The England fast bowler lost 15% of his match fee and bagged one demerit point

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2018Stuart Broad has been fined 15% of his match fee for the send-off he gave Rishabh Pant in India’s first innings at Trent Bridge. He also had one demerit point added to his record for the same incident, which had occurred on Sunday.This was Broad’s first offence since the introduction of the ICC’s revised Code of Conduct. He was found guilty of breaching Level 1 of the code, specifically Article 2.1.7, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an International Match”.In the 92nd over of India’s innings, Pant inside-edged Broad onto his stumps to be dismissed for 24 on Test debut. Broad then walked towards Pant and, according to the ICC’s statement, “spoke in an aggressive manner, which had the potential to provoke an aggressive reaction from the dismissed batsman”.The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Chris Gaffaney and third umpire Aleem Dar. Broad admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Jeff Crowe, meaning there was no need for a formal hearing.

Sri Lanka have done some soul-searching after a spate of poor results in ODIs, and identified that they need to become better across a variety of conditions and not just prosper on turning tracks

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Aug-2018Sri Lanka have done some soul-searching. It was perhaps overdue, given the number of ODIs they have lost over the past 19 months. But even if there are only 10 months to go until the World Cup, it has finally happened, and problems have been identified. Essentially, Sri Lanka have been left behind in a format they were once pioneers in, and must now “change the way [they] play”, as Angelo Mathews puts it, to have any hope of closing the vast gap with the best teams.”We have to take a look at where we have gone wrong in the past,” Mathews said ahead of the third ODI against South Africa, in which Sri Lanka will attempt to avoid a series loss. “In the last 36 ODIs, we have won only nine games and we keep giving excuses. We can give excuses like we have had too many captains, or we’ve rotated too many players. The fact remains that in the last ten series or so we have won only one. We need to change the way we think and our strategies. We sat as a group and we are going to change the way we play.”One of the changes Mathews hopes to make is to become more proficient across a variety of conditions, rather than simply being specialists on spinning tracks at home. The first two matches in Dambulla were played on more batting-friendly tracks than were seen in the Test series – perhaps a purposeful shift, to allow Sri Lanka to accustom themselves to the style of pitches expected in England next year.”Ten months away from World Cup we need to find out whether we are going to gain anything by playing on dusty slow wickets against a team like South Africa,” Mathews said. “Usually what we do when we play teams like England, South Africa and Australia is to give them turning wickets. We rely on our spinners too much, I think. In Tests that is fine, but you cannot do that in ODIs, as you need to look at the bigger picture, which is the World Cup.”We have got to start playing on good wickets. Yes, it might take a bit of time but I can assure you that the team will improve going forward and once the guys get used to it, we can win overseas. The last nine series if you take we have chassed more than 300 three times. That shows that we are a good team and we can play on good wickets. That is the change that we need to make.”Aside from an over-reliance on spin, poor fielding has also plagued Sri Lanka since the start of 2017. On Wednesday, in the second ODI, Sri Lanka dropped two straightforward catches inside the first 10 overs of South Africa’s chase, and had also been woeful in the field. Mathews had said Sri Lanka had fielded like “school kids” right after the loss, and he had more harsh words on his team ahead of the third ODI.
“It was a terrible day for us when it comes to fielding. The first 40 minutes was like a joke – I have never seen my team fielding as bad as we did in the last game. Hopefully it was just a one-off.”

“Langer has given me clear idea just to go out there and bang the door down and not give the selectors any reason for them not to pick me,” Lynn said

Daniel Brettig13-Sep-2018As he prepares to lead Queensland in a domestic limited-overs tournament critical to Australia’s chances of mounting a competitive World Cup defence in England in 2019, Chris Lynn has admitted ongoing shoulder problems made him so anxious that as recently as six months ago he simply did not want the ball to come to him.Lynn’s most recent shoulder dislocation took place in Auckland during Australia’s successful Twenty20 triangular series against New Zealand and England, and it shelved him from the limited-overs plans of the new coach Justin Langer for his first assignment in England and Zimbabwe. At the same time, Lynn was given strong indications he needed to turn out for his state to be a chance to return to the ODI line-up, resulting in him not only playing but captaining the Bulls in a competition beginning on Saturday.

