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The Indian batting emphasised why they are such a feared unit and the spinners continued to look impressive as they beat New Zealand by 117 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran at the MA Chidambaram Stadium16-Feb-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Suresh Raina’s whirlwind half-century marked a return to form after a lean patch•AFP

The Indian batting emphasised why they are such a feared unit by piling up 360 against New Zealand, despite the failures of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, two batsmen who tormented New Zealand in the one-day series three months ago, crafted a century partnership to set the base, before MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina, two batsmen who are crowd favourites in Chennai for their IPL exploits, delighted the fans with brutal hitting that was frenetic even by Twenty20 standards. The final 16 overs brought a jaw-dropping 193 runs to further demoralise a struggling New Zealand outfit, who were eventually crushed by 117 runs.The Chennai crowd wouldn’t have expected such a treat when the superstar opening pair of Tendulkar and Sehwag fell within the first ten overs. It was Kohli who led the recovery initially after the loss of the two wickets, continuing to be in the fluent form that has has more or less earned him a starting place in India’s opening World Cup game at the expense of Raina. A combination of hard-hit lofted drives and delicate dinks behind square brought him a stabilising half-century.It had been run-of-the-mill stuff till the 34th over, with the bowling mostly mediocre and the batsmen mainly concerned with consolidation. The mandatory ball change in the 35th over prompted the batting Powerplay, and began an hour-long period of carnage. Gambhir started it with lap sweeps and carves over extra cover, followed by three successive boundaries off Tim Southee in the 37th to pick up 31 off 12 deliveries before nicking to the keeper.If New Zealand felt that would provide some respite, there were emphatically proved wrong by Dhoni and Raina, both of whose one-day fortunes have hit a trough in the recent past. Dhoni showed that the bludgeoner of old wasn’t gone for good, by thrashing a 61-ball century that had plenty of heaves over midwicket and power-packed drives down the ground. There were some deft placements as well from Dhoni to collect boundaries past short third man and short fine leg. Raina joined in the fun, with his patented swipes towards midwicket fetching him loads of runs in a 25-ball half-century.Jacob Oram’s bowling performance perfectly illustrated how New Zealand wilted after a solid beginning. Oram, fighting for a place in the starting XI, started the day with the massive wicket of Virender Shehwag off his first delivery. It got even better for him when he returned for his second spell; he had Kolhi poking at an extremely wide delivery that ended up as a nick to the keeper, and his figures read 7-1-30-2. The smile was off his face in his final burst, though, as Dhoni picked five successive fours off him before Raina swung him for three sixes over midwicket in four balls. Oram kicked the ground in disgust as he ended with 9-1-70-2.New Zealand began their chase spiritedly with Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill scoring quickly against the quick bowlers. As on Sunday against Australia, it was the spinners that applied the brakes for India. New Zealand had sprinted to 94 for 0 in 15 overs, when offspinner R Ashwin removed Guptill with a delivery that spun sharply and bounced, flying off the bat handle to Dhoni. McCullum was then dismissed attempting a misjudged run, before Harbhajan Singh removed the two other big names in the New Zealand batting, Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor. At 147 for 5, the game was up, though New Zealand’s lower order lingered around for another 18 overs.The batting can’t be blamed for coming up short in the face of a mammoth target, but the bowling, which was taken apart on Wednesday, had shipped loads of runs in the first warm-up against Ireland as well. New bowling coach Allan Donald will have his hands full during the tournament. Taylor, who was captain in the absence of Daniel Vettori, admitted his bowlers had been too expensive. “MS Dhoni batted very well, but I think we leaked 40 or 50 too many runs on that wicket.”Dhoni will be satisfied overall with the two wins in the warm-up matches, but he won’t be getting carried away by these results, especially after India’s disastrous 2007 World Cup campaign which had begun with two massive victories in the practice matches.Taylor, though, is convinced India are clear front-runners to win the tournament this time around. “I think they have got to be the favourites by far; it’s on their home conditions, and as you saw out there, they are a very well balanced side,” Taylor said. “Spinners are going to be the key, and they have some very good spinners in Harbhajan [Singh] and R Ashwin and their part-timers also.”

