All posts by n8rngtd.top

Quick hopes elbow injury won’t prevent involvement in Test summer

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2020Jofra Archer has suggested that crowd noises should be played over the public address system if England play international cricket behind closed doors this summer to compensate for the lack of spectators.England hope to return to some form of training before the end of the month, ahead of a potential start date of July 8 for a three-match Test series against West Indies. There are also Tests and T20Is scheduled against Pakistan, plus white-ball series against Ireland and Australia, but any fixtures are likely to be staged in ‘bio-secure’ conditions with no fans permitted.ALSO READ: ECB Test plans boosted by latest government strategyWriting in his column, Archer suggested that the noise of a crowd is “one of those things you don’t realise how much you need until it’s gone”, and said that playing sounds and music in the ground could help “make it as normal as possible”.”Playing in complete silence will take some getting used to, I would imagine,” he said, “so I think it might be useful to play some music, some simulations of a crowd, something to create an atmosphere.”The best solution, if we do have to play behind closed doors, might be to have cheers and clapping when someone hits the ball for four or a wicket falls. These are the little things that will make it as normal as possible even though it won’t be a normal occasion.”Archer said that his injured elbow – which ruled him out of all of England’s South Africa tour except the first Test, the scheduled tour of Sri Lanka and the planned window for the IPL – “feels fine”, but that he would “have to bowl seriously to really find out”.With England expected to name squads of around 30 players to cover for potential illnesses and to allow for intra-squad practice games, Archer is certain to be called up, fitness permitting. That leaves open the prospect of nine weeks staying in an on-site hotel at Emirates Old Trafford or the Ageas Bowl, but Archer said there was nothing in a squad Zoom call with team medical staff that concerned him.”I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, too soon, and won’t do until dates are actually penned in but personally there was nothing within what we were told that concerns me, really,” he said.”While we have yet to be given a provisional date, we know that any anticipated start we do receive could be pushed back further into the summer and it has been stressed that the most important thing is the health of the players.”So, I’d be very happy to undergo coronavirus and temperature tests daily. Obviously, if you got infected, you would have to leave the group. And the prospect of being all together in a hotel for several weeks does not bother me at all. I haven’t seen the guys in a while and I am sure it will feel more like a reunion than a term in prison.”

“We are determined to pull out all stops to ensure that healing takes place for those who have been wronged”

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jul-2020CSA has made public its plans to tackle alleged racism in cricket in the country, its Transformation Committee announcing a sustainable response strategy project called Cricket for Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN).”The national outcry by cricket fans, the greater South African public and broad stakeholder groups could not be ignored,” CSA said in a statement while talking about the project.The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement became a part of cricket after Daren Sammy spoke of a “degrading” nickname he had been given in the Sunrisers Hyderabad dressing room, and then moved up a notch when Lungi Ngidi, in response to a question in a press interaction, called for the cricket community in South Africa to “make a stand”. Soon after this, 36 prominent South African players and coaches of colour expressed their support for Ngidi, followed by the likes of Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis speaking out. It all culminated in South Africa’s elite cricketers – as well as support staffers, CSA officials, and members of the commentary team – taking a knee at Centurion’s SuperSport Park ahead of the 3TC match last Saturday.ALSO READ: Bal – It’s time we South Asians understood that colourism is racismCSA will set up a Transformation Ombudsman responsible for managing complaints while also ensuring that players and fans unite. CSA aims to appoint the ombudsman by August, with Dr Eugenia Kula-Ameyaw, the independent director and transformation chair, tasked with ensuring that the process flows smoothly.”Transformation needs to happen in our lifetime and as the Board we need to fully deliver on that mandate. Having heard what our ex-players shared, my focus as the Transformation Chair was to come up with a solution, hence the Cricket SJN concept,” Kula-Ameyaw said. “I am grateful that the Board supports this initiative. The office of the Transformation Ombudsman is a solid brick that we can use as a foundation to deal with racism and discrimination in cricket.””We are sorry that our cricket players had to endure the emotional hardships that they did; subjugated by their peers along racial lines under our new democracy that enjoined us to embrace reconciliation and inclusivity,” CSA Board chair Chris Nenzani said. “SJN is the first-of-its-kind project meant to rid cricket of apartheid racial discrimination. This is the very important project that all stakeholders must make sure it succeeds for the future sustainability of cricket.”The fortunes of cricket, its players, stakeholders, and fans are not going to be held to ransom by the wayward few who definitely have no place within our ranks,” he added. “We are determined to pull out all stops to ensure that healing takes place for those who have been wronged, and that perpetrators are exposed, sanctioned, and isolated.”The SJN also aims to form a Restoration Fund in order to deal with the opportunity cost due to discrimination as well as “promote and intensify” the diversity, belonging and inclusivity programme implementation.Dr Jacques Faul, the CSA’s acting chief executive, said, “It has been a very challenging time for Cricket South Africa, and we have to acknowledge that what we have heard was not easy to digest. However, I am also encouraged by our plan to address this. We will need the buy-in from all our stakeholders to ensure a racism free future at Cricket South Africa.”We commit that never again shall we be found wanting and will consolidate our efforts to assure an inclusive cricket environment, free of any discrimination, racism or any other ill that negate the gains of the democracy that we fought so hard for.”

