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Sanjay Bangar, India’s interim head coach, has said MS Dhoni went out of his way to share his knowledge and experience with his young team-mates during their tour of Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-20162:37

‘Thought 140 was a good score on this wicket’ – Bangar

On Wednesday, MS Dhoni captained India for the 324th time in international cricket, and joined Ricky Ponting on top of the global list. That is a of experience, and Sanjay Bangar, India’s interim head coach, has said Dhoni went out of the way to share it with his young and inexperienced squad over the course of this Zimbabwe tour.”I definitely felt that he opened up quite a bit,” Bangar said, after India won the third T20I by three runs to wrap up the series 2-1. “He had a lot of interactions with the players. He made that effort to go out and mingle with them, he probably invited them for dinners and they [spent time] over Playstations together.”He went out of the way to make them comfortable, shared his experience with the younger guys, probably emphasised on the value of how to handle pressure, under match situations what are the things that are required to be done. So I think those were enormous learnings.”What he also did fantastically was he passed on the tradition of Indian cricket, because these younger lot are the future of Indian cricket, and the way he shared his experience was very, very similar to how the earlier generation used to pass on the knowledge and the experience and just make a younger player comfortable in the dressing room, so he made all that effort and it was great to see.”India batted first for the first time on the tour, and were tested by Zimbabwe’s bowlers on a slow, low Harare surface. They eventually posted 138, thanks in large part to Kedar Jadhav’s maiden T20I half-century. Bangar was pleased with how Jadhav – who only got to bat twice in six matches on this tour – has grabbed his opportunities, mentioning his ODI century on India’s previous visit in 2015 as another example.”The last time he played for India, probably it was again a year ago, he got a hundred in the series,” Bangar said. “He didn’t get too many opportunities in this series, this was only the second time that he could go out and bat, and he played an amazing innings, because he was having some issues.”As he went in, he wasn’t feeling too good, but he hung in and fought through, and the kind of innings he produced on a difficult wicket, I felt that showed the quality of the player, so he’s doing all that he can in the opportunities that he’s getting.At 31, Jadhav is the second-oldest player in India’s squad behind Dhoni, but Bangar felt that shouldn’t prevent him from having a sizeable international career.”Age doesn’t really matter because, nowadays, most of the guys are keeping themselves very fit, they have fantastic work discipline,” he said. “It’s just a matter of some individual getting a couple of opportunities simultaneously, and consecutively, so that he feels comfortable in match situations. These are quality players and they’re bound to come good.”Bangar made special mention of Axar Patel for his consistency with the ball and also his finishing skills down the order. Axar was India’s most economical bowler in the ODI series, conceding only 2.32 runs an over in three matches, and his left-arm spin was just as frugal in the T20Is, as his economy rate of 4.91 suggested. He only got to bat twice on the tour, both times in the T20I series, and scored 38 runs off just 20 balls. He played a key role in India’s narrow win in the third T20I, scoring an unbeaten 20 off 11 balls and conceding only 18 in his four overs while dismissing Hamilton Masakadza.”I think not only today, but throughout the series, he kept the pressure on,” Bangar said. “Probably, he was our most economical bowler. I don’t really know the exact stat, but he was very, very consistent. He maintained that pressure throughout, and not only his bowling, but generally, the way he fielded, a couple of catches that he took, and the way he finishes the innings. He got an opportunity in two T20s, the first and the third game, and he is proving to be a very good developing player at No. 7 or No. 8, who is capable of hitting the big shots. That’s really encouraging for Indian cricket.”

He is the fourth senior professional of the board to have resigned since the BCCI’s new administration took over

