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The third day in Dunedin was overcast, cold and windy – conditions that were as familiar to New Zealand as they were foreign to Sri Lanka, and the visitors struggled to cope

The Report by George Binoy11-Dec-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn stark contrast to the previous two days in Dunedin, the third was overcast, cold and windy – conditions that were as familiar to New Zealand as they were foreign to Sri Lanka. The visitors struggled to cope: their batsmen succumbed to the moving ball, their bowlers toiled in the strong breeze, and their fielders put down catches in the chilly weather. The upshot was an ever-widening distance between the two teams, exemplified by New Zealand’s 308-run lead with nine wickets in hand and two days remaining.Sri Lanka’s troubles began in the first over, when Tim Southee dismissed Dinesh Chandimal with his second ball. The delivery swerved into the right-hander from over the wicket, landed on a good length around middle and off stump, and seamed away. Chandimal was squared up in his crease as he tried to defend, and Martin Guptill dived across first slip from second to catch the edge.In his second over, Southee swung two consecutive balls on to Kithuruwan Vithanage’s pads and the batsman glanced both to the fine-leg boundary. The next delivery slanted away from the left-hander with a scrambled seam, and Vithanage chased it with a cover drive, giving BJ Watling his fifth catch. Sri Lanka had lost both overnight batsmen in the first 15 minutes.From 209 for 6, Sri Lanka were lifted briefly by a plucky stand of 43. Milinda Siriwardana, playing in only his third Test, attacked the fast bowlers – driving through cover and down the ground, pulling and cutting too. Herath batted cautiously after successfully reviewing a catch down the leg side that had gone off his boot, and took 22 balls to get off the mark.With around 30 minutes to lunch, New Zealand began bowling short, aiming at the batsman’s ribs with catchers on the leg side. Herath was the primary target, and was hit on the gloves by Wagner and on the helmet by Southee. When New Zealand came at Siriwardana with short balls, he pulled. He was caught on the long-leg boundary by Doug Bracewell, who fell over the rope because he had been back-pedalling and could not control his momentum. But three balls later, Wagner sent down another short delivery and Siriwardana fended it to Ross Taylor at slip.Brendon McCullum continued the short-ball attack after lunch, often placing no fielders in front of the wicket on the offside. Wagner began the 100th over with a bouncer, Herath ducked. The second ball was also short, Herath was beaten on the pull. The third was short too, and Herath top-edged towards long leg, where Trent Boult ran in at speed to take the catch. He had made 15 off 74 balls, and was the only batsman to not be caught by the wicketkeeper or the slip cordon.Sri Lanka were eventually dismissed for 294 in 117.1 overs – a commendable period of time for such a raw batting line-up – having added 97 for 6 on the third day, conceding a first-innings lead of 137.Like they had done while batting, Sri Lanka sought to take time out of the Test in the field too, by slowing New Zealand down with more accurate bowling and defensive fields – Angelo Mathews had men out at deep point and square leg early on. It worked for the hour before tea, when Guptill and Tom Latham minimised risk against the new ball.They lifted the tempo in the final session, though, with Guptill taking charge. He could have been caught on 19 and 42, but Kusal Mendis put down a fierce cut at cover, and Suranga Lakmal failed to catch a drive on his follow-through. It was the first time New Zealand had two half-century opening partnerships in a Test since December 2009.New Zealand targeted Herath once again, Guptill charging down the pitch to hit powerfully to and over the long-on boundary in the same over. He looked good for a second 50-plus score in the Test until he was bowled by a delivery that shot through at ankle height, an aberration on this surface. It was scant consolation for Herath, who conceded 39 runs in eight overs.Williamson and Lathan built on the opening stand of 79, by raising their half-century stand in 61 balls, rapidly building the lead. Williamson passed 1000 runs at an average of more than 90 for the year by stepping out and lofting Herath to the wide long-on boundary, while Latham finally looked to be shaking his tendency to give away a start.He ended the day unbeaten on 72, Williamson on 48, their partnership of 92 coming at 4.27 an over. New Zealand will aim to continue at similar pace on the fourth morning, to give themselves five sessions to dismiss Sri Lanka to take a lead in the series.

