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Thanks to a disciplined pace-bowling attack, aided by mediocre batting from Punjab, Mumbai bundled the visitors out for 154 inside the first two sessions

The Report by Amol Karhadkar08-Oct-2015
ScorecardShardul Thakur carved out Punjab’s middle order to limit the side to 154•PTI

Attitude and discipline. For Mumbai captain Aditya Tare, these were the biggest lessons learnt from a topsy-turvy Ranji Trophy campaign last season and he wanted his team to improve on both aspects this time around. The Mumbai team delivered on both counts on the opening day of their Group B tie against Punjab to take a firm grip on the game at the Wankhede Stadium.Thanks to a disciplined pace-bowling attack, aided by mediocre batting from Punjab, Mumbai bundled the visitors out in a little over two session. And Shreyas Iyer’s blitzkrieg, an unbeaten 61 off 43 balls, then ensured that despite losing both the openers, the hosts were only 51 runs behind Punjab’s tally of 154.If Mumbai can bat through the second day, they will be set to make up for their disappointing start to the season, after they conceded the first-innings lead to Andhra last week.Tare’s decision to field on a typical Wankhede pitch that didn’t look threatening for batsmen was a calculated risk. But the decision also reflected that he had more confidence in his bowling unit than the batting pack. And the pace attack delivered when they were given an opportunity to excel.Manan Vohra and Jiwanjot Singh looked in little trouble for the first half hour, with the former driving the ball elegantly. Once Shardul Thakur couldn’t extract any movement off the pitch or in the air, Tare brought in Balwinder Sandhu. And the seamer’s introduction, aided by Abhishek Nayar’s accurate bowling, dried the run flow.It eventually resulted in Jiwanjot mis-timing an attempted drive and Sandhu latched on to a one-handed return catch in his follow-through. Half an hour and seven runs later, the change of ends worked for Thakur. The fast bowler bowled a short one and although the ball didn’t rise much, Vohra couldn’t take his gloves away in time while trying to duck under it. The ball kissed his right glove and offered Tare a simple catch.Mandeep Singh played a superb cut shot off the first ball he faced but in Thakur’s next over, fell into a short-ball trap. With Thakur bowling with a deep fine leg and deepish square leg, it was obvious that he would pester Mandeep with short balls. And the batsman walked into the trap by top-edging a pull for Harmeet Singh to run in a few yards from square leg and complete the catch.In walked Yuvraj Singh, who had the additional responsibility to take Punjab to safety in the absence of Gurkeerat Singh, who has been called up to the India ODI squad. The Punjab captain played a stylish upper-cut just before the lunch break and in the first over after lunch, he played a trademark straight punch off Sandhu’s fuller ball.While Kulkarni continued to bowl short to Yuvraj in the next over, Sandhu was soon rewarded for his fuller length. In the bowler’s next over, Yuvraj played a tentative drive only to edge it to Tare. At 75 for 4, Punjab were in trouble of folding early. Soon after Punjab went past the 100 mark, Uday Kaul, who had held one end together, and Himanshu Chawla, who replaced Gurkeerat in the XI, perished in the space of six balls and that opened the floodgates for Mumbai. Sandhu and Thakur didn’t take long to wipe off the tail.The Punjab seamers took a cue from their Mumbai counterparts and accounted for both the Mumbai openers in the first ten overs. But Iyer took the game away, displaying his wide range of strokes. He drove when the seamers pitched it full or wide, flicked off his pads with ease. He crossed 50 with a six, a straight hit into the sightscreen, off the 33rd ball he faced. He was lucky to have been given a reprieve soon after at short midwicket but his knock gave an early indication that he was unlikely to suffer any second-season blues.

