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Business leader set to succeed Lord Kamlesh Patel once his nomination has been ratified

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2023Yorkshire’s long search for a successor to their former chair, Lord Kamlesh Patel, could be at an end, following the nomination of Harry Chathli as a non-executive director of the club, with a view to him succeeding the current interim chair, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.Chathli, whose daughter, Kira, plays for South East Stars and was part of the Oval Invincibles team that won the 2022 Hundred, is described in a Yorkshire press release as a “highly regarded business leader, and an experienced international capital markets expert, with a 25-year track record of advising global companies, organisations and government agencies”.His nomination is subject to ratification from club members at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), on a date to be confirmed.”I am delighted and truly privileged to have the Board’s support as their nominee to become the Chair of Yorkshire County Cricket Club,” Chathli said. “This is one of the most iconic clubs in the cricketing world and, as with all English cricket fans, Headingley has always held a special place in my heart.”I have seen the positive steps taken over the past year by YCCC and I believe Yorkshire has turned the corner – I’ve heard this from the business people I have spoken to over the past few months and from well-known international cricketers. It’s because of this that I jumped at the chance to get fully involved with this prestigious club.”The Club has been through a difficult period,” he added. “I would like to bring the focus back to cricket and excellence on the pitch, as the club continues to learn from the many issues it has faced. I believe cricket excellence is built on two things: inclusivity and financial stability. YCCC needs to represent the Yorkshire of today and tap into all the extraordinary talent at its disposal and we need to have the proper funding to do this.”We have a lot of work to do, but I have been impressed by the determination and resilience the club has shown and am ready to work with the Board and management to do everything I can to get the club back to where it should be.”Stephen Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, added: “Harry was the outstanding candidate in a very strong field and his passion for the game and vision for an inclusive future stood out to the whole board.”His corporate and commercial experience will be vitally important as we look to secure the future health of the club, at the same time as reaffirming our commitment to deliver positive changes in line with the values and standards we have established as a board. We are determined to deliver long-term success and to build on the work we have done collectively to address the many challenges we have faced together to make Yorkshire County Cricket Club a thriving and welcoming place for all. We look forward to Harry having the opportunity to meet with Members ahead of the EGM and can’t wait to welcome him to the Yorkshire family.”Baroness Grey-Thompson described Chathli as “the ideal person to continue to drive the club’s recovery,” and will continue in her role as a Non-Executive Director following the transition to the new chair.

Mumbai are coming off two losses in two games and will be keen to get off the mark against in-form KKR

Shashank Kishore05-Apr-20222:01

Does Cummins walk into the KKR XI straightaway?

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Over time, Mumbai Indians have made it a habit. Starting slowly, before revving up as mid-season approaches and then pouncing on teams at the back end. They have started poorly this time as well, but the margin for error could be smaller in a 10-team pool. Therefore, they need to get up and running quickly. There’s just one problem. They’re going up against IPL 2021’s runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders, whose firebrand approach to batting, has lent a dazzling touch to the season so far.

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You can watch the match live on ESPN+ in English and in Hindi.

In both their losses so far, Mumbai have failed to capitalise on their batters putting them in strong positions. Against Delhi Capitals, both Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan struck half-centuries in a robust opening stand to set up the game, but the middle order came a cropper. Against Rajasthan Royals, they couldn’t close the game out despite going into the final six overs needing 65 runs with seven wickets in hand.Mumbai also have concerns over one bowling spot, currently occupied by Basil Thampi. In the opening game, Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel took him to the cleaners. In the second, he was carted for 26 in his only over. It might be time for a change. There’s plenty of experience in the form of Jaydev Unadkat, but the only hitch is he’s nearly like-for-like to Tymal Mills, in terms of his slower variations and left-arm variety.0:51

Tim David: Rohit Sharma has been ‘a fun captain’

Knight Riders have unlocked magic from Umesh Yadav. Throw Pat Cummins into the mix and their pace attack looks mean. Their spinners are always bound to ask interesting questions, provided there isn’t too much dew around.So far with the bat, the Knight Riders have expressed their desire to play an aggressive brand of T20 cricket. It can look spectacular, like when Andre Russell went after Punjab Kings in a small chase, or fall flat, like when they got bundled out by Royal Challengers Bangalore. Going forward, they will expect a lot more from the likes of Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane.

