Paddy Upton: Number of other players in 'same boat' as Suresh Raina in IPL

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He feels players who thrive on external motivation are “really going to struggle” in the IPL this year

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-202011:38

Newsroom: Optimistic, introverted players likely to perform better

Mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton feels players who thrive on external motivation and pressure are “really going to struggle” in IPL 2020, while some of the “mid-range” players will outperform the big names. Upton also said there might be more cases similar to that of Suresh Raina, who withdrew from the IPL after reaching the UAE and returned to India on Saturday.The 13th edition of the IPL will be unprecedented as most matches are expected to be played behind closed doors, and players will be living in biosecure bubbles for nearly three months after most teams reached the UAE about four weeks before the start of the tournament. Living strictly in team bubbles, mostly without families and as many as 13 personnel testing positive for Covid-19 in the Chennai Super Kings camp are new factors players will have to deal with this time.According to Upton, who has coached multiple teams across the IPL, the BBL and the PSL, “funny things” could happen in this year’s IPL, and the teams who handle them well will do significantly better than others.”The big-match temperament players do well when the pressure is on, when there are a lot of people around,” Upton said on ESPNcricinfo Newsroom. “The fact that you are gonna have games in front of empty stadiums now, you are just not going to have that level of pressure. So the players who rely on big-match temperament to deliver results… Someone like Virat Kohli, will he still be as good when you take away that external stimulation and noise and pressure? You are gonna find players who normally fall over when the pressure gets high. They will be able to just carry on batting because there is not going to be the physical presence of spectators.”Athletes who are internally driven, who find the motivation from within themselves, they are going to be fine, they are going to do well. Your typical confidence players, who look for motivation, inspiration or validation from outside, they are really going to struggle. Your optimists are going to do a hell lot better. Your pessimists are gonna struggle. So it depends how many introverts, internally driven, optimists you have got in your team. The more you have got, the luckier you actually are.”Upton also said teams needed to take extra care of the players who relied on the external motivation so that they are in a better state of mind during matches.”[Teams need] to understand who are the extroverts, the confidence players, the externally motivated players, those who are risk-averse, the fear-based, the pessimists. Those are the players we really need to nurture to bring them up to a place where they can be comfortable in their own lives, comfortable by themselves in their hotel rooms without that external validation and stimulation and how can we get those players arriving on the ground and able to focus on the game and deliver in front of empty stadiums.”Sydney Thunder coach Paddy Upton hits a ball•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

‘There are a number of other players who are very much in the same boat as Raina’Upton also warned that we might witness more cases similar to that of Raina in coming days, and he hoped teams were preparing for those situations. The batsman decided to give the tournament a miss due to “personal reasons”, and it later emerged that apprehensions about living in a biosecure environment for the duration of the IPL, players and officials in his camp testing positive for Covid-19, and a personal tragedy were understood to be reasons behind his decision.”There are a number of other players who are very much in the same boat as Suresh Raina and I just hope that the teams are aware of that and are catering for that,” Upton said. “There are coaches who are gonna be struggling, there are support staff who are gonna be struggling in that three-month bio-bubble.”Arriving there already depleted, having navigated, being locked indoors, we are gonna find players who haven’t been exercising, we will see some strangely overweight players, we will see players out of nick. I know some players have been lucky to be able to get into the nets, so they are gonna go ahead.”We need to be predicting these strange things and not have a knee-jerk reaction. When all of a sudden Suresh Raina goes home, we have this knee-jerk reaction and strange comments in the media. Funny things are gonna happen. Smart teams will predict them, put things in place and have that cushion of support system to be able to support players. The teams that do that best are gonna go so far ahead of the other teams that really don’t do that well and they [who don’t do that] are just gonna fall over, unfortunately, in this IPL.”Upton said a factor like money might not have been a “strong consideration” in Raina’s exit and added that his decision needs to be respected.”There are very few players who when cross the rope are motivated by money,” Upton said. “Yes, it’s part of the motivation but I don’t think that’s a strong consideration for Suresh. Whatever he is going home for is more significant than the large amount of money he is not going to be making. So it’s probably not ideal to be drawing that analogy and saying. ‘look, how much money he is missing’. He knows that he has made a decision and we need to really respect that.”