A round-up of the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches on February 20, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Feb-2013

West Zone

File photo: Yusuf Pathan scored 86 off 55 balls to give Baroda their second win in the competition•Fotocorp

Gujarat were able to chase Saurashtra’s 269 through a collective batting performance from their top-order. Saurashtra were put in to bat and their wicketkeeper opener Sheldon Jackson scored 109. Contributions from Rahul Dave (36), Chirag Jani (31) and Kuldeep Raval’s quick fire 30 off 18 balls, helped them put up a sizable score, as they finished 269 for 6.Gujarat started assuredly, with openers Priyank Panchal and wicketkeeper captain Parthiv Patel putting up 136 runs for the first wicket. From there a platform was set and Manprit Juneja chipped in with a vital 66. Abdulahad Malik and Juneja steered the team within a few runs of the target before Juneja fell to Saurya Sanandiya. Gujarat won the match with six wickets in hand, in the 47th over.A belligerent 86 not out by Yusuf Pathan, with a combined effort by the bowlers, helped Baroda to a four-wicket win against Maharashtra at the Poona Club Ground. Chasing 178, Baroda were in trouble at 34 for 3 in the 11th over, when Pathan came in to bat. Within the next 61 balls, Baroda added 70 runs via Pathan and Ambati Rayudu, who scored 40. Pathan stuck till the end, hitting six sixes in his 55-ball knock, to see his side home in the 29th over.Maharashtra’s innings was based on short but significant knocks by their middle-order batsmen. After being put in to bat, they lost wickets regularly to struggle to 113 for 7 in the 36th over, before Shrikant Mundhe and Akshay Darekar rescued them by adding 58 runs. But this contribution wasn’t enough as they were bundled out for 177.

South Zone

Half-centuries from Rohan Prem and Sanju Samson helped Kerala to a six-wicket victory against Goa in Porvorim. Kerala were comfortable in their chase of 223, through a strong top-order batting performance. After opener VA Jagadeesh fell in the seventh over, Karimuttathu Rakesh and Prem added 54 runs, before Samson and Prem put on a century stand that virtually sealed the contest.Goa steadily lost wickets after choosing to bat. Their captain and opener Sagun Kamat attempted to anchor the innings, but departed after scoring 71. Towards the latter stages of the innings, Robin d’Souza scored 50 off 42 deliveries to push them beyond 200.Karnataka squeezed home by one wicket against Andhra, with only two balls remaining in the match. After Andhra were put into bat, AG Pradeep (55), Amol Muzumdar (39) and B Sumanth (39) led them to 228 before they were dismissed in 48 overs. Vinay Kumar was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 38.Robin Uthappa continued his good form with another fifty, with fellow opener Lokesh Rahul contributing 75. Despite the rest of the Karnataka middle order getting starts, no one was able to push on, with Bodavarapu Sudhakar taking some vital wickets to temper the chase. Ultimately Raju Bhatkal and KP Appanna held their nerve, taking Karnataka to yet another win as they continued their unbeaten streak in the competition.A responsible knock from Dinesh Karthik helped Tamil Nadu beat Hyderabad by 26 runs. Karthik scored a run-a-ball 119, as he put on 108 runs for the third wicket with B Aparajith, who scored 51. Tamil Nadu looked set for a big total before Chama Milind struck twice to help stop the run flow towards the end of the innings. Tamil Nadu ended up with 262 for 9 after fifty overs.Hyderabad started their chase strongly before opener Kolla Sumanth was run out, to leave them at 82 for 1. This was the first of three run-outs in the innings, which hampered Hyderabad’s chase. Dwaraka Ravi Teja (43), Bavanaka Sandeep (42) and Sundeep Rajan (52) all got starts, but couldn’t continue on to take their team home. P Amarnath took three wickets at the end to help dismiss Hyderabad for 236.

