'Captaincy is just a c in front of your name' – Virat Kohli

After becoming the most successful Indian Test captain, Kohli gave the credit for the achievement to the team as a whole and the bowlers in particular

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2019India’s win against West Indies in the second Test at Sabina Park not only gave them a 2-0 series sweep and the top spot on the World Test Championship table, but was also their 28th Test victory under Virat Kohli, making him the winningest Indian Test captain, going past MS Dhoni’s 27.Kohli, however, said that the captaincy achievement was just a by-product of the team, and the bowlers, that he had.”Captaincy is just a ‘c’ in front of your name honestly. It’s the collective effort that matters,” Kohli told Ian Bishop in the post-match presentation. “It’s a by-product of this quality team that we have here. If we didn’t have the bowlers that we have, I don’t think the results would have been possible.”Yes, you can score as many runs as you want, but if you look at these guys running in and putting their heart in – I mean [Mohammed] Shami’s spell today, [Jasprit] Bumrah after having a small niggle, Ishant [Sharma] bowling his heart out, [Ravindra] Jadeja bowling a long spell… I don’t think without these bowlers it would have been possible. So I think all the credit has to go to the whole team.”India’s win in the second Test came in the second session on the fourth day, and Kohli was lavish in his praise for Man of the Match Hanuma Vihari, who made 111 and 53 not out to be the standout batsman in the game. One of the features of Vihari’s batting was how well he left the ball and the patience he showed that ultimately resulted in the ball coming to his scoring areas.”You have to be patient on this wicket, select the balls which are in your area to score runs,” Vihari said of his approach. “Because there’s something for the fast bowlers, and it’s very important that you leave well outside off stump and wait for the areas… wait for them to come to you.”Virat Kohli has overtaken MS Dhoni to become India’s most successful Test captain•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Kohli agreed that the pitch dictated the batting game plan, and said Vihari brought calm to the dressing room.”According to the surface, I think it was a top-class innings,” Kohli said. “He’s a guy who’s very sure of his game and it shows when he plays. He looks confident and the dressing room feels really calm watching him bat. I think that’s a quality he possesses naturally because his game is so correct. He’s always willing to improve and is accepting of his mistakes and corrects them immediately, and he’s getting the results pretty quickly.”He plays with a lot of heart, always up to do anything for the team, and that’s why he invariably ends up playing crucial innings for us. It’s a very young career so far, but he’s shown why he’s been backed and selected in this team.”India have been ranked No. 1 in Test cricket since October 2016, with Kohli having led them all through except when he sat out through injury. He assumed Test captaincy full-time when Dhoni announced his retirement midway through India’s tour of Australia in 2015-16, having led in the first Test of the series with Dhoni injured, and then in the last match following Dhoni’s departure. Before the win in the Caribbean, he had led India to their first-ever series win in Australia in 2018-19.

Rayudu fails fitness test, likely to miss England ODI series

He was among several Indian players, including Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, who appeared for the fitness test at the NCA in Bengaluru

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Jun-2018Ambati Rayudu is likely to lose his place in the Indian squad for the three-match ODI series in England next month after failing to clear a mandatory fitness test. Rayudu was among several Indian players, including captain Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, who appeared for the fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.Rayudu, 32, was one of the architects behind Chennai Super Kings’ title-winning run in the IPL this year. Among the top-five run-scorers, this season was the best IPL Rayudu had, scoring 602 runs at a strike rate of 149.75 including one century.After impressing with his form during the IPL, Rayudu got a berth for the England ODIs, which start on July 12 in Nottingham. However, Rayudu, who last played an ODI in 2016, still had to clear the yo-yo test, made mandatory by the Indian team management and supported by the selectors.Players need to attain the 16:1 mark, the minimum level set for Indian players by the team’s strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu.Although the BCCI is yet to make the news public, it is understood that Rayudu fell short of the minimum cut-off by a reasonable distance. The selectors are set to name a replacement soon.Fitness has become a key parameter for selection for the Indian teams with the selectors and coaches showing no room for compromise. Last week, the BCCI revealed that Sanju Samson and Mohammed Shami had failed the fitness tests and consequently lost their spots. Shami missed out on being part of the one-off Test against Afghanistan which got over on Friday, while Samson failed to be part of the India A squad to tour England in June-July.

Kent in talks to sign Milne for Blast

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.

