Category Uncategorized

Visitors lost 5 for 6 in a lower-order collapse, before Bangladesh ended the day with a lead of 218

Debayan Sen05-Feb-2021Stumps On the face of it, 231 runs for the loss of 11 wickets on a third day of a Test would indicate relatively attrition-filled cricket on a rapidly deteriorating pitch. The cricket during the first Test between Bangladesh and West Indies in Chattogram itself was anything but that, and the pitch has played better than the numbers suggest. Mehidy Hasan Miraz precipitated a sensational collapse for West Indies, who lost their last five wickets for six runs inside 23 balls to concede a lead of 171 runs, when once they looked likely to last the whole day and eat substantially into Bangladesh’s 430 posted in the first innings.In response, Kraigg Brathwaite asked Rahkeem Cornwall to share the new ball with Kemar Roach, and the burly offspinner responded by trapping Tamim Iqbal in front for no score with a quicker one, and then lured Najmul Hossain Shanto to nick one to Jermaine Blackwood to slip for a second-ball duck. Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque, though, steadied the ship and took the Bangladesh lead past 200, though the former fell to Shannon Gabriel’s short ball, nicking it to Joshua Da Silva down the leg side to leave the hosts at 33 for 3. Cornwall could have had a third for the day when Mushfiqur Rahim gloved one on to his body and was taken at forward short leg, but West Indies lacked conviction in their appeal and also missed a chance to review, with Rahim on five then.In balance, the first two-thirds of the day belonged to West Indies though Taijul Islam dismissed Nkrumah Bonner off the very first ball of the day, nicking to Shanto at first slip. Debutant Kyle Mayers, who got to 40, could have been dismissed in an identical fashion off the third ball he faced, but his edge appeared to take a little deflection off Liton Das’ pads, as Shanto failed to grab on after getting his fingertips to the ball.Mayers settled down and crunched a couple of pleasing boundaries off Mustafizur Rahman’s first over of the morning – an on drive and a cover drive – to settle West Indies’ nerves. Their captain Brathwaite then brought up his 20th Test fifty with a neat flick off his hips against Islam. Brathwaite and Mayers added 55 in just over 11 overs while dominating the first hour of play, especially with their strokeplay square of the wicket. Brathwaite used his feet cleverly against both Islam and Hasan – who replaced Rahman quite early – and his sashays down the pitch forced the spinners to drop short more often.Rahkeem Cornwall got two wickets for West Indies after Bangladesh took a 171-run lead•BCB

Runs were coming at a fair tick for West Indies, though Mayers was lucky when Bangladesh chose not to review a leg before appeal when Hasan bowled one fuller, and the left-hander had the ball hit pad ahead of bat with a forward press. The replays indicated that the ball would have gone on to hit the top of off stump. Hasan wouldn’t have to wait long for his reward, though, with Brathwaite leaving a length ball that pitched outside off and surprised him with the amount of turn back into him, thus clipping the top of off stump.In his first over of the day, drew Mayers forward, and struck him on the pad after straightening from around the wicket, as the debutant walked away after considering a review. The replays, though, indicated that there may have been bat on the ball before it struck the pad, and a review could have kept Mayers on course for his first fifty.Taking the cue from their colleagues, Blackwood and Da Silva – who scored 68 and 42, respectively – then settled down to frustrate the Bangladesh bowlers for virtually the entire afternoon session. If Da Silva was nimble in his footwork – both pressing forward and playing deep inside his crease to negotiate the spinners – Blackwood was clever at how he defended anything close to the stumps, and pounced on even the slightest lapses in length from the spinners. One such full delivery was driven through covers to bring up his 14th Test fifty.The new ball was taken by Bangladesh after Mustafizur Rahman bowled a couple of overs with the older ball with Das standing up to the stumps, but nothing appeared to be working for Haque, especially with the injury-enforced absence of Shakib Al Hasan. Rahman even earned himself two official warnings for running into the danger area in his follow through, but Bangladesh’s luck turned dramatically as Hasan bounded in to bowl the 93rd over of the innings.The third ball kept a bit low and spun enough to take Da Silva’s edge through to Das, aborting the sixth-wicket partnership at 99. Off the next over, Miraz benefitted from a thin edge down leg side from Blackwood to ring in tea. On resumption, Roach slogged his third ball down deep midwicket’s throat, and when Cornwall missed a drive off his bowling, Miraz looked on course to join Shakib and Sohag Gazi as the only Bangladesh players with a century and a five-for in the same Test.But an injudicious slog across the line from Jomel Warrican off Islam put paid to those hopes, as their collapse denied them an opportunity at reversing the pressure on to the home side. As things stand, with six sessions to play, Bangladesh have the opportunity to bat long enough to set West Indies anything in the vicinity of 350 in the fourth innings; and the time remaining means the hosts can also have a shot at victory.

