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Australia’s all-time leading wicket taker joins the cause as the disaster continues to ravage large parts of the country

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2020Australia’s all-time leading wicket-taker Shane Warne has announced that he would be auctioning off his baggy green cap, which he wore throughout his 145-match Test career, to raise funds for the bushfire appeal as the disaster continues to ravage large parts of the country.According to the auction site, all funds raised by this effort will be donated to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund. The item would also contain an autographed certificate of authenticity from Warne. Australia is in the midst of one of its worst-ever bushfire seasons which has led to loss of life and property, and a number of cricketers, including Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell, have come forward to support the cause. The Australia team had also auctioned off signed shirts from the Boxing Day Test and helped raised over AUD$40,000. Earlier, Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts had also said that he was open to the idea of staging a charity match to raise funds for the bushfire appeal, adding that the ODIs between Australia and New Zealand in March will be used to raise money.

“It’s going to be good place to see where we are in terms of bouncing back from the defeat in Australia”

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2020Fit-again Trent Boult is “very excited” at the prospect of bowling to Virat Kohli in the two-Test series starting Friday, and has already set the India captain’s wicket as his prime target as New Zealand look to bounce back after a 3-0 series defeat in Australia late last year.Boult is back after suffering a broken hand during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, and is set to be reunited with Tim Southee and Neil Wagner to spearhead the pace attack in the Tests in Wellington and Christchurch.”I’m very excited to bowl to Virat again,” Boult said. “He’s an exceptional player. Everyone knows how great he is. That is personally why I play the game, to get guys like that out and test myself against them, so I can’t wait to get stuck in.”Boult had missed the first Test of the Australia series in Perth because of a side injury but had recovered in time to play in Melbourne. But he fractured his hand while batting at the MCG and was ruled out of the rest of the tour as well as the limited-overs leg of India’s tour.”I suppose breaking a hand, you don’t really know how much you use it until it’s broken,” he said. “Everything has gone well but catching would be the biggest issue for me at the moment. I’m 100% fit and hungry.”It’s been nice just to be able to bowl. I had some time away from the game and having my second son a couple of weeks ago, it actually came at quite a good time, but I’m hungry to be here and can’t wait to get back in the whites and get the red ball moving around.”While fast bowlers, especially with the new ball, will be key at Basin Reserve, of late the surface has tended to dry out quickly and tilt in favour of the batsmen. And considering they are facing the No. 1 Test side, Boult is expecting an even contest despite New Zealand’s home advantage.”I’m preparing for a solid wicket. It generally is very good here and goes the full distance (five days),” Boult said. “I do enjoy playing here, the history that’s involved, and it’s going to be an exciting week building up. I can’t wait to get out there.”They [India] are a great side and they are leading the ICC Test Championship. They are very clear on how they wanted to play the game. It was a tough learning curve in Australia but it’s going to be good place to see where we are in terms of bouncing back from the defeat in Australia.”

The pair have both promised items of memorabilia to be auctioned on behalf of the Centre for Disaster Philanthropy

George Dobell03-Apr-2020Wasim Akram and Darren Gough are among the latest cricketing personalities attempting to combat the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.The pair have both promised items of memorabilia to be auctioned on behalf of the Centre for Disaster Philanthropy who have set up a
COVID-19 Response Fund.Akram, Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker in both Test and ODI cricket, has pledged a signed bat and ball while Gough, England’s second-highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket, has pledged a signed ball.Stars from other sports involved in the fundraising include Jack Nicklaus, Mike Tyson, Nick Faldo, Rory McIlroy, Martina Hingis,
Stephen Curry, Michael Phelps and Rose Lavelle. To enter the competition, visit athletesrelief.orgAkram and Gough join a long list of cricketers who have made charitable efforts to help out during the crisis, including Jos
Buttler, who is auctioning the shirt he was wearing when England won the World Cup.Ravi Bopara has offered free chicken from his restaurant in London to NHS staff, the umpire Aleem Dar has offered free food from his restaurant in Lahore to those who have lost their jobs, and Kent’s Sam Billings has offered to shop for vulnerable people in his area.England women’s captain Heather Knight and the Surrey allrounder Rikki Clarke and are among those to have signed up as NHS
volunteers, while Sam Curran has launched a fundraising campaign.

