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Karnataka lose last seven wickets in 18 overs to crash out of the semi-finals for the third consecutive season

Varun Shetty in Kolkata03-Mar-2020A small crowd sang chants for the hosts throughout the morning session at Eden Gardens as Bengal closed out Karnataka’s chase to qualify for their first Ranji Trophy final since the 2006-07 season.Karnataka began the day 98 for 3 with overnight batsmen Devdutt Padikkal and Manish Pandey, needing 254 for a win, but fast bowler Mukesh Kumar erased any thoughts of a fight with a relentless attacking spell, picking up four wickets in five overs to expose Karnataka’s lower-order well inside an hour of play.In a match where the opening hour has produced collapses every day, Karnataka would have hoped Pandey – their most experienced batsman – and Padikkal, who had made Karnataka’s only fifty of the match the evening before, could survive against pace attack that has barely given them any leeway all match. But into only third over of the day, Kumar set Pandey up with incoming deliveries before getting one to straighten from a corridor line and have him push for an outside edge to the keeper.In this next over, he had KV Siddharth play a similar shot to have him caught in the slips and was on a hat-trick after trapping Sharath Srinivas right in front next ball. At six down, Karnataka’s hopes rested squarely on Padikkal and allrounder K Gowtham, but Kumar wasn’t done. He switched to around the wicket and had the left-handed Padikkal caught behind in much the same way he had done to Pandey earlier.At 118 for 7, Karnataka made the decision to throw their bats around but the novelty of a few sweetly struck slogs wore thin as Bengal’s players roused the crowd as they came closer and closer to a historic win.Ishan Porel accounted for Gowtham and in the seventh over of an uninterrupted nine-over spell, Kumar got Ronit More for his fifth wicket of the day. Karnataka lost their last seven wickets in 18 overs to crash out in the semi-final round for the third consecutive season. Kumar finished with his third five-wicket haul of the season, and career-best figures of 6-61.It was a tame finish to the season for Karnataka, who were eyeing a treble after winning both limited-overs trophies before the Ranji Trophy, and were strongly placed after winning the toss and reducing Bengal to 67 for 6 on the first day. But Anustup Majumdar’s unbeaten 149, which earned him Player of the match, rallied the lower order and helped Bengal to 312, an anomaly of a score on a challenging surface that neither team could even come close to for the rest of the game.

Daryl Mitchell, Jeet Raval and Finn Allen among major domestic movers

Andrew McGlashan15-Jun-2020

Auckland

Colin Munro returns to the domestic list having lost his central contract, while top-order batsman Will O’Donnell has been given his first deal. Auckland’s batting will have to cover for the loss of Finn Allen and Jeet Raval, who have left for Wellington and Northern Districts respectively.Squad Graeme Beghin, Ross ter Braak, Jamie Brown, Mark Chapman, Louis Delport, Danru Ferns, Ben Horne, Ben Lister, Matt McEwan, Colin Munro, Robbie O’Donnell, William O’Donnell, Glenn Phillips, Ollie Pringle, Sean Solia, Will SomervilleCentrally contracted: Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle JamiesonWhat they said
Coach Heinrich Malan: “It is great to reward a young player like Will, who has starred in club cricket for some time and successfully come through our A-programme. It is pleasing to have a solid group of players who have played together over the last few years. We are looking forward to seeing how the group continues to develop over the next twelve months.”

Canterbury

New Zealand allrounder Daryl Mitchell, who made his Test debut against England last year, has completed one of the major off-season moves by heading south from Northern Districts. Legspinner Todd Astle, who retired from first-class cricket earlier this year, has been handed a contract.Squad Todd Astle, Chad Bowes, Jack Boyle, Leo Carter, Sean Davey, Cam Fletcher, Andrew Hazeldine, Tyler Lorton, Ken McClure, Cole McConchie, Daryl Mitchell, Ed Nuttall, Fraser Sheat, Henry Shipley, Theo van Woerkom, Will WilliamsCentrally contracted: Tom Latham, Matt Henry, Henry NichollsWhat they said
High-performance manager Marty Croy: “Daryl brings a wealth of experience having performed at an international level and will be a huge asset to the team. The value of Daryl is immense, not only through his playing ability, but also what he can bring to our group as far as his approach to performance and his desire to win titles for Canterbury.

