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England have had the wood over India in their last two meetings at ICC tournaments

Shashank Kishore29-Sep-20232:20

Chawla: ‘Street-smart’ Ashwin could get into India’s XI straightaway

Over the last four weeks, the cricket caravan has taken India on quite a journey: Bengaluru-Colombo-Pallekele-Colombo-Mohali-Indore-Rajkot. The latest pit stop is Guwahati in India’s northeast, for the first lap of their World Cup campaign, to play England in their first warm-up on Saturday.India arrived from Rajkot, via a charter flight, late on Thursday and had an optional training session on Friday afternoon, attended by four players – Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, R Ashwin and Shardul Thakur.England weren’t as lucky and spent nearly 38 hours on the road, travelling from London to Guwahati with long layovers in Dubai and Mumbai. While the “chaos” – as put by Jonny Bairstow in an Instagram story – could die down, the travel is unlikely to, they will crisscross India during the tournament and play in eight cities.England can draw some comfort from the fact that they will stay put in Guwahati for both their warm-up games, unlike India, who will travel down south to Thiruvananthapuram for their second warm-up on October 2 against Netherlands.England can also draw comfort from the fact that they have had the wood over India in their last two meetings at ICC tournaments. At the T20 World Cup semi-final last year, they handed India a ten-wicket thrashing with Alex Hales and Jos Buttler making merry.Prior to that, England were the only side to beat India in the league stage of the 2019 ODI World Cup, after which India jettisoned their two-wristspinner strategy. As it turns out, only one of them, Kuldeep Yadav, has made it to this World Cup, but he has done so after two years in the wilderness, after going back to the drawing board, working on his run-up and rhythm, and rediscovering his verve to become one of India’s trump cards.Harry Brook made it to the World Cup squad at Jason Roy’s expense•Getty Images

The other significant bit is Ashwin’s late entry into the squad on the back of an injury to Axar Patel. Ashwin, a key cog in India’s previous ICC triumphs at the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy, has made it despite having only played four ODIs – including two last week against Australia, where he registered combined figures of 4 for 88 across 17 overs – over the last six years.Having forced his way into the squad, Ashwin will fancy his chances of making the first XI, given the team’s inclination to field someone who can bat at No. 8. This means Ashwin will tussle with Thakur for that spot, depending on the kind of surfaces and match-ups India are likely to encounter.England are coming off a series against New Zealand where they overturned a 1-0 deficit to clinch the trophy 3-1, with Ben Stokes making an unreal 182 in the third game. That Stokes is here having un-retired from the format follows lengthy discussions with the backroom staff who were keen that he played in a bid to help England defend their title.Harry Brook, who had his fair share of troubles in India earlier this year at the IPL, will have a chance to show why Luke Wright and Co were right in picking him, albeit belatedly, at Jason Roy’s expense.Brook showed glimpses of his domineering best when he made a barnstorming IPL hundred for Sunrisers Hyderabad early in the IPL season but tapered off after his frailties against spin came to the fore. He eventually lost his place in the XI, but for someone so young, the stint was an eye-opener in helping him adapt to the vagaries of subcontinent pitches.As is the norm in warm-ups, both teams can field all 15 players from the squad. Players returning from injuries or searching for form will be in extra focus. India have ticked most boxes, having played extensively in these conditions. England will want to tick off their own priority items.Unlike India, who are thin on batting after No. 7, England have no such concerns with a line-up capable of batting until No. 10. All said, how quickly they adapt to spin-friendly conditions will be among the things to watch out for as they aim to emulate West Indies and Australia in defending their World Cup crown.

