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N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, has said that the Indian board does not have any reservations against technology as such, but reiterated its scepticism of the Decision Review System

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2012N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, has said that the Indian board does not have any reservations against technology as such, but reiterated its scepticism of the Decision Review System. Speaking to , Srinivasan said the BCCI’s opposition of the DRS was based on the lack of evidence supporting the accuracy of Hawk-Eye, and the unreliability of Hot Spot.”The BCCI is not against technology at all,” Srinivasan said. “I am an engineer myself. Technology that is not perfect will not add to decision making, it will take away from it. We have explained our position at ICC meetings that the ball-tracking technology is faulty. Even the inventor [agrees] there’s an uncertainty about it. The problem of Hot Spot was very evident in the England tour [where it presented a number of ambiguous verdicts, though the technology has improved markedly since then]. These are the two main elements that make up the DRS, and both do not stand up to the test of perfection.”Srinivasan said that during one of his meetings with the technology providers he had been told that a “leap of faith” was required to believe in the ball-tracking technology being used in the DRS.”I had a presentation made to me by the Hawk-Eye people. Without going into all the details when I finally said, ‘How can one be certain that the track showed by the computers was the actual path taken by the ball,’ I was told, ‘That is a leap of faith you have to take’. I was not prepared to take that leap of faith.”Srinivasan, who juggles the responsibilities of being an IPL governing council member and the owner of the Chennai Super Kings franchise in addition to being the BCCI president, stressed that his multiple roles did not involve any conflict of interest. Srinivasan is the managing director of India Cements, the company that owns the Super Kings franchise.”I don’t agree there is any conflict since no decision has been taken for the sake of one particular franchise,” Srinivasan said. “India Cements is a public company that owns the bid for a team after securing permission from the BCCI. This was a declared situation, that I was the MD of the company.”All decisions [pertaining to the IPL] are taken by the general body of the BCCI – 30 members are there. The governing council has 13 eminent people. There is no decision made exclusively for one franchise. Decisions are made by all these people, for all franchises.”Srinivasan also shot down suggestions that Indian selection panel head Kris Srikkanth’s involvement with the Super Kings – he was a brand ambassador of the franchise in its first season – may have led to the inclusion of a large number of players from the state of Tamil Nadu in the Indian team. Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu.”I will not talk about that,” Srinivasan said. “There are five selectors, and I have no role in selection. I was the board secretary, and I convened those meetings, but I am not a selector. If there was an impression that someone who should not have been in the team [was picked] … the entire cricketing press was there, but not a word, not even a squeak was there.”When the interviewer hinted that the press wasn’t in a position to speak up since the BCCI controlled their access to cricket in India, Srinivasan said: “What access, nothing of that kind.”N Srinivasan: “We don’t give any directions to them, neither do we pull them up for anything”•Sajjad Hussain/AFP

Srinivasan explained the cases of M Vijay and Abhinav Mukund – Tamil Nadu openers who have been in and out of the India side in the recent past – to reinforce his point. “M Vijay was chosen and he performed well; when he did not he was dropped. When he went outside, Zimbabwe and other things, his scores were not there and he automatically got the boot. The only other player was Abhinav Mukund who went to West Indies [and England] but he was not picked [later]. Instead, Ajinkya Rahane has gone to Australia.”Another contentious issue pertaining to the BCCI that gained currency during the England tour, was the potential conflict of interest involving two commentators. Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar, both contracted employees of the BCCI, were perceived to be toeing the board’s line on issues such as the DRS and the influence of the IPL on India’s Test performances. Srinivasan, however, said the BCCI had never sought to control what they said on air.”They [Shastri and Gavaskar] are not ‘hired guns’; saying so is not fair to the two of them. They have a contract with the BCCI, which was decided by the board at that time. I have read criticism on this. I have read people saying that the board gags the commentators or instructs them. I can assure you only one thing: we do not tell the commentator a single word. Suggesting that ‘we don’t have to’ is unfair to the two of them.”You have to understand the type of person that I am. The last thing that I would do would be to talk to a commentator to give a feeling, should we not give this flavour … I would find it demeaning to do. We don’t give any directions to them, neither do we pull them up for anything.”Srinivasan also spoke about the BCCI’s opposition to interference from the Indian government through a planned sports bill that seeks to bring the board under the Right to Information Act (RTI).”The RTI doesn’t apply to the board. It doesn’t take one rupee from the government. There’s nothing secret about the board. Except for the selection committee, what they discuss, that is not discussed in public which is fair enough. Otherwise, in every other aspect we are transparent, we answer to the people. It is on principle. Why should the Sports Law apply to the BCCI? Without any government fingerprint – ok, we may have had the odd bad series – but over a long period of time, we have seen Indian cricket come of age.”