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Jul-2020Saba Karim, the BCCI’s general manager (cricket operations), has resigned from his post. ESPNcricinfo understands Karim, the former India wicketkeeper, sent his resignation to the BCCI on Saturday but it has not been accepted yet.The BCCI has not made any comment on Karim’s resignation yet with none of the board’s four office-bearers responding to enquires on the same. As per his contract, Karim has a notice period of six months unless the BCCI, while accepting his resignation, advances his exit date.Karim becomes the fourth senior official to leave the BCCI’s professional management since the board elected a new administration last October led by Sourav Ganguly. Before Karim, the trio of Rahul Johri (chief executive officer), Santosh Rangnekar (chief financial officer) and Tufan Ghosh (National Cricket Academy chief operating officer) resigned from their positions.It was only last week that the BCCI accepted Johri’s resignation, which he had submitted last December. Johri had quit a year before completion of his five-year contract.It was Johri, BCCI’s first professional CEO, who had overseen the appointment of Karim in 2017. Karim had replaced the late MV Sridhar, who had stepped down in September that year. It was the second time Karim was employed by the BCCI after he had been part of the national selection committee led by Sandeep Patil.Karim performed a key role with domestic and women’s cricket being his primary responsibilities. He also liaised closely with Rahul Dravid, the NCA director of cricket, to create structure and policy for all levels including India A. Karim was recently liaising with Ganguly, who also was the India captain when the former played his only Test, on how to resume domestic cricket in India in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown.Although the BCCI’s Apex Council was meant to discuss the appointment of new employees to the board at its meeting on Friday, it is understood that the impending resignation of Karim did not come up for discussion. The meeting, which was held virtually, was chaired by Ganguly and also featured board secretary Jay Shah along with Arun Dhumal (treasurer) and Jayesh George (joint-secretary), and the other Apex Council members. Also participating was Hemang Amin, who was appointed as the interim CEO after Johri’s exit. Amin also happens to be the chief operating officer of the IPL.With respect to how domestic cricket could be organised during the 2020-21 season, the Apex Council is understood to have decided to call for a special general meeting in the next month to seek suggestions from state associations – it is understood that Karim was not invited to this meeting. The Apex Council also decided to put out an advertisement to find a replacement for Johri.The exit of the top brass of the BCCI management comes at a time when there is uncertainty about the board’s leadership. There have been questions about the tenures of Ganguly and Shah because of the impending cooling-off periods. While Ganguly’s term is reportedly until July 27, Shah’s ended in the last month although no date could be confirmed.In April, the BCCI filed a second request in the Supreme Court, following the first one last December, asking it to consider allowing Shah and Ganguly to bypass the mandatory cooling-off period which an office-bearer needs to serve after being in an administrative post – at the board or state association or combined – for six consecutive years. The court has not yet taken up the matter.Given the circumstances, there was a question mark over Shah attending the meeting, but he did so eventually. It is understood that the Apex Council was told Shah was eligible to attend after the BCCI had sought legal opinion from former Justices of the courts. As the board had mentioned in the April plea, the Apex Council was told that the three-year cooling-off period is an eligibility criteria necessary only to contest elections, not once a person was in office.As it stands, Ganguly and Shah, along with Dhumal and George, have replaced the professional management in the leadership structure and chair every meeting. That goes against the recommendations made by the Lodha Committee that were approved by the Supreme Court in 2016, that the board separate its governance and management. It resulted in Johri and Rangnekar joining as the first professional managers that year.Johri assumed wider powers during the tenure of the Committee of Administrators (CoA), which was appointed by the court in January 2017 as a supervisory authority to facilitate the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s reforms.Although all the state associations eventually accepted the new constitution, written on the basis of the Lodha recommendations, they objected to several reforms. Last December the BCCI general body unanimously agreed to approach the court to carry out radical changes in the new constitution which would significantly wipe out the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.

Alex Hales, Zafar Ansari and James Taylor have been named in England’s 16-man squad for the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE

Andrew McGlashan15-Sep-2015Alex Hales, Zafar Ansari and James Taylor have been named in England’s 16-man squad for the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE.Hales replaces the discarded Adam Lyth as the seventh opening batsman to be selected since Andrew Strauss’ retirement in 2012, although it is not a certainty that he will walk out alongside Alastair Cook in Abu Dhabi on October 13.Depending on how England structure their final XI in order to accommodate the extra spinner very likely required in the UAE they could open with Moeen Ali or even the uncapped Ansari who has taken 44 Championship wickets for Surrey this season with his left-arm spin.

