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Four years since he made an emphatic statement of intent as a formidable allrounder, James Faulkner looks to India for his reintroduction and regeneration

Daniel Brettig11-Sep-20171:31

Faulkner eager to resume Australia duties

It was in India in 2013 that James Faulkner truly announced himself as an international allrounder of substance. Most specifically, his Mohali heist gave rise to the nom de plume “the Finisher”; Ishant Sharma and Vinay Kumar would still get whiplash from thinking about it. Though Australia lost the series, Faulkner went on to be a vital player in a winning World Cup campaign in 2015.Four years on, Faulkner again looks to India for a series of significance, only this time his goal is that of reintroduction and regeneration. It’s barely been a few months since Faulkner lost his Cricket Australia contract and was then omitted from the Champions Trophy squad.The setbacks, at the very least, had the effect of clearing Faulkner’s mind about what he needed to do. Principally, this was to get his body right again after more than a year of nursing a damaged knee, to restore snap to his bowling and freedom to his movement between the wickets and on the field. Strong as he now feels, the question remains whether Faulkner can bring his unique brand of brio and tactical intelligence to the pointy end of an ODI.”Anytime you miss out on selection, it is tough,” Faulkner said in Chennai. “I have a good chance now. I had four months away from the game. I had bit of pre-season which has been nice, a bit of time in my own bed, and to get strong and fit again. I have been battling – to be honest – probably the last 18 months, so it’s been nice to be home with my team-mates in Tassie and hit the gym hard. Just physically with my knee and the state it has been in. It is as good as it’s been at the moment, so I’m pretty happy.”My training definitely changed. I spent a lot of time on the bike; I haven’t spent any time running other than fielding and while bowling in the nets. Have been doing different exercises in the gym, there are certain exercises I can’t do but there is a lot I still can. It is about being disciplined with them and training and working hard. Also reflecting on aspects you need work on as a player because everyone has to get better.”It was pretty tough. I think if you ask any player when you get left out it is not great fun. After a while you are friends and family with your team-mates as well. At the end of the day it is up to you to be back; I am excited to back in the group. I don’t really want to talk about the past. It’s about this series coming up and a good opportunity against very good opposition in their own country.”In terms of opportunity, Faulkner has the good fortune of knowing that nobody has truly made a spot their own in his absence. Marcus Stoinis played the sort of dominant innings Faulkner would have wished to play at the other end at Eden Park against New Zealand in January this year but has not played since. Moises Henriques was preferred by Steven Smith for the Champions Trophy but did not have the desired impact in a team that was swiftly eliminated. And Mitchell Marsh is currently preparing to captain Western Australia as a batsman only while still recovering from shoulder surgery.For Faulkner, a fruitful stint during the India tour could mean a second chance to be part of a winning Australian team•Associated Press

“I didn’t get too much feedback to be honest [on why he was dropped],” Faulkner said. “It was about… they said the pace has dropped down a little bit maybe. I bowl a lot of variations, so it’s a tough one. I didn’t have too much to be honest. I just reflected myself and wanted to get back in the team. I put that aside and worked as hard as I could.”I suppose for me [my strength] is the variation and the death [overs] as well with both the bat and ball. I don’t know about the X-factor, there are a lot of players with the X-factor in both line-ups and that is international cricket. Do as well as I can and play my part in these conditions, which are obviously different from back in Australia.”Australia’s Test players are already well-adjusted to the south Indian heat given their recent experiences in Bangladesh, but for Faulkner and other limited-overs operators there will be a little more time required to acclimatise. Snow and ice have been evident in Faulkner’s Hobart base in recent weeks, so it was understandable that he had worked up a sweat after training. Another southern stater, the Victorian Aaron Finch, will not play in Australia’s sole warm-up match on Tuesday as he nurses a calf niggle.”We are obviously looking forward to playing a warm-up game before the series starts,” Faulkner said. “It is tough conditions here in Chennai, it is hot – I’m here now and I’m still sweating! The boys are eager to get out there and play some good cricket, it is going to be a good series. Last time we were here, we had some good tough cricket, so we are all excited.”There’s a lot of experience in that changing room playing in the subcontinent. Most of the boys have played enough here with the IPL and other series and the T20 World Cup. [India] have played a lot of one-day cricket of late. They are in really good nick right now. It is going to be a test and we’re excited for it.”For Faulkner, that excitement is about a second chance to be part of a winning Australian team.

