Kiran Carlson became the youngest player to make a first-class hundred for Glamorgan and held up Essex’s planned promotion party in the process

Alan Gardner at Chelmsford12-Sep-2016
ScorecardKiran Carlson’s historic hundred held up Essex•Getty Images

Delayed at the start of the day by the absence of Glamorgan’s equipment from the ground, Essex were delayed at the end by the presence of a record-breaking teenager at the crease. Needing six points to confirm promotion and the Division Two title, Essex managed two in short order before Kiran Carlson’s maiden first-class hundred staved off a seemingly inexorable collapse. At 18 years and 119 days, Carlson became the youngest player to score a first-class century for Glamorgan.These are heady days at the ECG but Essex are not yet champions and Carlson’s unheralded intervention – his previous best score in four innings was 10 – meant the metaphorical bunting that was being brought out by the time Graham Napier’s fourth wicket reduced Glamorgan to 83 for 6 had to be stowed away by the close. As if to compound the frustration Napier, playing in his last home match before retirement, limped off during the afternoon and will have to wait until the morning to find out how much more of a role he can play.A club that have become so used to near misses have embraced their status as frontrunners warily. The Essex members who had seen their team finish third in each of the last three seasons were convinced that, with only one promotion spot available as the ECB whittles away a couple of games from the Championship schedule, this would doubtless be the year they finished second. Three innings wins in a row at the climax of the season – not to mention Kent’s welcome capitulation against Northamptonshire last week – has grudgingly brought people around.They have become used to waiting, however, and the news that the start would be put back, ultimately by an hour and a half, because Glamorgan’s kit van was stuck on the A12 was met with ironic chuckles by those Essex fans who had got in early to see every moment of a game that is expected to be a coronation. Bonus points alone could be enough to see Essex go up – they lead Kent, who only have one game left, by 20 points and Sussex by 43 – and this game pitted the team with the most wins in Division Two against the team with the most losses.Napier began the first spell of his final appearance at Chelmsford with two wickets in two balls and it was all beginning to seem disconcertingly easy. It took the contributions of a couple of young Welshmen to give the Essex worry ball a squeeze, as Carlson and Owen Morgan put on an unbroken 129 during the second half of a shortened day. Truly a case of better late than never for Glamorgan.Carlson took a five-for with his offspin on debut at Northamptonshire a couple of weeks ago but this performance, eclipsing that of Mike Llewellyn in 1972, was less of a surprise. Batting at No. 6, he produced several stylish drives and cuts among plenty of watchful accumulation that was capped off by a scampered single to bring up three figures and an ovation from his team-mates on the balcony.”I am more of a batsman, it’s lovely to get my first hundred under my belt pretty soon into my career,” he said. “It’s amazing, I can’t put into words how I feel. When you start playing cricket, aged seven or eight, you go and watch Glamorgan and think that could be me in a few years. It’s great to have Welsh boys doing well.”To emphasise the latter point, his team-mate Morgan then went on to conduct an interview in Welsh. Both players gave chances, with Carlson dropped on 67 in the gully by Daniel Lawrence – a sharp catch that would have given Napier his five-for – and coming close to running himself out on 81. Morgan was put down at second slip when he had 7, by Nick Browne off Ravi Bopara, and gave a tough caught-and-bowled opportunity to Jamie Porter when had reached his half-century.Glamorgan’s young batsmen are making their mark. Carlson was the fourth Glamorgan player aged 22 or under to score a first-class hundred this season and three of them are Welsh born: reasons for pride in a challenging season.After a sorry morning session (which technically began at noon), it appeared losing their bats on the motorway had been Glamorgan’s best chance of holding Essex up. A great cheer went up from the pavilion when the van was spotted driving in through the gate shortly before 11.30am – an hour after the scheduled start due to an accident on the motorway – and it was as if the Chelmsford regulars knew what was in store.Glamorgan were initially compliant extras. Jacques Rudolph requested a toss, doubtless concluding that the pitch was firm enough and the sun high enough to bankroll a day of batting if only the opening exchanges against the new ball could be won; he and Nick Selman then got through nearly a dozen overs of fretful playing and missing before Napier, the local hero and man for this season of all seasons, took centre stage.His fifth delivery was full and wide – it is probably not a calumny to call it a half-volley – but Rudolph’s flailing bat could only deflect a thick edge to second slip. The next ball, to Will Bragg, offered no such margin for error and thudded into the front pad, Steve O’Shaugnessy’s front finger duly raised. Graham Gooch, watching on from the executives boxes, might well have repeated his enquiry to Ian Botham in 1986: “Who writes your scripts?”The slide became 3 for 0 in six balls when Selman was bowled by Porter – Essex’s other 50-wicket bowler this year – and although Aneurin Donald stroked Napier’s hat-trick delivery through the covers for four, he followed David Lloyd back to the pavilion a couple of overs later as the carefully piloted Glamorgan dirigible plummeted from the cautious optimism of 30 for 0 to the grim reality of 34 for 5. It was all too much for one wag to resist the question: their kit has turned up but have Glamorgan? Time for Carlson and Morgan to deliver a pithy riposte.

