New Zealand allrounder Sophie Devine on what she’d say to Roger Federer, and being a neat freak among messy team-mates

Interview by Vishal Dikshit19-Jul-2015You wear jersey number 77. Any particular reason?
It used to be the house address when I was growing up. It was 77 Woodman Drive, so I chose that number because that’s where a lot of things started for me – where I first played backyard cricket with my family. So it’s just a nice reminder of where I came from.What’s your favourite shot?
Probably a big, dirty slog over cow corner, but I’ll probably get told off! Maybe a more correct shot, a nice straight drive. Usually in the air but if it goes along the ground I’ll be happy with that.Is there anything you dislike about T20?
I actually think it can be so hit and miss where one person can change the game, whereas in 50-over cricket, even if one person can stand out it takes quite often two or three people to have really good days [for a win]. Whereas in T20 one person can take the game away from you with the bat or the ball. But it’s also a positive if you are that person who stands up.If New Zealand Women need six off the last ball to win the World Cup, who would you put on the pitch?
There’s too many to choose from. It will be hard to go past Suzie Bates or Rachel Priest – they are some of the cleanest hitters I’ve seen around.

“I’m hopeless at swimming. I love the water, I play games in the water, but I probably couldn’t swim 50 metres. I could stay afloat and doggy-paddle”

Why don’t you wear a helmet while batting?
Actually, I’ve never really worn a helmet. The only time I can really remember is playing boys’ high school cricket and a few boys were going after me, bowling at around 130-135kph, so I put one on. I back myself to get out of the way. If I get hit, I guess it’s my own fault, and probably people will be saying I’m a bit silly for that. But it’s a comfort thing as well and just something that I’ve always done.Who’s the fastest bowler you have faced?
I think when I first played I was up against Cathryn Fitzpatrick, the old Australian. She was pretty nippy. If you look recently, Lea Tahuhu from our side gets some good pace up; Katherine Brunt and Ellyse Perry all get it through at a reasonable rate of knots, so I think the exciting thing about the women’s game is that it’s growing and getting those outright quick bowlers.Sophie’s choice? White Ferns, but an Olympic medal is the dream•Getty ImagesYou were run out without facing a ball on your T20 international debut. What happened there?
Oh, was it ()? I can’t even remember! I don’t even remember who it was against – it must have been a while ago. Back when I first debuted, both 50 overs and T20, I was a bowler, I did not bat at all. So I was always lower down the order. I was probably backing up too far or just trying to get the batter on strike rather than me, or something like that. It doesn’t surprise me. I’ve slowly worked myself up the order, so you never know, I might even open at some stage.White Ferns or Black Sticks?
Well, White Ferns. I’ve been really fortunate to play for both teams and I definitely keep an eye on the Black Sticks at the moment. I’m really excited about the future of the White Ferns and the competitions coming up – the World T20 in India next year and the World Cup in England in a couple of years’ time.Olympic gold medal or World Cup?
You’re throwing the hard ones at me! That’s really tough. That’s something that hockey will always have over cricket, that it’s an Olympic sport and that a medal is a huge thing; it’s not to say that the World Cup trophy isn’t worthy. I’ll take either, whatever it is.

“My favourite shot would probably be a big, dirty slog over cow corner, but I’ll probably get told off”

If you had to pick one?
I’ll probably get shot for saying this but an Olympic medal. I’ll be dropped for the next game probably now ().What’s the one thing you’d change immediately if you became captain tomorrow?
I would love to get more girls on contracts. I think that would be a huge positive for us. It’s fantastic that we’ve got ten, but realistically we want to push that up to 15, ideally 20, contracts, so that we can get more girls in the environment and supply them with the resources that we need to keep challenging those top teams.Who is more famous in New Zealand, Suzie Bates or Valerie Adams?
Probably Valerie Adams, but they look quite similar – both tall. Valerie Adams is a hero at home, she’s got a pretty good record there with the shot put but what Bates has achieved is pretty awesome – dual international is pretty special, not too many people can say that.Who has the worst taste in music in the team?
Morna Nielsen. She’s very alternative, she would think she’s got excellent taste. She did throw a spanner in the works the other day, when she said her favourite movie was , which goes completely against all her normal selections. So she’s up there, and also Hannah Rowe. Ninety percent of her iPod is Taylor Swift. It probably shows her age a little bit – she’s only 19, the youngest and that probably does make sense.Six needed off the last ball? Call Suzie Bates•WICB Media/Ashley AllenYour favourite sporting hero is Roger Federer. How are you taking the Wimbledon loss?
Not very well. Everyone was watching in their rooms and all you could hear at one point was hooping and hollering. That’s one thing about Federer – he’s so gracious in defeat as well. I’m absolutely gutted that he didn’t win, but it’s a sign of the person he is. Looking from the outside, the way he holds himself whether he’s winning or losing, he’s definitely an idol.What would you say if you’re stuck in a lift with him?
I probably wouldn’t even be able to talk. With famous people I lose the plot, I just get really hyped up and emotional and I won’t be able to speak. Even back at home, even if it’s a men’s domestic cricketer, I lose the plot. I just get squealy like a teenage girl.Tell us something we don’t know about you
I think most people know about the diabetes now, I really like to push that up there. I’m hopeless at swimming. I love the water, I play games in the water, but I probably couldn’t swim 50 metres. I could stay afloat and doggy-paddle but I probably could not complete a 50-metre length pool. I’ve always been hopeless at swimming, so that’s something my family always takes the piss out of me about.Describe yourself in a sentence
It would probably be based around having a laugh. For me it’s just about enjoying wherever I am, whoever I’m with. I can get pretty serious sometimes, but it’s always good to crack a joke or have a laugh.