Central Districts

Brad Schmulian, a 29-year-old batsman who scored a double century on first-class debut in 2017, has secured his first contract alongside 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Bayley Wiggins.Squad Doug Bracewell, Tom Bruce, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Greg Hay, Jayden Lennox, Christian Leopard, Adam Milne, Seth Rance, Ben Smith, Brad Schmulian, Blair Tickner, Ray Toole, Ben Wheeler, Bayley Wiggins, George WorkerCentrally contracted: Ajaz Patel, Ross Taylor, Will YoungWhat they said
High performance manager Lance Hamilton: “A number of our senior players were very unlucky with injuries and surgery that affected their availability last season. The likes of Adam Milne and Doug Bracewell will be really relishing a return to regular cricket after sitting out all, or most, of last season. We had a horrible run with injuries across the season but we still finished runners-up in the Plunket Shield, and came out of it with a number of our younger or developing players now having had game time and valuable opportunities in the absence of more senior players.”Jeet Raval works through the leg side•Getty Images

Northern Districts

Raval, who lost his central contract for 2020-21, will look to revive his fortunes with the short relocation to Northern Districts.Squad James Baker, Peter Bocock, Dean Brownlie, Joe Carter, Katene Clarke, Henry Cooper, Anton Devcich, Zak Gibson, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn, Brett Randell, Jeet Raval, Tim Seifert, Anuray Verma, Joe Walker (16th player TBC)Centrally contracted: Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson

Otago

Dale Phillips, brother of New Zealand player Glenn, is one of two new faces for Otago after making his debut last season alongside wicketkeeper-batsman Max Chu. Mark Craig, the former New Zealand offspinner, wasn’t considered after deciding to take a break from the game, after which he has undergone back surgery.Squad Matt Bacon, Neil Broom, Max Chu, Jacob Duffy, Josh Finnie, Dean Foxcroft, Camden Hawkins, Anaru Kitchen, Nick Kelly, Jarrod McKay, Dale Phillips, Hamish Rutherford, Mitch Renwick, Michael Rippon, Michael Rae, Nathan SmithWhat they said
Performance manager Simon Forde: “[We need to] strengthen our seam bowling stocks. We were very light last year in terms of numbers of seam bowlers in the group so the focus of our second round of contracting will be building depth in that department to complement our exciting attack led by Jacob Duffy.”

Wellington

Allen, the 21-year-old batsman, is one of the most highly regarded young prospects in New Zealand cricket and joins Wellington alongside 22-year-old Troy Johnson. Allen scored a century for a New Zealand XI against England last year and will help cover the potential loss of Devon Conway to international duty once he qualifies in September.Squad Finn Allen, Hamish Bennett, Jakob Bhula, Michael Bracewell, Fraser Colson, Andrew Fletcher, Jamie Gibson, Lauchie Johns, Troy Johnson, Iain McPeake, Ollie Newton, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Michael Snedden, Logan van Beek, Peter YounghusbandCentrally contracted: Devon Conway, Tom Blundell, Jimmy NeeshamWhat they said
Head coach Glenn Pocknall: “We’re really excited to be able to add two high quality batsmen and equally great blokes to the squad who we know will contribute on and off the field for us. We’re all about developing people and we play an important role in assisting them reach their goals. In these two guys we know what they’re wanting to achieve, and we look forward to supporting their careers.”