In the news

Cummins has completed his mandatory three-day quarantine upon arrival and even trained with the team on match eve, which means he is all set to take Sam Billings’ place in the Knight Riders XI. This means the wicketkeeper’s slot will be taken up once again by Sheldon Jackson, whose glovework has been impressive. Sunil Narine, Russell, and Tim Southee are likely to take up the other overseas slots.Mumbai have their entire complement of players to choose from. It remains to be seen if they will finally unleash Suryakumar Yadav, who has only just recovered from a wrist injury. If he is able to handle to workload of batting in the IPL, Mumbai will likely pick him in place of Anmolpreet Singh.1:18

McCullum: ‘We utilise Russell in the role which we see as his strongest suit’

Likely XIs

Mumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav/Anmolpreet Singh, 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Tim David, 7 Daniel Sams, 8 M Ashwin, 9 Tymal Mills, 10 Jaydev Unadkat/Basil Thampi, 11 Jasprit Bumrah Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Venkatesh Iyer, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Sheldon Jackson, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Sunil Narine, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Varun Chakravarthy

Strategy Punt

Cummins vs Kishan: three innings, five balls, three wickets. Rohit vs Narine: 18 innings, seven dismissals, average 19.6. How can anyone ignore stats like that? The Knight Riders just have to open with Cummins and Narine to try and take on Mumbai’s in-form batters. More so because Rohit, who has started this IPL differently – striking at 147 off his first 10 balls, will immediately be face-to-face with the bowler who has dismissed him the most times in the IPL.

Stats and trivia

Kings XI’s defeat to CSK has improved the qualification chances of RCB and Capitals

S Rajesh01-Nov-2020Rajasthan Royals: Played 13, Points 12, NRR -0.377
The Rajasthan Royals’ need to beat the Kolkata Knight Riders to keep their hopes alive. The elimination of the Kings XI has only very marginally simplified their task, in that, if the Sunrisers beat the Mumbai Indians in their last game, then the Royals’ net run rate (NRR) should be above that of the loser of the Capitals-Royal Challengers match.If the Capitals lose by a run, chasing 160, the Royals need to win in around 13.5 overs (also chasing 160). If the Royal Challengers lose by a run, chasing 160, the Royals need to win in around 13.2 overs (also chasing 160).However, given the Royals’ poor NRR, their best bet for qualification will be if the Sunrisers lose their last match. Then, the Royals will progress to the playoffs without NRR coming into play, if they beat the Knight Riders.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Kolkata Knight Riders: Played 13, Points 12, NRR -0.467
The Knight Riders are in a similar situation as the Royals, their opponents on Sunday, except that their NRR is a bit poorer. Hence, the best-case scenario for them is exactly what applies to Royals: to hope that the Sunrisers lose their last game. Then, the Knight Riders will qualify as the fourth team if they beat the Royals.If the Sunrisers win their last game, then the Knight Riders will have to win by a big enough margin which lifts their NRR above that of the loser of the Capitals-Royal Challengers match. If the Capitals lose by a run, chasing 160, the Knight Riders need to win by 77 runs. If the Royal Challengers lose by a run, chasing 160, the Knight Riders need to win by 80 runs.Royal Challengers Bangalore: Played 13, Points 14, NRR -0.145
The Kings XI’s defeat has improved the qualification chances of the Royal Challengers, even if they lose to the Capitals on Monday. If they lose on Monday, they can qualify if their NRR stays above that of the winner of the Knight Riders’ game against the Royals. If the Sunrisers lose to the Mumbai Indians, then the Royal Challengers will be through without NRR coming into play, despite a defeat to the Capitals.They will want to beat the Capitals, though, as that will secure them second place on the points table.Delhi Capitals: Played 13, Points 14, NRR -0.159
Not only have the Capitals lost their last four matches, they have also lost three by huge margins, which has shaved off a whopping 0.933 from their NRR.The Capitals are now in a similar situation as the Royal Challengers, their opponents on Monday. If they win, they will finish second; if they lose, their survival will depend on the Sunrisers-Mumbai game, and the margin of the Knight Riders-Royals match.Sunrisers Hyderabad: Played 13, Points 12, NRR 0.555
The Sunrisers have made a late surge and have an excellent NRR, but their last game is against table-toppers Mumbai Indians. However, apart from the NRR, what might work in their favour is the fact that they will play Mumbai in Sharjah, the same venue where they beat the Royal Challengers so emphatically.The equation for the Sunrisers is the simplest: beat Mumbai, and they will be through regardless of other results; lose the match, and they will be out.

