topple these guys is something that makes this victory even sweeter. They have proven careers and proven statistics over a period of time and hence their ranking of No. 1 when they came here. Fortunately we have been able to topple them, which has been pleasing.”We are delighted with the way we played in this series, especially on the back of fine performances from Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson, and also the way the bowlers stepped up for us. So overall a ground-breaking series for us.”Kane Williamson was the highest run-scorer of the series, 361 in five innings•Getty ImagesMS Dhoni said the difference between the sides was the middle-order batting, and McCullum agreed that Williamson and Taylor’s contributions were key to New Zealand’s dominance. “We are getting more runs, consistently, and that is on the back of some good form,” McCullum said. “Especially the way Ross and Kane have batted through the middle overs. For your Nos. 3 and 4 to stamp their authority on the series the way they have done and the partnerships they have been able to create and get us in those positions to kick on towards the end. And not just kick on, because both of them have also batted very deep, that’s allowed us to get big totals and when you get big totals then you are going to be pretty competitive.”We have backed that up with the ball but I will put the majority of our success in this series down to the way our Nos. 3 and 4 have played.”Apart from the middle order, McCullum was also pleased with the efforts of his bowlers, who came out on top against the India batsmen in close finishes through the series. Kyle Mills had said this New Zealand attack was the deepest he had played in, and McCullum said the hosts were starting to develop a formidable bowling unit.”Encouraging from a bowling point of view. Today we saw Matt Henry coming in his first game and it is a dream debut really,” McCullum said. “His performance was fantastic and one that I am sure he will remember for a long time. It just shows the depth that we are starting to build in the fast bowling area. Kyle Mills also got stuck in today, so that’s also a big gain for us from the series. The Southees, McClenaghans, Bennetts, Neesham, Anderson. We are starting to build a pretty formidable group of bowlers we are able to pick from and it is pretty encouraging.”It’s pleasing that new guys are coming into the environment and performing straight away but those guys work really hard behind the scenes as well. They play in domestic cricket to earn the opportunities that they are given, and in terms of role clarity I think we have seen guys mature into their roles and careers. The environment allows these guys to come in and perform and enjoy representing their country because it’s the greatest time of their life and they should be able to get those results and when they do, it’s pleasing for everyone.”New Zealand had already sealed the series in the fourth ODI in Hamilton but McCullum said there was absolutely no problem in motivating themselves for the fifth and final match. “We have worked very, very hard behind the scenes. We are not good enough to be complacent at this stage. We are not good enough to walk into a game half-hearted and today was a ruthless streak that we have been asking for a long time.”Again we were led by the batting. It was tough because we desperately wanted to bowl first. To then peel off 300 with the bat was a nice feeling at half-time. Most of this ruthlessness and consistency is down to the way Ross and Kane have been batting.”

South Africa Under-19s captain Aiden Markram termed the seamer Kagiso Rabada’s six-wicket haul in the semi-final as ‘spectacular’