Sarfaraz Ahmed was hesitant to play third T20I against England

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The wicketkeeper-batsman was concerned that his tour would be judged on the basis of just one game

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2020Sarfaraz Ahmed was reluctant to play the final T20I during the England series. ESPNcricinfo understands the former captain was concerned that his tour would be judged on the basis of just one game.Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan’s first-choice wicketkeeper, played every other game and had an impressive tour; his performance with the gloves – particularly in the Test series – was widely praised. With the bat, he scored two fighting half-centuries and was named Pakistan’s Player of the Series. He played the first two T20Is as well, before Ahmed replaced him for the final match. But the team management and captain Babar Azam had to convince Ahmed to play the match, assuring him his career wouldn’t be defined by one game, and he still had a future with the national team.”He didn’t refuse to play but raised genuine reservations over being asked to play in the last match of the tour,” Pakistan’s coach Misbah-ul-Haq told ESPNcricinfo. “The situation naturally gives you a concern and that’s fair because he thought that a dip in his performance may get us to judge him going forward. Babar, Younis [Khan, the batting coach] and I spoke with him and told him that he did well on the tour and he should play one game without any additional pressure. There was a need for clarity and we communicated effectively with him well before the game.”Pakistan eventually won the game to draw the series, and while Sarfraz had a relatively incident-free game – he didn’t bat – he did come under mild scrutiny for fluffing a golden chance to stump Moeen Ali early in his innings. Ali went on to score 61 off 33 balls, bringing England to within six runs of victory.Misbah confirmed that going forward, Rizwan remains the first-choice wicketkeeper but insisted Ahmed had a future with the side. “It’s totally wrong,” Misbah said when asked if the game was Ahmed’s farewell. “We told him that performances aren’t judged on the basis of just one game. He worked hard throughout the tour, did well in the side matches and kept well. We have two keepers at the moment, and Rizwan is our No. 1 choice; he is doing great in terms of performance and enjoys our utmost confidence. And Saifi (Ahmed) right now is our second choice. He has done great in the past and can still contribute in the future.”Ahmed was Pakistan’s captain in all three formats until he was relieved of his duties in October last year after a sustained dip in form. He was also dropped from every format and was demoted from Category A to Category B in the PCB central contracts. When Pakistan had to pick a larger group of 29 players for the England tour, he was called up as a back up to Rizwan.Pakistan next international assignment is in October with Zimbabwe visiting them for a white-ball tour.

Injury-hit Delhi Capitals hope rejigged XI does the job against unpredictable Rajasthan Royals

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The early pace-setters have had to tweak their plans after injuries to Pant and Ishant

Debayan Sen13-Oct-20207:12

Has Rishabh Pant’s absence disrupted Delhi’s balance?

Big picture

Four days can be a long time in franchise cricket. The Delhi Capitals came away with a convincing 46-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals on October 9, which was then the fourth successive defeat for Steven Smith’s men in the league.The road has been a little uphill for the Capitals since. They lost Rishabh Pant to a hamstring injury, and swapping Alex Carey for him as wicketkeeper meant they had to rest Shimron Hetmyer just as he was hitting his straps in the middle order. Following an insipid performance against fellow pace-setters Mumbai Indians on Sunday, the experienced Ishant Sharma has also been ruled out of the tournament with an abdominal muscle tear. Form and team balance are both delicate matters in a fast-paced league where teams have very little time to recalibrate their plans, and the Capitals know that despite having bagged five wins in their first seven games, the margin of error is very small with many teams behind them on the points table beginning to look a lot more settled in recent times.ALSO READ: DC vs RR Fantasy Pick – Choose more Delhi Capitals playersThe same day that the Capitals slipped up against the Mumbai Indians, the Royals were hauled back from the brink against the Sunrisers Hyderabad by Riyan Parag and, again, Rahul Tewatia. Their five-wicket win was entertaining, and perhaps didn’t warrant as much drama as it did, because their bowlers had put in a disciplined performance to restrict the Sunrisers to 158. If their batting fires as a unit, the Royals could still emerge as one of the dark horses at the back end of the league stages.

In the news

  • Marcus Stoinis has emerged as a key player for the Capitals, and Pant’s absence probably adds greater value to his wicket in the middle order. In terms of numbers, Stoinis has had more prolific IPL seasons than the current one, but his 175 runs have come at an excellent strike rate of 175 this time, together with an average of 35, and that makes his ability to pick up the pace in the middle and late overs vital for the Capitals. His six wickets with the ball have just been a bonus.
  • Tewatia is now doing enough on a regular basis to be considered a key player in the Royals set up. He has contributed with both bat and ball to all of the wins that the Royals have had – 3 for 33 against the Chennai Super Kings, 53 off 31 against the Kings XI Punjab, and 45* off 28 against the Sunrisers. With the pitches beginning to show signs of wear, his bowling can become more central to Smith’s plans, with the clever variations of pace and line making him a difficult bowler to take on for rival batsmen.