Kusal Mendis, too, has started the World Cup with two low scores, but John Lewis says both players are too good not to come right soon

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Bristol10-Jun-2019Angelo Mathews has batted 11 balls at this World Cup, and made a grand total of zero runs. Kusal Mendis has faced all of three deliveries, getting out to two of those, and hitting a streaky two past slip off the other. Together, the pair are supposed to comprise Sri Lanka’s middle-order engine room, but in both matches so far, they have hastened collapses, and copped criticism in vast volumes. But they are too good not to come right soon, insists batting coach Jon Lewis. Mathews knows how to get himself out of these funks. And young Mendis just needs a bit of love.ALSO READ: Nuwan Pradeep ruled out of Bangladesh game“I think with Angelo, you’ve got to have faith in the guy who has done as much as he has over such a long period of time, and he tells me that he’s in a good place,” Lewis said ahead of Sri Lanka’s match against Bangladesh. “He’s comfortable with his game. You know, at this stage I’ve got no reason to doubt that the runs will come for him. You can’t expect him to go on not producing big runs soon. It’s going to come for a player of his quality.””Kusal could do with a little bit of a confidence boost. For him it’s just a case of getting through those first 20 balls, because in the build up to the World Cup, in Scotland, he played very well. The two warm-up games against excellent bowling attacks, he was in good form. He only got 20s and 30s (24 and 37), which was a bit of a downer – it would have been a good opportunity to get a big score. But there was nothing about his form in those two games that suggested that there’s anything to worry about. He’s had two low scores, and yeah, it will be good if he had some more runs behind him. But he’s probably only 20 balls away.”Although a developing Test batsman, having hit 1000 runs in the longest format last year, Mendis, 24 now, hasn’t quite cracked ODIs. Late last year he went through a stretch when he made three consecutive one-day ducks, and then a five. A free-flowing player at his best, he has made only one ODI hundred, and averages 27.77 after 63 innings.”In Tests and T20s, Kusal’s numbers at the moment look good, but in 50-over cricket, his numbers aren’t where a player of his ability should be, yet,” Lewis said. “He’s still quite early in his career to be fair to him. I know he’s played a lot of games, but they do rack up quite quick. I think his conversion from 20s and 30s into 80s, 90s, hundreds is the big step forward he needs to make. He looked in really, really good touch in the warm-ups, but got 30-odd in both games, so those are the sorts of days when you’ve got to get a hundred because you know you can’t be in good touch every day.”It would give him a lot of confidence if he can get those big scores. He’s only got the one hundred so far in his career, and I think that was against Bangladesh. So maybe that’s a good omen, and he’ll get a second one tomorrow.”