The development also means CSK will be the last franchise to start training for the tournament

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Aug-2020Chennai Super Kings have extended their quarantine period and have postponed the start of their IPL training camp to September 1. The Super Kings landed in Dubai on August 21 and were expected to start training on Friday, but ESPNcricinfo understands they have extended their quarantine beyond the mandatory six-day period put in place by the IPL. The tournament begins on September 19, but the IPL is yet to announce a schedule.It could not be confirmed exactly why the Super Kings have opted to stay indoors at the team hotel in Dubai. There has also been no official communication sent out by the franchise. Kasi Viswanathan, the Super Kings chief executive officer, did not respond to calls.As per the IPL’s Covid-19 protocols, all teams would have to undergo a test at the airport upon landing in the UAE followed by two tests at the team hotel on days 3 and 6 during the mandatory six-day quarantine at the hotel. Only after all test results come out negative the teams are allowed to start training.ESPNcricinfo understands other teams are already monitoring the developments in the Super Kings camp. Another franchise official said they even urged the IPL to issue an advisory to all teams to update everybody about the test results of all teams.The development also means the Super Kings will be the last franchise to start training for the tournament. Rajasthan Royals have already held two training sessions as they and Kolkata Knight Riders were the first two teams to land in the UAE (on August 20). The Knight Riders and defending champions Mumbai Indians – the two teams based in Abu Dhabi – will conduct their first training session on Friday. Delhi Capitals are scheduled to start their first training session on Saturday.Before heading to the UAE, the Super Kings, who finished as runners-up last season, had conducted a short conditioning camp for the Indian players in Chennai. The six-day camp, which was held at Chepauk from August 15-20, was attended by captain MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar along with bowling coach L Balaji.Earlier this week, Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, had cautioned his squad to take the Covid-19 protocols seriously, warning them that anyone breaching the biosecure bubble could jeopardise the entire tournament.

Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood could all play their first ODIs since the World Cup final

Andrew McGlashan10-Sep-2020

Big Picture

It is a long time since these two teams had contrasting finishes to their 2019 World Cup campaigns, but through a combination of firstly scheduling priorities then the impacts of Covid-19 the beginning of the next four-year ODI cycle has been a stop-start affair. There remain a lot of questions about how much cricket there will be over the next six months or so, but minds are now firmly turning to the road ahead towards the 2023 World Cup in India.The World Cup Super League has added a new slant to ODIs (and these are Australia’s first matches) with important qualification points on the line in each outing – although quite whether that is resonating with the players from the ‘major’ nations remains to be seen. There are no dead matches in series with Super League points on offer, so rest, rotation and experimentation comes with more risk.It is Australia who have more to figure out in the run to the next World Cup. While their T20 game has improved (the recent series defeat notwithstanding) their ODI game remains uncertain. Though they reached the semi-finals last year their team came together at the last minute with the return of David Warner and Steven Smith plus a bowling attack that found its stride until being shredded by England at Edgbaston. In the seven ODIs since then they have won just two and were beaten 3-0 in South Africa earlier this year.The components of a strong side are there: a formidable top order, now also featuring Marnus Labuschagne, and a bowling attack that has most bases covered. However, as with the T20 unit it’s the middle order that may define the way this team goes. At the moment it feels like they still back the more traditional route of building an innings through the top four, but that needs batsmen lower down who can kick on. That is likely to come from a combination of Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey and Marcus Stoinis.For England, barring the absence of Ben Stokes, this will be the strongest ODI side they have fielded since final at Lord’s. They have played just six further matches up to now – sharing a series 1-1 in South Africa and winning 2-1 against Ireland. Assuming he is cleared to return to the bubble, Jos Buttler will play his first ODI since the World Cup final along with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, if both quicks are selected. The early signs are that England do not intend to change much about the style of one-day cricket which carried them to the summit.Jos Buttler plays a trademark ramp shot•Getty Images