Match Timeline

Graeme Swann admitted that England were left shell-shocked by the manner and magnitude of their incredible three-wicket defeat at the hands of Kevin O’Brien on Wednesday night

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2011Graeme Swann admitted that England were left shell-shocked by the manner and magnitude of their incredible three-wicket defeat at the hands of Kevin O’Brien on Wednesday night, but insisted that the team’s best response would be to put the result right out of their minds as they turn their attention to Sunday’s crucial showdown against the Group B pacesetters, South Africa, in Chennai.As Ireland’s celebrations continued long and loud in the wake of the biggest result of their lives, England flew out of Bangalore knowing that their World Cup campaign is in danger of sliding out of control, after three consecutive fixtures – including a thrilling tie with India – in which their frailties have been exposed with both bat and ball. However, with contests against South Africa, Bangladesh and West Indies still to come, qualification for the quarter-finals remains in their own hands, so long as they revert to winning ways at the earliest opportunity.”If we are going to win this World Cup – which we truly believe we can – we’ve got to go out and prove it, and we do that first and foremost in the field,” said Swann. “Four or five days ago, the whole world was saying ‘Oh my God, England can win’ this – because we didn’t get destroyed by that invincible Indian team. We know the fickle nature of the world, and we’re going to ignore that and just carry on and play the best cricket we can.”At 111 for 5, chasing a massive 328 for victory, Ireland’s chances of victory were seemingly non-existent, until Kevin O’Brien climbed onto the offensive with the innings of his – or anyone else’s – life. His incredible 50-ball century slammed England’s bowlers onto the defensive, and in partnership with first Alex Cusack and then John Mooney, Ireland clawed their way back into the contest.”It’s disappointing to lose any game of cricket,” said Swann. “But it was one where we got ourselves into a position of such dominance, to then have it taken away from us is quite shell-shocking. Every now and again someone wakes up and has the best day of their life – and yesterday Kevin O’Brien did that. We should have bowled better; we certainly could have bowled better, but that’s tarnishing the knock he had – personally I think he won the game rather than we lost it.”Despite that assertion, the cracks in England’s performance were visible long before O’Brien got going, with Matt Prior dropping a steepling chance behind the stumps to reprieve Ed Joyce, and Swann himself was visibly peeved with his fielders before claiming three quick wickets to put his team firmly in charge of the contest. “A lot of guys were peed off, and rightly so,” he said. “We got ourselves into a position where the opposition were 110 for five, with 20 overs to go. That’s a game an international team of the calibre that we feel we are should win 10 out of 10.””It’s annoying in the extreme, but I’m not taking anything away from Kevin O’Brien and the performance of his life,” Swann added. “It’s the best knock I’ve seen in a long time. If a guy gets 100 off 60 balls [sic], a guy gets 100 off 60 balls. There’s not a lot you can do, except say we should have bowled differently – and in the next game we will do. If we start panicking and thinking we’re the disgrace that half the people on Twitter thought we were last night, there’s no point in us playing.”You can always bowl better,” he added. “When a guy hits that many sixes you are obviously putting the ball in the wrong place. We could have bowled more yorkers and more slower balls wide of the wicket – that’s easy in retrospect to say. When you’re in the middle and the pressure is on with a guy going great guns, it can be difficult to think clearly. But we back ourselves to be professional and think clearly, so in future that’s certainly something we have to look at.”