The recent mandate by the BCCI to regulate players’ agents has elicited mixed feelings amongst entities who could be otherwise classified as agents

Amol Karhadkar23-May-2013It took the current spot-fixing crisis for the BCCI to first acknowledge the existence of player agents and then decide to regulate them. The decision has evoked a mixed response from player agents – none of whom, in fact, like to be referred to as an “agent”.Latika Khaneja and Lokesh Sharma, who were two of the most prominent figures in the industry 10 years ago, are not overjoyed by the BCCI’s decision. Khaneja, director of Collage Sports Management, recently decided to give up managing cricketers, as she felt it was just another way for the BCCI to control things. “The BCCI feels it should only manipulate players and their representatives. There is a perception that all agents are susceptible,” Khaneja said. “Honesty and track record must be taken into consideration while dealing with player agents, but since this is not the case, neither Lokesh, nor I, [will be] in the business.”Khaneja managed Virender Sehwag for well over a decade during his early years. “I feel it’s just another nail in the coffin by the BCCI. It’s a BCCI tool to control the player agents, because they would like to hold all the rights of the cricketers. They also want to control agents now,” she said.Newer agents have, however, welcomed the decision. Atul Srivastava, founder of Gaames Unlimited, an agency that manages 20 Indian cricketers, including R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane and Umesh Yadav, referred to it as a “positive step”. Bunty Sajdeh, CEO of Cornerstone Sport & Entertainment – which manages Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – felt that “only good will come out of it”.Major sporting leagues across the globe like the NBA, NHL, MLB and AFL conduct
certification exams for aspiring agents. However, it would be an achievement of sorts if the BCCI can replicate Cricket Australia’s (CA) model of screening an agent who applies to be an official player representative.Srivastava, a former army officer, who entered sports management in 2004, supported the idea of certification. “You will have to do it step by step,” Srivastava said. “This certification will cut down at least a few people at some level. In the NBA or FIFA, for example, you need to have a certain amount of experience before you can become an authorised agent; you need to have some qualification like an MBA degree or experience in the industry. If not, then you have to do the exam.”The problem is complicated in India – though it exists abroad as well – with the blurred lines between a player’s friend or family, and the agent. Jiju Janardhan, arrested as an alleged bookie, was not just Sreesanth’s close friend, but also allegedly posed as his agent while dealing with the betting mafia. And Janardhan’s case is not an aberration. For every Khaneja or Sajdeh, there is at least one Janardhan in Indian cricket.Khaneja has a pet name, ‘Ruby’, for such agents who blur the line between professionalism and being a player’s ‘friend’. “I must have seen so many Jiju Janardhans because every player has a Ruby. If a Ruby is not credible, then these poor boys (young cricketers) are taken for a ride. But a smart cricketer will manage his Ruby,” she said. “Ishant Sharma had such a Ruby who used to tell the whole world that he was his agent. When I was managing Ishant, this Ruby threw a birthday party, and didn’t know Ishant had invited me. When I reached the venue, he disappeared in no time and never faced me.”Not many of these player-managers realise what exactly their role is, according to Lokesh Sharma, who managed Rahul Dravid through most of his international career. “In India, there’s hardly any player management,” Lokesh said. “We don’t find any athlete representation. A player-manager’s role is different to what it is perceived to be.”But there are some like Srivastava and Sajdeh who look over and above an IPL contract. “We think of ourselves as managers of players, not agents whose job is to do a deal and take a cut,” Srivastava said. “The manager develops a team around a player. The team is made up of experts in finance, legal and PR whose job is to deal with investments, contracts, and handle their off-field appearances in public. There are three sets of people at work for every player. We want to be a professional organisation, and the IPL is not the tomorrow we are looking at. We are looking to work with players who will play for India.”Managing Indian cricketers has become one of the toughest balancing acts at this juncture, but there’s been a rise in the number of player-managers. While most of the national cricketers, and those on the fringes are taken care of, the agents seem to have turned their focus towards the Under-19 crop, and the domestic players who can potentially be offered an IPL contract.Yudhajit Dutta, who was instrumental in getting MS Dhoni to sign up with Gameplan in 2007, said some agents were out to make quick money. “Sadly, most of them come in with an intention to make a quick buck, so you see them accompanying players everywhere for two or three years, and then they disappear,” Dutta said.”A lot is being made of agents hanging around players all the time. I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing. I think as long as you know when to give space to the player, it is fine,” said Dutta, who floated his own company, Purple People. “There are times when a player wants to share some space with his team-mates alone. If a manager doesn’t realise that, then the relationship between a player and him starts getting difficult.”With the scope for individual endorsements getting thinner and thinner, especially with the BCCI indirectly controlling most of the big spenders due to the IPL, it is these shadowy elements that are targeted by those indulging in nefarious activities. A player-manager, requesting anonymity, recounted one such incident: “During the 2010 IPL, I was approached by a bookie through a common friend. Since he had come over to meet me with the reference of a friend, I didn’t even imagine something like this would prop up. The moment he asked me to get inside information through my client, I refused and then reported the matter to the BCCI immediately.”Since agents were not recognised by the BCCI back then, there was little likelihood of any action being taken by the board. That moment, however, may have come now.