Thunder strangle Scorchers to make WBBL final

Sydney Thunder became the first team to qualify for a Women’s Big Bash League final as they strangled Perth Scorchers to defend an underpar total of 118 in a fascinating finish

The Report by Will Macpherson in Adelaide21-Jan-2016
ScorecardAlex Blackwell’s 39 laid the platform for Sydney Thunder’s win•Getty Images

Sydney Thunder became the first team to qualify for a Women’s Big Bash League final as they strangled Perth Scorchers to defend an underpar total of 118 in a fascinating finish. Thunder had been the competition’s pace-setters, and are greater than the sum of their parts, while Scorchers had crept into the semi-finals, only for their vaunted batting line-up to let them down.It’s hard to estimate how close the Scorchers came to crashing out in the pool stages. But they went into the final weekend of action in Adelaide having lost two more games than they had won, and knowing that if Brisbane Heat beat Adelaide Strikers, or Melbourne Stars won one of their two games, Scorchers were out. But neither of these eventualities played out, and the Scorchers veritably thrashed the competition’s weakest team, Melbourne Renegades, twice in two days, losing just two wickets in the process, to sneak into this semi-final.This, though, proved a bridge too far. Scorchers had bowled stingily and fielded smartly, but their batting – stuffed with top-order class from around the world – lost its way badly after an impressive start. They had twice lost to Thunder in the pool stages, but six of their seven wins came chasing, so it was something of a surprise when Thunder captain Alex Blackwell won the toss and opted to bat.Katherine Brunt was tough to get away early, and the introduction of Suzie Bates saw Rachael Haynes dismissed as she skied to mid-on. Stafanie Taylor was positive if not fully fluent, heaving Nicky Shaw to leg for six then pulling Bates for four through square leg.Just as Taylor looked to be settling, Nicole Bolton brought Brunt back to bowl her final over. The first delivery was cut behind point for a classy boundary, but two balls later Taylor edged behind when trying to go inside out off a ball too straight for the stroke. Naomi Stalenberg was promoted to push the rate but was gone an over later, slicing to mid-off off Heather Graham.Blackwell and Nicola Carey set about a careful rebuild; boundaries were rare, but the strike was rotated effectively and the pair shared 36. They took 13 from a Bolton over, including a Blackwell straight drive and a Carey flick to leg, both for four, the first of which was the first boundary for 25 deliveries. Erin Osborne was run out by some smart work from Bolton and keeper Jenny Wallace. Blackwell met the same fate off the innings’ last ball, failing to make her ground running a second, but after she and Claire Koski – who struck Bates for a beautiful straight drive – had pushed the score along.Thunder’s innings never got above a run a ball, and a target of 119 did not look enough to trouble this batting line-up.How wrong that proved. Elyse Villani had found form since being dropped from Australia’s squad for next week’s T20Is against India, scoring 72 and a quickfire 43 – both without being dismissed in the romps over Renegades. She was immediately into her work, consecutively pulling, straight-driving and flicking through midwicket for four off Nicola Carey. Charlotte Edwards was in on the act too, cutting Lauren Cheatle beautifully behind point for four more.But Villani was run out by Maisy Gibson, and Edwards struggled to get going as the dot balls piled up and the spinners started the strangle. Edwards tried to hit Osborne over long-on but was caught, before Gibson had Bolton caught at mid-off and Bates offered a return catch, shortly after Gibson had dropping a simpler chance off her own bowling. Gibson’s leggies had produced a mixed bag, often dropping too short or failing to make use of the pitch, but her 2-16 confirmed her status as a star of the future.After a fine performance with the ball, too much was asked of Katherine Brunt with the bat. Fourteen was required off Rene Farrell’s final over, and while Brunt found a lap sweep for four, she was dismissed lbw shortly after. Farrell found a dot to complete a remarkable strangle. It’s taken Thunder’s male counterparts five shots to even reach a semi; the women’s team has a final in the first attempt.

Haddin hopeful of quick fix

Australia’s Ashes vice-captain Brad Haddin has expressed earnest hope the new coach Darren Lehmann can help provide the rapid fixes the tourists desperately need if they are to seriously challenge England after Mickey Arthur’s “cut throat” removal