Lancashire’s bowlers piled the pressure on Warwickshire on the opening day of their County Championship relegation battle at Edgbaston

ECB Reporters Network20-Sep-2016
ScorecardTom Bailey’s four wickets put Lancashire on top•Getty Images

Lancashire’s bowlers piled the pressure on Warwickshire on the opening day of their County Championship relegation battle at Edgbaston.With Hampshire making strong progress at The Ageas Bowl, it looks increasingly likely that whichever side loses this match will go down. And Warwickshire are looking vulnerable after they were bowled out for 219, taking just a single batting point.They are far from out of the game – the ball has swung and there is some assistance for the spinners. But Lancashire completed their solid day’s work by reaching 14 without loss at the close and three days after the euphoria of their Royal London Cup triumph at Lord’s, Warwickshire’s supporters were left anxious by another patchy day’s work from their team.

Plenty in the pitch – Brown

Warwickshire director of cricket Dougie Brown: “There is still plenty in the pitch and it is probably going to deteriorate quite quickly. Credit to Lancashire, they bowled very well, very disciplined, but it was a difficult pitch to score on and unless something changes markedly, which we don’t expect, it will remain difficult.
At the moment it all looks pretty cosy for Lancashire but if they are in a run-chase for 240/250 then all of a sudden comes the realisation that they are in a real run-chase to remain in Division One. We have just got to focus on getting to that point in the game.”

Lancashire owe their ascendancy to bowling of sustained accuracy, led by Tom Bailey and Jordan Clark. Only Sam Hain reached 50 and, as the bowlers maintained the pressure, no partnership got that far.Lancashire chose to bowl and started perfectly when Ian Westwood was lbw to Bailey’s fourth ball.Alex Mellor and Jonathan Trott added 44 and, after Mellor edged Bailey to first slip, Trott and Ian Bell put on 37. But Clark’s dismissal of Trott, edging an outswinger just before lunch, set the tone of the day – Lancashire regularly striking just as a partnership seemed to take root.
Having made 83 for 3 in the first session, Warwickshire made 82 for 3 in the second. Bell was lbw to Kyle Jarvis, then four balls later came a needless run out. Hain called for a tight single which Tim Ambrose failed to make as Jarvis landed a direct-hit from mid-off.Hain and Rikki Clarke eked 37 from 15 overs before Clarke was lbw, pulling, to Clark. Hain and Keith Barker defied to add 40, then both fell in the space of ten balls.Hain’s 152-minute resistance ended when Luke Procter won the fourth lbw decision of the innings. Barker was bowled by the impressive Clark.Jeetan Patel and Chris Wright saw their side to a batting point but Wright feathered an attempted pull at Bailey who rounded off the innings when Patel lofted a catch to deep cover.Lancashire’s young openers Rob Jones and Haseeb Hameed, reached the close unparted, though the latter was dropped on 2 by Clarke at second slip off Barker.