Bilal Shafayat made 93 in his first appearance for Hampshire while Jimmy Adams’ century helped lead the hosts to 352 for 8

David Lloyd at West End11-May-2012
ScorecardHampshire captain Jimmy Adams scored 122 to end a run of poor form•Getty Images

Some counties wait all season for a successful comeback but Hampshire had two in a day here, with Bilal Shafayat making 93 and Jimmy Adams pressing on to 122 after the hosts had been stuck in on what appeared, at first sight, to be a seamer’s dream of a pitch.Shafayat’s return to centre stage was especially remarkable, given that his Championship career looked as though it might have stalled, never to start again. Released by Notts at the end of the 2010 season, he played only second XI cricket last year and was signed up by Shropshire for their Minor Counties campaign this term. In some ways, though, Adams’ innings was even more pleasing for Hampshire. Their captain missed the last two Championship games for undisclosed “personal reasons” and, before that, four innings had brought the opener only 24 runs.Prospects did not look great for any batsman when, after two days of rain, the covers were removed this morning to reveal a green pitch. No wonder table-topping Derbyshire opted to bowl first – and no surprise, either, when Hampshire found themselves one down through Liam Dawson snicking a catch to second slip.In truth, though, the hosts were not required to play nearly enough against the new ball and when they did find themselves pressed into action, it came off the surface so slowly that adjustments could be made. But, that said, the stand of 164 between Adams and Shafayat was still special enough to have home supporters purring with pleasure.Shafayat looked to have the cricketing world ay his feet during the early stages of his career. He made a Championship debut for Notts in 2001, when still a week short of his 17th birthday, scoring an eye-catching 72. Soon enough, the youngster was not only playing for England Under-19s but also captaining them and huge things were expected. Somehow, though, Shafayat failed to kick on. A spell at Northamptonshire did not do the trick, nor did a return to Trent Bridge, and when Notts decided to let him go in 2010 he had averaged less than 12 across six Championship matches and his career figure was down to a distinctly modest 29.72.Since then, Shafayat’s only first-class cricket has been played in Pakistan but neither that nor a second XI double century for Hampshire last season had persuaded anyone over here to take a serious punt on him – until now. Hampshire decided to register the 27-year-old last Friday on a short-term basis and a combination of events this week (with Michael Carberry playing for England Lions and this game being reduced to a two-day affair, thereby encouraging the hosts to leave out a front-line bowler) brought about his selection.It will take more than this knock – lasting 93 balls and containing 17 fours, many of which were clipped, turned and forced through the leg side – to remove ‘riled Ricky Ponting’ from the top of Shafayat’s CV. But it’s a good start. “I don’t want that to be my only claim to fame,” he said with a smile when reminded of how he annoyed Australia’s captain while serving as England’s 12th man during the tense final stages of the drawn 2009 Ashes Test in Cardiff.Required, on two occasions, to take gloves and water to last pair Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar, Shafayat felt the rough edge of Ponting’s tongue for playing his part in what the boys in Baggy Green saw as a dastardly time-wasting plot. Here, Shafayat appeared all set to celebrate a century until chasing a wide one from seamer Jonathan Clare to edge a catch behind. He left to warm applause but looked particularly disappointed, and understandably so.As for Adams, he showed why his name was in the England frame not so long ago, producing a steady stream of straight and cover drives. His hundred was reached off 176 balls and the left-hander looked set for a big one until he was rightly sent back by Sean Ervine and run-out. Still, Hampshire’s stall had been well and truly set out and, although wickets fell regularly during the second half of the day, the home side were more than happy with their 352 for eight. And they may be happier still if they can persuade Derbyshire to set up a contest on Saturday through the forfeiture route.”I think they are keen but we’ll talk again in the morning,” Adams said. “We want to have an entertaining final day if we can and hopefully we’ll have a game for everyone tomorrow.”And as for the two major run-makers? “It was pretty obvious I’ve been short of runs so it’s nice for me to get back and make some,” said Adams. “But I thought Bilal played magnificently and it was a pleasure to bat with him. He has scored buckets of runs for our second team, it was a great effort from him today and it gives us a few good headaches and some tough decisions for next week.”

