Holly Colvin, who made history when she became England’s youngest Test cricketer, has officially announced her retirement from international cricket at only 26 to take up an administrative position at the ICC in Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2015Holly Colvin, who made history when she became England’s youngest Test cricketer, has officially announced her retirement from international cricket at only 26 to take up an administrative position at the ICC in Dubai.Colvin, who took an indefinite break from all cricket following England’s successful Women’s Ashes campaign in 2013 with assurances that her career was far from over, has been appointed as the new Women’s Cricket Senior Officer at the ICC and will take up the position at the end of the month.”The women’s game is barely recognisable from when I first started playing,” Colvin said, “and even in the last couple of years since I took a break from the sport in 2013, the speed of professionalism in international women’s cricket has been remarkable.”There are so many amazing opportunities now in the women’s game – both as a player and off the field – and I’m really excited to be starting this new challenge with the ICC in Dubai. It is the perfect next step for me to progress my career at the heart of the international women’s game.Colvin became England’s youngest Test cricketer (of either gender) when she made her international debut at the age of 15, taking 3 for 67 in the first innings of the Women’s Ashes Test in Hove. She went on to play five Tests, 72 one-day internationals and 50 Twenty20 internationals, returning 13, 98 and 63 wickets across each format respectively, and was a member of England’s Women’s World Twenty20 and Women’s World Cup winning sides in 2009.ECB’s director of England women’s cricket, Clare Connor, said: “To make your Test match debut as a 15-year-old in the first Test of an Ashes series takes a very special player. Holly had a hugely successful international career and she can be very proud of everything that she accomplished during her eight years in the England women’s team. To retire with four Ashes victories to your name and as a double-World Cup winner is a superb achievement.”Her move to work with the ICC in Dubai represents another sign of how the women’s game continues to develop. It is brilliant that there are now so many more professional opportunities in the women’s game, and the sport will be richer for retaining her talent.”Whether England women’s cricket is healthier for her retirement, however, is a question that should be posed. A parallel decision in the men’s game would not pass without some consternation. For all the extra financial resources in the women’s game, balancing playing the sport with a committed professional career remains difficult.Colin had reassured England that she had no intention of retiring for good when she took what was envisaged as a temporary break to prepare for a future career.She used her sabbatical from international cricket to use her sport to spread awareness about AIDS in Africa, working for the charity Cricket Without Boundaries and becoming their head of recruitment.She returned for Sussex in 2015, 10 years after her debut for the county, saying: “I’m going to play for the love of it – it’s as simple as that. I have no idea if I will play international cricket in the near future or in the future at all.”

The Adelaide Oval turf for the first pink-ball Test has been micromanaged in consultation between CA, the oval’s curator Damian Hough, the broadcasters, ball manufacturers, and the players themselves

Daniel Brettig25-Nov-2015Make no mistake, Adelaide has been the scene of concerted pitch doctoring this week. In departing from more than 140 years of history by scheduling a day-night Test, Cricket Australia have veered away from another tradition down under – letting the ground staff have full control over the preparation of the wicket.The Adelaide Oval turf for Friday’s Test has been micromanaged in consultation between CA, the oval’s curator Damian Hough, the broadcasters, ball manufacturers, and the players themselves. Faced with the reality of using a pink ball that lacks the durability of its red equivalent, the board, the venue and the players have agreed upon a surface offering more grass than usual in Adelaide, helping the ball to be preserved while also offering more movement to bowlers.Its qualities were tested when near-identical pitches were prepared for two Sheffield Shield matches in Adelaide earlier this season, the first a day-night affair between South Australia and New South Wales in which the likes of Steven Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon all took part. There were some raised eyebrows about the way the pitch preparation has been decided more or less by committee, but positive feedback by the players about the way the surface played has allayed much of the earlier anxiety.”This match is three years in the making from an Australian cricket perspective,” CA’s head of operations Sean Cary told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve had the three rounds of Sheffield Shield cricket, and we’ve tried to come up with the best conditions that are going to not impact the balance between bat and ball.”We don’t want either the bat or the ball to be in favour, but what we’ve done with Damian Hough, and he’s worked diligently in his wicket preparation, is to make sure the surrounds are favourable to the ball not being scuffed up as much.”We’re confident that what he’s learned from the last two Shield rounds, one day-night, one natural-light Shield round, the feedback he’s got from the captains, including Steve Smith the current Australian captain, is that they’ve been really complimentary towards his wickets, and they’ve said ‘we’d love to have this sort of wicket for a Test match’.”

Net bowler pinged on the head

A net bowler has been treated for a lacerated ear after being struck on the head during Australia’s training on Wednesday night. Mitchell Marsh batted in the nets and launched the pink ball straight back at the bowler, who was struck on the side of the head. Training was briefly halted and the bowler was treated for a lacerated ear by Australia’s team doctor, Peter Brukner.

