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Clarke backs Howard … and Warne

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Australia’s captain Michael Clarke performed a feat of rare diplomacy on the eve of his side’s ODI series against the West Indies as he simultaneously managed to balance his friendship with Shane Warne, and his fealty to Cricket Australia’s high performance chief Pat Howard.Of those who have reacted to Warne’s parallel universe for Australian cricket in the past 24 hours, Clarke’s response was the one caught in the most invidious position. He is both a part of the selection panel that advocates concepts Warne cannot stomach, and also an eager sponge for all the cricket knowledge the former Test leg spinner and his own mentor Ian Chappell can provide.Caught between Warne and Howard, Clarke trod a narrow path down the middle, stating the former was entitled to his opinion and would be listened to by those in power, but also reiterating his belief that the latter was doing a strong job in the face of much criticism from those unwilling to watch the high-end of the game be managed by a former rugby international.”Warnie and I are great friends and we always will be,” Clarke said in Perth. “Everybody’s entitled to their opinion, and he’s certainly earned the right to voice his opinion on Australian cricket. I speak to Warnie often about things I can do personally to improve my game. Not only has he been a great friend, but he’s a mentor to me as well.”Pat Howard has been doing a fantastic job. A lot of people will take a lot of notice of what Warnie has to say. But people have jobs and are trying to do that job to the best of their ability. And that’s all we can do. I’m a part of that as well. The people who make the decisions on who gets employed, they’ll definitely take notice. They’ll read what Warnie had to say. And I’m sure they’ll do whatever they have to do.”Among other targets of Warne’s push for change in the Australian game, the national selector John Inverarity declined to comment, other than to say he was happy he lived in a country granted a free press and unfettered expression of ideas. Warne had suggested Inverarity be replaced by his fellow selector and friend Rod Marsh.The national coach Mickey Arthur, who Warne argued should be replaced by the former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, was less diplomatic in his assessment: taking issue with Warne’s clear preference for the simpler ways of the past – namely the 1970s when his mentor Chappell led a team of self-reliant and contrasting characters.”He’s living in a dream world to be honest,” Arthur told 6PR Radio in Perth. “It’s just not possible [to always pick your best team] with the amount of time the players have at their disposal. He’s living in a dream world and clearly he’s not up with the times.”We don’t sit there and rotate players and think, ‘he is going to play here and he is going to play here and there’. What we do, is we manage our players. So it’s about player management. If there is a player who is not 100 percent fit, we don’t take the risk with him. We want guys that are going out on the field 100 percent fine and ready to go all of the time.”Peter Siddle, Warne’s fellow Victorian and one of the players referred to as part of a strong core of the current Test team, offered the following view: “That’s just Warnie being Warnie. Warnie has done that when he played. He just likes the limelight.”

Young batsmen make New Zealanders work hard

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Scorecard File photo: There was belated success for Trent Boult on a flat pitch•Getty Images