Despite a decade in power as a cricket administrator, N Srinivasan’s legal troubles and tussles with various board members meant his fall was ominous and swift

Nagraj Gollapudi and Arun Venugopal09-Nov-20153:45

Ugra: Srinivasan left with no choice but to start again

BCCI president Shashank Manohar is set to replace N Srinivasan for the remainder of the latter’s term as ICC chairman. Manohar will occupy the position till end of June next year. The BCCI also appointed former ICC president Sharad Pawar as the second nominee to attend ICC meetings in case Manohar was unavailable.Srinivasan became the world body’s inaugural chairman in June 2014, immediately after the ICC revamp devised by the Big Three – comprising India, England and Australia – was put in place. Despite becoming an isolated figure within the BCCI circles in the last year – especially since the Supreme Court, investigating the 2013 IPL corruption scandal, barred him from contesting re-election as the board’s president – Srinivasan continued to be the BCCI representative at the ICC board. His nomination was confirmed by the BCCI in June at the ICC AGM, in Barbados.But since his meeting with former BCCI and ICC president Sharad Pawar in Nagpur on September 23, Srinivasan’s fall has been ominous and swift. The meeting between the two heavyweight administrators fueled speculations of an alliance in the wake of the sudden death of Jagmohan Dalimiya. A few days later, though, Manohar emerged as the unanimous choice, trumping Srinivasan.On October 4, while taking over formally as BCCI president, Manohar and BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, who had a few run-ins with Srinivasan, expressed they had no intention of having a vindictive attitude. Srinivasan and his supporters subsequently withdrew a case of perjury filed against Thakur in the Supreme Court.Still, Manohar’s resolve to clear the cobwebs of conflict of interest was the first signal that the current power structure within the board wanted to erase all signs of Srinivasan and appear as a diametrically opposite administration. The exit of Sundar Raman, a Srinivasan confidante and one of the architects of the Big Three position paper which set into motion the ICC revamp, was another step in that direction, culminating in Srinivasan’s own removal on Monday.Srinivasan said he respected the BCCI’s decision, but refused to comment on Manohar’s candidature. “When you are at the ICC, you are sent by the BCCI. It’s for BCCI to effect the changes in representation. One has to respect that,” Srinivasan told ESPNcricinfo. “All these posts are tenure-bound. So, therefore one has to be conscious of it.”Srinivasan said he was satisfied and “proud” of the work he had put in, and that he was “particularly proud of the contribution I have made for BCCI.” According to Srinivasan, the ICC had evolved into a powerful entity following the sweeping constitutional reforms which were controversially introduced in June 2014. “I think the ICC is much stronger today. ICC is truly a members’ organisation,” he said.”I think we had a very harmonious board, and I have deep respect for all other board members who worked with me, and in particular [thankful for] the co-ordinated efforts taken by chairman (ECB) Giles Clarke and chairman (Cricket Australia) Wally Edwards along with me in delivering excellent value for the media rights tender. It is definitely a high point.”N Srinivasan – “I am proud of the contribution I have made for the BCCI”•AFPThe sequence of events that led to Srinivasan losing his stranglehold as a cricket administrator following a decade in power did not surprise BCCI officials. “This had to happen,” an official said. “You can’t have a person who has had this kind of relationship with the BCCI for a long time. He can’t represent the BCCI. It is untenable.”The official said Srinivasan’s stance against Manohar and Thakur was inappropriate. “For the last six-seven months, he has consistently been at odds against the people running the BCCI. He has had a contrary view. So how can he represent the BCCI?”One example the official provided was the ICC chief executive Dave Richardson sending a letter to Thakur asking him to stay away from suspected bookies after a picture of him in the company of an alleged bookie emerged. Thakur responded vehemently denying any wrongdoing and instead asked Srinivasan to share the details of suspected bookies with his own family members.Nonetheless, a veteran administrator who has worked with both Srinivasan and Manohar felt that India’s clout at the ICC level would remain strong despite Srinivasan’s exit, stating that the BCCI’s power did not revolve around around one individual. “It is the Indian clout, not Srinivasan that allows India to have a bigger say,” the administrator said.When asked if Manohar, who has not been to the ICC by his own admission for half a decade, would adapt easily to the workings and fit into the Big Three’s vision, the administrator said Manohar had been “very effective” in his dealings at the ICC during his first stint as BCCI president.While Srinivasan refrained from speculating on his future in cricket administration, he said his cement business would occupy much of his time hereon. “There is a large business I am involved in, which also demands a lot of attention,” he said. “I have looked at all this [cricket administration] as a job and responsibility. Like I say in lighter fashion, I will try and improve my golf. If I have neglected anything in these last eight years, it’s my golf.”