A round-up of the third round of matches from the Plunket Shield 2016-17

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2016Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi took fourteen wickets between them to lead Northen Districts to a 21-run win in a low-scoring match against Canterbury in Hamilton. The win took Northern Districts to the top of table.Northern Districts batted only 29.5 overs in the first innings after being put in, and were bowled out for 138. Medium-pacer Kyle Jamieson did the bulk of the damage, taking 4 for 32. But Tim Southee’s five-wicket haul and Ish Sodhi’s four added to a first-day tally of 21 wickets as Canterbury folded for 112 in response.Daryl Mitchell (44) top-scored for Northern Districts in the second innings, and five others got into double figures, as they were bowled for 181. Canterbury began their chase of 208 with a 62-run opening stand between Michael Davidson (45) and Peter Fulton (28), before losing 5 wickets for 41, to slump to 103 for 5. The last-wicket pair of Henry Shipley (26) and Ed Nuttall (11) put on 33 – the second-highest partnership of the innings – but could only take them to 186 before the match ended early on day four.Luke Woodcock scored his second consecutive century of the season – an unbeaten 203 – as the match between Wellington and Auckland ended in a draw. Martin Guptill, who scored 159 runs in the three Tests on the tour of India, struck form in the game, with a fifty in the first innings and an unbeaten 128 in Auckland’s second innings, after they were set a target of 342.Woodcock’s innings was instrumental in helping Wellington declare their first innings at 475 for 8 after having been at 79 for 4 early in the match, following strikes from Cody Andrews (3-101) and Dan Grobbelaar (2-95). Woodcock put on century stands with Tom Blundell (85) and Matt McEwan (63) – the latter for the eighth wicket – as Wellington last four wickets added 396 runsJeet Raval’s 84 and his 110-run opening stand with Martin Guptill (56) set Auckland up in their reply. Michael Guptill-Bunce then made 109 at No.3, but there were no other significant contributions, as they were bowled out for 374 and conceded a 101-run lead. McEwan followed up his half-century with 4 for 80.Both teams scored at well over four runs per over in their second innings. Legspinner Tarun Nethula took 5 for 71 as Wellington played attackingly while trying to set a target.Anaru Kitchen (133) and Josh Finnie (98) both made career-best scores as Otago overturned a shaky first-innings start to take control of the rest of their drawn game against Central Districts in Dunedin.19-year-old Finnie joined Kitchen when Otago were reduced to 101 for 5 after electing to bat. He narrowly missed out on a maiden century when the pair’s 182-run stand was broken by Doug Bracewell (3-58). Kitchen then reached his seventh first-class hundred and put on 61 with Derek de Boorder (45*) who batted with the tail to stretch Otago’s score to 402.Fast bowler Neil Wagner then took three early wickets to reduce Central Districts to 22 for 4 from 19 for zero. A 112-run partnership between Tom Bruce (83) and Dan Cleaver (50) briefly stabilized Central Districts, but they conceded a 186-run lead – in being bowled out for 216 – that allowed Otago to press for a result and set a target of 400.Hamish Rutherford led that effort – 213 for 7 at 5.39 per over – with a 107-ball 110 studded with nine fours and five sixes. But Central Districts were led by Ajaz Patel (45), Mitch Renwick (48) and Tom Bruce (55) as they batted out a little over three sessions to earn a draw.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has glimpsed a few weaknesses in New Zealand’s batting line-up and believes his varied attack can bring it down

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Christchurch16-Nov-20161:30

Fernando: Pakistan attack can exploit NZ conditions

When South Africa returned from a 0-3 drubbing in India in 2015, they went on to lose the subsequent home series against England. When Australia returned from a 0-3 drubbing by low-ranked Sri Lanka this year, they went to lose the subsequent (and ongoing) series against South Africa.New Zealand hope to break the trend; they hope their 0-3 in India will not have a similar effect on their home summer. Misbah-ul-Haq, though, has glimpsed a few weaknesses. He believed his varied attack can bring an ailing New Zealand top order down.”If you see, after the Indian tour, most of the Kiwi batsmen have been struggling and short of confidence,” Misbah said. “I know this is their own territory and they’ll be confident playing here, but as a batsman, and a cricketer, confidence can play a big role. Being short of confidence – we’ll look forward to exploiting that.”While New Zealand’s batsmen seek a return to collective form, Pakistan’s own top order must resist the likes of Trent Boult and Tim Southee on Hagley Oval’s green top. Pakistan did win two Tests in England this year, but both those matches were played in London, where pitches were less seam-friendly than elsewhere. It had, in fact, been the legspin of Yasir Shah that defined the Lord’s Test, as well as playing a crucial role in the second innings at The Oval. Tracks in New Zealand have not been so spin friendly recently.”If you look at the UAE conditions and New Zealand conditions, these are totally different,” Misbah said. “That’s the biggest challenge for us, especially for our batting. Most of our players have been to New Zealand before, and they know how these conditions can be different from what we are used to. We need to make sure that we bat with discipline and put good scores on the board. Our bowling is very much capable of performing well in any sort of conditions.”There may be rain in the air in Christchurch, but Pakistan had also had their three-day practice match in Nelson completely washed out, meaning their preparation in New Zealand has been less than ideal. Misbah said his team would fall back on their recent experience in England, and hoped the lessons learned on that tour would hold true here.”The England series was a tough series for us. That experience will really help us here, because of the confidence we gained from that. The players are up for this challenge, and we can prove ourselves here also. We need to learn some things from that tour – those conditions, and how we go about business. How we’ve batted, how our disciplines are, and how we’ve bowled.”It’s going to be a key for us because we missed the practice game here. A couple of practice sessions are the only experience we’ve got before the Test match. As professionals, we need to use that information and be ready enough for the Test.If India lose the series against England, Pakistan have an opportunity to reclaim the no. 1 Test ranking they had briefly held following Australia’s loss in Sri Lanka. Misbah said the prospect continued to spur his team.”Always the no. 1 ranking is a big motivation. If you play any sport, you want to be the best. That’s what we are looking forward to. That said, we need to improve ourselves every game. Every series and game becomes important for us. Looking forward to playing well in this series and in Australia.”