Joe Denly, Sam Billings join full training session with Premier League club

George Dobell16-Oct-2019England cricketers Joe Denly and Sam Billings joined in a full training session with Crystal Palace FC last week, as the batsmen prepare to travel to New Zealand with the national side for a T20 series and two Test matches.Palace manager Roy Hodgson and right-back Joel Ward also visited Kent County Cricket Club’s indoor Academy after training, with Ward taking on a bowling machine.Both Denly and Billings play for Kent, whose indoor academy facility in Beckenham borders onto the Palace training ground. Denly, who was an integral part of England’s drawn Ashes Series last summer, and Billings, who is Kent captain and an explosive top-order batsman, both have football pedigree with Billings once offered trials at Spurs’ Academy and Denly playing age-group football for Charlton Athletic as a winger.The duo were invited to take part in the Premier League club’s warm-up game of ‘rondos’, where a player is placed in the middle of a group and tasked with intercepting the ball from the outer ring, who are entitled to one touch of the ball only. The pair did enough to impress and were duly invited to take part in most of the the full session led by Hodgson, where they were largely employed to receive long balls from the Palace goalkeepers, before feeding the central midfield players, before attacking play commenced.”We may have passed that [first] test, but I’m not sure we passed when the keeper was pinging it to me,” said Denly. “It makes you realise – I thought I was a decent footballer coming here today – but I go away thinking rather differently!”We play football in the warm-ups, but this is different level. The speed and pace they play the game is phenomenal, it was great to witness.”Billings said: “I enjoyed the session far more than cricket training! It’s great always to see other sports teams train at the top level, there’s always things you can learn from yourself.”The pair were given rare access to Hodgson’s group huddle with the squad, where he outlined his expectations for the upcoming drill. Billings said the manager’s briefing was “very relaxed”.”It was good,” Billings said. “It was exactly how you think it would be. Straight to the point and the detail of what they need to do and get out of it. The lads just crack on.”That’s the similarity with all sports at the top level, the work ethic. He was saying to us that with some of the guys, you need to take down the intensity if you’ve got a game the next day. When we’re training, you can probably put that into some of us as well. It was really interesting. They’re all seriously talented blokes, the speed – and how they move the ball so quickly was the most impressive thing for me.”Hodgson and Ward then walked over to Kent’s indoor net facility, with Hodgson feeding balls to Denly on the bowling machine at around the 78 miles per hour mark – a good 15mph slower than the Australian attack the opening batsman faced during the summer. Denly had a solid season and was tasked with occupying a number of positions in England’s batting line-up, with an undoubted personal highlight his 94 at The Oval in the final Test, which helped secure a drawn Ashes series for the hosts.Hodgson said: “I’m amazed by the courage these guys take – the incredible technique and concentration that they have. I often use cricket as an example to football players – that degree of concentration that they have is nothing compared to the concentration that we have to show – because so many things go on around and protect us. But a cricketer, if you lose concentration for a second your game can be over for a long period of time.”Hodgson recalled that his last game as a cricketer himself was around 1970-71, for Streatham Cricket Club – a club he shared with Palace legend Steve Kember. “I thought I was a batsman, but I wasn’t,” Hodgson joked.Ward strapped the pads on, as well as Denly’s England helmet, with Billings observing his technique whilst feeding the bowling machine. After a few false starts, with Ward poking nervously outside his off stump, Billings ordered: “Just smash it!”That approach appealed to the defender, who proceeded to middle a series of off drives and straight drives. Ward reflected on Billing’s advice: “Just grip it and rip it! It was easier – the tempo of your swing and position you end up, is far better than being defensive and make contact. It’s one of those things, until you’ve faced it – when you’re facing a ball swinging here, or bouncing there – it’s a completely different ball game. The reactions and the speed they can process the ball is phenomenal.”It’s been a good few years since I picked up a cricket bat, so I needed a bit of time to adjust to the ball and the flight. I think I got it towards the end. It was quick. It was only 70-75mph, which isn’t that quick by their standards, but certainly is when you don’t do it on a regular basis – the ball comes at you a lot quicker than you think.”Billings was suitably impressed: “Once he got the hang of it, I just told him to smack it – and he couldn’t miss it after that.”

