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Wicketkeeper effects four dismissals to keep Superchargers to 100 before batters clean up the total with 13 balls to spare

ECB Reporters Network06-Aug-2023Rhianna Southby put on a sensational wicketkeeping clinic as Southern Brave returned to winning ways with a thumping five-wicket victory over Northern Superchargers.Southby affected a record four dismissals – two catches and two stumpings – in her second Hundred game in front of a strong Ageas Bowl crowd of 9813.The retiring Anya Shrubsole starred with two wickets while Georgia Adams picked 3 for 21 as Superchargers were stifled to just 100.Maia Bouchier took control of the chase with 31 as Brave eased to the total to make it two wins from three, while Superchargers’ away day blues continued.Shrubsole won the toss, chose to bowl, and continued her farewell tour with her greatest hits to dismiss the overseas duo of Jemimah Rodrigues and Pheobe Litchfield. The former with a textbook extravagant inswinger, the latter brilliantly caught on the rise by Southby.Marie Kelly and Hollie Armitage collaborated with a 43-run stand before Southby stooped to affect a stumping off a low bouncing ball to see off Armitage before taking an under edge from Alice Davidson-Richards on review.Southby, who didn’t play in the Southern Vipers’ successful T20 Charlotte Edwards Cup campaign, continued her good work behind the stumps to stump Kelly – who top-scored with an anchoring 39.A sticky pitch assisted turn for Adams, Kalea Moore and Chloe Tryon, who bowled the bulk of the middle balls, but it was Lauren Bell and Shrubsole who went at under a run-a-ball at either end of the innings.Bess Heath chipped to mid-off, Leah Dobson was caught and bowled by Adams and Kate Cross was deceived by a cunning Bell slower ball.In reply, Danni Wyatt initially looked the freest flowing batter on display with five sweetly-struck boundaries but came unstuck when she drilled Cross to point. Smriti Mandhana ticked through the runs with a l’aise au fait style, while Bouchier accelerated after a slow start.Bouchier had been 8 off her first 14 balls but exploded with a pair of boundaries and a six in three successive balls. Mandhana and Adams swung to deep midwicket, while Bouchier rolled on with a stylish cut shot before she was caught and bowled by Linsey Smith’s full toss with 14 still required.Smith and Georgia Wareham had both taken two wickets for 11 and 15 respectively to scare the Brave, with Freya Kemp bowled by Wareham to put the hosts five down. But Tryon pulled a boundary and sent Brave to the top with 13 balls to spare, with Superchargers still only winning two games away from Headingley in their third season.

Vernon Philander has made Sussex his fifth county on a short-term deal in 2017

David Hopps09-Dec-2016Sussex have signed South Africa international Vernon Philander for the first half of the county season, advancing his reputation as one of the overseas nomads of the county circuit.Philander, who remains an integral part of South Africa’s bowling attack and has played 37 Test matches for his country, will be available for Sussex’s first six Specsavers County Championship matches, and the entire group stage of the Royal London One-Day Cup tournament.Philander will use the spell at Sussex as a useful warm-up ahead of South Africa’s Test series against England next summer. He has not played ODIs for South Africa for more than a year but he has not retired from the format and a call up for South Africa in the Champions Trophy cannot be entirely ruled out, which, if it occurred, would disrupt Sussex’s plans.Sussex represent Philander’s fifth county after other short-term deals at Middlesex in 2008, Somerset in 2012, Kent in 2013 and Nottinghamshire in 2015. His emphasis has very much been on using the county circuit in short-term bursts to build form and fitness, and earn revenue, without seeking any long-term loyalty.In those four stints, he has taken only 49 first-class wickets at 26.98, his most lasting contribution being the 23 wickets he took for Somerset in 2012 and his most ephemeral appearance a two-game stint at Kent when he failed to take a wicket.Most recently, he helped South Africa to an impressive 2-1 Test series victory in Australia, having decimated the hosts’ top-order in the second Test with figures of 5 for 21 in the first innings, as Australia were bowled out for 85.Sussex’s head coach Mark Davis said, “I am thrilled to have Vernon joining us for the first two months of the season. He is one of the leading bowlers in world cricket and to have him bowling in English conditions is a very exciting prospect from the club.Philander said of his upcoming stint at Hove: “I’m really looking forward to getting to Hove and playing for Sussex for the first couple of months of the English season. Although I haven’t come up against Sussex much in my time playing in England, I’ve always heard good things about the club and set-up.”Mark Davis, the coaching team and Luke Wright are building an exciting squad and I’m excited to be a part of that in 2017.”