Debutant Liam Norwell produced a superb all-round performance to put Gloucestershire in a commanding position against Derbyshire at Bristol

09-Apr-2011
Scorecard
Debutant Liam Norwell produced a superb all-round performance to put Gloucestershire in a commanding position against Derbyshire at Bristol. Norwell contributed 19 to a last-wicket stand of 76 with David Payne, who made an unbeaten 46, as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 343.The 19-year-old pace bowler then took 6 for 46, including the last four wickets for two runs in 11 balls, as Derbyshire were dismissed for 157. Gloucestershire captain Alex Gidman enforced the follow-on and the visitors reached 30 for no wicket from nine overs by stumps.Gloucestershire had started the day on 224 for 6 and Ian Saxelby departed in the second over when he hooked Jon Clare to long leg, where Tim Groenewald took a fine catch low down. Jon Batty, unbeaten on 61 overnight, advanced to 70 before he gloved a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Luke Sutton off Groenewald. It was Batty’s best score in 31 innings for Gloucestershire since he joined from Surrey last year.Lewis, who had batted with characteristic freedom in making 29 from 26 deliveries, was dismissed in the next over when Clare ripped out his off stump. But then came the last-wicket heroics from Norwell and Payne, which prolonged the Gloucestershire innings for a further 32 overs.There were few alarms for either batsman, although Derbyshire felt aggrieved not to get any of three confident appeals for catches at the wicket given by umpire Martin Saggers. The first came against Norwell, when he was on 6, and the other two were against Payne, when on 17 and 44.Payne was within sight of a well-deserved half-century when he rightly declined a second run to midwicket and Norwell was beaten by Groenewald’s throw to Sutton behind the stumps. Payne’s 100-ball innings contained eight boundaries, six of which came through the offside and the other two were turned off his legs through midwicket.When Derbyshire batted, Garry Park was first to go when Norwell, with his third ball, had him caught by Will Gidman at gully. Three more wickets fell in quick succession as Wes Durston fell leg before to Lewis, Wayne Madsen was caught behind off Norwell and Chesney Hughes drove
Saxelby to Payne at mid-off.Only another 19 runs had been added when Greg Smith mistimed a drive off Norwell to Lewis at mid-off. Then, three balls after the tea interval, Lewis had Dan Redfern caught at the wicket off a thin edge, which made it 92 for 6. Sutton and Clare hinted at a recovery with partnership of 56, but Norwell returned to have Sutton caught behind for 35 and the teenager soon wrapped up
the rest of the innings.He had Groenewald leg before to his second ball. Then, in his next over, Clare was taken at second slip by Chris Dent and Antonio Palladino gave Batty his fourth victim behind the stumps.
In Derbyshire’s second innings, Park was dropped on eight when Saxelby spilled a chance at third slip off Lewis. He was on 11 at stumps with Madsen on 17.

Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, hailed the team spirit and character his side showed in winning the first Test against Pakistan by 40 runs on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2011Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, hailed the team spirit and character his side showed in winning the opening Test against Pakistan by 40 runs to secure their first success in more than two years.It ended a 17-match wait for a Test victory having last won when they overcame England at Sabina Park in 2009, a side who Gibson was bowling coach of at the time, and gave some much-needed respite to the West Indies management after being roundly criticised in the lead-up to match.In a low-scoring encounter at Providence, Gibson felt it was the fight shown by the batsmen that helped them over the line. “The way we batted out the first day and the way we understood how difficult it was going to be showed me that everyone understood what was happening,” he said.”In the past, given the nature of the pitch we would probably have capitulated, but to hang in there and battle all day on the first day was what probably set us up for the fight we showed in the next three days.”A key period in the match was the 48-run stand for the final wicket in West Indies’ second innings where debutant legspinner Devendra Bishoo hung on with Shivnarine Chanderpaul to set Pakistan a target beyond 200.”The contribution from the lower order was exceptional,” Gibson said. “One of the things we have changed in our nets is that ‘everybody is a batsman’. Everyone must be seen to be trying to improve in the batting department. That was a huge difference in the match.”The performance of captain Darren Sammy, who was named Man of the Match after finishing with seven wickets in the game, was another huge positive for Gibson. Sammy’s position at the helm had been questioned by those who doubted he was good enough to hold his place in the side but he answered his critics emphatically.”For Sammy, who was under so much pressure, to perform the way he did was a credit to himself and the way he goes about his work. He’s an honest worker and a hard trier,” Gibson said. “You could not ask for more. Also for Ravi [Rampaul], who has been in and out, to come back into the team was great to see. He is a pleasure to work with and has a thirst for knowledge.”Bishoo came in and did a great job with the ball. He’s a keen, hungry, young cricketer who just wants to get better and do great things for the West Indies,” he added. “He’s an asset to have around. When he didn’t get any wickets for us in the second innings others stepped up and delivered. That is what team is all about.”The contribution of the whole team, was great. Everybody worked hard and we all stuck together. We won the first match so that means we can’t lose the series, but we don’t want to stop there. Winning the series is the goal. It has always been the goal.”Gibson’s next target is to try and back up the victory with another strong performance in the second Test in St Kitts which starts on Friday. He admitted that will be difficult, especially for a side that has struggled desperately for consistency, but hopes they can take confidence from the showing in Guyana.”Long before the Pakistanis arrived we spoke about the belief in the team that we could win the series. We want to win in St Kitts and take the series. Before Sunday’s result it was more than two years since we won a Test match and a series. You will have to go back a long time since the West Indies last won back-to-back Test matches.”The team will feed off this win and we will enjoy it. In international sport you have to enjoy your success, especially in our case where our last victory was more than two years ago.”