For Hough’s part, he was less eager to paint this as a pitch prepared entirely to suit a cricket ball, but admitted its composition was out of step with Adelaide’s usual fare. “Leaving a bit of grass on it, we’re hoping it will assist the quicks, and the ball will come onto the bat nicely,” Hough said. “But having a bit of a coarse, thatchy grass should hopefully, going on the two games we have had so far and the pink ball Shield matches, it should be able to bite into that grass and get some spin.”As a former member of Hough’s ground staff, Lyon is uniquely placed to discuss the vagaries of the surface. He and his NSW spin bowling offsider Steve O’Keefe were pleasantly surprised by the amount of spin on offer via the even covering of grass, while also noting that pacemen and batsmen alike were able to prosper at times – although with the added possible difficulty of facing a brand new ball under lights.The presence of only two evenly grassed drop-in pitches alongside the Test strip has made for a decidedly lush square and outfield, meaning the game is unlikely to see much in the way of reverse swing. Adelaide is thus about to witness a very different Test match to what the Oval’s faithful are used to, both underfoot and overhead.”It’s a little bit different, a little bit more grass on it, a more even coverage and a thick bed of grass. There’s a little bit more there for everyone, it won’t be a typical flat Adelaide pitch that we are used to,” Lyon said. “In saying that we played here a couple of weeks ago and it was the perfect wicket.”Damian Hough is a great curator and produced that wicket for the Shield game and spoke to myself, Dave Warner and Steve Smith before and after the Shield game to get our feedback. I know we all gave positive feedback to Damian. The ball held up pretty well when we played here a few weeks ago, it doesn’t have that abrasive effect and it will be quite hard to get it to reverse. I dare say it will look after it pretty well.”As much as this match is a contest between Australia and New Zealand to decide the outcome of this series, it is also devised as a piece of advertising for the concept of day-night Tests. Cary noted the presence of a wide variety of cricket luminaries and administrators at the ground, with Pakistan already believed to be in talks with CA about taking part in another day-night match down under next summer.”We’re breaking the ice so to speak,” Cary said. “There’s going to be plenty of interest from other member boards around the world, we’ve got a number of CEOs from other countries here to witness this event, and I’m sure if they can see the positives, a full house at Adelaide Oval for the duration of the match and great viewing audiences at home, then I’m sure this will be a product other countries will be really interested in.”So it is that the Adelaide Oval wicket has been doctored by committee, though not for the usual reasons of trying to engineer a victory for the home side. Where usually such a practice would be cause for howls of derision from those Australians who believe each groundsman should be left to do his job in peace, this time around the endgame is more commercial than parochial.

Alastair Cook has challenged his young England team to take their chance for a memorable overseas series win in South Africa this winter

Andrew Miller10-Dec-2015Alastair Cook has challenged his young England team to take their chance for a memorable overseas series win in South Africa this winter, but admits that he is travelling with an unsettled and inexperienced batting line-up following the decision to dispense with the veteran Ian Bell.Speaking at Heathrow Airport ahead of England’s departure for their four-Test series, Cook insisted he would not be reading too much into South Africa’s comprehensive 3-0 defeat against India, their first away series loss for nine years.However, he did concede that a victory over the No.1-ranked Test nation in the world, in their own conditions, would rank among his finest achievements of his career. And, he added, since the retirement of a raft of their all-time greatest players, the South Africa side that lines up at Durban on Boxing Day for the first Test will be much changed from the one that Cook himself has yet to beat in a Test series in three previous attempts since 2008.”When you lose the greats of the game, Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Makhaya Ntini, Mark Boucher … there’s always going to be a bit of evolution in a side but trying to replace them is nigh on impossible, especially in one generation,” Cook said. “They are certainly a different side to what I have played in the past.”England will arrive in Johannesburg on Friday with plenty of optimism but a fair amount of uncertainty as well. Bell’s run drought means that the only guaranteed starter in England’s middle order is Joe Root at No. 4, and Cook called on the unfamiliar faces in the batting line-up to make a name for themselves in the coming weeks.”We haven’t quite got a settled top seven, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “But with Gary [Ballance] coming back, and Nick [Compton] coming back, they’ve had a taste of it before, and it’s a real opportunity for people to stake their claim.”On the absence of Bell, Cook conceded that it had been a tough decision to drop a player with 118 caps and more than a decade of Test experience. However, he backed his team-mate to capitalise on a rare winter break and come back refreshed in the new year, just as Cook himself had done this time last year, following his sacking as England one-day captain ahead of the World Cup.”I sat in on that selection meeting, it was a fairly long one when you are talking about a player of Ian’s class and experience,” Cook said. “We will miss his experience but he would be the first to admit he hasn’t quite scored the runs over the last couple of years.”But certainly you might see him score them again,” he added. “It’s a weird thing, missing a tour might do him the world of good. He’s been on pretty much every tour since 2000, whether it’s with England Under-19s, the Lions or the full side. So a bit of time away from the game might do him the world of good.”I look back a year ago, when I was left out of the World Cup. It was disappointing at the time, gutting at the time, but those few months away from the firing line, as it was, away from cricket and a time to be at home, actually gave me a real good understanding and a new lease of life. Hopefully that can be the same for Ian.”At the opposite end of the experience spectrum is Cook’s probable opening partner for the Durban Test. The uncapped Alex Hales was last month identified by Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, as the likely man to replace Moeen Ali at the top of the order and if that is the case, he will become Cook’s eighth opening partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss in 2012.Hales made his mark in the recent ODI series in the UAE, scoring his maiden 50-over hundred to help England seal an impressive 3-1 series win over Pakistan. That followed on from his hard-hitting hundred against Sri Lanka in the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh two years ago, and despite a quiet home ODI series against Australia in September, Cook believes that his potential new partner has learnt a lot in recent months.Alastair Cook speaks to the media ahead of England’s tour of South Africa•Getty Images