Christian contributed with both bat and ball, but Bryant and Renshaw’s 108-run stand turned the game on its head

Tristan Lavalette06-Jan-2025Dan Christian rewound the clock in his first match since coming out of retirement, but Matt Renshaw and Max Bryant produced a blistering century partnership to lift Brisbane Heat over Sydney Thunder in a pivotal BBL result.Chasing 174 at the Gabba, Heat were in big trouble at 43 for 3 before Bryant and Renshaw combined for a belligerent 108-run partnership to turn the match on its head. Bryant smashed 72 off 35 balls, while Renshaw whacked 48 not out off 33 balls as Heat reached the target with seven balls to spare.It was a vital win for Heat, who reignited their title defence and moved to a 3-3 (one no result) record. After their attack fell apart in the backend of Heat’s innings, with quick Wes Agar suffering the brunt with 1 for 61 from 3.5 overs, the shorthanded Thunder (4-2) missed their chance to claim the top spot on the BBL ladder.

Renshaw, Bryant turn match on its head

Heat’s top-order struggles reared again and their hopes of victory looked forlorn at 53 for 3 after ten overs. The required run rate ballooned to over 12 an over as Bryant and Renshaw were forced to take the power surge earlier than Heat would have hoped.It worked as a treat with Renshaw setting the tone by whacking Agar -for consecutive boundaries in the 11th over, which yielded 20 runs. Heat plundered 32 runs in the power surge and their momentum continued with Bryant and Renshaw trading massive blows.Renshaw showcased his improved power game against spin with a huge six off Tom Andrews that sailed over deep midwicket. They smashed 72 runs in just five overs, as Bryant raced past Renshaw to reach his half-century off 26 balls.Bryant fell in the 17th over, but Renshaw ensured Heat held their nerve at the death.Dan Christian utilised his wealth of T20 experience to good effect•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Christian contributes with bat and ball

The 41-year-old Christian had not played a professional cricket match since BBL 12 and had spent the past two seasons as Thunder’s assistant coach. But he had to answer an urgent call for Thunder after injuries to Daniel Sams and Cameron Bancroft following their horror collision in the field against Perth Scorchers.Christian had been keeping fit in local NSW cricket and it showed with a terrific all-round performance. Coming in at 125 for 6 after Thunder were sent in, Christian wisely gave himself a few sighters, scoring just six runs off his first seven balls, before blasting a huge six off quick Xavier Bartlett that sailed 92m over the square-leg boundary. Christian added another six, fortuitously through a top edge, but his cameo proved he had not lost his power hitting.He then came into the attack in the fourth over of Heat’s innings and dismissed Nathan McSweeney, who feathered an attempted lap shot. Christian also bowled tidily at the death to finish with 1 for 25 from four overs as he utilised his wealth of T20 experience to good effect.

Neser returns in style

Amid Scott Boland’s burgeoning popularity and strong form of numerous fringe international quicks in the BBL, Michael Neser has become the forgotten paceman of Australian cricket. He had started the domestic season brilliantly and claimed 4 for 27 against India A at the MCG in early November before suffering a significant hamstring injury in that match.After being on the sidelines for almost two months, he was raring to go and opened the bowling along with Bartlett, ahead of left-arm quick Spencer Johnson who was held back until the seventh over. Neser’s new ball prowess came to the fore in the third over when he dismissed Ollie Davies, who could only inside-edge an attempted ramp shot. It was a tame end for Davies, elevated to open in the absence of Bancroft.David Warner continued his good form•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Neser returned and claimed the vital wicket of Sam Billings in the ninth over. He dug in a short-of-good-length delivery that Billings charged at but could only sky high in the air for Tom Alsop to complete an easy catch with the gloves. Neser finished with 2 for 25 from four overs and later hit the winning run.

Warner fires again

After a slow start to his captaincy reign, David Warner rediscovered his belligerent best with scores of 86 not out and 49 heading into this match. He produced again with 50 off 36 balls to hold together Thunder’s innings.Warner batted in mostly orthodox fashion in the powerplay and was determined to be Thunder’s anchor as they lost consistent wickets. He made his move in the sixth over against legspinner Mitchell Swepson, sweeping him to the boundary on the first delivery before reverse-sweeping the next ball for another four.Warner’s placement was a feature as underlined by drilling a cover boundary off Johnson to bring up his half-century. But he was clean bowled on the next ball after unsuccessfully reverse sweeping a Johnson yorker. Thunder appeared set to fall well short of a strong total until Christian’s late flurry.