Two potential future stars announced themselves in Paarl as the South African Invitational XI made the New Zealanders work hard on the second day of their warm-up match. Rassie van der Dussen and Matthew Kleinveldt scored seventies before Trent Boult ensured the day was not a complete waste with two wickets in an aggressive spell in the final session.The New Zealanders declared overnight to give their bowlers a decent run but soon found the going tough on a pitch that only got flatter under sunny skies. Van der Dussen, who has played for the North West amateur team and Kleinveldt, cousin of Rory, were untroubled by all three seamers who bowled within themselves and in short spells throughout the morning.Both batsmen were strong off the front foot with Kleinveldt showing slightly more intent. They wore down the New Zealanders, who eventually had the spinners, Jeetan Patel and Bruce Martin operating from either end. The hosts went to lunch at 81 without loss before Kleinveldt brought out his more flamboyant side in the afternoon session.His half-century came in the second over after lunch while van der Dussen continued to play conservatively, although he also reached his milestone. With both set to record hundreds the New Zealanders appeared to be on a futile mission but Martin tempted Kleinveldt with flight, drew him forward and BJ Watling completed the stumping.The tourists’ most profitable period came after tea. Colin Ackermann was caught by Martin Guptill at slip off Neil Wagner. The umpires had to confer about the legitimacy of the catch after Shaun George, who was at the bowler’s end, thought it was taken off a bump ball.Boult got his first wicket when van der Dussen played an aerial shot into the covers and Dean Brownlie took the catch. Brownlie was on the field substituting for Peter Fulton, who will take no part in the Tests after injuring tendons in his knee while batting.Having suffered a severe stomach bug, Brownlie appeared to have returned to health and may even ask for special permission for bat on the third day. He was not named in the original 12 because of his illness but has progressed well since then and because the match does not have first-class status his request may be granted.In his next over, Boult produced a beauty that swung into Pite van Biljoen and upset the stumps. The New Zealanders caused a mini-collapse when Uwe Birkenstock was given what could have been seen as a harsh lbw dismissal against Martin. The ball looked to be missing leg but Birkenstock left without complaint.All the New Zealanders’ quick men returned for a final burst in the last hour and Chris Martin was the only one to have some reward. He picked up the scalp of promising wicketkeeper-batsman Bradley Barnes to an lbw that few could have argued with.The inability to bowl out an inexperienced, composite side made up of players from the amateur and under-19 competitions may see the New Zealanders cop some criticism but they should not be vilified just yet. The attack on display is unlikely to be their Test arsenal with Doug Bracewell sitting out and the pitch at Newlands should offer a little more bounce and carry than the unresponsive Boland Park strip.Luckily, it was the only lifeless part of the ground. A healthy crowd sat under the oaks to watch the match and a sponsored event, which involved some cricket and much music, took place on the lawns at the back of the stadium. In attendance were acting CSA chief executive Jacques Faul, former national assistant coach Vincent Barnes, who now works on the High Performance Programme, current bowling coach Allan Donald and many former players from the area including Henry Williams and Johnny Kleinveldt, Matthew’s father.

Nottinghamshire stars barred from IPL deals

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Nottinghamshire have told three of their England players – Michael Lumb, Alex Hales and Samit Patel – that they will not be able to pursue interest in taking part in the IPL next year.The trio, who are all part of England’s current Twenty20 squad in India, had been keen to try and secure deals in the tournament which runs in April and May, therefore clashing with the start of the English domestic season. Of the three only Lumb has previous IPL experience with Rajasthan Royals and Deccan Chargers.It is by no means certain that any of them would have been picked up for the IPL although Hales has consolidated his England place this year with consistent scoring including a 26-ball fifty in the first T20 against India in Pune. On Thursday Hales was bought in the BPL auction, from which Lumb withdrew his name.Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, said: “We were very clear that we expected all of our players to be available to us as we would be severely weakened if we were to lose them for that period of time at that stage of the season.”The players asked me to consider releasing them to enable them to take part in the IPL but they are key members of the squad and I explained that we wouldn’t be able to allow them to take part.”Nottinghamshire’s stance continues the uneasy relationship between English cricket and the IPL. Although the county game has not seen an early-season mass exodus to India, it will be interesting to watch whether other counties take a lead from Nottinghamshire to try and protect their own interests instead of losing key players.Players fortunate enough to secure deals are understandably keen to take them up, but they can leave significant holes in the counties for the first six weeks of the season. Essex have previously had to cover for the absence of Owais Shah and Durham for Paul Collingwood.The tournament has also meant weakened international sides arriving for tours and players arriving at the last minute before a Test series. That is likely to happen again next season with New Zealand’s two-Test series clashing with the IPL.Nottinghamshire’s centrally contracted England players, Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad, would have their participation in any IPL deals that were offered decided by the ECB. Current central contracts have clauses allowing players a window to appear at the tournament, although last year that only impacted Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan, subject to any fitness issues.Earlier this week MS Dhoni suggested that as England’s leading players are not available for the entire event it will make it difficult for them to earn deals with franchises.