Daniel Brettig in Taunton25-Jun-2013Australia’s Ashes vice-captain Brad Haddin has expressed earnest hope the new coach Darren Lehmann can help provide the rapid fixes the tourists desperately need if they are to seriously challenge England after Mickey Arthur’s “cut-throat” removal.As an injury replacement during the shambolic tour of India earlier this year and over the past three weeks as the captain of Australia A, Haddin was a witness first to the decline in the national team’s standards and then to Arthur’s swift exit as a result, across a series of meetings during the team’s match against Gloucestershire in Bristol.Shocking as the initial news had been, Haddin was optimistic that Lehmann’s appointment would provide the supercharge needed for a team short of confidence and balance ahead of the series. This is no more readily apparent than in the team’s batting stocks, where the likes of Phillip Hughes, Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja and the captain Michael Clarke have precious little form behind them.”We’ve got to be accountable as a bowling group and as a batting group,” Haddin said. “All of us as a batting group, there are obviously areas we need to improve in our game, and I’m pretty confident we’ll go in the right direction over the next two weeks. The bottom line is we’ve got to perform and I’m comfortable with where this group’s at. We’ve got the best cricketers in Australia here and I’m comfortable we can move forward with that.”Like his captain Michael Clarke, Haddin accepted the players had to take some responsibility for the fate that has befallen Arthur. But he was swiftly on-message to avoid too much introspection over the events of the past few months. After all, only two weeks out from the toss of the coin at Trent Bridge there is scarcely a second to waste on solid knocks and second thoughts.”It’s not something that we have to deal with every day, the loss of a coach,” Haddin said. “But from our point of view we’ve got to make this a fresh start. We can go over what’s happened as much as we want an analyse what’s gone on but the bottom line is we’ve got to move forward as a cricket team and we’ve got to start performing.”It’s obviously disappointing for Mickey. He’s put a lot of time and effort into this team, but it’s a fresh start and we’ve got to make sure we’re in the right frame come that first Test. We as a group have to be accountable for where we want to take this team, and we’ll see how successful that is. We’re pretty comfortable now with moving forward. It’s not hard to be motivated by this tour.”I don’t think a day like this is needed to remind everyone of how high the stakes are playing for Australia. This is cut-throat, this is the pinnacle of what we all do as coaches, players, support staff, everyone. And one thing with this group I’ve noticed – we’re a very talented squad and as guys we just need to move forward as a cricket team and become better as a team moving forward and I’m very confident that can happen.”Recalled to the Australian team as the kind of senior player so desperately missed since the retirements of Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting, Haddin can recall his days jousting with Lehmann as opposing captains in domestic matches between South Australia and New South Wales. But over the past three weeks as the captain of Australia A, Haddin has watched Lehmann’s coaching work up close, and liked what he saw.”It was an enjoyable A tour, we got out of it exactly what we needed leading into this series,” Haddin said. “We had a lot of players at different stages in preparation, guys on their first tour, guys getting ready for the Ashes, and Darren and Troy [Cooley] were very positive about the cricket we wanted to play and that we wanted to win three matches. Darren was very aggressive in his approach there. He wanted us to get the game moving forward and win cricket games. That’s what we did.”We’ve sat down as a group and planned what we want to do over the next couple of weeks leading into the first Test. As a group we’re pretty clear on what we want to do, we’re at different stages as players, but we’re all on the same path here trying to get to this first Test. It’s a new start.”

Patel leads Notts sunny cruise

Nottinghamshire maintained their push for the Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-finals with a straightforward 88-run victory over Scotland at Trent Bridge.

22-Jul-2012
ScorecardNottinghamshire maintained their push for the Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-finals with a straightforward 88-run victory over Scotland at Trent Bridge.Samit Patel led the way for the hosts with 82, while fellow England hopeful James Taylor contributed 68 and Adam Voges an unbeaten 64 as Nottinghamshire made 265 for 5 after winning the toss and batting first. Patel then picked up 2 for 39 with his left-arm spin as Scotland were bowled out for 177, with fellow spinners Voges, 3 for 37, and Graeme White, three for 42 also among the wickets. Ryan Flannigan top-scored for the visitors with 38.The win moves Nottinghamshire second in Group B, one point behind leaders Hampshire, who have played a game more.Having won the toss on a gloriously sunny afternoon, Nottinghamshire skipper Chris Read chose to bat first on a wicket that had seen little action from their rain-affected County Championship match with Surrey on the previous four days. The decision looked like a mistake when Gordon Goudie had Michael Lumb lbw with the first ball of the match, but despite a low and slow pitch, the home side steadily increased the tempo to finish on a score that proved well beyond the visitors.Taylor and Alex Hales put on 82 in 12 overs for the second wicket, with Hales contributing 37 from 35 balls before he was stumped off the left-arm spin of Jean Symes.Patel took his time to get going – with Nottinghamshire having a 10-over spell in the middle of their innings without a boundary – before he drove Majid Haq through the covers to release the shackles. His partner Taylor was generally content to pick up singles in his 82-ball innings, ending when he top-edged an attempted reverse-sweep off Haq to backward point.That brought Voges to the wicket, with the Australian taking advantage of the batting powerplay to race to 50 off just 35 balls in the penultimate over after Patel was yorked by Goudie, who also had Riki Wessels caught at deep square leg.Scotland were never in the hunt but also did not help themselves with two run-outs, although Josh Davey was unlucky to see Harry Gurney deflect Calum MacLeod’s drive onto the stumps at the bowler’s end.Nottinghamshire overcame the setback of seeing seamer Darren Pattinson limp off the field after only two deliveries with a suspected groin strain, and the left-arm spin trio of Patel, Voges and White strangled the life out of the Scottish innings.