England squads to face Pakistan

Test squad Alastair Cook (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Zafar Ansari, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, Mark Wood
One-day squad Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, James Taylor, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
T20 squad Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Stephen Parry, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Hales has not paid the price for a disappointing one-day series against Australia where he made 53 runs in five innings. Instead the selectors backed his Championship form for the season which had brought 886 runs at 52.11 before the current round of matches, including scores of 236 against Yorkshire and 189 against Warwickshire.Ansari made his ODI debut against Ireland, in Dublin, back in May but the match was abandoned after 18 overs and he did not feature in the remaining limited-overs squads during the season. However, he has made over 700 runs for Surrey in the Championship alongside his wicket haul and scored 99 against a Lancashire attack, which included James Anderson, on Monday.Taylor, who played two Tests against South Africa in 2012, is the other member of the squad who did not feature during the Ashes. He made his maiden international hundred in the third ODI against Australia at Old Trafford and could yet push for a spot in the middle order against Pakistan. He has made 827 runs in the Championship although 291 of them came in one innings against Sussex. He is preferred to Gary Ballance who was dropped after the second Test against Australia.”The challenge we face against Pakistan will be very different and the composition of our squads reflects the conditions we expect to encounter in the UAE,” James Whitaker, the national selector, said. “Zafar Ansari’s potential excites us and he will provide strong competition for Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali in the Test squad after enjoying an excellent domestic season with both bat and ball for Surrey.”Alex Hales has scored heavily for Nottinghamshire in first-class cricket this season, has shown he can play match-winning innings for England in white ball cricket and fully deserves an opportunity to compete for a place at the top of the order in our Test side.”The rest of the squad is as expected with Liam Plunkett taking the additional fast-bowling slot while Jonny Bairstow will contest a middle-order batting spot and act as reserve keeper.Ben Stokes, meanwhile, has been rested for the one-day series against Pakistan – he was the only England player to appear in every international at home this season against New Zealand and Australia – while Chris Jordan and Lancashire’s Stephen Parry have been recalled for the T20s. Jordan has not featured for England since being injured in the one-day series against New Zealand and Parry’s last match consisted of two overs for 23 in the World T20 game against Netherlands in Chittagong which England lost.Stuart Broad continues to be left out of the white-ball squads but Joe Root, who was rested for the limited-overs matches against Australia, returns for all formats while fast bowler Mark Wood, who has been carefully managed due to his injury history, is part of all three squads.”In line with our recent decision to rest Joe Root for the one-day series against Australia, we have opted not to include Ben Stokes in our one-day or T20 international squads,” Whitaker said”Ben has been an outstanding performer for England this summer and this decision reflects a desire to manage his workload across a busy winter period in all three formats of the game. He will come back into contention for the white-ball format when we consider the make-up of our squads for the tour of South Africa later in the year.”Also, as revealed by ESPNcricinfo, Mahela Jayawardene will join the Test squad as a batting consultant for the warm-up matches and first Test while Paul Collingwood, the former England captain, will work with the limited-overs teams on this tour and at the World T20 in India next year.Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, said: “We are delighted that Mahela and Paul will be joining the England management team, supporting our existing specialist coaches in this area. Both will bring a vast wealth of cricketing knowledge and expertise to the team, and in Mahela’s case, extensive experience of batting in the sub-continent which will be invaluable as part of our wider preparations for the UAE tour.”

