Category Uncategorized

Somerset will need to find rare batting resilience to avoid defeat on the final day at the Kia Oval

Tim Wigmore at Kia Oval21-Sep-20171:33

County Championship round-up: Finn eases Middlesex fears

The majesty of Kumar Sangakkara’s innings, which extended to 157 in a blissful hour’s batting in the morning, gave way to an afternoon of attritional cricket in keeping with the gloomy skies at The Oval.For Somerset, facing a deficit of 164 runs while trying not to be disheartened by events five miles north, where Middlesex were securing a crucial Championship victory, this was a day to scrap and fight, knowing that their cherished Division One status could depend upon it.On an Oval wicket offering unusual assistance for seam, at least by its normally docile standards, the task threatened to be a daunting one, especially when Sam Curran curved the eighth ball of Somerset’s reply away from Marcus Trescothick, who glided it into the hands of third slip.By the time play was truncated, as bad light and then rain left 37 overs in the day unbowled, Somerset had given an unwelcome reminder of the batting frailties that have undermined a season that had begun with genuine hope that they could improve on their Championship position by a solitary position and so take the title to the Quantocks for the very first time.Such optimism died long ago, replaced by the sobering reality that Somerset’s Division One berth is imperilled. They have enjoyed 10 unbroken years in Division One, the highest of any county – and, indeed, an all-time record.It is a testament to what Somerset have achieved with an exemplary youth system – one that develops talent not just in the county’s confines but in the entire South-West, with Devon producing alone producing a formidable home-grown bowling attack in recent years – and fierce local pride.They have outperformed counties who enjoy the benefits of hosting Test cricket and financial clout, either from their grounds or, more often, from generous local backers. Their status as the most popular second county in the shies, both for what the success of the club means to the county and for how they have challenged financial determinism in domestic cricket, is well-established.If three Championship runners-ups medals in seven seasons have brought no medals – and there has been copious heartbreak in the other competitions too – their performances have brought huge pride.After a chastening season, marred both by defeats on the field and poorly managed contractual situations for their players off it, the same pride has been evident in recent weeks too. Somerset responded to a thumping at Chelmsford with back-to-back victories at Edgbaston and at home to Lancashire. These were compelling all-round performances, the sort to briefly rekindle memories of those September dreams of 2016.Sangakkara leaves The Oval for the last time•Getty Images

Escaping The Oval with a draw would be a huge help if Somerset are to winter looking forward to an 11th straight year in Division One.The diligence with which Somerset approached their task in sepulchral conditions reflected how seriously they are taking their task. What was lacking – Somerset will hope it comes tomorrow from Tom Abell or Steve Davies, and preferably both – was a truly substantive innings, the sort of exercise in bloody mindedness that can inoculate a team against defeat.There were admirable contributions from George Bartlett and Eddie Byrom, infused with grit, but both departed before the weather intervened.Bartlett, like James Hildreth, was the victim of Stuart Meaker, who showcased the pace, reverse swing and ferocity that makes it easy to see why he played for England in some limited overs cricket in 2011 and 2012. Both batsmen succumbed to full deliveries, though Hildreth might have got bat on the yorker before it hit his pads.Byrom’s dismissal was bizarre. Gareth Batty, astute and showcasing immaculate control, produced a beautiful offspinner which just evaded Byrom’s edge and then just missed offstump too – at least, that’s how it appeared. As Batty turned in despair at his own ill-luck, only Ben Foakes noticed that his delivery had actually clipped the offbail, so delicately that it might not have disturbed a zing bail. Byrom remained motionless for a few seconds after, unable to believe his fate.Somerset will need the same obduracy, and a little more luck – either on the field or from the heavens – if they are to avoid a sixth Championship defeat of the season. Should they indeed leave London with another five points, they will guard them as closely as a parent would their newborn child.

England surged into a dominant position through a stand of 132 in 27 overs between Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali

The Report by Andrew McGlashan06-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJonny Bairstow aggression in the final session gave England a good lead•Getty Images

For two sessions this was a day of twists and turns, not the thrilling variety of batting collapses or exhilarating innings, but steady shifting of the sands, before England surged into a dominant position through a stand of 132 in 27 overs between Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali. It left them well-placed to push for a final-day victory at Edgbaston, with a lead of 311, because while the pitch remains true they will know there is a vulnerability to the Pakistan batting order.In each session there was a time where Pakistan had an advantage, and were one quick wicket away from sending jitters through the England line-up. They removed Alastair Cook and Alex Hales within the first five overs of the day, shifted Joe Root and James Vince before tea and when Gary Ballance fell to Yasir Shah for the third time in the series the lead was still an uncertain 179.But over the course of the remainder of the last session, Bairstow took control with a perfectly paced counterattacking innings, the most fluent batting of the day, as he and Moeen flayed a tiring attack. Having initially bided his time, he moved from 15 off 52 balls to a half-century from 83 deliveries, in the process becoming England’s highest-scoring wicketkeeper in a calendar year. His speed between the wickets took advantage of some heavy legs among the Pakistan side.Some of the finest shots, though, came from Moeen as he dominated Yasir: a dance down the pitch and a whip wide of mid-on were the best of the lot, but his controlled off-side drive was worthy of note given his much-criticised dismissal at Lord’s. His second half-century of the match came from 64 ballsMisbah-ul-Haq was content not to over-attack even after the early breakthroughs and opted to bowl at England’s ego for much of the day – namely, their desire to score briskly – with a combination of close catchers and boundary sweepers. Rahat Ali’s seven-over spell in the first session included five consecutive maidens. The first session brought 63 runs, the second 79 but, having not quite taken enough wickets to keep England firmly on the back foot, and again limited by the four-man attack, the last session brought 152 in 36 overs. By the close, Azhar Ali was unfurling his friendly legspin.There was, perhaps, one key moment Pakistan will look back on with regret before their long efforts in the field caught up with them. During a period of the morning session in which Pakistan kept the scoring rate down, Root, on 25, edged Rahat low towards Mohammad Hafeez at first slip but the chance was grassed. At that stage England were just 63 to the good.Instead, Root and Vince were able to consolidate either side of lunch which took the immediate sting out of the day following the jolt of losing both overnight batsmen. There was a brief surge in the scoring shortly after lunch as Root went to his fifty from 108 balls, and his eagerness to increase the tempo may have played a part in his dismissal when he top-edged a sweep against Yasir with the legspinner operating round the wicket.Vince had produced his sturdiest Test innings to date, resisting, ball after ball, from chasing deliveries outside off stump as Pakistan’s quicks hung the ball wide. He had again opened with a driven boundary, but forced himself to play within his body, profiting when the bowlers strayed too straight, with his other six boundaries come through the leg side. Yet, after 121 balls of composure, the nemesis returned as he dangled his bat at Mohammad Amir’s first delivery with the second new ball and edged to second slip.Ballance again looked solid, but was again undone by Yasir from around the wicket. At Lord’s he was bowled, in the first innings here he tickled to the keeper and this time the edge went wider to the perfectly positioned leg slip, as though he momentarily forgot the man was there. It was worthy reward for Yasir who finished with 42 overs to his name. The pitch did not offer him much, but he created some uncertainty from round the wicket into the footmarks.While the day ended strongly for England, and the threat of defeat has been all but removed barring something remarkable from one of Pakistan’s top order, it will irk them that none of the top three could convert their starts into three figures, something that was an issue in the first Test before being overcome at Old Trafford.After letting the game slip on the third evening – Mickey Arthur made his displeasure known after play – Pakistan needed an early spark. They got it from Yasir, but in the field rather than with the ball. Sohail Khan, who had come in for some of Arthur’s criticism, drew Cook into driving at a wide delivery which he spooned towards point where Yasir dived full length to his left.In the next over, Hales’ patience also snapped as Amir probed away outside his off stump and suckered him into a drive which was well taken at second slip by Younis Khan. There was a zip about Pakistan’s cricket, sensing a sniff to get into England’s middle order, and Root was given an early wake up when his second ball from Sohail leapt over his top edge.Root appeared to be having problems with his back, a long-standing issue he manages, and at one stage need attention from the physio. But it did not appear to overly hamper him in the afternoon, the pain on his face as he walked off more a realisation that another Test hundred had passed him by.

Ben Stokes is aware that he carries a major responsibility as England’s allrounder in the Ashes series and to no-one’s surprise, it is a challenge he is looking straight in the eye

Andrew McGlashan02-Jul-2015It has already been an interesting year for Ben Stokes as he has forged his way back into the England Test side. Saluted off the field in Grenada by Marlon Samuels, then saluted as a hero at Lord’s with the finest all-round performance by an England cricketer since Andrew Flintoff was at his peak.It can be assumed that 2015 is unlikely to quieten down for him over the next few weeks as the Investec Ashes unfolds following a typically pantomime-esque phoney war. Stokes was one of the few players to emerge with credit from the debacle Down Under in 2013-14 after scoring a bristling maiden Test hundred in the toughest of conditions at the WACA, then claiming a six-wicket haul amid England’s final mauling in Sydney.”It sounds like all I want to do his fight them,” he laughed when asked if the memories of that whitewash was extra motivation for what lies ahead. “That was the first taste of it, it didn’t go well, and there a wrongs that we want to right.”Stokes does not need to underline his competitive edge. Mitchell Johnson remarked earlier this week that the Australians quickly cottoned on that he was one of the few Englishmen up for the fight and they soon started to target him for some special attention.Eighteen months later, Australia know how many of England’s Ashes hopes are pinned on Stokes making a success of the allrounder’s role – as his performance against New Zealand at Lord’s suggested he can do – so that they can retain his counterpunching batting at No. 6 and his zippy seam bowling which enables a five-pronged attack. He will likely be the focus of plenty more attention over the coming two months.One of the challenges for Stokes early in his international career has been to control his temper. He was fined for giving a send-off to James Faulkner in an ODI at Perth and there was the infamous exchange with a locker in Barbados which left him with a broken hand. But the way he held himself together during the exchange with Samuels in April hinted at the maturing of a cricketer, not that his natural instincts will be dulled.”I’m definitely expecting there to be a few feuds out on the pitch, but I’m not one to go looking for it and cause an argument,” Stokes said. “If anyone comes at you in the heat of the moment, with the adrenalin going, I don’t think anyone in our squad will shy away. We have different ways of handling it, some turn their backs and walk away but I’m sort of the other way – look them in the eye and probably say something.”

England’s allrounders after 11 Tests

Ben Stokes: 683 runs @ 34.15, 2 hundreds; 29 wickets @ 43.24
Andrew Flintoff: 259 runs @ 14.38, 0 hundreds; 9 wickets @ 58.22
Ian Botham: 500 runs @ 41.66, 3 hundreds; 64 wickets @ 16.54
Tony Greig: 783 runs @ 48.93, 1 hundred; 27 wickets @28.11

What chances a repeat of Samuels? “I’m not sure they’ll salute; they might. It will be good banter if they do.”Stokes admitted that the likeliest chance of a flashpoint is when he has ball in hand – his bowling role is one of striking rather than containment – but he insisted it is part of his DNA as a cricketer.”I’m not sure cool and calculated is the right way to describe my batting, but my emotions certainly do come out when I’m bowling – there’s a lot more adrenalin involved compared to batting. If there are any incidents it will probably be when I have the ball in hand. It’s definitely a strength of mine, you are in a battle and you don’t want to be losing. I don’t want to take a backward step and let them think they are on top.”Stokes’ own memories of the 2005 series, for which the 10-year anniversary is providing a regular reference point, are of being involved in an Under-15 tournament for Cumbria where the parents sat around their cars more interested in the Ashes score than what their children were up to. That series is largely viewed as having been played in good spirit, centred on Flintoff’s arm-round-the-shoulder to Brett Lee at Edgbaston.But there were flashpoints, too, not least when Ricky Ponting was run out by Gary Pratt at Trent Bridge and before the series when Matthew Hayden and Simon Jones went chest-to-chest in an ODI at Edgbaston, a moment often cited by England players of the time as when they made it clear to Australia they would hunt as a pack. It is a mindset Stokes hinted would be used again if needed.”You know that if you chose to pick a battle you have the other 10 guys backing you. That doesn’t mean I’m going to start throwing punches, but you know your team-mates will back you.”Beyond all the pre-series bluster, enacted for the third time in two years, Stokes has every right to believe his cricketing skills alone will be enough to carry him through the Ashes. He has emerged from a difficult 2014 following the tour of Australia, which included three consecutive ducks against India, with a period of consistent cricket, highlighted by his Lord’s heroics where he made 92, 101 – the fastest Test hundred on the ground – and claimed three second-innings wickets including a wicked inswinger to remove Brendon McCullum.”Since I first came in I’ve been in and out of the side, so this is the first time I’ve really been involved heavily for a good amount of time,” he said. “I do feel a bit more part of it, part of a team and a group that is making people want to watch cricket again.”Flintoff has been among those to laud Stokes’ ability – saying Stokes is a better player than he was while he “bluffed his way through” – but Flintoff’s Ashes of 2005 came when he was seven years into his career and had dominated the world stage for the preceding 18 months: from The Oval Test of 2003 against South Africa to start of 2005 Ashes, Flintoff scored 1268 runs at 43.72 and claimed 78 wickets at 24.60.Expectations of Stokes then can get out of hand, although after 11 Tests he has a significantly superior batting tally to Flintoff and also better bowling figures.Stokes insisted he had not let himself ponder what life might be like if he has a telling impact on this year’s Ashes. “I’ve not really thought about anything like that to be honest. We know how big the Ashes is: I was part of one in Australia and on the receiving end of a few mad Aussies when walking around the street. But we are in England now and have the support of the nation for seven weeks. It will be a bit different for Australia.”

After an impressive opening victory, Mohammad Hafeez wanted the Lahore Lions to keep up the good form

Umar Farooq02-Dec-2012An experienced and explosive batting order and a strong bowling line-up have made Lahore Lions one of the favourites in the domestic Faysal Bank T-20 Cup, and they showed how dangerous they are in their opening match, comfortably beating Karachi Zebras by seven wickets. Their captain Mohammad Hafeez wanted his side to build on the impressive beginning.”It’s just a start but obviously the onus is on us, as a side filled with international players, to win the crown,” Hafeez said at the post-match press conference. “There is a sense of responsibility in the boys and that they want to live up to the billing of being a star side. All of them are focused on winning the national championship.”Hafeez, who was appointed the Pakistan T20 captain in May this year, wasn’t considered for the leadership role by Lions in the 14-team regional Twenty20 tournament. However, minutes before the Lions’ first match against Karachi Zebras at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the original captain Mohammad Yousuf passed on the role to him. “I didn’t want to lead the side but it was Yousuf himself who insisted on me taking up the role otherwise I wanted to play as a regular player. I respect his decision and stepped in his role to do the job but still I am carrying on the same strategy as we planned to execute before the match.”ESPNcricinfo understands that Hafeez withdrew from his usual side, the Faisalabad Wolves, after differences with the city association over selection issues. He has been playing for Faisalabad Wolves in the domestic Twenty20 competition since 2005 but this year Hafeez, now a Lahore resident, chose to represent Lions. “Sargodha and Faisalabad are my own cities and it’s tough to play against them but I wanted a change, that’s why I’m playing for Lahore. Playing against Faisalabad is obviously a tough one, but on various instances, we have been playing against (each other) and sometimes in one team in domestic level. This is something similar and I am enjoying playing for Lahore.”Hafeez, who has opened for Pakistan in most of his T20 matches, surprisingly batted at No. 3 for Lions in the opening game against Karachi Zebras. He said there wasn’t any plan to move him to No. 3 in the national team. “I didn’t want to disturb the combination as both Nasir (Jamshed) and Ahmed (Shehzad) have been doing well for long. But it’s just a temporary move only for the event and nothing to do with my national team spot. I don’t know about the India series, that is something need to be discussed later. But at the moment this event is serving as a useful practice ahead of the India tour.”

Vinay Kumar, the Karnataka fast bowler, has been picked as a replacement for the injured Varun Aaron in India’s Test squad to Australia

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Dec-2011Vinay Kumar, the Karnataka fast bowler, has been picked as a replacement for the injured Varun Aaron in India’s Test squad to Australia. Aaron’s injury was detected on Thursday evening, making him India’s second first-choice fast bowler to pull out of the squad due to injury. Praveen Kumar had been ruled of the Australia tour late last month after suffering a rib injury.Reportedly, Aaron is suffering from a stress reaction in his back, which was diagnosed during the Indore ODI. He will be reporting to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore next week, to chalk out a rehabilitation plan. Incidentally, Aaron had to sit out of the Ahmedabad ODI only because the nail on a toe of his left foot had fallen out. Abhimanyu Mithun replaced him for that match.Vinay, 27, has been on the fringes of the India’s limited-overs sides for the past year and a half, but has not had a chance in Tests so far. Though he wasn’t a part of the squad for the World Cup, Vinay was the most experienced of the quick bowlers in the side for the current home series against West Indies, until Irfan Pathan was included for the final two one-dayers.He has been a consistent performer in first-class cricket for several seasons. He was the second highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy as far back as 2007-08, a feat he repeated two years later when he spearheaded Karnataka’s attack during their run to the finals.It was only two days ago that Vinay had restated his desire to be a part of the Test set-up, a stage where several younger competitors – Abhimanyu Mithun, Umesh Yadav, Aaron – had already got the chance to show off their talent.

South Africa have left out offspinner Johan Botha, left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell and batsman JP Duminy from their squad for the first Test against India in Centurion that begins on December 16

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2010South Africa have left out offspinner Johan Botha, left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell and batsman JP Duminy from their line-up for the first Test against India in Centurion that begins on December 16. The three players, who were part of the original 15-man squad, have been released by CSA to represent their respective domestic teams in the latest round of the Supersport series that begins on Thursday. Parnell and Botha will play for the Warriors, and Duminy for the Cobras.The decision means Ryan McLaren and Lonwabo Tsotsobe are the candidates for the third seamer’s slot, while Paul Harris, should South Africa opt for spin, is a certainty in the playing XI. Duminy’s exclusion ensures Ashwell Prince will keep the No.6 slot.Meanwhile, South Africa captain Graeme Smith has said he is recovering well from a fractured ring finger on his left hand – an injury he suffered during the second Test against Pakistan in the UAE. He had his first net session on Monday, though he mostly faced up to slow bowlers. “I was very pleased with the way it went,” he said. “I am following the same processes I have always followed when coming back from injury. I will step up my batting schedule over the next two days.”South Africa squad for first Test: Graeme Smith (capt), AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Mark Boucher (wk), Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Ryan McLaren, Paul Harris, Hashim Amla, Alviro Petersen

England’s coach, Andy Flower, has jumped to the defence of the underperforming batsman, Ian Bell

Andrew McGlashan in Durban22-Dec-2009England’s coach, Andy Flower, finds some aspects of the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) “illogical” and isn’t a supporter of the ICC initiative that was a focal point of the opening Test against South Africa at Centurion Park.England did not enjoy much success in their use of the system, with all four of their bowling referrals turned down. That disappointment was compounded, however, when Kevin Pietersen was bowled by Morne Morkel off in the first innings, off what appeared to be a no-ball. With that in mind, Flower argued that if technology was going to be used, it should check the foot position of the bowler every time.”I’m not a policy-maker and my ideas don’t count that much, but I don’t really like the questioning of the umpires by the players,” he told reporters in Durban. “I think there are also some illogical things about it. We have the technology to review no-balls every ball and we don’t use it.”The two most controversial moments came when England asked for a review of a caught-behind appeal against AB de Villiers in the first innings, but technology couldn’t detect what the players had believed to be an audible nick, then when Stuart Broad questioned the length of time South Africa had taken to refer JP Duminy’s lbw appeal to the third umpire.Upon being given out, Broad marched over to the on-field umpires, Steve Davis and Aleem Dar, and later went to visit the match referee, Roshan Mahanama, although no charges were brought against him. England have also raised the issue over the time taken between South Africa’s appeal and the TV umpire’s intervention.”We spoke to Roshan Mahanama about it and there is no clear indication over how much time it should take,” Flower said. “It’s not 20 or 30 seconds, but they do just want a brief exchange of views and then a decision made.”I personally don’t like it much to be honest, but it looks as though it’s here to stay and certainly is for this series, so there’s no point us grumbling about it. We just have to get on with it and make sure we deal with it.”While the review system doesn’t have Flower’s backing, the under-pressure pair of Alastair Cook and Ian Bell certainly do. He believes both men can bounce back from their twin failures at Centurion Park. Cook made scores of 15 and 12 having spent a lot of time in the latter part of the 2009 season working on his technique, while Bell managed seven runs in two innings, and was embarrassingly bowled when not offering a shot to Paul Harris.”Belly got some runs in the pre-tour games and I think he is feeling quite confident about the way he is playing,” Flower said. “He had a tough Test, of course. He made a misjudgement in the first innings and got nicked off in the second but he’s a high quality player and we are backing him. I think he will be fine.”Cooky scored runs for the Performance Squad up in Johannesburg then scored some runs in East London,” he added. “He’s had a tough Test and it was a tough Test for anyone against the new ball. He’s remodelled a few things but he is a strong young man, a very fine player and a leader in his own right. I think he is going to do good things for us this series.”Despite the batting problems, including the late collapse of 5 for 13, the series is still all-square and Flower was breathing a sigh of relief after the outcome. “Of course we are relieved that, after losing those wickets against the last new ball, we got out of it,” he said.”We always knew the second new ball was going to be a testing period, although we obviously didn’t think we would lose that many wickets. But we did well to fight back and hang on.”

Mohammad Naim, Shamim Hossain, Tanvir Islam and Hasan Mahmud are the others to be recalled as Bangladesh rebuild following disappointing Champions Trophy campaign

Mohammad Isam23-Jun-2025Bangladesh have brought Litton Das back in the ODI side as one of five changes for next month’s three-match series against Sri Lanka – two of the changes were forced as Mahmudullah has retired from international cricket and Mushfiqur Rahim has retired from ODIs. The two made the announcements a week apart following Bangladesh’s early exit from the Champions Trophy, which was also their last ODI assignment.Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said that Litton was given the opportunity in part because he was recently named the Bangladesh T20I captain. Litton made only 35 runs in eight ODIs between the tour of New Zealand in December 2023 and the tour of the West Indies in December 2024 before being dropped, including for the Champions Trophy.”Litton Das was in a bad patch but time is the best healer. He is the T20 captain, so we can consider him till the next T20 World Cup,” Ashraf said. “If someone has to return to form, it is best to spend a long time in the middle. We feel that Litton can take his form from ODIs to T20Is.”

Bangladesh squad changes

IN – Mohammad Naim, Litton Das, Shamim Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Hasan Mahmud
OUT – Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah, Nasum Ahmed

The selectors have also recalled Mohammad Naim, Shamim Hossain, Tanvir Islam and Hasan Mahmud.”Naim has shown that he can bat with the same intensity as our [recent] white-ball openers,” Ashraf said. “He has done well in the Dhaka Premier League. We also have someone like Soumya Sarkar, who has ten years of international experience. [He has been dropped because] we want to help him recover fully, so that he can come back properly.”Related

• Mehidy wants to bring hope back in ODIs for Bangladesh

Top-order batter Naim played the last of his ODIs way back in September 2023, while this is the first ODI call-up for left-arm spinner Tanvir, whose international experience is restricted to six T20Is.Ashraf added that five fast bowlers have been picked to manage the workload of Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana. “We have included five fast bowlers in the ODI side as we have Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed are returning from injuries. We are also mindful of Nahid Rana’s workload management, so we have kept enough options to choose from.”Elaborating on the axing of Sarkar, one of the two active players to be left out from the side along with Nasum Ahmed, Ashraf said, “Soumya Sarkar has had three injuries in the last 12-15 months. He had an ACL injury against Sri Lanka last year. He had a finger injury in West Indies. Recently, he suffered a back spasm when we were considering him for the UAE series. He didn’t recover in time, so he couldn’t play any matches. We couldn’t keep him in the side against Pakistan. We want him to recover fully, and return to consideration.”The three ODIs will be played on July 2, 5 and 8. The first two ODIs will be held at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo while the third match will be held in Pallekele.

Bangladesh squad for ODI series vs Sri Lanka

Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mohammad Naim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Litton Das, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud

The ten franchises have a total of 77 slots to fill at the auction on December 19 in Dubai

Nagraj Gollapudi01-Dec-20231:07

Moody: Langer will want to retain stability around Lucknow Super Giants

Seven of Australia’s ODI World Cup winning squad – Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Steven Smith, Josh Inglis and Sean Abbott – are among 25 players to enter the 2024 IPL player auction with a base price of INR 2 crore (USD 240,000 approximately).The auction will take place on December 19 in Dubai, the first time it has been held outside India.New Zealand batting allrounder Rachin Ravindra, who scored 578 runs at a strike rate of 106 and took five wickets at the World Cup, has listed his base price at INR 50 lakhs (USD 60,000 approximately).Some of the other significant players in the highest base price band are fast bowler Gerald Coetzee, who was South Africa’s highest wicket-taker at the World Cup, and England batter Harry Brook, who was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad, along with Harshal Patel, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav and Kedar Jadhav.Related

• No IPL 2024 for Archer as ECB looks to manage his workload

• Players released and retained ahead of the auction

• Mumbai Indians get Hardik from Titans

• Gill appointed captain of Gujarat Titans

• 'Green is the ideal fit for us' – RCB's Mo Bobat

The ten franchises have a total of 77 slots to fill, of which 30 can be overseas players. Based on skillset and performance at the recent ODI World Cup, Starc, Head and Ravindra are being tipped to spark fierce bidding among the franchises. If Starc gets bought, he will be returning to the IPL after eight years, having last played the 2015 season for RCB. He did enter the 2018 auction, where he was bought for INR 9.4 crore by KKR, but missed the season because of injury. This time, however, Starc is keen to utilise the IPL as preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup in June.Head was the Player of the Match in the semis and finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup last month. He hasn’t played the IPL since 2017, when he was part of RCB and played ten games across two seasons, scoring 205 runs at a strike rate of 138.51.Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc: will they go for big bucks at the 2024 IPL player auction?•ICC/Getty Images

On Friday, the IPL shared with the franchises a long list of 1166 players who had registered for the auction. The final pool, however, will be much smaller after the teams submit the names of players they are interested in to the IPL. The long list includes 45 players from Associate nations, 909 uncapped players of which 812 are Indian, and 18 capped Indian players.The likes of Harshal, Wanindu Hasaranga, Brook, Thakur along with uncapped Indian batter Shahrukh Khan will once again remain confident of attracting strong interest from more than one franchise. Both Harshal and Hasaranga, who were bought for the same price – 10.75 crore – were released by Royal Challengers, mainly because of their weak numbers at M Chinnaswamy stadium, the franchise’s home base.Brook was bought by Sunrisers for INR 13.25 crore, making him the most expensive overseas buy at a mini auction by the franchise. Brook, though, failed to make any impact barring a century early on last IPL, forcing Sunrisers to re-think their investment.Thakur, too, was bought for 10.75 cr in a trade before the 2023 auction from Delhi Capitals. However, Thakur managed just seven wickets in 10 matches at an economy of nearly 11 and an average of 31.42. Thakur failed to make any impact with the bat, too, scoring 113 runs in 10 innings.Shahrukh, who plays for Tamil Nadu, made his IPL debut in 2021 when Punjab bought him for 5.25 cr. A year later he was released ahead of the mega auction but bought back for 9 crore. However, just one Player-of-the-Match award proved disappointing for the player and franchise, who finally released him. Shahrukh has put his base price at 40 lakhs and would be keen to see his hometown franchise, Chennai Super Kings, interested in bagging him.Base Price INR 2 crore (USD 240,000 approximately): Harshal Patel, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, Mustafizur Rahman, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Lockie Ferguson, Gerald Coetzee, Rilee Rossouw, Rassie van der Dussen, Angelo MathewsBase price INR 1.5 CR (USD 180,000 approximately): Mohammad Nabi, Moises Henriques, Chris Lynn, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Daniel Worrall, Tom Curran, Marchant de Lange, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Phil Salt, Corey Anderson, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Southee, Colin Ingram, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jason Holder, Sherfane RutherfordBase price INR 1 CR (USD 120,000 approximately): Ashton Agar, Riley Meredith, D’Arcy Short, Ashton Turner, Gus Atkinson, Sam Billings, Michael Bracewell, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Alzarri Joseph, Rovman Powell, David WieseESPNcricinfo Ltd

Dushmantha Chameera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Niroshan Dickwella and Hazratullah Zazai are the other big names in the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2022Rovman Powell, Fabian Allen, Dasun Shanaka and Sikandar Raza are among the 14 overseas players signed by Dubai Capitals, the team owned by the GMR Group in the UAE’s International League T20.Dushmantha Chameera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Niroshan Dickwella, Hazratullah Zazai and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are the other big names, while Scotland’s George Munsey and Netherlands’ Fred Klaassen are the two Associate players. Four domestic (UAE) players will be drafted at a later date.Among the current signees, Powell is the only one who is part of Delhi Capitals, the franchise partly owned by the GMR Group in the IPL.”Being a part of T20 cricket’s most extravagant set-up, the Indian Premier League, for 15 years now – we felt that it was the right time to expand our wings on to the global popularity charts of this format of the sport,” Kiran Kumar Grandhi, the managing director of the GMR group and chairman of Dubai Capitals said.”The International League T20, which is scheduled to be launched in the United Arab Emirates in January 2023, is a perfect stepping-stone for GMR Sports towards building the Capitals universe comprising of a galaxy of cricketing stars from all corners of the world. We are looking forward to making a world-class city like Dubai, our home as Dubai Capitals.”Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders are the other teams who have announced their overseas roster for the ILT20. The six-team league has been sanctioned by the Emirates Cricket Board and will take place between January 6 and February 12.Dubai Capitals squad so far: Rovman Powell, Dushmantha Chameera, Hazratullah Zazai, Fabian Allen, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sikandar Raza, Niroshan Dickwella, Dasun Shanaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dan Lawrence, Blessing Muzarabani, Isuru Udana, George Munsey, Fred Klaassen