When they last met

Some disciplined lines by the Royals bowlers, and an electric bit of fielding by Yashasvi Jaiswal left the Capitals at a precarious 50 for 3 after the powerplay. The middle overs were powered by Stoinis (39) and Hetmyer (45), before Harshal Patel and Axar Patel took Delhi to 184 for 8. In reply, the Royals never really took off once Jos Buttler fell early, and Jaiswal’s inability to force the pace saw him finish with 34 off 36. All six bowlers used by Shreyas Iyer chipped in with wickets, with Kagiso Rabada (3 for 35) and R Ashwin (2 for 22) the standout performers.Rahul Tewatia has been at the centre of some remarkable Rajasthan Royals turnarounds•BCCI

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Harshal Patel, 8 Axar Patel, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Kagiso Rabada 11 Anrich Nortje
Rajasthan Royals: 1 Jos Buttler (wk), 2 Ben Stokes, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Sanju Samson, 5 Robin Uthappa/Yashasvi Jaiswal, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Shreyas Gopal, 10 Kartik Tyagi, 11 Jaydev Unadkat

Strategy punts

  • With spin beginning to play a bigger role in the tournament, and the Royals’ top three likely to be made up of three overseas players, the Capitals management might be tempted to bring in wristspinner Sandeep Lamichhane. While this would help add heft to the spin department, with both Patel and R Ashwin in good form, it could also mean having to drop one of Stoinis or Anrich Nortje, who have both been vital to the team’s performance in the first seven games. With no clear replacement for Carey and Rabada as the other foreign players, that would be a big call to take.
  • Shreyas Gopal has an outstanding record against most of the batsmen in the Capitals’ top order. He has dismissed Prithvi Shaw both the times they have faced off, with Shaw scoring at just 7 against him. Iyer averages 8.5, with two dismissals in four innings, and the legspinner has also picked up the wickets of Dhawan, Rahane and Stoinis in past encounters. Expect Smith to attack the Capitals with spin early, possibly even in the first over.

Stats that matter

  • In 21 matches between these teams, the Royals hold a narrow 11-10 lead in terms of wins, but haven’t beaten the Capitals since a 10 run-win (DLS method) in Jaipur on April 11, 2018.
  • At the halfway stage, these two teams represent the best and worst bowling units of the eight teams in terms of wickets taken, average and economy. The Capitals have 51 wickets at an average of 21.6 and an economy of 7.9, while the corresponding numbers for the Royals are 32, 40.3 and 9.3.
  • The Royals average just 13.42 for the first wicket this IPL, with the top partnership in the first seven matches being a meagre 27. Buttler could hold the key to them reversing this trend against a team that he likes facing – his fastest T20 fifty came against them off 18 balls in 2018.
  • Dhawan needs five runs to bring up 7500 runs in T20 cricket.
  • Rabada needs two wickets to bring up 50 wickets in the IPL.
  • Smith, who would be playing his 200th T20 match, needs 79 runs to reach 1000 IPL runs for the Royals.

Kohli and Co. undergo Test match simulation training in Sydney

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India players were seen training with pink and red balls

PTI17-Nov-2020The limited-overs competition awaits them first but the India players, led by captain Virat Kohli, seemed focused on next month’s Tests against Australia as they practised in simulated long-format match conditions with pacers using red and pink balls in Sydney on Tuesday.The top batsmen and bowlers from across the three squads were seen taking part in the practice session.The likes of Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj were seen bowling to Kohli in a video posted on Twitter by the captain himself.ALSO READ: Tim Paine, Marnus Labuschagne in mass airlift to avert summer disruptionKohli will feature in just the opening day-night Test, starting December 17 in Adelaide, before flying back to India for the birth of his first child. The video showed the players using the centre strip of the ground with Test match field and a batsman at the non-striker’s end, which is a deviation from traditional net sessions. Given that the players were kept busy by the IPL for the last two months, the white-ball training has taken a back seat.In another video, posted by the BCCI, Shami was seen bowling in tandem with Siraj. The 30-year-old Shami, who took 20 wickets from 14 matches for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, is a part of all three squads. India will rely heavily on him during the four-match Test series.Siraj, who is only in the Test squad, followed his senior team-mate and was seen sending down a few deliveries as other senior players watched him bowl.ALSO READ: Glenn McGrath says ‘Australia slightly ahead’ because of Mitchell Starc’s X-factorThe 26-year-old, who has played one ODI and three T20Is, took 11 wickets from nine matches for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.On Monday, the star studded batting line-up was seen gearing up for the lively Australian pitches with the traditional tennis ball training after competing on the slow UAE tracks during the IPL.The first two matches of the ODI series will be played at the SCG on November 27 and 29, followed by the third in Canberra on December 2.The first T20I, on December 4, will also be played in Canberra while the last two will be played at the SCG on December 6 and 8.