Rangpur crush Barisal by an innings

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ScorecardRangpur Division rode on twin centuries from Dhiman Ghosh and Alauddin Babu to crush Barisal Division by an innings and 40 runs in Rajshahi. Replying to Barisal’s 245 all out, the lower-order of Rangpur led a superb fightback after they had fallen to 48 for 5 on the second morning.It started with a 144-run sixth-wicket stand between Dhiman and captain Suhrawadi Shuvo, who made 82, followed by Dhiman adding another 99 runs for the seventh wicket with Mahmudul Hasan. The big stands continued as Dhiman made 159 off 267 balls and added another 103 runs for the eighth wicket. The most entertaining part of the match was the 114-run stand between Alauddin, who scored 110 runs, and Ariful Haque for the ninth wicket.Barisal had no answer as they were bowled out for 229 runs in 93 overs. Sajidul Islam took three wickets while there were two wickets each for Subashis Roy, Ariful and Mahmudul to close out the match.
ScorecardRajshahi Division got back their groove through a 76-run win over Dhaka Metropolis in Mirpur. They withstood a second-innings century by Asif Ahmed which took Dhaka Metro closer to the 403-run target, with Shafiul Islam and Saqlain Sajib taking three wickets each to dampen any hopes of a thrilling finish.The match built up nicely though it started off as a low-scoring game. Batting first, Rajshahi made 256 with Maisuqur Rahman missing out on a century by nine runs. Abu Haider and Sharifullah took three wickets for Dhaka Metro but when they replied with the bat, they were bowled out for just 129 runs. Shafiul took four wickets to warm up well before the West Indies ODIs in which he earned a recall.Hamidul Islam then extended Rajshahi’s lead with 78 runs though he found little support from the other batsmen. The match however panned out into something of a contest when Asif began to take charge on the final day. None of the other Dhaka Metro batsmen crossed the 33-mark but Asif held firm, scoring 148 runs in five and a half hours. He was the sixth man out, and with him any hope of Dhaka Metro making a final dash for the target dissipated, and Rajshahi went on to confirm seven points and their second win in the competition.
ScorecardKhulna Division have taken a big lead in the National Cricket League after they crushed Sylhet Division by ten wickets in Rangpur. Sylhet narrowly avoided an innings defeat as Left-arm spinner Murad Khan took six wickets to take his team to a winning position in the second innings. They are now on 34 points after five straight wins.Khulna, in the first innings, rode on Tushar Imran’s 156 as they made a competitive 367 in their first innings, in reply to Sylhet’s 244. Imtiaz Hossain struck 108 for Sylhet but Abdur Razzak’s three wickets did much of the damage.Enamul Haque jnr took four wickets, but the batsmen floundered as they were bowled out for just 130 runs in the second innings, succumbing to Murad.
ScorecardDhaka Division have moved to the second position after they posted their third win, defeating Chittagong Division by an innings and 69 runs. The comprehensive victory was set up on the first day when left-arm spinners Mosharraf Hossain and Nazmul Islam took four wickets each to skittle out Chittagong for 138 runs.Dhaka replied well, piling up 401 runs, as Nadif Chowdhury scored 114 while the big-hitting Nazmul Hossain Milon smashed 77 off 88 balls.Chittagong required 263 to avoid an innings defeat, but Mosharraf’s five-for helped bowl them out for 194 runs in the 71st over, ensuring a smooth third day for Dhaka, who won handsomely.