“You can’t guarantee anyone a first-Test place when you are sitting in a hotel,” said Cook. “But judging by the way the selection has gone he’s got a great opportunity. We’ve seen in county cricket that he can go on a run and be destructive. He will have experienced a lot, from not scoring too many runs in the Australia one-day series to really bouncing back and leading in the one-dayers [in the UAE].”As so often in South Africa, the quality of the fast bowling might prove to be the difference between the teams, and on that count, England begin the tour knowing that Vernon Philander will definitely miss the first two Tests, while Dale Steyn is also struggling with injury and is not yet a certain starter.With James Anderson and Stuart Broad heading to South Africa with their reputation as a partnership arguably at an all-time high following their heroics in adversity in the UAE, the news that Steven Finn is already battling back from the stress-related foot injury that ruled him out of the Pakistan tour is a major fillip for the squad.Last week, Finn bowled off his full run-up for the first time since his injury and has been cleared to take part in England Lions’ Twenty20 series against Pakistan A.”He won’t be ready to bowl in the first Test, but Steven has made big strides over the last couple of weeks,” Cook said. “He’s up and running a couple of weeks ahead of what we thought he’d be, and that’s really encouraging for him.””It would mean a huge amount [to beat South Africa],” he added. “That is the challenge we’ve got ahead of us. Reflecting back to Pakistan, something inside of me says that was an opportunity that we couldn’t quite take. I wonder if this is an opportunity we can take.”The 2-0 in Pakistan hurts me quite a lot as I don’t feel we were that far off. But now we’ve got another chance to win away from home.”

Melbourne Renegades fought back brilliantly to keep their Big Bash League season alive after Sydney Thunder made a flying start at the Sydney Showground Stadium

The Report by Will Macpherson at Sydney Showground Stadium11-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCameron White took charge of Melbourne Renegades’ chase with a series of flat sixes down the ground•Getty Images