Armed with a stronger seam attack, Sri Lanka look to beat the odds again

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On their last tour to SA, they became the first Asian side to win a Test series in the country

Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Dec-2020

Big picture

At face value, do Sri Lanka really have a chance? Let’s look at the facts against them:

  • They’ve not played international cricket since March.
  • Most squad members have spent three weeks playing T20 cricket, and are now expected to make the substantial switch into Test mode.
  • They’ve had no warm-up match due to Covid-19 complications.
  • They are missing Angelo Mathews – the most experienced member of their batting order.
  • Sri Lanka batsmen have always struggled at Centurion.

And yet, when they won 2-0 in South Africa last year, Sri Lanka had faced even steeper odds, their fast bowling stocks having been decimated by injury, while a captain had just been sacked, and a coach was fearing for his job (which he would lose, several months later). This time, not only do they feel they have a stronger seam attack, but also have a batting group with more experience, and a coach who knows South African conditions intimately, in Mickey Arthur.South Africa, however, are much more fearsome in the Highveld – where both Tests will be played – than they are on the coasts, particularly against South Asian opponents. They also have players in form. Anrich Nortje was rapid in the T20s against England, as well as in the IPL. This was in T20s, but the man is clearly in good rhythm, and the prospects of him hitting high speeds at Centurion will worry some Sri Lanka batsmen. The likes of Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen and Keshav Maharaj are coming off excellent performances in the four-day competition (Markram has 75, 113, 149, 121 in his four most-recent innings), which is leads to another point – they have been playing long-form cricket, where Sri Lanka have not had competitive multi-day matches to play for at least five months.South Africa clearly start as favourites, but as Sri Lanka’s captain Dimuth Karunaratne has asserted, a lot depends on how well each team bats after their long Test hiatus. There have been some seriously low team totals in each of the last four matches between these teams. If that is the case again, Sri Lanka will feel they have a chance.Related

  • De Kock wants Test captaincy only as a short-term role

  • Hendricks, Petersen withdrawn from SA squad

  • Is Markram ready to repay South Africa's faith?

  • Sri Lanka's recent dominance over South Africa

  • Karunaratne on matching South Africa's seam bowling

Venue record

These teams have played four times at Centurion, and South Africa have won each of those matches, two of them by an innings. The closest Sri Lanka have ever come, was when they lost by just three wickets, way back in 2002. The most-recent Centurion match between these teams was in 2011 – Sri Lanka losing by an innings and 81.

Players to watch

Quinton de Kock will captain South Africa in a Test for the first time, but already, he has said he sees himself only as a caretaker leader. He leads the team in all three formats now, and also keeps wickets in all three. The usual question here: how will captaining over five days impact his batting and his keeping? (His batting has been good of late – his average up at 45.9 since the start of 2019.) And will he lead well? De Kock is generally a cricketer of few words, but this new job may need him to find his voice.Can de Kock juggle with captaincy, batting and keeping?•Getty Images

Kusal Perera played one of the all-time great innings to wrench victory from defeat last year in Durban, but aside from this one blinding knock, there hasn’t been a lot to his Test career. Eighteen Tests in, he has an average of 31.13, which is passable only for an allrounder. And he has batted everywhere from No. 1 to No. 8, without appearing in more than eight innings in any one position. Despite his having produced Sri Lanka’s greatest-ever innings from No. 5 on the last tour here, his team now looks set to ask him to open the innings, to cover for the injured Oshada Fernando. If he is to find a more stable place in the XI, Perera desperately needs to settle into a more consistent phase in his career.