Middle-order batsman Devika Vaidya was recalled for the three-match series while there was no place for Punam Raut and Mona Meshram in 15-member squad

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2018Uncapped 23-year-old Tamil Nadu allrounder Dayalan Hemalatha has been called up to the India women squad to face England women in a three-match ODI series at home. Middle-order batsman Devika Vaidya, who last played for India in May last year, was recalled to the squad of 15. Jhulan Goswami, who missed India’s last ODI assignment – a three-match series against Australia due to a heel injury – reclaimed her place, and left-arm spinners Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Ekta Bisht also recovered from their injuries to return to the squad.

India women squad

ODIs: Mithali Raj (capt), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-capt), Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Dayalan Hemalatha, Veda Krishnamurthy, Devika Vaidya, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav, Sushma Verma (wk), Rajeshwari Gayakwad
IN: Dayalan Hemalatha, Devika Vaidya, Jhulan Goswami
OUT: Punam Raut, Mona Meshram, Sukanya Parida

Bisht had injured her left index finger during a caught-and-bowled attempt in the third ODI against Australia and was replaced by Gayakwad for the ongoing tri-series. But later Gayakwad injured herself in a training session in Mumbai last week and was ruled out of the series too, to be replaced by Radha Yadav.These returns meant there was no room for Punam Raut, Mona Meshram and Sukanya Parida, who were all in the ODI squad to face Australia in Vadodara.Hemalatha, who bowls offspin and bats right-handed, played four matches for India A recently – two T20s against England before the ongoing tri-series and two one-dayers against Australia in early March.Vaidya, a 20-year old from Maharashtra, was part of the title-winning Indian team in the World Cup Qualifier that took place early last year in Sri Lanka. She struck 111 runs in four innings – that included a match-winning 89 in the tournament opener against the hosts – and took five wickets in six matches.Among the exclusions, Raut once again found herself out of favour after being dropped for the final ODI against Australia. After making scores of 37 and 27 in the first two matches, Raut’s place was taken by Jemimah Rodrigues, the 17-year old batsman, who is fast becoming a sensation. Meshram, who also last played in the same Australia series, has been plagued by inconsistency since impressing at the World Cup Qualifier.The selectors also made a slew of changes to the 14-member A squad that will face off against England in a warm-up game in Nagpur. Deepti Sharma will lead the team, taking over from Meghna Singh, who captained them for the T20 warm-ups against England.The England ODIs will present an opportunity for India to resurrect what has been a middling home season. Though they had a hugely successful tour of South Africa, where they clinched both the T20 and one-day series, India are now on a six-match losing streak at home. After being whitewashed in the ODI series by Australia, they have now lost all their matches in the ongoing T20 tri-series so far, that leaves them without a spot in the final.The first ODI of the week-long series takes place on April 6 and all the matches will be played in Nagpur.India A squad: Deepti Sharma (capt), Jemimah Rodrigues, Devika Vaidya, Dayalan Hemalatha, Priya Punia, Anuja Patil, Mona Meshram, Sukanya Parida, Kavita Patil, Shanti Kumari, Tanushree Sarkar, Nuzhat Parween (wk), Radha Yadav, TP Kanwar

A round-up of the matches from the ICC Women’s Qualifiers Tournament in Sri Lanka held on February 17, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2017South Africa Women restricted Sri Lanka Women to 142 for 9 and chased the target down with nine wickets and 83 balls to spare at the P Sara Oval. The big win helped South Africa qualify for the Women’s World Cup to be held in England and Wales from 24 June to 23 July.Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt laid the platform for the chase with a 46-run opening partnership. The stand ended when Eshani Lokusuriyage had Lee caught by Chamari Atapattu in the ninth over. Wolvaardt and Suné Luus, however, hit unbeaten half-centuries to seal the win.Luus was at it with the ball too, taking 3 for 40 in 10 overs with her legspin. Dane van Niekerk, the other legspinner, complemented her with 2 for 14 in 10 overs, including four maidens. Sri Lanka lost wickets in a heap with only four of their batsmen reaching double-figures. Opener Nipuni Hansika top scored with 48 off 96 balls, including six fours.”It was a very important match for us, not just to qualify but I think for us to keep the pressure off the next game as well,” Luus said after the game. “The pace bowlers set the match up nicely and the batters could just do their job.”Fielding is something we need to improve and we are busy working on it. We are a much better side than we are displaying at the moment. This [qualification] is what we have been working for. I think we are going to celebrate tonight but also not lose sight of what’s coming. We are playing Ireland next and hopefully a final!”File photo – Mithali Raj struck her 43rd ODI fifty•ICC