Ravindra Jadeja took seven wickets in an innings for the first time to bowl India to victory over England by an innings and 75 runs to give them a 4-0 series win

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy20-Dec-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:50

Ganguly: Kohli’s captaincy, India’s bench strength stood out

In Mumbai, England had slipped to an innings defeat after batting first and scoring 400. In Chennai, they batted first again and scored 477. At lunch on the fifth day, they were 97 for no loss in their second innings, trailing by 185. This was a flatter pitch than Mumbai, less bouncy and a lot slower. Surely it couldn’t happen again?It did. This time, they lost by an innings and 75 runs, their punishing seven-Test tour of the subcontinent ending at 3.56pm IST, with a draw nine overs away. In Mirpur, they had lost all ten wickets in one session. Here, in less frightening conditions, they lost all ten in 48.2 overs, for the addition of 104 runs, after their openers had added 103.Ravindra Jadeja was India’s match-winner, taking seven wickets for the first time in a Test innings and ten for the first time in a match as well as grabbing two catches, including what was surely the catch of the series. England, though, were their own worst enemy, batsman after batsman getting himself out to hasten India to a 4-0 series win.England still had six wickets in hand when the final session began, and, in Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes, batsmen at the crease with three hundreds between them in the series. But Jadeja hounded them, pounding the rough outside their off stump relentlessly. Moeen stepped out, looking to hit him off his length, and only found a leaping R Ashwin at mid-on. Stokes went on the back foot, looking to work him with the turn. The ball stopped and popped to midwicket.This was no longer an entirely flat pitch. It still wasn’t doing much for the bowlers from the Pattabiraman Gate End, but there was something in it now for those approaching from the Anna Pavilion End. England could have negotiated it if the decisions made by their top order hadn’t exposed Nos. 8 and 9 to it. Amit Mishra bowled the No. 8, Liam Dawson, with a googly as he looked to drive against the turn. Umesh Yadav had the No. 9, Adil Rashid, caught off the leading edge, at point, by, who else, Jadeja.Out of the attack for seven overs, Jadeja returned with 12 overs remaining. Stuart Broad saw out the first over of his spell, but could do nothing about the first ball of the second; it jumped out of the rough as he stretched out to defend, and popped up off the glove to leg slip. Three balls later, it was all over. Turn and bounce again, this time to the right-handed Jake Ball. The No. 11 poked, and Karun Nair caught the ball at slip.Broad and Ball, the Nos. 10 and 11, were the only two England batsmen dismissed while trying to defend. It was an indictment of their approach after they had made the best possible start to the fifth day, a wicketless first session.Both sides of lunch, Jadeja had threatened to dismiss Alastair Cook for the sixth time in the series. He produced a loud lbw shout with his first ball of the day, turning the ball past the inside edge when Cook, on 25, pressed forward to defend. India did well not to review umpire Marais Erasmus’ not-out decision: replays suggested the ball struck Cook in line with off stump but would probably have spun past leg stump. Then, on 47, Cook shuffled across his stumps and missed a flick; this time India reviewed, and ball-tracking suggested the ball was turning too much to hit leg stump.Eventually, Cook’s shuffling unease about getting lbw caused him to play at a ball fired a long way down the leg side, and he effectively glanced the ball straight to leg slip. He fell one short of a half-century in his final innings of this long and difficult tour of the subcontinent, and what might possibly be his final innings as England’s captain.It was a typical innings in cussedness if not in length, taking no risks and forcing India to bowl their best balls at him even as he struggled against both Jadeja and Ashwin, who had beaten his outside edge frequently in the first hour. There was a dropped catch too, Ashwin finding dip and turn in the third over of the day to find his outside edge, but not the desired support behind the wicket, the ball bouncing off Parthiv Patel’s gloves.Keaton Jennings had played the spinners well, sweeping and reverse-sweeping confidently and also using his feet to try and get to the pitch and work Jadeja and Amit Mishra with the turn. This enabled him to clip both of them for fours through midwicket, but having done this to go from 50 to 54, he stepped out again, premeditatedly, and Jadeja fired it in low and full. The ball hit Jennings on the front foot, and then bounced up into the face of his bat, and looped back for a simple return catch.Joe Root, England’s best batsman of the series, got himself out six overs later, sweeping unwisely off the line of the stumps. The ball was too full for the shot, and it sneaked under his bat and hit his front pad instead. India reviewed Simon Fry’s not-out decision – a fair call, given it wasn’t immediately apparent whether the ball had straightened enough to hit the stumps – and ball-tracking said it was hitting more than 50% of leg stump.Jonny Bairstow was next to go, perhaps unfortunate to see a perfectly acceptable flick, off a full, leg-stumpish Ishant delivery balloon into the air, the ball perhaps stopping on him. He was even more unfortunate that Jadeja was the fielder sprinting from midwicket towards the square leg boundary with his back to the pitch, looking over his shoulder to keep his eye on the ball. Perhaps no one else on the field would have been able to pull off the catch.