Pandey, Ojha help Madhya Pradesh to safety

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ScorecardAfter being outplayed on the first two days in Jaipur, Madhya Pradesh ended the third in a better position by restricting Rajasthan’s first-innings lead to 123, and then setting up a strong second innings. They may now escape with a draw, and not suffer outright defeat.Fast bowler Ishwar Pandey and wicketkeeper-opener Naman Ojha made MP’s recovery possible. Rajasthan were dismissed 379 due to Pandey’s six-wicket haul, and then Ojha’s unbeaten century took MP to 200 for 1 at stumps, ahead by 77. With the green wicket not offering much assistance to the bowlers, and without a quality spinner, Rajasthan may find it difficult to force a result on the final day.Pandey had taken four wickets on the second day, including those of stand-in captain Vineet Saxena, Ashok Menaria and centurion Rashmi Parida. He claimed two more on the third morning. Resuming at 306 for 6, wicketkeeper Sidhant Yagnik and Madhur Khatri began the day well for Rajasthan, hitting four boundaries in four overs. But then Pandey settled into a nagging line to left-hand batsman Yagnik, who edged one in the ninth over of the day to keeper Ojha.Before Rituraj Singh could get his eye in, Pandey put in some extra effort, and the additional bounce had Rituraj edging his delivery to Zafar Ali at second slip. Though Khatri, primarily in the side as an offspinner, played an effortless knock, he ran out of partners on 47 when Anand Rajan bowled last man Aniket Choudhury to earn his 100th first-class wicket.Rajasthan’s lead wasn’t a small one, especially with more than a day and a half remaining in the game. After a disastrous performance by MP’s top order on the opening day, when they were reduced to 71 for 5 in the first session, the openers had to come good to earn one point. Ojha and Ali learnt from their first-innings mistakes to put on 134 before Ali was trapped lbw by Rituraj.Ojha, however, was the star of the day. In the first innings, he had poked at and edged a delivery that moved away from off stump. This time, Ojha didn’t flash his bat outside off for the first hour. He preferred to leave as many balls as he could.Ojha didn’t go into a shell either; he chose the balls he wanted to score off. Soon after he reached his fifty, he went after the part-time spinner Ashok Menaria, hitting two sixes over long-off and cutting to the point boundary. In the next over, however, Ali was dismissed. With Pankaj Singh and Rituraj steaming in, Ojha, batting on 78, defended for the next hour.Only in the last over of the day, when Khatri was brought on, did Ojha attack again. He stepped out to hit a six over long-off and then swept the next ball through square leg for a boundary to raise his ninth first-class century.”[Ojha] was terribly disappointed after being dismissed in that manner (in the first innings),” MP coach Mukesh Sahani said. “We had a chat about it. He realised that he hadn’t justified his position of being among the senior players in the team by getting out in that manner. It was heartening to see him rectifying it.”Despite playing first-class cricket for 12 years, Ojha has not fulfilled his batting potential “I haven’t converted as many starts into hundreds as I should have but over the last few years, I have realised the need for scoring big hundreds and have been working towards it,” Ojha said. “Since I came to the Ranji Trophy days after playing the Champions League [for Delhi Daredevils], it took time for me to switch into the first-class mode. But now that I have, I hope I can continue for the rest of the season.”After stumps, most of the MP squad played a game of football until the light faded, unlike other days. Though the team had conceded three points with the first-innings lead, their relieved faces indicated that their primary objective at the start of the penultimate day – to avoid being in a position to concede an outright victory to Rajasthan – had been achieved.

Kent denied by win for Croft

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ScorecardJim Allenby claimed three second-innings wickets as Glamorgan won in Robert Croft’s final game•PA Photos