Melbourne Renegades fought back brilliantly to keep their Big Bash League season alive after Sydney Thunder made a flying start at the Sydney Showground Stadium. This was a result with ramifications elsewhere: defeat for Thunder – their fourth on the spin – keeps Sydney Sixers and Hobart Hurricanes in with a slim chance of reaching the knockouts, too.Such a result had seemed laughable as Usman Khawaja got to work after Thunder opted to bat. His first 50 runs were nothing short of stupendous. First, came the beauty; away he went to Tom Cooper’s opening ball of the match with a caress through the covers, then down he danced to knock Xavier Doherty over mid-off in the next over. The following two balls in Doherty’s over showed extra power – although the elegance was never sacrificed, of course – as he threw the hands to send the bowler through the covers for four, then rocked back and pulled for six. Three more fours off Chris Tremain – twice whipped through midwicket, once pinged through extra cover – took him to 31 from three overs. Few could believe that the cleanest stroke – a perfect straight drive off Dwayne Bravo that veritably fizzed off the bat’s face – was still to come.It was a wristy, bristling, brutal exhibition that saw Khawaja continue two extraordinary runs of form; he became the first man to reach 20 in 10 consecutive BBL innings, and has still not been dismissed for under 50 since the start of November. When Jacques Kallis was caught behind off Cooper, Shane Watson joined in the fun. He launched his sixth and seventh deliveries for sixes, rocking back, dropping onto one knee to send Doherty over cow corner. Later, Cameron Gannon was slapped for six behind square; Nathan Rimmington was crashed for four, then a flat-batted six over long-on.As the ball softened and the pitch slowed, however, the Thunder’s fortunes turned. Khawaja – who eventually miscued a Cameron Gannon slower ball to deep midwicket – scored his last 14 runs off 18 balls, while Watson slowed considerably before holing out to Bravo’s penultimate ball of the innings. Mike Hussey was pinned in front by the last ball, ending an over that conceded just four singles, illustrating quite how the innings had slowed. Rimmington had been at the forefront of the fightback with a fine mix of slower balls and bouncers, one of which crashed into the collar bone of Andre Russell – who looked set to let fly – causing him to crash into his own stumps and later spend some time off the field. Kallis also left the field with a groin injury.Khawaja later admitted batting had become “tougher and tougher”, and while 173 looked better than par, only 78 of those had come in the second half of the innings. The Renegades had fought back and were left a chaseable target, just when the Thunder had looked ready to end their season.On the field, Chris Gayle has appeared to be a tetchy, caged bear, forever a moment from being poked. Tonight, just as it looked like he was set to get grizzly, he dozed off. Five fours – and even a couple of twos – had carried him to 28; twice he handsomely cleared the front leg and swiping to off. Then he drilled Clint McKay to Russell at long-on, an easy single waiting to be taken. He remained unmoved and, remarkably, steered the next ball to short fine-leg. “It wasn’t a great bit of cricket,” his partner Cooper later grumbled. Luckily for Gayle, Cameron White and Dwayne Bravo produced a remarkable chase to spare his blushes as dew set in and the bowlers struggled to grip the ball.Cooper started well and took four inside out over cover off Fawad Ahmed’s second ball before being bowled while attempting a cut two balls later. That saw Bravo join White, who hit some remarkable flat sixes over long-on while picking on Watson’s bowling and exuding class. He rode his luck, incorrectly given not out lbw off Kallis on 29, and always looked in control from there. Bravo went after Gurinder Sandhu and Russell, who eventually dismissed him with a slower ball immediately after being nailed for a pair of sixes. White fell later in the over and Tom Beaton was run out, but there was little left to do, and the calm head of Peter Nevill drilled a straight drive to see Renegades home.

India’s first series victory of any kind in Australia since the summer of Monkeygate is proving an unmitigated disaster for the hosts, who now face real uncertainty over their captaincy

The Report by Daniel Brettig29-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:00

Agarkar: India’s top three the best in T20 cricket

India’s first series victory of any kind in Australia since the summer of Monkeygate is proving an unmitigated disaster for the hosts, who now face real uncertainty over their captaincy. Aaron Finch twanged a hamstring as his side fell apart under the pressure of a chase for the second time in as many matches.The game evolved in a near action replay of the opening match in Adelaide, as Australia were unable to capitalise on a strong start by Finch and Shaun Marsh in pursuit of a strong Indian total built upon the batting of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.Steven Smith and David Warner are set to fly to New Zealand on Saturday, leaving a considerable leadership vacuum should Finch be unfit for the third T20 in Sydney on Sunday. His likely absence may at least mean an opportunity for Usman Khawaja, the outstanding batsman of the summer so far.India’s serenity made for a marked contrast, as an unchanged team from Adelaide built steadily into a firm tally batting first before defending it grandly with the help of some tremendous fielding. Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin were aided by Yuvraj Singh, while the medically-enforced absence of Darren Lehmann appears to have been felt in the way the Australians have shown little composure under pressure.As had been the case in Adelaide, Australia’s openers began with fluency and power, this time zooming to 94 inside 10 overs. However, the introduction of spin had again drawn chances, as Marsh and Finch (thrice) were both reprieved by MS Dhoni and his outfielders.Oddly, Marsh responded to the surfeit of good fortune by trying his luck yet again against R Ashwin and being caught at long on. Chris Lynn did not last long, skying Hardik Pandya to be taken safely by Dhoni, before Glenn Maxwell was lured down by Yuvraj and stumped in the blink of an eye by India’s captain.Momentum was now flowing to India just as surely as it had done in the opening match, and Jadeja turned it into a torrent by holding a return catch from Shane Watson that may have struck him in the head without a brilliant interception. At the other end Finch’s frustration was mounting despite his own strong effort.This all compounded in the very next over when Matthew Wade called his captain through for a single so rapid that Jadeja’s wide throw was good enough to have Dhoni breaking the stumps in time. On his way down the pitch, Finch appeared to ping a hamstring, and cursed the world as he hobbled off the field, his place in future plans now under a cloud to rank with any that hovered over Melbourne this afternoon.The rest was academic – Wade hit out by way of contrition, James Faulkner was unluckily out when Dhoni fumbled onto the wicket for an accidental stumping, and the run rate blew out to dimensions that quietened a healthy crowd of 58,787. They went home aware that Australia’s problems are mounting, while Indian plans fall usefully into place.In addition to Warner and Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Boyce, Shaun Tait and Kane Richardson were dropped in the biggest upheaval to an Australian side since another T20 series, against West Indies in early 2013.In their places were Tye, Maxwell, John Hastings, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon. Hastings, Lyon and Tye made their T20 debuts as the selectors experimented ahead of the World T20 in India.In the absence of Tait, it was a lower velocity pairing of Watson and John Hastings who shared the new ball, but the change of pace did not serve to diminish India’s Powerplay strength. Forty-four from the first five overs was a fine start from Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan,A greasy night following considerable rain in Melbourne throughout the day was always going to make Lyon’s night challenging, and his first T20 over was to be his only one for the night. It was hurt badly by one ball that slipped, a high full toss being called no-ball and the free hit being deposited well over long on by Rohit.Maxwell was also sent into the stands by Rohit, but he was to claim the wicket of Shikhar when the opener essayed a reverse sweep. That wicket left India 1 for 97 after 11 overs, and they were unable to accelerate full from there.This had little to do with Kohli, who careered to 59 from 33 balls with some shots of matchless mastery, and more to do with an improved collective effort from the hots at the back end. Rohit lost some of his earlier momentum before being run out looking for a second, and Dhoni was not quite able to free his arms before Tye had him taken at long off as part of a generally impressive last over.If anything, Tye’s quietly assured display is the greatest discovery for Australia in the series so far. Bolstered by Big Bash League exposure, he looks capable of landing his yorkers under international pressure. By the end of the night, Tye was the selectors’ only solace – the match and series plaudits were all India’s, a feeling they last enjoyed in Australia after the triangular ODI series of early 2008.