Domestic limited-overs tournament squads

NSW: Peter Nevill (capt), Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Ryan Gibson, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Stephen O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha
Queensland: Chris Lynn (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Luke Feldman, Sam Heazlett, Charlie Hemphrey, Lachlan Pfeffer, Jack Prestwidge, Billy Stanlake, Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson, Sam Truloff, Jack Wildermuth
South Australia: Jake Lehmann (capt), Alex Carey, Tom Cooper, Callum Ferguson, Spencer Johnson, Joe Mennie, Harry Nielsen, Kane Richardson, Alex Ross, Chadd Sayers, Cameron Valente, Jake Weatherald, Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa
Tasmania: George Bailey (capt), Jackson Bird, Nicholas Buchanan, Jake Doran, James Faulkner, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Simon Milenko, Tom Rogers, Clive Rose, Jordan Silk, Aaron Summers, Matthew Wade, Beau Webster
Victoria: Peter Handscomb (capt), Scott Boland, Jackson Coleman, Travis Dean, Sebastian Gotch, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Tom O’Connell, Matt Short, Will Sutherland, Chris Tremain, Cameron White
Western Australia: Ashton Turner (capt), Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Joel Paris, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Jonathan Wells

“I feel when I am fielding the best I can I feel more involved in the game as well and I actually want the ball to come to me,” Lynn told ESPNcricinfo. “Whereas six months ago I didn’t want the ball to come to me at all. I walked out to bat with fear and hesitation, I wasn’t playing the sort of cricket I wanted to play. So at the moment I’m feeling really good and it’s all about trying to hold that momentum.”I can’t throw from the boundary but I can get it in to the keeper from the in-field. I’ve still got a fair way to go, but it’s not going to get better overnight and I’ve just got to keep working on it and managing it on the training paddock probably for the rest of my career. I can’t dive which is unfortunate, I’m so competitive and to see the ball trickle past me I want to dive and save every run that I can, but yeah it gets frustrating at times…I just need to make sure I make up for it with the bat and score more runs.”I believe you’ve got to be able to do at least two out of three with the bat, ball or in the field, so obviously not bowling my fielding’s got to be up to speed and while I can be in places like short third man or 45 [degrees behind square leg], gone are the days where there’s liabilities in the field and even bowlers now you see fielding in the slips or being able to dive around and take catches on the boundary that we haven’t seen before, so it’s a huge part of the game.”A couple of Langer’s non-negotiables have included state representation and also presence in the field, something Lynn has being working assiduously towards in trying to strengthen his shoulder. Following a promising return in the IPL, he was denied a No Objection Certificate to join Steven Smith and David Warner in the Canadian T20 tournament, but did take part in the CPL and is now preparing to bring his singular hitting power to 50-over ranks once more, at a time when Australia must review their approach to ODIs after twice being thrashed by England, both at home and away, this year.”It’s going to be interesting,” Lynn said. “My IPL this year was probably similar to how I play one-day cricket, striking at about 120, 130 [runs per 100 balls] and playing some smarter innings rather than going out to whack it type-style that I’m used to. So I’ve worked to go out and do that, and with 50 overs unlike Twenty20 I can relax a bit and take my time. I didn’t have the greatest tournament over in the CPL, so I’ll be looking to spend time out in the middle for Queensland. I know if I face 50 balls and strike at a decent rate, the longer I spend out in the middle and become more comfortable the runs will come.Getty Images