However, PCB offers domestic contracts to 192 players starting August 2020

Umar Farooq19-Jun-2020There is considerable doubt over Pakistan’s upcoming domestic season starting on time in August due to covid-19. The Pakistan Cricket Board, however, has tried to mitigate the impact of that by offering 192 players annual contracts from August 2020.There have been more than 160,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 3000 deaths in Pakistan, with cases expected to peak by end of July and early August according to prime minister Imran Khan.While the government has eased lockdown by throwing open businesses, industries and the tourism sector, encouraging people to follow health protocols, all contact sport, indoor clubs, gyms and facilities continue to remain shut. Cricket in the country has been on hold since March 16, when most players were last active in the yet-to-be completed Pakistan Super League.”There is no guarantee in this,” Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, said on Friday during a video conference.”Other than what PM said about peak in July and August, I am also reading medical advice and the cases will take another peak before things start to get better. We are monitoring and will have to plan accordingly, considering every aspect.”It [domestic season] maybe delayed after all. If you look around, the county season in England has been cancelled and they are looking to start in August. Almost everywhere in the world cricket has stopped. So, unfortunately it’s not in our control. We are not going put any player and any stakeholder at risk. If we feel or even suspect that this is going to infect the health then we are not going to take any chance (to start).”PCB

HPC director Nadeem Khan begins domestic revamp
The domestic department of the PCB has been disbanded and control has been transferred to the High Performance Centre (HPC),after a recent restructure. Nadeem Khan, the HPC director, is currently assessing the performance of the coaching staff of all six associations from the previous season. The PCB has extended their contracts by a month and has laid down a new selection process for each team.Last year, a three-member selection committee consisting Misbah-ul-Haq, Rashid Latif and Khan were asked to pick 32 players to make a first XI and second XI. This year, that process will be renewed as two of the committee members are with the PCB in different capacities – Misbah as head coach and chief selector and Khan as HPC director.”As part of a comprehensive and extensive review process, we are conducting appraisals of all coaches, which is a three-phase process including self-assessment, interviews and feedback from players and fellow coaches,” Khan said in a statement.”This is the modern 360 degree way of appraising professionals as we remain committed to put in place the best available coaches who can provide best coaching and training to the players, which, in turn, will contribute to further enhance the quality of our domestic cricket. Once the appraisal of the coaches is concluded, the six Cricket Association coaches will be involved in the team selection process.We hope to conclude the entire exercise by end July with 12-month contracts coming into effect from 1 August 2020. It is premature to predict when we will be able to start our 2020-21 domestic cricket season due to the evolving Covid-19 situation. But, internally, we need to be ready to start the season at a short notice.”

ECB events director confident venues will withstand external factors during West Indies series