Hockley was chief executive of the Australia T20 World Cup organising committee

Daniel Brettig16-Jun-2020Kevin Roberts’ ignominious exit from Cricket Australia will see the T20 World Cup local organising chief, Nick Hockley, installed as acting chief executive while the governing body conducts a global search for the next long-term leader.Hockley, who has impressed many with his handling of the women’s event capped by a crowd of more than 86,000 people at the MCG for Australia’s win over India in the March 8 final, was first involved in cricket as part of the organising team for the ODI World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, before holding a senior commercial role with CA from 2015 to 2017.Support for Roberts at CA board level had been conditional right from the start of his tenure, given that he was signed to a three-year contract with the option of two more in October 2018, meaning he had the chance to prove himself before major negotiations for broadcast rights and the MoU with the players fell due. Initially he seemed to have worked effectively if slowly through a period that saw the men’s team rehabilitated after the Newlands scandal and the women’s team reach new heights in winning dual Twenty20 World Cups.However, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and CA’s chosen response – staff stand downs on 80% pay cuts and requests for funding cuts across the country – re-opened old questions about Robert’s communication style and level of trust with players, state associations and the governing body’s own staff.This saga confirmed whatever reservations the board still had about his ability to be CA’s long-term chief, turning it into a matter of when to part ways. Deteriorating talks with players and states, plus a rapidly improving Covid-19 outlook, brought the matter to head over the weekend, leaving Roberts to discuss his future with the board on Monday and eventually tender his resignation.Earl Eddings, the CA chairman, spoke to staff before addressing the media on Tuesday with the board due to confirm details of a restructure that will include redundancies later in the week. “Kevin and the board and I have been working hand-in-glove over the last three to four months around this. We thought it’s time now and Kevin agreed with the board that it’s time for a new leadership and he tendered his resignation accordingly for the good of the game,” Eddings said.”Ultimately the board takes all responsibilities. Being the chair, I’m the one ultimately responsible for the organisation. Hence why we’ve made these changes today and what we are doing tomorrow. We have responded appropriately. We are living in very unprecedented times. Our response has been in line with all other sporting organisations in the past three months. It would be naïve to think that Australian cricket wouldn’t be affected like all our other sporting codes and organisations around the world.”At the time, we made prudent decisions about the welfare of Australian cricket and, yes, that means we had to make some hard decisions and we’ve done that. And I don’t move away from that because it’s been necessary to protect us through this crisis. However, if things emerge and change, we adapt our plans, but ultimately that’s my responsibility and the board’s responsibility.”Nick Hockley will step into Cricket Australia•Getty Images

While CA had been working on plans based on projections for the loss of up to 50% of revenue next summer, Eddings confirmed that the board was now reassessing the situation as it improved with each day, particularly in terms of Australia. However, he underlined CA’s view that the T20 World Cup, due to be played in October and November, was still too complex an undertaking.”I sit on the ICC and we’re having meetings as we speak. It’s a bit of a moving feast at the moment,” he said. “I’d say it’s unlikely, while it hasn’t been formally called off this year or postponed, trying to get 16 countries into Australia in the current world where most countries are still going through Covid-19 spiking, I think it’s unrealistic or would be very, very difficult. We’ve put forward a number of different options to the ICC we’re working through at the moment.”Prior to the 2015 World Cup, Hockley had worked on the London Olympics, so brings a deep wealth of event management experience. Hockley has also worked closely with the former CA chief executive, James Sutherland, who remained a director on the T20 World Cup board following his departure from the CA CEO’s chair after nearly 18 years at the helm.”I’d say it’s still sinking in, it’s very fresh this news over the last 24 hours, so really my focus and priority is the immediate term and it’s really just work towards getting the best possible summer away,” Hockley said. “There’s a huge amount of work going on around [T20 World Cup] contingency planning. I think there’s meetings coming up next month at ICC level where some decisions will be made and we’ve got a fantastic local organising committee who are busy preparing for every eventuality and the decision that will come forth.”The departure of Roberts ends an eventful period of a little more than 18 months in the role, culminating in an ugly and ongoing dispute between CA, its state associations and the Australian Cricketers Association over disputed cost-cutting amid the financial shocks brought on by Covid-19.”It’s been a privilege to lead and serve the sport I love as CEO of Cricket Australia,” Roberts said. “Our team of staff and players are outstanding people who contribute so much to the game and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together. I’d like to thank the army of volunteers in communities across the country who are the lifeblood of our sport, enabling kids to experience the game and to dream about emulating their heroes in our national teams. As a lifelong and passionate member of the cricket community, I look forward to seeing the game thrive into the future.”

Says with the qualifiers yet to happen and several teams not even able “to assemble”, it was best to push the tournament back