Form guide

(last five completed matches)
England LWWWL
Australia WLLLL

In the spotlight

Last time England faced Australia in an ODI, Jason Roy flayed the bowling to all parts of the ground with a thrilling 85 off 65 balls. His overall numbers against them are also impressive with an average of 49.64 and three hundreds, including England’s record individual innings of 180 made at the MCG in 2018. Australia extracted some revenge as they worked out Roy during the Ashes, in all likelihood ending his brief Test career, and in his last five ODI innings he has a top score of 32 following a lean series against Ireland earlier this season. A side strain kept him out of the recent T20s and he’ll be eager to restamp his authority at the top of the innings. It’s a place where England aren’t short of options.This time last year, Marnus Labuschagne was leaving his imprint on the Ashes after he was parachuted in as a concussion substitute. Since then he has gone from strength to strength and it will surprise very few people that he has made an impressive start to his ODI career with a maiden century against South Africa, followed by another half-century against New Zealand in the last match before lockdown. Perhaps the one question that needs to be answered is whether the three-four combo of Smith and Labuschagne – two batsmen who play at a similar pace – can change gears when an innings needs it. Late-overs hitting is an area Labuschagne has pinpointed as an area for his development and given the way he played in his warm-up T20 hundred few would bet against him working it out.

Team news

Roy is fit to resume his spot at the top of the order and Joe Root will slot in at No. 3 having been moved aside from the T20 set-up. Eoin Morgan sat out the last T20 after dislocating his finger while Stokes’ absence leaves a middle-order spot. Sam Billings should have done enough against Ireland to keep that place. Against a side that can struggle against spin, it is likely Moeen Ali will play alongside Adil Rashid. The trio of Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Jofra Archer would be the first-choice quicks although the Curran brothers offer variation.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Sam Billings, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Jofra ArcherMost interest with the Australians will be the combination they go for at No. 5 and 6. Alex Carey was left out of the final T20 but is set to keep his place in the one-day side, while Mitchell Marsh had an impact a couple of days ago which was talked up by Aaron Finch. Another option is to also bring back Maxwell in place of a spinner and ask him to share the fifth-bowling option with Marsh and Labuschagne.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch (capt), 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Mitchell Marsh, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pitch and conditions

With Old Trafford set to host its seventh international fixture since mid-July (albeit groundsman Matt Merchant hasn’t had any other cricket to worry about), the expectation is for a slow, turning surface. In fact, that’s what England are hoping for: “That’s very useful considering that’s both our weakest point, and it’s more than likely what we will play on in India in 2023,” Morgan said. Both teams will probably appreciate the opportunity to “upskill” on such surfaces, but it might mean some of the skyscraping ODI totals seen in England in recent years – eg. Trent Bridge 2018 – won’t be likely this time around.

Stats and Trivia

• Finch needs 118 runs to reach 5000 in ODIs; Marsh needs three wickets to reach 50.
• England could field nine players who were part of the World Cup semi-final last year.
• Since 2017, England have won 11 of 13 ODIs against Australia. The two defeats came at Lord’s in the World Cup and Adelaide on the 2017-18 tour.

Quotes

“I think the expectation outside of our own group is probably higher than it’s ever been – and it should be. I think we’re an incredibly talented group of guys that have proven that they are very good players and collectively if we perform together, we’re a hard side to beat. So I’d much rather go in with a weighted level of expectation than none at all.”
“Leading into this one-day series we’re just looking to be as consistent as possible, we know that our world ranking [fifth] reflects the inconsistency we’ve had in the one day format, so we’re really excited to start this journey after a long time off by playing some really good, consistent cricket.”