England’s wicketkeeper is averaging just 23.14 since the start of the 2019 Ashes

George Dobell in Cape Town01-Jan-2020Jos Buttler has admitted he is “not quite performing to the standards” he would like with the bat in Test cricket.Butter is averaging just 23.14 since the start of the Ashes – a period of 14 innings in seven Tests – with one half-century (70 against Australia at The Oval). His average since he was recalled to the Test team in May 2018 is now 34.10, while his overall Test average, after 38 Tests, is 33. He has made just one century.ALSO READ: Pope fit and raring to make Test spot his ownNow Buttler concedes he is still “trying to work out” a way to play Test cricket with the natural aggression that has rendered him one of the world’s most dangerous limited-overs batsmen. And he has resolved to be “a bit more positive” in the future if the situation allows.”I feel like I’m not quite performing to the standards I need to,” Buttler said. “I’m trying to improve that and affect games in positive ways for England.”Since I’ve come back into Test cricket I’ve tried to trust my defence for longer periods of time. I’ve been able to do that on occasions. But [playing my natural game] is certainly something I’m trying to work out.”You can do a lot of work in the nets but I’m spending a lot of time thinking about the game when I’m sat in my room or trying to visualise things or work through them in my head. Moving forward I’ve got to play the situation, but I will try to be a bit more positive.”He doesn’t have to look too far for an example. For while Buttler made 12 off 39 balls in the first innings in Centurion, failing to marshal much resistance from the tail, his South Africa counterpart Quinton de Kock thumped 95 from 128 balls in the first innings and 34 from 37 in the second, to speed the game away from England.”Quinton played a really good knock and put pressure back on the bowlers,” Buttler said. “He tried to take the initiative and, watching that from behind the stumps, it resonated with me.”When you’re batting with the tail, you try to sum up situations and work out how best you can score. You work out your risk management.: what is too much risk; what is trying to push the game on.”Looking ahead to this Test, I want to look to be a bit busier and try to look a bit more on the positive side.”Jos Buttler has endured a tough run in Test cricket•Getty Images

While some have suggested Buttler would benefit from a position higher up the batting order to allow him time to build an innings, the England management believe that batting him at No. 7 allows him the freedom to play his familiar, aggressive game in the knowledge that he has limited before the lower-order are dismissed.He has batted everywhere from No. 5 (eight times) to No. 8 (twice) since his return to the Test side (he has batted 13 times at No. 6 and 15 times at No. 7) with little obvious change in strike rate or average. Overall, he averages slightly more at No. 7 (33.15, with a strike-rate of 56.77) than No. 5 (28.62; strike-rate of 53.62) with No. 6 (average 39.69; strike-rate 63.15) his best position.”It’s obviously nicer to be 300 for 5 than 100 for 5,” he said. “But you turn up and try to play the situation.”With Jonny Bairstow – who averaged just 18 in 2019 – also having lost form, there is not the pressure on Buttler’s position from within the squad that there might be. But Ben Foakes, who averages 41.50 from his five Tests and is, in the eyes of many, the best wicketkeeper available to England, in the background, Buttler will know neither he or his team can afford a sustained fallow period.

“We batted slowly from overs 11 to 15. It would have been easier if we could pick up the singles regularly”

Mohammad Isam11-Jul-2023Bangladesh missed a golden opportunity to beat India for the first time in five years after their batters failed to reach the 96-run target in the second T20I in Dhaka. They lost five wickets for one run in the last eight balls to collapse spectacularly to fall short by eight runs and spinner Nahida Akter felt batters have to take responsibility for the defeat.Nahida, who was part of the strong bowling performance from Bangladesh in the first half, was among those to fall in the four-wicket last over bowled by Shafali Verma. Bangladesh’s chase was on course till captain Nigar Sultana was at the crease. But as soon as she fell in the penultimate over, things fell apart. Nahida said that the batters should have pushed the scoring in the middle overs as the pressure came down on the lower order.”We practiced hard enough,” Nahida said. “Our coach worked with the batters, especially our senior players. Those who bat in the top five should have used their experience. It is the batters’ responsibility as Joty [Nigar] said in the last press meet. They have to show more sincerity. They have to think about what happened, but I am sure they will come back in the next game.Related

