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Brendan Taylor, the Zimbabwe opener, has said he was under no pressure during his team’s chase of 195 due to the steady partnership he shared with Hamilton Masakadza

Cricinfo staff03-Jun-2010Brendan Taylor, the Zimbabwe opener, has said he was under no pressure during his team’s chase of 195 due to the steady partnership he shared with Hamilton Masakadza. Zimbabwe were slow to start with but picked up the pace and completed their victory with more than 11 overs to spare. The comprehensive win ensured they secured a bonus point, which boosts their chances of reaching the series final.”We were keeping it to under four runs an over, which is not too much. Batting with Hamilton I always feel relaxed, he’s a powerful hitter and for some reason I was ahead of him today which never really happens,” Taylor, who was Man of the Match for his 90-ball 74, said. “On a good flat wicket I thought I played well and there was no real pressure.”Taylor and Masakadza added 128 for the first wicket in 26.3 overs, all but ensuring a win for their team. When asked if there was a message from the dressing room to push on to secure a bonus point – the target had to be achieved under 40 overs to secure it – Taylor said: “The batsmen knew we were on a good wicket. It was essentially the start we got. The message came around the 25th over to take the Powerplay. We got over the line comfortably.”In contrast, the Indian openers M Vijay and Dinesh Karthik, who had crawled to 26 in 10 overs and fell in quick succession after adding 58, came in for criticism from captain Suresh Raina. “It’s a worry. We’re not getting a partnership, especially with the opening pair,” he said. “We hope to learn from our mistakes. They didn’t get the runs in the last couple of games. But overall we didn’t bat well.”Elton Chigumbura, the Zimbabwe captain, singled out Andy Blignaut, who bowled 10 overs for just 22, for praise among the bowlers. “A very good comeback after the last game. Our bowlers bowled well, especially Andy Blignaut. He was outstanding,” he said. “Our opening partnership gave us a good foundation. We just wanted to get a foundation, and it was then going to be easy to go for the bonus point.”

The IPL is meeting with all ten franchise owners on Wednesday to discuss auction and retention processes

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Jul-20243:35

Should the Impact Player rule stay or go?

Whether to retain or discontinue the Impact Player rule, as well as possibly increasing the number of uncapped players on each IPL team’s retention list feature on the agenda of a meeting between the IPL and the ten franchises, to take place on Wednesday. The closed-door meeting will take place at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai with the franchises represented by members of their ownership teams.Other significant points up for discussion are: have the mega auction every five years instead of the existing three; reinstating the right-to-match (RTM) card option at auctions; the availability (or lack thereof) of overseas players; and a fix on the total number of retentions.All these points have been framed by the IPL after its chief operating officer, Hemang Amin, met various franchises over the past few months seeking feedback ahead of finalising next year’s mega auction.

Impact Player – abolish or retain?

There were eight 250-plus totals in IPL 2024 including the highest in the tournament’s history – 287, which Sunrisers Hyderabad plundered against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Pundits and team officials agreed the six-hitting spree, especially in the powerplay segment, was a consequence of the Impact Player rule, introduced in IPL 2023, which allowed teams to pick an extra specialist batter or bowler based on the game situation. Nine of the ten highest totals in IPL history have been recorded since the Impact Player rule was introduced.The original motive of this rule was to allow more Indian players, especially the uncapped ones, to get exposure. However, Rohit Sharma, India’s Test and ODI captain, said he was not a big fan of the rule because it would hold back the “development” of allrounders, a skillset that is not easily available in Indian T20 cricket. This view is also shared by a few franchises and one of them told ESPNcricinfo that it had informed the IPL it would be in favour of scrapping the rule.The question for the IPL, though, is whether the bigger totals are contributing to the overall enhancement of their product and whether the fans like it. Or not.13:31

Runorder: Is the mega auction good for the IPL?

Increase uncapped retentions

Ahead of the 2022 mega auction, the IPL allowed the eight original franchises to retain a maximum of two uncapped Indian players and the two new teams – Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants – could have one each. However, with these players putting in consistent performances, and with the franchises devoting a lot of resources to scout them and develop their game, a change may be coming.It is learned that the franchises have put forward some suggestions to Amin, one of which is to either create a special allowance within the main retention pool for uncapped talent or increase the number of RTM cards, with which a team can match the winning bid at the auction for a player they had on their rolls till the previous season and bring him back in.

