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Dean Elgar goes against the trend in choosing to bat in New Zealand conditions, and then helps bring up a rare away century opening stand for South Africa

Firdose Moonda24-Feb-2022Sarel Erwee scored his first Test century in his second match and shared in South Africa’s best opening partnership since December 2020 as the visitors defied the odds while batting first at the Hagley Oval. Dean Elgar became the first captain to win the toss and choose to put runs on the board at this venue, and only the fourth in the last 45 Tests hosted in New Zealand to make that decision. The move was particularly forthright after South Africa were bowled out for 95 and 111 in the first Test, but paid off as they scored more than they did in both innings combined.On a surface that was much less green than the first Test, New Zealand’s five-pronged pace attack did not find the same seam movement they did last week and appeared far less threatening. They stuck to their mostly short-of-a-length strategy and found swing through the air but South Africa’s more cautious and determined strategy served them well. The run-rate hovered under three an over and New Zealand sent down 31 maidens in their 90 overs. Pressure was never far away but South Africa found ways to cope.Elgar set the tone when he fronted up and survived against Tim Southee, who had several opportunities to snag him. He beat Elgar’s inside edge several times and then found it, in his fourth over, but the edge fell short of first slip. That was the first of three chances New Zealand created for Daryl Mitchell but all of them evaded him.Erwee started in much quieter fashion. He scored just five runs off the first 25 balls he faced before almost losing his leg stump to an inswinging yorker from Southee. His first convincing shot was a punch through square leg off Kyle Jamieson. It took him until the 16th over to draw level with Elgar in runs terms, on 17, but once he overtook the captain, he grew in confidence. He showed off a series of drives and brought up 50 off Colin de Grandhomme with a shot that went wide of point for four and took South Africa to lunch on 80 without loss. It was only the second time in 11 Tests at this ground that the batting team has gone to lunch without losing a wicket.The pair became the first visiting duo to share a century stand in the first innings of a Test in New Zealand since Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs in 2004 when Erwee drove Southee past mid-off for four. Though Southee was still swinging it, New Zealand must have wondered where a wicket would come from. Two overs later, Southee bowled Elgar with an inswinger that beat the outside edge and hit off stump, ending South Africa’s first away opening stand of over 100 since Adelaide 2012.That brought Aiden Markram, Elgar’s former opening partner who has been moved to No. 3 and effectively put on notice to score runs or ship out, to the crease. He provided a reminder of his form of old when he unfurled a cover drive off Southee but runs in general proved difficult for him to collect. It took him 47 balls to move past 10, and he offered a chance. Markam was on 6 when he edged a Neil Wagner delivery, but it fell short of Mitchell at first slip.Instead, in what may turn out to be a cruel twist of grooming his replacement, Markram provided a foil while Erwee worked his way to his century. He could have been out on 68, when Matt Henry found the outside edge but the chance fell short of first slip again. Erwee entered the nineties off the 160th ball he faced and spent 28 balls more getting to his century. He brought it up with a pull behind square off Wagner, three balls before tea, and celebrated with a punch in the air and an embrace from Markram, who would have had runs on his mind.Markram brought out the straight drive and the pull in the evening session and, as the ball got older, both he and Erwee appeared settled. But then, against the run of play, Markram got forward to block a Neil Wagner delivery and edged short of Southee and second slip. That was New Zealand’s fourth chance. In the next over, Markram’s concentration, which had lasted for two hours and 17 minutes, and 103 balls, wore out. He chased a wide Wagner ball and it carried – finally – to Mitchell at first slip to end his innings on 42. Markram now averages 12.63 from his last 11 Test innings.Two balls later, Erwee also played a loose stroke and nicked behind against Henry. New Zealand could have had Temba Bavuma two balls after that when he fended a delivery that took the shoulder of the bat but the chance went between third slip and gully. Next ball, Bavuma edged a delivery he had tried to pull out of playing, and the ball bounced in front of a diving Mitchell at first slip and went for four. Bavuma was on 14 when he edged Jamieson short of second slip but, with Rassie van der Dussen, he went on to take South Africa to the second new ball and the close.