Central Zone

An attacking century from opener Puneet Yadav propelled Rajasthan to a commanding victory over Railways, by seven wickets, in Indore. Yadav, with a 117-ball 123 – his highest List A score – put on 112 runs with fellow opener Siddharth Saraf, and 98 runs with captain Robin Bist, to help them reach their target of 232 in the 44th over.Railways’ top order was also productive, but at 215 for 6, they couldn’t accelerate towards the end of the innings, as their last six wickets fell for just 18 runs added. Mahesh Rawat, their captain, top-scored with 81. Seamer Raman Chahar and spinner Madhur Khatri took three wickets each.A five-wicket haul from Jatin Saxena gave Madhya Pradesh a 68-run victory against Vidarbha. After MP chose to bat, seamer Shrikant Wagh, who finished with six wickets, struck early to dismiss both their openers with just 37 on the board. Saxena (61) and Naman Ojha then put together a 136-run partnership for the third wicket to help stabilise the innings. Ojha would finish on 83, with Harpreet Singh contributing an aggressive 39. Wagh returned to pick off three more wickets near the end to leave MP on 263 for 8.In Vidarbha’s chase, legspinner Saxena was instrumental in keeping Vidarbha’s chase under control. Akshay Kolhar (45), Shalabh Shrivastava (33) and Akshay Wadkar (35) were unable to build on their respective starts as Vidarbha were ultimately dismissed for 195 in 47.1 overs.The win gave them top spot in the points table.

The rest of the Plunket Shield will be covered via an internet live stream in addition to the regular updates provided on Radio Sport

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2012The rest of the Plunket Shield will be covered via an internet live stream in addition to the regular updates provided on Radio Sport. New Zealand Cricket and Radio Sport announced there would be a live stream on and that would alternate between the three games played simultaneously in each round. Four rounds of matches in the Plunket Shield have been completed; another six remain.Radio Sport’s decision to replace live commentary of Plunket Shield matches with intermittent updates caused a stir among fans in New Zealand, and an online petition was started to change the network’s mind. The live internet stream will appease the fans, according to David White, the CEO of NZC. “Cricket fans have a strong emotional attachment to the Plunket Shield and they want to be able to remain connected to the matches throughout each day’s play,” he said. “We believe this will provide fans with choice and it will certainly increase the channels by which fans can follow their teams.”Dallas Gurney, general manager of talk programming for The Radio Network, said the response from fans to the decision to scrap live commentary had influence the move to provide a live stream. “There was a strong amount of passion and we are delighted to be working with NZC to respond to that passion with this initiative,” Gurney said.

Corrie van Zyl believes that the heartbreak at Wanderers on Saturday can be turned around into a positive if taken in the right way

Sidharth Monga in Cape Town17-Jan-2011South Africa have a big correction to make. There are trends emerging from their contests with India that will bother them. In each of their previous three Test series against India, they have taken a 1-0 lead with innings wins, but have given it up in the next match. In their last three ODI series against India, they have given up the 1-0 lead twice, and have lost two of their last five matches against India by one run.India, though, are not letting the Wanderers win fool themselves. They know they need huge improvements. “Okay we have won the last game, but it was not like we played to our potential,” MS Dhoni said on the eve of the third match of the series that now stands at 1-1. “We are still playing below our potential. It is important to perform up to our potential in every department, batting, bowling and fielding. We are quite a bit worried about all those things rather than concentrating on the other side.”You need runs on the board, that’s one thing the bowlers can defend. But it’s not only the batting department. There are other areas too that we need to work on. Fielding is, of course, big. Whatever runs you save, whatever way you see it, it either mounts your total or gets deducted from the opposition total. If you can get one run-out per match, that can really change the course of the game. In the last two games, maybe we haven’t seen too much of death bowling, but that’s a very crucial aspect. There are quite a few areas we are working on.”India will try to capitalise on whatever mental edge they might have through that one-run win, but South Africa will believe this is a good time to regroup. Corrie van Zyl believes that the heartbreak at Wanderers on Saturday, where they needed 39 runs in 18 overs with six wickets in hand and still found a way to lose, can be turned around into a positive if taken in the right way.”I believe that you must turn around every bad experience and make it work positively for you,” van Zyl said. “That [Wanderers] is just one of them [experiences]. I know this team feels really bad and really hurt about the way we lost on Saturday, but you know what, if you work through that and you really analyse what has happened, it can only make you a stronger person and a stronger team.”In the absence of Jacques Kallis, South Africa had a fairly young middle order to see that chase through, and van Zyl believes that for their sake, it was good that happened in a comparatively lower-profile game than the bigger matches to come. “I think that rather it happened now and let’s go through that than later. I think one day when you have achieved something – I won’t say what – but when you have achieved something, you can look back and say, ‘Remember that day and how we felt on that day. Or the next two days after that.’ That will make it even sweeter if you are successful after that.”The choke in Johannesburg notwithstanding, South Africa are still up against a depleted Indian side, against batsmen who don’t prefer the bouncing ball much, against bowlers who are fighting niggles and struggling for consistency. The biggest challenge for them remains to pick themselves after what can be a demoralising defeat.”India have shown that they can do it,” he said. “There is no reason why we can’t do it. It’s all a question of picking yourself up, where you understand we batted poorly in that innings. We know what we have done wrong, we have to go and rectify it. It’s not difficult to pick yourself up.”