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Dubai26-Feb-2014On Wednesday, there were no frenzied celebrations that had highlighted the first semi-final at the Dubai International Stadium. Because South Africa had it all too easy in the end.Australia’s response to 230 may have been tepid, losing by 80 runs in a one-sided second semi-final, but there was nothing tepid about the way South Africa went about their job. Kagiso Rabada, one of the fastest bowlers in the competition, was at the top of his game, using his pace and bounce to befuddle Australia before they could size up the conditions in their chase. He ended with 6 for 25, the best figures in the competition to date and his captain Aiden Markram termed his spell as ‘spectacular’.”It was spectacular,” Markram said. “When you have someone like him in your armoury, especially when he is as pumped up and as motivated as today. Today’s performance was awesome and the cherry on top for all the work that he has done prior to the tournament. It is good that it paid off, and I am over the moon for him.”Rabada used the short ball to fetch three of his wickets, including his first, in his third over. Matthew Short tried to hook but ended up edging to the keeper. The next two claimed lower-order wickets but his length wasn’t one-dimensional. He cranked up the pace when he bowled fuller lengths and one of them snuck through Damien Mortimer’s defenses and the other found the stumps off an inside edge off Jaron Morgan. Both batsmen were beaten for pace, with speeds averaging close to 90mph. At the U-19 level, it’s a scary prospect for any batsman.Rabada, who sat next to Markram at the post-match presentation, cut a relaxed figure, giving the impression that he had just bowled out a club side. He said that while it was good to toast this victory, the job was not yet done, with the final around the corner.”We can acknowledge the good performances, but it is important to have your feet on your ground. I am a relaxed guy,” Rabada said. “It has not anything to do with cricket, it is just me. I and my team think that it is not over till it’s over.”Rabada introduced himself to the world with a similar opening spell against West Indies at the start of the tournament. He was rested against Canada and brought back for the knockouts. The Dubai pitch has suited him the best and Pakistan will be wary of him in the final.While Rabada took the final honours, the contributions by Markram himself and Clyde Fortuin were no less significant. For a change, the team batting first in Dubai didn’t wobble. Markram and Fortuin showed that with the right application and patience, it was possible to add a century opening stand on the same pitch. Wayward bowling by Australia, giving away eight wides and a no ball in the first 15 overs, helped.”It (the collapses) was not a comforting stat, but we came here knowing that, and backed ourselves to execute our plans well,” Markram said. “It (extras) helped. With it we could be a bit more circumspective with how we played. On this deck, the new ball does go around early on. So, the plan was to have good compact position early on and kick it on at the end.”Markram said that despite their start, it wasn’t the easiest wicket to bat on. “At times, the wicket was a bit two-paced. Sometimes, you could hit through the line and over the top, and the next one you would have thought you are there but you are not,” he said. “We would have taken 230, but with the start and we played in the middle overs, we would have wanted a bit more.”The Australian spinners did well to pull things back after South Africa were going at five an over in the first 30 overs. South Africa salvaged only 12 runs from their batting Powerplay. South Africa too started with spin, with the offspinner Dirk Bruwer bowling 10 economical overs for just 32 runs. Markram said the ploy of opening with spin wasn’t hatched during the innings break.”It was the plan before the game. But the fact that the Australian spinners did well with the ball only added to why he should open with spin. Although it didn’t strike a wicket, it helped us get through the overs quickly and just push that (required) rate up to five early on.”The Australia captain Alex Gregory admitted that his wicket was untimely, when Australia were building a stand after losing three wickets. He said it was a collective failure and gave South Africa their due.”Each batsman should take it upon himself to keep pushing the scoring,” Gregory said. “I just didn’t execute as well as possible. The South Africans were very attacking and disciplined so it was a bit hard to score out there.”Australia will face England in the third place playoff on Friday.

Chris Gayle is set to play his 100th Test at his home ground, in Jamaica, when New Zealand tour the Caribbean in June

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2014West Indies’ home 2014 season

New Zealand series
1st Test, June 8-12, Jamaica
2nd Test, June 16-20, Trinidad
3rd Test, June 26-30, Guyana
1st T20, July 5, Dominica
2nd T20, July 6, Dominica
Bangladesh series
1st ODI, August 20, Grenada
2nd ODI, August 22, Grenada
3rd ODI, August 25, St Kitts
Only T20, August 27, St Kitts
1st Test, September 5-9, St Vincent
2nd Test, September 13-17, St Lucia

Chris Gayle is set to play his 100th Test at his home ground, in Jamaica, when New Zealand tour the Caribbean in June. The WICB has announced a three Test series between the two teams, and two Twenty20s. West Indies will then host Bangladesh for two Tests, three ODIs and a one-off T20.The Jamaica Test will kick off the New Zealand series on June 8, and then the teams will play in Trinidad (from June 16) and Guyana (from June 26). The two T20s will be played in Dominica.The Bangladesh series will kick off with the limited-overs games in Grenada and St Kitts, followed by the Tests in St Vincent and St Lucia. Bangladesh will have fond memories of their previous tour to the West Indies, in July 2009. Then, they recorded historic wins in both the longer formats, sweeping the Tests 2-0 and ODIs 3-0 against a weakened West Indies side.