The South African’s third child is due to be born soon but he is open to a return to the Heat in the future

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2020AB de Villiers will not return to the BBL with the Brisbane Heat this season due to the imminent birth of his third child and the complexities created by Covid-19, although the club have re-signed Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman.De Villiers’ signing was announced to much fanfare last season as he played six matches for the Heat although his returns were middling with 146 runs at 24.33. He is currently enjoying an impressive IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Heat hope he can return in the future.”While things initially looked fine for him to come back, there have been a few factors emerge which have changed everyone’s plans,” coach Darren Lehmann said. “The main one, aside from the challenges represented by Covid-19 and international travel, is that AB and his wife Danielle are expecting their third child very soon.ALSO READ: New Zealand-New South Wales air bubble could help bring top West Indies players to BBL“Naturally we’re very pleased for them and know that the next few months will be a very special time for all. We’ll stay in contact and see what develops. He has been in excellent touch in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore, so he obviously remains a player we’d like to keep working with when the circumstances allow.”Had de Villiers joined the BBL he would have been required to undergo 14 days quarantine in a hotel room before being able to link up with the Heat squad.”It’s exciting for Danielle and me with the arrival of our new baby very soon,” he said. “So with a young, growing family, and the uncertainty around travel and conditions due to Covid-19, we reluctantly decided it wasn’t going to be this season.”The Heat were great to us last summer and I am very open to returning to the club in the future. The team didn’t get the results we were hoping for and I consider there is some unfinished business to deal with.”Mujeeb, meanwhile, will play his third season for the Heat. He is part of the Kings XI Punjab squad at the IPL although has only made two wicketless outings at the tournament. However, his form at the CPL, where he claimed 16 wickets at 13.56 and an economy of 5.29 on surfaces heavily in favour of spin, has encouraged Lehmann.”He’s doing a lot of the little things as well as anyone, and his control and maturity have gone to a new level, I believe,” Lehmann said. “He was outstanding in the Caribbean Premier League recently when he was the second leading wicket-taker in the competition, and he’s shown in the IPL that he can handle the very best.”We’re very pleased to have him back with us and with the BBL schedule potentially looking quite different to the usual format, his versatility and ability to create chances in a range of conditions will be very important for us.”The Heat also have England’s Tom Banton in their squad and teams will be allowed to field three overseas players in their XIs for the next two seasons. The schedule for the BBL has yet to be confirmed but is expected to be announced shortly after the Australia-India dates are rubberstamped.

Pakistan need to win to give themselves the best chance of upstaging England and clinching a semi-final berth

The Preview by Umar Farooq28-Jun-20192:53

Hussey: Beating Pakistan can bring great joy for Afghanistan fans

Big Picture

Afghanistan came with a promise to upset at least two teams in this World Cup but they have spent their campaign dogged by one issue after another, on and off the field, and are winless in seven games. They are rooted to the bottom of the table, with the high point of their campaign the game against India, where they came within two blows of a historic victory. However, they slipped back into old ways in the game against Bangladesh, in which they fell short by 62 runs. They will now play for pride against Pakistan, a neighbouring country with which the rivalry is more intense than just a cricketing one.The Pakistan camp, in the meantime, has suddenly found its best form, buoyed after inflicting a first defeat upon New Zealand. Their World Cup dreams are well and truly alive, and comparisons to the 1992 World Cup campaign have now reached fever pitch. All of that will fade, however, if Pakistan fail to beat Afghanistan and Bangladesh, two sides who did not play the 1992 version of this competition. There are still lots of ifs and buts but for now the proposition is simple – Pakistan needs to win their remaining two games to have a realistic chance of a place in the semi-finals.Afghanistan on the other hand are living a dream in playing the World Cup a second time – a decade earlier, that would have been hardly within the realms of probability. Their bowling has given them a belief and confidence enough to pose a threat to any batting line-up, but the batting hasn’t quite lived up to that standard. Even when they did get close to inflicting an upset or two, the absence of a finishing touch was notable. However, they should remember they beat Pakistan in a warm-up game in Bristol before the start of the tournament, and coach Phil Simmons will be assuring them they can repeat the feat in the World Cup proper.