Duncan Fletcher, the new Indian coach, has said that his coaching philosophy will not be dictatorial in approach but will be about offering advice to the players

Sriram Veera13-May-2011Duncan Fletcher, the new Indian coach, has said that his coaching philosophy will not be dictatorial in approach but will be about offering advice to the players. Fletcher also pointed out that he had mentored Gary Kirsten and that was one of the main reasons that influenced Kirsten to recommend him for the post and for the BCCI to appoint him.”It’s not about dictating to the Indian players how I want them to play – sure to some degree you have to try influencing them – but it’s about offering advice to the players and it’s up to them to take it on board,” Fletcher said in his first news conference as India’s coach in Chennai. “Gary Kirsten followed my philosophy. He came and spoke to me before he took up the Indian job. I offered him advice on how to handle situations and he took that on board. And now, by Gary sort of pushing me for this job by taking my credentials to BCCI, he realised that my philosophy of coaching is right for India. Hopefully it’s right.”Fletcher said that he has been observing the Indian players over the last few months during his role as batting consultant to South Africa and New Zealand and reiterated that he was not going to make any wholesale changes. According to him, the most important thing would be to gain the respect of the players and he said that works both ways. “You have to gain their respect and they have to gain my respect. And that’s what this is about. Once you have that then it makes your job easier. It’s something you just have to work on as time progresses. I have worked with some big players elsewhere as well and you just got to develop this man-management process.”During the stint with South Africa and New Zealand I watched the Indian players. Sometimes I find more interest in quietly watching these players off the field and just observe because it interests me. “A coach’s relationship with the captain is the most crucial aspect of the job and Fletcher said he wouldn’t have taken up the role if he didn’t respect [MS] Dhoni as a captain. “It’s quite important that even before I was offered this job I had high regard for Dhoni. In fact I wrote a few articles which showed how I rated him as a very very good captain – not only on the field but how he handles the players off it.”India’s bowling is considered the team’s weak link and Fletcher said he has had an extensive chat with Eric Simons, the bowling coach, on May 12 about the bowlers and also met with Dhoni. “Having chatted with Eric Simons – he is a very good bowling coach and one I have lot of faith in – you must understand that I don’t want to come in and make lots of changes. I have the players during India’s last tour of South Africa and the series against New Zealand; so I have some idea about the bowlers but I would want to observe a little bit and then make some decisions.”Fletcher said he was very excited taking up the coaching role and said he arrived at the decision after giving it a lot of thought and speaking to the likes of Kirsten. “I asked for four-five- days time from the board. It was just to make sure you settle down as there are some areas you have to be careful about because it’s a high-profile role. I made a few calls, in particular to Gary Kirsten and I then accepted it.”India are the No.1 ranked Test team and ODI world champions and Fletcher admitted that it would be a challenge to maintain that momentum. “Yes, it will be difficult and that’s one of the things you consider before taking up the job. Hopefully I can add value somewhere down the line. First West Indies, then we are going to England where there will be lots of swing and seam. Then Australia where there will be bounce. Hopefully, the knowledge I pass on will be effective.”Fletcher also had a brief taste of the Indian media and the Indian’s board’s iron-hand approach. Suddenly, out of the blue, he was asked about his views on DRS, a system that the Indian board has steadfastly opposed. “I think it’s a system that will come in place. Obviously there are imperfections but once those imperfections are sorted out, it will play a role.”N Srinivasan, the board secretary, then leaned across and muttered something to Fletcher. Srinivasan, then, addressed the journalist who asked that question and said, “That was a loaded question. Mr Fletcher doesn’t know BCCI’s stance on DRS. You should have prefaced your question properly.”There was another instance of Srinivasan’s interjection. When Fletcher was asked about his views on rotation policy, Srinivasan chose to answer: “It’s a selection matter, no? He can give advice but ultimately it will come down to selectors. But I am sure when the coach sits in those meetings; his take will be taken on board by the selectors.”There was also a delightful faux pas from Fletcher. “Hopefully, my observations on these players will prove useful when I coach the England team. I mean the Indian team.”