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-2020Steve Elworthy, the ECB’s director of events, believes that the plans for July’s Test series against West Indies are robust enough to withstand a second wave of Covid-19 outbreaks, following this week’s announcement that the Ageas Bowl and Emirates Old Trafford have been chosen to host the three games.Speaking on Sky Sports’ Cricket Show, Elworthy went into greater depth on the rationale behind the selection of the two venues, both of which have on-site hotels – which was the primary reason why grounds such as the Kia Oval, where the first Test of the summer had been due to get underway today, were ruled out in the ECB’s search for “bio-secure” environments.West Indies are due to arrive in England next week, with their initial training block set to take place at Old Trafford before England themselves gather at the Ageas Bowl in the build-up to the first Test on July 8. The two squads will then practice in closer proximity in the days leading up the match, before relocating to Old Trafford for the final two matches of the series, commencing July 16 and July 24 respectively.ALSO READ: Oval ticket-holders show faith in Test cricket after cancellationAnd while there have been concerns in the local media that Manchester, in the north-west of England, is particularly susceptible to a surge in Covid cases, Elworthy is confident that the series will go ahead without a hitch, especially if the ICC agrees to sanction the introduction of like-for-like replacements in the event of infection within the secure environment.”The way we have structured the ‘bubble’ is that it can operate under the most extreme circumstances,” said Elworthy. “All of our planning has been based on the worst-case scenario, from an infection and a rate-spike point of view. So external factors should not affect that because, if you are secure within the venue, and you don’t break the confines of that venue, then your game should be able to go ahead with no problems at all.”The likeliest opportunity for that bubble to break will come when the teams make the 220-mile journey from Southampton to Manchester, but Elworthy justified the need to vary the conditions in which the series is played from the point of view of cricket “integrity”, and also to provide a change of scene for players, support staff and media who might otherwise be confined to one place for up to a month.”If you were to hold your first two Test matches at the same venue, you could end up possibly winning a series in the same conditions in the same venue, back-to-back,” he said. “We felt that, to win a series, you should have to win it in two separate sets of conditions.”We’re trying to reduce the amount of time that stakeholders or groups of people are locked down in [a particular] venue for periods of time,” he added. “We’re trying to cover as many of those bases as possible.”ALSO READ: West Indies confirm 25-man squad for bio-secure England tourThe Ageas Bowl, Elworthy added, had been chosen for the series opener because its out-of-town location includes a full-sized practice pitch, situated right next to the main venue. “We wanted both teams to be able to practice and train and prepare for a Test match, and having two full grounds available to be able to train was key.”The provisions for bio-security, as outlined by the ECB when announcing the match allocation, include controlled access at the perimeter of the venues, as well as on-site medical screening and testing provisions, including designated areas for isolation of anyone presenting symptoms.Steve Elworthy has played a leading role in the ECB’s planning for behind-closed-doors cricket•Getty Images

“It’s not only the players we thinking about,” said Elworthy. “With circa 250-odd people within the venue, any one of them could possibly test positive in a period of a five-day Test match.”They would immediately be put into isolation, and our on-site Covid medical practitioner and Public Health England would be informed immediately,” he added. “And that player or person would then be put into isolation for a period of time based on the government guidance and the medical overlay.”Earlier this week, West Indies confirmed their squad for the England tour, and while it will be missing three players who chose not to travel due to fears of infection – Keemo Paul, Shimron Hetmyer and Darren Bravo – Elworthy preferred to focus on the 25 names who had chosen to trust the contingencies that have been put in place.”Everybody was given the right to make their own decision, and that’s not the first time that’s happened across cricket, even with the England team at times,” he said. “But I look at it glass-half-full. It’s incredibly positive that we have a West Indian squad of 25 players who are coming to compete in a Test series against England. I think that’s fantastic for the game.”It’s incredibly challenging putting this all together, but at the same time I think it’s hugely, hugely rewarding for the game. As a cricket family, we’ve got to come together on this to make it work.”

The former Kerala legspinner fills the vacancy left by Nitin Menon’s promotion to the Elite panel

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2020Former Kerala legspinner KN Ananthapadmanabhan has been promoted to the ICC’s international panel of umpires. Ananthapadmanabhan will be the fourth Indian umpire on the international panel and fills the vacancy created by Nitin Menon’s move to the ICC Elite Panel.The other three Indians on the international panel are C Shamshuddin, Anil Chaudhary and Virender Sharma.Ananthapadmanabhan has officiated in nearly every domestic tournament in India, including the IPL, an England Lions match, and Women’s List A and T20 games.Before moving into umpiring, Ananthapadmanabhan played 105 first-class matches for Kerala, starting in 1988-89, and represented them until 2003-04. He was the first player from his state to achieve the double of 2000 runs and 200 wickets in the Ranji Trophy, and was briefly in the reckoning for an India cap. Playing for India A against the visiting Australians in 1998, he took the wickets of Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Darren Lehmann.