Form guide

Afghanistan LLLLL (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WWLLW

In the spotlight

Pakistan have already offloaded Shoaib Malik and brought in Haris Sohail. The move proved vital in making the middle order work and gave much needed stability to the batting line-up. The spotlight remains on another senior hand: with Mohammad Hafeez stuttering and unable to capitalise on his decent start, he will feel the pressure. He fell to part-time spinners in three of Pakistan’s last four games, playing poor shots, requiring his team-mates to bail the side out.Rashid Khan struggled to pick wickets•Getty Images

Rashid Khan has been off-colour, despite his high billing. The legspinner has averaged 78.5 with four wickets in six bowling innings so far. In his ODI career, he averages under 18 and he was meant to be a key campaigner for Afghanistan this tournament. But ever since the assault he suffered against England, conceding more runs than any bowler ever has at a World Cup, he appears to have lost confidence. At Leeds, the conditions seem unfavourable for spinners, as they average 45.7 with an economy of 5.4 in the last five completed ODIs at the venue. Can Rashid overcome?

Team news

Pakistan wouldn’t want to break up their winning combination, so an unchanged team is expected.Pakistan (probable): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Shaheen AfridiAfghanistan have tried almost every possible combination, with 16 players used. One change here and there in the batting or bowling hasn’t made a significant difference; they dropped Aftab Alam to recall Dawat Zardan in the last game against Bangladesh, but the bowler conceded 64 in nine overs for one wicket. Samiullah Shinwari in place of Hazratullah Zazai made a difference, as the batsman scored a useful 49 at No. 6 to offer much needed resistance. They are most likely to take on Pakistan unchanged from their previous outing in Southampton.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Gulbadin Naib (capt), 2 Rahmat Shah, 3 Hashmatullah Shahidi, 4 Asghar Afghan, 5 Samiullah Shinwari, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Najibullah Zadran, 8 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Dawlat Zadran, 11 Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Strategy punts

• Najibullah Zadran averaged 51.5 runs per dismissal and struck his runs at 101 per 100 balls since 2018. It wasn’t, therefore, a surprise to see him score heavily in the first two innings (51 against Australia and 43 against Sri Lanka) despite batting at No. 7. Him coming up higher in the order could offer stability but he seemingly fell prey to mismanagement, being pushing down in the order to play at Nos. 7 and 8 when the game is all but over. He was also dropped from one game. He is more than a slogger, averaging 57.7 in overs 11-40. His strike rate since 2018 against pace is 98.8 and against spinners, its 101. Time for a promotion?
• Mohammad Hafeez’s demotion from No. 4 to 6 may create a difference if Haris Sohail is promoted to No. 4 to bat alongside Babar Azam. Besides, Hafeez is effective as an improvisor and, since 2017, averages 64.67 with a strike rate of 137.5 between overs 41-50. Pakistan need an assured presence in the death overs to push their total beyond par to complement their bowlers, so the switch could be a win-win.

Pitch and conditions

It’s expected to be the hottest day of the year, with the temperature exceeding 30 C. The pitch is expected to be slow, but recent games here have had fast bowlers achieve success, which should play into Pakistan’s hands.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan and Afghanistan have played each other three times, with Afghanistan yet to win
• Pakistan’s win percentage at Leeds is 44.4%, having won four and lost five matches
• Mohammad Hafeez needs 63 runs for 500 runs in World Cups
• Samiullah Shinwari needs five wickets for 50 wickets in ODIs

England’s new national selector has the challenge of trying to solve long-standing issues with the Test side