“I guess in one-day cricket, now it is about being proactive and being ahead of the game, ahead of the over, so being aggressive in the first couple of balls in an over to actually drive an over, rather than chasing your tail and trying to hit a boundary off the last two balls of an over. I think that’s what they (England ODI team) did so well, they were proactive and then they could really control what goes on in the game if they get on the front foot early. As soon as you’ve got momentum anything can happen.”So that’s where I’d come into it and try to play the aggressor. Not everybody can play that role, you are in a risk versus reward situation, but I’m comfortable with whatever role I’m given and you’ve just got to be proactive and drive the game. I’m pretty sure JL loves driving the game and throwing the first punch. On the other side if we are in a bit of trouble, the perfect way to get back into it is to counter-attack, which is again being aggressive.”Like all other members of the six state squads, all of whom can win the tournament irrespective of where they finish after the qualifying matches due to a lateral fixture change by Cricket Australia to guarantee a minimum number of matches for all, Lynn can see the link between this tournament and numerous international assignments ahead. These will include the T20 series against Pakistan in Dubai, limited-overs matches against South Africa and India at home, before at least two more series next year ahead of the World Cup, being played in England for the first time since Steve Waugh’s team lifted the then brand new ICC trophy in 1999.”I think there’s opportunities there, but the most important think is to go out there and just play fear-free cricket,” Lynn said. “Results have gone in my favour more often than not when you go out there, just have fun and play without fear. When you start to doubt yourself, then you start fiddling around and thinking about things more, that’s why I know it’s better to go out there and have fun and smack the ball and results will be generally on your side more times than not.”JL’s given me clear idea just to go out there and bang the door down and don’t give the selectors any reason for them not to pick me. The ball’s in my court, so if I can play well with the Queensland boys and obviously stay fit, the results will happen, provided I keep doing the hard work. Cricket’s a funny game, the moment you get complacent it can bite you in the arse.”So just do the right things and put my hand up, and if I get picked in that [World Cup] squad it’s great, if not it isn’t the end of the world, I’m still enjoying my cricket at whatever level it is.”With no plans to play in the Sheffield Shield, Lynn’s schedule beyond this tournament will be a mixture of international appearances and also flights of fancy like the T20 tournament due to be played in the UAE in late November, alongside his fellow Brisbane Heat “bash brother” Brendon McCullum. Casting an eye towards the vastly expanded BBL, now featuring 14 qualifying games per side, Lynn said the mental and physical test on players would be significantly increased.”I thought they had the perfect amount of games last year, so time will tell with the added games this year,” he said. “In terms of the games there’s a lot of cricket to be played beforehand as well, so we’ll see how physically and mentally tired the guys are around Christmas time.”But in saying that with the Big Bash, if you can’t get up for one of those games then you’re playing for the wrong reasons. So it’s going to be exciting but I don’t think you can really comment yet on the added games but it is going to be a tough schedule. You’ll definitely find out later in the tournament who the fitter and mentally stronger guys are when you are playing back to back games.”

Not often does a knock of 162 get lamented as a missed double-century but that is often the case with Rohit as he starred in India’s third-biggest win in ODIs