New Zealand Cricket XI, a shadow New Zealand Test team, have come out of the tour match against the Pakistanis in Whangarei with the psychological advantage of having taken a 97-run first-innings lead

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2011ScorecardUmar Gul rearranged Brendon McCullum’s stumps on the third day•Getty Images

New Zealand Cricket XI, a shadow New Zealand Test team, have come out of the tour match against the Pakistanis in Whangarei with the psychological advantage of having taken a 97-run first-innings lead. The match ended in a draw after both teams decided to end the third and final day’s play early, with New Zealand having reached 111 for 4 in 32 overs in their second innings.Misbah-ul-Haq, the visitors’ captain, completed his century on the third day as his team added another 53 runs to their overnight total of 234 for 8. Misbah, who has scored half-centuries in each of his last three Test innings, remained unbeaten, finishing on 126, but New Zealand will be satisfied that he was the only Pakistani batsman to go past fifty. The New Zealand Cricket XI bowling attack was similar to the one expected to take-on Pakistan in the first Test, which starts on Friday, with Chris Martin, Daniel Vettori, Tim Southee and Brent Arnel all featuring in the tour match.Martin and Vettori had already taken three wickets apiece on the second day. On Tuesday morning, James Franklin picked up his second wicket of the match, dismissing Sohail Tanvir for a duck. Pakistan’s last-wicket pair put together 51 runs, with Tanvir Ahmed scoring 25 and sticking around for 52 balls to support Misbah. Southee finally took the last wicket, getting Tanvir Ahmed out caught by Tim McIntosh.Umar Gul was able to prevent Brendon McCullum from building on the confidence he earned with his first-innings double-century, bowling him for 18. Gul dismissed Kane Williamson two balls later for a duck to leave the home side at 25 for 2. McIntosh and James Franklin spent some time at the wicket, getting 26 and 30 respectively. Younis Khan took the final wicket of the day with his seamers, bowling McIntosh. Wicketkeeper Reece Young and Southee were unbeaten at the end of play.

Wriddhiman Saha’s selection today in the India squad for the first Test against South Africa, though surprising, has once again put him in the familiar No. 2 spot, this time behind captain MS Dhoni