West Indies looking to draw motivation from 2018 series loss in Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam02-Feb-2021West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite believes improving from their 2018 Test series loss in Bangladesh is their biggest motivation going into the two-Test series starting Wednesday in Chattogram.Back then, West Indies couldn’t go past three days in either of the two Tests, losing the first by 64 runs and the second by an innings and 184 runs, the biggest win in Bangladesh’s Test history.Bangladesh’s four-pronged spin attack took all forty West Indies wickets, with offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz snapping up 15 of those, at an average of 14.06. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam took ten wickets, Shakib nine and offspinner Nayeem Hasan took six wickets in his maiden Test series. Shakib especially has had the wood over the West Indies since 2009, with his 46 wickets and seven half-centuries.Brathwaite, who is leading the team in Jason Holder’s absence believes positivity is key against bowlers who’ve had the wood over them in the past.”We lost the series here last time, which is the motivation for us,” Brathwaite said. “I played against these (bowlers) before but some of the guys haven’t (played them). We have seen footage and from a batsman’s point of view, we have our plans in place. We have to be positive, by rotating the strike, looking to be aggressive.”They are quality bowlers, but I think we have the skills to come out on top and get big runs. I am backing the batters. The guys have put in some work, and we all look forward to the challenge. Our bowlers have been doing a good job in the last year and a half, or two years. It is crucial for us to put runs on the board, I think that’ll be key for this West Indies team.”Brathwaite, who is the most experienced cricketer in this squad, said that his opening stand with John Campbell has to lay the foundation for big scores. He said that he will continue to bat in his own way, and try to take away much of the pressure early on.”I think it is key for openers to put on a good partnership, especially here in Bangladesh,” he said. “Big opening partnerships can basically make it easier for guys to come. It would put us in a good position. John is batting well. I really enjoying batting with him. Nothing ever changes for me as an opening batsman. Every time I go to bat, I obviously look to do well. I won’t say that it is added pressure. I try to soak up a lot of the pressure as an opener.”Brathwaite said that he is also relying on the likes of Jermaine Blackwood and Rakheem Cornwall to give him important contributions with bat and ball respectively. “I am 100 per cent confident of each and every guy who plays,” he said. “We have the experience of Jermaine Blackwood who has the experience of 30-odd games. But I look forward to seeing all the top-order batsmen to do well.”Rakheem (Cornwall) did a very good job in the practice game. He created a lot of pressure by bowling dot balls. I think he will do well in this series. He is a quality offspinner. We have to support him in the field, but that’s for every bowler not only Rakheem.”Despite so much talk about spin being the most important factor on the pitches in Chattogram and Dhaka, West Indies could still play three fast bowlers. Brathwaite said that if the fast bowlers can bowl on the stumps, the low bounce could help them.”I still think they will have the role as before. We have some guys with extra pace so I think with the low bounce and correct fields, the pacers have to apply pressure as well. The ball may spin looking at the surface, but I still think pacers can be the attacking option with the ball possibly keeping low.”

The hosts can match India’s batting with power, but but it is in the bowling that India continue to be a superior side

The Preview by Sidharth Monga25-Jan-2020

Big Picture

New Zealand actually had a fairly decent game with the ball – their plans were good, execution not always but spot on but more on than off – but they still lost comfortably to India in the series opener. This tells you two things: when India are chasing, you need to put on an above-par score, and Jasprit Bumrah always stands in the way of such an endeavour. In an innings that New Zealand kept nudging at 10 an over, looking for a final kick to push them past 220, Bumrah conceded just 16 runs in overs 18 and 20, three overthrows included.New Zealand can match India’s accomplished batting line-up over 20 overs with power and innovation, but it is in the bowling that India continue to be a superior side. In the second of the double-header at Eden Park, the hosts will have to find a way to hurt India’s bowling to give their bowlers a chance. Expect Shivam Dube and Yuzvendra Chahal to be put under more pressure and not be allowed to go at eight an over on such a small ground.India’s batting remains good as gold in chases, but if they lose the toss, their newfound intent – and they have shown it when batting first against West Indies and Australia in both T20Is and ODIs recently – will be tested when setting a target on the small ground.

Form guide

New Zealand LLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WWWWLThe not-often-seen orthodox straight drive from Colin Munro•Getty Images

In the spotlight

New Zealand openers gave them a start in the first T20I, but they ended up with strike rates of 140 and 158. They will want at least one of Martin Guptill and Colin Munro to score at near two runs a ball to get a score big enough for this venue.Five overs for 42 runs and two wickets, Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube will have pleased India no end with their performance in the first match. That there are two allrounders eases the pressure on both of them. If they can keep delivering similar results, India will be closer to finding a plan for the T20 World Cup.

Team news

New Zealand might think of the odd change but they will know it was not in the choice of the personnel that they lost the first game.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Kane Williamson (capt.),4 Colin de Grandhomme, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Tim Seifert (wk) 7 Mitchell Santner/ Daryl Mitchell, 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Blair Tickner, 11 Hamish BennettNow that they have preferred Manish Pandey to Rishabh Pant in the middle order, India are expected to give him a decent run. Expect only one change in the Indian XI: Navdeep Saini in for Shardul Thakur.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul (wk), 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 Shivam Dube 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Yuzvendra Chahal, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

The first T20I featured some dew, which will be on the minds of captains at the toss. Other than that, expect a lot of runs and no stoppages.

Stats and trivia

• Ish Sodhi needs one wicket to become the fourth New Zealand bowler to take 50. Mitchell Santner had reached the landmark on Friday.
• Only one of the last six matches at Eden Park has resulted in a win for the side batting first.