MS Dhoni also said that he had waited for Virat Kohli to settle in as Test captain before deciding to step down as India’s limited-overs leader

Arun Venugopal in Pune13-Jan-20173:18

Wanted Virat to ease into Test captaincy – Dhoni

MS Dhoni has revealed that his reservations with split captaincy were a factor in his decision to give up the role of India’s limited-overs captain. Speaking at his first press conference since stepping down as India’s ODI and T20I captain last week, Dhoni said he had waited for his successor, Virat Kohli, to settle in as Test captain before making the decision.”Right from the start, when I left Test captainship, I knew split captaincy doesn’t work in India, doesn’t work in our set-up,” he said at a press conference in Pune, where the first ODI against England will be played on Sunday. “I was waiting for the right time. I wanted Virat to ease into the Test format. With so many games, I feel he is right there. With this kind of decision, there is no wrong decision in it. It is just the timing. I feel this is the time.”And specially Virat, starting from Champions Trophy, to win the Champions Trophy in England. I felt it was the right time to move on. If I would’ve stayed till the Champions Trophy, nothing much changes.”Kohli had taken over as Test captain from Dhoni in December 2014, after Dhoni retired from the format during India’s tour of Australia in 2014-15.Dhoni explained that the rationale behind quitting Test cricket midway through the tour was to give someone like Wriddhiman Saha, who was being groomed as the second wicketkeeper, greater exposure.”A lot of people were like why did I quit mid-series in Australia, but you have to look at the bigger picture, what is more beneficial,” he said. “One more game into my numbers, it doesn’t make a lot of difference. But, since Saha was there, he gets a chance to play one more game in Australia. And if everything goes well, he will be the person to be going on foreign tours, so he has that exposure. And Virat also has the same kind of exposure.”Dhoni said he would continue to be a de facto vice-captain in Kohli’s team by virtue of being the wicketkeeper. From his position behind the stumps, Dhoni felt he was well-placed to give the new captain counsel whenever required.”I think the wicketkeeper is always a vice-captain of the side irrespective of whether he is announced vice-captain or not,” he said. “One thing is the field setting is usually given to the vice-captain or the wicketkeeper. In this scenario, I will have to keep a close eye as to what the skipper really wants, as to what are his preferential field positions.”I already had this chat with Virat about how he likes his fielders, where he wants them to be. In the sense I have to be more aware of whether he wants a short third [man] fine or he wants it slightly wider because different people have different opinions. If you had a short third or a fine leg, I always preferred it closer to me so that it’s slightly more difficult for the batsman to play a shot to get it through the right side of the field. All of that I have to adapt, but overall I don’t think much changes.”I will be there to give as many suggestions as possible to Virat as and when required. The field positioning is something I have to keep a close eye on. I will have to consult him and tell him because if it is strategically positioned in a particular place I can become a bit of a problem if I start moving around, but it’s not something that’s a big trouble to cope with. It’s just that I will have to keep a close eye, especially in the first few games, maybe a couple of games I can read the field positioning and everything and use it properly.””I already had this chat with Virat about how he likes his fielders, where he wants them to be”•Associated Press

In an insight into his methods as captain, Dhoni said his main job was to extract the best out of his players without unreasonable expectations of them. He said he played both good cop and bad cop when it came to handling players, and spoke of the importance of identifying match-winners and giving them a fair run. Dhoni didn’t take names, but he could well have been referring to players like Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, who weren’t consistent initially but went on to establish themselves as key players in his tenure.”The main job is to make sure that whatever is the potential of the player, he is performing to 100%,” he said. “Usually if you can achieve something between 90 to 110%, you know you’ve done really well.”You can’t really get 150% performance from a player who is 80%. That’s where you have to be very practical, very honest. There are different ways to handle everyone: for some it is a kind word, for some it is a harsh word. For some it may be just an expression with your eyes. At times it may be the false confidence you give the guy because that is what is really needed at that point of time. You have to be clever enough to evaluate as to this is what is needed at that point of time.”If you know the potential of the team, you can definitely make sure that they perform to the potential. You may face a few problems at times, say, you have two or three batsmen who are not performing at the same time [and] that maybe a hindrance. But, more often than not, you look at the bigger picture and say once it comes to the ICC events and the big tournaments and the knock-out stages, who is that person who can really win those big games for you. But, at the end of the day, you can give only a few games to an individual. Maybe two or three or four more games that is provided by the team if they are doing really well. Overall you can’t do much but you still need to have that faith.”Dhoni said he did not have any regrets during his tenure, or in life – “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” – and stated there were several moments, good and bad, which brought a smile to his face. High on the list was how the team handled the period of transition following the retirements of Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag.”When I started there were a lot of senior players in the side and as we progressed there was a time when the senior players had to leave and we had to make sure the transition is smooth,” he said. “The only good thing is over the period – once the seniors left us and the juniors came into the side – it is the same juniors who have started to do well.”We invested in them and over the period they started proving they are the ones who will take the legacy forward when it comes to Indian cricket, so that was a very satisfying thing to see. Overall it was a journey I really enjoyed and it is something that brings a smile on your face whether it is the tough periods or the winning periods. Overall it is the journey that is more important.”