The Report by Sidharth Monga29-Oct-2018
Not often does a knock of 162 get lamented as a missed double-century. If it is your seventh, though, and three of the previous six have been double-hundreds, and if your name is Rohit Sharma, that is exactly the reaction. West Indies finally managed to deny Virat Kohli a century, but Rohit and Ambati Rayudu made use of excellent batting conditions to take India to 377 and a 2-1 lead with one match to go in the series. Most pleasingly for India, perhaps, Rayudu managed to score the first century for India from outside the top-three slots in the last 21 months.Kohli might have failed to score a fourth straight big score but he got everything else spot on. He took on the evening dew and batted first because he said he expected the ball to move around a bit under lights. This could well be inputs from coach Ravi Shastri, who played a lot in Mumbai, because there is no sample size to arrive at the conclusion otherwise: the last ODI played at Brabourne Stadium was 12 years ago. At any rate, the ball did move, perhaps for the first time this series, and India bowled the opposition out for 153, sealing their third-biggest win and West Indies’ second-heaviest defeat in ODIs.When Kemar Roach got rid of Kohli in the 17th over, West Indies would have hoped to put the top-heavy Indian batting under pressure, but their newest interviewee for the No. 4 role, Rayudu, put the bowlers under extreme pressure in the middle overs. Rohit and Rayudu added 211 for the third wicket in 27.1 overs. There was a boundary every 5.4 balls in that partnership. There was one boundary in at least 14 of the last 17 overs they were together at the crease. In all, 220 of India’s runs came in fours and sixes.If Rayudu manipulated the fields and bowlers’ lengths by moving around the crease and down the wicket, Rohit chose to hit from a solid base. The switch was almost seamless. Rohit had just seen Kohli get out – he was 39 off 43 and India 101 for 2 in the 17th over – and had decided to tighten up his game a little. Keemo Paul bowled five straight dots to Rayudu. And then he effortlessly drove the sixth ball wide of sweeper cover.India can often be blamed for consolidating for too long and thus aiming a little under, but here Rayudu and Rohit both kept hitting the boundaries. Rayudu targeted the spinners, jumping out of the crease first ball he faced. He kept doing that until he got a flighted delivery, which he deposited over cover.The plan through the day had been to bowl wide to Rohit, not let him access the ball from his steady base. They also wanted to deny him the drive. Only 18 of his runs came in the “V” down the ground. Fifty-two, though, came square and behind square on the off side, which shows West Indies bowled to their plan but Rohit was too good for them.West Indies had initially managed to keep Rohit relatively quiet, but once Rovman Powell bowled in his arc in the 27th over, the flood gates opened. Three fours came in that over, and immediately – Rohit was only 77 off 81 – speculation around the double hundred began. With a career strike-rate of over 170 after he reaches hundred, and of over 200 in the last 10 overs, the odds were even at this point.The hitting at each end was sublime. It finally ended with Ashley Nurse finally sliding one wide enough to draw a thick edge from Rohit. Rayudu kept hitting, bringing up his third ODI century before Allen ran him out brilliantly off his own bowling. The scoring refused to slow down; 116 came off the last 10, and Paul, who bowled the last over, registered the joint-worst figures for a West Indies bowler against India, 1 for 88.Paul and other fast bowlers would have wondered how it might have been if they had bowled with the movement under lights available to them. Khaleel Ahmed, in particular, found consistent swing, which rarely happens with the white Kookaburra. Even before he got into act, though, India’s sensational fielding had reduced West Indies to 20 for 3. Kuldeep ran Shai Hope out from mid-on with a direct hit, and Kohli produced one for the highlight reel, taking out Kieran Powell with a back-flick direct hit while diving.Khaleel then began to swing it, and West Indies kept playing as if this pitch was just another batting beauty, a common feature of this series so far, and indeed in today’s ODI cricket. Movement is one thing, but using it is another, and Khaleel showed the wherewithal to do so. He mixed the swing up with ones that go with the angle without losing any accuracy. Shimron Hetmyer, who has put spinners under pressure, didn’t even get to face them as Khaleel got him lbw with one that held its line. Rovman missed a swinging delivery, and Marlon Samuels edged one that left him.However, Khaleel didn’t get to add to his three wickets in four overs. Kuldeep went through the rest with his wrong’uns even though Jason Holder played a lone hand with a fifty.

Pakistan coach believes time off after the shock loss will help side refocus ahead of the Dubai Test

Danyal Rasool21-Nov-2018The phantasmagorical fourth innings collapse that led to a heartbreaking four-run loss in Abu Dhabi left the dressing room devastated, according to Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur. Arthur was disappointed at the choice of shots under pressure, but backed his players to put it behind them ahead of the second Test.”Our choice of shots under pressure and the decisions we made were disappointing,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The game was wrapped up and suddenly we had the Babar Azam run out and we couldn’t get over the line. It was incredibly disappointing. But everyone’s hurting so much. On Wednesday [today] we get together again, we clear the air and we move to Dubai to play the second Test.He was particularly upset at how winning positions had been squandered. “Chasing 170-odd, we should have got there, that’s not the issue,” he said. “But we knew the pitch was probably going to be at its most difficult then. We missed our opportunity in the first innings. We needed to nail that first innings and get a minimum of 150 ahead.”If we got 300 in the first innings, that would be the game done and dusted. That’s where we slipped up, because the bowler’s did a very good job. We rolled them over for 153 and 249, and that gave our batsmen a target to get. We missed our opportunity twice with the batting, and that’s something we’ll dissect and digest and remedy over the next couple of days.”What will worry Pakistan fans is what happened on the fourth day was the culmination of a malaise that is clearly more mental than technical. For the third time in 18 months, Pakistan capitulated in the final innings in pursuit of a target they would have been odds on to get comfortably. In Barbados in April 2017, set 187 to win, they were shot out for 81 in barely over a session, and fell short against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi chasing 136. With Act 2 at Abu Dhabi even more dramatic than the others, questions about whether Pakistan can kick the habit will invariably grow, with Arthur revealing he had spoken to the PCB about the prospect of getting professional psychological help for the players.”This is the second time it’s happened in a year, that we’ve lost in a fourth innings chase,” he said. “This is something we need to overcome as a team. Hopefully the next time we’re in a position to do it, we’ll win it comfortably. I continually discuss with the PCB [the possibility of getting a sports psychologist involved]. We have had discussions around it.”Arthur’s emotions are never far from the surface, but he said he hadn’t yet spoken to the players. “I wanted to have one or two individual chats but last night wasn’t the right time. The boys were hurting too much. Normally, I like to get it sorted out straight after the game but it wasn’t the right time yesterday [on the final day of the Test].Mickey Arthur talks to the Pakistan squad•Getty Images