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2020The postponement of the 2021 Women’s World Cup to 2022 came down to concerns around readiness of the players, and not safety in New Zealand, the event’s CEO Andrea Nelson has said. As ESPNcricinfo had reported on Friday, Nelson said that given three participating teams are still to be identified and several sides “can’t train” yet, postponement was the best option.The qualifier for the tournament was supposed to be held in July, but was postponed due to the pandemic. So, for now, England, Australia, South Africa, India and hosts New Zealand are confirmed participants, with three more spots open in the eight-team tournament.”It came down to the ability of the teams to qualify,” Nelson told . “We’ve done a lot of contingency planning around this event, to give it the best possible chance of proceeding successfully – ultimately the decision to delay it comes down to cricket. No qualifying tournaments have been able to be held yet, so in order to qualify and then compete in the event in 2021 – it was too risky.”We’ve got teams that can’t train, they can’t assemble – in the case of a country like the West Indies they can’t leave their islands to bring the team together – and that’s just not a feasible way to ask a team to prepare for their pinnacle event.”New Zealand has been one of the least affected countries worldwide by Covid-19. As of Sunday morning, there were only 23 active cases in the country, according to their Ministry of Health’s official numbers, and these were all at the borders – that is, people testing positive when they fly in from elsewhere, and going straight into quarantine. In mid-June, New Zealand had even welcomed back fans into a packed stadium for a Super Rugby Aotearoa game in Dunedin.ALSO READ: Why the women’s World Cup was postponed by 12 monthsHigh-profile women players England captain Heather Knight and Australia wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy have raised concerns over the postponement. Nelson, though, said pushing the tournament would allow players to be at their best for it.”Having the tournament in 2022 gives the best possible chance for teams around the world to train, prepare, and come and compete in their pinnacle event,” she said. “We have absolutely no doubt we’ll be able to pick up those plans and deliver an amazing event a year later.”The qualifier was originally slated to be held in Sri Lanka in July this year, and has also been pushed back by a year. Sri Lanka is likely to remain the host, with its team competing for one of the three remaining spots in the main event.

The Australia captain hopes that a return to the cricket field will help focus minds ahead of the home summer

Daniel Brettig03-Sep-2020Australia’s T20 captain Aaron Finch has stated his frank belief that the Big Bash grew too quickly in size when it leapt from a 10 to 14 match regular season either side of the most recent broadcast rights deal currently being disputed by the free-to-air rights holder Seven in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.Desperate for a discount in their share of the A$1.2 billion rights deal struck in 2018 due to a worsening financial outlook for the network, Seven and its outspoken chief executive James Warburton have repeatedly asked Cricket Australia for fee reductions. First they did so on the basis of content being reduced due to Covid-19 and more recently on the flimsier premise that quality will be affected by Australian players going into quarantine hubs for international fixtures against India.In truth, the BBL has always been part of delicate scheduling dance between formats and competitions for CA, and the major jump in the length of the tournament in 2018 has made it still less likely that the likes of David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, plus any number of high-profile overseas names, would be involved.ALSO READ: Tim Paine urges Cricket Australia and broadcasters to ‘work together’ for benefit of the gameFinch, who led the Melbourne Renegades to their first title in 2019, said that while players would have varying views depending on how well or otherwise they were playing, he felt the jump to 14 games, to help bump up the broadcast asking price two years ago, was too much, too soon.”All in all, I think going from 10 to 14 was probably a little bit too drastic a jump straight away, maybe if there was a middle ground there for 12 and trial that for a little period, but it’s still a great product and something that we’re proud of. I think that’s all a bit subjective to how you’re playing as a person at the time – I think if you’re flying as a batter you want to keep playing as much as you can, but I know there’s been some stats around potentially cutting it back and what that looks like for fans.”We want to play as much cricket as we can and I’m not sure exactly what that right number is. I think as long as the quality stays there, I know it’s going to be a little bit different this year with Covid-19 and the potential for some hubs that will change the outlook.”Finch’s words were not dissimilar to the earlier suggestion of the former Seven and Ten executive David Barham, instrumental in building the BBL’s rights value between 2013 and 2018, that bigger was not always better as far as audiences were concerned.”It’s so easy for sporting administrators to think we need more money, let’s play more, let’s do more,” he told SEN Radio earlier this year. “It’s not necessarily the best answer; the NFL rights have been going through the roof and they haven’t changed the number of rounds ever as far as I can tell.Aaron Finch would be needed to captain Australia in white-ball cricket•Getty Images