The West Indies captain expects Bangladesh to bounce back in the second Test after the innings and 219 runs defeat in the first

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-20180:43

Clive Lloyd: Roach is doing a marvellous job

It was the fast bowlers’ opening bursts – in both innings – that paved way to West Indies beating Bangladesh inside three days, according to captain Jason Holder.In the first innings, Kemar Roach reduced Bangladesh to 18 for 5 on the way to 43 all out, and in the second, Shannon Gabriel had them 50 for 6. In fact, Bangladesh were able to last a mere 354 deliveries in the entire Test as they crashed to an-innings-and-219-run defeat.Roach took 5 for 8 in the first innings and was the Man of the Match, while Gabriel continued the good form he had shown in the series against Sri Lanka with 5 for 77 in the second innings. Holder himself and Miguel Cummins, the fourth pacer in West Indies’ attack, took five wickets each in the match.2:31

What’s the big deal about Shannon Gabriel?

“The opening burst by Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach set the tone for us, and I was able to come in and get a few wickets at the end, and obviously Miguel Cummins got three wickets in the first innings as well,” Holder said. “It was a clinical performance in the first hour of play and obviously we set it up quite nicely with the bat, led by Kraigg (Brathwaite). A wonderful hundred, I think it’s his seventh Test match century, and well supported by everybody else who chipped in. I think it was a good opportunity for everybody to get a chance in the middle. Only one of our batsmen missed out, that’s Roston (Chase, who made 2). But hopefully in Jamaica, he comes to the party.”Holder said he was looking forward to the second and final Test of the series, starting in Kingston from July 12, and expected Bangladesh to bounce back. “Happy overall with the performance. I felt we bowled and batted well in this Test match. We also supported our bowlers in the field,” he said. “We’re looking forward to the next Test in Jamaica. I expect Bangladesh to come back and come at us pretty hard. It’s just a matter of us being consistent and maintaining the pressure we set on them.”While the West Indies seamers have all been among the wickets, legspinner Devendra Bishoo has had a lean run. Bishoo has been wicketless in West Indies’ last three Tests – two against Sri Lanka and this one against Bangladesh – and also not been thrown the ball very often. He has bowled only 29 overs combined in those three matches, and only seven overs in the last two Tests.”I think we’ve got a really good balance here. I know Devendra Bishoo hasn’t really come into the fore as much as we probably would have expected but I think he has a part to play,” said Holder while remaining noncommittal about the XI for the next match. “It’s just a matter of seeing how the conditions are in Jamaica and then making a decision.”

Mashrafe Mortaza has said that while Mustafizur Rahman’s early success was extraordinary, it should not be expected of him so regularly