Craig Kieswetter hit 77 off 52 balls as England Lions completed a comprehensive seven-wicket victory against Pakistan A

Cricinfo staff12-Feb-2010
ScorecardCraig Kieswetter underlined his potential with an unbeaten 77 off 52 balls as England Lions completed a comprehensive seven-wicket victory in their first Twenty20 match against Pakistan A. Ian Bell made 48 as he added 115 for the third wicket with Kieswetter as the Lions made light work of their chase and won with 14 balls to spare.Kieswetter launched the pursuit in style as he pulled Tanveer Ahmed for six and added three further maximums in his innings including one that landed in the stands above the changing rooms. His effort ensured the Lions comfortably overcame the loss of two wickets in two balls after Wahab Riaz bowled Steven Davies and Michael Lumb.Kieswetter qualifies for England next week having completed his four-year qualification period after moving from South Africa and is tipped to challenge for a place in the full Twenty20 and one-day line-up in the near future. Bell, meanwhile, is trying to earn a one-day recall and his 44-ball innings provided calm support, allowing Kieswetter to play his shots, before he fell with eight runs needed for victory.The Lions spinners had earlier played a key role in restricting Pakistan A as James Tredwell and Adil Rashid bowled their combined eight overs for 38 after the pacemen had found the going tougher. Steve Kirby bowled a single over that cost 13 and Sajid Mahmood’s four overs went for more than 10 an over.Shahzaib Hasan, who has played four Twenty20 internationals, top-scored for Pakistan A with 57 off 55 balls but no one could stay with him for very long as the innings stuttered along. Rashid impressed with his control as he had Umair Khan caught at deep midwicket and bowled Aamir Sajjad round his legs.Hasan’s innings was ended by a sharp piece of fielding from Kieswetter, who was playing as a specialist batsman, when he swooped from mid-off to complete a run out. Pakistan A were given a late boost as Ahmed and Naeem Anjum crashed 42 off the final 14 deliveries, but it still wasn’t enough to seriously challenge the Lions.”It was a good win – the boys played well. Its always good to get off to a good start and I’m pleased with the way it went,” Andrew Gale, the Lions captain, said. “We didn’t bowl that well up front but Chris Woakes pulled it back nicely and then the spinners tied them down. They bowled with great control and variation. I was pleased with them both. I thought they were 20 or 30 short.”Craig Kieswetter and Steve Davies set the tone which was important. Both Bell and Kieswetter timed their innings really well. Craig was exceptional is deciding when to take their bowlers down. He played good cricket shots and showed how mature he is. We can improve. We haven’t nailed it up front with the ball or at the death so we will sit down and review that and look where to improve. “

The Australia A tour of India will mark the start of Konstas’ season before a defining month of Sheffield Shield cricket for New South Wales

AAP09-Sep-20250:27

Konstas gone for duck as tough Caribbean tour ends

Sam Konstas doesn’t care for regrets or critics. And by putting himself on a self-imposed social media ban, the teenager hunting an opening spot in a home Ashes series has ensured he will hear as little of the latter as possible.The 19-year-old is set to play two four-day matches in India for Australia A before targeting four Sheffield Shield games for New South Wales with a goal of finding the red-ball form that eluded him on a tough tour of the West Indies.Whatever happens in the next two months, you can be sure the charismatic young gun won’t be giving two hoots over what outsiders say about his approach.Related

• Australia's Ashes questions: Open season, two allrounders, four quicks?