An unbroken 136-run stand between opener Mona Meshram (78*) and her captain Mithali Raj (73*) helped India Women canter to a nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh Women at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo. After their bowlers, led by seamer Mansi Joshi’s 3 for 25, limited Bangladesh to 155 for 8, India aced the chase with nearly 100 balls to spare. The win assured India of a spot in the Women’s World Cup.Having opted to bowl, India made light work of the Bangladesh top order thanks to Joshi. Sharmin Akhter (35) and Fargana Hoque (50) then mounted some resistance by adding 62 runs in 140 balls, but the rest of the batting line-up fell away.Deepti Sharma exited early in the chase, but Raj, who made her 43rd ODI half-century, and Meshram, who hit her second ODI half-century, powered India home.Meshram, who the bagged the Player-of-the-match award, said: “Mithali’s experience helps when you bat with her. The pressure is released when she plays her shots.”Fifties from opener Nahida Khan and Javeria Khan led Pakistan Women to 271, a total they defended by 86 runs against Ireland Women at the Colombo cricket ground.Having opted to bat, Pakistan lost Ayesha Zafar early, but Nahida and Javeria took the score to 155 before Javeria retired hurt on 65. She returned to add 25 more to her tally, while Nahida was dismissed for 72. Late cameos from Nain Abidi and captain Sana Mir then pushed the total past 270.In reply, Ireland were bowled out for 185 in 48.5 overs. Their major source of resistance came from a 74-run stand for the second wicket between Cecelia Joyce and Kim Garth. Apart from them, only Isobel Joyce passed 15. Nashra Sandhu, Sana Mir, and Sadia Yousuf picked up two wickets each for Pakistan.

The BCCI’s next course of action in response to the Lodha Committee’s report is expected to be delayed as its state units have sought more time to discuss the recommendations

Arun Venugopal26-Jan-2016The BCCI’s next course of action in response to the Lodha Committee’s report is expected to be delayed as its state units have sought more time to discuss the recommendations. A BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo that president Shashank Manohar had informally suggested convening a special general meeting – effectively the board’s first official reaction to the report – on February 15, but it is all but ruled out as an SGM requires a 21-day notice period.It is understood that the BCCI’s legal committee, headed by PS Raman and comprising Abhay Apte and DVVS Somayajulu, is slated to meet on February 7, but with the state associations unlikely to put forth any concrete suggestions by then very little is expected to come out of the meeting. The legal committee had earlier met with Manohar and Thakur on January 17, but a source privy to the meeting said it was “inconclusive.””It was agreed at the meeting that there were issues that needed rectifying, and that we needed state associations to come on board,” the source said. He added the BCCI agreed with the Lodha Committee’s observations on transparency, proper upkeep of accounts and the need for election officers and an Ombudsman. “But there are other issues that needed to be discussed threadbare, and that’s why it is a time-consuming process. The president [Manohar] is very keen to resolve it, but at the same time there are logistical difficulties.”After the report was made public on January 4, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur had asked state associations to convene their internal meetings and discuss the recommendations before January 31, but most of them have pointed out that a document of such wide scope and serious implications couldn’t be rushed. “Studying the report is at least a three-month job, if you aren’t doing anything else that is,” the BCCI official said. “We need to time to study, internalise and discuss without bias before adopting or rejecting it in toto, or adopting parts of it.”Some units like the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association have already conducted a meeting of its executive committee, but have given its members more time to present their thoughts on the recommendations. Mumbai Cricket Association, among the first state bodies to react to the report, said it would accept the recommendations “made for transparency and ethics,” but has subsequently not discussed it at its AGM recently.Officials of the MCA and Hyderabad Cricket Association have spoken of the need to have their legal experts study the report. “We need a good lawyer to go through it,” HCA secretary John Manoj said. “I have already informally asked Anurag Thakur for more time. We are having our EC [Executive Committee] meeting [today], and after that we will formally write to the secretary tomorrow requesting for a time of 30 to 45 days.” Other associations which haven’t made formal requests are expected to follow suit in the coming days.Rajesh Verma, secretary of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association, attributed a busy domestic schedule as another reason for the delay. “This is the time when all the tournaments are at their peak. There are zonal tournaments till the 31st in Ranchi,” he said. “We are also hosting the Sri Lanka women’s team for an ODI and T20 series, so we will form our own ideas and collectively look at the report soon.”However, Aditya Verma, secretary of Cricket Association of Bihar and the petitioner in the IPL spot-fixing case, has contended that the BCCI was deliberately trying to drag its feet on the issue. “Surely they are delaying it,” he said. “At present, why would BCCI want to implement these recommendations with the interests of many of its members at stake?”Verma has filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking full implementation of the Lodha Committee report. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India TS Thakur and Justice R Banumathi has agreed to hear the plea.