Debutant Abdul Razzaq stunned Lancashire with a brutal innings as Leicestershire claimed their second Friends Life t20 win of the summer

08-Jun-2011
ScorecardAbdul Razzaq turned the match at Old Trafford on its head•PA Photos

Debutant Abdul Razzaq stunned Lancashire with a brutal innings as Leicestershire claimed their second Friends Life t20 win of the summer at Old Trafford. Chasing a Duckworth-Lewis boosted target of 165 from 19 overs, the Foxes had slumped to 99 for 6 in the 15th over and later needed 62 off the last 24 balls.Pakistan’s Razzaq then clubbed five sixes and three fours in a 30-ball 62 with a little help from tailender Wayne White. The pair shared an unbroken 66 inside five overs for the seventh wicket as White hit two maximums in 17 off 10 deliveries.Razzaq only landed in England the day before but helped to take 25 off the 16th over bowled by home skipper Steven Croft. Having been dropped by Stephen Moore on 26, the allrounder cleared the long-on fence with successive balls.White then hit maximums in a similar area off Gary Keedy and Kyle Hogg in the last two overs as the points were secured with four wickets and one ball to spare. Fellow overseas allrounder Andrew McDonald had laid a solid platform with an excellent 57 off 40 balls but Leicestershire slipped from 60 for 2 in the seventh.The hosts’ trio of spinners, Keedy, Simon Kerrigan and Stephen Parry all struck, with Keedy and Kerrigan getting two wickets each to put the skids under the visiting reply.Lancashire openers Moore and Tom Smith were the reasons why their side posted a competitive total, adding 88 inside 10 overs after a slow start. Moore top-scored with 48 off 39 balls and Smith 45 off 27, increasing their scoring rate after taking only 29 runs off the first five overs.Despite Smith holing out to McDonald at long-off as part-time spinner Josh Cobb struck in the 10th, the hosts scored 60 runs off the next five. Smith pulled Matthew Hoggard for six and whacked Cobb over long-off – the ball before departing – and Moore square-cut Hoggard for another maximum.Claude Henderson played a part in dragging things back by getting Moore stumped by Paul Nixon and Croft caught and bowled in the 13th over on the way to figures of 2 for 26 from four. Lancashire also lost Paul Horton and Gareth Cross but a four and six off the last two balls of the innings from Jordan Clark boosted the total.Smith then got Cobb caught at mid-on by a juggling Clark with the first ball of the Leicester innings before McDonald found his feet quickly. He shared 33 for the third wicket with James Taylor but the innings slipped as soon as the latter was trapped lbw by Kerrigan.Nixon was stumped by Cross off a Keedy wide, McDonald punted the same bowler to Horton at long-off and Jacques Du Toit found Clark at midwicket off Kerrigan before Razzaq’s fireworks turned the contest and inflicted a first defeat of this season’s campaign on Lancashire.