New deal to include increase in Blast coverage, and more women’s fixtures than ever before

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2022The ECB and Sky Sports have extended their broadcast partnership by a further four years, until the end of 2028.The new deal, which is set to begin in 2025, includes a commitment to 90 extra hours of cricket each year, and guarantees that the Hundred – the new competition that was a major factor in the last rights cycle for 2020-24 – will continue for at least another five seasons.That hike in live coverage includes a commitment to a 50 percent increase in the number of Vitality Blast fixtures being broadcast, including one game per round being shown free-to-air on Sky Sports’ YouTube channel.The exact details of the new deal’s free-to-air provisions will be confirmed at a later date – the BBC’s current agreement extends until the end of 2024 – although at least two women’s T20 internationals each year will be broadcast on terrestrial TV, as well as eight women’s Hundred matches – an increase of two from the current deal.Sky have also pledged to continue supporting grassroots cricket through the ECB’s Dynamos Cricket programme.Clare Connor, the ECB’s interim chief executive, said: “Sky have been fantastic partners for cricket for over 30 years. Their broadcast coverage is rightly lauded as the best in the world, but more significantly than that we have a shared commitment to growing the sport and investing in more opportunities, not only for people to watch and follow cricket in all its forms, but also to pick up a bat and ball.”Thanks to Sky and the support of other partners, we saw a record 14 million people playing, attending or following cricket in 2021. This year alone, 10,000 children will get the chance to have a free taste of cricket through Sky Dynamos Intros, while many, many more will benefit from facilities and opportunities to play which are only possible because of Sky’s investment. It shows this media rights model is working, and we are very grateful for Sky’s ongoing support.”We have worked closely with the wider game and our First-Class Counties to agree this new deal with Sky, which will see not only more live women’s and men’s cricket on Sky, but also more on free to air TV as well. I would like to place on record our thanks to the First Class County Chairs, to all of the Sky teams involved and to ECB colleagues including Tony Singh and Tom Harrison, who have played the central role in delivering this outstanding result for cricket.”Our shared values and vision with Sky will make cricket accessible to even more people over the coming years and will use the power of sport to inspire the next generation, while safeguarding the wonderful traditions which are such a key part of our game.”Stephen van Rooyen, Sky Sports’ EVP and CEO UK and Europe, added: “This is an exciting time for English cricket and we’re thrilled to be furthering our long and successful partnership with the ECB. Together we will continue to help grow the game while boosting participation in the sport by children from all backgrounds through initiatives like our Dynamos Cricket Intros.”On screen, we will continue to push boundaries in our BAFTA-winning coverage, bringing Sky Sports viewers even more live action from 2025 – including more women’s cricket than ever before – with men’s and women’s England internationals and domestic cricket. Sky’s investment over the last 30 years has contributed to a great deal of success on the pitch, and we hope to be at the forefront of much more to come.”

The former team director was hired back by Cricket West Indies without an interview process