“We needed to sit down and have a good discussion about what happened and for that to happen you need guys with clear minds. It wouldn’t have had any impact last night. So, apart from a couple of individual conversations in the dressing room, I left it today. Tomorrow we’ve got a team meeting before we travel to Dubai. Once we move out of the Abu Dhabi hotel, we will have drawn a line under the sand underneath it and we will be very clear about what we need to do to go on and win the second Test match.”The Asad Shafiq enigma continues to be an enduring one, with the batsman hopelessly unable to take that next step into the excellence that fate had supposedly destined him for. In the second innings, with Pakistan 46 runs away from a win and three balls to lunch, he went back to a Neil Wagner delivery that was going wide of off stump, and jabbed his bat at it, like a fencer sizing up his opponent. It caught his outside edge. They might as well have made contact with the iceberg, as the wreck that happened over the next two hours was scarcely believable but yet at the same time, inevitable.For a batsman who completed 4000 Test runs in that very match and was unbeaten on 45 on a wicket that was notoriously difficult to get starts on, it was an unforgivable lapse of concentration, yet one that Shafiq maddeningly continues to be susceptible to.”Asad is a fantastic batsman but he needs to kick on, and nobody appreciates that more than him. He got 40s in both innings, but they aren’t much good if you don’t go and get us a big score. And he hasn’t done that. He knows that, he feels that. In terms of him technicality, he’s playing beautifully at the moment. It’s just the fact that, as I said, he got out in the 40s in both innings. We need him to step up and score big runs for us. And we’ve made him aware of that.”Arthur defended Azhar Ali’s tactics when batting with Mohammad Abbas, saying it was crucial to shield the number eleven from Ajaz Patel as much as possible. Ever since Hasan Ali holed out with Pakistan 12 runs away from victory, Azhar had farmed the strike but struggled to get the runs Pakistan needed.With almost every fielder being pushed out to the boundary, Azhar settled in taking singles late in the over, attempting, unsuccessfully in the end to crawl his way to the finish line. It was he himself who fell victim to the spinner he was desperate to protect Abbas from, as one beat him with the turn to trap him in front.”It’s just conjecture [whether a more positive approach would have changed the outcome for Azhar]. The problem we had was with the filed spread, we battled to run twos. We didn’t get the odd boundary, which was very difficult with the field back, and Azhar had to win it with ones. He was caught there between a rock and a hard place. I feel he played it sensibly, but in hindsight we could have a look at it.”There’s a lot to look at in hindsight, and with the second Test starting on Saturday, little time to do it in. Arthur, however, was confident in the capacity of the players to bounce back, praising it as one of the “great qualities of Pakistan cricket”.”The one thing I know about Pakistan cricket is we have the ability to move on very quickly. I’m comfortable we have the ability to move on, I’m comfortable we have the talent and I believe in these boys, I believe in this team and the players and I’m pretty sure we can bounce back nice and quickly.”