Andrew McGlashan20-Apr-2018Stick or twistEngland were thwarted by New Zealand’s lower order in Christchurch, falling two wickets short of ending their barren run away from home. In the aftermath, there was a sense that the signs of improvement – particularly from Mark Stoneman and James Vince, who both scored half-centuries – had brought the men in the spotlight some more time. It will be interesting to see whether Smith feels the same way or whether the start of a new season is the time for a blank sheet of paper.Find the x-factorMark Wood and Jack Leach were brought into the side for Christchurch in an attempt to shake up England’s attack. It nearly worked, but the reality is that England have taken 20 wickets just once in their last 12 away Tests. James Anderson remains the attack leader and Stuart Broad looked rejuvenated in New Zealand, but high on Smith’s agenda will be finding bowlers (pace and spin) who can provide a point of difference. Names suggested early season include Olly Stone and Richard Gleeson in the pace debate, but Smith’s desire to delve into analytics may throw up some interesting new faces.Home and awayEngland’s home record has propped up their Test standing in recent years, but that can’t be taken for granted. There is a balance to strike between winning in the here-and-now and having an eye on the types of players who will be needed to arrest the decline overseas. For example, if a certain pace bowler or spinner is viewed as a likely starter in Sri Lanka or West Indies, then do they need to be playing this summer to find their feet in Test cricket? And, also, Smith will need to decide how far ahead to look. The next away Ashes in 2021-22 is likely to be high on the agenda. Players for that need to be identified now.Horses for coursesWith Smith’s emphasis on analytics and a more Moneyball approach to selection, could we see an evolution of the way Test squads are selected throughout a series – especially at home, where there is no restriction on who is available and limited distances to travel. Even if a certain team produces an impressive victory in one Test, does it mean they are the best XI for the next match? How deep will Smith look at conditions and opposition when selecting squads? This, of course, has to be balanced with the dangers of chopping and changing, and the instability it could bring.If it aint brokeRejuvenating the Test side will be Smith’s biggest selection challenge (although the T20 side has also lost some direction in the last couple of years). But the 50-over side is shaping up very nicely ahead of next year’s World Cup – an event with an importance to the English game that cannot be overstated. An era has been staked on winning that tournament on home soil. Smith is a smart man and will know what is working well, but it will be important that he doesn’t feel the need to tinker for the sake of it. Eoin Morgan and Trevor Bayliss probably already know 13 of their 15-man squad for 2019 – things would have to go badly pear-shaped for those selection meetings to stretch Smith too much.

Australia and their three debutants fought to the finish against the visitors in front of a raucous crowd at the MCG, but a win offered Sri Lanka the chance to wrap up the series at Kardinia Park on Sunday

The Report by Daniel Brettig17-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAsela Gunaratne continued his good form in international cricket•Getty Images

Australia’s “best of the Big Bash League” took Sri Lanka to the final ball. The hosts and their three debutants fought to the finish against the visitors in front of a raucous crowd at the MCG, but a win offered Sri Lanka the chance to wrap up the series at Kardinia Park on Sunday.The Perth Scorchers’ Andrew Tye was left with six runs to defend from the final over, and one from the final ball. Chamara Kapugedara surveyed the ring field then punched the winning boundary through the covers to secure the result. His composure ensured Sri Lanka finished in the ascendant after looking the more likely victors throughout their chase, largely due to a boundary count that outstripped the hosts, 21 to 13.None of Australia’s batsmen were able to go on to substantial scores after Upul Tharanga sent them in to bat, as a spongy pitch and disciplined Sri Lankan bowling denied them the ability to find a domineering rhythm. Sri Lanka’s pursuit was then given the desired fast start by Dilshan Munaweera after Tharanga was dismissed in the first over, and Asela Gunaratne’s nimble half-century guided the tourists to within sight of victory in front of 42,511 spectators, many of them barracking for Sri Lanka.Gunaratne also made a brief but notable contribution with the ball, goading the captain Aaron Finch into a skier after he had appeared the man most likely to produce a truly damaging tally for Australia. The dismissal came two balls after Finch had hammered the biggest six of the night, and 10 runs after Michael Klinger’s long delayed international debut was ended.Lasith Malinga, making his own return from a long absence, bowled tidily and scooped a couple of late wickets, while Seekkuge Prasanna gave up a mere 23 runs from four overs that featured 10 dot balls and should have been rewarded with the wicket of Travis Head – dropped badly by Tharanga at point.Tharanga’s night did not improve when he opened the batting, as he received a perfectly pitched ball going across him from Pat Cummins in the first over and offered a thin edge through to Tim Paine behind the stumps. While the Australians celebrated this wicket with some gusto, they were soon haring about the MCG outfield as Munaweera and Niroshan Dickwella went to work.Their partnership ensured the run rate was not going to be much of an issue, compelling Finch and his bowlers to chase wickets and consequentially offer more scoring opportunities. Adam Zampa delivered his usual handy spell and deserved his two wickets, but oddly Finch did not try his other spin options until introducing Ashton Turner with only a modest equation required.Dilshan Munaweera’s six fours in his quick innings rallied Sri Lanka till the halfway mark•Cricket Australia