Mohammad Isam25-Apr-2017
Mustafizur Rahman needs to work harder if he wants more success as batsmen have begun reading his bowling better. Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, who made this observation, also said that Mustafizur’s success early in his career was “extraordinary” and urged that he shouldn’t be put under too much pressure.”What he got in the early stage of his career was extraordinary so what is happening to him now is what is supposed to happen to any bowler,” Mashrafe said before Bangladesh’s departure to England for a preparatory camp ahead of their Champions Trophy campaign. “It is unbelievable that he got so many wickets in the first few games of his international career. Now he has to work hard to take wickets. Batsmen are reading him better. Every team has top-quality computer analysts who find out his strengths and weaknesses.”Injuries have also bothered him, and he has just recovered from the latest injury few months ago. He is only 19 or 20 [21]. So with everything in consideration, he is having a tough time off late. So we also shouldn’t put him under pressure. He has already proved that he is Bangladesh’s future. If we can keep him relaxed by not weighing him down with expectations, he can be a wonderful asset for us in the next ten years.”After coming back from a shoulder surgery late last year, Mustafizur was out of sorts in New Zealand and was dropped for the Hyderabad Test in India to allow him more time to recuperate. He bowled well in patches in Sri Lanka, especially in the Test series, but wasn’t at his best in the two completed ODIs and the first T20I.In the second T20I against Sri Lanka, however, he took 4 for 21 but was expensive in his only appearance for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2017, conceding 34 runs in 2.4 overs. He has been benched since then, which has raised concerns over his form and mental state.Mustafizur was scheduled to join the team on Tuesday but will now do so on May 4. Despite his recent patchy form, he remains an important cog in Bangladesh’s pursuit of a strong result in the Champions Trophy. Mashrafe said that the tournament will be a difficult one for the team, as they are placed in the same group as hosts England, Australia and New Zealand.He said that the preparatory camp in Sussex does not guarantee success but will give the players a better understanding of local pitches and overhead conditions.”Realistically, it is going to be a difficult tour,” Mashrafe said. “The Champions Trophy won’t be easy when you look at our opposition. We have defeated England in that condition. We beat Australia in Cardiff once and, although these are history, I think it is still possible. A lot will depend on how we prepare our mentality.”The camp will give us an inkling about the pitches. Weather conditions change quickly in the early part of the English summer. We had a good World Cup after an early camp in Australia in 2015 but the same didn’t pan out in 2016 when we prepared for the New Zealand tour.”One area Mashrafe is concerned about is the team’s fatigue towards the end of a long tour. Given that the Champions Trophy falls in the latter half of their tour, the team will have to devise ways to avoid falling into that mental hole.”This is not the first time we are on such a long tour,” Mashrafe said. “But we do have that problem of becoming fatigued at the end of such tours. History tells us that we have a really bad session after a good one in the latter part of a tour.”Maybe in Australia [during the World Cup] we didn’t feel too bad as we were always in the hunt. Winning in the early stage could help us fight fatigue, which we can start in Ireland. It is important to keep everyone together, in our group of 17-18 players, especially those who won’t go through a good time in the early stages. Keeping them like a family.”Bangladesh will leave for the Sussex camp on April 26. Their tri-nation series, against Ireland and New Zealand, will be played between May 12 and 24, after which they will return to London for the final part of their tour.

The decks have been cleared for Delhi to host matches during the World T20 after the city’s municipal authority agreed to grant an occupancy certificate to the DDCA subject to the fulfillment of certain norms within 20 days

Arun Venugopal09-Feb-2016The decks have been cleared for Delhi to host matches during the World T20 after the city’s municipal authority agreed to grant an occupancy certificate to the DDCA subject to the fulfillment of certain norms within 20 days. The DDCA subsequently withdrew its plea to the Delhi High Court seeking an occupancy certificate for the Feroz Shah Kotla from the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) on Monday.”We have withdrawn the plea for provisional certificate from the High Court since the SDMC has passed a resolution saying they would give us permanent clearance after we satisfy certain conditions,” DDCA treasurer Ravinder Manchanda told ESPNcricinfo. “We have deposited the security amount of Rs 50 lakh. A conditional NOC will be issued by them tomorrow which will then give us a further time of 10 to 12 days – about a week out of the [stipulated] 20 days has already elapsed – to complete the rest of the work [on the stadium’s maintenance and refurbishment]. There is only minor work pending. We should be able to complete it soon. We have mailed the BCCI to communicate this.”A senior BCCI official said there would be no more hurdles for Delhi to host matches in the World T20 should they produce the requisite clearances. “They have got the NOC now. If they have got the NOC then what stops them [from hosting the World T20]?” the official told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s after all our national capital. They will have to produce the NOC and also give it in writing that they will be able to host the matches. In 20 days they will anyway finish the arrangements. We will communicate this [development] to the ICC by tomorrow.”According to , the Delhi High Court bench had made it clear that if the pending work wasn’t completed no matches would be allowed. “After 20 days, you (DDCA) should not come and say they (SDMC) are illegally withholding the occupancy certificate or say you need any modification in the earlier order. It should not happen,” the bench said. It also said no match could he held under “unsafe circumstances.” The DDCA counsel assured the bench that the work would be completed within 20 days.It is understood that the ICC has been concerned about the lack of clarity on Delhi’s ability to host the World T20 games – the Feroz Shah Kotla has been allotted four men’s and six women’s matches, including two semi-finals. The sale of tickets, too, hasn’t commenced despite BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur’s announcement that it would be launched on February 9. The BCCI official, however, said they would be put for sale from “February 13 or 14”.The BCCI had earlier given DDCA a deadline of January 31 before it was extended to February 8. Thakur was quoted by on Monday as saying “we would wait” when asked if the BCCI would stick to the deadline given to the DDCA.The DDCA has been plagued by several administrative problems, and had recently conveyed its inability to host the second T20 between India and Sri Lanka despite deadlines being extended. There was similar uncertainty surrounding the fourth Test between India and South Africa in December, before the Delhi High Court stepped in to provide interim relief by asking the SDMC to provide provisional clearance to the DDCA.