“It depends on your ratings…35 games to 61 is a massive increase that is way out of proportion. That’s really tested everybody, and it was a school holidays sport that was doing a million people a night on Channel Ten averaging more than what AFL and NRL did on a per-game basis. So you go from a million people a night, and I think they’ve dropped 40% in ratings by expanding. You’ve got to look and think carefully before you think that the answer is just putting on more games.”Having been a part of the BBL since its conception, Finch admitted he had become concerned by the amount of speculation surrounding the competition as CA, Seven and Fox Sports wrestled with how to stage it this summer. For his part, Finch was hopeful that the return of the national team to play after a lengthier break than planned due to coronavirus would help shift focus from the game’s finances and politics to cricket itself.”I think it’s a great product, and yes it’d be nice if Australian players were available more, but I think just in the current climate with the scheduling there has to be a little bit of give and take from everywhere,” he said. “I know CA are working really hard to try and work around it as best they can and come up with some really positive solutions.”Whenever there’s no content being played it gives people a lot of time to sit around and come up with a lot of theories. The fact we’re back tomorrow is really exciting and hopefully we can let the cricket do the talking from a lot of different aspects. I think that one thing that’s been really pleasing is coming over here and letting go of everything else and really digging into training and focusing on the game coming up.”It’s going to be a quick series and then on the back of that, there’s domestic cricket around the world and at home. Guys are excited but really looking forward to trying to put some positive headlines out there.”CA’s chief executive Nick Hockley had scheduled meetings with the chief executives of Foxtel and Seven on Thursday and Friday this week.

Rana also expects Pat Cummins’ experience to help the franchise’s uncapped Indian fast bowlers

Sreshth Shah17-Sep-2020Among left-hand batsmen who have scored more than 1000 T20 runs from the start of 2018, England captain Eoin Morgan (158.62) is one of the only two players – along with Rishabh Pant (159.11) – to boast a strike rate upwards of 155. As Morgan flies to the UAE to link up with the Kolkata Knight Riders following Wednesday’s ODI cliffhanger against Australia, Nitish Rana, another left-hand batsman in the franchise’s middle order, has his sights set on picking Morgan’s brains this year at the IPL.”I am very excited because he is a World Cup winner,” Rana said of Morgan, who led England to ODI World Cup triumph at home last year. “And the second thing is that he is a rare left-handed batsman who is dominating white-ball cricket. [I am] looking forward to learning plenty from him because he is a World Cup winning captain. I really want to imbibe his leadership qualities – not just for my exploits in domestic cricket, but in the IPL as well.”Another passenger on the specially chartered flight from the UK is Australia quick Pat Cummins, who was bought for INR 15.5 crore (approx. $2.2 million in December) at the auction and is expected to lead the Knight Riders bowling attack this season. Rana believes Cummins could especially help the young uncapped Indian pacers in the squad get better at their craft.”Our bowling attack is actually quite strong,” Rana said. “With Cummins joining us, we get a boost in experience in our squad. Our young bowlers have been excellent in domestic competitions and for Knight Riders for the past two years, and my earnest wish is that they learn as much as they can from Cummins, so they can evolve into better players for the team.”Rana, who has been a vital cog in the Knight Riders middle order wheel since the 2018 season following his stint with the Mumbai Indians, was also hopeful that the seething pace of 2018 Under-19 World Cup winners Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi could be a potent weapon for the franchise.ALSO READ: Back in ‘full rhythm’, Shivam Mavi hopes to make up for lost timeWhile Mavi gears up to play his second season for the Knight Riders, after a lukewarm debut in 2018 and a long injury layoff that began in December last year, Nagarkoti, who was picked up by the franchise for the 2018 IPL, is set to make his T20 debut.Shivam Mavi chases after a ball•BCCI