A round-up of the final and third-place playoff of the ICC East Asia-Pacific Region Division One Twenty20 tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2011Papua New Guinea maintained their unbeaten run in the East Asia-Pacific Region Division One Twenty20, beating Vanuatu by a comfortable margin of 58 runs in the final in Port Moresby. The victory books PNG’s spot in the Global Division One Twenty20 playoff in the UAE early next year, which will determine the two Associates or Affiliates to play in the 12-team World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.PNG elected to bat and got off to a streaky start when in-form opener Asad Vala was dropped by opposing captain Andrew Mansale. Vala, who had 344 runs in the tournament leading up to the final, and Tony Ura took advantage of Vanuatu’s slip-up, adding 56 off 5.2 overs before Jelany Chilia got Vala to edge to the keeper. Ura stood firm though, putting on 47 runs with Chris Amini, before falling for 48. By then the platform was laid for PNG – with the scoreboard reading 103 for 2 in the 11th over – to push on to a big total. Mahuru Dai and Jason Kila provided the final surge, striking four sixes to carry PNG to 195 for 5.The Vanuatu openers got the chase off to a steady start, but wickets in the fifth and sixth overs put PNG in front. From there on PNG picked up wickets regularly and kept the batsmen in check. Only Patrick Matautaava was able to inject some much-needed momentum into the Vanuatu innings, striking two fours and three sixes in his 36 off 18 balls. But when he was caught off medium-pacer Joel Tom – who was the pick of the bowlers for PNG, claiming 3 for 31 – in the 19th over, victory was already beyond Vanuatu.PNG captain, Rarva Dikana said the win at home, especially in front of the sizeable crowd, was fitting. “It is a huge achievement for the country, especially considering all of the development work going on,” he said. “I’m glad we could do this for everyone involved in cricket in PNG.”Ura, who was the second highest-scorer in the tournament behind opening partner Vala, was named Man of the Match. Tom and Matautaava, along with Fiji’s Iniasi Cakacaka, were the tournament’s top wicket-takers with nine wickets.In the third-place play-off game, an all-round performance from Samoa earned them a 30-run victory over Fiji. Samoa were sent into bat and though they lost opener Sean Cotter early, a steady 43 from captain Geoff Clarke, followed by whirlwind knocks from Faasao Mulivai (67) and Pritchard Pritchard (28*), carried them to a competitive 172 for 3.Fiji’s chase started poorly when they lost opener Sekove Ravoka in the first over. A 58-run second wicket partnership between Joji Bulabalavu and Iniasi Cakacaka steadied the innings, but a flurry of quick wickets after that derailed their chase. They slumped from 58 for 1 to 68 for 5 and couldn’t get going after that, getting bowled out for 142. Samoa’s bowlers were steady with Cotter, the most successful, claiming 3 for 9 in three overs.

Creating a professional ethos and identifying new talent are the key focus areas for West Indies as they aim to break into the top half of the Test table by 2015, their captain Darren Sammy has said