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said he was happy to see the allegations of fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League being thoroughly investigated by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, even though the entire episode has been distressing

Mohammad Isam13-Aug-2013BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said he was happy to see the allegations of fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League being thoroughly investigated by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, even though the entire episode has been distressing. It was necessary to take strict and swift action, he said, given how “corruption is spreading in sport”.”I am not happy at all [about the alleged corruption in BPL],” Hassan said. “Many of our favourite players and people are involved. We trusted them and if anybody breaks the trust, it is painful. But at the same time, I am also happy that we took this initiative.”If we didn’t do anything, [at the rate at which] corruption is spreading in sport, it will be almost impossible to stop it in the future. We are happy for the ACSU to do a thorough investigation, and whatever the result, it will be a message to everyone that whoever is found guilty will not be spared.”On Tuesday, the BCB and ICC jointly announced that nine individuals have been charged with various offences allegedly committed in the BPL in violation of Bangladesh’s anti-corruption code. The nine persons were not named, but the Bangladesh cricketers who are among the nine will not be able to participate in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, the domestic one-day tournament, which is scheduled to begin on September 3.ESPNcricinfo has learned that the BCB had wanted to name the nine individuals during the press conference but ICC chief executive officer Dave Richardson wanted to strictly adhere to the provisions of the anti-corruption code.Explaining how the case will progress, Richardson said the hearing for the accused could still be a couple of months away. “The prosecution of the case and conduct of the hearing will be carried out on behalf of the BCB by the ICC,” he said. “There will be pre-hearing procedures where the ICC will make its own submissions once we know whether the charged have pleaded guilty or not. Then the accused will be able to reply to those submissions. Then, once everyone is available – the tribunal, the witnesses and all the accused – a date will be set. We think that it is still a couple of months away.”If any of the nine individuals are from overseas, they are still liable under the BCB’s anti-corruption code, Richardson said. “All those individuals who have been charged have submitted to the jurisdiction of the BCB’s anti-corruption code. Obviously one is required to sign a contract with the BPL as a foreign player, by which one of the terms would be to submit yourself to the jurisdiction of the code. The same applies to support personnel, or any other person involved with the teams.”Now, the BCB, as per Article 5 of the anti-corruption code, is required to appoint a disciplinary-panel chairman. The chairman is supposed to be a retired justice of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. He is required to then form a 10-member disciplinary panel, which should comprise of three retired judges, three eminent civilians and four cricket experts. Then, the chairman must form a three-member anti-corruption tribunal – which will hear the case – from among the disciplinary panel’s members, with one representative from each of the panel’s three groups.Hassan said that the BCB will immediately initiate proceedings to form the disciplinary panel, though the anti-corruption code specifies that BCB directors choose only the disciplinary panel’s chairman. “The tribunal will be formed immediately,” Hassan said. “The [disciplinary] panel will be announced within the next two or three days. It will be a ten-member panel from which three members will form the tribunal. We are just re-confirming the panel.”

Steve Magoffin proved the match-winner for Sussex in a gripping climax to their match against Durham