Michael Klinger has revealed he felt compelled to leave South Australia after being told he would be only a fringe part of the Redbacks’ plans for next season

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-2014Michael Klinger has revealed he felt compelled to leave South Australia after being told he would be only a fringe part of the Redbacks’ plans for next season, and disputed the suggestion that he left the state for a richer contract with Western Australia.Currently in England as captain of Gloucestershire, 33-year-old Klinger said he was cornered into the decision after being told he was no guarantee of taking his usual place in the SA top order for 2014-15. This directive surprised Klinger, who still retains ambitions of playing for Australia at next year’s World Cup.”I was disappointed and disagreed with the feedback I received. Two Shield games ago I scored a double-ton for South Australia,” Klinger told . “Without sounding arrogant, I feel I am too good a player to not play a full season of Shield cricket. I still have ambitions to play one-day cricket for Australia in the 2015 World Cup but if you are not playing Shield cricket you are out of people’s minds.”When the move was announced, SACA’s high performance manager Jamie Cox had said that Klinger’s decision was influenced by the provision of greater “contract security” with the Warriors. However Klinger said he had not been seeking a contract extension or greater remuneration, and was hurt to be leaving teammates he had grown close to and a city he and his family had made their home over six years.”It was not a contract or money issue,” he said. “The two years over one from WA helped, but I only had a guaranteed opportunity to play first-class cricket in one place. The hardest thing is leaving my team-mates. SA will have success soon and to not be part of that hurts a lot.”It has been a pretty emotional couple of sleepless nights for us. The decision was taking a toll. I was getting a lot of love from Justin Langer, saying I would help their young players and help as a leader for WA.”

Kevin Pietersen’s expected return is an undoubted boost to Delhi Daredevils, but their depleted pace attack might be just as rejuvenating to the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s misfiring top order

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu24-Apr-20143:47

‘On form, Delhi look better than Hyderabad’

Match factsFriday, April 25, 2014
Start time 1430 (1030 GMT, 1600 IST)All eyes on him: Kevin Pietersen is expected to make his debut as a T20 globetrotter•Getty ImagesMatch factsDelhi Daredevils will hope the prospective debut of Kevin Pietersen in his new role of globetrotting T20 expert would make half as much an impact as it secures eye balls. His England door remains as shut as ever, though he hasn’t let it weigh him down, assuming tweets of comparing notes with David Moyes and Piers Morgan about bad years are accurate measure. A fractured finger has delayed his return to competitive cricket – in which time Daredevils have sustained two limp defeats in three games – but with some training behind him and his team needing a definitive push from the bottom half of the table, the big occasion beckons.Daredevils wouldn’t have much strife fitting their captain into the XI with Nathan Coulter-Nile sidelined with a hamstring injury. As much as Pietersen’s availability is a boost, the loss of a potent death bowler might sting badly. With hardly any reserves in the squad, the onus falls on Mohammed Shami to control either end of the bowling innings and Pietersen himself in how well he distributes the workload.Facing a depleted attack in an afternoon match forms the best opportunity for Sunrisers Hyderabad to post first points. The top three, for all their repute, have been shoddy and the support acts lower down have found recovery out of their depth. There is an argument for spreading Shikhar Dhawan, Aaron Finch and David Warner along the batting order especially considering the Dubai track has played tricks with the batsmen’s timing. None of them are as potent outside the opening position, but an experienced hand to guide the latter half of the innings is vital considering wickets have usually tumbled in clumps here.Watch out for …Rapid starts are Mayank Agarwal’s forte. His penchant for hitting the ball on the up and through the line makes for exciting viewing, but if the opposition is smart and keeps a steady back of a length outside off, he tends to orchestrate his own downfall.He has been typecast as a new-ball specialist but Bhuvneshwar Kumar has displayed admirable tenacity in the final overs. He’s hit the yorkers, he’s sneaked in a few slower balls and stifled the batsmen for room and in the process has gone six an over or under so far.Stats and trivia Delhi Daredevils recorded their lowest total of 80 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013 David Warner’s T20 strike-rate falls from 142.57 while opening to 121.22 for Nos. 3-7

Angus Robson, the younger brother of England’s new opening batsman Sam, and Greg Smith hit run-a-ball centuries as their 221-run second-wicket stand ensured a chastening time in the field for the Indians