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2015Vijay was trapped lbw by Tharindu Kaushal for 82, but Rahane’s fluency did not suffer•AFPHe brought up his fourth Test hundred off 212 balls•AFPAlthough erratic, Kaushal’s threat was clear. He removed Rahane for 126…•AFP… after which Dhammika Prasad picked three quick wickets to prompt India’s declaration with a lead of 412 runs•AFPAshwin took out Kaushal Silva in the third over, and out walked…•AFP… Kumar Sangakkara. He was given a guard of honour by the ball boys and the Indian team. But his innings was cut short for 18 and Sri Lanka went in to stumps at 72 for 2, still trailing by 341 runs•AFP

India have failed to put up any semblance of a fight despite posting large totals because they are letting the little things slip while on the field

Sidharth Monga15-Jan-2016India have now become only the third side to lose successive matches after putting 300 on the board. As has become the norm there will be a temptation to blame Rohit Sharma – particularly the shortage of singles in the earlier parts of his innings – but there have been other smaller and bigger factors with much bigger impact at play.Rohit has scored 295 off 290 balls out of India’s 617 runs, has got out only once, but has not seen his side come even close to defending any of the totals. He faced 77 dots in Perth, and 59 in Brisbane. Put together, Steven Smith and George Bailey faced 93 dots and scored 261 runs. In Brisbane the two scored a total of 122 runs, and faced just 35 dots. In these hard and cold numbers lies the argument that the ODI game has changed – 300 is not a good total and Rohit needs to go hell for leather sooner than he has been doing so that India can get a par score. However, there are other hard and cold numbers that need to be looked at before picking on Rohit.If the period after a World Cup usually marks the start of new trends, it will be instructive to look at numbers from World Cup to World Cup. Between the 2003 and 2007 editions, teams lost nine of the 60 games a 300-plus target was put up. Between 2007 and 2011, sides batting first reached 300 120 times, and lost 22 of those matches, one of them on Duckworth-Lewis calculations. Between the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, 101 scores of 300 or more were posted, out of which 18 were chased down, one thanks to D/L. Clearly more 300s are being chased, but that’s because more 300s are being scored.If you look at the ratio of 300s being defended progressively, the change is not drastic. It is still a safe total for a good bowling attack. It should at least make the chasing side break sweat, not stroll through and frustrate the captain into words to the effect of: forget about it, we will need to score at least 330.A measure of India’s new bowling low can be seen in how the opposition has treated them. Australia have tapped singles inside the 30-yard circle, and pinched the extra run on almost every throw from the deep. Smith’s men have done the little things right while playing an extremely physical game.Take the example of Barinder Sran. He has been impressive with the ball and made a fine attempt to catch Shaun Marsh at long leg, but his arm has been exposed mercilessly by the Australian batsmen. Almost every ball hit to him in the deep has yielded a minimum of two. Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma haven’t been completely spared either, but when Virat Kohli tried to do the same – he likes to give as good as he gets – a missile from Kane Richardson arrived right by the stumps.Ishant even dropped a sitter, and the agony came full circle when he drew the edge of the batsmen he reprieved, Marsh, and Manish Pandey dropped a difficult chance at first slip. Pandey was MS Dhoni’s third partner on the night, and he may well argue this was the wicketkeeper’s catch. Pandey had to dive to his right, whereas Dhoni hadn’t moved. As fantastic as Dhoni has been standing up to spin, not going for catches towards first slip when standing back has long been a weakness. As has been not running up to the stumps, which if he had done soon enough in Perth, Smith would have been run out for 9.There was another similar run-out missed in Brisbane, when R Ashwin, who has improved a lot with the ball, didn’t go behind the stumps to collect a throw from short fine leg. Instead he just banked on a direct hit with Marsh nowhere near the crease. Over the years India have improved their fielding to unrecognisable levels, but Australia have exposed the minor weaknesses ruthlessly: weaker arms which can’t be hidden on such large grounds, and not enough concentration for nearly long enough.