Turner’s offbreaks were rewarded by a smart Paine stumping to end Gunaratne’s innings just when he appeared to be coasting home, before a debatable lbw verdict against Milinda Siriwardana closed the gap between the teams. In the end, Kapugedara was left needing a single from the final delivery, an assignment he made light work of with a steely drive for four.Klinger, Turner and Billy Stanlake were all named for their first T20 appearances for Australia but there was no room for Ben Dunk and only three specialist batsmen selected – Finch, Head and Klinger. The visitors included the left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan, who was so effective against Australia in the Test series in Sri Lanka last year.Malinga kicked off the evening with his first ball in a full international since February last year, and also bowled the first ball faced by Klinger in an international match no fewer than 19 years after his state debut. The pitch was a little on the sluggish side, but Klinger and the acting captain Finch made a decent start with a smattering of boundaries and hustling between the wickets.They had 76 on the board by the time Klinger tried to tug a Sandakan googly to the leg side and was pouched by Malinga via the resultant top edge. Finch had his eye on a big score as leader, but after depositing Gunaratne’s first ball well into the Great Southern Stand he tried to repeat the trick two balls later against an offcutter and popped another high catch.From there the innings was a sequence of fits and starts, as Head, Moises Henriques, Turner and James Faulkner all offered cameo contributions. However, Prasanna’s spell was particularly tidy, Sri Lanka did well to keep the boundary count down – only seven fours and four sixes in total – and two wickets in successive balls for Malinga in his final over also served to aid the tourists’ ultimately winning cause.

CSA has appointed Norman Arendse as convener of a task team to address the grievances voiced by black African cricketers last year

Firdose Moonda23-Feb-2016CSA has appointed their lead independent board director and chairman of the transformation committee, Norman Arendse, as convener of a task team to address the grievances voiced by black African cricketers last year, following a meeting with sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, in which it was made clear that the issue needed to be tackled as a matter of urgency.Last November, a group of cricketers calling themselves Black Players in Unity wrote a letter to CSA detailing their concerns at being picked in national squads but not playing enough games. They were driven by the case of Khaya Zondo who travelled with the limited-overs squads to India in October 2015 but did not play a single game.The minister’s immediate stance on the issue was made clear in an interview with City Press. “I support the stance taken by the players,” he wrote. “The issues of players being selected but not being picked for matches is old and has not only been raised by the players but the public. These players are not doing it for themselves but for generations to come.”Haroon Lorgat, CSA’s chief executive, and Chris Nenzani, the president, confirmed receipt of the letter while still in India for the Test series and insisted that it would receive “priority attention at the highest level”, with Mbalula responding that he was “encouraged” by a proposed meeting between the board and the players.However, in the weeks that followed, there were no updates on whether a meeting had taken place or a solution reached. The only mention of the issue arose when it emerged in January that Aaron Phangiso, a black African player, had been sanctioned for drunken behaviour on a flight in October. The incident, however, was not made public or even shared with CSA’s board, with Lorgat confirming to The Times that he and Nenzani had chosen to “contain the matter … in view of the black African player issue that had surfaced at that time”.In addition, CSA has been required to brief the minister on selection policies, guidelines and procedure which would include information on any transformation targets or quotas. The ministry said CSA’s report was “well received, however there was general agreement that there are glaring gaps and inadequacies in the policy that are in conflict with the sports barometer and transformation charter”.The ministry did not go into further detail on where it believes CSA is failing to meet its obligations. However, it said the board had agreed to consultation aimed at policy review, adding that the board would “discuss the principle of merit selection in relation to the quality of opportunity.” Broadly, that relates to whether players of colour are given sufficient chances to succeed at the highest level.The ministry confirmed CSA have signed a memorandum of agreement, similar to the one signed by the South African Rugby Union last year, in order to guarantee their commitment to achieving transformation targets. Currently, CSA have targets at domestic level that require that every franchise must field six players of colour, of which three must be black African. CSA claim not to have official national quotas but unofficially, it is recommended that at least four players of colour take the field in every XI, of which one is black African.