• Konstas trusting advice of his 'inner circle' ahead of Ashes push

• 'Unbelievable' Archer primed for Ashes impact, says McCullum

Konstas dazzled the cricket world on Boxing Day last year against India on Test debut with a flamboyant and audacious 60 off 65 balls. Critics said he would not be able to play that way on a regular basis and succeed.Runs have since proven elusive and Konstas did not pass 25 in his next nine Test innings.  He is competing with a plethora of candidates to partner Usman Khawaja for the opening Ashes Test in Perth but has no regrets about his approach on debut against Jasprit Bumrah and company.”I wouldn’t change it,” Konstas told AAP. “I don’t have any regrets in my life to be honest. I thought that was the right method at the time and it paid off. I don’t get too fixated about what others say. Whatever I feel is right I totally commit to.”My method is someone who is an aggressive batsman that likes to take on the game, while understanding the game situation when I do play well. It is about trying to score runs and win games.”The more experiences I have in different conditions the more I will adapt. I have to find my method and what works best in each situation.”What also works best for Konstas is not having social media. He went from a relative unknown to a global attraction overnight with 281,000 followers on Instagram. Watching the ball and not his phone screen is now the focus.”I never had social media until I was 18. I had it for a year and now I have taken a break from it to be more present and try and get back in the Ashes squad,” Konstas said. “It is just about focusing on myself and trying to give it a good crack.”Everyone uses social media differently but I feel now is the right time to get off it. I don’t read my comments on Instagram. I don’t care what other people say to be honest but everyone has their opinion.”Konstas heads to India with confidence and valuable lessons already under his belt.”I’ve had a few experiences in the subcontinent,” Konstas said prior to taking centre stage at Tuesday’s ASICS kit launch at the SCG. “I was lucky enough to be in the MRF Academy last year and to tour Sri Lanka as well with the Aussie boys. Hopefully I can score plenty of runs and adapt to those conditions.”It is about trying to be in the present moment with any game I play whether it be my club team, NSW or Australia A ahead of the Ashes.”I got so much out of my first time in the Caribbean and facing a quality fast attack. The wickets were tough to bat on.For me it was about trying to find methods for scoring runs in those conditions and understanding the bounce is variable and trying to find another method, if I do go again.”

Gujarat Titans are in sixth place with eight points, while Delhi Capitals are in eighth place with six points

Shashank Kishore23-Apr-20241:29

Should Titans go with Williamson or Omarzai?

Match Details

Delhi Capitals (eighth) vs Gujarat Titans (sixth)

New Delhi, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)

Big picture – Axar, Kuldeep vs Rashid, Noor

There’s only so much wriggle room in the mid-table, with Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans desperately needing winning momentum in the second half of the league phase.The Capitals have swung from sublime to ridiculous. They have four of the best powerplay performances by a bowling team this season, but they also have the second highest economy rate in the first six overs, after conceding 125 and 88 against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.The Capitals had nearly taken their net run rate positive after dismissing Gujarat Titans for the season’s lowest total last week in Ahmedabad, but that high was short lived as Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma fired Sunrisers to 266 for 7 at the Kotla.While they lost that chase against SRH, the Capitals provided a peek into what their future could look like, with Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tristan Stubbs and Abishek Porel batting like daredevils. But the youngsters are likely to be tested by the Titans, who have a spin attack comprising Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and R Sai Kishore.Capitals also have the spinners to match the Titans. Axar Patel had dream figures of 4-0-29-1 in a game where over 450 runs were scored, while Kuldeep Yadav bounced back after a first-over shellacking from Abhishek to take four wickets. They could capitalise against one of the slowest top orders this season and a middle order that has lacked the role-clarity that was so crucial to their success in the previous two years. The spinners on both sides, however, will have to contend with a venue that has traditionally been a nightmare to bowl on with its short square boundaries.Related

• Axar, Mukesh speak out against Impact Player rule: 'It only works for a batter's convenience'

• Head starts, a Dhoni finish, and Narine's maiden ton

• An extra over for one bowler – would it help counter the battering in T20s?