Programme extends to Birmingham after successful trials at The Oval this year

Matt Roller29-Oct-2020Surrey’s African-Caribbean Engagement (ACE) programme will become an independent charity after receiving a £540,000 grant from Sport England and further funding from the ECB.The project was set up earlier this year by Ebony Rainford-Brent, the former England international who currently works as a board member and director of women’s cricket at Surrey and as a broadcaster for Sky and the BBC, with its stated aim to address a 75% decline in participation among black cricketers since 1995. 70 young players aged 11-18 took part in trials in March, with 25 of those graduating to a coaching programme at The Oval this summer, one of whom has already appeared for Surrey’s Under-18s.The programme’s expansion will see four full-time members of staff employed – including Chevy Green, who has become its director of programmes – and a launch in Birmingham, in partnership with Warwickshire. It aims to build grassroots programmes and talent pathways, provide elite programmes to talented players, and develop a diverse coaching and volunteer scheme, and features several prominent names as honorary patrons and ambassadors, including Michael Holding, Roland Butcher, Sophia Dunkley, Alex Tudor and Mark Butcher.Sport England’s backing is particularly significant, following research they commissioned this year which indicated the severe underrepresentation of young black people in cricket. Chris Grant, one of Sport England’s board members, said in a press conference at The Oval on Thursday that it had been a “no-brainer” to support the programme financially.”It was 25 years ago that a lot of the African-Caribbean community lost it with cricket,” Grant said. “That was the year that there was an article with the title ‘Is it in the blood?’ was published in Wisden [Cricket Monthly magazine] asking how Devon Malcolm could really be English. That was in 1995, soon after when Norman Tebbit introduced his famous ‘cricket test’ – absolute nonsense, but it really resonated for some people.ALSO READ: Did England waste the talents of Devon Malcolm?“It was also the year when the West Indies toured England and some cricket grounds were really proud of introducing new ticketing mechanisms and were banning musical instruments and banners. That meant that a whole generation of West Indies supporters – English people, who were supporting West Indies – got thrown out of the game.”For me, that rupture with cricket in the 90s was painful. I don’t want to put too much pressure on ACE, but I hope and believe that one of the consequences of this work will be to repair some of those relationships.”While the programme will initially launch in London and Birmingham, Rainford-Brent revealed her ambitions to have expanded its reach to five cities in total within the next three years, if further funding can be generated, with Manchester, Nottingham and Bristol lined up as likely options.Warwickshire’s involvement is also notable, not least after the club fielded an exclusively white playing XI throughout the Bob Willis Trophy this season, despite being based in one of the UK’s biggest and most diverse cities.”We need to make sure that we hold a mirror up to the club, both in terms of the playing staff and people working at the club, that it represents all of the community around Edgbaston,” said Stuart Cain, the county’s chief executive. “Being honest, we’re not there yet, and this is one of the first steps we’re taking to try and address that.”We’ve worked really hard with the South Asian community over the last four or five years and that has really started to show results – about 60% of our academy age group comes from South Asian communities in the inner city.”Surrey’s Nico Reifer was one of only a handful of black British players in county cricket this season•Getty Images

The programme’s launch comes at the end of Black History Month, and immediately after a cricket season in the UK which saw several prominent figures – including Rainford-Brent – provide testimony about their experiences of racism within the game, following the death of George Floyd in police custody in the United States.In August, academics at Leeds Beckett University including sociologist Dr Thomas Fletcher published figures showing that in the 2019 season, only 30 out of 362 male county cricketers were from BAME backgrounds (excluding overseas players), while only two out of 118 managers or coaches in the men’s county game were black.ALSO READ: What has English cricket been like for black players?Fletcher, whose research previously informed much of the ECB’s South Asian Action Plan, launched in 2018, said that it was vital that the ACE programme had involved a group of ambassadors and honorary patrons who were prominent black figures within the game.”That makes a clear statement that this is a group of people who understand what it is like to be black and who understand the barriers faced by the community collectively,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Networks are key too, even if it’s not a formal thing.”If most parents say that a child can’t get a trial at 6pm for some reason and want to rearrange, the scout or coach will tell them to piss off. But if Ebony, or Alex Tudor, or Michael Holding rings someone and asks them to find time and tells someone ‘this kid deserves an opportunity’, they’re going to be listened to, and that is absolutely a positive thing.”That is why it’s so important that these pilot tests are part of a wider strategy, which is resourced appropriately. What we don’t want is just a couple of case studies saying ‘this person has been picked up by so and so’ and for it to lose traction. You want it to become a movement.”