Bangladesh sped at nearly six runs an over after deciding against enforcing the follow-on

Mohammad Isam15-Jun-2023Bangladesh overcame an early morning hiccup to sit on a 370-run lead at the end of the second day of the Dhaka Test against Afghanistan. On a 16-wicket day, the home side sped to 134 for 1 in 23 overs at stumps, having bowled out the visitors for 146. Bangladesh had earlier been bowled out for 382, losing their last five wickets for nine runs.The day’s honours would go to two fast bowlers. Nijat Masood took 5-79 in Bangladesh’s first innings. He became the second Afghanistan bowler to take a five-for on Test debut. Ebadot Hossain’s 4-47 was his best figures at home, but he missed out on a five-for after the Bangladesh spinners took the last three Afghanistan wickets.Najmul Hossain Shanto and Zakir Hasan were the unbeaten batters at stumps, having both made 54 off 64 balls each. Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who made a half-century in the first innings, fell for 17, after which Shanto and Zakir added 116 runs for the unbroken second-wicket stand. Both reached their fifties with boundaries off successive balls.Shanto took off in the second innings from where he left off in the first dig. Masood dropped him off his own bowling when the left-hander was on nine. Shanto shook it off to drive freely, while Zakir used the pull shot to good effect.Ebadot Hossain finished with a four-for•AFP/Getty Images

Bangladesh batters were able to play this freely mainly because of how their bowlers fared in the afternoon. Ebadot used the extra bounce on the Shere Bangla National Stadium pitch to pick up four wickets. He had the short delivery rearing at Abdul Malik’s gloves, who handed a catch to Zakir at third slip. Rahmat Shah was caught in two minds, switching between the pull and the flick, before miscuing the ball to Taskin Ahmed at mid-on.Ebadot used his bounce again to get rid of Afsar Zazai, who top-edged a pull and got caught at deep square leg for 36. It was the short ball again that served Ebadot well when he had Amir Hamza caught at short leg.Shoriful Islam had a good outing too, taking the wickets of Ibrahim Zadran and captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, either side of the lunch break. Zadran was caught behind, while Shahidi edged to Mehidy Hasan Miraz at fourth slip.Nijat Masood bagged a five-for on Test debut•BCB

Mehidy and Taijul Islam also took two wickets each, mopping up Afghanistan’s lower half. Mehidy broke the 65-run stand between Zazai and Nasir Jamal by trapping the latter lbw for 35. Mehidy completed his 150th wicket in Tests when he had Karim Janat stumped for 23. The innings ended with Bangladesh gaining a 236-run lead and they chose to bat again.Earlier in the morning, the home side were bowled out for 382 runs within 45 minutes of the start of play. They collapsed from 373 for 5 in just 4.5 overs and added 20 runs to their overnight total.Mehidy and Mushfiqur Rahim, who had added 83 runs for the sixth wicket, fell within six balls of each other. Yamin Ahmadzai had Mehidy caught at gully while Masood had Mushfiqur fending a short ball to third slip. Both got out in the forties. Masood removed Taijul who popped a catch to short leg before completing his five-for by uprooting Shoriful’s off-stump.

Ross Taylor has been cleared by eye specialists to play the Hamilton Test against Pakistan, which is set to begin on November 25

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2016Ross Taylor has been cleared by eye specialists to play the Hamilton Test against Pakistan, which is set to begin on November 25. However, the batsman needs surgery on his left eye, which will be done after the Test, thereby ruling him out of the ODIs in Australia in December.Taylor has a benign growth on the eye, called a “pterygium”. The growth is currently not obscuring his vision in any way, according to New Zealand’s physiotherapist Tommy Simsek, but will have to be removed before it gets larger.”Ross has a pterygium on his left eye, which is gradually getting bigger,” Simsek said. “Both the specialists he has seen in recent days have advised Ross still has 20/20 vision, and Ross himself feels confident he is ready to play.”But Ross will still need to undergo a medical procedure on his eye to remove the pterygium before it gets any larger. He’ll have surgery following the Test, which rule him out of cricket for approximately four to six weeks.”New Zealand are leading the two-Test series against Pakistan 1-0. After it ends, they travel to Australia to play three ODIs for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, between December 4 and 9. Their next international assignment is a visit by Bangladesh, which kicks off with an ODI on Boxing Day in Christchurch.Northern Districts batsman Dean Brownlie had been put on standby by the selectors, as cover for Taylor, when New Zealand Cricket announced the squad for the second Test against Pakistan. Allrounder Mitchell Santner returns to the squad for that Test, having recovered from a wrist fracture.