Pitch and conditions

South Africa need to balance creating conditions that will suit their seamers, and making sure it’s not impossible for their batsmen to find form. So it will be green, but not too green, and we can expect pace, bounce and swing but not the kind that saw Sri Lanka crushed at the Wanderers in 2017. SuperSport Park is usually a bat- first pitch; if you can get through the first hour or so, it very good for batting on the most of the first three days. De Kock said he expects it to take some turn later on.It’s been raining a fair bit on the Highveld in the build-up and afternoon thunderstorms are forecast from Sunday. Otherwise, it will be warm with temperatures touching 30.

Team news

It’s Oshada’s hamstring injury that will keep him out of the first Test, and him being unavailable means there may be a spot in the batting order for Dasun Shanaka, who not only brings dynamism to the lower middle order, but also can send down a few overs of serviceable seam bowling.Sri Lanka are wondering whether to go in with an out-and-out spinner in Lasith Embuldeniya, or to hedge their bets and go with Wanindu Hasaranga, who adds value with his batting. There is one other serious injury worry too. Suranga Lakmal picked up a hamstring niggle in the approach to the match, and may need to be replaced, perhaps with Kasun Rajitha.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt.), 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Suranga Lakmal/Kasun Rajitha, 9 Lasith Embuldeniya, 10 Vishwa Fernando, 11 Lahiru KumaraWith Kagiso Rabada out through a groin injury, right-arm seam bowler Glenton Stuurman may get a debut. But that’s only if he gets over a niggle. An injury doubt also hangs over Lungi Ngidi. Lutho Sipamla and Migael Pretorius would seem to be the next in line to play, if Ngidi or Stuurman (or both) aren’t fit in time.South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Faf du Plessis, 5 Temba Bavuma, 6 Quinton de Kock (capt. & wk), 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Anrich Nortje, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Glenton Stuurman, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Stats and trivia

  • In the two Tests Perera has played since the last South Africa series – of which he was Player of the Series – he has averaged six and has a top score of 23. Perera, however, has been unavailable for several Sri Lanka Tests through injury.
  • On Sri Lanka’s last tour here, de Kock was South Africa’s best batsman, hitting 80, 55, 86 and 1 in his four innings.
  • South Africa have only ever lost two of the 25 Tests they’ve played at Centurion – against England in 2000, and Australia in 2014.
  • Even overall (counting Tests in Sri Lanka as well), Sri Lanka have a poor win-loss record against South Africa, having won only nine and lost 14 of their 29 Tests.

Quotes

“There is a lot of grass on the surface at the moment, and I think the more there is, the easier it will be for us. When you have less of an up-and-down type pitch, you just have to survive that first couple of hours, and you give yourself a chance to put a decent score – something like 300 – on the board.”Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne“I don’t want to think ahead too much. I’m trying to keep it as basic as possible and as simple as possible. It is something we are aware of, the last time they were here, they did beat us, so its definitely something we want to rectify. Hopefully we can do it by being as simple as possible.”

Somerset's points deduction revisited in wake of County Championship rejig

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Club and ECB appeal to CDC after reduction of matches from 14 to ten in 2021 season

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2021Somerset’s points handicap for next season’s County Championship has been reduced to reflect the competition’s remodelled format, after they were sanctioned by the Cricket Discipline Commission in 2019 for breaching the ECB Pitch Regulations with their spin-friendly surfaces for home fixtures.The club was originally handed a 24-point penalty for the 2020 season – of which 12 were suspended – after being deemed to have prepared a substandard pitch for their Championship decider against Essex at Taunton in September 2019, a match in which Essex held on for a draw to secure their second title in three seasons.The deduction was initially rolled over into 2021 when the onset of Covid-19 led to the cancellation of last summer’s County Championship and the introduction of the Bob Willis Trophy, a competition in which Essex and Somerset once again played off for the title in the final at Lord’s, with Essex again taking the title after a hard-earned draw on the final day.But now, with the Championship divided into three initial groups of six to mitigate against further Covid disruption in 2021, a joint petition from Somerset and the ECB has resulted in the CDC adjusting their penalty to reflect the competition’s reduction from 14 matches (in an eight-team first division) to ten.Related