“Nagarkoti – the poor guy has been injured for the last two seasons, but I’ve noticed in the intra-squad matches that he has become very strong physically and has taken care of the past injuries that have hurt him,” Rana said. “He and Shivam Mavi have both been bowling at over 140kph and as a batsman, I can tell you that it’s no joke facing bowlers who can get those speeds every delivery. It’s challenging for any batsman.”Rana, who grew up playing cricket in the blazing heat of Delhi, said he is well attuned to playing under oppressive conditions the UAE typically offers. Clubbing that with his naturally aggressive style of play, one especially called for by head coach Brendon McCullum, who has come to the UAE on the back of leading the Trinbago Knight Riders to 12 wins in a row en route to the Caribbean Premier League title, Rana said the coach’s ideas could sync well with his own.”It’s not that hot [in Abu Dhabi], considering I’m from North India, Delhi,” Rana said. “Yes, it was taking a bit of time to adjust to the conditions, practising four hours, but we are used to it. We are all professional cricketers, so these things don’t affect us much.”Being from Delhi, I have always approached cricket in an aggressive manner. As a kid, growing up, I was a big fan of McCullum, so I was very excited when I first heard he was appointed our coach. The way he aggressively played as a batsman – I sincerely hope he coaches us the same way.”Rana is also looking forward to reprising his role as a part-time spinner for the Knight Riders, a task he first performed in his debut match for the side, dismissing Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the same over. With the UAE surfaces expected to assist slow bowlers, Rana said he has prepared to make good use of his right-arm offspin this season too.”In domestic cricket, I’ve been always bowling, so that skill has never been a new thing for me,” he said. “I’ve been bowling for the last two years and that the tournament is happening in the UAE, is the best scenario for me, considering I’m likely to get decent grip off the surface. Besides, I am a much-improved bowler; I am actually hoping to bowl more overs this time around.”The Knight Riders play their first match, against defending champions Mumbai, on September 23, and will be the last franchise to kick off their IPL 2020 campaign.

Babar Azam feels better catching could have helped Pakistan sweep the series

Danyal Rasool03-Nov-2020Babar Azam admitted that poor fielding had let his side down in the third and final ODI against Zimbabwe, saying that Pakistan need to work on that aspect of their game to ensure it doesn’t cost them in tight games in the future. Speaking after a pulsating game that Zimbabwe nicked in the Super Over, Azam pointed to some of the dropped catches that had saved centurion Sean Williams, which bloated the target for Pakistan.”We have to learn from our mistakes. I think it was a good performance for us, but unfortunately, we couldn’t quite get over the line,” Azam, who scored a masterful century to help tie the game, said. “We need to work on our fielding so we don’t drop so many catches. Those catches give good players second and third chances, and that hurt us in the end.”Williams conceded that he had ridden his luck to score 118 not out and, on an another day, could have found himself back in the changing room much sooner. “Pakistan definitely had their chances, I think I got dropped four times, so I thought I’d capitalise on the opportunities and try and build a big, big innings,” he said. “If they had taken their first catch, I was on 12, so I think it could definitely have been better on the Pakistan side of things.”With nothing to separate the two sides after 100 overs, it went to the one-over shootout, and some of the decision-making from Pakistan during that Super Over did raise eyebrows. Azam, who had just stroked a chanceless 125 until being dismissed in the penultimate over, didn’t step out, and Khushdil Shah, who was making his debut, walked out alongside Iftikhar Ahmed, whose most notable contribution in the series had been a five-wicket haul in the second game. He had managed 46 runs all series with the bat, and that lean run was to continue, with Blessing Muzarabani beating him with the slower one off the first ball to send him back.”The mistakes I made as a captain, I’ll ensure I don’t make again. In the Super Over, the players we sent we did after thinking through carefully,” Azam said. “These are our finishers. They are power-hitters, and we sent Iftikhar because we wanted a left-right combination. Unfortunately, he could not finish it off, but it happens sometimes.”The aim is to learn something from every match. We needed more partnerships up at top. Once Wahab (Riaz) and I got our partnership (for the seventh wicket) going. I was hoping we would finish the game, so it hurts. But it’s not just about our mistakes. We need to give Zimbabwe credit. I thought we bowled well but a couple of things made the difference, like a few misfields and dropped catches. There’s a time when our bowling quality dropped from what it was at the start of the match, but that’s also because they put us under pressure.”The World Cup Super League, which helps qualification for the 2023 World Cup, means every game, dead rubber or not, has something on the line. And despite Pakistan winning the series 2-1, they missed out on a chance to take all 30 points from the three games.”There are 24 matches in the WSL, so it hurts to drop ten points here,” Azam said. “We’ll look at this series when the next one comes, and give 100% because every match you lose means you lose ten points.”It was a sentiment Williams echoed with significantly more conviction, warning that his side was done being content with just competing. “I think we can absolutely beat the bigger teams. We’re tired of competing and getting beaten,” Williams said. “That’s no longer acceptable. It’s been way too long and the whole mental approach towards our game has completely changed. Some of the young players in the changing room, like Wesley Madhevere, are remarkably good players. This experience allows those younger guys to play and beat the bigger teams. Blessing has got a long career ahead of him, so there’s a lot more to come from us.”He could even afford to be light-hearted about Tendai Chisoro’s final-ball misfield that led to the Super Over in the first place. “In a pressure situation, a lot of people panic under pressure. I’m just happy it ended up going our way. I felt we deserved to win that game. It’s important that our guys go to that player and pick him up. We’re not one to leave men behind. He’s going to be a senior player soon and it’s important for us to stick together. It’s water under the bridge and we move on to the T20s.”