David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, has revealed a trial is underway during the current Ashes series to enhance the role of the third umpire by feeding him direct pictures

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Jul-2013David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, has revealed a trial is underway during the current Ashes series to enhance the role of the third umpire by feeding him direct pictures that would avert controversial incidents like Stuart Broad getting away with a thick edge in the first Investec Test last week. Broad stood his ground having edged a ball from Ashton Agar, after the on-field umpire Aleem Dar failed to spot the deflection off the bat. Having spent all their reviews, Michael Clarke’s Australia were left high and dry.Speaking on the BBC’s , Richardson admitted it was frustrating that, in the age of technology, Broad managed to escape. “It is, of course,” Richardson said. “For that reason, up to the third Test, we have a trial going on, independent of what is happening on the field, to allow the third umpire to have a bank of televisions where he can actually choose and get access to the technology much quicker than he would if he simply relies on the director or producer sending him the pictures up to him. If we progress along these lines … there is an opportunity for the third umpire to have the say and to overrule where he thinks an obvious mistake has been made.”Richardson stressed it was a long-term process but the ICC remained optimistic. “I don’t think people should think it is going to be introduced for the next series,” Richardson said. “It is at a very basic phase and we need to progress a lot further before we get it on board in a match.”Speaking on the unusual move by the ICC to reveal the assessment of the three umpires (Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena and Marais Erasmus) and the various decisions they made during the Trent Bridge Test, Richardson reiterated that it was necessary bring the numbers out into open to erase certain doubts. However, he indicated that the ICC would not make it a norm to make the umpires assessment public.”We will take on a case-by-case basis,” Richardson said. “In this case we had put everything in perspective because it was an unusual Test match. There were so many decisions to be made, almost 75% more than normal.” The ICC release had stated that the on-field umpires made a total of seven errors, three of which were uncorrected.Not included in that list was a controversial ruling in favour of Australia debutant Ashton Agar, who was given not out when England appealed for a tight stumping. Richardson reasoned why it was not considered a mistake. “We have got a team of three who look at it,” he said. “First of all the match referee. Then if there is a bit of doubt then it goes to Vince van der Bijl, our umpires’ manager and then it goes to Geoff Allardice [the ICC’s manager of cricket]. They all felt there was just that element of doubt: was his foot in the air, maybe there was a spike on the ground? So there was just not enough for the third umpire to give actually give the decision against the batsman.”Asked if there was scope for benefit of doubt in favour of the player Richardson said primarily the ICC was looking for definitive proof to make a decision, “as far as it is possible”. He cited the example of the England of Joe Root, who was adjudged lbw at Lord’s on Thursday morning. “Anyone other than maybe an English supporter would acknowledge that it was fractionally pad first. In which case the correct decision, unfortunately, is out,” Richardson said.Richardson followed that by revealing an aspect of how the umpires’ assessment worked. “Let us say the on-field umpire had got it wrong, and he thought it was bat first,” Richardson said. “Then we will mark that technically incorrect because we say, look, there must have been some doubt in your mind so you have actually made a good cricket decision. So we don’t mark him in his personal records as having made a mistake. But technically it was an incorrect decision and we get it changed.”On Wednesday, the MCC’s World Cricket Committee, restated its backing for the DRS while pointing out that to make the system much more streamlined, the ICC needed to take control of it. But Richardson was defensive about such a step.”People say ICC should take complete control of technology,” he said. “Today we have two Hot Spot cameras, some ball tracking cameras and a couple of slow-motions cameras. But next year there will be something else … there will be real-time Snickometer. Then next year there is something else. So in a way we don’t want to hamper development. But it is going progress and it is going to become even more difficult to resist taking full advantage of the technology that gets developed. Our strategy has been: let us introduce technology but not on the basis they are just ball counters and coat hangers.”Richardson said that introducing various technologies into the game was never to make the role of the umpires obsolete. “We want them to be part of the game, the on-field umpires in particular, and that is why one of the reasons why we like the idea of them making the decision and then the players, if they really disagree, asking for it to be reviewed,” Richardson said.