Incremental performance pay

During discussions, the IPL is understood to have told the franchises about the need to incentivise players financially considering the teams were getting bigger money than before. One of the reasons behind the IPL’s proposal could be that it wants to better the salary of a player who was bought at his base price at the auction and was then retained at the same price even though his stature has grown since.The IPL is believed to have recommended paying players a match fee, but an immediate counter came from several franchises: what about the players who sit on the bench? Currently, as part of their contract, a player gets a discretionary fee from the franchise’s overall auction purse based on where the team finished the previous season. This number is set by the IPL. One of the suggestions given to the IPL is that instead of a match fee it would be better to finalise the amount to be put in the incentive pot, which the franchise could use at its discretion to reward their performers.Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc both went for over INR 20 crore at the last mini auction•KKR Knight Club

Overseas players

There are various proposals franchises have put forth concerning the overseas players. At least one franchise has told the IPL that there should be no restriction on the number of overseas players it can retain so long as it is within the retention cap. So, if the IPL allows five overall retentions, then the franchise said it should be able to fill all the slots with overseas players if they want.Franchises have also told the IPL that they believe overseas players have been exploiting mini auctions to get record sums of money. Some of these players, the franchises believe, have avoided mega auctions where the purse is evenly spread with various teams looking to build from the ground up and therefore be more mindful about how much money they spend on a single player. At mini auctions, since teams usually have a core already in place, they are able to go all guns blazing for that one player who will complete the make-up of the side. One suggestion on the table is whether the IPL should make it mandatory for overseas players to register for mega auctions.According to a franchise head, the IPL is also looking to impose a bidding cap at mini auctions. This will be based on the amount that a franchise will set aside for its No. 1 retention pick ahead of the mega auctions. Bidding at mini auctions cannot go past that number.For example, if INR 20 crore is what the IPL decides a franchise must pay its highest retained player before a mega auction, then at the mini auction the highest bid cannot exceed that. If there are teams still willing to bid more for that player, then, the franchises have suggested, the option of a silent tie-breaker should come into play.The silent tie-breaker was a method utilised in earlier IPL auctions. Devised in 2010, the tie-breaker was designed to be used in smaller auctions, where there is a smaller purse, to break a deadlock. In the IPL’s history, three players have been bought via the tie-breaker rule: Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians) and Shane Bond (Kolkata Knight Riders) in 2010, and Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings) in 2012.Those privy to Wednesday’s meeting point out that while all the recommendations and proposals are likely to be put forth at the meeting, there is no confirmation on whether IPL will announce its final decision on these matters right away.

Both teams are neck and neck in several key metrics like death-overs strike rate and spin strength

Alagappan Muthu04-May-20235:53

Zampa can play if Holder isn’t being used as allrounder – Deep Dasgupta

Big picture: Some yellove for the Titans

Has anybody else watched Gujarat Titans and got major CSK vibes? They have a captain who thrives under pressure. A coach who backs him no matter what. A fast bowler who is a powerplay phenom. A spinner who is very hard to hit (CSK used to have that with R Ashwin). And players who look like they have plenty of job security.Take Vijay Shankar for example. He made 17 runs in 35 balls last season. Titans knew he was better than that. They have trusted him with a spot in the middle order in seven of nine games so far and the result of that trust is, currently, he has the highest strike rate (290) of all batters who have faced at least 24 deliveries in the death overs. People on the outside say players who go to CSK blossom. What will they say of a team which has made a former CSK player who couldn’t blossom at CSK blossom with them?Rajasthan Royals have built themselves a T20 powerhouse team. Proven performers at the two most crucial positions in a T20 batting line-up – the top and the death – and wonderful variety in their bowling attack. Which is why it will sting that they have lost (4) almost as many matches as they’ve won (5), including their last game where Yashasvi Jaiswal seemed to have single-handedly secured victory. Doing the double over the defending champions might be just the thing to help them get their bounce back.