Overnight rain pushed the start back to 4.15pm, eating away any chance of England pushing for victory

The Report by Matt Roller25-Aug-2020James Anderson became the first seamer to take 600 Test wickets as England’s third and final Test against Pakistan petered out into a rain-affected draw at the Ageas Bowl.Anderson had Pakistan’s captain and first-innings centurion Azhar Ali caught by Joe Root at slip in his third over of the final day after overnight rain and standing water had pushed back the start until 4.15pm. He was the second-fastest man to the landmark, six balls behind Muttiah Muralitharan, and the first Englishman.Despite Anderson’s early breakthrough, England never looked likely to bowl Pakistan out as they followed on on a flat pitch that offered little for bowlers throughout the Test match, particularly with the old ball. Root had Asad Shafiq caught at bat-pad three balls before the second new ball was due, but four overs later he had bumped fists with Azhar.After heavy overnight rain across the UK, it had initially looked unlikely that there would be any play at all on the final day. The Ageas Bowl ground staff faced a long clean-up operation, with a vast amount of standing water on the covers and several problem areas in the outfield. Following several inspections, the umpires decided that the ground would fit for play from 4.15pm, with up to 42 overs possible.All eyes were immediately on Anderson, who shared the bowling with Jofra Archer from the outset, as Azhar and Babar Azam successfully negotiated his first two overs with several fielders catching in front of the wicket and Joe Root positioning himself as the solitary slip.James Anderson celebrates taking his 600th Test wicket•Getty Images

The moment arrived at 4.37pm, from the second ball of Anderson’s third over. The ball pitched slightly short of a length in the off-stump channel, nipping away with a hint of extra bounce as it took the shoulder of Azhar’s bat. England’s slip catching has caused them problems throughout the summer, but this chance could hardly have been simpler for Root, who clung on to take Anderson to the 600 mark.He immediately burst into a broad grin, high-fiving substitute fielder James Bracey, embracing Root, shaking hands with Jos Buttler and Stuart Broad and then being congratulated in turn by each of his team-mates. He acknowledged the handful of backroom and venue staff in the ground by holding the ball aloft to them, beaming from ear to ear.That left England with seven wickets to get, and despite Anderson nipping one past Asad Shafiq’s outside edge, he was soon taken out of the attack. Babar and Shafiq ticked over towards the new ball, with Dom Bess and Root operating in tandem, while Dom Sibley’s part-time legspin was given a first outing in Test cricket.Babar raced towards fifty with a flurry of boundaries off Bess, reaching his second half-century of an underwhelming series by nudging Root through the leg side with the new ball almost due, but Shafiq fell the very next ball, prodding him to Bracey under the lid at short leg.Anderson took the new ball and found sharp movement in his first over, but not long after Root decided that he had seen enough and the captains bumped fists for the draw at 6.05pm.That meant a 1-0 England win – their first series victory against Pakistan since 2010 – with Anderson taking the headlines. Both of the Ageas Bowl Tests in this series were marred by inclement weather, but this one will undoubtedly be remembered – for Zak Crawley’s epic 267 as well as Anderson’s milestone.

“I think he’s someone who has got so much talent that he can play a number of roles.”