Form Guide

Capitals LWWLL (last five matches, most recent first)

Titans WLWLL

Previous meeting

Titans were bowled out for 89, a total that the Capitals chased down in 8.5 overs. The fast bowlers Mukesh Kumar, Ishant Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed made the difference for DC that evening in Ahmedabad.

Team news and impact player strategy – A game for Kushagra?

Delhi Capitals

Mitchell Marsh is unavailable for the remainder of their campaign due to a hamstring strain. Ishant is also a doubtful starter as he continues to manage back spasms.Prithvi Shaw is likely to be subbed in or out for one of Khaleel Ahmed or Mukesh Kumar depending on whether Capitals bat or bowl first. If they are in trouble batting first and need an extra batter as an impact player, they could consider bringing in Jharkhand’s Kumar Kushagra.Probable XII: 1 David Warner, 2 , 3 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Abishek Porel, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Sumit Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Mukesh Kumar, 12 Gujarat Titans
Titans are likely to swap Sai Sudharsan and Mohit Sharma as the Impact Player, depending on whether they bat or bowl first. While Sudharsan’s performances have been middling, Mohit has the fifth-best economy rate in the death overs among those who have bowled at least 10 overs since IPL 2023.Probable XII: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Wriddhiman Saha, 3 , 4 Azmatullah Omarzai, 5 David Miller, 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 R Sai Kishore, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Noor Ahmad, 12 David Warner has scored 37 runs in his last four innings•BCCI

In the Spotlight – Warner and Gill

David Warner has scores of 1, 8, 10 and 18 in his last four innings. He has played the last two games with a finger injury he picked up while attempting a lap sweep on April 12. Jake Fraser-McGurk is making heads turn with his powerplay hitting – a strike rate of 236 off his first 10 deliveries – and presenting a case to be considered for the opening slot. While there’s no imminent threat to Warner’s place, another low score could give Capitals something to think about.Shubman Gill was outstanding in IPL 2023, where he had a strike rate of more than 160 in six of his seven fifty-plus scores. This season, he has managed only one half-century in eight games, with his total tally at 289 runs. His form has somewhat mirrored his team’s batting fortunes and a big second half for Gill could be the boost Titans need to make a pitch for the playoffs for the third successive season.

Stats that matter

• The head-to-head between Anrich Nortje and Shubman Gill reads: three dismissals in six innings at an average of 11.30.
• The Capitals’ powerplay economy of 10.37 is the second highest among all teams this season.
• Umesh Yadav has a favourable match-up against Warner, with five dismissals in 11 innings.
• Rishabh Pant has fallen three times to legspin this season.

Pitch and conditions – Rain on the radar?

Last year, the re-laid pitches at the Kotla offered lateral movement and bounce for the seamers. This season, the Capitals played their first few home games in Vishakapatnam to give the pitches in Delhi time to recover after hosting the WPL. On their return to Delhi last week, records tumbled when Sunrisers smashed 266, and the curator expects another run-fest. There was a thunderstorm that forced both teams to abort their training sessions on match-eve.

Quotes

“There are still a lot of things to learn for Jake Fraser-McGurk. He isn’t a finished product and there is no better place to learn than the IPL. He needs to make it big like [Yashasvi] Jaiswal last night. He is a terrific kid; I like the way he is learning. We aren’t stopping him from doing the things he wants to do but we are also trying to make him learn a few things on the run.”