Anyone with ambitions of foisting franchises on domestic cricket might profit by studying the experience of Glamorgan over the past twelve months. On the day when Mark Wallace and his team ended Kent’s hopes of promotion by inflicting a seven-wicket defeat on Rob Key’s team, the county announced that its limited-overs side was reverting to the name “Glamorgan” after a year in which it had been known as the “Welsh Dragons”.Explaining the change back to the old name, Glamorgan chief executive Alan Hamer said that an attempt to “stir up the passion” of supporters by rebranding the team hadn’t worked. People in Wales were not even sure what sport the renamed team played.”If you go anywhere in Wales the majority of people will say that Glamorgan is a cricket county,” said Hamer. “When you asked people who the Welsh Dragons were, they got confused as to whether that was a cricket team, a rugby union team, a rugby league team or a football team. We’ve got to be honest and go back to something which has worked and means a lot to our supporters. The decision we have now taken has been very well received.”The Glamorgan brand is well-established and is known throughout the cricket world,” continued Hamer. “It’s apt that we move back to key principles, so as well as simply calling ourselves Glamorgan, the logo will revert back to the daffodil and we are going to spend time and money developing more of our home-grown players.”I’ve been here six years but it’s in the last twelve months that I’ve realised more than ever before the feelings and passions that people have for the Glamorgan brand. If you try to introduce a franchise, it will be up against a very powerful beast and it’ll need to be very powerful if it’s going to work.”Glamorgan’s announcement was pleasantly complemented by events on the field on what turned out to be the last day of the season at Cardiff. For one thing, the county’s bowlers and fielders showed the sort of passion and persistence which are needed to win important cricket matches against teams chasing honours. Their defeat of Kent confirmed that Derbyshire and Yorkshire would be promoted from Division Two. More significantly for cricket followers in the principality, this third Championship win of the season means that Glamorgan will avoid the wooden spoon and should finish at least seventh in the second division.There were also personal reasons for joy, albeit mixed with some sadness. Most notably, these concerned Robert Croft who, after taking 2 for 76 from 22.4 overs, left the field as a Glamorgan cricketer for the last time. There was a standing ovation, a presentation and a raft of interviews, none of them less moving for being fairly predictable. Croft had the honour of dismissing the last Kent batsman, Charlie Shreck, and thus finishing his 24-year career with 1,175 first-class wickets against his name. Croft is a proud Welshman but he has been an equally proud Glamorgan cricketer. He has never needed rebranding.”I’m delighted we’re reverting back to the traditional name,” said Croft. “I’ve always known us as Glamorgan and I’m pleased with the decision that’s been made. The badge should be the biggest thing on your chest and I’m pleased it’s going to be Glamorgan’s badge again.”Yet Croft’s personal achievement had to take its place within the architecture of a game which saw Kent’s batsmen mount a courageous rearguard as they sought to make good the damage of the previous evening. Beginning the day needing 187 to make Glamorgan bat again, they eventually carved out a mere 60-run lead, although Mark Wallace’s side lost three wickets reaching their target in the evening gloom.Geraint Jones led Kent’s fight by batting over three hours for his 81 runs before he was ninth out, top-edging a pull off Jim Allenby straight to Nick James at deep square leg. Until Jones was dismissed it was never quite clear that Glamorgan had the game under control and Croft himself expressed relief that his side had not been chasing 150.Three wickets in eight balls for the impressive seamer John Glover in the second hour of the morning session had seemed to put Glamorgan in control of affairs. The loss of Sam Northeast for 40, Brendan Nash for a well-made 50 and Darren Stevens lbw first ball left Kent struggling on 96 for 5. But a 91-run stand between Jones and the former Glamorgan batsman Mike Powell restored Kent’s fortunes. It took Croft’s last vital contribution to remove his old mucker, taken by Allenby at slip for 41.Allenby then offered further evidence of his all-round skills which have been on view during almost every session of this game by claiming the decisive wickets of James Tredwell, Matt Coles and Jones to finish with 3 for 47. When Shreck lofted Croft to Nick James at long off, Kent had been dismissed for 280 and Glamorgan’s target seemed close to paltry.The loss of three cheap wickets and two breaks for bad light served to delay matters a little but at least they afforded David Lloyd the chance to make his first runs in first-class cricket by cutting Matt Coles to the backward point boundary. Lloyd had walked to the crease with three noughts to his credit but made 11 before Ben Wright punched Charlie Shreck through midwicket to complete a win that was as well-received in parts of Chelmsford and Derby as it was in Cardiff.