Judhajit Basu28-Jan-2010It’s a strange case of being behind the pack for Wriddhiman Saha. He rose to become first-choice wicketkeeper for Bengal only after Deep Dasgupta’s exit to the ICL and was mostly going to be behind Brendon McCullum and Tatenda Taibu when it came to doing duty for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. It didn’t help, either, when KKR got Morne van Wyk on board for the second season in South Africa.Dasgupta is now back in the official fray after his two-year stint in the ICL but Saha’s selection today in the India squad for the first Test against South Africa elevates him, if briefly, to the India squad – even though he’s once again No. 2, this time behind captain MS Dhoni. “It’s yet to sink in,” Saha said. “I knew that the team selection was today, but I clearly didn’t expect to be picked. I’m elated nonetheless; it’s certainly a pleasant surprise.”Saha knows his chances of actually playing in the match are slim but he’s looking to make the most of the experience. “It depends on the team management and what decision they take on the day,” Saha said. “I’ll be heading to Nagpur with a positive frame of mind. If I get the opportunity [to play], I will try and make full use. I am not concerned whether I actually do get a chance, but I will try to learn as much as possible from the seniors around me. It’s definitely a great honour and opportunity to share the dressing room with the likes of Dhoni, Sachin [Tendulkar], [VVS] Laxman and Zaheer [Khan].”Saha began his career in style, becoming the 15th Bengal player to score a hundred on Ranji debut against Hyderabad back in November 2007. But it was during the inaugural IPL that he came to prominence. Handed the opportunity following Dasgupta’s exit, Saha finished second, behind Mumbai Indians’ Yogesh Takawale, in the wicketkeeping honours list with 10 dismissals (eight catches and two stumpings). He also scored 159 runs in those 12 matches at 31.80, with a strike-rate of 133.61. His brave 59 in a losing cause against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali, seemingly, had announced his arrival.His performance in the second edition though, was slightly disappointing, managing just 72 runs in eight matches at 24.00, even though his strike-rate improved to 175.60. With van Wyk and McCullum to contend with, he had no dismissals to his credit then.Saha’s domestic form in the 2009-10 Ranji Trophy kept the selectors interested. Though Sourav Ganguly, Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Manoj Tiwary hogged Bengal’s batting charts with 50-plus averages, Saha’s 318 runs from five matches at 39.75 could not be ignored. His classy 120 against Delhi in Kolkata during the league stage coupled with his 15 dismissals was bound to work in his favour at some point. Making the cut for the Board President’s XI to take on the touring Sri Lankans in November last year was as close as he got.Even though there was a minor blip ahead of his call-up today – a duck for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy quarter-final against Central Zone – his first-class average of 44.80 and the corresponding figure for List A games at 43.90, may have prompted Kris Srikkanth and the others on the selection panel to promote him as back-up to Dhoni. He knows his long-term future with India is in his hands.”After Sourav Ganguly, several players from Bengal had got a look-in for the Indian team, but they could not cement their places,” Saha said. “But I intend to perform well to stay there as long as I can. This is just the beginning, and I have a long way to go. I am keen to work hard and improve in all aspects of the game. The upcoming Test may be just a one-off appearance but I would like to make my place in the team certain. There’s definitely scope for improvement in my wicketkeeping skills and I will seek Dhoni’s advice in that regard.”

There could be, however, big changes in their squad’s make-up, with the auction scheduled for September 9

Firdose Moonda15-Jul-2025Lance Klusener will remain in charge of Durban’s Super Giants in the fourth season of the SA20, despite the team finishing last on the points table in the previous one. Klusener has been with the franchise since the tournament’s inception and was in charge when they reached the final in 2024, when they lost to Sunrisers Eastern Cape.”It’s a privilege to continue this journey with the Durban’s Super Giants and the RPSG Group. The support and belief shown in me is deeply appreciated. I look forward to building something even more special this season,” Klusener said in a statement. “We’ve laid the foundation over the past three years. Now, it’s time to build a team that can consistently challenge for the title and make Durban proud. Durban is my home. Coaching this franchise is more than a job–it’s a mission to build something enduring with our fans and players.”As Super Giants coach, he has worked with two different captains: Quinton de Kock in season one and Keshav Maharaj in the next two. While it is expected that Maharaj will continue, there is a player auction on September 9, and Klusener indicated there will be big shifts in their squad’s make-up. “We’ve done a deep review of our past season and have identified key areas for improvement. This auction gives us a crucial opportunity to strengthen our squad and return to our best,” he said.It is not known whether Klusener will keep his support staff, which consists of Jonty Rhodes and Morne Morkel. The latter is now India’s bowling coach.