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2011Creating a professional ethos, improving fitness levels and identifying new talent are the key focus areas for West Indies as they aim to break into the top half of the Test table by 2015, their captain Darren Sammy has said. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Sammy, who was appointed captain until the end of the 2011 season, also spoke about his experience thus far, the role of seniors in the side and his dynamics with former captain Chris Gayle.”Obviously bringing the whole professional attitude into practice properly and getting fit [are top of the agenda],” Sammy said, outlining the side’s vision, as they strive to shake off years of sub-par performances. “I believe the fitter you are, the more right decisions you will make. You will not cramp up under pressure. Being in the top five by 2015, and building a strong team that will go out and compete against anybody [are also part of the plan].”If you noticed over the last couple of years, we have been rotating the same guys. So now we are exposing a few more players, getting the right system, the right work ethic to go out and represent West Indies. Start changing the whole laidback type of culture, just strictly being professional. Knowing what to do for the team, and doing whatever it takes to make the team win [are the goals].”Sammy took charge of the side in a period of turmoil caused by the team’s on-field disappointments, and continued wrangling between the board and senior players, Gayle in particular. Several critics have questioned Sammy’s place in the side as an allrounder, pointing to his modest batting returns at No. 8. Sammy has gained more success with the ball – he has 46 wickets in 16 Tests – but his presence in the team relegates the much faster Kemar Roach to the bench. Sammy said the criticism was unfair and believed his record was good enough to merit a spot in the starting XI.”I think I have justified my selection as a bowler in the team,” Sammy said. “My batting has obviously not been up to scratch. It’s something I have to work on.”If I look at my Test record it is okay. In every team somebody will always be the fall guy. So far it’s always been me. It’s tough luck on Kemar. At the end of the day the selectors pick the team. What’s good is that we have competition for spots in the bowling department.”Sammy also revealed that while he was ready to lead the team through the tough times, he had no qualms over playing under someone else. “I am not somebody who, if not the captain, will be sulking and stuff like that. To be honest, I never dreamt of being the captain. Whether I am the captain or not, I will be the same person. I enjoy my job, but what I am saying is I would enjoy my cricket even if I am not the captain.”The Gayle-WICB dispute has raged for the bulk of Sammy’s tenure as captain – he took charge after Gayle’s demotion. However, he challenged the perception that he was the board’s man and insisted he had always enjoyed a good working relationship with Gayle and had no part to play in how the feud unfolded.”The whole situation with Gayle is not in my hands. I have no issues with Christopher. He helped me throughout the World Cup. I was always going to him for advice and stuff like that. It’s sad that we have an issue like this now. Hopefully something positive will come out of this issue.”Even as West Indies make a concerted push towards introducing new talent, Sammy said seniors like Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan have a role to play in the side’s future. “You saw today [fifth day of the Dominica Test] what Shiv [Chanderpaul] does and what he has been doing throughout his career. He has the ability to rally the younger players around him. And we have a number of young players in the team presently, but you saw the way he guided Kirk Edwards through to his first century. Hopefully he can carry on batting like he’s been doing.”Sars [Sarwan] is a class player. I believe that he will bounce back being the classy player that he is and the fighter that he is. So I will never write Sarwan off. I believe he still has a lot to offer.”

Sanjay Bangar, the former India allrounder who currently plays for Railways, is among the applicants for the position of Mumbai’s coach

Abhishek Purohit26-Aug-2011Sanjay Bangar, the former India allrounder who currently plays for Railways, is among the applicants for the position of Mumbai’s coach. The new coach will be appointed on Monday by the Mumbai Cricket Association’s cricket improvement committee (CIC).”I had applied at the end of the IPL,” Bangar told ESPNcricinfo. “But I have not had any communication with the MCA after that.”Mumbai have been without a coach since former India batsman Pravin Amre quit earlier this year, following an underwhelming season in which the 39-time champions lost in the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals to eventual winners Rajasthan. Former player Vilas Godbole has been filling in as stand-in coach for the Mumbai side playing in the ongoing Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai.Mumbai-based Bangar is a domestic veteran having played 150 first-class matches in a career spanning 18 years and, at 38, is still an integral part of the Railways team. He was with the Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise in IPL 2011 as part of the coaching staff.If he is chosen as the coach, it would mean the end of Bangar’s first-class career and his association with Railways as a player, something which he holds very dear. “If it happens, it is going to be a very tough decision for me. I have loved being part of the Railways side over the years.”MCA treasurer Ravi Sawant said the position of Mumbai coach was filled by invitation and therefore the candidates were not restricted to people who have applied for the post. “The Cricket Improvement Committee will meet on Monday and after deliberating will invite a suitable person to coach the Mumbai team,” he told the . “This position is filled through invitation, and not application.”Balwinder Sandhu, member of the committee that will select the coach, was of the view that sufficient coaching experience counted when it came to mentoring the most-decorated domestic team in the country.”I have always been of the view that we should call the candidates for interviews, ask them about their plans for Mumbai cricket and then decide,” Sandhu said. “But that has not happened so far. We will take a call on the position soon.”When the CIC meet to decide on the new coach, former Mumbai players Sanjay Manjrekar, Milind Rege and Sanjay Patil will not be there as they have been removed from the CIC, with the MCA deciding on a fixed term for members of the committee. Rege and Manjrekar have been a part of the committee since its inception in 2001. “They said that we have completed eight years and we are no more required,” Rege told . “I don’t want to comment on their decision. But I will always be available for Mumbai cricket whenever required.”