For the second successive match, Rajasthan Royals played on a true surface that did not suit them, and yet again, they were outclassed by a side that was clearly superior in all departments

The Bulletin by Abhishek Purohit11-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsS Aravind took three important wickets•AFP

For the second successive match, Rajasthan Royals played on a true surface that did not suit them, and yet again, they were outclassed by a side that was clearly superior in all departments. Their batsmen, used to modest chases on sluggish tracks, were found wanting against a varied Royal Challengers Bangalore attack led by the impressive S Aravind. Their thin bowling resources proved to be expectedly insufficient against the might of Chris Gayle, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Virat Kohli. Their fielders dropped whatever chances they had of even hoping to scratch at the surface of a comeback.The nine-wicket thumping widened the gap between Rajasthan and the top four teams, took Bangalore to within a win of making the play-offs, and left the home side needing a miracle.The story of the match was encapsulated in the approach of each side’s openers. Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson motored to 73 in 57 deliveries before falling in the space of three deliveries to Aravind. Dilshan and Gayle flew to 68 off 40 and it took a sharp take on the deep midwicket boundary by Ross Taylor to prolong the game.The assault by Dilshan and Gayle left the Jaipur crowd so stunned that noise was conspicuous by its absence for the remainder of the chase. Even Gayle seemed to be lulled into periods of relative inactivity, before enough deliveries found the middle of his bat in another big innings that took him to within 27 runs of claiming the orange cap from Virender Sehwag.Bangalore had already galloped to 38 when Shane Warne dropped Gayle at mid-off, and that was as close as Rajasthan came to making a breakthrough. The first four overs all yielded 10 runs or more, Dilshan and Gayle taking turns to dismantle an attack that had already been sold short by its misfiring batsmen.Setting a stiff target was Rajasthan’s only hope on a flat pitch with a short boundary, but Aravind continued his impressive performance in this IPL, coming back from an expensive beginning with three crucial wickets that foiled the home side’s plans of a late charge after a solid, if unspectacular, start.Dravid and Watson had put on 73 when Aravind dismissed both in three deliveries in the 10th over. He then came back to remove Johan Botha in the 17th over as Rajasthan lost whatever little steam they had managed to build up.Rajasthan look much better when they are chasing a modest total on a tough pitch than when they are trying to set a big target on a batting surface. The way Dravid and Watson batted showed just why that is true. On a pitch that could not have been more different from the slow tracks that Jaipur has seen, crisp shots mostly found the fielders.Dravid hit six boundaries and Watson muscled a couple of sixes but there was always the feeling that they could have gone harder, considering the powerful batting line-up they were up against. Despite being in control throughout, Dravid played out 13 dot balls; Watson outdid him with 17.Watson tried to target Aravind, a mis-hit just beat deep midwicket but the next ball was smacked over the sightscreen. It was in Aravind’s third over that Bangalore wrested control. Watson went hard at a full delivery but only found AB de Villiers – Arun Karthik had replaced him behind the stumps today – on the wide long-off boundary. Two deliveries later, Dravid fell to another soft dismissal, hitting one straight back to Aravind.Ajinkya Rahane carried on from his half-century in the previous game, but Johan Botha took off after reverse-sweeping to point and Rahane had to sacrifice his wicket with a needless run-out. Botha could not do much to make up for his error as Aravind found the outside edge with one that moved away for Arun Karthik to take the chance.At 124 for 4 with three overs to go, Rajasthan needed some frenetic hitting from Ross Taylor and Ashok Menaria, but they fell in successive overs.Against Gayle and Dilshan, 146 was not only inadequate, it set up what became a no-a contest despite Shane Warne trying his best with dipping legbreaks and flat sliders in his last IPL match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