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Feb-2018Desmond Haynes was right. The West Indies opening great had publicly questioned the process behind Richard Pybus’ return to cricket in the West Indies as high performance director – a post newly created by Cricket West Indies (CWI). The much-travelled coach returns just over a year after he had left as team director.”It would be great to ask the [CWI] president [Dave Cameron] about this appointment and when was this position advertised,” Haynes posted on his Facebook account. The answer, ESPNcricinfo can confirm, is that it wasn’t: the post was not advertised and Cameron did have a direct hand in Pybus’ appointment, without interviewing any candidates.Haynes was not the only skeptic. Darren Sammy, the former West Indies captain who led during Pybus’ tenure as director, expressed disbelief at his return on Twitter. “Lies lies lies… Must be fake news,” Sammy tweeted on February 9. A day later, in response to a reply, he tweeted: “Well I’m still hoping that nightmare is not true #fakenews he’s not coming back at CWI.”Johnny Grave, the CWI chief executive, would not comment on Cameron’s role in the matter but confirmed that Pybus’ appointment was approved by the board of directors. “Everyone, including the senior management at CWI, is behind Pybus’ appointment,” Grave told ESPNcricinfo.According to Grave, Pybus was headhunted and the Englishman will play a consultant’s role, working about 200 days a year over a two-year contract. Pybus is expected to be the “bridge” between Jimmy Adams, the director of cricket and the man who succeeded him, and Graeme West, who is the manager at the High Performance Centre (HPC) in Antigua.”It is a strategic appointment,” Grave said. “It is a two-year consultancy role and it is specifically to do with establishing the HPC at the Coolidge Cricket Ground [in Antigua]. And ensuring the franchise-based Professional Cricket League that Richard set up four years ago becomes an even more elite, professional environment.”Grave believes that even though players from the Caribbean have professional contracts to play regional cricket, a lot of work remains in order to create the elite environment of the best domestic competitions overseas. Pybus’ extensive experience, including his previous stint in the West Indies, makes him, in CWI’s eyes, the right choice. “Richard is specifically coming in to work with our franchise teams, establishing the HPC in Antigua, and to allow us to produce better cricketers on the international stage,” Grave said.Pybus’ first stint with CWI, which ended in January 2017 after three years, was a controversial one. It was Pybus who made it mandatory for a player to participate in the domestic first-class and one-day cricket tournaments to qualify for selection for West Indies. Many senior players vehemently opposed the policy and instead opted to solely operate in overseas Twenty20 leagues.Pybus, who was recently shortlisted for coach by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, did not react to Sammy’s tweets, but did defend his track record in reply to Haynes.”Hi Desmond, as I’m a FB friend I presume it’s for my attention too,” Pybus posted on Facebook late on February 14. “To clarify a couple of points, I was invited by Bangladesh to go and meet their board, I didn’t apply or was shortlisted for any positions. I’ve coached for nearly 30 years, I started the junior provincial program[me] at Border [in South Africa] with Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini and Justin Kemp. Went on to set up the Border Academy and coach Border. Mark and Makhaya both played in that team. Coached Pakistan at two Cricket World Cups, including the final in ’99. Fast forward through nine championships won across all formats in South Africa, 3 x double in three consecutive years, Steyn, Morkel, du Plessis coming through those winning set-ups.”And although WICB [CWI] doesn’t seem to get much credit for the three World Cups [World T20, Women’s World T20 and Under-19 World Cup] won in 2016, they weren’t an accident, the U-19 and women were run by the HP program[me]. I wasn’t replaced by Jimmy, I’d declined an extension. Regards Richard.”

Samson and Jadeja also played aggressive knocks as India romped home with 17 balls remaining

Hemant Brar26-Feb-20221:29

Jaffer: India’s batters making the most of their chances

Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 74 off 44 balls trumped Pathum Nissanka’s 75 off 53, while Ravindra Jadeja’s 45 not out off 18 outshone Dasun Shanaka’s 47 not out off 19 as India chased down Sri Lanka’s 183 for 5 with seven wickets and 17 balls to spare in the second T20I in Dharamsala. The win, India’s 11th on the trot in T20Is, gave the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.After being put in, Sri Lanka were only 111 for 4 after 16 overs but Nissanka and Shanaka ransacked 72 off the last four. Nissanka hit 11 fours during his stay, while Shanaka preferred the aerial route. He struck two fours and five sixes, two of them on the last two balls of the innings, to propel Sri Lanka to a formidable total.India lost Rohit Sharma in the first over of the chase and were 56 for 2 after eight overs, needing another 128 from the last 12. Initially, Shreyas seemed uncertain, shuffling around the crease, but once he began connecting his shots, the Sri Lanka bowlers looked helpless against his power and timing.Shreyas Iyer hit six fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 74•BCCI

Sanju Samson began scratchily too, but he took 23 off the 13th over, bowled by Lahiru Kumara, leaving India needing 56 off 42 when Jadeja walked in. Jadeja did the bulk of the scoring from there on, and handed India a comfortable win in the end.Sri Lanka’s sedate start
Bowling first, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah made good use of the moisture in the surface. Both seamers got the ball to jag around, with Bumrah slipping in a few yorkers as well. Openers Nissanka and Danushka Gunathilaka tried to counter that by showing attacking intent but they struggled to connect their shots. In the first four overs, Sri Lanka scored only 15 runs and hit just one boundary.The step up
With the ball still moving around, there was a case to give Bhuvneshwar a third over in the powerplay but Rohit went to Harshal Patel. Harshal tried his slower one with mixed results: there were a couple of plays-and-misses in the fifth over but also two boundaries.The next three overs featured a boundary each as Sri Lanka went past 50 in the eighth over. Gunathilaka then smashed Jadeja for six, four and six off the first three balls of the ninth over, with both sixes coming via slog-sweeps. Off the fourth ball, he went for another slog-sweep but this time Jadeja shortened his length a touch and bowled it further away from his arc to induce a top-edge, which Venkatesh Iyer gobbled up running in from long-on.Pathum Nissanka played plenty of inventive shots behind the wicket•BCCI