The selectors have to shoulder part of the blame for this. This is one of India’s more unbalanced squads. There are only five established specialist batsmen, which means Shikhar Dhawan can score three ducks in the rest of the series and there will be no cover

If there has to be a criticism of Rohit’s effort, it has to be over a little thing. No matter how he had got there, he was now batting at a run-a-ball and in his favourite part of the innings: the final few overs where he can make up for the slowest of starts. On the surface, he got out in the unluckiest fashion – run out while backing up at non-striker’s end – but you will rarely have seen Michael Hussey dismissed in this manner. That is not to say Hussey never backed up, just that when he saw the striker hit down the ground, he used to make a move back towards the stumps lest he get out the way Rohit did.Until then, Rohit had done the job his side had given him. There was more intent to hit the big shots early, but the main concern was to bat deep into the innings. In cold hard numbers his efficiency has been poorer than that of Smith and Bailey, but they have the comfort of knowing Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner are back in the hut. Rohit has Dhoni, who is a shadow of his own self, a rookie, Jadeja, who can be hit-or-miss and the bowlers. This lack of batting depth explains some of the caginess even in Dhoni. They are too worried there is no one behind them, a fear that came true when India scored only 53 after Rohit’s dismissal in the 43rd over.The selectors have to shoulder part of the blame for this. This is one of India’s more unbalanced squads. There are only five established specialist batsmen, which means Shikhar Dhawan can score three ducks in the rest of the series and there will be no cover. Suresh Raina, who can offer a few overs should one of the main bowlers have a day off, is not in the side. The allrounder provided to Dhoni doesn’t seem to be to his liking. Rishi Dhawan opens the bowling for his state Himachal Pradesh, but ahead of the series the India captain said there was no seaming allrounder in the side.All in all this ODI tour has all the ingredients of a perfect disaster and harping on minor flaws in Rohit’s batting, who has anyway been making up for slow starts with freakish regularity, is to bark up the wrong tree. Then again, perhaps that is the only field India can improve in? Dhoni won’t start diving overnight, the arms won’t strengthen overnight, nor will all five bowlers start bowling to a plan overnight. And it literally will have to happen overnight: India travel to Melbourne tomorrow and play the day after.

Kevin Pietersen03-Dec-2015I was a rubbish cricketer until I was about 18 or 19. I was keen, I worked hard and I loved the game. But I really wasn’t very good.I had an understanding, though, that if I took my opportunities, I could progress. And, such was my love for the game, it rarely felt like hard work. I loved playing. I loved training. I loved every stage of my journey in the sport.I don’t know if I was brave or stupid when I left home in South Africa as a teenager to go and take my chance in England. I had never travelled and there were no guarantees of success. I had been offered £2,000 for a season of club cricket with Cannock in the Birmingham League.It was great fun. I lived above a pub, I scored a few runs and I worked hard. After a few weeks, I had trials with Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire and Clive Rice, who was the director of cricket at Trent Bridge at the time, offered me a three-year deal.I had some encouragement before then. Just before Christmas 1999, I had come in at No. 9 for KwaZulu-Natal and smacked an unbeaten 60 and took four wickets (including Michael Atherton, Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain) against the touring England side. Nasser, the England captain at the time, was impressed and, when I told him I had a UK passport, wanted me to come and play club cricket for Ilford CC in Essex.There were some setbacks. After a really good first season in county cricket, I came back at the start of the following year, 2002, and couldn’t get a run in the Championship. After five or six games I was dropped.That’s a horrible feeling. But instead of feeling sorry for myself, I redoubled my efforts and worked harder than ever. I tried to learn from my mistakes and ensure that, when the opportunity came again, I would be in a better position to take it. I rectified the technical failures and made sure I used the experience to improve as a player. I was recalled to the first team and scored four centuries in 10 days; three of them career-best scores.Each success helped me grow in confidence. Once you have done something once, you know you can do it again and, knowing I had made it through some challenging times, gave me the strength to know I could find a solution to other problems as they arose. But it all started with that decision – that brave, reckless, stupid decision – to leave South Africa as a 19-year-old.5:56

#PoliteEnquiries: Kevin Pietersen special

That’s the message I’ve trying to get across to the kids on my Sprite 24/7 cricket camp in Dubai. I want them to understand how hard they will have to work if they are going to enjoy success in this game. I want them to understand that, when life offers an opportunity, you have to take it. And I want them to understand that all that work can be great fun.It’s been inspiring for me to see these kids embrace the opportunity they have here. Quite a few of them have never travelled before so this experience – the air travel, the brilliant facilities, the high level of coaching and access to information – has come as quite a shock. But you can see them relishing it and the coaches – Nic Pothas, David Balcombe and Dom Telo – have spotted some outstanding talent here. We’ll be looking to provide scholarships to the outstanding young players to help them pursue their cricketing aspirations.Of course they won’t all go on to be professional cricketers. But a few might and many more will go back to their communities and share their experiences with another generation of young players.That is why we have ensured that each one of these young players will go back to their communities with an ICC Level 1 coaching certificate. Amid the games and the skills training, they have also had enough classroom time to undergo what we are calling the KP Sports Leaders Course.This means that, when they go home, they will be in a position to coach the kids in their communities. That way we hope to spread the messages we are imparting here far beyond the 80 or so kids. We hope that each of them will make a difference in their club, or town, or village and that kids who might not otherwise have had an opportunity to progress will have a greater chance.This game has given me so much. If I can help a few of these kids realise their ambitions, I’d be thrilled.More information can be found here: https://www.kp24foundation.com