On an otherwise lacklustre day from England’s bowlers, one man stood out from the crowd – and not merely because he’s the lankiest player on show. Steven Finn’s Test debut came in bewildering circumstances in Chittagong back in March, only days after arri

Andrew Miller at Lord's28-May-2010On an otherwise lacklustre day from England’s bowlers, one man stood out from the crowd – and not merely because he’s the lankiest player on show. Steven Finn’s Test debut came in bewildering circumstances in Chittagong back in March, only days after arriving in Bangladesh as injury cover. But the promise he displayed then was on show once again today, as he returned steady figures of 1 for 39 in 12 overs, in the vastly more familiar surroundings of his home ground, Lord’s.Using his height well on a slow surface, Finn was the closest that England’s attack came to finding a cutting edge on an attritional day, and after Tamim Iqbal was run out for 55, he claimed the only other Bangladeshi wicket to fall, that of Imrul Kayes for 43, who gloved a lifter to Andrew Strauss in the slips.”It was a fantastic feeling to get my first [Test] wicket at Lord’s in front of that crowd, and the atmosphere,” said Finn. “Initially, I wasn’t sure whether he had gloved it or it came off his forearm or what, but I was excited to see it go through like that. It was relatively hard work, because the wicket’s a little bit slow, but there’s a bit of bounce from the Pavilion End, and we hope we can exploit that tomorrow.”After grafting his way through the lifeless decks of Chittagong and Dhaka, Finn was happy to play on a surface offering even a fraction of assistance, and remained upbeat about England’s hopes of forcing the pace against a dogged Bangladeshi line-up.”It wasn’t that bad as Chittagong,” he said. “I’m still having nightmares about that. A little bit more sun on it, and potentially the roller tomorrow, I think it could change. There’s been a bit of variable bounce and that could be a big thing for us and work to our advantage tomorrow.”At the moment it looks like a battle of attrition, us again trying to limit their boundary options and being clever with field-setting and able to attack at the right time. But you can see one going up, one going down. We’re still 300 odd runs ahead, so if we can get a couple of quick wickets that’s going to be in the back of their minds that they could potentially be following on within a session.”The start to the Bangladeshi innings had a recurring theme, with Tamim Iqbal blazing a 62-ball 55 before being run out by a direct hit. It was his fourth half-century in five Test innings against England, but having seen his hurricane style blow out on previous occasions, Finn was confident that the bowlers would be able to regain control as the match develops.”Obviously, Tamim Iqbal is going to come out and play his way. But if we can ‘dot him up’ second innings, when he’s faced two or three on the trot, he’ll play a silly shot – try to slash one that’s too straight through point. We did go for a few runs today but we bowled to our plans and stuck to our guns.”We saw them bat like that in Chittagong and Dhaka earlier in the year,” he added. “They’re a developing team who are getting better game-by-game. They have players who are dangerous, and it’s important we don’t take them lightly, treat them with respect and have to be able to build dots against them.””We’re not just going to be able to blast them away; we have to build pressure, which will in turn get us wickets. The important thing is to use the new ball, because we know the Bangladeshis will struggle against the moving ball.”