Team news: Little set to leave

Josh Little has been outstanding in his first IPL season, picking up five wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 8.5 while operating primarily in the powerplay and the death. Titans will be able to use him against Royals, but he leaves India after this game to play for Ireland in an ODI series against Bangladesh that is crucial to their chances of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals: LWLLW
Gujarat Titans: LWWWL3:59

Moody: Jaiswal has jumped the queue for India call-up

Impact Player strategy

Kuldeep Sen didn’t have the best time in the last game, but there’s a little more real estate in Jaipur, where this match will be played, than there was in Mumbai. So he might still get a second go as an Impact Player. If not, Royals might go back to left-armer Kuldip Yadav, who did well on IPL debut last week, picking up 1 for 18 in three overs.Royals Probable XII: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Devdutt Padikkal, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, , 7 Jason Holder, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Trent Boult, Wriddhiman Saha is averaging 16 from nine games, but he’s Titans’ wicketkeeper, so it’s unlikely they’ll fiddle with his spot. Besides, they like giving their players time to get better. His opening partner Shubman Gill is likely to Impact Sub in or out with fast bowler Mohit SharmaTitans Probable XII: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha, 3 Hardik Pandya (capt), 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 David Miller, 6 Abhinav Manohar, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Josh Little,

The big question

Stats and Trivia: Best vs Best

• Royals have been the quickest scoring team (run rate of 9.6) in the powerplay this IPL but that’s alright. Titans have the most economical bowling unit (7.3 run rate) in the powerplay this IPL.
• Both these teams have been best in class in other key metrics as well like scoring rate at the death: Titans on top (12) followed by Royals (11.7) and spin strength: Titans on top (15.5 balls per wicket) followed by Royals (16.2)
• Jaiswal is yet to be dismissed by a spinner in this season. He has faced 93 balls and hit 139 runs, including seven of his 18 sixes. But don’t hit him with pace just for the sake of it because he hits them right back. His balls per boundary ratio against the quicks is 3.1. If he is able to score a minimum of 25 in his next innings, he will become the third-quickest Indian to 1000 IPL runs behind Sachin Tendulkar (31) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (31)
• Shivam Mavi has knocked Sanju Samson over five times in 25 deliveries for 34 runs in T20 cricket. Could Titans consider using him as a super specialist, like how Sunrisers Hyderabad brought in Bipul Sharma against a right-hander-heavy RCB and he took out AB de Villiers to help them win the IPL final in 2016?

Titans and Royals had a thrilling finish the last time they met•AFP/Getty Images

• Because if Samson is able to get off to a start, he poses the single biggest threat to Titans’ best bowler Rashid Khan. The Royals captain won this head-to-head handsomely in the previous game, hitting 28 runs in just nine balls. That’s part of an overall head-to-head in the IPL which reads 109 runs in 92 balls for one dismissal.
• Hardik Pandya is one of the best spin-hitters in the world, but his record against Yuzvendra Chahal does not reflect it: 48 runs in 55 balls including three dismissals.
• David Miller might be able to help his skipper out there though. His record against Chahal is excellent: 96 runs off 52 balls for three dismissals. If he spends a long time in the middle, he could neutralise one of Royals’ key wicket-takers.
• Jos Buttler started the tournament well, scoring 204 runs in his first four matches at a strike rate of 170. But in five matches since then, he’s managed only 85 runs at less than run-a-ball.
• Offspin isn’t supposed to work against right-handers but try telling Ashwin that. He’s taken out nine of them and is the league’s joint fourth-best dismisser of RHBs

Pitch and conditions

Since IPL 2018, the average first-innings score at Sawai Man Singh Stadium is 164. Over the same time period, fast bowlers have taken more wickets than spinners (97 vs 64) but spinners have been more economical (7.4 vs 8.6). The weather is set fair for the game after some showers in Jaipur this week.The pitch for Friday night’s game had a substantial covering of live grass on Thursday evening as the teams trained, with some drier patches just full of a good length. The strip is just off-centre, so one square boundary will be marginally shorter than the other.

Quotes

“Whether runs are coming or not, it’s really important for me to stick to what I know… the end column [on the scorecard] if I do that will look after itself. I started the tournament really well doing that and I haven’t scored the runs I would have liked in the last few games, but it’s much more important to me to stay true to myself and just play in the fashion that I know.”
“Every game in the IPL is a difficult game so you can’t take teams for granted and too lightly. I just think that we need to be on it every single game… in a period of 14 games you are going to slip up every now and again and that happens with every other team.”