Stats highlights from the fourth day of the Delhi Test

Bharath Seervi06-Dec-20154 Number of Indian batsmen who have scored centuries in each innings of a Test before Ajinkya Rahane in this match – Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar (thrice), Rahul Dravid (twice) and Virat Kohli. Rahane followed his 127 in the first innings with an unbeaten 100 in the second innings.8 Number of batsmen, before Rahane, who had scored centuries in each innings of a Test when coming in to bat at No. 5 or lower. Rahane batted at No.5 in the first innings, and at No.6 in the second. Rahane is the first Indian to achieve this feat.7 Number of sixes hit by Rahane in this match – four in the first innings and three in the second. It is the joint second-highest by an India batsman in a Test. Navjot Sidhu holds the record with eight sixes against Sri Lanka in Lucknow in 1993-94. Rahane is only the second India batsman after Harbhajan Singh to hit three or more sixes in both innings of a Test.481 Target set by India in this Test; it is their highest against South Africa, going past the 461 they set against them in Kanpur in 1996-97. Against all teams, it is the fifth-highest target India have ever set.1 South Africa’s run rate at the end of the fourth day – they scored 72 in as many overs. It is the second-lowest by any team in a Test innings of at least 50 overs. It is also the slowest by any team against India (with a 50-over cut-off).72 South Africa’s score, which is the fewest runs scored by any team after 72 overs in a Test innings since 2002. The next three lowest scores after 72 overs during this period are also by South Africa: they twice scored 104 – against Sri Lanka in Colombo, and against Australia in Cape Town, both of which happened in 2014 – and also made 105 against West Indies in Georgetown in 2005.45 Number of dot balls Hashim Amla played before scoring his first run in this innings; it is the second-highest by a South African batsman in Tests. The highest is 46, by Clive Eksteen against New Zealand in Auckland in 1994-95. The overall record is 79 balls by John Murray for England against Australia in Sydney in 1962-63.11.11 Amla’s strike rate in this innings at the end of the fourth day; it is the lowest in any innings in which a batsman has faced 200 or more deliveries.0.78 The runs scored per over in the 23-run stand between Amla and AB de Villiers; it is the lowest among all partnerships of 175 or more balls (among all partnerships where balls-faced data is available). Amla and de Villiers have added these runs in 176 balls (29.2 overs). Before this partnership, Amla added 44 off 232 balls with Temba Bavuma at a run rate of 1.13, which is the is fourth-lowest. De Villiers features four times in the ten slowest partnerships of 175 or more balls, and also features twice in the ten fastest partnerships of 175-plus balls.43 Number of maiden overs bowled by India, out of the 72 overs till the end of the fourth day. It is the joint-highest maiden overs in an innings of 72 or fewer overs. There were 43 maiden overs by England bowlers in the fourth innings against West Indies in Birmingham in 1957.

Dawid Malan impressed for England Lions in the UAE before Christmas, and is back hoping to enhance his claims to a World Twenty20 berth

David Hopps13-Jan-2016With two months to go until the World Twenty20, England’s squad looks relatively settled. They have lost only one of their last seven matches since a failed campaign in 2014 ended with an ignominious defeat against The Netherlands in Chittagong. But if you were looking for a surprise uncapped addition to the squad then, among the batsmen at least, Dawid Malan must be in the running.Alex Hales and Jason Roy are certain starters at the top of the order, but if England have space in their squad for a stand-by opener then Malan’s excellent run of form both for Middlesex and England Lions can’t be doing him any harm.Malan was one of the stars of England Lions’ pre-Christmas trip to the UAE with three T20 fifties against Pakistan A. His efforts were rounded off with a stellar display in the series decider. His 81 from 55 balls should have won the match in normal time – instead, after a late England collapse had led to a tie, he struck two boundaries in the Super Over to clinch the series 3-2.Now he is back in the UAE again for the 50-over segment of the tour in an England Lions squad that retains the same batting unit for the five-match series, but makes changes in the bowling ranks with Liam Plunkett, Toby Roland-Jones and Craig Overton replacing Reece Topley, who is required for England’s ODI leg in South Africa, Tymal Mills, whose back condition only allows him to play Twenty20, and left-arm spinner Danny Briggs.Malan has always been a destructive hitter, but Andy Flower, who is overseeing the Lions’ UAE schedule, and a man who chooses his words carefully, intimated that his game had become more reliable when he described him as “rock solid”, adding: “He’s a beautiful timer of the ball. He’s been really consistent, but he’s also been explosive at times.”The pair will join forces again with Peshawar in the Pakistan Super League, where Flower has been freed up by the ECB to act as batting coach, so completing a close season heavily focused on the Gulf. “I’ve enjoyed my time in Dubai, which suits my lifestyle outside cricket,” Malan said. “I’ve not given the World Twenty20 much thought, but it would be nice to get a spot in one of the teams. I’m just focused on scoring as many runs as possible to try to make that happen. If someone with the pedigree of Andy Flower praises you then it gives you a lot of confidence.”