Banton, Rew, Kohler-Cadmore make key runs to stun Warwickshire

ECB Reporters Network03-Jul-2024Tom Abell hit a perfectly-paced century as Somerset chased down 410 to beat Warwickshire by five wickets on the final day of an absorbing Vitality County Championship Division One game at Taunton.The former club captain finished unbeaten on 152, off 207 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes, as his side made light of their mammoth target, winning with 4.2 overs to spare.Tom Banton contributed 81, James Rew 57 not out and Tom Kohler-Cadmore 49 after Warwickshire had declared on their overnight second innings total of 281 for eight.It was the second highest successful fourth innings run chase in Somerset’s history. They took 20 points from the game to go second in the Division One table, while Warwickshire had to be content with seven.Chasing such a big target, Somerset knew a good start was imperative. Andy Umeed played positively from the outset and had made 30 of the 44 runs on the board when wafting at a delivery from Oliver Hannon-Dalby and edging through to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess.Kohler-Cadmore demonstrated admirable restraint to ensure a solid start, but lost another partner with the total on 77 when Tom Lammonby top-edged an attempted pull shot off Michael Booth and fell for 26, Ed Barnard taking a tumbling catch at fine leg.Having curbed his natural attacking instincts for much of the morning, Kohler-Cadmore opened his shoulders to hit left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell over long-on for six in the final over before lunch, which was taken at 117 for two, the former Yorkshire player unbeaten on 35.Abell was 25 not out and the afternoon session saw the pair complete a half-century stand off 92 balls. But, with the total on 144, Kohler-Cadmore aimed an expansive shot over the leg side off Hannon-Dolby and got a thick edge to third-man where Barnard pouched his second catch.Abell went to fifty off 92 balls with an on-driven boundary off Hannon-Dalby, but he and Banton sensibly took few chances in ensuring Warwickshire did not enjoy any more success before tea. Banton’s half-century occupied 76 deliveries and featured four fours and a six.Somerset went into the final session still needing 188 runs from a minimum of 33 overs. The century partnership between Abell and Banton was brought up off 158 balls and Banton immediately went on the attack, lofting Bethell for six over long-on.Somerset were starting to look favourites as runs started to flow more quickly. With 25 overs remaining, they needed a further 131 on what is traditionally a fast-scoring ground.Warwickshire desperately needed a wicket. It came with the total on 281 when Banton, who has made giant strides as a red-ball cricketer this season, attempted to force a short ball from Barnard through the leg-side and picked out Yates at mid-wicket. He had faced 109 balls and hit seven fours and two sixes.Somerset promoted Migael Pretorius in the bid for quick runs. The South African had managed 14 off ten balls when top-edging a catch to cover off Will Rhodes. At 299 for five, the hosts required 111 off the final 20 overs.That brought in Rew, who has struggled for runs this summer after a prolific 2023 season. The left-hander produced a classic extra cover drive for four off Rhodes before Abell went to a chanceless 171-ball hundred, which included nine fours, with a single off Barnard.The second new ball was about to become due. Rew slog-swept Bethell for four and followed up with a straight six next ball. With 85 needed, the umpires signalled the final hour and minimum of 16 overs left in the game.Warwickshire delayed taking the new ball, perhaps reasoning a softer one was more difficult to strike for boundaries. Instead, Rhodes turned to Dan Mousley, giving the off-spinner his first bowl of the match.It was a gamble that didn’t work as Mousley’s two overs went for 12. By the time Oliver Hannon-Dalby was handed the new ball, there were just 11 overs left and 54 runs required, Abell and Rew having completed a half-century stand off 51 deliveries.From there, the pair cut loose to finish the game with a flurry of boundaries, Rew completing a 51-ball fifty and Abell ending a memorable day with a pulled six off Booth.

The allrounder’s career came to a close with Sydney Sixers’ Challenger final defeat at the SCG

Andrew McGlashan03-Feb-2023When it comes to T20 cricket, Dan Christian has been there, done that, got the t-shirt and the trophies. As his career came to a close with Sydney Sixers defeat at the SCG on Thursday, he perhaps unsurprisingly left the game extolling the virtues of the format, and believes that what appears to be the unstoppable growth of T20 is the key to other parts of the game surviving.Christian ended with 409 T20 matches, currently the ninth-most ever, and nine trophies in the cabinet with success in England, the Caribbean and South Africa along with Australia. This year’s BBL, which has been a resurgent one for the competition, overlapped in part with the new leagues in South Africa and the UAE plus the Bangladesh Premier League.The BBL will actually be trimmed back, and perhaps as soon as next season if things can move fast enough, with a reduced 43-game tournament part of the new broadcast deal, but overall the amount of domestic T20 around the world is only likely to go one way.Related