Nissanka, Shanaka launch onslaught
The next two overs produced two more wickets – Yuzvendra Chahal trapped Charith Asalanka lbw and Harshal had Kamil Mishara caught in the covers with a slower one – but Nissanka kept the scoreboard ticking with a couple of fours off Bhuvneshwar in the 13th over. In the 15th, Dinesh Chandimal brought up Sri Lanka’s 100 with a straight four off Bumrah but the bowler dismissed him off the very next ball with an offcutter.Nissanka reached his fifty off 43 balls with a boundary off Chahal, before he and Shanaka went all-out. Shanaka launched Harshal for two sixes in a 19-run 17th over, while Nissanka used the lap and the reverse lap to help take 14 off Bumrah in the 18th.Bhuvneshwar was the next to bear the brunt as Shanaka hit successive balls for six and four. Bhuvneshwar dismissed Nissanka with the last ball of his spell but Shanaka wasn’t done yet. He smashed Harshal for two sixes and a four in the 20th over, which also featured four leg-byes and went for 23 in all.Pace like fire
If Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah tested the Sri Lanka openers with swing, Dushmantha Chameera and Kumara troubled Indian with raw pace. Rohit played on to Chameera in the first over; it was the fifth time Chameera had dismissed him in T20Is, the most for any bowler-batter combination. Kumara began his spell with a 146.7kph thunderbolt. With his second ball, he rattled Ishan Kishan by hitting him on the helmet.In the fifth over, Shreyas hit Binura Fernando for three successive fours but Kumara got rid of Kishan with the first ball of the next over. The batter tried to whip one towards midwicket but ended up lobbing it towards mid-on.Dushmantha Chameera dismissed Rohit Sharma for the fifth time in T20Is•BCCI

Shreyas breaks the shackles, Samson joins in belatedly
India managed just 12 runs from overs six to eight before Shreyas stepped out to left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama and launched him for back-to-back sixes. At the halfway stage, India were 80 for 2, needing 104 from the last ten overs. Shreyas hit two more sixes in the next two overs, the first one bringing up his half-century off just 30 balls.Samson was on 17 off 19 balls before hitting three sixes and a four in Kumara’s third over. He fell off the final ball of the over, trying to fetch another boundary, but the 23 runs from it had brought the equation down to 56 required from seven overs.Jadeja applies finishing touches
For the second match in a row, Jadeja was sent in ahead of Venkatesh. He opened his account by creaming Chamika Karunaratne through extra-cover and hit three boundaries off the first six balls he faced. Soon, India needed only 31 from 30 balls. In the 16th over, Jadeja got stuck into Chameera, hitting him for three fours and six to all but seal the deal.

There will be much soul-searching in Cardiff over the winter, but the season at least finished on a positive note

ECB Reporters Network26-Sep-2018
ScorecardAfter Glamorgan had reduced Leicestershire to 102 for 8 shortly before tea, they would have been ready to celebrate their second Championship win of the season, but the Leicestershire tailenders had other ideas, and the home team had to wait until the first ball of the penultimate over before the final wicket fell, with Glamorgan winning by 132 runs.Dieter Klein, batting at No. 10, joined Callum Parkinson and the ninth-wicket pair stayed for 17 overs to add 72, before Parkinson was bowled by Michael Hogan for 31. Gavin Griffiths and Klein then further frustrated Glamorgan with Klein going on to score a career-best 94, before he was leg before to Timm van der Gugten – the last two Leicestershire wickets adding 168 runs.Klein faced 100 balls, striking a six and fifteen fours and he deserved a century. If the senior batsmen had only emulated his approach, the visitors could have challenged the stiff target of 403.Meanwhile, Glamorgan can reflect on a season where they won their first and last Championship games but, although they were without senior players with Marchant de Lange playing only three Championship games and Shaun Marsh four, they underperformed with their young players lacking confidence.Glamorgan resumed on 106 for 4 at the start of play, but any thoughts of quick runs and a declaration were quickly dispelled, as Leicestershire’s seamers mare early inroads. Jeremy Lawlor failed to add to his overnight score when he was bowled by Tom Taylor for 21, who then dismissed Craig Meschede and top scorer Chris Cooke in quick succession.Taylor, who was making his Leicestershire Championship debut, but who was injured for most of the season, was easily Leicestershire’s most impressive bowler, ending with excellent figures of 12.4-7-15-4.The visitors had three overs before lunch, but lost Ateeq Javed to Michael Hogan’s first ball, and when Colin Ackerman departed to van der Gugten, Leicestershire were 4 for 2. Mark Cosgrove was on a king pair against his former county and though he avoided that tamely chipped Hogan to midwicket.Hogan relied on his seamers and when Meschede was brought into the attack he had Lewis Hill caught low down by wicketkeeper Cooke, before the same combination dismissed Harry Dearden for 24.Taylor then showed he has the attributes of becoming an useful allrounder with some firm drives through the offside before nicking Hogan to first slip.
Leicestershire were then 102 for 8, but Klein and Parkinson settled to share a productive partnership with both players playing every ball on merit and making sure that their team did not lose before tea.They put on 72 in 17 overs, before Parkinson was yorked by Hogan for 31, the Glamorgan captain taking his season’s tally to 44 wickets.