Virat Kohli has said Yuvraj Singh was included in the ODI and T20I squads against England to reduce the burden on MS Dhoni in an inexperienced middle order

Arun Venugopal in Pune14-Jan-2017Virat Kohli, India’s new limited-overs captain, has said Yuvraj Singh was included in the squads for the ODI and T20I series against England to reduce the burden on MS Dhoni in an inexperienced middle order ahead of the Champions Trophy in June.Kohli also said Ambati Rayudu, who made a century for India A in a warm-up against England, was not picked in the squads because he had not had enough game time after missing the Ranji Trophy season because of an injury.Yuvraj, on the other hand, scored 672 runs at an average of 84 in five matches for Punjab, with score of 260 and 177. Though he had averaged only 18.53 in his last 19 ODIs going back to 2012, Yuvraj was selected because there wasn’t enough time to groom a younger batsman: India have only three ODIs before the Champions Trophy.”We cannot leave so much burden on MS alone in the middle order,” Kohli said on the eve of the first ODI against England in Pune. “I am willing to take responsibility up the order, but there needs to be one more guy with him down the order in case the top order doesn’t fire.””If the top order doesn’t fire, you are left with MS alone and he is guiding the youngsters more often than not, which is fine if you have 15-20 games till a big tournament. When you have only three games, you need to make sure the guys who have been picked are in good form. That’s why I said we brought in Yuvi, to have the best batting combination possible, and Yuvi has had a very good first-class season. This just gives the team much more balance in the middle and lower-middle order with MS and Yuvi.”Yuvraj and Dhoni have scored 2795 runs in partnership at an average of 50 in 63 ODIs, and Kohli said Yuvraj’s return would allow Dhoni to play shots without worrying about the thinness of the line-up after him.”I think he [Dhoni] will have a bit more assurance knowing that he doesn’t have to think twice before attempting a big shot,” Kohli said. “They feed off each other’s momentum and one can play the aggressive role and one can keep knocking it around in singles. I’m sure they will be looking forward to doing it together.”To have two experienced guys compared to one is a massive difference. I am sure Hardik [Pandya] and Kedar [Jadhav] can learn a lot from them batting along with them.”In his first series as full-time ODI and T20I captain, Kohli said he wanted to learn from Dhoni. “I think he’s been so successful because he’s been able to find the right balance in being offensive with his plans as well as understanding the game when it is dominated by the opposition on how to slow things down,” Kohli said. “I think that’s his biggest strength. It happens in Test cricket but in the shorter format you have to make it happen even quicker because the game can drift away quickly.”Having played a lot of white-ball cricket batting at No. 3, I have a good understanding of how situations can go wrong or turn immediately. It helps when you are a top-order batsman yourself, to understand what the opposition batsmen would be thinking at what stage and which are the bowlers they would find uncomfortable.””But again, MS’ views will be priceless for me as well. It’s just that I am in charge of decisions now and he will be giving his views, which was the case before as well where I’d be giving my views and still his decision was paramount. I think we both understand as professional cricketers, and it’ll be pretty smooth.”With India having begun to use the DRS – one review per innings in ODIs – Kohli said Dhoni’s role was “priceless”. “I saw a stat yesterday that 95% of his appeals that he’s made in his career have been successful,” Kohli said. “He’s one voice, if he tells me it’s outside the line or it is missing, the decision stands there – it’s not left for any further debate. His word will be the one that I will trust as far as DRS is concerned because he is in the best position, plus he’s the most intelligent cricketer around.”Kohli also said he would like to take the bulk of the responsibility with the bat and free up Dhoni to experiment more with his attacking game. “I’m sure having that extra burden of taking responsibility, sometimes it can restrict you,” Kohli said. “I’ve also felt that quite a few times but maybe because my game is dependent on me playing in an offensive way, I haven’t had to curb my game too much. I know it won’t improve my game and it won’t benefit the team.”MS was able to absorb that pressure for a long time. But I’m sure he’ll be able to experiment a bit with his offensive game that he displayed when he came in. Not that he didn’t later on, but he was calculative with it, understanding the team situation. I’m not saying he will go out there and slog every ball. He’s a smart cricketer and we’ve all seen that.”