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“I don’t think we are really overloading it,” Christian said. “And I’m saying that based on how many people watch it on TV, [and] the crowd in Perth the other day was unbelievable and it will be a sellout in the grand final.”I understand there are plenty of competitions going on around the world but the reason there are plenty of competitions is that people want to watch them, be that at home on the couch or going through the gates.”Think the T20 game is the key to ensuring the other formats survive, it’s encouraging new people to come through the gates and new people to take the game up.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The format was barely out of nappies when Christian played his first T20 game in 2006 so he has witnessed the game’s evolution at first hand. He feels the biggest change is now the level of planning which goes into every moment of a match.”When it first started it was a bit Mickey Mouse, no one knew how to really play it, [it was] just an abbreviated one-day game but now all 240 balls are really well planned,” he said. “More often than not it’s one really good over that will win or lose the game whereas in the other formats you have plenty of time to make up for those good or bad overs. In T20, everyone is so precise now, the bowling is so precise and the batting is so good, you can’t miss or guys just hit it for six.”Christian, who was also capped 43 times by Australia and picked out his debut at the SCG as a career high point, had decided a little while out that this would be his final season having ended a long association with Nottinghamshire during the last English summer. There was no fairytale end, and the chance of a 10th title, as Heat took out a low-scoring scrap on a difficult SCG pitch.Coaching is a likely future path for Christian who had a taste of it during the men’s T20 World Cup in Australia earlier in the season when he worked with Netherlands.”I’ve been in the game so long, definitely not lining up to do a 9 to 5 job,” he joked. “I’ll probably put my hand up and try and get a gig somewhere.”I’ve really enjoyed being an older player and being able to help the younger guys in whatever way shape or form that I can, be it with tactics or with any kind of experience that I’ve had. I suppose coaching’s the exact same thing without the pressure of having to perform on the field.”Moises Henriques, Sixers’ captain, praised Christian as the ultimate team man who always wanted to be involved in critical moments of a match.”He’s always been a pleasure to play with. As a captain, he’s one of those guys who always wants to bat and always wants to bowl,” he said. “No matter where we are in the game he’s coming up and giving me a nudge on the shoulder. They are the type of guys you love having in your team because they are up for the contest.”I just hope he enjoys the next chapter of his life and doesn’t try to force it too quickly. He’s been playing cricket for a long time so hopefully for him it’s six months of golf somewhere, and just enjoy that, get his handicap even lower and then he can worry about working after that.”

Left-arm quick will decide in the coming days if he will enter the mega auction, given Australia’s heavy touring schedule either side of this year’s IPL

Alex Malcolm12-Jan-2022Mitchell Starc is contemplating a return to the IPL for the first time since 2015 as he tries to juggle Australia’s Test commitments in the subcontinent with preparation for the T20 World Cup title defence at home in October.Speaking ahead of the fifth Ashes Test in Hobart, Starc revealed he was seriously considering entering the IPL mega auction, which is scheduled for February.”I’ve got two days to get my paperwork in so that might be something I do today before training,” Starc said. “I’ve not put my name down just yet, but I’ve got a couple more days to decide on that. It’s certainly on the table, regardless of the schedule coming up. I haven’t been for six years or so.”With obviously a heavy weighting towards T20s over the last period of time and the World Cup coming up later this year, that’s one to take into consideration.”Starc has only played in two seasons of the IPL, back in 2014 and 2015 for Royal Challengers Bangalore, despite being one of the best and most valuable T20 bowlers in the world over the last seven years.He took 34 wickets in 27 matches for Royal Challengers at an economy rate of 7.16 and a strike rate of 17. As a multi-format player for Australia, Starc has opted to use the IPL window in the April-May period each year to rest and recover and also spend time with his wife, Alyssa Healy, given the pair is separated for large portions of each year because of their respective playing schedules.Starc has plenty to consider from a workload perspective. Australia have a three-match ODI series and one-off T20I at home against New Zealand that follows the Ashes, and then a five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in February. The Test team is then scheduled to go to Pakistan in late February ahead of three Tests in March, followed by three ODIs and one T20I finishing on April 5.The IPL has expanded to a ten-team competition in 2022, with each team now set to play 18 home-and-away games plus the playoffs, meaning the tournament will run from April into early June.Australia are also scheduled to visit Sri Lanka for a Test and limited-overs tour in June and July, and there will be no break until August for any multi-format player opting to be involved in the IPL.The Pakistan tour is a topic of conversation among the players after they were briefed by Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association about the trip this week.”The schedules are quite jam-packed, when you throw in all the tours, obviously we’ve got a couple of white-ball series post the Ashes before that Pakistan tour,” Starc said. “Then you take in consideration the IPL, then a Sri Lankan tour after that, so it’s a massive six months of cricket for everyone, but certainly for those multi-format players.”We had a bit of a briefing the other day about the upcoming tour [of Pakistan]. I think it’ll take some time for all players to process that information. And then obviously, we’ve got a Test match this week to play and perform in and then we’ll move on to what comes next.”