Deivarayan Muthu23-Sep-2020Aaron Finch’s arrival has added more quality to Royal Challengers Bangalore’s top order, but their squishy middle and lower order came into focus during their narrow opening win against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday. After a blistering start, led by Devdutt Padikkal, the 20-year-old IPL debutant, captain Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers added only 33 off 28 balls. Despite de Villiers finding a higher gear in the slog overs, the Royal Challengers finished with 163 for 5, having been on 53 for 0 after the Powerplay and then 90 for 0 in the 11th over.Allrounder Shivam Dube, who was promoted to No.5, couldn’t get the big hits away either, labouring to 7 off eight balls. On another night, such a slowdown might have cost the Royal Challengers, but Yuzvendra Chahal and Sunrisers’ own squishy middle order ensured Kohli’s men started their campaign with a victory.ALSO SEE: Kings XI Punjab v Royal Challengers Bangalore live score 24 September 2020With Padikkal showing plenty of promise at the top, and de Villiers not (yet) keeping wicket, the Royal Challengers left out Parthiv Patel from the XI and made room for the Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Philippe at the expense of the allrounder Moeen Ali. The 23-year-old batted out of position at No.6 – he has broken through with 662 runs in 23 innings at the top at a strike rate of 135.37 – and was unbeaten on 1 off two balls. In 33 innings in his T20 career, Philippe has batted only ten times in the middle order (all at No.6), scoring 137 runs in ten innings at 152.22. His Australia white-ball captain and his IPL team-mate Finch, however, believes Philippe can come good as a finisher, too, if he’s given a fair run in that role.”Absolutely [he can be a finisher]. I think he’s someone who has got so much talent that he can play a number of roles,” Finch said on the eve of the Royal Challengers’ game against Kings XI Punjab in Dubai. “We’ve seen how successful he can be at the top of the order in Big Bash and things like that. He’s someone who can play all around the ground. He’s got a lot of talent and a lot of skill and so I think if he’s given enough time at each role, I think he will start to develop into that beautifully.”Devdutt Padikkal launches one down the ground•BCCI

Finch also called for similar flexibility when it came to his role at the top with Padikkal. Against the Sunrisers, it was Padikkal who set the early pace with seven boundaries in the powerplay as opposed to Finch’s one. Finch said their roles could be reversed depending on the pitch and conditions across the three venues in the UAE.”Dev obviously got off to a great start the other day, so then it was my job to just try and get him back on strike and let him keep playing really well and really aggressive,” Finch said. “But there’ll be some days when that role is reversed and I’ll get off to a bit of a flier and then our partnership becomes important again. I think my game has evolved probably by playing more and more T20 cricket. You understand roles and you understand game scenarios a little bit more. Hopefully, I can contribute heavily for Bangalore.”While the pitches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have provided some assistance to the seamers so far, the one that was used for Sharjah’s first game of the season on Tuesday was much flatter and offered less bounce. A record 33 sixes were hit in the game between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, with the dew setting in later in the evening. Finch was wary of the dew and tiring tracks in the second half of the tournament, but backed the Royal Challengers to find a way past them.”I think the dew will play a big part in the tournament,” he said. “Probably the last three games and the game in Sharjah last night, there was more dew than expected from us. So, I think, as the games go on and a lot of games [are] played on the same wickets over and over, the wickets will get slower and the dew will become even more of a factor. But you still have to play your best and can’t use that as an excuse. If you happen to bat first on a slow wicket, you have to adjust to that and come up with plans and processes to give you every opportunity to be successful in all the conditions.”

No suggestions of an increased quota, but focus on including more black African players in the national sides