England’s two most-successful Test bowlers among eight players culled from Ashes touring party

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2022The fallout from England’s disastrous Ashes tour has moved from management to the dressing room with James Anderson and Stuart Broad, the country’s two leading wicket-takers in Test cricket, left out of the squad for the forthcoming tour of the West Indies.Neither Anderson nor Broad, together the most-successful new-ball pair in Test history, will travel to the Caribbean for the three-Test series after an interim selection panel of Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood and James Taylor decided to give opportunities to a younger set of pace bowlers, including uncapped pair Saqib Mahmood and Matthew Fisher.Anderson, who is third on the all-time list of Test wicket-takers with 640, topped the averages for England in Australia, taking eight wickets at 23.37 from three matches. Broad, with 537 wickets in his Test career, claimed 13 at 26.30 to move past Bob Willis and Ian Botham as England’s most-prolific Ashes bowler.Strauss, England’s interim managing director, said that the newly convened selectors, who reportedly took input from the Test captain, Joe Root, wanted to “draw a line” under the defeat in Australia, but stressed the call to omit Anderson and Broad “does not mean the end for them as England players”, with that decision set to confront the new management team that the ECB will hope to have installed by the summer.England’s first Test squad selected since last week’s sacking of Chris Silverwood, the head coach and chief selector, saw eight players dropped after being involved in Australia – as well as Anderson and Broad, Jos Buttler, Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Sam Billings and Dom Bess all missed out.England Test squad to face West Indies•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the absence of Buttler, whose Test career like that of Burns and Malan may well now be over, wicketkeeper Ben Foakes has been recalled, while Durham opener Alex Lees is set for a debut as one of only two openers in the party, alongside Zak Crawley.Despite England opting to begin the process of moving on from Anderson and Broad, their problems against Australia largely centred around a brittle batting line-up, which failed to top 300 in the series and made scores of less than 200 on six occasions. Burns, Hameed and Malan – England’s second-leading run-scorer behind Root – have all paid the price, but there was a reprieve for Ollie Pope, who averaged 11.13 from six innings.”With the start of a new cycle, it has allowed the selection panel to refresh the Test squad with a particular focus on competing away from home,” Strauss said. “We felt that it was time to draw a line after the Ashes defeat, look forward and give some impetus with an influx of new players.”In respect of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, I want to emphasise this does not mean the end for them as England players. We feel that it is important to look at some exciting new bowling potential and give some added responsibility to other players who have featured previously. No one doubts the quality and experience that James and Stuart bring to the England set-up. It will be up to the new managing director and permanent head coach to decide on whether they will be involved this summer and beyond.Related

• Stuart Broad living in the present on return to scene of past glories

• Joe Root embraces No.3 berth in bid to revive England's Test fortunes

• Joe Root: 'No-one says this is the end for Anderson and Broad'

• Do James Anderson and Stuart Broad really have the hunger for the rebuild? We're about to find out

• Alex Lees, Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood: Who are the new faces for England's West Indies tour?

“This selection of this squad is the start of a process and a journey to get England Test cricket back to where it needs to be, and the hard work starts now.”Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson – who only made his debut last summer – will be the senior seam-bowling options in the Caribbean, supplemented by Mahmood, Fisher and Craig Overton. Fisher, a former England Under-19, made his Yorkshire debut in 2013 as a 15-year-old but has suffered greatly with injury since then. He was involved on the England Lions tour of Australia and has a solid first-class record, picking up 20 Championship wickets at 19.65 last summer.The inclusion of Lees, who captained the Lions in Australia, had been widely tipped, having resurrected his career after leaving Yorkshire for Durham in 2018. He is likely to make an immediate step up to Test cricket, with the other batting options – Pope, Jonny Bairstow and Dan Lawrence – all candidates to bat alongside Root in the middle order.Jack Leach is set continue as the first-choice Test spinner but uncapped Lancashire legspinner Matt Parkinson has also won a recall, having previously toured South Africa in 2019-20.Collingwood was installed as interim head coach on Monday, following the sackings of Silverwood, assistant coach Graham Thorpe and England men’s managing director, Ashley Giles. England depart later this month to play World Test Championship fixtures in Antigua, Barbados and Grenada, having managed just one series win in the Caribbean since 1968.