R Ashwin and Cheteshwar Pujara on the Smith-DRS incident, on needling David Warner, and the forehead-pointing incident that mimicked Mitchell Starc

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2017R Ashwin has said Steven Smith’s look towards the Australian dressing room for DRS advice on day four of the Bengaluru Test was “completely unheard of”. Speaking to his team-mate Cheteshwar Pujara in a video, Ashwin said the incident reminded him of his junior cricket days.”Steven Smith actually turned back and asked the dressing room if he could take a review,” Ashwin said. “That is completely unheard of. The last time I thought that to happen was in an Under-10 game, when my coach used to suggest where point fielders and cover fielders used to stand.”It was really surprising. I have a lot of respect for Steven Smith, but that was very very surprising.”

BCCI comes out in support of Kohli

A day after the Bengaluru Test ended, the BCCI issued a release in support of Virat Kohli and his team with regards to the Steven Smith-DRS referral issue. The Indian board said it had asked the ICC to “take cognizance” of the matter.
“The BCCI, after due deliberation and seeing the video replays of the episode, steadfastly stands with the Indian cricket team and its captain Mr Virat Kohli,” the release said.
“Mr Virat Kohli is a mature and seasoned cricketer and his conduct on the field has been exemplary. Mr. Kohli’s action was supported by ICC elite panel umpire Mr Nigel Llong, who rushed in to dissuade Mr Steve Smith from taking recourse to inappropriate assistance.
“BCCI has requested the ICC to take cognizance of the fact that the Australian skipper Mr Steve Smith in his press conference admitted to a ‘brain fade’ at that moment.”

There was a lot of chat on the field between the Indian and Australian players through the Test match, and Ashwin and Pujara detailed specific instances during their conversation. Pujara said he had been in David Warner’s ear, telling him about Ashwin’s record against him. Ashwin ended the match having dismissed Warner in both innings – and nine times over his career.”Well, see, they were talking a lot and probably sledging is something which, as a unit, we felt that we can give them back,” Pujara said. “They were always under pressure when they walked in to bat, and I wanted to make sure their batsmen were thinking about it, especially David Warner. Whenever he walks in to bat, Ash [Ashwin] is always happy, so I always keep reminding him that Ash is the one who picks [up his wicket].”After dismissing Mitchell Starc, Ashwin sent him off by repeatedly pointing to his own forehead – mimicking the gesture Starc had made after Abhinav Mukund had top-edged him for six in India’s second innings.”I saw yesterday, Abhi [Mukund] pulled Mitchell Starc for a six, he top-edged it for six,” Ashwin said. “But yes, I don’t think he was in any sort of hurry when he pulled that ball, and Mitchell Starc suggested that he would hit him on the helmet. I don’t know, people generally have the habit of saying I’ll hit you back on the helmet at Gabba.”It doesn’t matter, this is Bangalore, so I thought I must tell him that he got hit off me, in the first innings, on the helmet.”Pujara also revealed that he had batted with a sore neck while scoring 92 in India’s second innings.”It was my neck which was troubling me a lot,” Pujara said. “To be honest, it was a serious issue when I went in to bat in the second innings. I would like to thank Patrick Farhart, our physio, who made it possible for me to bat, and bat at No. 3, because there was one stage where I felt I might not be able to bat No. 3 because my neck was really sore. But he worked on it and ultimately I achieved the goal for the team.”

New Zealand will wait till the eve of the second Test to determine Trent Boult’s availability. The left-arm pacer is nursing a sore hip from the first Test in Dunedin

Firdose Moonda in Wellington14-Mar-2017Trent Boult’s availability for the second Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington will be decided on the eve the game. Boult is nursing a sore hip from the Dunedin Test and didn’t train full tilt with the squad on Monday.Boult left the field on the fourth day of the first Test after bowling just 15 overs in South Africa’s second innings. He was touted to return on the final day that was washed out. Should he be ruled unfit, New Zealand can choose from Tim Southee, left out in Dunedin to accommodate an extra spinner and Matt Henry, who joined the squad ahead of the game. Henry, incidentally, isn’t reinforcement; his inclusion was planned leading into the series.South Africa expect Southee to return on a surface with the most bounce and carry in the series, although there is also a possibility of New Zealand including both Southee and Henry if Boult is ruled out.”Southee is a quality bowler, very skilled, especially in these conditions,” Temba Bavuma said on Monday. “Fortunately, we’ve played against him, I’ve played against him. We are aware of what he brings to the party. We will make sure we pay as much attention as we can to him and make sure he is not successful against us.”Bavuma has not yet looked at Wellington pitch that was uncovered on Tuesday, for the first time since Friday when the city’s rains began More than 70 mm of rain has fallen over the last four days. Two days before the Test, the strip was covered in green grass, which may not have the batsmen smiling but should suit South Africa’s attack.”I haven’t had a look at the pitch. I never really have a look at the pitch. We are expecting something quite close to Dunedin, maybe a bit more pace, maybe a bit more bounce,” Bavuma said. “On the first day, we will just have to assess the conditions. In Dunedin we didn’t do that as well as we could have. We’ll make sure that we learn from that and make sure that in the first session, whether with bat or ball, we are able to throw the first punch.”With rain around, the groundstaff are racing against time to get the surface ready. “With the weather we’ve had we’re just trying to produce the best wicket possible. It’s been pretty tough going,” Hagen Faith, the groundsman told “We’re focusing on getting the surface hard and having the wicket ready for day one. That’s the ultimate goal.”Heavy clouds and high winds dominated Tuesday but the weather is set to improve and clear up in time for the match, which Faith expects to be a cracker. “A lot of first-class stuff has gone down to that last day, final session, and we have seen that here with Test matches as well.”