New Zealand have retained the services of head coach Mike Hesson, batting coach Craig McMillan, manager Mike Sandle, and strength and conditioning coach Chris Donaldson

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-2016New Zealand have retained the services of head coach Mike Hesson, batting coach Craig McMillan, manager Mike Sandle, and strength and conditioning coach Chris Donaldson. All four have signed contracts that extend until after the 2019 World Cup.NZC chief executive David White welcomed the development.”This is very positive in terms of our succession planning, our preparation for the major events on the horizon and, not least, general team stability,” White said. “It was really important for us to retain the intellectual property and institutional knowledge that these people have developed.”White had words of high praise for Hesson, who has held the head coach role since July 2012.”Mike’s the most successful coach in New Zealand cricket history and, in my opinion, the best selector we’ve ever had,” he said. “To have him committed to the Black Caps until after the next World Cup is great news for all concerned.”Hesson called it a “privilege” to coach New Zealand.”Being around a group which works together and is striving to head in the same direction is extremely rewarding,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be a part of the Black Caps culture and I feel lucky to be able to contribute to that for a little bit longer.”

Pakistan are No. 2, followed by India, New Zealand and England

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-2023Australia have retained their No. 1 spot in the ICC men’s ODI team rankings following the annual update that dropped results from the 2019-20 season and reflects all matches completed since May 2020.With 118 rating points, Australia are two points clear of second-placed Pakistan after the update, which weights matches completed before May 2022 at 50% and subsequent matches at 100%. Earlier this month, after a similar update for Test rankings, Australia had lost their No. 1 position in red-ball cricket to India.Pakistan had grabbed the top ODI spot last week, after taking a 4-0 lead during their five-match home series against New Zealand. But their stay proved to be a short one as they lost the final match and slipped back behind Australia. Had Pakistan won the series 5-0, they would have remained at the top of the table even after the annual update.

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India, who are No. 1 in both Tests and T20Is, are at No. 3 in ODIs, with just one rating point separating them and Pakistan.India are followed by New Zealand and England who lost four and ten points, respectively, after the update.Afghanistan were the biggest beneficiaries. They are now eighth, having overtaken Sri Lanka and West Indies. South Africa and Bangladesh are at No. 6 and 7, respectively. The top eight happen to be the teams that have qualified directly for this year’s ODI World Cup, to be held in India.The women’s annual team rankings updates will be carried out at the beginning of October.

New Zealand stumble into trouble after Joe Root’s 153 not out cements England position

Alan Gardner24-Feb-2023Aggressive batting, funky declarations, ruthless wicket-taking intent. England ticked the boxes of their new brand of Test cricket to take a firm grip of the second Test after another rain-affected day in Wellington.While there was no double-hundred for Harry Brook, his early dismissal could not knock the tourists off their stride. Joe Root’s serene, unbeaten 153 guided England past 400 and Ben Stokes was able to declare in the first innings for the second Test in succession. James Anderson and Jack Leach then shared six wickets between them to leave New Zealand battling to save the follow-on before squally showers again brought about an early close.A still-green surface continued to offer something for the bowlers, with wickets falling at regular intervals – serving only to emphasise how much of an outlier the extraordinary first-day stand between Brook and Root had been. Their partnership, which ended in the third over of the second morning, was eventually worth 302; the next-best on either side was 39.New Zealand’s successes on day two were largely limited to seeing off Brook for the addition of just two runs to his overnight 184. Matt Henry was the man to finally get the better of Brook, on the way to figures of 4 for 100, but the home attack continued to take plenty of tap in the face of more gung-ho batting.With time already lost from the second Test and further interruptions forecast, Stokes opted to move the game along. He was immediately rewarded with a double-wicket burst from Anderson in the passage before lunch, and Leach then came to the fore as England whittled their way through a demoralised home line-up to leave them 103 for 7 shortly after the tea interval.Jack Leach plucked out three wickets during the afternoon•Getty Images