Prominent South Asian figures asked to join review following criticism of Yorkshire response

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2020Yorkshire has appointed a sub-committee including prominent figures in the British-Asian cricket community, as it launches its review into allegations of institutional racism from their former player Azeem Rafiq.Dr Samir Pathak, a Trustee of the MCC Foundation, has been co-opted as chair, while Gulfraz Riaz, the chairman of the National Asian Cricket Council (NACC) has also been invited to serve, along with Stephen Willis, Chief Financial Officer at Durham University, and Hanif Malik OBE, a former Non-Executive Director at Sport England.In an interview with ESPNcricinfo on September 2, Rafiq – now aged 29 and pursuing a career away from the game – told how his playing days with Yorkshire had left him “on the brink of suicide”, adding that his concerns about a racist culture within the club had been “ignored”, and that he had been released from his contract in the aftermath of a family tragedy.In the wake of Rafiq’s claims, 120 Yorkshire-based Asian businesses have written an open letter to the club, expressing their concern over the handling of the allegations and strongly requesting justice and equality.”Cricket is synonymous with both English and South Asian culture,” wrote British Asians Against Racism on change.org. “Our shared love of the sport is something which should unite our communities. It should never create divisions between us. The Asian community has strong roots in Yorkshire … however, with a fractured relationship, we fear both YCCC and young Asian cricketers will suffer adversely.”The county’s initial response to the furore had heightened the scrutiny, with Roger Pugh, the chairman of the ECB Yorkshire South Premier League launching a personal attack on Rafiq’s character in a blog post – subsequently deleted – dated September 3.The club’s appointment of the independent law firm, Squire Patton Boggs, also invited suggestions of a conflict of interest, given that Yorkshire’s chairman, Roger Hutton, is a former partner of the firm. On change.org, the wording of the petition added that “the apparent lack of independence of the investigator does not inspire confidence in the process”.However, having insisted that Hutton “no longer had any connection, personal or professional, with Squire”, Yorkshire have subsequently confirmed that the newly appointed sub-committee are satisfied with the firm’s credentials.Commenting on his appointment as Chair, Dr Pathak said: “Being of British-Indian heritage and having been born in Yorkshire, it is an honour to chair this sub-committee which will review the serious grievances raised.”There is a need for all organisations to be diverse and inclusive. My heritage means that I have a deep-rooted interest in equality within sport and society, and I aim to be as impartial as possible throughout this fair and independent investigation.”On behalf of the NACC, Mr Riaz added: “The National Asian Cricket Council is grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to what is an important review for Azeem, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the game more broadly.”In the first instance, it will be crucial to understand the precise nature of Azeem’s grievances and to ensure that following a thorough and transparent review, a suitable outcome is reached.”Beyond that, the National Asian Cricket Council looks forward to being able to contribute more holistically to recommendations that move us all closer to best practice. We feel strongly that cricket is a game for everyone.”

Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar and Lasith Malinga play starring roles as Rohit Sharma’s men defend moderate total by one run

The Report by Sidharth Monga12-May-20191:56

Five reasons why Mumbai Indians won the final

In a deeply tactical and wildly chaotic final, Lasith Malinga turned around a horror night in an exceptional final over to hand Mumbai Indians their fourth IPL title.The match went this way and that – both batting sides arguably underperformed, technology gave the third umpire a nightmare, catches went down and run-outs were missed – before it came down to Chennai Super Kings needing nine to win off the final over. Malinga – three overs for 42 until then, a dropped catch, ordinary fielding and a missed run-out to his name – turned up one final time with creaky joints to concede just seven. With two required off the last ball, he bowled the most magical slower-ball to win it for Mumbai when most bowlers would have been happy to bowl a slower wide ball to try to ensure the tie first.On a night when experience came to the fore, Shane Watson nearly enjoyed a similar fairy-tale. Trusted through what can conventionally be seen as a horror run, Watson carried Super Kings in the final with 80 off 59, twice undoing Mumbai’s good work with his targeted assault of Mumbai bowlers, but his physical struggles got the better of him in the last over. With five required off three balls and with Malinga nailing his yorkers, Watson set off for a suicidal second, not only running himself out but also leaving Ravindra Jadeja stranded at the non-striker’s end. It was perhaps time for Jadeja to say no to that second.If Chahar doesn’t get you, Thakur willWinning the toss and deciding to bat because of the pressure of the final, Mumbai came out full of intent to not let Super Kings bowl Deepak Chahar for three straight overs in the Powerplay. Quinton de Kock went after Deepak in the third over, hitting him for three sixes, and MS Dhoni was forced to go to Shardul Thakur in the fifth over. De Kock hit him for a six fourth ball of the over. Now Mumbai were close to pushing Deepak and Super Kings out of their comfort zone; all they needed was to not lose a wicket in the next two balls.De Kock didn’t pay much mind to this by-play, and went for another six, gloving the ball to Dhoni. This allowed Deepak to come back in the sixth over, and he responded beautifully with a knuckle ball that got the wicket of Rohit Sharma for 15. What’s more, he made that sixth over – usually the most difficult in the Powerplay – a maiden. From 45 for 0 in 4.4, Mumbai went to 45 for 2 at the end of the Powerplay.Dhoni teams up with dataShardul Thakur’s running, tumbling catch off Krunal Pandya pleased MS Dhoni•BCCI