Three matches had earlier been moved from Sydney to Canberra due to border restrictions

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2021The challenges facing Cricket Australia to keep the BBL running became clear again amid the wider impact of three-day lockdown imposed on Brisbane following the emergence of a case of Covid-19 from strain that originated in the UK.The tournament remains on track for now with Sunday’s match on the Gold Coast, south of Brisbane, between Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers able to go ahead as it is outside the lockdown zone but players will be under stricter restrictions.”Both teams are safely located in their bio-secure hub on the Gold Coast and are preparing as normal,” Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson said. “Strict provisions will be put in place to ensure the safety of those attending and working at the game. Ticket holders from Greater Brisbane will not be able to attend.”Sydney Thunder, who played at the Gabba on January 4, have been given approval to play their next match against Perth Scorchers in Perth on Saturday despite Western Australia imposing a hard border to the whole of Queensland and back-dating restrictions to January 2. The Thunder will not be allowed to leave their hotel other than for the match and training.CA’s biosecure plans have again shown their value after they also helped the BBL navigate the recent cases in Melbourne when some players had returned to the city in time off while other clubs had people join their squads.There has been some impact on players during the tournament, though, with Alex Carey and Harry Conway forced to sit out an Adelaide Strikers game and Imad Wasim was unable to travel to Perth with Melbourne Renegades due to having come from New Zealand.Some fixtures have also been forced to move due to the border restrictions imposed following the Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney last month with three games moved to Canberra.The fate of the remaining matches in Sydney has not yet been decided but it remains probable that they will need to be relocated as well.The three games currently moved are:January 13: Sydney Thunder v Sydney Sixers, originally scheduled to be played at Sydney Showground Stadium
January 16: Sydney Sixers v Perth Scorchers, originally scheduled to be played at Sydney Cricket Ground
January 18: Sydney Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes, originally scheduled to be played at Sydney Showground StadiumManuka Oval has already staged six matches in this season’s tournament with the Thunder, for who the ground is effectively a second home, having played in five of them. However, the subsequent impact of the Brisbane lockdown will mean that the Sixers will now need exemptions to travel to Canberra with the ACT having imposed restrictions.”The decision to move these three matches from Sydney to Canberra has been taken to ensure the continuation of the BBL season despite the ongoing public health situation and related state border closures,” Alistair Dobson, the head of the Big Bash, said. “As part of our ongoing monitoring of the situation in Sydney, we will consider whether or not we need to make any decisions on the remaining matches in Sydney in due course.”

Appointment comes just days before Vijay Hazare Trophy after wrangling between CIC and MCA