Quotes

“We had great support. We had 80% India fans here, and the atmosphere was great. You need that in a 200-plus chase, they help us go further, be braver.”
“Every time we play India, whether it is a home game, away game or a neutral venue, they’re always very well supported. I am not sure what the numbers were today. There’s probably 20,000, and probably 12,000 were Indian supporters.”

Paul Edwards at Tunbridge Wells26-May-2017
ScorecardJoe Denly’s century was the bedrock of Kent’s innings•Getty Images

Joe Denly may play finer innings for Kent but he will make no century more precious than that which he completed just before five o’clock on an afternoon borrowed from Elysium. Denly’s hundred was constructed in the style of former Kent openers: Wally Hardinge, Arthur Fagg, Brian Luckhurst. It anchored his side’s effort when choppy seas threatened and it was largely responsible for his team ending the day moored in the relatively safe harbour of 316 for 8.Yet Denly’s 119 was freighted with more than statistical significance and this day’s cricket embraced more than deep enjoyment. Tunbridge Wells, you see, is quite gloriously the same but England is different. We did not need the early announcement of evacuation procedures over the public address to remind us of a new reality. Those travelling to this match by train from the north on Thursday were privileged to take part in a perfectly observed minute’s silence when the only noise was the gentle hum of the Pendolino. Then there were the extra police at Euston and a capital city with its Union flags at half-mast. We are suddenly more alert and newly protective of our liberties.Those liberties include sport, of course, and so it was with a special pleasure that folk arrived to watch the cricket on a day when rugs were needed only to prevent the sun’s glare reflecting off windscreens. The game began with a succession of four faultless maidens, which sounds rather like a medieval ceremony of purification. A sun-hatted slip cordon remained in vigilant attendance throughout a first hour in which Kent scored 25 runs off 15 overs and lost Sean Dickson for nought, the opener being caught behind when failing to cover Jofra Archer’s movement and bounce. Archer, of whom fulsome panegyrics have already been written, bowled well throughout the day yet enjoyed no more success.The next wicket fell instead to David Wiese, who sent down a nondescript bouncer to Daniel Bell-Drummond and was no doubt gratified to see the Kent opener waste his 65 minutes’ watchfulness and slap the thing to Danny Briggs at backward point. The French Open begins at Roland Garros this weekend so maybe that was on Bell-Drummond’s mind. Twenty minutes later Sam Northeast followed Vernon Philander’s fine away-swinger – a shot more from Hamelin than Harrow – and gave Michael Burgess the second of his three catches.Denly, meanwhile, was batting with studied precision, driving the Sussex seamers through the off side when they overpitched but otherwise protecting his stumps and playing shots only when they appeared necessary or without risk. At least he obtained full value for his aggression; the ball ran away across the square like a marble on glass.Kent lunched on 69 for 3 and many spectators promenaded contentedly on the outfield. This was “keeping calm”, and few places in our land are more conducive to serenity than the Nevill Ground; and this is “carrying on”, though we did so in the painful knowledge that there are people for whom the mere idea of getting through any day has become almost inconceivable…Kent dominated the afternoon session, scoring 126 runs in a style which brought pleasure to many of the near-as-dammit three thousand spectators. The pitch eased a shade and the ball softened. Joe Weatherly hit six pleasant boundaries and promised more before he was caught behind off a good delivery from Wiese. Darren Stevens, who is having the time of his life this season, batted with much greater aggression, taking three successive boundaries off Wiese and whacking eight fours in all in a run-a-ball 44 which was ended when he went down on one knee but only miscued Briggs to Chris Nash at short midwicket. Denly, meanwhile, had reached his fifty with a straight drive off Archer and the ball was beating his bat infrequently. The temperature settled in the seventies and the crowd basked in their sport. It was the sort of day when the gods turn up and watch the cricket while enjoying a pint of Goacher’s mild in the CAMRA tent.The honours in the evening session were shared, Kent scoring 121 runs but losing three batsmen to leg before decisions. Briggs was cut without mercy by Will Gidman whenever he pitched short but gained his revenge when he trapped the allrounder for 42, the ball striking the pad just prior to the bat. Denly reached his century off 188 balls after 290 minutes of fierce concentration but he then played tiredly across the line to Philander. James Harris became Wiese’s third victim and the day ended with Adam Rouse unbeaten on 32 and batting for Saturday morning in partnership with James Tredwell.The spectators drifted away, though many will be here again on Saturday; the county match is prized in these parts. And the crowd who watch their cricket at Tunbridge Wells over the weekend will share a bond with the thousands attending concerts or the slightly fewer turning up to Tredwell’s hog-roast at Pembury tomorrow evening. The same association links them to those going to the Cup Final at Wembley or the athletics events in the scarred city of Manchester. So perhaps such a day at the end of such a week even gives one the licence to paraphrase very slightly the greatest cricket poem of all, “J M Parks at Tunbridge Wells” by Alan Ross: “Kent 316 for 8. Moss roses on the hill / A dry taste in the mouth, but the moment / Sufficient, being what we are, ourselves still.”