Fourth appearance for cricket at DCMS hearing in as many months

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2022The Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) has been called to give evidence next week to the parliamentary select committee looking into allegations of institutional racism in English cricket.The session, which is due to take place on Tuesday, comes in the wake of Azeem Rafiq’s emotional testimony to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee in November, in which he laid bare his experiences as a Yorkshire player between 2008 and 2017, and claimed that, ultimately, “he had lost his career to racism”.In the course of that evidence, Rafiq also pointed the finger at the PCA, accusing them of being “incredibly inept”, and adding that their response to his claims of suicidal feelings – later expressed in an interview with ESPNcricinfo – had been an exercise in “box-ticking”.”The PCA kept telling me when the report comes out, they would support me,” Rafiq told the hearing. “Once it did, they said we have no powers, we can just push the ECB. An organisation that should have been there for me and supported me left me to fight on my own.”The PCA is set to be represented by James Harris, the current Glamorgan allrounder who is also the union’s chair, alongside Anuj Dal, the vice-chair, Julian Metherell, the non-executive chair, and Rob Lynch, the chief executive. It will be the fourth time that representatives of English cricket, including the recreational game, will have appeared before the DCMS committee in as many months.Last month’s appearance by county chairman was notable for the controversial claim, voiced by Middlesex’s chairman Mike O’Farrell, that Black people are more interested in football than cricket, and that Asian players put more focus on education than sport when they reach Academy level.Related

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O’Farrell’s comments were widely condemned for perpetuating stereotypes, including by Rafiq and Ebony Rainford-Brent, the former England cricketer and founder of the African-Caribbean Engagement (ACE) Programme, which helps to address the 75% decline in participation in the Black community.The situation at Yorkshire has escalated since the last DCMS hearing, amid allegations from Robin Smith, the former club chairman, that November’s appointment of Lord Kamlesh Patel as chair was unconstitutional. Following the cancellation this week of the club’s EGM, Lord Patel hit back, stating that Yorkshire’s bid to overturn its suspension from major-match status was at the mercy of individuals who believe the club is being “sacrificed on the altar of Black Lives Matter”.Addressing the issue on Friday during a press briefing at Lord’s, Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, said: “We had a board meeting on Tuesday and a delegation came down from Yorkshire to give us a very comprehensive presentation on the progress that Lord Patel and his team have made in the very short time that they have been in charge of YCCC.”The only reflection I would have on the stuff overnight – and believe it or not I haven’t spent a lot of time looking at it because there’s been a few other things going on – but I would just reflect on a broader note that any suggestion that there is not a problem with racism in Yorkshire is a cause for great concern.”