Anil Kumble has stepped down as India coach, four days before a limited-overs tour of the Caribbean

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Jun-20173:19

Bal: Kumble’s exit sends bad message to next coach

Hours after resigning as India coach, Anil Kumble has said he was “informed for the first time yesterday [Monday] by the BCCI that the captain had reservations with my style and about my continuing as head coach”. While stating that the cricket advisory committee (CAC) charged with deciding on who will be coach had backed him for the job, Kumble said “it was apparent the partnership [with Virat Kohli] was untenable, and I therefore believe it is best for me to move on”.Kumble stepped down as coach four days before the limited-overs tour of the Caribbean begins, even as the team was mid-flight to the West Indies. Kumble had remained in London after the Champions Trophy which ended on Sunday; as chairman of the ICC’s cricket committee, he will be attending the chief executives committee meeting there.Two days before the Champions Trophy had kicked off in England, it emerged in the media that India captain Kohli had told BCCI officials that some players were uncomfortable with the “intimidating” style of Kumble’s man management. As a result, despite India’s success in Kumble’s year in charge, during which the team climbed to No.1 in the Test rankings, the board advertised for fresh interviews for the head coach’s position instead of extending his contract.Kumble, whose original contract ran till the end of the Champions Trophy, had already reapplied for the job and only last week accepted the BCCI’s offer to extend his contract to include the West Indies series. However, Kumble said, in light of the reservations he came to know about through the board, he could not continue.It is understood that, on Monday, before Kohli departed for the West Indies, he met the BCCI’s top brass in London, as did Kumble in a separate meeting. The meetings were attended by BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary, board chief executive officer Rahul Johri and MV Sridhar, general manager of cricket operations. The meetings were necessitated after the three-member CAC, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, informed the BCCI that it had failed to resolve the impasse between Kohli and Kumble.The BCCI had received six applications including that of Kumble for the fresh interview process. But, considering it was the CAC that had recommended and shortlisted Kumble as the final choice last year, it still felt he remained the first choice for the head coach position going forward. However, given the current relations, it is understood that the CAC did not meet Kumble at all after it was asked by the BCCI to make the final decision.1:06

How the Kohli-Kumble saga played out

Kumble confirmed he had the CAC’s backing in his statement, which began thus: “I am honoured by the confidence reposed in me by the CAC, in asking me to continue as head coach.”The BCCI was left not much choice other than accepting Kumble’s resignation, given that the efforts of board officials, the CAC and the Committee of Administrators had failed to bridge the divide between Kohli and Kumble. Officials well versed with the meetings with Kohli realised that the differences with Kumble could not be “resolved” and the relationship could not be “sustained”. “The differences seem irreparable,” a board official, who is privy to the discussions, said. He said that Kohli was not ready to take a step back.Once the CAC realised the relationship was beyond repair, it asked the BCCI to take the negotiation process forward. “It was not a pleasant meeting,” the board official, who has knowledge of Monday’s meetings, said. According to this official, Kohli remained “adamant” about his stand, which might have helped Kumble make up his mind.”The CAC is likely to have told BCCI that the differences were not cricketing related but more of a personal nature,” the official said. “If he were to stick on, it would be very awkward on Anil’s part. It is not good to handle someone as big as Anil in this manner.”The BCCI said that MV Sridhar will travel to the Caribbean to “supervise the team management”, while batting coach Sanjay Bangar and fielding coach R Sridhar will continue in their roles.Besides Kumble, the other people who had applied for the India coach job were former India opener Virender Sehwag, former Australia allrounder Tom Moody, former Pakistan coach Richard Pybus, former India medium pacer Dodda Ganesh, and former India A and current Afghanistan coach Lalchand Rajput.