  • Somerset start on the back foot in bid for elusive glory

  • Cautious optimism from counties as government points to return of spectators

  • Three-group County Championship fixtures unveiled by ECB

  • LV= General Insurance unveiled as new title sponsor of English cricket

  • Charlie Hemphrey calls for ECB 'compassion' to save his career

Somerset will now begin the season with a direct eight-point penalty in the Championship’s group phase, but if they commit any further breaches of the pitch regulations in 2021, they could face a further sanction, in addition to the suspended element of their punishment, which will be revisited when the format for the 2022 County Championship is confirmed by the ECB.However, the amended sanction comes just days after Somerset’s former spin pairing of Dom Bess and Jack Leach combined with 14 wickets at Galle – including a five-for in either innings – to set up England’s seven-wicket win in the first Test against Sri Lanka.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in the wake of that victory, senior figures at Somerset said that their overwhelming feeling was one of pride at the achievements of their spinners, with both Jason Kerr, the head coach, and Tom Abell, the captain, feeling that the club deserved recognition for the role it plays in preparing English cricketers for facing spinning conditions overseas.”Surfaces need to be good enough for four-day cricket, definitely,” Kerr said, “but ultimately you want to encourage skill development and make sure that batters are prepared to go to somewhere like Sri Lanka, and perform as well as they do in Australia or anywhere else in the world. Yes, we want to win competitions, but to me, domestic cricket is there to help make the England team as strong as possible.”

Lockie Ferguson keeps his sights on Test cricket during comeback trail

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The fast bowler is hoping to face Bangladesh in T20s later this month after another frustrating injury-hit season

Andrew McGlashan05-Mar-2021Lockie Ferguson is holding out hope that he can still earn a place in New Zealand’s squad for the World Test Championship final and the preceding matches against England despite another season disrupted by injury.Ferguson is making good progress in his recovery from the stress fracture of his back which has sidelined him since the middle of December and is hopeful of being available for the T20Is against Bangladesh as previously flagged by New Zealand coach Gary Stead.”That’s the aim, it’s a bit of process so can’t make the call right now,” he said of facing Bangladesh. “Certainly there’s some boxes to tick, but definitely the way things have been tracking it’s been going really well that’s certainly the goal.”Despite competition for spots in all formats, Ferguson’s standing in the white-ball game is pretty secure, although it remains to be seen whether there is an element of rotation to keep players fresh.Related

  • Finn Allen gets New Zealand T20I call-up, Adam Milne returns

  • ESPNcricinfo Awards 2020 T20I bowling winner: when speed is what you need, get Lockie

  • New Zealand hopeful of Ferguson return for Bangladesh T20Is

  • Lockie Ferguson signs Yorkshire deal for 2021 T20 Blast

Test cricket is a bit harder to gauge, not least because Ferguson would have to get past Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Kyle Jamieson for a spot in the starting XI although if fit he would surely feature in any extended squad for the trip to the UK which follows the IPL where he has a deal with Kolkata Knight Riders.That tournament could keep him, and a few other players, out of the Test series against England depending on final dates of the IPL with the indication that franchises will be able to keep hold of their overseas players for the knockouts.However, Ferguson holds Test cricket in very high regard and is eager to add to his one cap which came against Australia, in Perth, in late 2019 and which ended after 11 overs due to a calf injury that limited last season for him before the pandemic hit.”I’ve always talked very highly of Test cricket and the want to play it,” he said. “Certainly my closest focus is to get back on the park and play, it’s been enjoyable watching the Test boys and stoked they made the final which is going to be super exciting.”Think the best thing for me and the team is to get back playing a decent amount of cricket, get that loading behind me, then I certainly want to be in the mix for selection for the UK trip but that’s a couple of months down the line so we’ll cross that bridge later on.”Despite the amount of T20 on the calendar this season, which now includes a stint in the T20 Blast with Yorkshire, and concludes with the World Cup in India during October, Ferguson is not making it is sole focus although acknowledges Test cricket presents different challenges”Certainly to play in the Test Championship would be very special as well…but at the same time have to focus on what’s coming up and make sure I’m ready to go,” he said. “The Test demands are much higher than T20 in terms of loading, so from that point of view it takes some time to build up. Give your body a chance to adjust to playing a lot of cricket then you can make a decision.”Ferguson does not have any worries about returning from the back injury, reasoning that the risk of injury will always go alongside trying to bowl at 150kph.”I’ve always pushed my body to the limits and to do what I do you need to,” he said. “With that comes risk of getting injured, the forces are that much greater that go through the body. Unfortunately, this injury kept me out a while but you certainly can’t dwell on that”There were a lot of injuries coming out of that big break that international sportsman had from Covid. It’s interesting watching players come back to the intensity of international sport, not just cricket, and getting injured. There’s a few things to think about, a few areas to tighten the bolts, work on the body a bit more, build strength and build my core.”