Nagraj Gollapudi at Grace Road28-Jun-2014
ScorecardIshant Sharma had a difficult day until bagging a couple of late wickets•AFPAngus Robson, the younger brother of England’s new opening batsman Sam, and Greg Smith hit run-a-ball centuries as their 221-run second-wicket stand ensured a chastening time in the field for the Indians’ seven-strong fast-bowling attack on the final day of their first warm-up match against Leicestershire.Both batsmen played with gusto and freedom to allow Leicestershire to dominate the day which saw the morning session curtailed to just 13 overs after rain interrupted play after an hour, but it did not matter to the Robson-Smith combination as they scored at almost six runs an over. The pair added 178 runs in the middle session comprising 30 overs.It has been a fine week for the Robson family with Sam registering his maiden Test century at Headingley exactly a week ago against Sri Lanka. This was the younger Robson’s highest score of the season which had previously included six fifties. He expects a phone call from his brother ahead of the Test series – for the odd bit of information about the Indian bowlers – and his only regret was that this was not a first-class fixture.”It’s been a pretty special day,” he said. “Mum and Dad have been here. It’s funny how it works out, two Saturdays in a row they’ve seen us make hundreds.”Ten days ago Smith scored a century at his home ground in the T20 Blast against Nottinghamshire. He also has a Championship hundred this season and reached the landmark today with consecutive sixes against the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. Both straight hits went crashing into the sightscreen at the Bennett End with the first one even creating a dent.But a deeper dent was created in the opposition bowling camp. The Indians might say it was the first day on the job for the bowlers, but at times it became embarrassing. Ishant Sharma, one of the three players from the current squad to have played Test cricket in England, and the bowling captain by default in the absence of Zaheer Khan, failed to make any impact and effectively became a figure of ridicule for a group of Indian fans at the Bennett End, who endlessly heckled him each time he walked back to his bowling mark.Ishant, who had taken consecutive five-wicket hauls in the two-Test series in New Zealand in February, India’s previous series in the longest format, was listless for most of his three spells. He started with a no-ball in the morning session which had to be immediately called off as the rain arrived and upon returning he delivered two further no-balls as his first over went for 11 runs. His first spell of four overs leaked 41 runs and he overstepped six times.As he retreated to long leg Indian fans were not afraid to offer some advice. “Put some effort. Bend down,” one fan shouted. As he lined up to deliver another over, Ishant would not have missed the annoying scream coming from the crowd: “How many fours are you going to give this over?”It might have been amusing to the ear, but the Indians may have found the impatience of their fans a little bit irritating. Barring Ishant, none of the other quicks had ever bowled with the red ball in England. And it showed straightaway.It was overcast right through Saturday and the Indians might have fancied taking advantage of what they perceived as helpful conditions. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose primary strength is swing, struggled to find the right length throughout his solitary spell of seven overs which went for 46 runs including ten fours, all of which came at the hands of an aggressive Robson.Later Robson said that he took advantage of the fuller lengths Bhuvneshwar bowled while attempting to swing the ball. He felt the Indians started with intensity, but grew “tired” as he and Smith stretched the partnership. He also felt that while the bowling attack was inexperienced, it was their lack of knowledge of him that played into his hands.”The lengths they bowled this morning were fullish and I was looking to drive as I usually do,” he said. “After I faced the first couple of overs of Kumar I felt he was a skiddy sort of a bowler and the best way to take him on was to drive him and hit him for a few fours. He swing it around a lot and I felt that If I was stuck around in my crease I was just sitting ducks.”The key to succeed in England has always remained the same: pitch on lengths that make the batsmen play and move the ball enough to bring the slips into play. Today the Indians created just a handful of such opportunities. One of them was plucked spectacularly by Ajinkya Rahane early in the morning session when he intercepted an outside edge from Leicestershire captain Matthew Boyce who was troubled by some away movement from Pankaj Singh.Pankaj, along with Mohammad Shami and later Varun Aaron, were the pick of the Indian bowlers as the trio bowled at a good pace and created some doubts for the batsmen.With another three-day match against Derbyshire starting on Tuesday, the Indians will ideally want to get an idea of their lead pack of bowlers for the first Test at Trent Bridge on July 9. They did, however, get a late boost when Ishant took two wickets in three balls in an aggressive over he was allowed to bowl in fading light.