A solitary half-century, a near king-pair, an average shading 20.00 and three different opening partners in his first five matches indicate how patchy Abhinav Mukund’s baptism into Test cricket has been

Nitin Sundar29-Aug-2011A solitary half-century, a near king-pair, an average shading 20.00 and three different opening partners in his first five matches – the numbers are indicative of how tough Abhinav Mukund’s baptism into Test cricket has been, but he is encouraged by the way he has come through.”The results don’t show how much progress I made,” Abhinav told ESPNcricinfo. “I have definitely got the belief that I could do well and there’s so much that I have learned. It was a tough couple of tours [West Indies and England], but I can take a lot of confidence out of them.”Abhinav was far from the reckoning at the start of the season but injuries to Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir gave him a chance in the West Indies alongside his Tamil Nadu opening partner M Vijay. His performance on that tour sealed the third opener’s slot for England ahead of Vijay, but Abhinav insists he will always look up to his “senior partner” in whose company he has amassed runs for his state.”I’ve been opening with Vijay since I started playing at the domestic level [so] it was really good to open with him in my first three Tests,” Abhinav said. “Both of us know that there is competition, but that doesn’t affect our equation. He has helped me a lot in the domestic set-up, where we have had long partnerships and spent a lot of time in the middle.”Abhinav dropped out of the XI with Sehwag returning for the last two Tests against England, despite his century batting at No. 3 in the tour game against Northants, and he played no further part in the tour. The setback did not affect Abhinav, who admitted that shoehorning him into the XI for Edgbaston would have upset the team’s combination.”I batted at No. 3 in the tour game only to give Dravid a break,” Abhinav said. “I wanted to get a few runs and put some pressure on the management. At the end of the day, I believe that opening batsmen should open. [However] I don’t really mind playing lower down the order if slots open up there and I can contribute.”Abhinav’s debut coincided with that of the new India coach, Duncan Fletcher, who he says has had a positive influence on his batting. “Duncan hadn’t seen me much before the West Indies tour,” Abhinav said. “There were a lot of pointers he gave me, small things. The wickets in West Indies were a lot bouncier than I expected – especially Jamaica and Barbados. He showed me how to play much closer to the body, which was very helpful for someone like me who has grown up batting on South Indian wickets. It is something that I can use when playing on wickets with bounce and movement.”Walking out with different partners on a regular basis did not, he said, affect his mindset. “You can’t control injuries, especially on-field ones as happened to Gautam,” Abhinav said. “I had played with Dravid before [in the West Indies], and opening with him wasn’t a big difference since he comes in at No. 3.”Abhinav’s biggest challenge in England came at Trent Bridge where he chose to take first strike in the second innings despite being on a king pair. “I really wanted to take the first ball, no matter what,” he said. “I wanted to back myself and taking first strike was a positive move. It was very important that the openers showed a sign of solidarity, since the team revolves around the start the openers make.”Like in the first innings, Abhinav edged his first ball into the cordon, but Tim Bresnan put down a simple catch. Abhinav could not cash in, though, and managed only three as India sank against a bouncer barrage.”It was a really good ball,” Abhinav said about the James Anderson outswinger that nearly gave him the ignominy of two first-ballers. “Considering it was a good ball, I could have got a king pair but I didn’t. At the end of the day, though, I didn’t get too many either. I should have carried on.”Abhinav’s batting has reminded several cricket followers of the former Tamil Nadu and India opener Sadagoppan Ramesh. Abhinav said his team-mates, including Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh, refer to him as ‘Taki’, which used to be Ramesh’s nickname. “Apparently, even my mannerisms off the field are similar to his,” he said. “It is nothing conscious, since I haven’t seen Ramesh bat much. By the time I got my break into the Ranji side, he had moved on to other things.”