New Zealand’s hopes of a fightback again rested with Tom Blundell, although Tim Southee swatted a couple of mighty sixes – his 77th and 78th, drawing him level with MS Dhoni on the all-time list – to push England back before the rain arrived 40 minutes into the evening session.After Root’s strokeplay set the early tone, England were soon in the ascendency with the ball. Anderson bent his fifth delivery past the outside edge of Conway; the initial appeal was muted but convictions quickly hardened and England’s review revealed the presence of a thin outside edge. Kane Williamson was then guilty of an impetuous swipe in Anderson’s third over, the former New Zealand captain nicking through to Ben Foakes to leave the home side 7 for 2.Their position became 21 for 3 after the interval when Will Young was confounded by a scintilla of away movement and some extra bounce, the ball brushing his bottom glove to give Anderson a third. England had been on exactly the same score on the first morning, but although New Zealand also managed a recovery stand it was nowhere near the same magnitude.Latham and Nicholls played in compact fashion, picking off boundaries whenever possible, and moved the score on to 60 before the former was given out caught off the wristband of the glove after aiming a reverse-sweep at Leach. Latham reviewed and was visibly disgruntled when Aleem Dar upheld Chris Gaffaney’s on-field decision but replays were at best inconclusive.A few overs later, Nicholls was gone playing the same stroke, no doubt this time as a top-edge deflected off his arm to be snapped up by Ollie Pope at short leg. Pope then produced a fine reflex catch at silly mid-off to account for Daryl Mitchell and give Leach his third on the stroke of tea, and Stuart Broad chipped in after the resumption when Michael Bracewell prodded a limp return catch.England’s platform had been set by the exploits of Brook and Root on day one, the fourth-wicket pair resuming a stand worth 294. Root rolled out his reverse-ramp in the second over of the day, depositing Southee for six over deep third, but Brook’s fun was cut short in sight of a maiden double-century when he drilled a return catch to Henry, the bowler holding on at the second attempt.Joe Root takes the applause after walking off unbeaten on 153•AFP/Getty Images

Their association was already England’s highest for any wicket in New Zealand, and contributed more than two-thirds of the eventual total as the innings threatened to fall away.Stokes played to recent type with another frenetic innings, repeatedly looking to make room and slap the seamers over the off side. There were a couple of nicely timed boundaries to go with several miscues before he was dismissed for 27 off 28 balls, hacking Neil Wagner limply to mid-off.Foakes might perhaps have been relied upon to bring a more sober approach to proceedings, but he was stumped in bizarre fashion in the following over, falling out of his crease against the offspin of Bracewell. Broad was lbw to Bracewell soon after, meaning England had lost 4 for 66 with the second new ball looming.Root, having played second fiddle to Brook on Friday, was keen to unfurl his full range, and slog-swept Bracewell into the crowd before taking Southee for six and four with the new ball. Ollie Robinson played as many shots with only a fraction of the timing, but was badly dropped Blundell off Henry before plinking to mid-off next ball. Root then passed 150 with his sixth boundary of the session, before England walked off in order to get busy with the ball.

All you need to know about Lt General (retd) Ravi Thodge, the newest member of the Committee of Administrators

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Feb-20191:06

Will take a call on World Cup match in consultation with government – Vinod Rai

On Thursday, the Supreme Court added Lieutenant General (retd) Ravi Thodge as the third member of the Committee of Administrators (CoA). Thodge’s addition was a step towards resolving the differences between the two original members – Vinod Rai, the former Comptroller and Auditor General of India, and Diana Edulji, the former India women captain.Thodge says he’ll take the challenge on “like a good soldier”, and he got his hands dirty straightaway. He was part of the CoA meeting in Delhi today (he attended via tele-conference) where the panel took the unanimous decision to send a letter to the ICC asking the global body to support the BCCI’s call to “sever ties with countries from which terrorism emanates”.Here’s a lowdown of Thodge’s background, and why he accepted the court’s offer to join the CoA.Where does Thodge hail form?Born in Yavatmal (Maharashtra), Thodge studied in Sainik school and graduated from the Indian Military Academy in 1977.What is his army background?Thodge joined the Gorkha Regiment in 1977 and quit in 2016 after 39 years in the Army, by which time he had reached the post of Lieutenant General. He received the Param Vishist Seva Medal, a honour conferred by the Indian government for the highest order of distinguished service.Thodge has had extensive experience of being at the helm of fighting insurgency in various parts of India and overseas, including Punjab, Kashmir, North-east India and Sri Lanka.Before he quit the army, Thodge’s last job was that of Master General of Ordnance from 2014 to 2016. The position’s key job is to keep the army operationally fit. Thereafter he has been a consultant to India’s Defence Ministry.Why he accepted the offerWhat strengths does he bring to the CoA?Thodge believes his extensive administrative experience in the army, spanning nearly four decades, can aid the CoA in managing the BCCI. “I will have to see, learn and then take my call. With so much of experience it is about moulding yourself to the job.”