MS Dhoni has said one of the reasons for the 29-run run defeat to Sri Lanka in Nagpur was because India tend to take Twenty20 internationals as a warm-up for the one-dayers to follow

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2009MS Dhoni has said one of the reasons for the 29-run run defeat to Sri Lanka in Nagpur was because India tended to take Twenty20 internationals as a “warm-up for the one-dayers to follow”. India have now lost seven of their last ten Twenty20s and two of their three wins were against Bangladesh and Ireland.”I don’t think we were in the groove for a Twenty20 game and too often we treat it as a warm-up for the one-dayers to follow,” Dhoni said. “It’s probably the reason for our defeats in these games.”Another, and more significant, reason for Wednesday’s defeat was India’s terrible fielding. They dropped five chances – two off the Sri Lankan openers before they made a start – and frequently fumbled balls in the outfield. Yuvraj dropped Sanath Jayasuriya on 4, Ishant grassed Tillakaratne Dilshan on 13 and Kumar Sangakkara as well, Rohit Sharma let off Chamara Kapugedera on 14, and Pragyan Ojha failed to reach a tough chance given by Angelo Mathews in the final over after which the batsman hit two sixes.”The catching is a bit of concern,” Dhoni said. “We are not a brilliant fielding side, but we don’t drop too many catches. That also hurt us also to some extent.”Had India taken their chances, Sri Lanka would have struggled to reach 215. In the over after he was dropped, Jayasuriya hit Ashish Nehra for five consecutive boundaries and provided the acceleration after a slow start. The opening stand of 43 set the platform for Kumar Sangakkara to score 78 off just 37 deliveries. Kapugedera provided propulsion by scoring 47 off 20 while Mathews made 15 off four balls.”What really set us up was the two openers batting for six overs, even if they didn’t get a flying start,” Sangakkara said. “They really applied themselves and got those 40-odd runs and we could launch our innings from there. I’ve been in good form, but I’ve been getting out cheaply because I’ve never really applied myself. I thought it was about time I really did something to inspire the side.”Sangakkara also described Jayasuriya’s four-over spell during India’s chase as “magic”. Jayasuriya came on after India had raced to 88 in seven overs and brought down the scoring-rate dramatically. He conceded only 19 off his four overs and also took the wickets of MS Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan. Sri Lanka’s bowlers were also supported by far superior fielding effort and Sangakkara acknowledged as much.”I thought the fielding was outstanding, we were excellent in the first 16 overs and I thought we could have been a little more ruthless in the final four overs and finished the game off,” he said. “Overall, everyone played really hard and they showed a lot of hunger to win.”The second Twenty20 game is in Mohali on December 12.

Guwahati, Indore and Pune have been finalised as venues for the three T20Is, which will be played in January next year

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2019The ICC’s decision to suspend Zimbabwe has cost them the important tour of India next January, when they were scheduled to play a three-match T20I series. The BCCI has replaced Zimbabwe with Sri Lanka for the series, which will be played on January 5, 7 and 10.”In the wake of Zimbabwe’s suspension by ICC, the BCCI invited Sri Lanka to participate in the three-match series,” the BCCI said in the media release. Guwahati, Indore and Pune have been finalised as venues for the three T20Is.