South Africa’s T20 captain Faf du Plessis praised Imran Tahir’s control and variations after his side’s three-wicket victory over England, in which the bowler took 4 for 21

Firdose Moonda20-Feb-2016Imran Tahir’s almost two-year-old son Gibran predicted that his father would end up with a four-for in the first T20I against England but no one can guess what the legspinner would have had done had he taken a fifth, not even the man himself.”I was talking to my wife earlier and she asked my son, ‘How many wickets is daddy going to take today?’ and he said ‘two plus two.’ That’s what he said and I’m really happy I got it,” Tahir stated after the match, which South Africa won off the last ball with three wickets to spare.Tahir’s third and fourth wickets, Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali, came off successive deliveries and he was inches away from taking a fifth to complete a hat-trick when Chris Jordan missed a googly that carried over the top of the stumps. Had the ball hit, Tahir would have “probably ended up in the crowd but I am not sure.” Faf du Plessis guessed that his bowler may have “run up the mountain” in delight but perhaps Tahir would have instigated a group hug – similar to the one he smothered du Plessis in when Moeen Ali was dismissed.Du Plessis was at cover when Tahir dished up a full delivery to Ali, who picked out the South African captain exactly as the side had planned. “We get excited when stuff we are working on falls into place. That was a big hug between me and Immi because that’s exactly what we wanted to do,” du Plessis said. “I said make him hit the ball to me at cover and he did exactly that.”Tahir final returns of 4 for 21 equalled his career-best effort and ensured England did not get away after Alex Hales and Jason Roy’s blazing start. “His control tonight was great. He bowled one full toss but the rest was exceptional. He spun the ball both ways,” du Plessis said. “He wins games of cricket on his own. As a captain, that’s a huge weapon to have. Even though they had a great start, I knew that on that surface, Immi was going to be a handful.”But South Africa almost bottled the advantage Tahir gave them and had to rely on another individual effort to chase down a small target of 135. Chris Morris scored 15 runs off the final over and two off the last ball to pull South Africa over the line. After his heroics in the Wanderers ODI, Morris has earned the moniker ‘Chuck Morris’, but du Plessis explained there is a trick to bringing out the big-hitter’s destructive best.”The key is to get Morris to the crease not when there are four overs left but when there are one or two overs left. He is very good at clearing the rope. He can hit sixes from ball one,” du Plessis said. “Him and David Wiese can both do it. It just makes your batting line-up so destructive. When it’s going for you, like it is for Morrie, it’s important that you ride the wave and he is doing that. He is winning games and that makes him an x-factor player.”Du Plessis believes that South Africa have collectively improved in do-or-die situations and he hopes this will stand them in good stead at the upcoming World Twenty20. “In the last two years, I think we have made some big strides. That’s all you can do. You can try and get better at pressure moments,” he said. “That’s the only difference between games like these and games in the World Cup. The World Cup is 10-15% more pressure. If we can do well in games like this, like we did tonight, that’s great learning for us.”