England Lions squad

James Vince (captain, Hants), Jake Ball (Notts), Daniel Bell-Drummond ( Kent), Sam Billings ( Kent), Joe Clarke (Worcs), Tom Curran (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hants), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Dawid Malan (Middx), Craig Overton (Somerset), Jamie Overton (Somerset), Stephen Parry (Lancs), Liam Plunkett (Yorks), Toby Roland-Jones (Middx), Tom Westley ( Essex), Ross Whiteley (Worcs).

Itinerary

Warm-up v UAE, January 14

Warm-up v UAE, January 16

1st ODI v Pak A, January 20

2nd ODI v Pak A, January 22

3rd ODI v Pak A, January 25
4th ODI v Pak A, January 28

5th ODI v Pak A, January 30

If the runs keep flowing and he does make the cut for the tournament, he would not be the first batsman to attract England’s attention in the build-up to a World T20 because of his exploits in the UAE. Michael Lumb’s matchwinning half-century for the A team against England in Dubai six years ago, following on the heels of a stand-out season for Nottinghamshire and an IPL contract, won him a place in the squad for the 2010 tournament in the Caribbean, alongside his fellow newcomer and Lions team-mate, Craig Kieswetter. Both men played vital roles in what remains England’s only victory in a major ICC competition.Angus Fraser, Malan’s director of cricket at Middlesex, called him “one of the more gifted players in county cricket” when he signed a new three-year deal ahead of the 2015 season. That summer was his finest to date as he recorded career-best hundreds in all three formats of the game.He began with an unbeaten 115 off 64 balls as Middlesex beat Sussex at Hove, and even damaged a Ferrari with one of his biggest blows. An unbeaten 182 in the Championship transformed a match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, and to round it off he hit an unbeaten 156 as Middlesex completed their Royal London One-Day Cup campaign with victory against Glamorgan at Lord’s.Worse players have won IPL deals, but for the moment that is not on Malan’s radar. His career averages rest around the mid-30s in all three formats, enough to encourage his classification as a stronger limited-overs player, but now that his heavy scoring has spread to the Championship, at 28 he is not about to abandon hope of an England Test cap.”I haven’t tried for IPL because I want to play all three formats for England,” he said. “It would mean missing too much Championship cricket for Middlesex and I don’t want to put myself at a disadvantage. If it doesn’t happen over the next couple of years I might start putting my name in the hat”Such career choices are far from easy, especially with England’s attitude in a state of flux. Under Andrew Strauss’s reign as the director of England cricket, players such as Adil Rashid and Jos Buttler know they can gain experience in overseas leagues with the blessings of the ECB. Malan, for now, does not have to face such a choice. He just wants to make runs for the Lions, and to keep impressing Flower, one of the toughest judges around.”Is a great opportunity to test where you are,” Flower told ecb.co.uk as the T20 leg of the tour ended, “not just in the scheme of other international cricketers, but also amongst your own peers from England. Because make no mistake, they’re watching the people around them. Competition for places is the reality of selection.”

Our writer puts himself in the shoes of the India fans watching their team’s collapse against New Zealand