Waqar Younis misses out on Australia job

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Waqar Younis is no longer in contention to become Australia’s new bowling coach after being turned down this week following an interview. Cricket Australia is searching for a replacement for Craig McDermott, who vacated the position in May, and Waqar was keen to take on the position and work with Australia’s emerging crop of fast bowlers.The Tasmania bowling coach Ali de Winter is another contender for the role and was given the chance to audition as the stand-in mentor on the recent one-day tour of England. Interviews for the job did not take place until after the squad returned from that trip and Waqar said on Wednesday he was no longer in the running.”I was interested but it didn’t work out between me and Cricket Australia,” Waqar told ESPNcricinfo. “It didn’t really work out. They did interview me. I guess what I’m offering and what they’re looking at are two different things. I don’t know, I haven’t really asked them the details but that’s how it stands at the moment. It has just been in the last couple of days.”Waqar took 373 Test wickets for Pakistan during a 14-year career and was considered a master exponent of reverse swing, and has since then served as bowling mentor and head coach of Pakistan. Now based in Sydney, Waqar said he remained keen to become involved in coaching in Australia in some capacity.”I’ll probably be looking to get into the system here in Australia and do some work here, maybe with the younger guys,” he said. “The whole [Cricket Australia] talk has just finished now so I’ve probably got to start thinking about different things.”I’m coaching one of the franchises for the Sri Lankan Premier League and then I’ve got the Twenty20 World Cup, I’m going to be doing commentary, studio work back in Dubai. I’m pretty full-on in the next few months.”Waqar was the highest-profile candidate to publicly declare his interest in replacing McDermott, who delivered impressive results before quitting after only one year in the job. James Pattinson, one of Australia’s most promising young fast bowlers, said during the England tour that he would like a former Test player to be handed the position, but whether that happens remains to be seen.

Nannes moves to Sydney Thunder

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The exodus from the Melbourne Renegades has continued with Dirk Nannes moving to the Sydney Thunder for this year’s Big Bash League. However, the Renegades have gained two players from the other Sydney team, the Sixers, with the batsman Ben Rohrer and the wicketkeeper-batsman Peter Nevill joining the Renegades.Nannes is the fifth big name to leave the Renegades this year, after Andrew McDonald and Shaun Tait moved to the Adelaide Strikers and Brad Hodge and Glenn Maxwell headed to the Melbourne Stars. He said he was looking forward to the challenge of playing for a new side, the 11th team he will have joined for T20 around the world, in addition to having played for Australia and the Netherlands.”I have always enjoyed the challenge of new experiences, with new places, faces, and cricketing environments to work in,” Nannes said. “Sydney Thunder is a unique ground and environment to play in. With such short boundaries, big crowds and a variable pitch, you need to adjust your game accordingly. Fortunately, it is a ground that I have always managed to play well at, and I will be giving my best for that form to continue.”Nannes will be joined at the Thunder by the young fast bowler Chris Tremain, who did not play in thee BBL last year. In other deals on the third-last day of the contracting window, Ricky Ponting re-signed with the Hobart Hurricanes, and he is expected to be available for more matches than last year given he is no longer part of Australia’s one-day international side.The Sydney Sixers also signed their first players, with Brad Haddin, Steve O’Keefe, Moises Henriques, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Lalor and Josh Hazlewood all committing to the side. The Adelaide Strikers regained Callum Ferguson, James Smith and Theo Doropoulos, while the Brisbane Heat confirmed James Hopes and Chris Hartley would be in their squad this year.