Bangladesh are confident Shakib Al Hasan will be fit for the Asia Cup final against India on Sunday after the allrounder suffered a blow on his right thigh while batting in the nets on Friday

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur05-Mar-20160:57

‘Still room for improvement in T20Is’ – Mashrafe

The Bangladesh team management is hopeful Shakib Al Hasan will be fit for the Asia Cup final against India on Sunday after the allrounder suffered a blow on his right thigh while batting in the nets on Friday. The team physio, Bayejidul Islam Khan, said Shakib had suffered bruising on the hip flexor near the thigh muscle.Shakib batted in the nets during an optional training session at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Saturday before returning to the dressing room. Bayejidul said an injury of this kind normally takes 48 hours to heal and is hopeful this will be the case with Shakib.”Shakib got this injury during training on Friday,” Bayejidul said. “We call it a contusion, after he was struck on the hip flexor of his thigh muscle. He is quite well now. It was optional training today and we had asked him not to train. But he still went at it for a while though he didn’t practice much. He will recover before tomorrow’s match. Normally it takes 48 hours to recover, and we are hoping that it is the case.”Bangladesh have bigger worries ahead of the final, particularly India’s batting line-up. In the league-stage match, Bangladesh managed to put them under pressure in the first seven overs but late-hitting from Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya got India back in the game and they eventually won by 45 runs.Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said the team would focus on curbing runs in the Powerplay and slog overs, when the likes of Rohit and MS Dhoni can do maximum damage.”There is no doubt that India’s batting order has six world-class batsmen in all formats,” Mashrafe said. “You can’t get them out thinking of a particular way or area. You need to bowl well throughout; they will charge, but you have to minimize that. In this format generally the damage happens in the first six overs and towards the end so we have to keep an eye on those two periods.”Mashrafe said that Mustafizur Rahman, who was ruled out due to a side strain, will be sorely missed but was pleased that Taskin Ahmed and Al-Amin Hossain had taken up the responsibility well, as was evident against Pakistan.”We are playing without our best bowler [Mustafizur Rahman] to be honest but Taskin and Al-Amin bowled well in the last game,” Mashrafe said. “This is a good sign for a team that’s growing. When your best payer isn’t there still you are performing. This is a good sign.”Mashrafe admitted the side was missing a big-hitter down the order, to back up a strong top and middle-order: “I do believe we have some good players like Tamim, Soumya, Sabbir, Shakib and Mushfiqur. They can change the game for us, I do believe.”Obviously in T20, I feel there is another area that the game can change and that’s the batsman at No 7 or 8. We don’t have a world-class player there at the moment but we have some of those in the rest of the batting order.”

leem Dar, the Pakistani umpire, has been drawn into a row involving one of Britain’s oldest cricket clubs, after his sons were persuaded by a rogue club official to pretend to be Scottish in order to play in a league fixture

Andrew Miller and Umar Farooq29-Apr-2016Aleem Dar, the Pakistani umpire who recently officiated in his 100th Test, has been left embarrassed by a row involving one of Britain’s oldest cricket clubs, after his sons were persuaded by a rogue club official to pretend to be Scottish in order to play in a league fixture.Kilmarnock Cricket Club was this week thrown out of the first division of the Western District Cricket Union in Scotland after it emerged that Ali and Hassan Dar, aged 18 and 16, had circumvented eligibility rules by falsely claiming to have been born in Glasgow.The pair were encouraged by Kilmarnock’s vice president, Muhammad Saleem – who has since resigned – to register under the pseudonyms Umer Mustafa and Saleh Mustafa to compete for Kilmarnock during the 2015 season, including one fixture, against Stenhousemuir in August, which was watched by Dar himself.The umpire’s trip to watch the contest in question arose after England’s three-day victory over Australia in the third Test at Edgbaston, which had left him with a free weekend to attend what he believed to be a friendly fixture at Stenhousemuir’s Tryst ground.”I do confirm that I, along with my wife, went to watch the game but it was a friendly game I thought,” Dar told ESPNcricinfo. “I went there to watch my sons and nephew Azeem, but I didn’t know that my sons were playing with different names.”My sons are too young to tamper with the personal details,” Dar added. “Both have Pakistani passports and they are proud to be Pakistanis. We have no doubt about that at any level. This entire story seems to be some kind of misunderstanding”Although no official documents were involved in the subterfuge, Kilmarnock have been punished with relegation to the second tier of the Western District Cricket Union, after it emerged that “Umer” and “Saleh” had actually been born in Pakistan and had not spent enough time in the UK in the preceding months to qualify as full-time residents.A Western Union official declared: “We received information regarding possible breaches of league rules and our investigation proved this to be the case.”It was found that two players were registered with improper details and one, or both, participated in a number of matches during the 2015 season.”The CMC [Cricket Management Committee] has decided to follow precedent by deducting all the points gained by Kilmarnock in the matches in which the two illegally registered players participated.”Kilmarnock have therefore been deducted 49 points and are now relegated.”In a statement posted to the club’s website, Kilmarnock accepted the punishment, but insisted it had been misled by “the fraudulent actions of a single committee member”.In his resignation letter, in which he also withdrew as a member of the club, Saleem apologised for the “distress and harm” he had caused to Kilmarnock CC and to the WDCU for bringing the game into disrepute.However, he claimed in mitigation that the practice had been rife among several teams during the preceding six years, and asked that the WDCU committee tighten its policy to avoid such controversies in the future.”The club denies in the strongest terms that we knowingly provided false and misleading information in the registration of the two players,” Kilmarnock’s statement continued.”Whilst this has been a hugely stressful and ultimately disappointing period in the history of the club, we have fought back from fire, flood and countless other setbacks since 1852.”The strength of any club is its members, and whilst it is galling that the fate of the club and its members has been influenced by the misguided efforts of a few, we as a club can push on again if everyone sticks together.”Kilmarnock, who won the league on seven occasions between 1949 and 1970, were replaced in the top flight by St Michael’s, who had previously been relegated at the end of the 2015 season.Dar, who is presently in Lahore, agreed that the fault for the controversy lay with the club officials.”They should be enquired about this,” he said. “If the club was relegated then that happened for a good reason. One son is 16 and the other is hardly 18. They did play the league matches there, but they had played many friendly games as well.”7.50pm BST: This story was updated with Aleem Dar’s response