Jarrod Kimber15-Mar-20162:33

Chappell: India can’t complain about the pitch

This is very touching, Martin Guptill is crying while they honour his hero Martin Crowe.Then he is at the crease. R Ashwin is in front of him. With his 5 for 32 and 7 for 66 from the last Test here. We are screaming, chanting, pure noise. We have beaten the BCCI ticketing system, the trip out of town to the ground, the traffic, and the endless queues just to get into the ground. Guptill’s job is just to get out. That is all.But first ball he plants Ashwin over the fence. We are surprised, and we cheer, maybe just out of shock. This is our event though, so the first ball should be a six, even if we didn’t hit it. There was a rumour of games here earlier in the week, but this is the start, no?Guptill is out. Spin is already king. Colin Munro hits a six, then gets out too. This is awesome, maximum maximums and wickets everywhere. And now Williamson, ha, the Kane Williamson, he is almost, almost, as good as our boys, and he is gone.This is our party, our celebration, our moment, our tournament, our country, our everything. We are bossing it, smashing it, destroying it. New Zealand are performing their role of live chum to perfection.They can slow the game down if they want, they can consolidate, we will party. We don’t need fours and sixes to have a good time, India will make them, enough for both sides, on their way to inevitable victory.Of course the pitch was tough; India hadn’t batted on it. Sure it spun; India had bowled on it.Ashwin was just warming up, the bowling equivalent of cracking his knuckles. Ravi Jadeja was firing them at the pads for fun. Suresh Raina was inventing the run-and-bowled manoeuvre.Corey Anderson, one of the higher stocks on the IPL exchange, couldn’t hit the ball. Ross Taylor was confused. Mitchell Santner was just moving the ball around. Grant Elliott was struggling. Only Luke Ronchi looked good. Heck, New Zealand’s best over in the middle of their innings was from 10 extras. Even while New Zealand batted, India was outscoring them.The total wasn’t even that, it was an incomplete. It was an inadequate chase for our superstars, if anything it would mean fewer maximums would be hammered as the pitiful score was helicoptered out of Nagpur.There was no way India could lose. Not our India. Not at home. Not with this total. Not with all the face paint, the flags, the official replica jerseys, the knock-off replica jerseys, the noise and the passion. It was worth 100 runs on its own. We were doing our part, now our men, our stars, our legends, would collect their win and we would all bathe in the beautiful glow of a victory for our nation.Shikhar Dhawan would end this total. Rohit Sharma can make more than double this on his own. Suresh Raina would compete his all-round match-winning performance. Yuvraj Singh could get a quarter of the score in one over. Jadeja and his bag of triple centuries.Oh, Virat, he averaged like a million in T20 chases.Oh, Dhoni. MS. Mahi. Nuff said.I mean what is a Santner? An Ish Sodhi? And Brendon McCullum’s brother, come on, you are not being serious right now, come back later when you are serious. Trent Boult, gone. Tim Southee, gone. Adam, Milne, a back-up, Anderson, hardly threatening, Elliott, no, that is not an attack that can defend 126, not against anyone. Not against India. Not in India. Not against Dhoni.Shikhar is out, pfft, not a big deal, plenty more of that in the dugout. Rohit, ha, his nohit will not bother us today. Suresh and Yuvi, ok, ok, this is odd, but Virat, Dhoni, come on, who do you think are New Zealand, all you are doing is delaying our gratification, giving Dhoni a chance to just do what Dhoni does.Even without Virat. Even without Jadeja. Even without, wait, what, Ashwin. Why is Ashwin here? What is he doing out in the middle, is this a confusing joke, a huge prank, or is Dhoni trying to make this as hard as he can for himself. Is he waiting until he has to hit a six every ball, and then he will hit a six every ball, and he will tell us that we should always believe in him, and we will quickly pretend like we always did?When did New Zealand even find a whole three spinners, did they clone Daniel Vettori? This is just silly. How are these men we don’t know beating us at our game, in our country, in our tournament.A six, a Dhoni six. It hit the commentators. It is long and beautiful. He was rope-a-doping New Zealand. He was making them bowl out their spinners. He was leaving it until the last minute, the Dhoni minute. Aha, yes. This is it. Yes, our Dhoni, he will deliver us to glory.There is not enough time for man, but there is time for Dhoni.What is that moving at mid-on? It’s going so fast. It’s diving. It’s throwing the ball up. Why is Dhoni leaving? What 79? No. No. Please, no.We are leaving now. This is not what we came for. Now we want to cry.

Bangladesh will be playing their second straight World T20, and have surprised Sri Lanka in the past. But the jarring truth is that they haven’t played enough cricket in the build-up to the upcoming global tournament

Shashank Kishore14-Mar-2016As Tamim Iqbal waltzed his way to a century in Dharamsala to give Bangladesh an entry into the Super 10s stage of the World T20, 15 women and their support staff were glued to their television sets at the team hotel in Bangalore. After the match was won, there was a celebratory dinner that encapsulated the mood of the entire nation.It was a throwback to 2014 , where Bangladesh Women let their hair down and celebrated their win over Sri Lanka, their first at the World T20. The win that was witnessed by over 10,000 fans in Sylhet was followed by a fashion show and fireworks display at the team hotel. But opportunities to celebrate wins like those have been far and few, as the team has hardly had any international exposure since then.Bangladesh will be playing their second straight World T20. In 2014, they secured a direct entry by virtue of being the hosts, but this time around, the team went through a qualifying round in Thailand in November 2015, and sealed their berth along with Ireland in the 10-team event. But the jarring truth is that they haven’t played enough cricket in the build-up to the upcoming tournament.Their last international match, before the WT20 Qualifiers, was in Pakistan in October 2015. South Africa’s limited-overs tour of Bangladesh was cancelled on security grounds in November, while the Under-19 World Cup in January and February meant they had to make do with training sessions under the purview of their own districts.Makeshift grounds, matting wickets and matches with Under-16 boys can hardly replace the kind of experience they would get by playing the top teams. And the ICC’s ongoing Women’s Championship, where the top eight teams play each other over a two-year period to identify four direct entries to the 2017 World Cup, means opportunities continue to remain far and few for Bangladesh.”That win will be very special, but we haven’t been able to play too many matches. I’m hopeful of doing something like that here too,” says Jahanara Alam, the Bangladesh captain, as she reminisces a win that catapulted the team into stardom. “People were garlanding us, celebrating it like we had won a World Cup. Visitors kept coming home for weeks after that. Now, we will be playing on television at a big event for the first time, and everyone is excited. Other teams are stronger than us, but we are still representing a passionate set of followers back home, and a win or two here will make us superstars.”Prior to their World T20 win, Bangladesh’s only claim to fame was their medal-winning performance at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, where they narrowly missed the gold medal after being outclassed by Pakistan in a close contest. India’s non-participation made it easier, but the weight of that achievement brought them recognition and funding.In 2011, they finished fifth, above Ireland at the qualifiers for the 2013 World Cup. While they narrowly missed out on an entry into the biggest stage in India, their ODI status was formally sealed, four years after the team came into existence. ODI status brought with it the need to bring up the team to acceptable standards. It was around then that Mamatha Maben, the former India captain, was made head coach. She later went on to become technical director of the BCB women’s wing.”Naturally, they were all athletic, which was surprising,” Maben says. “What they lacked was exposure outside Dhaka. Facilities weren’t up to the mark at the smaller centres, the players did not have physios or trainers to monitor them. They had to look after themselves and train with modest facilities. Some came through despite that, others couldn’t sustain.”Jahanara, who was yet to make her international debut when the team got ODI status, was one among those who made a switch. She had already represented her districts in volleyball and was on the brink of national selection, when she decided to become a bowler. It was a decision she doesn’t regret, even though she feels the sport has a long way to go in the country.”I used to play volleyball and handball, but chose cricket because of the following it gained 2007, where the men’s team qualified for the second round [in the World Cup]. Since the time I started playing, there has been a steady increase in enrollments at our academy. Right now, we are playing districts and division matches, and against Zimbabwe and Ireland. If we play more regularly, we can be a better team.”To give the players more match time, the BCB introduced a first-division league with eight teams in 2014. Six months later, a districts competition with 14 teams was introduced. Apart from a domestic league, the BCB introduced retainers to the top players. Under the scheme, five top players in Grade A take home a salary of BDT 30,000 a month, while those in Grade B and C draw 20,000 and 10,000 respectively.”From 400, there are nearly 1500 girls playing cricket now, but the number is still far less than other countries,” says Awal Chaudhary, the BCB women’s wing director. “Football is popular; athletics scene is improving slowly, so our challenge is to ensure girls are not leaving the game after two-three years of cricket. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has pumped in more money into the women’s wing, but so far our efforts of playing the top eight haven’t been economically viable. But it is an ongoing process. Our first aim is to break into the top eight of the rankings, which we can hopefully achieve by qualifying for the 2017 World Cup.”