Apart from winning on Sunday, Kings XI hope for other results to go their way

Vishal Dikshit31-Oct-20208:42

Should Gayle open for Kings XI?

Big picture

The Chennai Super Kings have already hurt the playoff chances of two teams in a row – the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers Bangalore – and in their path next are the Kings XI Punjab, who need to win to stay alive. With the burden of qualifying lifted off their shoulders, the Super Kings have nothing to lose in their last game and a win may even give them a chance of not finishing bottom of the table.The Sunrisers Hyderabad’s win has pushed the Kings XI Punjab down to fifth place now but Kings XI’s net run rate is better than both the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s and the Delhi Capitals’. To qualify, the Kings now need to beat the Super Kings to finish on 14 points which will take them higher than the loser of the Capitals-Royal Challengers clash on Monday.At the same time, the Kings XI will also hope the winner of the Rajasthan Royals-Kolkata Knight Riders game on Sunday doesn’t go above them on net run-rate, in case the Sunrisers win their last league game. If the Sunrisers lose, Kings XI will be through by winning on Sunday.Sunday’s game may not be the toughest among Kings XI’s recent challenges though. A lot of the Super Kings players aren’t firing which means the Kings XI can mainly focus on their recent match-winners: Ruturaj Gaikwad, one of Super Kings’ future prospects, Ravindra Jadeja, for his finishing skills and economical bowling, and Sam Curran’s wicket-taking abilities.This being a day game on Sunday, the Kings XI don’t need to worry about the dew, which, KL Rahul said, hurt them in their last game while bowling second. Chris Gayle’s recent six-hitting ability bodes well for them but they also need to prepare for the possibility of their middle order doing the hard work if they lose both Rahul and Gayle early, especially if they are without Mayank Agarwal and/or Mandeep Singh.

Previous meeting

Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis tore into the Kings XI bowlers while chasing 179 in Dubai almost four weeks ago and handed them a 10-wicket drubbing. A lot has changed since then, though, for both teams.

In the news

There’s a possibility, no matter how small, that the Kings XI will be without both Agarwal and Mandeep. Agarwal hurt his leg during the game against the Delhi Capitals more than 10 days ago and was expected to be fit for Friday’s game but didn’t feature in the XI. Mandeep, meanwhile, got hit on his glove by a nasty short delivery from Jofra Archer during his one-ball stay on Friday, and his fitness update is awaited. In case both are unavailable, Kings XI can open with Rahul and Gayle, and bring in Sarfaraz Khan for Mandeep in the XI.

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Shane Watson/Faf du Plessis, 3 Ambati Rayudu, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 N Jagadeesan, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Karn Sharma, 11 Lungi NgidiKings XI Punjab: 1 Mayank Agarwal/Mandeep Singh, 2 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Chris Jordan, 8 M Ashwin, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Arshdeep Singh

Strategy punts

• Since the Super Kings have been rotating some of the older players, they could this time leave out Shane Watson for Faf du Plessis, who has an impressive record against two bowlers the Kings XI have been opening with recently: Mohammed Shami (57 off 29) and Glenn Maxwell (43 off 28). Watson has also scored only 18 runs off the 26 balls he has faced from Shami in T20s.
• Given the two hard-hitting left-hand batsmen in Kings XI’s line-up – Gayle and Pooran – the Super Kings can save Jadeja’s left-arm spin mainly for the right-hand batsmen. Jadeja could bowl in the powerplay if Rahul opens with Agarwal or Mandeep, and can be kept for Glenn Maxwell thereafter. Maxwell has been dismissed as many as five times by Jadeja in the 44 balls he has faced while scoring 58 runs.

Stats that matter

• If Curran scores 14 more runs in the next game, he will become just the fourth Super Kings player to score 200-plus runs and take 10-plus wickets in a season. Albie Morkel (2008), Dwayne Bravo (2012) and Jadeja (2013) are the others.
• Jadeja has the fourth-best strike rate this season while batting (minimum 150 runs) but it has also been his worst season with the ball for the Super Kings, taking only five wickets with an economy rate of 9.03.
• The Kings XI have not won even once in Abu Dhabi so far. The Super Kings have won only one of their three games there.