9pm BST, May 1: Further updated to reflect Muhammad Saleem’s resignation

Vidarbha batsman Faiz Fazal is one of five uncapped players in India’s weakened ODI and T20I squads for the tour of Zimbabwe in June

ESPNcricinfo staff23-May-2016Vidarbha batsman Faiz Fazal is one of five uncapped players in India’s weakened ODI and T20I squads for the tour of Zimbabwe in June. The others are spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Jayant Yadav, and batsmen Karun Nair and Mandeep Singh. KL Rahul is uncapped in the limited-overs formats.The selectors met on Sunday in Mumbai and chose the same 16-man squad for both ODIs and T20Is.As many as 17 players who were in the squads for India’s previous limited-overs assignments – the tour of Australia and the World T20 – were not picked. They were: R Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Gurkeerat Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Harbhajan Singh, Pawan Negi, Ashish Nehra, Hardik Pandya, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh. Rahul is the only player in the limited-overs squad to be picked for the Test tour of West Indies in July-August.The captain Dhoni, with 275 ODIs and 68 T20Is, has more experience than the other 15 players combined – 83 ODIs and 28 T20Is. “Dhoni has retired from the longer format and we selectors felt that this is the best opportunity for youngsters to have someone like Dhoni, who has ample experience,” Sandeep Patil, the chairman of selectors, said. “Dhoni himself was very keen to tour with the youngsters so I think it is a very good sign and a good help for the youngsters, who are going to be part of the Zimbabwe tour.”No one has been rested. No one wrote to BCCI or called us (to say) they were not available or they should be rested. It was the decision of the selection committee to pick a young side for Zimbabwe and another side for West Indies.”Patil, however, said Nehra and Vijay had fitness concerns, while Kohli required “complete rest” after the IPL. “Ashish Nehra is ruled out because he is undergoing surgery for his hamstring injury, M Vijay was not fit for the Zimbabwe tour with a niggle. The report which we have got from Patrick Farhat says that he [Kohli] needs rest after IPL for his [hand] injury.”Fazal, 30, is the only player in the squad without a current IPL contract – he was part of Rajasthan Royals until 2011 – and is presently playing league cricket in England. His selection came as a result of performances in Indian domestic cricket. Fazal made 127 in Rest of India’s chase of 480 to win the 2015-16 Irani Cup against Mumbai, and a century and a fifty in India A’s victory in the Deodhar Trophy. In the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2015-16, Fazal made 312 runs at an average of 52 in seven innings, and in the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy he scored 205 runs at a strike rate of 102 in nine innings.Rahul had a breakthrough IPL season in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s run to the playoffs with 386 runs, including four half-centuries, in 12 matches at an average of 55.14. Rahul’s Karnataka team-mate Karun Nair also had a productive IPL, in which he was the second-highest run-getter for Delhi Daredevils with 357 runs at 35.70, including an unbeaten 83 in a last-ball win against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Earlier, Nair had made 500 runs in seven matches in the Ranji season.Kedar Jadhav, the back-up wicketkeeper in the squad, had helped India A win the Deodhar Trophy with an unbeaten 39-ball 48 in January. He had also been part of India’s depleted squad to Zimbabwe in 2015. Jadhav set up India’s 3-0 sweep with his maiden century, but hasn’t played an ODI since.Mandeep was the leading run-getter in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, with 394 runs in seven matches at an average and strike rate of 65.66 and 88.73. Mandeep had sustained an injury minutes before Royal Challengers’ match against Gujarat Lions in April, but he had recovered since.Mandeep’s IPL team-mate Chahal was also picked. The legspinner is currently the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2016, with 19 wickets in 11 games at an average and economy rate of 17.05 and 7.87. Chahal was the side’s top wicket-taker in 2015 as well with 23 wickets in 15 games.”This year we wanted variation in our bowling department, that is why Yuzvendra Chahal found a place,” Patil said. “IPL as a tournament is important, it is a BCCI tournament and we know that all international players participate in the IPL, which makes it very competitive cricket. So it is important for the selectors to look into the performances of the IPL.”Jayant, the third specialist spinner in the squad after Axar Patel and Chahal, took eight wickets in Rest of India’s historic win in the Irani Cup in March. The offspinner then made sporadic appearances for Daredevils in IPL. He was the team’s second best bowler in terms of economy rate – giving away 7.35 runs an over in five matches.India are scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20Is in Harare between June 11 and 22.ODI and T20 squad MS Dhoni (capt & wk), KL Rahul, Faiz Fazal, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Ambati Rayudu, Rishi Dhawan, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Barinder Sran, Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Jaydev Unadkat, Yuzvendra Chahal