Kevin Pietersen, the former England batsman, says Alastair Cook “has shown he does not have the tactical brain to lead the side” and would fare better if he stepped down from captaincy

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jul-2014Kevin Pietersen has said Alastair Cook “has shown he does not have the tactical brain to lead the side” and would fare better if he stepped down from captaincy. In his column for the , Pietersen highlighted the importance of Cook, the opening batsman, in the context of setting up a Test and said England needed that aspect more than his leadership skills.”He could have another 10 years left but his batting requires emergency help and he needs to speak to someone away from the England set-up,” Pietersen said. “He has to be honest with himself.”I had an issue with left-arm spin so went to seek advice from others. I spoke to Indians, the best players of spin in the world, and asked them how I could solve it. I spoke to people in the Indian Premier League, spent hours on the phone and communicated via email with coaches and players.”Cook still wants to be the man that takes England forward from their current slump. But after ceding the Lord’s Test – England’s seventh loss in 10 matches – on a green pitch seemingly to the home side’s advantage, he admitted it was one of his “darkest experiences” and that his position would become “untenable” if his search for form remained fruitless over the remaining three Tests against India.”The hardest issue for him [Cook] to deal with is concerns over his tactical expertise,” Pietersen said. “His batting has been under the microscope before. He knows how to deal with that. But captaincy is different, especially now he has lost his right-hand man in Matt Prior. Cook needs people with experience of international cricket around him, which Peter Moores and Paul Farbrace lack.”According to Pietersen, “he should do what is right for England and resign the captaincy”, allowing him to focus on his game and regaining the sort of the form that made him England’s leading century-maker in Tests.The Ageas Bowl is the scene of Cook’s next challenge and, with the team 0-1 down, Pietersen believes a counterpunch is needed to improve Cook’s game.”He is 6ft 3in and a strong, stocky guy. He should be batting like Matthew Hayden. He should not stand there and let medium pacers bowl him half-volleys all day long and get him out,” Pietersen said. “Someone of his size, strength, ability and with his eye should be hitting half-volleys for four all day.”Look at Cook’s head when he is nicking off at the moment. It is above or behind his front knee. He is not heading down the ground and a strong guy like that opening the innings with a build like Hayden should be hitting the ball straight. The cover drive is the easiest shot in the world to play. Every kid can do it so why not someone as talented as Cook? Batting is all about hitting balls in straight lines. A guy who has scored 25 Test hundreds can change his game slightly and start driving off the front foot.”Cook needn’t lose hope though, reckons Pietersen. He said England should take a hint from other teams enlisting former players – like Marvan Atapattu for Sri Lanka, Rahul Dravid for India and Shane Warne for Australia – and utilising their experience. Neither Moores or Farbrace played international cricket and England discarded Graham Gooch, their leading run-scorer in Tests, as batting coach at the start of the summer but Graham Thorpe and Mark Ramprakash remain involved.”How many ex-international players have England had recently working with them? None. There is so much knowledge in English cricket going to waste,” he said.”There are so many great cricket brains in the Sky studios. Put that radio in your ear, listen to them on the balcony or in the dressing room and Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Warne or whoever could be saying something you didn’t know and could implement in the game.”

Batsman Michael Klinger has signed with the Perth Scorchers for the 2014-15 BBL season, completing his move west from South Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2014Batsman Michael Klinger has signed with the Perth Scorchers for the 2014-15 BBL season, completing his move west from South Australia. Klinger joined Western Australia in April after being told he would only be a fringe part of South Australia’s plans next summer, and he has now officially made the switch from the Adelaide Strikers as well.”Hopefully I can add the experience and steely resolve that, as an opposition player, was obvious that Simon [Katich] brought to the group,” Klinger said. “They are very big shoes to fill because he is a champion player and person, but hopefully I can go some way in replacing the influence Simon had on the group.”Scorchers coach Justin Langer said Klinger would be a valuable addition to the squad.”I am still pinching myself at the prospect of having Michael play for us this summer,” Langer said. “His experience, character and skill will be a welcome addition to both of our squads, and, he will give us the flexibility to bat anywhere in our order. Having spent his career batting in the top three, Michael has the ability to make runs anywhere and against any opposition.”