After just three matches together in 2-1 defeat to West Indies, head coach is encouraged by his charges’ fight

Cameron Ponsonby10-Dec-2023Matthew Mott has called for patience with England’s new-era white-ball team as a work in progress, stressing that they’ve only had three opportunities to play together.England succumbed to a four-wicket defeat in Barbados to lose their first series following a difficult World Cup campaign 2-1.A group which featured just four players to have played more than 10 ODIs, found themselves in strong positions in all three matches against a West Indies side going through a similar reboot having failed to qualify for the World Cup.However, a late-innings onslaught from Shai Hope and Romario Shepherd in the opening match saw England slip to a four-wicket defeat in Antigua, before losing by the same margin at the Kensington Oval after a top-order collapse gave England a total of just 188 to defend in a rain-reduced game.Related

• Flintoff to coach Northern Superchargers in Men's Hundred

• Rehan out to make an impact as readymade Rashid replacement

• Matthew Forde, Keacy Carty shine as West Indies seal 2-1 series win

• New-look England still working out the kinks

“We haven’t put a complete game together and that’s the frustration,” Mott, England’s head coach, said immediately after the defeat. “We put ourselves in a chance to win all three games and come away with a series loss, so that’s not ideal.”But there are definitely some really good signs there that there’s a group of players who love playing with each other. They’re some really good mates in there and I think it’ll really take the game forward.”In line for particular praise were Rehan Ahmed and Sam Curran. Rehan, described by Mott as a “revelation”, has been tasked with filling the almighty shoes of Adil Rashid and took five wickets across the series at an average of 23.40 and an economy of 4.33. On the other hand, Curran had a mixed series. In the opening ODI, he showed his class with the bat to save England’s innings from the perilous position of 239 for 7, before conceding the worst ever figures of an England player in ODIs as he was taken for 0 for 98.”Sam’s definitely a player that we really want to invest in,” Mott said, with Curran proving his qualities with the ball in the second match where his triple-strike in the powerplay put England ahead of the game. “He’s got a lot of qualities that we like and he’s got the game to really play well.”A point of pride for Mott was the fight England showed to almost steal an unlikely victory from the final ODI. Suffering from the natural disadvantage of bowling second in a rain-affected match, England were faced with greasy conditions that made it harder for their spinners to grip the ball and easier for the West Indies batters to play seam. But thanks to a Will Jacks-inspired performance with the ball, England reduced West Indies to 135 for 6, with 53 runs still required for victory.”I thought today we showed a lot of character and spirit to fight all day,” Mott said. “You don’t want to make excuses, but to hang in there as a team and show the fight that they did, throwing themselves around and nearly snatching one was something that we’re looking for.”After three months of almost exclusive ODI focus, England’s attention now turns to T20s, with the five-match series against West Indies starting on Tuesday in Barbados.”We’ve played really good T20 cricket over a period of time. It’s always good when you lose a series to change the format,” Mott said, also confirming that Jos Buttler will return to opening the batting after spending the New Zealand series in September lower down the order. “You move on pretty quickly. It’s only a couple of days, it won’t be that different. Obviously you’ve got a few new players coming in with experience. But it’s much of a muchness really.”There are five changes to England’s personnel in the Caribbean, with Chris Woakes, Rashid, Moeen Ali, Reece Topley and Tymal Mills joining the squad for the T20 leg. Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley, Matthew Potts, Tom Hartley and Brydon Carse will head home.”It’s probably easier transitioning back,” Mott said. “T20 is, particularly for the batting group, pretty clear, you go out and take the game on, there’s not a lot of dead balls. And from the bowling group, you’re trying to hit your variations as much as you can and deny them hitting opportunities. So I think we’ll be fine. We’ve got a couple of days to work on it and looking forward to it.”Also joining the England set-up is Andrew Flintoff, who will continue the first team mentoring role he took up in the summer as part of his first steps back into the public eye following his serious car crash whilst filming Top Gear.Flintoff, whose role is now paid, was part of the backroom staff for both the New Zealand white-ball series and the home ODIs against Ireland before he flew to Abu Dhabi along with Graeme Swann as part of the England Lions’ red-ball training camp. It has been a high-profile return to coaching for Flintoff, who has also been hired as Northern Superchargers head coach for the 2024 edition of The Hundred.