21-Jul-2012
ScorecardSteve Magoffin proved the match-winner for Sussex in a gripping climax to their match against Durham at Arundel. The Australian fast bowler took 6 for 22 as Durham were dismissed for 93 in their second innings, then scored 23 not out to see his side to a two-wicket win.Needing 94, Sussex looked doomed when Magoffin went to the crease at 50 for 7, but Kirk Wernars helped him put on 23 then he and James Anyon knocked off the remaining runs.Durham were almost entirely dependent on their two swing and seam bowlers, Callum Thorp and Chris Rushworth, who had taken four wickets each in the first innings. They shared seven second time around, while home captain Mike Yardy was run out, but once they began to tire the balance tipped back in Sussex’s favour.With 11 runs needed Paul Collingwood gambled by bringing on Ben Stokes in place of Rushworth, who had bowled 15 overs. But eight runs came off the over and Anyon was able to pick off the three remaining runs against Thorp, who finished with 4 for 38 in 17 overs.Sussex’s third win of the season kept them in the top half of the table while defeat left Durham even further adrift at the bottom, still looking for their first win.After the sides finished level on 231 in the first innings, Durham began the day on 80 for 7 and were all out for 93. Collingwood failed to add to his 29, falling in the first over to Kirk Wernars when he became one of the game’s 15 lbw victims. Magoffin did the rest, pinning Thorp lbw before taking out Mitch Claydon’s middle stump.Rushworth had Luke Wells lbw with the sixth ball of the Sussex innings then Joe Gatting was well caught by Scott Borthwick at second slip off Thorp, who also bowled Chris Nash. It became 27 for 4 when Yardy pushed the ball to midwicket and set off for a risky run, which Murray Goodwin declined.When Rushworth brought one sharply back to rock Luke Wright’s off stump Durham were favourites. After lunch Ben Brown was adjudged lbw when well forward to Rushworth and Goodwin nicked a ball on to his pad and was caught at slip.Phil Mustard, standing up to Thorp, took a brilliant leg-side catch to end Wernars’ resistance, but by that time Magoffin had stolen the initiative by running Thorp to the vacant third man boundary then cutting him for four. Those two shots eased the pressure and Collingwood’s overnight prediction that Durham would need a lead of 120 proved accurate.

Rahul Dravid has made a surprise comeback into India’s limited-overs plans, after two years in the wilderness, while the injured duo of Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh are the notable omissions

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2011Rahul Dravid has made a comeback into India’s limited-overs plans, after two years out of the side. The injured Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh are the notable omissions in the squad for the five-match ODI series and the only Twenty20 international against England.Dravid, who has over 10,000 runs in the ODI format, was a regular in the Indian side for most of the last decade. He was dropped from the team following a poor home series against Australia in 2007, but was recalled to bolster an inexperienced line-up in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy in 2009. His second coming lasted only six matches, and he was axed again following India’s early exit in that tournament in South Africa. He didn’t figure in India’s successful World Cup, but has had a good run in Tests since, including three centuries in five matches.Yuvraj and Harbhajan both picked up injuries in India’s crushing defeat in the second Test at Trent Bridge, ruling them out of action for four and three weeks respectively. Chief selector Kris Srikkanth confirmed that the senior duo was left out on fitness grounds, addressing speculation that Harbhajan may have been dropped.Harbhajan has been dogged by poor form since the World Cup, both in the West Indies and in England, before contracting an abdominal strain at Trent Bridge. He managed only six wickets in four ODIs in the West Indies, and was overshadowed by legspinner Amit Mishra. Harbhajan’s form dipped further in the Tests that followed, as he picked up five wickets in the first two Tests, though there was an improvement in the third Test in Antigua, where he returned match figures of 6 for 101. He has struggled for impact in England, picking up a wicket apiece in the first two Tests.Yuvraj hasn’t played an ODI for India since winning the Man-of-the-Tournament award at the World Cup. He missed the West Indies tour with a lung infection, but scored a half-century on his return to the national side at Trent Bridge before enduring a fractured finger on his left hand in the second innings. Yuvraj’s other World Cup-winning team-mates, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, made their ODI comebacks.Sreesanth, who returned to the Test side for England after missing out on the West Indies tour, was left out again, while R Vinay Kumar kept his ODI spot as the back-up seamer. Zaheer Khan, as expected, returned to the one-day scheme of things after sitting out of the West Indies tour. Ashish Nehra, who picked up an injury that kept him out of the World Cup final, remains on the sidelines.Parthiv Patel, who opened the batting and kept wicket in MS Dhoni’s absence in the West Indies, also retained his place as the second-choice limited-overs wicketkeeper. But there was no place for allrounder Yusuf Pathan, who had a poor World Cup and failed in the West Indies. Manoj Tiwary, Shikhar Dhawan and S Badrinath, who toured the Caribbean in the absence of the regular batsmen, missed out this time.Squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag (vice-capt), Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Parthiv Patel (wk), Amit Mishra, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Vinay Kumar