The pitch condition on day three had forced a restart on a new pitch, but with the batsmen once again affected by inconsistent bounce, the match was called off after 15 overs of play

Saurabh Somani in Puducherry25-Dec-2018The Ranji Trophy 2018-19 match between Puducherry and Uttarakhand started afresh on the fourth day, with a new toss taking place on a fresh pitch at the CAP Siechem Ground in Puducherry. However, only 15 overs were possible before the match was called off, with the pitch once again showing inconsistent bounce.On the fourth day, Puducherry had reached 23 for 3 in 15 overs when lunch was taken. However, off the last delivery before the interval, batsman Paras Dogra was hit below the chest. Following a meeting between the captains, umpires and match referee, the match was called off. ESPNcricinfo understands that with the possibility of a result, or even of establishing a first-innings lead, all but gone, Puducherry felt it was better to call the match off rather than risk injury by continuing to play.The game had been badly affected by rain, with the first two days completely washed out. The skies cleared on the third day and the toss finally took place with Puducherry opting to bowl. Play, however, began late, with only six overs bowled before lunch. At that stage, Uttarakhand were 17 for 0.After lunch though, only 14 balls were bowled as umpires M Kuppuraj and Yeshwant Barde took both teams off. This came after Uttarakhand’s openers – Vineet Saxena and Karn Veer Kaushal – indicated discomfort when they copped blows on the body. Saxena was facing up to Pankaj Singh, in his fifth over, and the second ball struck him on the gloves, prompting the action. Uttarakhand were then 20 without loss in 8.2 overs, with Saxena on 11 and Kaushal on 4. There had been five leg-byes.The relevant law for such a case in BCCI’s playing conditions is Law 7.2.1, which states that “in the event of a pitch being considered too dangerous for play to continue in the estimation of the on-field umpires, they shall stop play and immediately advise the BCCI Match Referee.”If, after consulting with the captains, the decision is not to resume play immediately, the on-field umpires have three options, in the following sequence:a) “whether the existing pitch can be repaired, and the match can be resumed from the point it was stopped. In considering whether to authorise such repairs, the BCCI Match Referee must consider whether this would place either side at an unfair advantage, given the play that had already taken place on the dangerous pitch.b) whether an alternative pitch can be used.c) whether the match has to be abandoned.”Having decided that the same pitch could not be repaired, the umpires offered the option of an alternative pitch to the teams. In accordance with Law 7.2.9 of the BCCI’s playing conditions, the match had to be restarted from the first ball.However, the restart could happen only on the fourth day.The alternative pitch had to be prepared and rolled, and there was no further play possible on Day 3. On the fourth day too, the start was delayed by 75 minutes, and play began at 10.30 am. Puducherry captain Rohit D won the toss again, and this time opted to bat.A Cricket Association of Puducherry official expressed unhappiness with how events had unfolded. “There weren’t too many balls that bounced awkwardly,” he said of the original pitch.”And Vineet Saxena has faced Pankaj Singh so many times earlier, they were team-mates for a long time in Rajasthan. I don’t think the pitch was unplayable,” the official told ESPNcricinfo.The official also pointed out that the pitch was under the care of a BCCI-appointed curator in the lead-up to the match, so there wasn’t much the CAP could have done.The decision to abandon the match, has meant it’s been classified as a drawn game with the first innings unfinished, which results in both sides getting one point each.ESPNcricinfo understands that the decision to classify the match as drawn was not arrived at immediately. Initially there was the possibility of looking at whether the fixture could be played at a later date. However, given the schedule with the Ranji Trophy in its end stages, this was not feasible. Puducherry are slated to play the next two rounds of the Ranji Trophy at home: against Manipur from December 30 to January 2, and against Nagaland from January 7 to 10. Uttarakhand are not playing in the next round but will square off against Mizoram in Dehradun from January 7 to 10. Given that the quarterfinals are scheduled from January 15 onwards, this leaves no window to fit in a replay of a four-day match.With both teams get one point each, Uttarakhand have moved to 37 points with a game in hand, while Puducherry have 25 points with two games in hand. Bihar, the other team in the race to qualify from the Plate Group, have 27 points with two games in hand.