Delhi coach backs 20-year old to return to form soon; says smarter shot selection could make him a bigger threat

Akshay Gopalakrishnan in Alur12-Nov-2017Less than a year ago, Rishabh Pant was the most celebrated young performer to come out of the Ranji Trophy. His 872 runs at a strike rate of 107.28 went a long way towards him getting an India cap – against England in a T20I in February – after just 10 first-class matches. Today, he’s in the middle of a rough patch and hasn’t been considered for national selection since the limited-overs series against West Indies in June, with questions raised over his temperament and shot selection.In five first-class games so far this season, Pant has managed just one half-century, a counter-attacking 67 for India A against New Zealand A in Vijayawada. In his first Ranji Trophy outing this season, against Uttar Pradesh, he wasted two strong starts. This didn’t deter Delhi’s selectors from naming him captain after Ishant Sharma’s departure to join the Indian Test squad.Gautam Gambhir had declined captaincy, and Unmukt Chand was left to concentrate on his batting. Under these circumstances, KP Bhaskar, the Delhi coach, saw an opportunity to groom a youngster. At 20, Pant is Delhi’s youngest captain in the last 12 years.”His style is not to block and occupy the crease. He can change the whole outcome of the game in a few overs,” Bhaskar told ESPNcricinfo. “But shot selection is something he can work on, especially when playing for India and expectations are high. So then the responsibility automatically comes.”The overriding concern with Pant has been the manner of some of his dismissals. He has vehemently trusted his approach of see-ball-hit-ball. Sometimes, it has been refreshing to see. Other times, it has cost him some big innings.The latest indiscretion took the form of an expansive cut shot against Karnataka in Alur. The failure to spot an arm ball from offspinner K Gowtham resulted in him losing his stumps, this after he had spent the better part of 90 minutes trying to focus and play himself in. He was nine short of a fifty, his team was 400 runs behind in the first innings.Bhaskar understands the frustration that could come with managing a player of Pant’s ability, but he is willing to remain patient. “He understands his role well. His coach at Sonnet Cricket Club, Mr. Tarak Sinha, I’m sure, is keeping in touch with him and working on his game, because with me it’s only during the season,” he said. “But I’m sure Sinha would be guiding and advising him. He is quite receptive, but you can only advise. You can’t really force him to change the way you want him to play.”Pant gives out an air of insouciance when he bats. He can also occasionally be slapdash with his words, like at the end of the fourth day, when asked about the need to play a little more responsibly, he jovially remarked something to the effect of captaincy or no-captaincy, his approach will remain the same. Yet, the one unmissable trait is his supreme confidence.His natural aptitude for stroke-making prompted Bhaskar to liken him to Virender Sehwag. The former India batsman, known for compiling monumental innings at an astounding rate, has himself hailed Pant’s ability in the past. Pant displayed similar potential when he blasted a triple-century at nearly a run a ball against Maharashtra last season.”What we saw last year is that he has the staying power of scoring 300. So he can occupy the crease and score the big runs,” Bhaskar said. “There’s no point asking him to curb his instincts. Players like (Krishnamachari) Srikkanth, Sandeep Patil, Kapil Dev were natural stroke-makers. How can you force or stop them? It doesn’t make sense. He’s very natural that way.”Bhaskar’s assessment is in line with Dravid’s observations of not wanting to take away Pant’s attacking instincts. The India A coach had stressed on the importance of the experience itself, after Pant’s poor series against New Zealand A.”He may not be showing it, but deep down I’m sure he must be feeling it. Now that he is out of the [India] side, he has realised it and I’m sure he must be working hard on his temperament,” Bhaskar said. “His body language is the same as it was last year, but he looks much fitter, and his keeping has definitely improved.”I have always told him: it’s easy to play for India, but your preparations – mental, physical and technical – are what will help cement yourself. That’s more important. And age is by his side. His advantage is that he’s a keeper along with batsman. (MS) Dhoni has been around for some time, but once Dhoni hangs his boots, I’m sure he will be a prime man to fill his boots.”

The left-arm spinner will be taken to hospital for treatment, and is expected to recover in 48 hours, which probably means the team management will only be able to decide on his availability for the first Test in Cape Town on the morning of the match

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2018India left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja could be a doubtful starter for the first Test against South Africa, which begins on Friday in Cape Town. Jadeja has been suffering from “viral illness” for the last two days, according to a BCCI release. He will be taken to hospital for treatment, and is expected to recover fully in the next 48 hours, which means the team management will probably only be able to decide on his availability on the morning of the match.Shikhar Dhawan, meanwhile, has recovered from a minor ankle injury that he sustained before India’s departure for South Africa, and is available for selection.If Jadeja is unable to play in Cape Town, India will most likely go in with the offspinner R Ashwin as the lone specialist spinner. Jadeja and Ashwin were expected to contest that role in the bowling attack, with captain Virat Kohli hinting before the tour that India would make that call based on the distribution of right- and left-hand batsmen in the opposition line-up. By this logic, Jadeja may have been the frontrunner for the lone spinner’s role since South Africa are likely to have only two left-handers in their top seven.