Chattogram bowled their opposition out for below 100 while Tamim’s 77*, Rabbi’s four-for helped defeat Rajshahi

Mohammad Isam28-Nov-2020Gazi Group Chattogram bowled out a side for a double-digit total for the second game in a row in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup, trouncing Gemcon Khulna by nine wickets and reaching their 87-run target in just 13.4 overs. The win took Chattogram to the top of the points table, equal with Rajshahi who have also won two out of two.Mustafizur Rahman finished with incredible figures of 4 for 5 from 3.5 overs as Khulna’s lower order collapsed; their last five wickets falling for 13 runs in 29 balls. The left-arm quick snuffed out any chance of a late resistance after deceiving Shamim Hossain with a slower ball, and getting Ariful Haque caught at deep square-leg.Chattogram’s performance was very similar to how they had brushed aside Beximco Dhaka in their previous game, beating them with 55 balls to spare.The groundwork was laid by offspinner Nahidul Islam who dismissed Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah in the fifth over; Shakib mistimed one to mid-on while Mahmudullah was given out lbw. For the third game in a row, Khulna’s two most experienced batsmen fell cheaply, while Jahurul Islam and Imrul Kayes also failed to make a decent contribution.Mustafizur finished off the innings with his four-wicket haul, while Nahidul and left-arm spinner Taijul Islam took two wickets each.As they had done against Dhaka on Thursday, Chattogram openers Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das blazed to a half-century stand, but this time at a slightly slower pace.Soumya fell in the 11th over, having made 26 off 29 balls, with four boundaries, and Liton saw the chase through, finishing unbeaten on 53 off 46 balls with nine fours.Tamim Iqbal goes inside out•Raton Gomes/BCB

Tamim Iqbal got Fortune Barishal their first win, and handed Minister Rajshahi their first defeat, with an unbeaten 77, his first half-century of the tournament. Barishal’s five-wicket win was a bounce back from their final-over blowout against Gemcon Khulna last week.Tamim added 61 for the second wicket with Parvez Hossain Emon and another 46 with Towhid Hridoy for the third wicket. He struck ten fours and two sixes in his 61-ball knock as he ensured Barishal won with an over to spare.Earlier, Rajshahi squandered a steady start by their openers, Anisul Islam Emon and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, after they slipped from 61 for 2 to 63 for 5 in the space of eight deliveries. Mohammad Ashraful was run out before Emon and Nurul Hasan holed out in the deep square-leg boundary.
They were brought back into the game with a 65-run stand between Mahedi Hasan and Fazle Mahmud. Mahedi struck three sixes in his 23-ball 34, and looked in great nick; Mahmud supported him with 31.Kamrul Islam Rabbi took four wickets while Mehidy Hasan Miraz took 2 for 18.