Disciplinary hearing decides no wilful intent on part of player after unauthorised home trip

George Dobell18-Jul-2020Jofra Archer has been cleared to play in the final Test of the series against West Indies despite breaching biosecurity protocols after the first Test.Archer was dropped from the squad for the second Test in Manchester after it emerged he had made an unauthorised visit to his home in Brighton after leaving Southampton. Ashley Giles, the managing director of England men’s cricket said the breach “could have been a disaster” which cost English cricket “tens of millions of pounds”.But a disciplinary hearing chaired by Giles ended with Archer being given a fine – which is understood to be around £15,000, the value of his match fee for the second Test – and an official written warning.ALSO READ: Ben Stokes calls on England to rally round Jofra ArcherThe relatively lenient penalty reflects Archer’s previous good record, his remorse and an acceptance his actions were foolish rather than a wilful breach of protocol. The hearing was also attended remotely by Archer’s agent, Tom Harwood, a representative from the Professional Cricketers’ Association, and John Carr, the director of England Cricket Operations at the ECB.Archer has been obliged to isolate in his hotel room at Emirates Old Trafford since the details of his trip came to light. He has already undergone one Covid-19 Test – which was negative – and will undergo another on Monday. If that, too, is negative, he will be reintegrated to the squad on Tuesday. The individual whom he saw in Brighton has also tested negative for the virus since the incident. ESPNcricinfo understands that individual was not Archer’s neighbour and Sussex teammate, Chris Jordan.The England squad have been keen to rally round Archer in recent days. While he has not had any face-to-face contact, they have kept in touch by WhatsApp in the evenings – the players are not allowed access to their phones during the day in accordance with anti-corruption protocols – and several of the team have played computer games with him.The team management is understood to be looking at the possibility of Archer exercising on the outfield at Emirates Old Trafford after the close of play to ensure he is able to retain his fitness.

Almanack questions decision to ‘stake cricket’s wellbeing on a form of the game played nowhere else in the world’

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2019The editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack has launched a scathing attack on the ECB’s decision to introduce a new 100-ball tournament from 2020 onwards, describing the advent of The Hundred as an “almighty punt”.Writing in his traditional Notes By The Editor ahead of today’s publication of the 156th edition of Wisden, Lawrence Booth fears that the sport in England and Wales will come to rue the decision to “stake cricket’s wellbeing on a form of the game played nowhere else in the world.””The Hundred hung over the English game like the sword of Damocles, suspended only by the conviction of a suited few,” Booth wrote. “Some preferred a modern analogy: this was cricket’s Brexit, an unnecessary gamble that had overshadowed all else, gone over budget and would end in tears.”But the analogy was imperfect: where Brexit had plenty of advocates, it was difficult to find anyone beyond a small group within the ECB’s offices who believed that cricket – its fixture list already unfathomable – needed a fourth format.”Regardless of the success or otherwise of the new format, Booth is concerned about The Hundred’s impact on the other, more established formats of the game.”It is hard to be sanguine about stuffing another quart into the pint pot,” he adds. “Even if The Hundred succeeds – and the early signs were not good, with projected audiences of around 12,000 in stadiums capable of holding twice as many – then what of the other formats?”Twenty20 will take a hit, years after the world agreed it was the way ahead. The 50-over competition, its fixtures clashing with the new tournament, will smack of the Second XI, just when England have become good at one-day cricket. And the Championship will be shoved deeper into the cupboard under the stairs.”Then there’s the growing divide between the eight counties who will stage the competition and the ten who won’t. Worcestershire’s Daryl Mitchell, who doubles as chairman of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, spoke for many: ‘If it doesn’t work, then we’re all in trouble.'”If only someone at the ECB had been on hand last year to explain why they thought it a good idea to stake cricket’s wellbeing on a form of the game played nowhere else in the world. It’s true that this approach worked in 2003, when Twenty20’s arrival met with scepticism. Yet these grand schemes come off once a generation. And the public have to be convinced over time, not drip-fed careless soundbites.”