“A lot of people say Tasmania is a bit like a mini NZ, so I’m looking forward to getting over there”

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2022New Zealand allrounder Jimmy Neesham is set for his Big Bash League (BBL) debut after having signed with Hobart Hurricanes as a replacement player for Pakistan allrounder Faheem Ashraf who is set to be part of Pakistan’s Test series against England and New Zealand.In September earlier this year, Neesham had turned down a New Zealand central contract, committing to various T20 tournaments. Like Neesham, Trent Boult had also stepped away from his national contract to play T20 tournaments around the world, with Martin Guptill recently joining them as a T20 freelancer. A day after being released from his New Zealand contract, Guptill was announced as a replacement player for Melbourne Renegades in the upcoming BBL season. Boult (Melbourne Stars) and Colin de Grandhomme (Adelaide Strikers), who had recently retired from international cricket to pursue T20 opportunities, will also be in action in the BBL.Neesham brings with him rich T20 experience, having already played in the IPL and CPL, and recent form. He has struck at almost 185 at the death (between overs 17 and 20) in T20 cricket this year.Related

• New era at Hobart Hurricanes as they chase an elusive title

• Guptill joins Renegades in BBL following release from NZ contract

• de Grandhomme retires from international cricket

“I’m really excited to be involved with the Big Bash for the first time this year,” Neesham said.”I’ve heard great things about the Hurricanes set up, and the list this year looks incredibly strong, so to be able to play even a small part in what I hope will be a successful tournament for the franchise is a really great opportunity for me.”A lot of people say Tasmania is a bit like a mini New Zealand, so I’m looking forward to getting over there, meeting the guys, and playing the role that is asked of me for the team.”The BBL, which will run from December 13 to February 4, will clash with the Super Smash, New Zealand domestic T20 competition, and the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL).

Former captain still insists that team can win the T20 World Cup if all first-choice picks are fit and healthy

Andrew McGlashan14-Aug-2021Ricky Ponting has questioned the depth in Australian cricket after the poor T20 results on the recent tours of West Indies and Bangladesh but believes the team can still challenge for the World Cup if their strongest side is available.Australia ended the twin tours with an 2-8 scoreline across the two T20 contests which was capped off by being skittled for 62, their lowest T20 total, in the final match in Dhaka.While Ponting acknowledged the challenging conditions in Bangladesh he was concerned that performances got worse as the matches went on. Only Mitchell Marsh emerged with an enhanced reputation with the bat although the bowling attack largely performed creditably.”The lack of knowhow and skill in those conditions brought us undone again,” Ponting told Tim Paine on the Test captain’s radio show. “It’s been the achilles heel for Australian cricket for as long as I can remember – more so in Test cricket, but we’ve always found a way to be very competitive in Sri Lanka and India in white-ball cricket. Just goes to show the depth around Australia cricket is not where it needs to be so there’s some work to do there.”The T20 World Cup is not far away so hopefully we get all the boys fit and healthy, because I still think with everyone fit and healthy in the UAE that Australian team can push really hard to win the title. Let’s keep our fingers crossed we can put our strongest XI on the field.”Captain Aaron Finch was ruled out of the Bangladesh series with a knee injury which meant Australia were missing up to eight players who could be considered among first picks including David Warner, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis from the batting order.”There were a lot of names not there…but it almost seemed they got worse during that series,” Ponting said. “There’s no doubt those conditions were really difficult, but that’s the worry for me. They’ve been there long enough and done some training on wickets you’d have thought were quite similar to what they played on yet the further the series went, whether a lack of confidence or skill or game awareness, I’m sure they would have been shattered.”It now seems likely that a number of the Australia players will prepare for the World Cup by returning to the IPL for its resumption next month although Pat Cummins is not expected to be available due to the birth of his first child.Ponting, the head coach of Delhi Capitals, said he was still waiting for confirmation on whether he would have Smith, who is recovering from an elbow injury, and Stoinis available but sees it as their best opportunity to be tuned up for the World Cup.”There’s no doubt it’s their best preparation, in those exact conditions playing probably the strongest domestic T20 tournament in the world,” he said. “I’m not saying it just because I want some of the Australian players there with Delhi, but it sounds like our domestic season will be pushed back so they’ll be no domestic cricket here before the T20 World Cup, so preparation wise it’s spot on.”Not sure if they’ll be any restrictions on the bowlers going there, there may well be, but certainly the guys like Smith, Davey, Maxi, Stoinis who have been out of cricket for three or fourth months they need to get back into the groove.”