Bob Willis Trophy final to be staged in late September as counties plan for 14-match campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2020Essex will travel to Worcestershire to begin their defence of the County Championship title that they won in 2019, while the Bob Willis Trophy Final – the end-of-season showdown also won by Essex last summer, and retained from the season’s truncated schedule – will get underway at Lord’s on September 27, as the ECB unveils its first-class fixture list for the reshaped 2021 campaign.As revealed by the board in October, the format of next summer’s County Championship has been altered, at this stage for one season only, to mitigate against further disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic.In 2020, the Championship had to be abandoned, and the Bob Willis Trophy installed in its place, after the start of the season was postponed until August 1. On that occasion, the counties were split into three groups of six on a regional basis, and played five round-robin matches each ahead of the Lord’s final, in which Essex once again beat Somerset – Championship runners-up in 2016, 2018 and 2019 – to confirm their status as the country’s pre-eminent red-ball team.This time, the groups have been seeded according to the team’s final standings in the 2019 Championship, with a provision for local derby encounters (where they have not cut across the seeding) to enable Surrey and Middlesex, Yorkshire and Lancashire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire, Somerset and Gloucestershire, and Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire to compete in the same initial groups.Those group stages will consist of five home and five away fixtures, with the top two counties in each then progressing to Division One, with the other counties moving into Divisions Two and Three, for a further four rounds of matches.The side at the top of the final standings in Division One will be crowned the 2021 County Championship winners, but the runners-up will get an opportunity to compete for silverware too, with the Bob Willis Trophy being retained as a trophy in its own right, after its successful introduction last summer.Somerset will make an immediate return to the scene of that final defeat when they face Middlesex at Lord’s in the Championship’s opening round in 2021, which gets underway on April 8, with all 18 counties in action.The opening nine rounds of the Championship will begin on consecutive Thursdays, through to the first week of June, before resuming for two further rounds in July – with all 18 teams once again in action for the final set of group-stage fixtures, starting July 11.Fixtures for the remaining domestic women’s and men’s white-ball competitions are set to be announced in early 2021. The postponed first season of the Hundred is due to be held in the height of the summer in July and August.The Divisional Stage of the Championship will begin on August 30, Bank Holiday Monday, ahead of a run of late-season fixtures through to the Lord’s final that the ECB hope will come to be known as “Super September”.There will be a reduction in the number of outgrounds used for the 2021 Championship, compared to the revised arrangements last summer – however, some of the more notable festival venues will again be hosting prominent fixtures, most notably Yorkshire hosting their Roses rivals Lancashire at Scarborough on July 11.That same week, Derbyshire will play Essex at Chesterfield, Gloucestershire will play Hampshire at Cheltenham, Middlesex will play Leicestershire at Merchant Taylors, and Kent will play Sussex at Beckenham. Surrey will also face Gloucestershire at Guildford on May 27, while Glamorgan’s fixture with Lancashire on June 3 is yet to be confirmed, but could take place at Colwyn Bay.ECB Managing Director County Cricket, Neil Snowball, said: “We’re all looking forward to the return of the County Championship in 2021 after a very challenging year in 2020.”Despite the significant hurdles that we faced this year, the domestic game still found a way to play meaningful cricket across men’s and women’s formats while ensuring that our members and supporters were able to remain close to the game through advanced live streaming of matches.”Once again we have seen an innovative and collaborative approach between the ECB and the 18 First Class Counties that has enabled us to plan for 2021 with a new, County Championship structure for 2021 only, that is designed to be both exciting for players and supporters and also flexible to the possible ongoing impact of COVID-19.”We are also working hard with all 18 First-Class Counties to ensure that we are able to welcome the return of crowds safely next year and will continue to work closely with Government and all relevant authorities.”Click here to see the full list of County Championship fixtures for 2021

Group 1: Essex, Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Worcestershire, Durham

Group 2: Somerset, Hampshire, Surrey, Gloucestershire, Middlesex, Leicestershire

Group 3: Kent, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Glamorgan, Sussex

England plans dented after paceman is ruled out of contest following injection

George Dobell11-Feb-2021Jofra Archer, England’s strike bowler, has been ruled out of the second Test in Chennai after receiving an injection in his right elbow.Archer was instrumental in England’s 227-run victory in last week’s first Test, claiming three wickets in the match including both of India’s openers in a fiery new-ball spell in the first innings.But he was unable to train on Thursday after reporting pain in his right elbow and has subsequently undergone a painkilling injection.The England camp do not believe the issue is serious and hope Archer will have recovered to play in the third Test, in Ahmedabad, which starts on February 24.Archer suffered a stress fracture in the same elbow around a year ago, though a statement from the England camp insisted “the issue is not related to any previous injury”.The statement continued: “It is hoped the treatment will allow the condition to settle down quickly, allowing the player to return to action in time for the third Test in Ahmedabad.”However, the injury is a major loss to England as they seek to build on the efforts in the first Test. As a bowler capable of generating 90mph pace, Archer had the means to transcend the conditions while the surface was still true in the first half of the game.England were already set to make at least one change with Ben Foakes replacing Jos Buttler, who has returned to the UK for a rest. With Mark Wood also at home – though expected back in India with Jonny Bairstow on Friday – the closest like-for-like replacement England have for Archer is Olly Stone.Stone made a decent impression in his only Test to date, against Ireland at Lord’s in 2019. But he has managed only one first-class game since due to injury and England might be reluctant to bring him in for such a high-profile game on a surface which is expected to be slow and offer turn from an early stage.England have already indicated that Stuart Broad will be recalled in Archer’s place, having originally been earmarked to rotate into James Anderson’s senior-bowler role, but there is now an increased chance that both could play. Chris Woakes, who might also strengthen the batting, is another option.England also have a choice to make about their spin bowling. While Dom Bess claimed four first-innings wickets, he bowled 19 full tosses across the match and looked oddly out of sorts by the end of it. Moeen Ali, who has endured a miserable trip so far, could replace him. Moeen spent the first two weeks of the Sri Lanka tour in isolation after being diagnosed with Covid-19.Related