England do not make life easy for themselves in knockout tournaments, but they secured their passage to the Champions Trophy semi-finals

The Report by Andrew McGlashan16-Jun-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlastair Cook showed he can score at Twenty20 pace•AFP

England do not make life easy for themselves in knockout tournaments, but they secured their passage to the Champions Trophy semi-finals through a collectively impressive performance from the bowlers which followed a brisk innings from Alastair Cook after the weather had threatened to leave their hopes in Australia’s hands.But even as England were heaping pressure on New Zealand’s top order as they chased 170 in 24 overs, the weather still loomed. Rain, which had caused a five-hour delay after the toss, was creeping over the Bristol Channel and although the chase was behind the rate, if the match had been abandoned before 20 overs New Zealand would have gone through and England would have needed a favour from Australia on Monday.The 20th over, sent down by the peerless James Anderson, itself included more drama when Corey Anderson, who was added to New Zealand’s squad on the morning of the match as a replacement for Grant Elliott, appeared to injure his calf after aborting a run and spent several minutes receiving treatment which did not impress Ashley Giles and David Saker on the England balcony.Still, even after Anderson had completed the over there could have been another twist. Tim Bresnan conceded 19 in the next over as Kane Williamson, who made a brave 67 off 54 balls, and Anderson took their partnership to 73 before Williamson skied to cover off Stuart Broad whose heel was ruled, by the third umpire, to be fractionally behind the line. It was a mighty tight call.England’s new-ball bowling had soon made the chase appear far more daunting than some envisaged after their last seven wickets fell for 28 in 34 balls. Anderson set the tone with a three-over opening spell of testing pace and movement which accounted for the hapless Luke Ronchi and Martin Guptill in the space of three balls in the fourth over.When Ross Taylor was pinned lbw by Bresnan – his use of DRS did not save him – New Zealand were 27 for 3 and their hopes rested on Brendon McCullum. But none of the batsmen could get hold of England’s attack.Ravi Bopara, proving almost impossible to score off, was able to hustle through five overs for 26 and when McCullum pulled him to deep square-leg, where Joe Root held a brilliant low catch, New Zealand’s chances of winning had taken an almost terminal hit. For a short while it appeared they were playing for rain, and the abandonment, with the new batsmen not exactly speeding to the wicket until Williamson and Anderson gave it one, final, forlorn effort.New Zealand had appeared to claim a significant advantage when they won the toss, but the fact that the match was completed to the adjusted length without further interruption, and therefore the need for Duckworth-Lewis was erased, meant England did not suffer in the way that can be the case when run chases are reduced after further rain.But it was still tricky to assess what a matchwinning total would be batting first. That England had solid progress for 18 overs was down to their captain. The one format Cook does not play for England is Twenty20, but that does not mean he doesn’t want to and he showed what a complete all-round batsman he has become with 64 off 47 ballsQuite extraordinarily, he was dropped three times and all three chances were shelled by Nathan McCullum. There were two misses at midwicket when Cook has 14 and 37 and, the simplest, at backward point on 45. McCullum eventually held a return catch off the England captain which heralded an upturned in his fortunes. He ended the innings having held four chances.For the first time in an ODI innings Cook hit more than one six. But England could not finish with a flourish as Kyle Mills, who became the leading wicket-taker in Champions Trophy history, and Mitchell McClenaghan shared seven wickets.Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, who remained at No. 3 despite the shortened match, fell inside the first four overs, but Root was immediately busy at the crease, using his wrists to find that gaps (a skill not natural to all England’s batsmen) and provided the first six over the innings when he pulled Daniel Vettori over deep midwicket.Brendon McCullum switched his bowlers around regularly and it was the return of James Franklin that saw Cook, who reached his fifty from 39 balls, move up a gear when he straight drove his first delivery into the sightscreen at the River End. Just to show he can play “out-of-the-box” he followed that with a scoop over short fine-leg before his second life at midwicket by Nathan McCullum and he later lofted Williamson over wide long-off.Once again England’s power hitters – Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler – could not make a major impact and neither could Bopara match his recent onslaughts. But this time the bowlers did not fail in their task.