Freya Kemp becomes youngest woman to make T20I fifty for England but total proves under par

Valkerie Baynes13-Sep-2022A glorious unbeaten half-century from Smriti Mandhana saw India to victory by eight wickets over England with 20 balls to spare in their second of three T20Is to level the series 1-1.If this evening was anything to go by, the damp and dreary onset of autumn has so far been restricted to either end of the country. Durham had offered a soggy opening to the series on Saturday as England eased to a nine-wicket win in conditions that weren’t to India’s liking. Then London was enveloped in steady rain for a good part of Tuesday. The midlands, however, were clinging on to summer as England’s innings progressed in bright evening sunshine at Derby’s Incora County Ground.That was arguably the most pleasant thing about it from the hosts’ perspective after they lurched from 16 for 3 to 54 for 5… until 17-year-old left-hander – or left-arm seamer to be more precise – Freya Kemp produced an innings-saving unbeaten half-century of her own. In the end, though it was the vastly more experienced Mandhana who countered Kemp’s effort with a brilliant 79 not out to set up a series decider in Bristol on Thursday.Mandhana all classSet a below-par target, thanks to England’s early collapse and a vastly improved performance in the field by India, Mandhana played the key role in reeling it in, facing 53 balls and finding the boundary 13 times.She put on an opening stand worth 55 with Shafali Verma, who fell for 20 to a sharp return catch by Sophie Ecclestone and an unbroken partnership of 69 with Harmanpreet Kaur, who should have been out on 19 had Danni Wyatt not spilled a straightforward chance at deep midwicket.Dayalan Hemalatha lost her off stump to a Freya Davies ball that beat the outside edge as the only other India batter to fall, and Mandhana brought up the winning runs with back-to-back fours off Davies, powered through midwicket and lofted over the bowler’s head towards long-off.England stumble, India hold onEngland started brightly enough when Sophia Dunkley clipped the third ball of match, from Renuka Singh, for four through midwicket and Wyatt nudged the fifth between backward point and short third. In the next over, however, Dunkley charged at Deepti Sharma’s first ball and was stumped by Richa Ghosh and Wyatt followed a short time later, edging Renuka to Sneh Rana at first slip.A combination of excellent fielding – an area in which India were ragged in the opening match – and a blunder by Alice Capsey made it 16 for 3. Capsey had smashed Renuka through the covers and started coming back for a third run, seemingly unaware of Radha Yadav’s brilliant effort running round to her right in the deep and sprawling at full stretch to stop the ball short of the rope and fire it fluidly into Harmanpreet inside the ring. As Bryony Smith stood her ground at the non-striker’s end, so too did Capsey, flat-footed halfway back down the pitch, watching as Harmanpreet threw to the keeper, who fumbled but broke the stumps with Capsey still nowhere near.India hadn’t completely eradicated their fielding errors with Pooja Vastrakar parrying what should have been a catch to remove Smith on 12 as she ran in from deep midwicket. But Smith fell next ball to a brilliant diving effort from Radha as she ran in from long-on off the bowling of Rana, who then had Amy Jones out attempting a reverse sweep to one that slid under the bat and clattered into off stump. Maia Bouchier, who shared a 65-run stand with Kemp, was also dropped on 25 by Kiran Navgire inside the ring, before Rana had her stumped to claim her third wicket.Kemp shinesPlaying her eighth T20I but batting for only the second time, Kemp came in at No. 7 and proceeded to resurrect the England innings with her 37-ball knock. She unleashed three sixes, twice lofting Radha down the ground to bookend her heave over deep midwicket off Renuka. She brought up her maiden international fifty with a straight-driven four off the penultimate ball of the innings and ended unbeaten on 51.Kemp made her international debut at this ground against South Africa less than two months ago as England looked to revamp their T20 side ahead of the Commonwealth Games. Primarily picked for her bowling as England look beyond veteran seamers Anya Shrubsole, who has retired from international cricket, and Katherine Brunt, rested for India’s tour, she became the youngest Englishwomen to reach fifty in T20Is at 17 years and 145 days. She is also the second-youngest for England Women in international cricket after Sarah Taylor, who scored 61 in an ODI against India in 2006 aged 17 years and 96 days.