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Writing in his column in the Daily Mail, Archer reflected on his pride at playing a role in a famous win in the first Test, but revealed that his celebrations had already been muted by a stomach complaint, before the extent of his elbow problem was revealed.”I’m not a big beer drinker and I would normally have a spirit to celebrate,” Archer wrote. “But I didn’t partake because I wasn’t feeling well. I had a serious tummy ache, which might have been food poisoning, so I just slept. Stuart Broad didn’t feel too good, either.”Nevertheless, because of the quality of the opposition, our win felt like a serious achievement.”Winning by 227 runs against that India team in their own conditions makes it that bit more special. It needs to be put into perspective, of course. It’s only the first game and it would be dangerous to get giddy. We mustn’t do that.”Archer also acknowledged that his experience of playing in the IPL had helped him to come to terms with the conditions in the first Test, but added that the extent of the pitch deterioration in the course of the game had taken him aback.”On the fifth day it was probably the worst surface I’ve seen — its orange colour, bits missing, rough patches for the bowlers to aim at,” Archer wrote.”When we walked out in search of nine wickets on the fifth day, I was very hopeful we would complete the job — although these India players have big reputations and are at home, so should be able to cope with conditions better than anyone.”So, I didn’t expect us to skittle them. Equally, I didn’t expect it to finish not long after afternoon drinks.”I’ve played in tournaments around the world, and had success, but winning a Test is one of those indescribable feelings, especially against a really good team. Nothing compares.”

The Victoria captain has hit a fine run of form in recent weeks as he merges his old and new techniques together

Andrew McGlashan08-Mar-2021Peter Handscomb’s state coach at Victoria, Chris Rogers, has never seen the batsman play better than in the last couple of weeks of Sheffield Shield cricket.Handscomb has made 124 not out, 73 and 54 not out in the last three innings. The century against New South Wales is where Rogers saw everything come together and the two half-centuries came on an MCG surface where the ball dominated – he was denied a potentially match-winning hand when rain curtailed the final day against Tasmania.Handscomb previously played for Australia as a late call-up to the 2019 World Cup and the last of his 16 Tests came earlier that year against India at the SCG. He lost his central contract last year and has since said he has put thoughts of international cricket out of his mind.He has worked on some technical adjustments to his game, and it was a mixture of old and new which Rogers felt has helped bring the recent success.Related

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“In the second innings in Bankstown against New South Wales, Pat Cummins was coming hard at him and he almost started to merge his old style and his new style. He went back to standing more on his back foot, but still using the shape that he’s been trying to learn when he’s on the front.”He looks really balanced now. He’s figured a couple of things out and I’ve never seen him play better, some of those on-drives, pull shots and the calmness. Really hoping we see another coming of Pete Handscomb.”After his century against New South Wales, Handscomb said a mid-game chat with Rogers had helped following a first-innings lbw dismissal for 1 against Cummins.”I let him talk, he came up with all the answers,” Rogers said. “He was probably just searching for something then it played out the way it did. He probably knew he was pretty close, and we all felt he was pretty close, he’d played some good innings, but something just clicked and he’s playing really well.”It remains doubtful whether he will be joined in the Victoria side by Glenn Maxwell this season. Maxwell returned from New Zealand on Sunday night but won’t feature in this week’s Marsh Cup game and border restrictions could rule him out of the Shield match in Brisbane which starts March 15.While New South Wales and Victoria are part of a one-way travel bubble with New Zealand (excluding Auckland which is a designated hot spot), Queensland has recently fully closed its borders to the country so Maxwell’s time there may stop any talk of being included.Maxwell will head to the IPL in late March or early April – the tournament confirmed to start on April 9 – but has spoken recently about his desire to play Test cricket again. However, with a T20 World Cup during the early part of the next Australian season it could be a year before there is a window for first-class cricket.Then there is Victoria’s desire to start building for the future by giving their younger batsmen a chance to gain experience.”[Conversations] are ongoing,” Rogers said. “We are trying to balance up what we want to do as a team and how we can help Glenn as well.”A little while ago I spoke to Glenn. I know he still harbours ambitions to play Test cricket so we’ve got to think how we can support that.”Rogers said the situation with Aaron Finch, who does not have an IPL deal so in theory will be available throughout the backend of the season, is a different given he is no longer in the Test frame. “He’s probably a little realistic about where he sits and about what we are trying to do as a side and develop our players.”