• India pip Bangladesh in spin battle to take series

“We batted slowly from overs 11 to 15. It would have been easier if we could pick up the singles regularly. It put the batters down the order under pressure. Our coach told us to bat in the mould of chasing 140 runs. We cannot slow down. It was a wicket where you had to sweep the ball. It was unfortunately a batting collapse.”Sultana Khatun’s three-wicket haul led the bowling performance. Fahima Khatun returned two wickets while Marufa Akter, Nahida and Rabeya Khan picked up a wicket each. The highlight of Bangladesh’s fielding performance was Shorna Akter’s catch at long-on to dismiss Yastika Bhatia in the ninth over. Shorna ran in hard and dived forward full length to complete the catch. Nahida admired Shorna’s catch but said that they have to be a fitter side.”A great catch like that always encourages the bowlers,” she said. “Shorna took a superb catch. We spoke about saving 10-20 runs in the field. We wanted to take all the catches that came our way. We should have achieved that target today.”We are honestly not as fit as India. We are trying hard to develop our fitness. We have a foreign trainer now. We will focus hard on fitness in our next camp. The board is giving their best facilities. We have to play better. We are behind now. We are trying to bounce back.”

Coach reveals allrounder only began ‘return-to-bowling’ programme upon arrival in England

Valkerie Baynes24-Sep-2020West Indies are taking a cautious approach to Deandra Dottin’s bowling return as she continues her comeback from a serious shoulder injury.Andre Coley, West Indies women’s interim head coach, has revealed that Dottin, who is yet to bowl in the T20I series against England and sent down just two overs in the tourists’ two intra-squad warm-up matches, only began a “back-to-bowling” training programme after arriving in England on August 31.”She’s recovered from injury,” Coley said. “It’s no secret that our players haven’t been able to do much for a very long time and Deandra is on a back-to-bowling programme, she started that while she was here so she’s still on that. We need to make sure that she’s 100 percent to be able to go on competitively.”She has been doing bowling work behind the scenes, during training, and we are comfortable in terms of where she’s at, but we want to make sure that long-term she’s okay and she can actually bowl at the intensity that she wants consistently and not just for a game or two games.”We are we are happy that healing is there, it is really now just getting her back into bowling, making sure that her lines are good and she’s actually 100 percent to bowl.”ALSO READ: ‘I want to be a genuine allrounder’ – GlennWest Indies’ hastily arranged tour of England came after India and South Africa cancelled their planned series in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which time West Indies’ players had undergone limited preparation compared to England, who returned to individual training in June in the expectation of hosting some international cricket during their summer.Dottin missed a year of international cricket from February 2019 and underwent surgery on her right, bowling, shoulder in June of that year. She made her top-level return at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, where she did not bowl.She could be seen with her shoulder wrapped in ice packs in the dugout after batting in West Indies’ 47-run loss to England on Wednesday evening, the second time in their five-match series that the tourists have been defeated by that margin. But Coley said icing the shoulder was about preventing any further injury.”She’s fine as far as I’m aware,” he said. “She’s returning from an injury which had her off from competitive cricket for a while so anything that you would have seen around shoulder stuff would have been just pre-habbing, making sure that we’re managing. There’s no injuries around the shoulder at the moment.”It could be argued that West Indies have missed Dottin’s bowling so far this series when they struggled to contain England opener Tammy Beaumont in the first match and failed to clean up the England tail in the second.But Dottin has done her part with the bat – her 69 in the first match was the best by any batter from either side, albeit in a losing cause, and she was the pick of the West Indies line-up again with her 38 in the second.Dottin’s performances with the bat have highlighted a key problem for West Indies though, an over-reliance on Dottin and captain Stafanie Taylor at the top of the order. It means that if neither them nor Hayley Matthews, who has had a lean series so far with twin scores of just 3, are able to bat deep, their chances fall away rapidly.”Contributions, we have discussed it, since we have been here we have done work around it,” Coley said. “We have to be realistic about our resources. Our main batters basically are at the top. We have young players who have potential but obviously still need to continue to grow and improve. It’s really about how they can actually support the top-order batters. It’s got to be key in our side.”If a couple of players from the top five actually bat very deep, and in the event that we need the lower-order batting then they’ll have to support, but because of the lack of depth in the lower order, unfortunately our reality is that the bulk of the scoring is really left with about three or four players.”England can clinch an unassailable 3-0 series lead with victory in the next match on Saturday.