Paine thrilled at captaincy chance

Tim Paine has spent his past two tours doing little but running the drinks, so captaining Australia A in Zimbabwe will be a welcome task

Brydon Coverdale24-Jun-2011Tim Paine has spent his past two tours doing little but running the drinks, so captaining Australia A in Zimbabwe will be a welcome task. The squad flies out on Saturday for a triangular one-day series against the hosts and South Africa A, before a pair of four-day games against Zimbabwe, and the selector Greg Chappell will be there taking notes ahead of Australia’s trip to Sri Lanka in August.Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Michael Beer and Jason Krejza are among those who will be hoping to impress Chappell and win immediate promotion, while younger men like Nic Maddinson and Mitchell Marsh are just happy to be part of the tour. Paine himself is a unique case; he has four Tests to his name but knows he won’t add to that tally in the near future unless Brad Haddin is injured.That’s the life of the backup wicketkeeper, as Haddin learnt when he spent the better part of a decade waiting for occasional chances to replace Adam Gilchrist. Paine was part of the World Cup squad but didn’t play a match, and had one outing in the ODI series in Bangladesh that followed, and now he’s looking forward to getting plenty of game-time in Zimbabwe.”It can be frustrating but at the same time I loved every minute of both of those tours,” Paine told ESPNcricinfo this week. “To get the chance to go to a World Cup was outstanding. Hopefully at some stage down the track I can go to another one and be the main keeper, that would be a great result. It can get a little bit frustrating sitting on the sidelines but at the same time I realise how lucky I am to be there.”Paine, 26, has come a long way in the space of a year; he won his first baggy green against Pakistan last July and impressed with both bat and gloves. He then went on to stand in for the injured Haddin on the October tour of India, where he posted two Test half-centuries and confirmed that he has the temperament and maturity to be a fine Test player.The selectors certainly rate him highly. After leading the Prime Minister’s XI in January, he was swiftly thrust into the national Twenty20 vice-captaincy behind Cameron White when Australia played England the same month, and he can further enhance his leadership credentials by steering an Australia A side with a mix of experience and youth.”This tour and as much last year the Prime Minister’s XI, they’re both big honours to be named captain of those sides,” he said. “I’m certainly thrilled to be given the opportunity. It’s something I enjoy doing but it’s something I realise I need to improve and want to improve. The more opportunities I get, the better I’ll be.”Paine has Callum Ferguson as his vice-captain for the Zimbabwe tour, which will feature several interesting subplots as the competition for places in the squad for Sri Lanka intensifies. Hughes can seal himself as the immediate opening replacement for Simon Katich with one big score, while Khawaja also wants to impress and make sure he remains in the Test squad.The spin bowl-off between Krejza and Beer in the four-day side could determine who gets the job for the first Test against Sri Lanka, with Beer not having won a Cricket Australia contract despite being the incumbent. Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus also want plenty of wickets as they prepare for Sri Lanka, and they won’t want to be outbowled by fellow fast men Trent Copeland and Mitchell Starc.And with several months now having passed for World Cup post-mortems, Australia’s management and selection panel will be keen to see how the spinners Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe, the allrounders Luke Butterworth and Mitchell Marsh, and the batsmen Aaron Finch, Nic Maddinson and Matthew Wade perform in the 50-over format.The squad has been preparing for the past three weeks in Brisbane under the supervision of the Australia A coach Troy Cooley and his assistant Jason Gillespie, who will help the fast bowlers on the tour. Paine said the players were ready for some time in the middle against quality opposition.”It’s an important tour for everyone,” Paine said. “There’s two lots of guys, there are the guys who have played international cricket, who are looking to get either back into the team or on to tours, then you have the younger guys who are getting their first opportunity to play cricket overseas against international sides, so it’s exciting for them.”It has been very busy the last two or three weeks. We’ve been training every day, so it’s been good for the boys to get back into it.”

West Indies A take series after final day washout

The final day of the second unofficial Test was abandoned without a ball being bowled, due to rain

Cricinfo staff26-May-2010
ScorecardThe final day of the second unofficial Test was abandoned without a ball being bowled, due to rain. The match was headed towards a draw at the end of the third day, with West Indies A ahead by 105 with seven second-innings wickets in hand. West Indies took the two-match series 1-0 after winning the first Test by 114 runs in Dhaka. They reached the final of the tri-series but went down by five runs to South Africa A in a high-scoring contest.