Well he might not have, but he did exactly what a data analyst might have asked him to do. He usually reserves Dwayne Bravo for the death, and bowls Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir through the middle. In this game, Bravo’s match-up against Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard was not suitable for Super Kings so Dhoni bowled two of his overs by the 10th over. You could excuse de Kock for not being aware of the by-play, but Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan were clearly guilty of letting Super Kings play the game they wanted to. They just played out three overs without much intent, dawdling to 58 for 2 in nine overs on a pitch that could not be termed slow.Cat and mouse continuesThe tactical contest continued with Tahir getting Suryakumar in his first over – the 12th – and Mumbai delaying the introduction of Hardik and Pollard. Out came Krunal Pandya, and Thakur came back to get him. Soon Tahir had Kishan for the fifth time in five innings they have come up against each other. It was now down to Pollard and Hardik against Super Kings’ death bowlers.Pollard overcomesDhoni’s tactics continued to test Mumbai. He had picked six bowlers just for this reason: he wanted options if it got chaotic. Now he refused to give Bravo to Pollard and Hardik. Instead, Deepak and Thakur bowled. Even though Thakur went for 16 in the 18th over, Deepak pulled things back with a four-run 19th over that also got him two wickets. Despite a 20-run over, he ended with 26 runs in his four overs. Hardik out of the way, Dhoni finally went to Bravo, who managed to get under Pollard’s skin thanks to pin-point field sets and a couple of lenient calls on the wide. Pollard, though, managed to get better of the frustration by hitting the last two balls for fours.Watson, du Plessis put Mumbai under pressureMumbai, too, had bowling options at their disposal, but they were put under pressure. Faf du Plessis went after Krunal, whose match-up against Watson was favourable for Mumbai. Watson in response took apart Malinga. Krunal, though, got du Plessis stumped with a wide delivery. However, at 53 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay, Super Kings were favourites.Raina gets stuckMS Dhoni’s dismissal made it a tense chase•BCCI

Suresh Raina, Super Kings’ second-biggest draw over the years, then got stuck against the bowling of Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah and Rahul Chahar. He seemed helpless against the short ball bowled to a specific plan. He survived what everybody thought was a straightforward catch to the wicketkeeper, only for technology to disagree, but by the time he fell lbw to Rahul, Super Kings had let Mumbai claw their way back in.Rohit immediately went to Bumrah, asking for a wicket, which was delivered. Dhoni seemed set to set this up for a late finish, but he was run out in a freakish manner, trying to take an overthrow and found short by the slightest of margins. Third umpire Nigel Llong could have made either call and it would have found critics and supporters; he chose the red button. Super Kings now needed 68 off 44.Watson against MumbaiWith Bravo struggling against the bounce on the pitch, it was all down to Watson. At the start of the 16th over, Rohit had two overs each from Bumrah and Malinga. It looked like a straightforward call to bowl them from 16 through to 19, but something about Malinga had been off all night. It showed in the 16th over as Watson hit him for three straight fours to bring it down to 42 off four overs. Bumrah was there to pull it back with a sensational 17th that went for just four.Malinga was struggling physically. He had to be given a break. It was between the Pandya brothers now. Rohit went for the spinner presumably because he had great numbers against Watson. However, these match-ups become null and void once the batsman is set. Watson showed that majestically by hitting three consecutive sixes. Bumrah again dragged Mumbai back, and despite a misfield to give them four byes off the last ball of the 19th over, Bumrah had kept them alive.Had to be MalingaThere was no way anybody other than Malinga was going to bowl this last over. His experience had to be relied upon. First ball: yorker nailed from round the wicket to Watson. Now eight off five. Second ball, low full toss, should have been run out, concedes a single. Now seven off four. Third ball: another yorker from round the wicket, this time hit wide of long-on for an easy two. Now five off three. Fourth ball: wide yorker, Watson takes the risk and de Kock makes up with a smart collection and flick back onto the stumps. Now four off two.To the new batsman, Malinga continues with the round-the-wicket angle, but Thakur gets enough bat on the low full toss to get two. With two required off the last ball, long chats follow. De Kock removes one glove. Seemingly many plans are formed and discarded. Finally we have a field that seems set for a slower ball outside off, but Malinga delivers with the beguiling dipping slower ball that traps Thakur right in front. Pollard carried him on his shoulders. The baddest daddy in town had beaten Dad’s Army.