SL tour of India 2020

1st T20I – Guwahati (Jan 5)
2nd T20I – Indore (Jan 7)
3rd T20I – Pune (Jan 10)

As per the Future Tours Programme (FTP), Zimbabwe were originally scheduled to play one Test and three ODIs in India last March, a tour that never took place. Instead the BCCI negotiated the T20I series with Zimbabwe Cricket.Zimbabwe are also scheduled to play a two-match Test series at home against Sri Lanka in January next year as per the FTP, but it is unclear whether it will take place as planned.The ICC had instructed ZC to “unconditionally” reinstate the board elected in June or risk termination of their membership. The ICC also said it would be discussing the suspension matter at its quarterly meeting in Dubai in October before taking any further decisions.Since the suspension, Zimbabwe have played just one tournament, the recently-concluded T20I tri-series against Afghanistan and hosts Bangladesh.

The Australia fast bowler, who was omitted from the ODI squad to face India, said his back soreness should not have been enough to leave him out

Andrew McGlashan06-Jan-2019Fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile has criticised poor communication from the Australia selectors over his omission from the one-day squad to face India, saying the back soreness that was given as the official reason should not have been enough to exclude him.When Australia’s squad was named, Trevor Hohns, the national selector, said Coulter-Nile, who has a history of back problems, could not be risked in the 50-over format. The following day, after the ODI group had been named, a scan cleared him of any problems and he claimed 3 for 25 for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League.”I didn’t take [the news] the best, to be honest,” Coulter-Nile told ABC Radio. “I think it was communicated to me really poorly.”I won’t go into it, but I don’t think soreness is really any excuse for not playing cricket. In fairness, I hadn’t had a scan yet. I had had back soreness and back history, but I hadn’t had a scan to see what was wrong. I had one when I got home and it was all clear.””They picked the team before I had a scan to know what was wrong with my back, that’s just when the team was picked to come out.”Coulter-Nile played just one of the three ODIs against South Africa last year, sending down a wayward opening over when given the new ball in Perth, and will now have to hope he can earn a recall for the series in India next month in order to push his World-Cup claims.ALSO READ: Chaotic selections put Australia’s World Cup at riskHe understands that there will always be a cautious approach taken to fast bowlers with a history of suffering back problems but said he wanted to be aware of the full picture. It is understood that the selectors maintain their view that it would have been too great a risk for Coulter-Nile to play 50-over matches.”I was getting some mixed messages about what was happening – that’s just the way it is,” he said. “I have no issue with being dropped, I just like to get a clear message about why – I was told it was because I had a sore back.”JL [coach Justin Langer] asked me when they were selecting the team, I said I have a sore back but I haven’t had a scan yet. With my history, it was just better off to check it. I think communication used to be a little bit better – from everyone.”The subject of communication between selectors and players was also highlighted by ACA president Greg Dyer amid the ongoing debate about potential being given more sway than performance.”I think from time to time we hear of disquiet around the logic behind particular selections,” Dyer told SEN Radio. “You hear a lot of disquiet around ‘I just don’t understand what it is that I did or what I didn’t do or what is the basis for what’s happening’.”In a more positive view of how the selectors and players work together Peter Handscomb, who has been in and out of the Test side during this series and has been asked to make technical changes, said he always knew where he stood in discussions.”They’ve all been open and honest conversations, which has actually been really good. I’ve been able to push my case with them with some really, really good conversations and they tell me where I stand whether what I need to improve or how they see me in the Test side.”

Mohammed Shami was left out of the 15-man squad

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2018India’s frontline pace bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have been added to the ODI squad for the remaining three matches against West Indies, after being rested for the first two games. Mohammed Shami was left out of the squad, which had no other changes.Allrounder Kedar Jadhav had missed the first two matches with a hamstring injury he picked up during the Asia Cup; he was expected to be back for the remaining ODIs, according to chief selector MSK Prasad, but wasn’t named in the squad of 15. Jadhav scored an unbeaten 41 off 25 for India A against India C in the Deodhar Trophy on Thursday and bowled a few overs too.Shami played the first two ODIs but was the most expensive India bowler in Guwahati, where he took two top-order wickets in his figures of 2 for 81. He bettered his performance in Visakhapatnam by finishing with 1 for 59 from 10 overs, but could not retain his place for the remainder of the series even though Umesh Yadav has so far conceded 142 runs in the two matches, compared to Shami’s 140, with only one wicket to his name.The remaining three matches will be played in Pune, Mumbai (Brabourne Stadium) and Thiruvananthapuram on October 27, 29 and November 1.Squad: Virat Kohli (cap), Rohit Sharma (vice-capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey