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On a day of old-school Test cricket, Sri Lanka’s bowlers plugged away, focusing on the basics and earned rich rewards

Andrew Fernando in Galle17-Nov-2012Even Sri Lanka’s weather seems to have taken umbrage at the board’s removal of Tests from the 2013 schedule in favour of ODIs. Daily monsoon rains that had reduced the limited-overs leg of the tour to one rung above farce cleared abruptly for the first day of Test cricket, and barely a cloud gathered to object to a full day’s play in a setting whose history and allure matches and enhances the wonder of the game it hosts.The cricketers also endorsed Test cricket in their approach. Often attritional and rarely frenzied, neither side betrayed the tight schedule that had had them playing limited-overs cricket five days prior. Runs were made at a languid 2.56 per over for the day, and rarely for a Test involving New Zealand, almost no one was guilty of over-aggression. However, one team assumed Test-match temperament better than the other, and that sees them going into day two far better placed than the opposition.Sri Lanka’s attack is not one adorned with many bells and whistles, and to label it simple and workmanlike does not do it injustice, nor demean the men who comprise it. Rangana Herath has featured heavily in Sri Lanka’s recent Test triumphs, sporadic though they may be, and he does not command anywhere near the intrigue Ajantha Mendis, the man he usurped to become successor to Muttiah Muralitharan, did. Herath has a doosra, which is not the best going around by any means, and he uses it rarely and only after careful calculation of the batsman’s flaws, as he affirmed at the end of the day’s play. Instead, patience and stickability are the staples of his art, often spiced with a soulful splash of fight.Herath was played well by Brendon McCullum and Daniel Flynn, New Zealand’s best batsmen of the day, particularly during their 90-run partnership, which McCullum later described as “efficient”. Yet Herath never felt the need to change his game or intensify his attack. The visitors may have been already at a disadvantage at his introduction, but there was no effort to extend the collapse in 12 wicketless overs. His delivery to McCullum was simply a well-drifted length ball, made to look spectacular by a little extra bite from the pitch, and his patience outlasted Flynn’s too, when the batsman nicked behind trying to cut Herath square, last over before the tea break. The rest of his breakthroughs followed a similar pattern.”I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary,” Herath said of McCullum’s dismissal at the end of the day. “Bit of turn and I was able to dismiss him. Although I got five wickets today, those were not wickets that I got trying for additional spin or whatever. I think it’s a very good wicket still. This is a new game and a new wicket, and I just did what I thought would work on this strip.”Galle was once Muralitharan’s fortress – or at least, one of them – until he retired having taken that unforgettable final wicket of his Test career off the last ball he bowled here. Herath knows that in Galle, the surface will add extra venom to some deliveries and he only needs to keep putting the ball in the right place, and with that knowledge he is quickly piling rock upon rock to make the venue a stronghold of his own with each Test. He now has four five-wicket hauls in his last four matches here, having taken 30 wickets at 16.33.
”Actually in 1999 my debut was also in Galle'” Herath said. “I love this place. Most of the time I have played here I have done well. Last two or three years I have had a great time at this ground.”Herath’s spinning partner Suraj Randiv was another study in patience throughout most of his 21 overs on day one. Against the left-hand batsmen, Randiv found a spot that gave him a little extra bounce, just on a length, and plugged away there for overs on end. He finished wicketless, and was unlucky to do so, but New Zealand were never allowed to spur the run rate, with Randiv and Herath operating in tandem.”Mahela told us to focus on building pressure, rather than on taking wickets. I thought Suraj did it to a certain extent. After 85 overs they only managed 221 runs, and things like rotating the strike and attacking are important and because they couldn’t do that, it gave us an advantage.”The seam bowlers also relied on the basics of swing, length and seam for their wickets, and both Shaminda Eranga and Nuwan Kulasekara did their reputations as Test bowlers a world of good, not only in their opening burst, but also with restrained spells with the older ball. Tim Southee swung the ball prodigiously in his opening spell, and Sri Lana’s batsmen now need to adopt the patience of their bowlers to see out what promises to be a difficult morning on day two, if they are to consolidate the advantage their attack ground out today.”It’s only day one of the Test Match, so we need to put pressure on their bowlers. If we can bat tomorrow and even the day after and get as much as possible, that should be our plan. The fourth day and the fifth day the ball is going to turn and we need to get lot of runs.”

A final chance for England to avoid a whitewash and the omens don’t look good

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan24-Oct-2011

Match facts

October 25, Kolkata
Start time 14.30 (0900 GMT)Varun Aaron’s debut was another exciting part of the series for India•AFP

Big Picture

England have a final chance to avoid a whitewash but the omens don’t look good. India have overpowered them in all areas, relishing home conditions again after a difficult few months overseas. After the problems they faced in England this series has shown that India’s 50-over game is in pretty reasonable health and it has given Duncan Fletcher another chance to look at a number of young players.He’ll have been impressed by what he has seen, too. R Ashwin has caused England no end of problems, Varun Aaron made an exciting debut, Ravindra Jadeja is a talented allrounder and Ajinkya Rahane has been a solid presence. Meanwhile, MS Dhoni has led his stand superbly – out-captaining Alastair Cook by a street – and continues to defy his enormous workload.For England it’s a less rosy picture. The batting, apart from once in Mohali, has failed to adapt to conditions and having started the tour on a crest of a wave this has been a sudden jolt back down to earth. The management won’t panic, they are wiser than that, but the last two weeks has gone to reinforce that some of England’s one-day game is still lagging behind.

Form guide

India WWWWL (completed games, most recent first)
England LLLLW

In the spotlight

After a year where almost everything has gone right for Alastair Cook he’s again a man under pressure. Not that his place is under threat but he has come in for some criticism on this short tour, both for his own tactics and the behaviour of his team. After making a promising 60 in the opening game the runs haven’t flowed, either, which has meant England have struggled for solid starts, but it doesn’t yet count as a slump. Cook isn’t part of the Twenty20 side so this will be his final England outing until January and he’ll be desperate to leave with something positive.The crowds for this series have been disappointing with vast numbers of empty seats in traditional hot-beds such as Mumbai. Even in India, where one-day cricket is king, the signs are emerging of overkill. This is Eden Gardens’ biggest match since early 2010 – they staged World Cup fixtures but their marquee game between these two teams was moved to Bangalore – and history shows that a full house here is one of cricket’s most compelling sights. That, though, appears an unlikely prospect.

Team news

There aren’t many parts of India’s game that haven’t gone to plan, but Parthiv Patel hasn’t had a productive series opening the batting and it could be a chance to give Manoj Tiwary an outing. Elsewhere, it would only be a question of whether anyone needs a rest.India (possible): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Manoj Tiwary, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Vinay Kumar, 11 Varun AaronEngland shook up the bowling attack in Mumbai but it was the batting that let them down again. Ian Bell remains sat on the sidelines and must be wondering what he has to do to get a game. Ravi Bopara and Jonny Bairstow have both struggled in the series so Bell could replace either of them, or Craig Kieswetter if Bairstow was given the gloves. After a game off, Graeme Swann may replace Scott Borthwick before leading the T20 side at the weekend.England (possible): 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Stuart Meaker, 11 Steven Finn.

Pitch and conditions

Warm and sunny during the day, although perhaps not as hot as Mumbai, while dew hasn’t been the major factor that it might have been during the series. For IPL matches the surface has tended to be slow and low. India would be quite happy with more of the same.

Stats and trivia

• This is England’s first game in Kolkata since 2002 when India won by 22 runs despite Marcus Trescothick’s 121
• England have only suffered two 5-0 series scorelines in ODIs; against Sri Lanka in 2006 and India in 2008

Quotes

“There is always that balance, as we know, and part of our responsibility as a side is to get that. Sometimes on this tour, we might not have always got that balance – but I didn’t see too much wrong this time.”
“We wanted to win 5-0 in England, but we couldn’t. It’s not always just what you want – you have to play well. We’ll try to win it 5-0. But the main motivation is just to go out there and play good cricket.”
MS Dhoni isn’t getting to wrapped up in the scoreline

England’s captain Andrew Strauss has brushed off suggestions of Kevin Pietersen being a potentially divisive member of the squad for this year’s Ashes tour

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2010England’s captain Andrew Strauss has brushed off suggestions of Kevin Pietersen being a potentially divisive member of the squad for this year’s Ashes tour. And Strauss is confident Pietersen’s big-game mentality will ensure he lifts for the battle for the urn, despite having not made a Test century since the tour of the West Indies in March 2009.The former Australia coach John Buchanan, who is working with England this Ashes series, has said Pietersen “has the potential to be fragmentary and an individualist” and could be a “major problem”. However, Strauss said he had no such concern with Pietersen, who briefly was Strauss’s predecessor as captain until a falling out with the then-coach Peter Moores.”Kevin Pietersen has never been a problem for the England cricket team,” Strauss told BBC Sport. “Buchanan is off the mark to say that – I’m sure Kevin will come to the party.”Pietersen, 30, has enjoyed his past tussles with Australia and averages 50.72 in his 12 Tests against them. But his recent form has been well below average, and since the start of England’s triumphant 2009 Ashes campaign he has averaged 36.61 with a highest score of 99.He was dropped for the first time in his England career in August for the limited-overs contests against Pakistan, which prompted him to type out a Twitter tirade. However, Strauss does not believe there is any possibility Pietersen would be cut from the team for the first Test at the Gabba, even if his form in the warm-up matches was poor.”No, I couldn’t see that happening,” Strauss said. “We all know what sort of character he is, we know these sort of big Ashes series tend to bring out the best in him and to me that’s very encouraging. He’s been out of form – that happens to all of us – and anyone who’s played international cricket for any length of time knows it only takes one innings to get yourself back in form.”For Kevin it might be one of the first-class games that precede the Ashes, it may be in the first Test match, but he’ll come right – he’s too good a player not to. I don’t have any concerns that he’s going to come right, the key is that he hopefully hits that first Test feeling in great form and ready to make his mark on an Ashes series.”England set off soon for what will be the defining tour of Strauss’s captaincy if he leads his men to victory, and they are in the unfamiliar position of being ahead of Australia on the ICC Test rankings. Australia are under pressure after losing their past three Tests, against Pakistan and India, but Strauss was wary of reading too much into Australia’s efforts in India.”The conditions in India are so different,” he told Sky Sports. “They’ve obviously lost a few Tests and have a few questions they need to iron out and that might preoccupy them where we don’t have that.”But we know from past experience that as soon as you arrive in Australia, from day one things get pretty tough. They’re a proud side, their record in Australia is outstanding and we’re expecting them to be at their best … so if we want to beat them we have to be better than that.”

Brydon Coverdale in Perth 15-Dec-2009Australia and West Indies have both been hit by a series of injuries the day before the third Test in Perth, with Peter Siddle ruled out, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Adrian Barath unlikely, and Nathan Hauritz also in doubt.The problems have left Australia with one confirmed debutant, the Victoria fast bowler Clint McKay, who will replace his state team-mate Siddle. And Steven Smith, the 20-year-old batsman-legspinner, has been put on standby for Hauritz and will fly from Sydney to Perth on Tuesday night.Hauritz took a blow to his spinning finger while fielding at training on Tuesday and although he did bowl afterwards, he suffered some soreness and will not know his fate until the morning of the match. Smith has starred with the bat for New South Wales this week, scoring a century against Queensland, but not with the ball.Ricky Ponting said the replacement spinner would not necessarily step straight into the starting line-up if Hauritz missed out. The Tasmania fast bowler Brett Geeves joined the squad on Monday night and will be considered along with Smith if Hauritz wakes up with a swollen finger.”There’ll be a chance of that,” Ponting said of a four-man pace attack. “Geeves flew in last night and trained with us this morning. There’ll be that possibility but I’ve said for a while it’s always my preference to go into a Test match with a specialist spin bowler but we’ll wait and see what happens.”West Indies are likely to have two changes with the key batsmen Chanderpaul and Barath both in serious doubt. Chanderpaul is still struggling with a finger problem after being struck on the hand in Adelaide, while Barath hurt his hamstring during the second Test.”It’s not looking too good but we’ll see what happens tomorrow,” the captain Chris Gayle said. “Those two guys are the worry for us right now. It’s a big blow going into the final Test match but having said that whoever gets that opportunity, hopefully they will make the best use of it.”Travis Dowlin is expected to come in and open with Gayle in place of Barath, while Chanderpaul’s spot is likely to be taken by Narsingh Deonarine. Ponting said the injuries to Chanderpaul, who Australia found almost impossible to dismiss last year in the Caribbean, and Barath, who made a hundred on debut in Brisbane, would be a major blow for West Indies.”That’s not ideal for them,” Ponting said. “Barath’s looked pretty good most times he’s come to the crease and we all know how much of a run scorer Chanderpaul is for them, so that’s two of the better players out of their batting so that’ll leave a couple of big holes. It’ll be nice for Clint to be bowling to some of their younger guys, in a way.”The opportunity for McKay opened up because Siddle, who was under a cloud during the week after suffering a strain to his left hamstring in Adelaide, woke up on Tuesday with some soreness following a lengthy spell in the WACA nets the previous day. It was enough for the Australians to err on the side of caution and Siddle, who will fly home to Melbourne, will aim to be available for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan.”The deal was that for him to come up here and play this game it would have to be a seamless period and have no pain, no stiffness, no feeling at all of anything wrong,” Australia’s physio Alex Kountouris said. “He bowled yesterday and this morning he woke up and it’s a little bit stiff.”He was almost ready to play this one and he has done no harm, it’s just a bit of stiffness. So we’re going to go back to Melbourne now and just try a couple of little things, it’s probably more coming with his back we believe, so we’ll try to deal with that component of it. I’m fairly hopeful he will be okay [for Boxing Day].”Australia are already without Ben Hilfenhaus (knee), Stuart Clark (back) and Brett Lee (elbow) from the Ashes squad, leaving Mitchell Johnson as the only fast man from that tour who is still fully fit. The loss of Hilfenhaus, who was the Man of the Match in the Gabba victory, has been the biggest blow for Australia and Kountouris said the outlook for Hilfenhaus was still uncertain.”He has commenced bowling today so it will depend on how he is going over the next two or three times he bowls,” Kountouris said. “Knee tendonitis, or tendonitis anywhere, is a bit of a grey area. Most people play with pain, it’s just whether the level of the pain is severe enough to stop them doing what they have to do.”In his case he had it throughout England and he was fine, he got through, he just got to the point where it became very painful during the Brisbane Test match. Until he has another bowl and sees how he goes we really don’t know how long his prognosis is. We’re hopeful he will be up but we just don’t know at the moment.”

Tim Southee takes two on final Test outing as New Zealand wrap up consolation win

Alan Gardner16-Dec-2024 • Updated on 17-Dec-2024England produced their second ignominious collapse of the match as New Zealand marked Tim Southee’s Test retirement by equalling their biggest Test victory by the margin of runs. Jacob Bethell and Joe Root put on a century stand but the innings unravelled in a flurry of shots thereafter, New Zealand barely detained beyond lunch on day four.With Ben Stokes opting not to bat after injuring his hamstring, New Zealand only needed to take seven wickets to seal a crushing win. Mitchell Santner pocketed four of them, while Southee dismissed England’s top-scorer, Bethell, to finish with 2 for 34 on his final outing. He led New Zealand from the field at Seddon Park, his home ground, to bring down the curtain on a storied Test career – England’s rapid demise meaning extra time to toast his departure.It continued New Zealand’s remarkable recent record in Hamilton, where they have won eight of their last 10 Tests going back to 2012, and put a stop to a run of four consecutive home defeats stretching back to Australia’s visit in February.England had already claimed the series – their first in New Zealand since 2007-08, when Southee made his debut – but ended a bumpy 12 months in Tests on a low note. Defeat by 423 runs was only their second-heaviest this year, after a similar thrashing in Rajkot, and meant they ended 2024 with a record of P17 W9 L8.The performances of Bethell at No. 3 were a bright spot throughout, and he added a third half-century in as many Tests. His partnership with Root suggested England were keen to make New Zealand work hard for the win, but both were dismissed before lunch and there was scant resistance from the rest of the batting order beyond Gus Atkinson thumping eight boundaries in 43 off 41. The wicket of Ollie Pope, bowled by Matt Henry while attempting to reverse-ramp in the fourth over after lunch, suggested they had little appetite to hang around.England had resumed in the morning on 18 for 2, notionally chasing 658 to win. If that was an unlikely target, then so too was batting out two days for a draw – but Root and Bethell made positive progress, bringing up a 50 partnership inside the first nine overs.Both rode their luck at times. Root was badly dropped at second slip by Tom Latham off Southee when he had made 20, while Bethell chopped Henry past his stumps attempting to drive. Will O’Rourke gave Bethell, in particular, a torrid time from round the wicket, pushing his pace up to 153kph/93mph in his second spell.After setting off at a run a ball, Bethell slowed down as he approached a 60-ball fifty. He brought up the mark with a single off Santner, who was then repeatedly picked off by Root to raise his own half-century a few overs later, their partnership reaching 100 at the same time.But it was Santner who made the breakthrough, Root missing the ball as he looked to sweep to be trapped in front. It was given not out by Ahsan Raza, but New Zealand’s review was shown to be an astute one, with the ball dipping under the bat before straightening down the line of middle and off stumps.O’Rourke then bagged the reward his bowling had deserved when he dismissed Harry Brook cheaply for the second time in the match. Brook, who made a golden duck in the first innings, had attempted to charge his fourth ball and then was dispatched by his sixth, a snorting short delivery that he could only fend to slip.Ollie Pope was struck on the arm in the same over as he ducked into a bouncer, but Bethell continued to attack, taking three fours off O’Rourke in the space of five balls. However, having earlier smacked Southee’s first ball of the day over the head of mid-on for four, he fell trying to repeat the trick in the retiring seamer’s second spell, as he sliced a drive out to Glenn Phillips at deep backward point.The fall of the fifth wicket brought Atkinson to the crease, with Stokes still in his training kit, and he hit four of his first nine balls for four to hint at England’s mindset going into lunch. He resumed in the same vein, hitting Santner for 6-4-4 the over before Pope’s ugly swipe, before eventually trying one slog too many. Santner then wrapped up the innings in the space of five balls as New Zealand matched their margin of victory over Sri Lanka at Christchurch in 2018.

Maynard had previously expressed frustration at losing white-ball coaching role at club

Matt Roller14-Sep-2023Matthew Maynard has quit his job as Glamorgan’s red-ball coach, with a high-scoring draw against Yorkshire this week leaving the club destined for a mid-table finish in Division Two of the County Championship.Maynard signed a two-year contract with Glamorgan last year specifically for the Championship, after being relieved of his role as white-ball coach against his wishes. With the club now out of promotion contention heading into the final two weeks of the 2023 season, he has resigned with a year left on his contract.In an interview with BBC Sport Wales, Maynard said that he had been frustrated with Glamorgan’s failure to sign “a match-winning spinner” since his appointment as head coach in 2019, which has contributed to them drawing 11 of their 13 Championship fixtures this season.”I feel very rewarded with the time I’ve had here but there are certain frustrations as well,” he said. “Maybe a little bit [in results] but I’ve been after a match-winning spinner since I’ve come here, there’ve been a couple available in that time that we didn’t get.”Maynard was unhappy to lose his role as white-ball coach last year and noted that the club had struggled again under Mark Alleyne, who took over for the T20 Blast. “I fully understand our results weren’t what they could have been, but they weren’t this year [either],” Maynard said.”I love being involved in white-ball cricket,” he added. “It’s a different kind of satisfaction. You get great highs and lows, and I miss that. l love the Championship but I also want to do white-ball cricket and that opportunity isn’t available to me at Glamorgan.”Alleyne was due to coach Glamorgan in the One Day Cup this year but instead joined up with Welsh Fire in the Hundred as one of Mike Hussey’s assistants – ironically, alongside Maynard – and handed over to assistant coach David Harrison in the 50-over competition.Mark Wallace, Glamorgan’s director of cricket, said in a club statement: “There are very few more recognisable and influential figures associated with Glamorgan Cricket than Matthew Maynard and his input as head coach over his two terms in the role has been significant.”Though Matthew is stepping down as head coach, we are hopeful of retaining his expertise at Glamorgan in some capacity moving forward as we continue to try and develop players in Wales to the best of their abilities.”Hugh Morris, the club’s outgoing chief executive, said: “It was a pleasure to play and work with Matt and, on behalf of the club, I would like to thank him for his exceptional service and wish him well for the future.”

Bracewell became only the third New Zealand man to take a T20I hat-trick after Oram and Southee

Sreshth Shah20-Jul-2022A patient yet effective 55-ball 78* from Dane Cleaver, and a dominating effort from New Zealand’s bowlers handed the visitors a resounding 88-run win over Ireland in the second T20I in Belfast. The victory sealed the three-game series for New Zealand, giving them an unassailable 2-0 lead with one game still to go.For the second game in a row, Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie’s decision to bowl first proved costly, as New Zealand posted 179 for 4 in 20 overs. Cleaver, playing only his second T20I, hit five fours and four sixes, and stayed right till the end after coming in to bat at No. 3 in the fifth over.Then New Zealand’s well-rounded bowling unit did the rest, helped in part by some unnecessary attacking shots or risky runs from the Ireland batters. If it wasn’t for a 37-run stand for the eighth wicket between Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy, Ireland’s total could’ve been far lesser than their eventual score of 91.The spin twins Ish Sodhi and Michael Bracewell were the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand, taking three wickets each. Sodhi’s scalps of Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell broke Ireland’s back in the middle overs, leaving him with figures of 3 for 21 but Bracewell had the widest smile by the end of the game. Bowling his first over in T20Is, the offspinner cleaned up the Ireland tail with three wickets in three balls, thus making him only the third New Zealand bowler after Jacob Oram and Tim Southee to achieve a T20I hat-trick.Spinners headline Irish collapse
Ireland’s chase of 180 began with some potential as Mitchell Santner was walloped by Paul Stirling for a six and a four in the very first over. Then when Lockie Ferguson was dispatched by Stirling for four more through the covers, it seemed like the Ireland opener could be the big-hitter around whom the rest of Ireland’s batters could rally.However, three balls after the Ferguson four, Stirling fell slicing a catch to mid off, and thereafter the floodgates opened. From the other end, Jacob Duffy had Gareth Delany bowled for a first-ball duck in the fourth over with the batter failing to get forward to a fullish ball, and Harry Tector then paid the price of being impatient, run-out to a direct-hit from Glenn Phillips at cover while trying to take the fielder on for a quick single.Having gone from 23 for no loss to 27 for 3 in the space of eight deliveries, it was up to the prodigy Campher and Balbirnie to stick a partnership together, but the latter was the next to go, becoming Duffy’s second scalp. Duffy went full and wide, got the ball to swing away under cloudy conditions, and all Balbirnie’s drive could do was take an outside edge to Cleaver wearing the gloves. After a quiet – and rare wicketless – over, Sodhi got among the wickets too in his first over of the game.Tucker tried to slog sweep the legspinner, only to lose stock of where the mistimed ball went. It had dribbled past him to the wicketkeeper, and as Tucker tried to pinch a single thinking the ball has gone elsewhere, he was stumped. Next ball, Sodhi brought a slip fielder for the new batter and Dockrell edged it to James Neesham in the cordon.With the score at 45 for 6, and ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster giving Ireland less than 1% chance of a win, the pressure was off the Ireland lower order. Mark Adair, in particular, hit a few lusty blows after Campher became Sodhi’s third (and Ireland’s seventh) wicket. Adair went 4, 4, 6 off Sodhi’s third over to ruin his otherwise tidy bowling figures and then drilled Neesham over his head for another boundary. His partner for the eighth-wicket stand, Barry McCarthy, tonked Neesham and Bracewell for a couple of fours too.But Bracewell’s offbreak had Adair caught at deep midwicket for a 22-ball 27, and with the batters crossing, McCarthy too was out next ball, slogging to the same region. On a hat-trick, Bracewell had better luck than Sodhi, taking his third wicket in three balls as the No. 11 Craig Young tried to clear cover, only to slice a catch behind point, and ending Ireland’s innings at 91.Dane Cleaver attempts a reverse sweep during his highest T20I score•Sportsfile/Getty Images

Cleaver follows his cousin’s footsteps
Having made his T20I debut at the age of 30 only two days ago, it was another chance for Cleaver to make the most of the opportunity of batting at No. 3 for New Zealand with senior batters being rested for the T20Is. Coming in at a position favoured by his first-cousin Kane Williamson – after the fall of Finn Allen’s wicket, Cleaver made a sedate start, but kept upping his gears right until the 20th over.Allen’s blitz at the top had allowed New Zealand to race to 40 for no loss after four overs, but he fell for a 20-ball 35 trying to take McCarthy on in the fifth over. With Martin Guptill struggling with his timing, and Cleaver playing but missing the swinging deliveries offered by the Irish seamers, it seemed like the hosts would provide yet another squeeze to the New Zealand top order like the first T20I.But Cleaver grew in confidence, in particular trusting the bounce on offer to play the pull on numerous occasions to finally get off the blocks. Even with Guptill falling for a 17-ball 11 in the ninth over, Cleaver motored along at a strike-rate of under 110 to move into his twenties in Phillips’ company for the third wicket. Together, they added 53 in 5.2 overs, and as Cleaver’s confidence grew, so did his choice of shots. He scooped McCarthy for an ingenious six over the keeper one time, and then played a sliced drive on purpose to beat the fielder at deep point.However, Cleaver did receive a reprieve on 40 when he skipped down the ground to a Dockrell slider, only to miss it. But the wicketkeeper Tucker failed to grab it, and Cleaver offered no further chances. He picked Adair’s two slower balls in the 16th over well enough to smack them for boundaries, then brought up his maiden half-century in 39 balls with a six over deep midwicket. Daryl Mitchell, the No. 5, contributed just 14 runs in his 48-run stand with Cleaver, letting the man in form enjoy most of the strike.Cleaver would go on to thump Young for a pulled six in the 18th, then tonked Josh Little for three fours in four balls in the 19th, and earned his final boundary off the innings’ penultimate ball by slicing a four behind square on the off side. In all, New Zealand made 50 off the last five and Cleaver finished unbeaten on 78 in 55 balls. His performance eventually eked out the Sodhi-Bracewell efforts in the second innings to also earn him the Player of the Match award.

Veterans return to the fray for three-match home series against Sri Lanka

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Feb-2021Chris Gayle has been recalled to play for West Indies for first time in two years, while senior fast bowler Fidel Edwards is back in the national squad after a nine-year hiatus.Both Gayle, who is 41 years old and Edwards, who turned 39 this month, have been named in West Indies’ squad for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, which will be played between March 3-7 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua, which will be making its international debut.Gayle arrived in Antigua this week, having played two matches for Quetta Gladiators in this year’s PSL. He last played for West Indies in their home series against India in the wake of the 2019 World Cup, which the former West Indies captain had at one stage said would be his final international appearances.However, during his appearances at the 2020 BPL, Gayle playfully hinted he could even play until 45. The fact that he was serious can be gauged from his performances at the 2020 IPL, in which he made a belated entry in the second half of the tournament but helped Kings XI Punjab string together five successive wins with his measured aggression in the top order.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Gayle was duly included in West Indies’ T20I provisional squad, and on return from the PSL, passed his fitness test to make the final 14. “Chris Gayle has performed very well in recent tournaments and the selection panel thinks that he can still add great value to our team,” Roger Harper, CWI’s lead selector, said in a media release.As for Edwards, Harper stated that his recall was to “give the bowling the potent firepower needed”. Edwards, who played 55 Tests for West Indies, moved to Hampshire in 2015 on a Kolpak deal. However, following the UK’s recent departure from the European Union, Edwards expressed his desire to make an international comeback. Accordingly Edwards spoke to captain Kieron Pollard and head coach Phil Simmons expressing his desire for a recall.Another notable inclusion in the squad is 21-year-old Guyana offspinner Kevin Sinclair, who has received a maiden call-up to both the T20I and ODI squads. The 50-over matches are scheduled to be played between March 10-14 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.Sinclair and Hosein received their call-ups following impressive performances in domestic cricket in the last two years. “Akeal Hosein performed very well in Bangladesh [ODI Series] and had excellent stats in the CPL so this is an opportunity to see how he equips himself in this format,” read the release.”Kevin Sinclair grabbed our attention in the Super50 Cup back in 2019 and has been consistently economical in the last CPL and the current CG Insurance Super50. He will provide an off-spinning option for the team.”Also featuring for the first time in the 14-man T20I squad is left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, who played in the ODI series recently in Bangladesh.Related

• Shimron Hetmyer, Sheldon Cottrell and Roston Chase back in West Indies' ODI squad

• Pollard backs seniors to get West Indies back into winning habit

• Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga pull out of LPL

• Fidel Edwards targets West Indies comeback

• Chris Gayle set for West Indies T20I return

West Indies Test captain Jason Holder has also been recalled for the white-ball segment of the Sri Lanka tour after his impactful performances for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2020 IPL, where he played as a replacement player before being retained by the franchise for this season.In a media released issued on Friday by Cricket West Indies, Harper said Holder, who had missed the home series against Ireland last year, as well as the white-ball tours of Sri Lanka and New Zealand, had been brought back to “add depth” to the squad.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Andre Russell “recovering” from Covid-19Holder’s presence will offset the absence of Andre Russell, whom CWI revealed was “still recovering” from Covid-19.In a media release issued alongside the white-ball squads, CWI said Russell was not considered for selection on the advice of its medical panel.CWI said Russell had “contracted” the coronavirus “earlier” in February. “Despite testing negative over a week ago [Russell] was ruled out of the T20Is by the CWI Medical Panel whilst he completes his “return to play” protocols,” the statement read.Fitness has been a key consideration for Simmons and Pollard, as West Indies prepare to defend the T20 World Cup that they won in India when the tournament was last held in 2016. According to the media release, the fast bowling pair of Sheldon Cottrell and Oshane Thomas, as well as key batsman Shimron Hetmyer, and all-rounder Roston Chase have all failed to reach the minimum fitness standard in time for selection consideration.

Currently the Victoria coach, he is expected to be allowed to keep his roles in the Hundred and the IPL

Daniel Brettig30-Oct-2019Victoria coach Andrew McDonald is the new senior assistant for the Australian men’s team coach Justin Langer in a ground-breaking deal, though doubt still surrounds the new man’s starting date amid protracted negotiations.In a first for Cricket Australia, McDonald will be allowed to continue his overseas short-form roles as the coach of Birmingham in England’s new Hundred competition, in addition to being coach of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. These concessions will allow McDonald the sort of freedom to add to his earning capacity denied to other assistant coaches in the past, one of the major roadblocks to senior figures working alongside the likes of Langer and his predecessors.ALSO READ: McDonald appointed Rajasthan Royals coachNews of McDonald’s appointment with the Australian season already well underway will be an issue for Victoria and also the Melbourne Renegades in the BBL, in some ways mirroring how Langer himself left Australia to join Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers in late 2012, having served as an assistant coach for more than three years.Nonetheless, it will be a major advantage for Langer to gain from McDonald the assistance of one of the best regarded coaches in world cricket, having put together an enviable record with Leicestershire, Victoria and the Renegades in recent years. Equally, McDonald’s temperament and strength as a communicator who has also experienced the crucible of international cricket will aid the balance of the team at home and on tour.”We are excited to have Andrew join the Australian Men’s Team,” the CA national teams manager Ben Oliver said. “As a player, Andrew was an outstanding all-rounder, tactician and competitor and a popular teammate. And as a coach, he has demonstrated great leadership and enjoyed remarkable success in all formats.”We are confident our playing group will grow under Andrew’s mentorship. We are also proud that our world-class domestic system is providing a pathway to international coaching ranks. We were fortunate to have a strong list of candidates to choose from and I would personally like to thank all those who applied for the position of Senior Assistant Coach along with Cricket Victoria for their support of Andrew.”Langer told ESPNcricinfo last week that CA needed to be “creative and agile” to secure the services of the right person for the job, and also added that he would prefer to wait extra time if it meant finishing up with his preferred candidate, and following confirmation of McDonald’s appointment described him as the “perfect” foil for his coaching leadership.”Andrew complements our coaching panel perfectly. I have no doubt his all-round knowledge and man management skills will be a positive addition to our team,” Langer said. “The coaching success Andrew has enjoyed around the world in a relatively short period of time is testament to his skill, dedication and knowledge of the game.”He is also a wonderful competitor, which Australian fans saw first hand throughout his career with the national team, Victoria and South Australia, as well as the Renegades, Strikers and Thunder.”McDonald had been touted as a possible coach of England to replace Trevor Bayliss earlier this year, before Chris Silverwood took the role. Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch said in June that it was inevitable in his mind that McDonald would eventually take on an international role.”I think he definitely at some point in his career will coach an international team,” Finch said at the time. “The great strength of his – the ability to communicate with every player in a list, thinks through every situation really well, doesn’t make emotional decisions on anything, which I think is a huge plus as a coach, to be able to take that time to reflect and see what’s best for the group in every decision that you make.”He’s tactical – the tactical side of his coaching is second to none, and I think that he’s as well-planned as a coach as I’ve ever seen. I’ve, obviously, known him a lot longer and dealt with him for a huge amount of time, so I’m a little bit biased in my opinions at times, as well, because he is such a great coach when it comes to all facets of the game.”Various coaches and mentors have spent time around the national team over the past 18 months, including David Saker, Brad Haddin, Troy Cooley, Adam Griffith and in recent days Ryan Harris and Michael Hussey. Ricky Ponting was part of the support staff for the World Cup and Steve Waugh for the Ashes, but all understood that these were short-term arrangements.Andrew Ingleton, the Cricket Victoria chief executive, said that while McDonald would be a loss to the state, he went with the association’s blessing. “Naturally we’re sad to see Andrew leave after completing such a great year for Victorian cricket but we understand his desire to challenge himself at the highest level and have no doubt he will be a significant asset to the national coaching unit,” Ingleton said. “It’s testament to Andrew’s achievements with our teams that he has been given this opportunity.”

Pakistan captain asks why India don’t have to switch back and forth between venues when all the other teams do

Shashank Kishore18-Sep-2018Sarfraz Ahmed, the Pakistan captain, hasn’t taken the Asia Cup scheduling too kindly, given it will leave his team travelling back and forth from Abu Dhabi to Dubai for the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup. This will also be the case for Afghanistan and Bangladesh, while India have been exempted from the 90-minute trip.As per the rules, the team that finishes second in Group A will play their first Super Four game in Abu Dhabi. However, a late tweak has been made by the organisers to ensure India will continue to be based in Dubai, irrespective of where they finish in the pool.”If you talk about the pool, India remain here even if they lose,” Sarfraz said. “Travelling is an issue. If you travel for one-and-a-half hour during matches, then it’s tough. In this weather, it is tough because after one day you play another game. I think it should be even for all the teams, whether it’s India or Pakistan. If there are matches in Abu Dhabi, then every team has to play there. I don’t know what the Asian Cricket Council has done about it.”Scheduling aside, a focused Sarfraz fielded a variety of questions, from the pressure of an India-Pakistan game to the hype associated with it. His solution to prevent players from feeling the pinch of an India-Pakistan contest is to play every game with that intensity. He has, however, been telling his team one thing – “The Champions Trophy win is history. Don’t look too much into it.””It’s in the past now. Obviously, it was a great win and we have good memories that will be with us forever, but this is a new game, a new event,” he said. “The atmosphere has changed, we have winning momentum [from the game against Hong Kong] which we want to carry forward.”The one thing he has completely distanced himself from is social media and television news. He had a taste of the build-up for the clash back home, but wants to stay away from the hype to remain focused. He hopes his team would be able to do the same. There will be added attention to the match, with Imran Khan, their World Cup-winning captain and now Prime Minister of the country, likely to be in attendance.”We’ll try to take the game as a normal game. I’ve told the players to play the match in the same manner as we do normally,” Sarfraz said. “The fans say that whatever happens you have to win, but as a captain, I have to win against every team. It would be the same for India too. Yes, their [fans’] wishes give us inspiration. In the past, it has happened that whoever performs in the [India-Pakistan] match becomes a hero.”Sarfraz also didn’t make much of India being without Kohli. “As far as India is concerned, Kohli is their captain for the last two years or so, so as a team it [playing under someone else] is different for them,” he said. “I don’t know what Rohit’s thinking as captain is, whether he takes the same strategy. [Kohli] is a world-class player, but they have got some very good players and have done well in the past.”