Plays of the day from the second Qualifier between Gujarat Lions and Sunrisers Hyderabad

Karthik Krishnaswamy27-May-2016Cutting’s leap, parts 1 and 2In the ninth over of the Gujarat Lions innings, Dinesh Karthik skipped down the pitch to Bipul Sharma and whipped him over the leg side. He hit it well, but within range of Ben Cutting, running to his left from deep midwicket. Cutting, however, slightly overran the ball, and the ball ended up brushing the outside of his right hand, as he leaped to catch it over his head, and landed beyond the boundary cushions.Cutting was called into action, at the same station, in the 15th over, when Aaron Finch heaved Barinder Sran towards deep midwicket. This time the ball was carrying far enough for Cutting to have to leap over the rope in order to somehow put it back in play. He managed this with a dazzling piece of athleticism, catching the ball and flicking it back in one motion, while suspended mid-air.Jadeja’s baseball-style runIt was the final over and Lions were looking to scramble any extra run they could manage. When Dhawal Kulkarni drove a low full-toss from Bhuvneshwar Kumar hard down the ground, not far from long-on, he called Ravindra Jadeja back for what looked like a suicidal second. Jadeja was nowhere near the crease when the throw reached the bowler, but it had dragged him several yards wide of the stumps. Jadeja lost hold of his bat as he ran past the crease, and then, spotting the opportunity for a third, turned, called Kulkarni for a third run, and sprinted to the striker’s end with his bat still lying at the other.Bravo nutmegs WarnerDavid Warner was batting on 75 off 45 balls at the start of the 16th over of the Sunrisers Hyderabad innings, so you could say he had his eye in. But Dwayne Bravo’s dipping slower ball can deceive even someone batting on 200, especially if it’s dropping late, into the blockhole. Shaping to whip through the leg side, Warner was through his shot early, the force of it taking his feet off the ground. The ball only arrived when he landed, pitching and then deviating like an offbreak to sneak between Warner’s legs.PK is not amusedPraveen Kumar has got into trouble with his temper on a few occasions, and has spoken of how he now tries to avoid those episodes of ” [two minutes of anger]”. In the 17th over of the Sunrisers innings, he was just beginning to lose his calm; Bipul Sharma had hit him for a straight six, and had then failed to pick a slower ball, sending a leading edge looping agonisingly over his head and beyond his reach. With Warner now on strike, Praveen steamed in from around the wicket and delivered the perfect yorker, moving swiftly to his left to cut off a possible single. Then he spun around and shaped for a mock throw at the batsman’s end.It is unclear if Warner said something at this point, or if Praveen simply took exception to his facial expression, or if he was blowing off steam for what had occurred earlier in the over. He advanced towards Warner, eyes widening, repeating, at regular intervals, just one word. “What?” he asked Warner. A couple more steps up the pitch. “What?” Just as the distance between bowler and batsman was about to dwindle to nothingness, Dinesh Karthik stepped in, sprinting from his wicketkeeper’s post to put himself between them and lead Praveen away with a calming hand on his shoulder.