Firdose Moonda12-Oct-2020Cricket South Africa (CSA) intends to outline the implementation of a more aggressive transformation policy to parliament, if they are allowed to present their plans to the sports portfolio committee on Tuesday. The meeting comes a week after CSA were hauled over the coals by the same committee for failure to present the forensic report they used to fire former CEO Thabang Moroe.At a two-hour meeting last week, in which no other matter was discussed, CSA committed to furnishing the committee with a copy of the report by Friday. The deadline was met, though the version of the report CSA sent contained redactions, and discussion over the report are expected to take up most of the meeting time tomorrow. However, if the meeting moves past the report, CSA may have the opportunity to unveil its Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) agenda.Among CSA’s proposals is an emphasis on ensuring “that more black players, particularly black African players are included in national teams on a sustainable basis,” and major changes to the way cricket is governed at franchise and provincial level, to ensure greater representation of black women. Beginning in December this year, CSA would like all its affiliates to make new appointments according to affirmative action requirements, and will fine those who do not.”It will become part of the membership requirements that the executive management teams of unions and the boards become predominantly black with a heavy focus on black female members in these critical positions. The intention is to identify at least 10 black female candidates. The onus will be placed on Affiliates to address the current status of non- transformed positions especially in CEO and Executive positions. Failure by the Unions to do this will result in financial penalties,” CSA’s presentation reads.Similarly, CSA have committed to filling the independent director vacancy on its board, which resulted from the resignation of Steve Cornelius in August “by a black female, preferably with skills in media and marketing”. The position is expected to be filled by the end of November, before the rescheduled AGM which will take place on December 5.On the playing field, the presentation notes that “the number of selections for whites’ dwarfs (54%) the numbers for any of the black demographic, with the players of Indian descent and Coloured players, making up an equal 12% selection in any of the 15 matches played,” over the last year. It notes that selection was particularly skewed in fifty-over cricket primarily because of the consistent inclusion of four players. “It is particularly within the ODI format where the selection frequency is predominantly in favour of white players. These numbers are boosted by the consistency in selection of (Quinton) de Kock, (Rassie) van der Dussen, (Faf) du Plessis and (David) Miller.”While the presentation does not say there will be an increased quota (currently the national team is required to field six players of colour, of which at least two must be black African, on average over the course of a season), it does state that there will be no target reduction and that the direction of cricket, the coaches and selectors will have to adhere to transformation key performance areas, which will be part of their contracts. CSA exceeded their 2018-19 transformation target, with the 2019-20 data yet to be released, but have also come under fire from the sports minister, Nathi Mthethwa, for failing to have people of colour in senior roles.Since then, CSA have committed to applying a preference for consultants of colour and now appear to be taking the policy further. The presentation also mentions addressing the salary difference between the men’s and women’s teams and confirms a cash injection of R10 million (US$604, 575) for the SJN project, which could offer reparations to players who were discriminated against in the past. In August CSA named Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza as their SJN ombudsman and they intend to begin hearing at provinces in January 2021. The ombudsman will also independently present to parliament and the sports minister.

Captain Shreyas Iyer wants Capitals to improve in powerplay with both bat and ball

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-20202:46

Gautam Gambhir: Quality Indian players make Mumbai Indians the best team

On Monday Ricky Ponting had said that if there was one team the Mumbai Indians will not want to face in the final it would be the Delhi Capitals. On Tuesday, defending champions Mumbai dominated the Capitals thoroughly to not only register their fourth win against the team coached by Ponting, but also win their fifth IPL title.Ponting, who was part of two of Mumbai’s title victories – as player in 2013 and coach in 2015 – acknowledged Mumbai were the “best” team this IPL.”You have got to give credit where credit is due: MI have clearly been the best team all the way through this IPL,” Ponting said at the post-match presentation. “They’ve beaten us four times in the tournament now. They turned up and played a great game today in the final when it really matters. As a coach it is can be frustrating sitting in the dugout when you haven’t got control over things, but I’m extremely proud of the way we player cricket this tournament. Just to finish off, MI thoroughly deserve their win.”Several teams have mentioned the biggest challenge this IPL has been to perform while living out of a biosecure bubble. Ponting, too, felt that did play a role in the Capitals’ inconsistency. He said the Capitals “probably had too much preparation” ahead of the IPL after they arrived in the UAE in late August, a month prior to the tournament.”We had about three-and-a-half weeks of training before our first game. We knew that that was always going to be a challenge to try and keep the boys up through what’s been a 10 or 11 weeks of a hard slog.”The Capitals made their first IPL final in 13 seasons, but Ponting was honest to admit that they had work to do.”The IPL is a hard tournament, certainly a hard tournament to win. And at different times you’ve probably seen with our level of cricket – although we played some brilliant stuff, then the level dropped down a little bit and we fought back really well at the end. It has been a really challenging tour.”Captain Shreyas Iyer, who top-scored for the Capitals in the final with an unbeaten 65, wanted them to improve in two specific areas in 2021 IPL.”We have been lacking at the starts especially in majority of the games we lost pretty early wickets,” Iyer said. “That is what we need to work on. We need to strategise our bowling plans as well because we have leaked a lot of runs in the powerplay, especially in the second half of the season was not really the best.”