Ottis Gibson and Darren Sammy are targeting continued improvement on West Indies tour of England

Nagraj Gollapudi03-May-2012It was an interesting question put to Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach. What would he consider to be a successful series for his side in England? Gibson started by admitting the visitors would have a tough time against the No. 1 Test team in cold conditions, before finishing his answer with a witty retort. “The last time we played at Lord’s, I was in the England dressing room, and the game was over in two-and-a-half days. If we can take this Lord’s Test to four days, that will be great,” Gibson said pithily.Gibson cannot, and does not, have a defeatist mindset. He was simply being realistic as he made it clear immediately that West Indies have a far better chance during the ODI leg of the tour considering the squad would be bolstered by the return from the IPL of first choice players like Chris Gayle.”It seems that not much is expected of us, which is good, in a sense. We can just go out and play and enjoy our cricket,” Gibson said from Hove, a day after landing in England. “We know what we are capable of. The Test series is going to be tough but we believe we have a one-day team that is more than capable of winning the ODI series. The one-day series is where I think the success is more likely to happen.”However Gibson assured that West Indies would aim to be competitive during the three-Test series, starting at Lord’s on May 17. Gibson, who was the England bowling coach during West Indies’ 2009 tour, has taken the same kind of approach he learned under Andy Flower. Gibson has remained his own man, taken hard decisions and not relented despite the outside pressure since taking the coaching reigns with West Indies. His public criticism of Gayle as soon as he took over is still raw.Darren Sammy and Ottis Gibson concede that England will be difficult opponents for their developing side•PA Photos