The BCCI on Monday asked the players to raise invoices to get their share

Annesha Ghosh and Shashank Kishore24-May-2021Nearly 15 months after they finished runners-up in the T20 World Cup, the India Women squad will finally receive its share of the prize money amounting to USD 500,000 (INR 3.5 crore approximately). ESPNcricinfo has learned that the BCCI on Monday asked the players to raise invoices to get their shares.The development comes a day after the UK publication revealed that the squad had not yet been paid its prize money despite other teams including Australia, who won the World Cup, receiving theirs soon after the tournament was over.ESPNcricinfo has learned that the ICC disbursed the prize money to the BCCI last March, around a week after the World Cup final, which was played in front of a record 86,174 spectators on International Women’s Day (March 8) at the MCG.When asked for a comment, BCCI officials told ESPNcricinfo they have no knowledge of the reason behind the delay. ESPNcricinfo confirmed the delay with more than one player and support staff member who were part of the India squad led by Harmanpreet Kaur.The delay raised eyebrows because the BCCI is learned to have disbursed all other payments owed to the players since March 2020. This includes three instalments of their central contracts fee for 2019-20, match fees, and appearance fees for the Women’s T20 Challenge in Sharjah last November. Recently the players are understood to have submitted their invoices for match fees for the limited-overs home series against South Africa in March 2021. The payments are still awaited, though.Incidentally the BCCI is learned to have distributed the prize money allocated by the ICC to the India team that finished runners-up in the 2020 Men’s Under-19 World Cup, which was won by Bangladesh last February in South Africa. The Women’s T20 World Cup took place only a few weeks later. According to , the victorious Australia Women players received their share of the prize money amounting to USD 1.6 million soon after the tournament.

On Monday, he became only the second Bengal batsman to score a first class triple-hundred

Shashank Kishore21-Jan-2020On Monday, Manoj Tiwary became only the second Bengal batsman, after Devang Gandhi’s 323 in 1998-99, to make a first class triple-hundred, against Hyderabad. It allowed his side to charge to a bonus-point victory that puts them in a good position five games into the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season.Three times previously this season, Tiwary failed to convert his starts into substantial scores. He started the season with 51 against Kerala on a rank turner in Thiruvananthapuram. Then, on a green-top at Eden Gardens against Andhra, he made 46 – a knock he felt needed him to work as hard as he would to make 150 elsewhere.Last week, in a game that barely lasted two days, Tiwary made 48 as Bengal were handed a thrashing by defending champions Vidarbha on a dusty track. Coming back to home comforts, in Kalyani, he knew while the form hadn’t deserted him, he had to make a big one for the team’s sake to put them back in a good position building towards the knockouts.On the first morning, he walked in to bat at 32 for 2. It soon became 60 for 3 when he joined hands with Anustup Majumdar to rebuild the innings. “Initially I counterattacked to just throw them off their plans,” Tiwary told ESPNcricinfo after Bengal’s innings and 303-run victory. “After I raced past a half-century, I knew I had to slow down just a bit. But as the day progressed the pitch eased out, so run-scoring became easy.”The team needed it badly. In the game against Kerala, I kind of felt some pain in my back while evading a short-ball, and lost my focus after getting to a half-century. I could have come off, but I didn’t want a new batsman to come in. So I carried on, but somehow couldn’t get a big one. So I was determined to make this one count once set. In the other two games, as a batsman, you were never in because the conditions were really challenging. So when I saw this wicket, I knew if you spend time, the first hour or so, it will get easier and I was able to make it count.”Tiwary’s return to big run-making mode bodes well for the team heading into the second half of the tournament. They will soon be without Abhimanyu Easwaran, the designated captain, who is set to fly out to New Zealand for the India A tour early next month. There are murmurs that Tiwary could once again be handed the captaincy. For the moment, Tiwary has only a simple request: “Those judging us need to watch our matches before looking at stats, else numbers won’t give you a true picture.”The way I’ve been batting, I would say the season has gone well. Some of the scores have come in challenging conditions, so I’m happy deep down. It’s not always about the big knocks, you have to appreciate and value scores on rank turners or green tops. Every team is looking to maximise their home advantage because the competition in Groups A and B combined is stifling, and I see nothing wrong with that.”Playing on tough wickets adds to the charm of the Ranji Trophy and when you make tough runs, it’s pleasing. But my only request is for the selectors to actually start factoring in surfaces on which runs have come before forming their opinion, instead of just looking at score-books.”On the team front, he is particularly pleased to see Bengal back to winning ways, reserving special praise for Akash Deep, the 23-year old fast bowler, who has so far picked up 16 wickets in four matches. With Ishan Porel away with India A in New Zealand, Akash Deep and left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed, who picked up a hat-trick in the first innings and ended with match figures of 6 for 77, have become key components of their bowling attack.”Akash Deep is someone who should be looked after immediately. If India want another genuine quick who has promise, they should give him a try,” he said. “He bowls 140 and above, has an excellent bouncer, bowls consistently. He should be taken into the fast bowling talent pool at the NCA immediately and given chances. I think he’s India A material already. He deserves a proper road map, he could go great things going forward.”Tiwary had told ESPNcricinfo prior to the season that his aim was to play as long as possible, even maybe for another 10 years. He has had time to reflect on those words, but the commitment still remains.”Oh yes, without doubt. I’m ready to do what it takes,” he said. “I’m working hard on my fitness, I know I have to keep scoring runs consistently. I’ve always had to work hard, so that is nothing new. I want my son to see what his dad does on the cricket field, so that remains a motivating factor.”He’s just two, I’ve just started under-arming rubber balls to him at the park. When he’s seven or eight, hopefully he can watch his dad still playing.”