Tymal Mills and Dawid Malan have been named in England’s T20 squad to face Sri Lanka next month while Jonny Bairstow has been included for both the ODIs and T20 but there is no place for Stuart Broad

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2016Tymal Mills, the Sussex left-arm fast bowler, and Middlesex batsman Dawid Malan have been named in England’s T20 squad to face Sri Lanka next month. Jonny Bairstow has been included for both the ODIs and T20 but there was no place for Stuart Broad.Alex Hales, Joe Root and Moeen Ali were rested for the T20, which takes place at the Ageas Bowl on July 5. There was no place in either squad for Jake Ball, who was part of the Test squad through the series against Sri Lanka.Mills, who was forced to retire from first-class cricket last year after being diagnosed with a congenital back condition, is limited to the four-over workloads of T20 cricket but has the ability to bowl above 90mph. Prior to his diagnosis he was already on England’s radar because of his extreme pace – he was used as a net bowler during the 2013-14 Ashes tour – and continued to be involved in the fast bowling programme during last winter.”The guy can bowl quickly. It’s a shame his back has robbed him of first-class cricket, but he seems to have thrown all his efforts into becoming a really skilful one-day bowler,” Alastair Cook, England’s Test captain, said. “He’s obviously worked on his skills: he can change-up from a 93mph thunderbolt to a slower ball. There’s no substitute for pace. I’ll be very excited to watch him bowl.”In a recent televised T20 Blast match against Somerset, Mills was clocked at 93mph when he gave Chris Gayle a working over before shattering his stumps, and also showed his variety of slower balls he often uses at the death. On Friday he claimed 3 for 15 from his four overs against Kent.Earlier this month he told ESPNcricinfo about his ambitions to be a T20 specialist for England. “In a perfect world I could make a career doing this for a long time. I’ve just got to stay fit,” he said. “Everything I do is aimed at being a top T20 player. I want to play for England even if it’s just in T20 cricket.”Malan was rewarded for impressive form against Pakistan A in the UAE, where he scored 253 runs at 50.60 and a strike rate of 131.77 in the five T20s, alongside 211 runs in four one-day games. He will likely open the innings alongside Jason Roy, with Hales given a brief break after the five-match ODI series. Liam Dawson, the Hampshire allrounder who was part of the World T20 squad but did not make his debut, retained his place.”Tymal Mills has been one of the standout performers with the ball in the NatWest T20 Blast competition this season and deserves his chance,” James Whitaker, the national selector, said. “Dawid Malan has made great strides as an attacking batsman, both with Middlesex and the England Lions. We were particularly impressed with his three fifties during the winter tour of the UAE against Pakistan A.”The 14-man one-day squad had a familiar look except for the enforced absences of Ben Stokes (knee injury), Reece Topley (back injury) and James Taylor. Liam Plunkett, the Yorkshire fast bowler, retained his place with the other pace bowlers being David Willey, Chris Jordan, Chris Woakes and Steven Finn. Moeen and Adil Rashid again offer the option of a twin-spin attack.”We have made good progress over the past 12 months in all white ball cricket, which has been very encouraging,” Whitaker said. “The six matches coming up against Sri Lanka will give the players a good test of their credentials. It is important for this group of players to make a mark this summer as we continue to improve ahead of hosting the ICC Champions Trophy tournament this time next year.”ODI squad Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Chris Jordan, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, James Vince, David Willey, Chris WoakesT20 squad Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, James Vince, David Willey