New Zealand fast bowler Adam Milne is in discussions to play in this season’s NatWest T20 Blast as an overseas player

Vithushan Ehantharajah31-Mar-2017New Zealand fast bowler Adam Milne is in discussions to play in this season’s NatWest T20 Blast as an overseas player. Milne’s agent has confirmed that, while a number of clubs were interested in signing the 24-year-old, he has only entered into talks with two, one of which ESPNcricinfo understands is Kent.The signing of Milne would be a boost for Kent, who have struggled to get new recruits through the door at Canterbury. Visa issues have so far prevented Allan Donald from taking his position as assistant coach, though Jason Gillespie provides more than adequate cover as Donald sorts the relevant qualification.Kent were understood to be close to acquiring South Africa pace bowler Duanne Olivier as an overseas player for the first three months of the season. However, just as the club were preparing to announce his signing, Cricket South Africa intervened at the 11th hour to block the move, on the ground of managing Olivier’s workload ahead of the Champions Trophy. Further misfortune arose when two other potential signings on their shortlist went down with injuries.Milne has now emerged as an alternative. One of the quickest bowlers in the world – he has been clocked above 95mph – he is also a fine death bowler, with a record of 21 wickets at an average of 21.80, and an economy rate of 7.36, in T20 internationals. He also offers excellent fielding and runs lower down the order.As ever with Milne, there will be questions over his fitness. This year’s NatWest T20 Blast takes place in a block, with each team playing 14 matches in a six-week period between July 7 and August 18. While a condensed schedule has made it easier for counties to obtain players of Milne’s profile, they will also have to consider managing the workload of a player with Milne’s injury record.He has not played for New Zealand since the World T20 and, while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL last April, he suffered a hamstring tear – the first of three issues that meant he did not play again in 2016. Elbow surgery in the summer saw him unable to fulfill a seven-match commitment for Essex in the Blast.He sat out an ODI series in India to regain his fitness but picked up a side strain in the nets at the end of 2016, meaning he had to bide his time until March for a competitive comeback. Both New Zealand and his suitors will be encouraged that he has emerged unscathed from three Plunket Shield matches for Central Districts in the last four weeks.Milne is set to travel to India in the hope of completing his first full IPL with RCB (he missed the 2015 season with a heel injury) and is expected to make New Zealand’s squad for the Champions Trophy in England, which starts in June.

Netherlands international ended playing career after T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2021Ryan ten Doeschate will join Kent as a batting coach in his first full-time role since retiring from professional cricket earlier this year.Ten Doeschate, who turned 41 in June, retired from the game after playing for Netherlands in the T20 World Cup in October following the end of the county season.He travelled to South Africa on Netherlands’ aborted tour as a mentor and was tipped by Ryan Campbell, their head coach, as a potential successor in that role, but has opted to sign a deal with Kent, where he will work alongside his former Essex team-mate Matt Walker developing young batters like Zak Crawley and Jordan Cox.Related

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• Ten Doeschate named Netherlands mentor for SA tour

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• Ten Doeschate to retire from professional cricket at end of 2021

• Campbell tips ten Doeschate to take over as Netherlands coach

“I’m excited to be given the opportunity to work with Matt Walker and the Kent squad, especially with the talented group of players that have just won the Vitality Blast and will compete in Division One of next season’s LV= Insurance County Championship,” ten Doeschate said.”I’m ready to start a new chapter of my career and use my experience and that of some of the others I’ve worked with to influence and improve the players and the group.”Ten Doeschate will replace Michael Yardy, who spent two years as Kent’s batting coach but recently returned to Sussex as their academy director following Richard Halsall’s departure.Paul Downton, Kent’s director of cricket, said that ten Doeschate would bring a “winning mentality” to the club. “We are delighted to welcome ‘Tendo’ to the club following his recent retirement as an outstanding player,” he said.”He is a proven leader with two Championship wins under his captaincy at Essex, and he already has a varied coaching CV. He will bring with him a winning mentality and all the experience of a successful playing career into an ambitious Kent dressing room keen to learn.”Equally important, I have no doubt that he will fit in extremely well with Matt Walker, who he has played alongside in his career, and Simon Cook [bowling coach] to create a really exciting coaching team at Kent.”