The South Africa batsman suffered the injury before the fifth ODI and CSA decided to give him time to make a full recovery ahead of the Tests against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2018AB de Villiers has been ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against India because of an injured left knee. He suffered the injury before the fifth ODI in Centurion, and though he played the last two matches of the 50-over series, Cricket South Africa decided to give him time to make a full recovery ahead of the upcoming Tests against Australia next month.”He suffered a blow to the knee while batting ahead of the fifth ODI, and although he passed a fitness test on Friday, the injury worsened significantly throughout the match,” Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa’s team manager, said.The selectors decided not to name a replacement for the remaining T20Is.De Villiers had missed the first three ODIs against India too, because of an injury to his right index finger that he sustained during the third Test. South Africa were already fielding a depleted side for the T20Is, after Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were ruled out of the limited-overs matches with a fractured finger and a left wrist injury respectively.The second and third T20Is will be played on February 21 in Centurion and on February 24 in Cape Town.

Some of the doubts over the Under-19 series between India and England were addressed on Friday when the BCCI announced the schedule for the seven-match tour

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2017The two Under-19 Tests between India and England originally supposed to be held in Tamil Nadu have been relocated to Nagpur.

India Under-19 ODI squad

Heramb Parab, Het Patel, Himanshu Rana, Ayush Jamwal, Vivekanand Tiwary, Prithvi Shaw, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Harvik Desai, Rahul Desraj Chahar, Kamlesh Singh Nagarkoti, Salman Khan, Priyam Garg, Shiva Singh, Yash Thakur, Mayank Rawat, Rohan Kunnumal, Ishan Porel

The four-day matches, starting on February 13 and 21, will follow five youth ODIs in Mumbai. Wankhede stadium will host the first, fourth and fifth 50-over matches on January 30, February 6 and February 8 while the Cricket Club of India will host the remaining games on February 1 and 3.The confusion around this tour began two weeks ago when the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, which was meant to host the two youth Tests, expressed its inability to do so because of “domestic programs”.On January 7, the TNCA had sent a letter to the BCCI CEO Rahul Johri asking to be excused from hosting duties. “We have a heavy backlog of matches because of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and the Vardah cyclone,” RA Palani, the joint-secretary and interim caretaker of the TNCA, was quoted as saying in the .”We have to conduct the TNCA first division matches, lower division games and inter-university matches. We need grounds to hold our own matches. At a time like this, it will be extremely hard for us to take the responsibility for two under-19 Tests.”It is learnt the BCCI had checked with the Vidarbha Cricket Association last week about whether they would be ready to host the matches and had received a favourable reply immediately. Both youth Tests will take place at the VCA stadium in Nagpur.

A century from Amandeep Khare laid the platform for India Under-19s to wrap up a four-run D/L win over Sri Lanka Under-19s at the Premadasa Stadium

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2015
ScorecardA century from Amandeep Khare laid the platform for India Under-19s to wrap up a four-run D/L win over Sri Lanka Under-19s at the Premadasa Stadium. Khare, who came in to bat after a 77-run opening stand between Washington Sundar and Ishan Kishan, made 102 off 98 balls, with nine fours and a six. He added 107 with Washington, who was out for 77, and a further 82 with Virat Singh (30) to take India to 266 for 2 with 3.1 overs remaining. Sri Lanka struck back, taking five wickets and conceding only 18 runs off the last 19 balls of India’s innings to limit them to 284 for 7.Set a revised target of 255 in 47 overs, Sri Lanka began well, with Avishka Fernando (75, 89b, 4×4) adding 60 for the first wicket with Salindu Ushan and 94 with Charith Asalanka (74, 86b, 7×4) for the second wicket. When Fernando was run out in the 31st over, Sri Lanka needed 101 from 99 balls. Though Shammu Ashan (23), Wanidu Hasaranga (27) and Kamindu Mendis (15 not out) all made useful scores, they fell just short, ending on 250 for 5. Rahul Batham (2 for 32) and Zeeshan Ansari (1 for 32) played key roles in India’s defence, maintaining a combined economy rate of 3.96 across the 16 overs they bowled.