Nathan Smith and Josh Clarkson awarded New Zealand central contracts

The openings were created when Devon Conway and Finn Allen opted out of their deals to play T20 leagues

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2024Allrounders Nathan Smith and Josh Clarkson have been handed New Zealand central contracts, filling the spots vacated by Devon Conway and Finn Allen declining deals last month.Clarkson, the 27-year-old middle-order batter and medium-pace bowler, has played three ODIs and T20Is while 26-year-old Smith has yet to make his international debut.Related

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Smith was the leading wicket-taker in last season’s Plunket Shield with 33 at 17.18 for champions Wellington. He also represented Worcestershire this season where he claimed 27 wickets at 21.14 in seven County Championship matches alongside making three half-centuries and took eight wickets in nine T20 Blast games before he was forced home with a hamstring injury.”Nathan’s been on our radar for a while having been a significant performer in domestic cricket for some time,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead. “He’s been particularly impressive in red-ball cricket and we think he has the skills to be successful in international cricket when he gets a chance.”New Zealand Men’s central contracts for 2024-25•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Clarkson, meanwhile, featured in series against Bangladesh, Australia and Pakistan last season.”Josh has been involved in both white ball squads over the past twelve months which shows the strides he’s made in his game,” Stead said. “He’s a hard-hitting player with plenty of skills and has shown in his chances so far that he can offer a lot with bat and ball on the international stage. Josh will provide depth and adds value given the volume of white ball cricket on the horizon.”The vacancies on the contract list arose when Conway and Allen opted out in order to take up T20 league deals during January. Conway, who will play in the SA20 for Joburg Super Kings, was offered a casual playing contract, the same model given Kane Williamson. Allen, who signed a two-year deal with Perth Scorchers in the BBL, wasn’t provided the same option but will remain eligible or selection on a case-by-case basis.New Zealand return to action next week with a one-off Test against Afghanistan in Greater Noida before traveling to Sri Lanka for two Tests then India for three.

Updated New Zealand Men’s central contracts

Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young

Justin Ontong named head coach of Paarl Rocks

He is the team’s third coach in as many seasons, and will take over from JP Duminy

Firdose Moonda14-Jun-2023Justin Ontong, the former South Africa batter and most recently national men’s team fielding coach, has been named as the new coach of the Paarl Rocks provincial side.Ontong succeeds JP Duminy, who was in charge for a season and is now the South African men’s white-ball batting coach. This is Ontong’s first position as a head coach.”I am honoured to be given this opportunity to lead the Rocks team. I have worked with several different teams and understand what it takes to build a winning team,” Ontong said. “My focus will be to ensure that all the players are working towards the same goal and remain motivated.”Related

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Ontong is the third Paarl Rocks head coach in as many seasons. Adrian Birrell headed up the province in the 2021-22 summer, when the Paarl Rocks won the T20 Challenge, before Duminy got the job. Duminy was in charge in the 2022-23 season during which time he also held the position of Paarl Royals coach in the SA20. It is not known whether he will continue in that role in the coming season. Paarl are yet to add to their sole trophy but have maintained their position in the top-tier of South Africa’s domestic structure.CSA revamped the domestic cricket system three summers ago in which they did away with the six franchises and introduced two divisions, with eight teams in tier one and seven in tier two, and a promotion-relegation system. The first movements from that came after two complete seasons, and saw Bloemfontein’s Knights drop down to division two, while the Pietermaritzburg-based Tuskers earned promotion. Paarl, who did not have its own franchise in the previous system, achieved a respectable fourth-place finish on the combined log.Paarl Rocks have proven themselves to be strong contenders in white-ball tournaments, but have only won one red-ball match in the new era, something they would like to change. “Having Justin Ontong on board as the head coach of the Rocks is an immense addition to our organisation,” James Fortuin, Paarl Rocks CEO, said.While Ontong is mostly known for his white-ball numbers – he played 42 white-ball internationals for South Africa – he was capped twice in Tests and finished his career with a first-class average of 41.87 which makes him the ideal candidate to turn Paarl’s red-ball form around.When his playing days ended in late 2017, Ontong moved straight into coaching. He was appointed South Africa’s fielding coach under Ottis Gibson in the 2017-8 season and remained in that role when Mark Boucher took over in December 2019. Boucher resigned the post after last year’s T20 World Cup and has been succeeded by Shukri Conrad in Tests and Rob Walter in ODIs and T20Is, each of who has their own support staff. The white-ball fielding job has been given to Lions’ coach Wandile Gwavu.

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