Young cricketers today have the option to become rich, successful cricketers without even aspiring to play Tests, but Rahul Dravid has urged them to “not sell themselves short”

Sidharth Monga04-Jul-2012Young cricketers today have the option to become rich, successful cricketers without even aspiring to play Tests, but Rahul Dravid has urged them to “not sell themselves short” because he feels there is no match for the satisfaction that can be derived from playing Test cricket. He was quick to add that he didn’t want to judge them on or blame them for their choices but that he wanted to challenge them to give Test cricket a fair go.Dravid was speaking at the launch of the book , an anthology of some of the best writings on him, published by ESPNcricinfo and Walt Disney. The book is a collection of 30 pieces, some new and some previously published; the writers include cricketers (Ed Smith, Jason Gillespie, Greg Chappell, Sanjay Manjrekar) and well-known cricket writers (Rohit Brijnath, Gideon Haigh, Rahul Bhattacharya, Suresh Menon).”There are more options now,” Dravid said of the quandary cricket faces. “Very hard for me to be judgemental about kids of today. Unfair. I had gone through a commerce degree in college, and not very successfully. When I grew up, if I wanted to be a successful professional cricketer – and making a living out of the sport became a part of that – the only option for me was to be a successful Test cricketer. There was no other way in which you could make a professional living out of the sport. I would have still played it, but I would have probably looked to do something else professionally if I wasn’t good enough.”Dravid said he could understand the lure of the other options. “People now have the option of not necessarily playing Test cricket but making a living out of the game,” he said. “And, you know, who’s to blame kids for taking that option? Who’s to blame kids for using that opportunity if they feel they are not good enough for Test cricket? If they are not good enough for Test cricket, I am sure they will feel, ‘Look at least I needn’t make a living out of this game. Let me at least play this, which is giving me money.'”I won’t like to judge them on that, but I will like to challenge them. What I’ll like to tell young kids is that the greatest satisfaction you are going to get is by playing Test cricket and playing in some of these great stadiums of the world. That will give you the greatest personal satisfaction, so don’t sell yourself short. Try and achieve. It is possible. It can be done. There might be kids in this era who will take that soft option. Some won’t. We will be able to see in time. Every era there have been people who have fallen by the wayside.”When asked if he saw enough players coming in who were desperate to play Test cricket, Dravid said it was not a concern right now but one that will confront cricket soon enough. “People like Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwary, or whoever the youngsters are, have grown up watching and idolising Test cricket,” he said. “It’s the kids like Samit [Dravid’s son, 7] who will have grown up watching the IPL. That will be the challenge. What will those kids want? I don’t see this as an immediate problem. I see it as a long-term issue.”By long term I mean ten years, when those kind of kids grow up, what will their aspirations be? If one of the young kinds wants to play, will he want to play for a franchise? You have to understand that at the end of the day players are also performers, and they want to perform. When you look at the IPL, it’s a great stage to perform. Played in front of full stadiums, there is a great viewership on television, you are playing with some of the best players in the world, you are playing at some of the greatest stadiums in the country… It’s a great stage to perform. That challenge is going to arise in ten years’ time, and I think we have got to address it right now.”