Still time for batsman to rebuild trust says captain

Andrew Miller04-May-2020Eoin Morgan, England’s white-ball captain, says the “door is still open” for Alex Hales to earn a recall to the T20 World Cup squad, but only if he can rebuild the trust that was lost when he was axed from last summer’s 50-over World Cup squad for failing a second test for recreational drug use.
Prior to his fall from grace, Hales was a member of the England side that reached the final of the last T20 World Cup, in India in 2016, and had been a key player throughout the 50-over team’s rise from ignominy after the 2015 World Cup – including a then-record 171 against Pakistan in 2016 and another century in England’s world-record 481 for 6 against Australia two years later.Having previously stated that he was targeting an England return for the 20-over World Cup in October and November, Hales demonstrated his enduring value as a T20 batsman with impressive stints for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash and Karachi Kings in the PSL prior to the Covid-19 outbreak.ALSO READ: Fines doubled but 21-day ban scrapped as ECB update recreational drug policiesHowever, he has not been considered for England selection since March 2019, and speaking at the launch of the Abu Dhabi T10, which is scheduled to take place after the T20 World Cup in November, Morgan reiterated that Hales would be required to rebuild that lost trust before he could be included in any future international plans.”In terms of what that looks like, practically, it’s human nature, it’s about developing trust,” Morgan said. “I don’t think you can put a time limit on gaining back that trust, and that’s not just with me, that’s with every member of the squad, the backroom staff, the selectors.”And that does take time. We’re in May, so it’s 11 months ago that the incident happened with Alex, so it’s actually not that long ago that it happened.”What happened was actually quite considerably harmful to the environment, which obviously led to the breakdown in trust between Alex and our players, so to say, how long that will take to regain, we don’t know, but certainly the door is still open for that trust to be built back up.”Hales’ hopes, however, are likely to be hit by the lack of opportunity to impress in the build-up to the tournament.Eoin Morgan congratulates Alex Hales after his half-century in the T20 Blast quarter-final•AFP via Getty Images

The ECB have been in discussions in recent weeks with the government and other sports over the feasibility of events taking place in bio-secure environments, and on Tuesday Tom Harrison, the chief executive, will appear before the Department of Culture, Media and Sport select committee to discuss the board’s findings.Morgan added that England’s players were due to be briefed by the ECB later on Monday, to be brought up to speed with the latest developments.But, with the season already postponed until July 1 at the earliest, he conceded that the ECB was likely to prioritise its two Test series against West Indies and Pakistan, and that his white-ball squad may have to “make do” with whatever opportunities come their way.ALSO READ: Harrison faces DCMS select committee to discuss Covid-19 impact“For the last month, everybody has struggled to get a sense of what’s possible and what might or might not happen,” Morgan said. “But the news in the last week has been more positive about sport returning than it has been in the previous three weeks.”There was a stage when the idea of playing any sport over the next four or five months seemed impossible, but so long as the options given are government-approved, it seems a lot more likely that there might be some cricket. I’ve not given up yet!”With doubts about the feasibility of Australia’s ODI and T20I tour in early July, England’s likeliest chance of international opposition ahead of the T20 World Cup could be to repurpose their three ODIs against Ireland in September, and play T20Is instead.”We have to make do,” he added. “If Tests were going on, there would be ways and means we could have meaningful practice games in and around those Ireland games in a similar environment.”We could have proper opposition and maybe use the England Lions there too in order to make it as highly competitive as possible.”However, given the current uncertainty all around the world, he insisted that all teams would be in the “same boat” going into October’s tournament.”I think if the T20 World Cup goes ahead in the slot that it’s been allocated at the moment, we will have certainly have played a limited amount of cricket before then,” he said.”One of the big positives before the outbreak of the virus was that the guys were going to play all of the Pakistan league, all of the IPL, all of the T20 Blast, and get a lot of exposure to T20 cricket in the build-up and hence lots of opportunity for positions.”But I think given the circumstances, we’ll have to wait and see how much cricket we play and the opportunities that land on guys’ laps. They’ll have to make the most of them because they are very limited ones at the moment.”