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Feb-2021A day before the squad is picked for the forthcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day tournament, Mumbai have appointed a new head coach in former allrounder Ramesh Powar.Powar, the former Mumbai and India offspinner, replaces former Mumbai batsman Amit Pagnis, who resigned a month after taking charge citing the team’s “poor performance” during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where the 41-time Ranji Trophy champions failed to make the knockouts having lost four of their five matches during the group stages.Sanjay Naik, the Mumbai Cricket Association secretary, confirmed Powar’s appointment and said it was until end of March. “The Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) has recommended Powar as the head coach. The MCA has appointed him for this season,” Naik told ESPNcricinfo.Powar, who won the Ranji title six times with Mumbai, said he took up the challenge as he wanted to restore the dominance enjoyed domestic giants in the past. “I am looking forward to create healthy and positive atmosphere in the dressing room. We want to create a brand of cricket which Mumbai was known for in the past,” Powar said.Powar, who is 42, retired from in 2015, was until last September a spin bowling coach at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Before that he served as interim head coach of the Indian women’s team, a stint that included the 2018 Women’s World T20 where India reached the semifinals.Recently, the Mumbai selection committee, lead by former India fast bowler Salil Ankola, had named 100-plus probables for selection trials. A final squad, Naik said, would be picked on Wednesday, which would then travel to Jaipur where Mumbai are part of the Elite Group D in the Vijay Hazare Trophay, which includes Delhi, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Pondicherry.Some of key players that are likely to be part of the final squad include Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Prithvi Shaw, Dhawal Kulkarni, Aditya Tare, and Sarfaraz Khan. Barring Iyer, the rest of these players were part of the Mumbai squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where Yadav lead the team. In his resignation, Pagnis had said inadequate preparation was the key reason behind Mumbai’s inability to make the knockouts.Powar acknowledged that his primary task would be to create a cohesive unit and help players understand the legacy of a team that once was invincible in Indian domestic cricket. “We have lot of good players. Individually they are very good, but as a team we need to gel together and play well and complement each other and help them perform their roles. All these players are good, but why then are we not able to become a team that is invincible? That is my challenge.”Amol Muzumdar, not Powar, was MCA’s choicePowar’s last-minute appointment follows a chaotic set of developments involving differences between the CIC and MCA. According to Naik, after Pagnis stepped down, former Mumbai captain Amol Muzumdar had informed the MCA informally that he was available in case he was needed.It is understood that the CIC, which comprises former India and Mumbai cricketers Lalchand Rajput, Raju Kulkarni and Sameer Dighe recommended Powar after the latter wrote to the MCA in January stating he was interested in taking charge as head coach. On January 18, the CIC checked with the MCA whether Pagnis had indeed stepped down and what should be the recruitment process to find a replacement.On February 1, the CIC sent another email suggesting steps to facilitate the team’s preparation for the Vijay Hazare tournament including conducting practice matches. The CIC also sought clarity on the coach appointment process. On February 5, the MCA responded to the CIC stating it had “appointed” Muzumdar as the head coach of the Mumbai team keeping in mind the “limited time” available.The CIC is understood to have expressed “surprise” over Muzumdar’s appointment in its response. As per the MCA constitution, the CIC said it had the powers to appoint both the selectors and coaches for Mumbai teams. The CIC also pointed out that it had no knowledge of Muzumdar officially applying for the job. The CIC stated that though Muzumdar was “capable” of doing the job, Powar was its final choice as he had the “credentials” and experience. The CIC left the final decision to the MCA president Vijay Patil.On Tuesday it is understood the MCA informed the CIC to appoint Powar.

Also reiterates why he may miss the entirety of the New Zealand tour

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2021Shakib Al Hasan has said that the Bangladesh team has the ability to bounce from adversity, after their first series whitewash at home in nine years. The home side lost the Dhaka Test by 17 runs against West Indies, after already losing the game in Chattogram by three wickets.It led to stinging criticism led by BCB president Nazmul Hassan who didn’t mince his words in a press conference shortly after the Dhaka defeat.Related

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• Bangladesh fall 17 short as West Indies seal 2-0 win

Shakib, who missed part of the first Test and the entirety of the second Test due to a thigh injury, said that Bangladesh has come out of similarly difficult situations in the past.”It is definitely a difficult time for us, but we have had such times before,” Shakib said at a private event in Dhaka on Monday. “We have worked together in the past to get out of such situations, and I believe we can do it again. I believe we have the ability. We have got out of such situations before. A couple of good results will change the scenario. We wouldn’t be talking about anything if we had scored the 17 runs yesterday.”Nobody wants to lose in any sport. We didn’t think it would turn out like this. We beat their full-strength side in the previous tour. Everything was okay till the fourth day of the first Test. Our bad phase started from the fifth day.”Shakib said that like all team managements, the Bangladesh one also takes winning decisions but it sometimes doesn’t work out. “There’s no right or wrong decision in cricket. Every decision is taking by players, captain and the team management thinking of a win,” he said. “If we would’ve won, you wouldn’t have asked these questions, but you have a job to ask questions even then. I think everyone has a responsibility,” he said.Shakib also explained why he needed the break for the tour of New Zealand, which he said was partly due to his injury and partly because his wife is giving birth to their third child.”It will take me six to eight weeks to recover from the injury, which means there’s a good chance that I will miss the New Zealand tour. If it takes me six weeks, I might make it to the T20I series, but there’s a personal reason for asking for the leave.”We are going to have our third child, which is exciting for both of us,” he said. “I must be next to my wife. More importantly, the Covid-19 situation in the US is pretty bad. Only the husband is allowed in the hospital, so I must be with her.”