Sohail Tanvir has said his experience with Rajasthan Royals back in 2008 helped him captain Rawalpindi Rams to victory in the Faisal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2011Sohail Tanvir has said his experience in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals back in 2008 helped him captain Rawalpindi Rams to victory in the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup. Tanvir, who was the leading wicket-taker in the first IPL and scored the winning runs in the final, made special mention of Shane Warne, his captain at Rajasthan.”My experience of playing under Warne helped me,” Tanvir told the . “As a captain you must be on your toes when you need to make important decisions. I gave my players much-needed confidence and they performed to the best of their ability.”One of the features of Rawalpindi’s run in the tournament was that they relied on their young players to perform at crucial times, something Warne has always encouraged at Rajasthan. Jamal Anwar, Rawalpindi’s 20-year-old wicketkeeper, was their leading run-getter in the tournament and Man of the Match in their upset of Lahore Lions in the semi-finals. Raza Hasan, the 18-year-old left-arm spinner, took the second-highest number of wickets in the tournament with 11 at an average of 11.27 and economy rate of 6.20.Tanvir gave Hasan the responsibility of bowling the Super Over in the final, against Karachi Dolphins, and he delivered, giving away just seven runs to secure victory for Rawalpindi. “I was supposed to bowl the Super Over but I gave it to Hasan only because of his high confidence.”Rawalpindi were underdogs in the tournament, but won convincingly against favourites Lahore before holding their nerve in the thrilling final against Karachi. Tanvir said the best thing about the Twenty20 format was that it gave everyone a chance. “This is a modern format of the game and is tough. We were the underdogs but still managed to win through hard work. This is the beauty of Twenty20.”

Until the final lap of the chase, it was Leeward Islands who seemed ahead but Kieron Pollard killed the contest in his own inimitable style

Cricinfo staff25-Jul-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKieron Pollard smashed seven sixes in a 20-ball 53•Nicholas Reid/West Indies Cricket Board

Until the final leg of the chase, Leeward Islands appeared to be ahead the contest but Kieron Pollard won the match in his own inimitable style, steering Trinidad & Tobago to their second successive victory of the tournament.When Pollard entered the scene, T&T needed 80 from 41 deliveries. Until then, they had struggled; the top order had collapsed and Dwayne Bravo was cautious as he tried to rebuild. Runs were at a premium but it was exactly the sort of situation that made Pollard the Twenty20 star that he is. And in a blink of an eye the chase was over. Most of his seven sixes either flew deep into the stands or clattered on the roof but Pollard still gave the impression that he was playing within himself.Pollard began his attack in the 15th over bowled by spinner Justin Athanaze. There is a theory that Pollard isn’t great against quality spin and Athanaze had conceded only 12 runs in three overs and had also picked the wicket of Darren Ganga. Pollard, however, pulled him to fine leg for four before dragging a six over midwicket and collecting another six with a dismissive waft over long off. He was just beginning to warm up. Bravo scored three boundaries off Wilden Cornwall in the next over before Pollard swung back into action in the 17th. It was a massacre: Tonito Willet was pummelled for four sixes – the ball ricocheted of the midwicket roof, the crowd at long on watched the ball fly over them twice and he finished off with a dragged six over square leg. Game over.Just before Pollard turned it on, Denesh Ramdin had revived the chase with a breezy innings. The plan was straightforward: Bravo would bat through, Ramdin would hit out and Pollard would take care of the rest. In the 13th over, Ramdin went after Gavin Tonge, who had picked two top-order wickets, by hitting a six over midwicket and two on-side boundaries. Ramdin fell in the next over but Pollard took over in style.Until the Pollard blitz, Leewards had had a fairly good day. Javier Liburd, the opener, had taken on T&T’s spinners and laid a fair foundation. He lifted Dave Mohammed to the long-off and midwicket boundary and cut Samuel Badree to point for more fours. Although he fell, playing all around a full delivery from Sherwin Ganga, Kerry Mentore took over and guided Leewards to a healthy total. Mentore crashed Sherwin Ganga to the roof on the straight boundary, mowed Pollard over midwicket and found support from the lower-middle order as Leewards raced to 161. For nearly 15 overs into the chase, it seemed a stiff target before Pollard stamped his presence on the game.