The PCB has ruled out the immediate return of Younis Khan to the Pakistan team because the player and his lawyer made “inappropriate statements”

Cricinfo staff06-Jul-2010The PCB has ruled out the immediate return of Younis Khan to the Pakistan team because the player and his lawyer made “inappropriate statements”. Younis was not selected for the tour of England despite his indefinite ban being lifted.”Younis and his lawyer have given inappropriate statements,” Butt told reporters after meeting federal sports minister Ijaz Jakhrani. “There is a players’ code of conduct in place and we will not spare anyone who violates the code.”Younis stepped down as captain and player ahead of the tour to New Zealand, which preceded the Australia series, over differences with his team-mates. He missed the Australia Tests, and did not make an impact during the ODIs under Mohammad Yousuf’s leadership. Following the tour, PCB came down strongly on seven national players, including Younis who was banned for creating infighting within the team – an accusation he staunchly refused.The captain Shahid Afridi hoped to have Younis’ services for the Tests at least, but when the team was being picked for the tour, the PCB hadn’t yet given clearance for his selection.
Younis however played down the issue with the PCB and said he is ready to play for Pakistan.”I am available to play for Pakistan whenever required,” Younus told a Pakistani television channel in England. “I have no fight with the PCB nor can I think of it. I am a known player because of Pakistan and the PCB.”

Keith Fletcher expresses fury at CDC verdict after incident in April

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-2024Essex’s faint hopes of victory in this year’s County Championship are effectively over after the club was docked 12 points by the Cricket Discipline Commission, after one of their players, Feroze Khushi, was found to have used an over-sized bat during their opening match of the season in April.The sanction, which had been anticipated at Chelmsford for much of the season, has been accepted by the club in an official statement. However, there is also fury behind the scenes, with Keith Fletcher, the former Essex and England captain who is now the club president, telling the The Times that the decision was “absolutely stupid”.The issue arose during Essex’s second innings of their opening Championship fixture, against Nottinghamshire on April 6. Khushi, who had made 21 at the time, when the onfield umpires, Tom Lungley and Steve O’Shaughnessy, found that his bat became stuck in their measurement gauge.Essex went on to win the match by 254 runs, but have now lost 12 of the 20 points that they took from that fixture, meaning that they trail Surrey by 56 points with two rounds remaining, including what could have been a critical final-round clash between the two clubs at Chelmsford.Essex lodged an appeal when the original charge was raised by the Cricket Regulator, and in a 31-page judgement issued by the CDC, it was acknowledged that some of the gauges used to assess Khushi’s bat “did not comply precisely with the specifications”.In his evidence to the Regulator, Khushi said that he had trusted his bat manufacturer to provide equipment that confirmed to MCC’s regulations, with Law 5.7.2 stipulating that a bat’s width should be 10.8cm. He added that he never intended to use a non-conforming bat, but received a reprimand for his part in the issue.”Essex CCC regrets the outcome and, although disappointed with the appeal decision and subsequent sanctions, accepts the charges of the CDC panel,” a club statement said.”The club remains fully committed to upholding the integrity of the game and ensuring strict compliance with all relevant regulations moving forward.”In light of the concerns raised during the appeal, the club will be writing to the CDC, Cricket Regulator and the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to formally highlight the matters which arose during the process, such as those raised by the club in relation to the bat gauges.
“Essex CCC hopes that these concerns will prompt action to address inconsistencies and enhance the fairness and transparency of future regulatory processes.”Speaking to , Fletcher accused the appeal panel of “trying to flex its muscles”, adding that the whole side had been penalised by the process.”We realise we are not going to catch Surrey now and there is money at stake for the players and prestige for a non-Test-match club such as ourselves involved in where we finish,” he added. “We are always up against it with the Test-match clubs, which already have the money to attract the best players.”Anu Mohindru KC, the Essex chairman, added: “We appealed the initial judgment and it was supported by the cricket regulator, but the initial decision was upheld.”Since then, no other bat has been tested. My issue is with the apparatus for testing not being standard. I’m not suggesting we did not fail the final test and I don’t have any criticism of the umpires and match referee but it is not a level playing field if we are all using different gauges. I would like to think we are not being singled out in this matter.”