Incumbent Pakistan women coach Mark Coles withdrew his application ahead of the interview on Thursday

Annesha Ghosh and Umar Farooq19-Dec-2018Gary Kirsten, Ramesh Powar, and Herschelle Gibbs are among the high-profile shortlisted candidates for the full-time position of India women head coach.The position was opened up after the BCCI decided against handing an extension to Powar, whose contract as the India women’s interim head coach expired on November 30. The board instead opted to invite fresh applications for a two-year term. ESPNcricinfo understands the shortlist includes 11 names, winnowed from a pool of 28 applicants, 10 of whom were overseas candidates, and the interviews will be held on Thursday.Kirsten, who was in charge of India’s men’s team during their title-winning 2011 World Cup campaign, is among the overseas applicants on the shortlist, alongside Gibbs, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Brad Hogg and Trent Johnston. Dav Whatmore – the former Sri Lanka men’s head coach, who currently leads Kerala – Owais Shah, Colin Siller and Dominic Thornely have failed to make the cut. The Indian candidates who have been shortlisted include Venkatesh Prasad, Manoj Prabhakar and WV Raman. Among other applicants on the longlist, three former India women’s Test cricketers, including Gargi Banerji and Arati Vaidya, also featured.Incumbent Pakistan women head coach Mark Coles was also briefly in the running, but withdrew his application ahead of the interview on Thursday. Coles ascribed his application to a “confusion” arising from a third-party agent.”There is some confusion about this… through a third party,” Coles told ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday, stating he had already informed the PCB about his application reaching the BCCI and, subsequently, apprised both the boards of his withdrawal. “I have withdrawn, and am committed to Pakistan cricket and trying to get the team to be the best they can be.”Contracted with the PCB until 2020, Coles, a former List A player with Wellington who coached Wellington Blaze to a T20 title in 2013, became the first foreigner to be roped in as a Pakistan women coach when he was handed the job in September last year “on a trial basis”. His appointment – part of a major revamp of the women’s cricket set-up in the country – had come in the wake of a scathing evaluation of Pakistan’s winless 2017 World Cup campaign by former head coach Sabhi Azhar.The application process for India’s next head coach, itself a consequence of Powar not being given an extension in controversial circumstances, came to a close on December 14. Powar reapplied on December 11, stating he couldn’t “let the girls down, especially Harman, Smriti for showing the support for the hard work we put together for three months.”The advertisement for the job, too, was not bereft of controversy, with Diana Edulji, the former India women’s captain and now one half of the two-member Committee of Administrators (CoA), taking strong exception to the “unilateral” decision taken by the CoA chief, Vinod Rai, over the hiring process. Their dissimilar stance over Powar’s re-appointment reached a tipping point after Rai signed a BCCI media release last week which stated that the ad-hoc committee was formed to shortlist and finalise the new coach.Former India cricketers Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy, who make up the three-member committee, will be interviewing the ten candidates at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.

Deepak Chahar top scored for India A with 39 and took the crucial wicket of Sam Billings as India A defended 172

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2019It began poorly for India A, losing their captain Ajinkya Rahane first ball after opting to bat, but having scraped through to 172 despite no fifties, the bowlers did a fine job in defending it by 60 runs, and gave the home team an unassailable three-nil lead against England Lions. KL Rahul failed to impress on his return to action, as he was dismissed for a 25-ball 13, one of seven India-A batsmen to make double figures.Ishan Kishan and Krunal Pandya stitched together the highest partnership of the innings to take India A from 53 for four to 94 before the latter fell for a 23-ball 21. Kishan struck a more patient 63-ball 30 and was the seventh wicket to fall with the score on 110. However, a cameo of 39 from Deepak Chahar that included four sixes, and was the joint-highest score for the match, ensured that they a had a total to work with.Axar Patel did the early damage with the ball, reducing the Lions to 13 for two with the wickets of openers Alex Davies and Will Jacks, and soon Chahar removed Sam Billings to make it 23 for three. Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope were the only ones to offer a semblance of resistance with a 47-run fourth-wicket stand, but once Navdeep Saini had Pope caught behind for 27, another collapse ensued. The crucial scalp of Duckett was taken by Pandya for 39, as he ran through the lower order, picking four for 21. The Lions were bundled out for 112 in the 31st over.