“I can proudly say I can bowl four overs now as a third seamer or a fourth seamer”

Deivarayan Muthu03-Aug-20223:18

Hardik Pandya – ‘When I bowl it gives a lot of balance to the side’

After having started his international career as a back-up bowling option, Hardik Pandya now believes that he can do the job as a frontline seamer. Apart from Arshdeep Singh, Hardik is the only India seamer to have bowled his full quota of four overs in each of the three T20Is so far in the Caribbean. On Tuesday, on a used Basettere pitch, Hardik handcuffed West Indies’ big hitters with a mixture of slower offcutters and on-pace deliveries.”Obviously, I’ve enjoyed bowling,” Hardik said after India secured a 2-1 series lead. “Again I’ve mentioned multiple times, that was the reason I felt I should take some time off to make sure my bowling comes off because I’ve realised when I bowl, it gives a lot of balance to the side; it gives a lot of confidence to the captain.Related

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“Yes, I used to bowl before. I used to be a filler in between when someone is not bowling well. I can proudly say I can bowl four overs now as a third seamer or a fourth seamer where I can contribute equally as I do with the bat.”When Hardik was introduced into the attack in the third T20I, West Indies were 32 for 0 in four overs, with Kyle Mayers dominating the early exchanges. After seeing Mayers swat his on-pace short ball over midwicket with the strong wind, Hardik shifted his lines wider, varied his pace more regularly, and challenged the batters to hit against the wind.Hardik sent Brandon King’s leg stump cartwheeling with a slower offcutter into the pitch and then beat Mayers three times in a row in the tenth over by taking his cutters away from the left-hander’s reach with his sharp angle from over the wicket. He finished with figures of 1 for 19, and after India wrapped up a seven-wicket victory, even Mayers conceded that Hardik and India had used the conditions better than West Indies.”For me, it’s the approach that I’m following,” Hardik said. “I understood that if you enjoy life and be in a frame of mind where you are positive, eventually a lot of the time the result goes your way. So, for me, it’s not about the result. It’s about how I take the game on, how smart I’m thinking and how I can make sure I use the situation and condition[s] which is offering me something with the bat or the ball.”1:04

Hardik on T20I vice-captaincy: ‘I enjoy responsibility, it adds flair to my game’

India captain Rohit Sharma was impressed with how Hardik and R Ashwin operated in the middle overs to keep Nicholas Pooran and the other middle-order hitters in check.”How we bowled in the middle overs [was pleasing],” Rohit said. “I think that was very, very crucial because they were about to get that big [opening] partnership and with few of their experienced players batting in the middle and I thought we used the conditions really well. We used our variations pretty well and then how we chased the runs, I thought it was quite clinical.”‘Responsibility adds more flair to my game’
Being appointed T20I vice-captain for the West Indies tour has raised his game to a new level, Hardik has said. Earlier this year, he captained Gujarat Titans to IPL glory in their first season and then oversaw India’s 2-0 sweep of a spirited Ireland side in Malahide.”I’ve always enjoyed responsibility and it has added more and more to my game,” Hardik said. “Whenever I’ve taken the responsibility, it has added some more flair to my game because it makes me think more and when I think more it just adds more value to my cricket.”Hardik also lauded Rohit for building a team environment that gave players – even those on the bench – security, echoing Dinesh Karthik’s comments from the T20I series opener in Tarouba.”Obviously, very privileged to get the opportunity to be vice-captain,” Hardik said. “When the captain gives you a lot of flexibility and lot of freedom, which is his strength throughout his captaincy stint, whenever I’ve played with him… and here as well a lot of credit goes to him on how they’ve got the team together and making sure that a lot of positive mindset comes in and at the same point of time players are feeling secure. They’re not looking over their shoulder, making sure they’re getting ample chances, and they are being told as well if they’re not playing.”