AB de Villiers has predicted a stream of South African success at major tournaments which he hopes will start next month at the Champions Trophy

Firdose Moonda30-May-2013AB de Villiers has predicted a stream of South African success at major tournaments, which he hopes will start next month. The ODI captain did not remember that his countrymen captured the inaugural Champions Trophy but is confident they can claim the last and many others after that.”We haven’t won an ICC trophy yet even though we are the No.1 Test team in the world but I’ve got a feeling there are a few to come in the next few years” he told Dutch radio NOS in Amsterdam, where the South African squad have set up camp. “We are just going to have to wait patiently. We are doing the small things right. The work ethic is there, the talent is there and the belief is there, so we’ve just got to go out there and give it our best shot.”De Villiers is the first member of the South Africa group to make public the team’s real expectations of the Champions Trophy, after Gary Kirsten played down their chances on their departure. As suspected, South Africa have every intention of discarding their chokers’ tag in England and are feeling the heat as the event gets closer.”There is always some pressure,” de Villiers said. “We are a very talented cricketing nation and we understand there are some responsibilities in performance. We would love to say we are just going to go and enjoy it but it’s more complicated than that. We’ve got to win some big games and we would love to win the trophy. I think we are preparing in the right way.”In an attempt to replicate the success on last year’s Test tour of England, when South Africa claimed the Test championship mace, Kirsten has taken the squad to Amsterdam. They met up with explorer Mike Horn and did a cycle and canoe tour of the city before getting down to the business of net sessions.Wet weather has not dampened South Africa’s plans. Despite 42mm of rain falling on Wednesday night, the groundstaff was able to dry the surface sufficiently for practice to get under way as planned at 10am on Thursday. That was the last training session before an ODI against the Netherlands tomorrow, the first of two warm-up matches before the tournament starts.The fixture against the Netherlands is a particularly important one because it will be the first time in 67 days that South Africa will take the field as a team. It will also be the first opportunity for nine of their squad to get game time after a break of almost two months.JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis (both because of injury), Rory Kleinveldt, Hashim Amla, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Farhaan Behardien, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Colin Ingram have not played any cricket since the end of the South African season. The rest will be relied on to bring “match intensity,” Kirsten said. De Villiers, David Miller, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Ryan McLaren were in action at the IPL and while Alviro Petersen played in England.While much of the focus has been on the batsmen, and the middle order in particular, South Africa will also want their quicks to find their rhythm quickly. Both Kleinveldt and Peterson expect the tournament to be more of a bowler-headlined spectacle because of the time of year, the conditions and the opposition.”I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few low scoring games,” Kleinveldt said. “I watched the Test and saw Jimmy Anderson swinging it. There should be plenty for the bowlers.”And Peterson believes South Africa’s bowlers in particular will benefit. “Dale and Morne looked really impressive in the IPL.” he said. “With two new white balls and India and West Indies in our group, we can do well. Their batting line-ups tend to dominate more on subcontinental surfaces.”Steyn and Morkel may be rested for the Holland match so South Africa can ensure all parts of their machine are working as they should be before they head to England. But they also know they will not be able to get away with a below-par performance against a much lower-ranked team.They’ve done their homework on the Dutch. Netherlands batsman Stephan Myburgh is a former schoolmate of de Villiers’ and the brother of Johann Myburgh, who played for the Titans in South Africa before moving to New Zealand.”I know Stephan from the age of nine,” de Villiers said. “I am very happy for him that he got his chance to play international cricket, I am very proud of the fact that he did that because I know that was always a dream of his. He probably didn’t get his break in South Africa and he couldn’t find a way into the Titans.”He was quite young when he took a chance to come over here and saw opportunity to play international cricket and took it with both hands. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” he said. “Back home competition is quite tough and he just didn’t get his chance when he was young. You never know, if he stuck it out for a few more years… but he will be proud of the fact that he is playing international cricket and I am proud he has achieved that.”Coming up against a former countryman who has crossed borders is not new to South Africa and it has ensured they see familiar faces almost everywhere they go. That may be one of the reasons de Villiers said the squad “could not have asked for a better place to prepare before the big tournament.” Next week will be an opportunity for them to show whether the effort paid off.