Quinton de Kock unlikely to face any sanction for Fakhar Zaman dismissal

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ESPNcricinfo understands that match officials did not find the keeper in breach of Law 41.5.1 on fake fielding

Firdose Moonda05-Apr-20212:23

Fakhar Zaman on his run-out: ‘Fault was mine as I was busy looking out for Haris Rauf’

Quinton de Kock did not intend to deceive Fakhar Zaman when the batsman was run out in the second ODI between Pakistan and South Africa, and is not in breach of Law 41.5.1 on fake fielding. That is the conclusion match officials are believed to have come to after reviewing footage of Sunday’s match, in which Zaman was dismissed on 193 in the final over, with Pakistan 30 runs away from victory.Related

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  • Fakhar Zaman: 'Don't regret not getting the double, regret losing the match'

  • 'Quite clever' – de Kock gets pat on the back from Bavuma for Fakhar run-out

At the time, Zaman was pushing for a second run to keep strike and de Kock gestured towards the bowler’s end, but a direct hit from Aiden Markram at long-off caught Zaman short of his ground at the striker’s end.ESPNcricinfo understands that in a post-match meeting, which officials regularly have to discuss the game, match officials re-looked at the dismissal and on studying all frames, were happy that de Kock called “bowler’s end,” even before the first run was complete. Although the law states that “it is unfair for any fielder willfully to attempt, by word or action, to distract, deceive or obstruct either batsman after the striker has received the ball,” de Kock’s actions were not deemed to have been a trick, with officials satisfied that he was indicating for the throw to go to the bowler’s end even as it came in at his end. Tabraiz Shamsi tweeted that de Kock was calling for a fielder to back up the throw at the non-striker’s end.Quinton de Kock is congratulated by his team-mates after the Fakhar Zaman run-out•Gallo Images/Getty Images

In the immediate aftermath of the game, Zaman agreed with that assessment and said it was his “own fault,” that he slowed down in completing the second run, because he looked back to see whether his partner, Haris Rauf, was safe. South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma called de Kock’s actions “clever,” and said, “I don’t think he broke the rules in any kind of way.”Pakistan management is believed to have spoken to Andy Pycroft immediately after the incident, and drew his attention to the relevant law. That, it is believed, was not an official complaint as much as a reminder about the law and there appears to be an acceptance that the law is there for match officials to interpret and implement.

James Vince plunders 168*, Tom Alsop also tons up as Hampshire dominate

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Fourth-wicket pair add 224 as Leicestershire experience chastening start to campaign

ECB Reporters' Network08-Apr-2021Contrasting centuries from James Vince and Tom Alsop saw Hampshire establish a dominant position in their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Leicestershire at the UptonSteel County Ground, Grace Road.Hampshire skipper Vince was all power and timing as he took full advantage of some wayward bowling from Leicestershire’s inexperienced seam attack, hitting 17 fours and two sixes in racing to three figures off just 81 balls.Alsop, who had just reached his half-century when Vince came to the crease on the dismissal of Sam Northeast, was less fluent, but while his century came off 153 deliveries, and included 17 fours, it was no less valuable to his side.Together the pair added 224 for the fourth wicket before Alsop got a leading edge trying to turn a delivery from Alex Evans into the leg side and was caught at point. Vince, however, remained unbeaten, reaching his 150 off 140 deliveries before closing on 168 not out. It is the sixth time he has made a score of 150 or more in his first-class career.Vince started the day as well as he ended it, winning the toss and choosing to bat first on a slightly drier pitch than might normally have been expected for the time of year – Leicestershire have two spinners in their side.Ian Holland was the first man dismissed, edging a Chris Wright outswinger to wicketkeeper Harry Swindells, but Joe Weatherley looked in good order, stroking seven fours in going to 41 before top-edging a pull at a short delivery from Gavin Griffiths and skying a catch to Swindells.Northeast was dismissed shortly after lunch, leg before to Wright to make the score 127 for 3, and Vince edged his first ball from Wright towards Leicestershire skipper Colin Ackermann at second slip. It dropped an inch short, and that was as close as the Foxes came to dismissing the England international: from that moment on he was in complete control.

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