Shakib happy with IPL outcome

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Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh allrounder, has had only one day at home to sleep off the delirium of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ maiden IPL triumph; he will play club cricket in Dhaka from Thursday. But he is not complaining, having revelled in the victory and the festivities that followed.”It would have been better if I had played more matches [he played eight out of a possible 18], but for any team the ultimate goal is to become champions in any tournament,” Shakib said. “I’m still very happy, because the IPL is a high-quality domestic tournament. It was good that I made some contributions in the team’s success.”The celebration after the victory and reception in Kolkata was amazing, and it’s really something that was a new experience for me. [Franchise owner] Shah Rukh Khan was also over the moon, because the team didn’t play as well in the last four tournaments.”Shakib was the only foreign player who attended the team’s open-top bus parade in Kolkata, and the function at Eden Gardens where tens of thousands of fans turned up to celebrate. Though Shakib said he enjoyed every bit of it, his face was burned and his body is now pleading for a break.There has been non-stop cricket for the world’s No. 1 allrounder this year, and the three before that, and though he had wanted a break after the IPL, Bangladesh’s summer schedule will keep him busy, running through to the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September. With Knight Riders’ participation in the Champions League T20 in October also confirmed, Shakib will have an extra tournament to contend with in his already jam-packed schedule.”I will play Thursday’s Premier League club match; it’s good that we have Twenty20 matches before the [Twenty20] World Cup. But for me, what is needed most, is a break,” he said. I’m not sure, but I might request the board for a break.”Bangladesh’s Twenty20 series in Zimbabwe in June and then in Ireland in July mean that Shakib will miss the Friends Life t20 in England. Paul Grayson, head coach at Essex, where Shakib is contracted, told ESPNcricinfo that the club will miss him.”Shakib had accepted an offer to play for us. The deal was agreed upon. We were hoping he would play Twenty20, CB40 [England’s domestic 40-over tournament] and some [county] championship games, and that he would stay with us until the back end of August.”It’s very disappointing [not to have him]. He is the No.1 allrounder in the world, and he ticks a lot of boxes for us. Now we have found out that the BCB have not agreed to give him a no-objection certificate. They are trying to arrange a few things and they don’t want to let him go.”Shakib is in much demand in the game’s shortest version, but he says he is disappointed to not get a Test anytime soon. “We [the Bangladesh team] have forgotten what a Test is!” he said. “I don’t think about it anymore, that will give me tension; I will feel bad if I think about it. Better not to think about it, and just play what’s coming up.” Bangladesh’s last Test series was against Pakistan last December.

Dravid undecided about IPL future

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Rahul Dravid, the Rajasthan Royals captain, has said that he is unsure about his role in the future and he’s willing to step aside if the franchise finds a younger opener to partner Ajinkya Rahane next season. The Dravid-Rahane combine were the only pair to open in all matches this season, scoring 579 at 36.18.”I really don’t know (about my future). I will have to think it over. I would take a break and decide about my role. I will talk to my family and also the management of the Rajasthan Royals about my role and then I would decide,” Dravid said. “My goal is to develop young players. Rahane did a great job with the opportunities we gave him. We identified a couple of players in the other franchises who did not get an opportunity to play.”I don’t know what the rules will be in terms of trades and swaps, but if we can get one or two young players then I can always step back and play a different role. We’d like a good young ambitious guy to come in and open the batting for us with Ajinkya next season,” he said. “But if we can’t find someone, then there’s always the option of me playing, we’ll see how it goes.”Dravid, who scored 462 runs from 16 matches at 28.87 this season, said Royals needed to strengthen its batting for next season. “We don’t have a young top-order Indian batsman, we are trying to identify someone, there are a couple of good, young middle-order players in [Stuart] Binny and [Ashok] Menaria and we will work on them in the course of the year,” he said. “We also have youngsters like Ajit Chandila, Ankit Chavan and Gajendra Singh. I am sorry about the local lad Gajendra Singh who didn’t get a chance to play (this season).”Royals finished seventh this season with seven wins and nine losses. “We lost a few close games like the ones against Delhi, Deccan and Chennai and that hurt us,” he said. “I feel our fielding performance and bowling was the worst. I am disappointed but there are some positives too.”Despite the disappointing finish to the season, Dravid said he enjoyed captaining Royals. “It was a pleasure to lead the side and the support from the management and support staff has been top notch,” Dravid said. “As far as my own performance is concerned I played my role as the opener with Rahane to satisfaction. I feel batting is one thing and scoring runs is another thing.”Edited by Carlyle Laurie