The Ashes series against Australia will once again contested on a points system across all three formats

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2018England women will host West Indies next summer as part of their build-up to the Ashes, with the series against Australia once again contested on a points system across all three formats.Taunton is set to host its first women’s Test since 2006, while the Ashes will begin on July 2 at Leicestershire’s Grace Road ground, venue for the first two of three ODIs. Canterbury will be the location for the third ODI, while the three T20Is will be held at Chelmsford, Hove and Bristol.

Women’s fixtures 2019

• Thursday June 6 – 1st ODI v West Indies, Fischer County Ground, Leicester

• Sunday June 9 – 2nd ODI v West Indies, Blackfinch New Road, Worcester

• Thursday June 13 – 3rd ODI v West Indies, Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford

• Tuesday June 18 – 1st IT20 v West Indies, County Ground, Northampton

• Friday June 21 – 2nd IT20 v West Indies, County Ground, Northampton

• Tuesday June 25 – 3rd IT20 v West Indies, County Ground, Derby

• Tuesday July 2 – 1st Women’s Ashes ODI, Fischer County Ground, Leicester

• Thursday July 4 – 2nd Women’s Ashes ODI, Fischer County Ground, Leicester

• Sunday July 7 – 3rd Women’s Ashes ODI, Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury

• Thursday July 18 – Women’s Ashes Test, Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton

• Friday July 26 – 1st Women’s Ashes IT20, Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford

• Sunday July 28 – 2nd Women’s Ashes IT20, 1st Central County Ground, Hove

• Wednesday July 31 – 3rd Women’s Ashes IT20, Brightside Ground, Bristol

• Sunday September 1 – Kia Super League Finals Day, 1st Central County Ground, Hove

The West Indies visit will feature three ODIs – which will form part of the ICC Women’s Championship and go towards qualification for the 2021 World Cup – and three T20Is, starting on June 6 at Grace Road. Worcestershire’s New Road ground will host the second ODI, before the series moves to Chelmsford. The teams will then play two T20Is at Northampton, before concluding with a game at Derby.The Kia Super League, the ECB’s domestic women’s T20 competition that is set to be replaced by The Hundred from 2020, will take place in August, with Finals Day at Hove confirmed for September 1.Clare Connor, the ECB director of England women’s cricket, said: “As we have just seen in front of record crowds at the ICC Women’s World T20 in West Indies, both West Indies and Australia will be sure to provide a great challenge for us as well as skillful, entertaining cricket for the growing fan-base for the women’s game.”Every Ashes summer is a privilege for us all to be part of and we’re looking forward to collaborating with all our venues to ensure we deliver high quality match-day experiences throughout the summer of 2019.”England, who finished as beaten finalists at the Women’s World T20 for the third time in four editions of the competition, are also due to play series in Sri Lanka and India before the 2019 home season.