Gibson has laid emphasis on installing a professional platform in the West Indies dressing room, giving priority to fitness above anyone and anything. He did not relent when a senior batsman like Ramnaresh Sarwan was dropped after a bad bout of form; he only played the hardworking Ravi Rampaul in one Test against Australia as the fast bowler was not completely fit.Gibson’s biggest supporter in the team has been Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, and the coach’s right-hand man. Today Gibson sat to his left and Sammy vocally described the respect for his coach.Though ‘Gayle v WICB’ dominated the headlines over the last 12 months, in the background Gibson and Sammy worked hard to establish an atmosphere where every player put the group ahead of himself.Even though West Indies did not cause any major upsets, they have come close. Last year during the Test series in India, in Delhi and then Mumbai, the batsmen posted a good first-innings score only to lose their spine in the third innings; the same mistake was repeated in Barbados against Australia this April. They lost both those series.England, and England in May, will not be forgiving. The same cold and damp conditions experienced in 2009 have been forecast this time around, too. Only three players – Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Denesh Ramdin and Fidel Edwards – in the current 15-member squad toured England on the last trip. Still, the visitors are not exactly shivering in the cold.
Sammy is not bothered by inexperience or the elite status of the opponent. He believes his fast-bowling attack, comprising Kemar Roach, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul and the young, untested Shannon Gabriel, is capable of giving England a scare.”Oh, yes, no doubt,” Sammy responded, when asked if the fast bowlers can cause problems for England’s batsmen. “We have been taking 20 wickets in Test cricket for the last year-and-a-half. I must give coach Gibson credit for that. All the bowlers commend him on the work he has been doing with the bowlers. We are a much improved bowling team. The conditions up here do tend to aid fast bowling and swing bowling and I am quite confident that our guys can put the English batsmen under pressure.”Captain Sammy has overseen an overhaul of West Indies’ team attitudes•Associated Press

At the same time Sammy willingly admitted his own top order is more than vulnerable, as seen against Australia during the three Tests at home earlier in April. “It is a fair comment. Stats don’t lie. Our top order did not click against Australia, but the selectors have shown faith in two of them [Adrian Barath and Kieran Powell]. They are quite young, they are still learning on the job. Yes, they will fail sometimes. But there is one thing we won’t do and that is give in. We are going to come out there and work hard for every run and every wicket.”Gibson, too, echoes Sammy’s words, but highlighted the fact that it is important to erase errors to make progress. “If we can eradicate some of those mistakes, I think we’ve shown enough of ourselves that we can be competitive here in England.”Despite England’s lukewarm Test form, losing 3-0 against Pakistan and then fighting back to level the series in Sri Lanka, both Gibson and Sammy are not under any illusions. Both agree England are No. 1 in the Test rankings for a reason. They said they are more concerned with getting their own house in order.This is part of the new culture, Sammy pointed out, which someone like Gayle will need to fall in line with: the culture of discipline, hardwork and focus and team bonding.”Guys work hard for each other,” Sammy said. “Ever since coach Gibson came on board he has tried to instil the professional attitude. One of our team mottos is to display a positive, can-do attitude at all the times. As you could see the way we have played recently, normally when we have had our backs against the wall we would kind of crumble. But so far, somehow we have found a way to get out of the situation. That is because of the constant drilling of the team, that is why that is happening. The whole mindset about doing it for the West Indies people, the guys are taking it on board. That is at the forefront of our minds.”

Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan allrounder, has withdrawn from the squad for the two one-day internationals against Ireland later this month for personal reasons

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2011Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan allrounder, has withdrawn from the squad for the two one-day internationals against Ireland later this month for personal reasons, according to a PCB official.”Afridi has informed PCB that due to the illness of his father he had to stay longer in USA, so he would be unable to join the squad for Ireland.” PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar told ESPNcricinfo.The pull-out comes after days of speculation about Afridi’s unhappiness at the decision to remove him as captain, with some local reports even suggesting he would retire from the game altogether, though there is no indication yet that this is the case. Last week the board chose to replace Afridi as ODI captain with Misbah-ul-Haq, despite the former having led Pakistan to the semi-final of the World Cup.Pakistan are expected to arrive in Ireland on Wednesday, with the two games scheduled for May 28 and 30. The board will not be sending a replacement for Afridi.Afridi took over as ODI captain properly in June last year, before the Asia Cup, having been appointed the Twenty20 captain the previous year. He was never given the leadership on a full-time basis, but first irked the board by walking away from the Test captaincy on the tour to England, one Test after being appointed. Misbah, currently the Test captain, now becomes the fifth ODI captain under the near three-year tenure of Butt; there have also been six Test captains in that time.