The new Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati will host its first international match, with India up 1-0 in the three-match T20I series

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu09-Oct-20171:38

Agarkar: Can’t see how Nehra can get a chance

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It is as it never was. But in recent times, and especially in the subcontinent, as it always was. Australia are in danger of losing a series well before its end and their players, by their own admission, seem no closer to solving the issues plaguing them. The remarkable thing is that in each of their matches, including the T20I in Ranchi where they were 49 for 1 after the Powerplay, their initial position was one of considerable strength.Virat Kohli, after scalping the rain-hit first T20I, expressed surprise at having to work hard to chase 48 runs in six overs when his bowlers had kept the opposition to 118 in 18.4. If Australia’s middle order had batted more carefully, the DLS equation might have asked more of India, who like to build in the early part of their batting innings.Such thoughts can be frustrating just as easily as they can be comforting. “We’re just one step away, lads” David Warner might say to his troops at their team meeting in Guwahati. “Tell us what we need to do, skip,” they might reply. “If I knew that, we wouldn’t be losing, would we?” That line has been used more than once in the time the Australians have been in India. Mostly in jest, but perhaps also to prevent airing their weaknesses to the global community, which often tends to include opposition batsmen, bowlers, captains and coaches.India, on the other hand, have dominated all departments. Their newer players have accepted important roles and thrived. While that is cause for celebration, a lot of their success recently has come at home and Kohli himself said, after the Bangalore ODI, that they can’t consider themselves world beaters until they do just as well abroad.

Form guide

India: WWLWW
Australia: LWLLWMarcus Stoinis celebrates after getting Rohit Sharma’s wicket•Associated Press

In the spotlight

If there is one Australian cricketer who has enhanced his reputation during the course of this tour, it is Marcus Stoinis. He looked out of place against spin in the first ODI, but since then has handled the threat quite competently. That he bowled an average of seven overs per game in the ODI series was a sign of his improvement as an allrounder. He was unable to play the Ranchi game, despite being named as a replacement for the injured Steven Smith, because he was back home at the time. But he has joined the squad now and is all but certain to play in Guwahati.He wasn’t at the crease for a long time in Ranchi, but after a little layoff Shikhar Dhawan would have enjoyed it nonetheless. Of course, he would have preferred the opportunity to face more than 12 balls and that may well come his way on Tuesday, with the series on the line.

Team news

India don’t really have much cause to fiddle with their team, unless there are last-minute injuries or thoughts of experimentation.India (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Jasprit BumrahGlenn Maxwell, as explosive as he is, hasn’t been solid enough to make that matter. He was dropped in the ODI series for that mistake and he may well suffer the same now.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Travis Head, 4 Moises Henriques/Glenn Maxwell, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Dan Christian, 7 Tim Paine (wk), 8 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9 Adam Zampa/ Andrew Tye, 10 Kane Richardson, 11 Jason Behrendorff

Pitch and conditions

The new Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati will host its first international match, although the city has already hosted international cricket before – from as early as 1983.

Stats and trivia

• Kohli averages 54 in T20Is, and if he lives up to those numbers, he will comfortably pass Tillakaratne Dilshan and become the second-highest scorer in the format in international cricket.
• Since the last of his 12 fifties for Australia in March 2016, Warner averages 16.5 with four single-digit scores in eight innings.

Quotes

“It’s a nice ground, the wicket looks fantastic. The first game being played here; it’s going to be a special one for both teams. Hopefully we can get across the line and get that first victory here.”