Women cricketers will get up to 12 months of paid leave, while male cricketers can get up to 30 days’ leave

Umar Farooq04-May-2021The PCB has launched a parental support policy, which will allow players – women and men – to get paid leave during periods of pregnancy and upon the birth of a child. Women will get up to 12 months of paid leave, with men allowed 30 days. All players can benefit from the scheme immediately, and it will start with Bismah Maroof, who recently took an indefinite break to prepare for motherhood.”The PCB has a duty of care towards its cricketers and, at every turn, it has taken measures to support them,” Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive officer, said. “In this relation, it is appropriate that we have a player-friendly parental support policy so that our professional cricketers can feel fully supported during an important stage in their lives, without worrying about their careers.”To have this policy for our women cricketers was even more significant. Women play a pivotal role in the development of society and our women cricketers have brought us laurels and recognition on the world stage. Now that we have a maternity leave policy, I am hopeful that it will attract more women and girls to take up the sport as this will help them strike a crucial work-life balance.”The PCB’s central contracts don’t have any specific clauses covering parental leave. But the Maroof example has encouraged the PCB to look for an opportunity to review the contract clauses, making it more progressive. The term of the present annual contracts, for both men and women, ends in two months but the policy stands effective for any contracted player.Apart from the paid leave, contracted women cricketers are guaranteed contract extension for the following year even after 12 months away. For men, the one-month leave has to be availed within the first 56 days of the birth of the child.Women’s cricket took off properly in an organised fashion in Pakistan in the late 1990s. But several women cricketers have left the game after marrying or having children. There are exceptions. Batool Fatima became a coach, while Nain Abidi did play after getting married in 2017. Asmavia Iqbal retired from her playing career after marriage and took up a role as a selector. The new policy hopes to prolong women’s cricketing careers with the flexibility offered following the birth of children.Key features of the policy

• Women cricketers to transfer to a non-playing role until the commencement of their maternity leave leading up to the birth of their child
• Women cricketers are entitled to take up to 12 months of paid maternity leave and will be guaranteed a contract extension for the following year, in line with their existing contractual arrangements
• Upon conclusion of the maternity leave, the player will be reintegrated into cricketing activities and provided adequate medical and physical support in respect of their post-childbirth rehabilitation
• If a woman player is required to travel for cricketing activities, the PCB will support the player by allowing her to travel with a support person of her choice to assist in caring for her infant child, with the travel and accommodation costs to be shared equally
• Upon conclusion of the maternity leave, the player will be reintegrated into cricketing activities and provided adequate medical and physical support in respect of their post-childbirth rehabilitation

This process is seen as the final steps in their road back from injury to the Indian team; Asia Cup squad likely to be out by August 20

Shashank Kishore14-Aug-2023As the final steps in their road back from injury to the Indian team, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are now taking part in match simulations at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. This process will culminate in a couple of practice games for them, as they make their way back from a thigh (Rahul) and back (Iyer) injury.Rahul and Iyer are expected to take part in this training all through this week, which will give the national selectors clarity on how they are shaping up in a match environment before they sit down to pick India’s Asia Cup squad, which is expected to be out by August 20.”We have a few guys coming back from injuries in any case,” head coach Rahul Dravid had said in Florida after the fifth and final T20I against West Indies on Sunday. “We are going to have to give them opportunities to play [in the Asia Cup]. I haven’t really thought about the Asia Cup at this stage. We have a one-week camp in Bengaluru from August 23. We’ll be assembling there as a one-day team. We will take it as it comes.”Late last month, the BCCI issued a media statement confirming Iyer and Rahul’s return to batting in the nets and fitness drills. ESPNcricinfo understands the delay in Asia Cup squad announcement is to give selectors more of a chance to assess the duo, and give them the best chance to feature in the tournament which in many ways is a dry run for the World Cup in October-November.India’s Asia Cup contingent and reserves will undergo a week-long conditioning camp in Bengaluru from August 23-29 prior to leaving for Sri Lanka for the tournament, where India will open their campaign on September 2 against Pakistan.

Asia Cup squad = World Cup squad?

The selectors are keen on the Asia Cup being an unofficial hard stop as far as team selection for the World Cup goes, but it’s likely there could be an exception or two made, given India also play Australia in three ODIs prior to the World Cup campaign. As things stand, the BCCI must announce a preliminary World Cup squad by September 5, but can make changes to the squad as late as September 27, the day of the third and final ODI against Australia.Rahul and Iyer are among four players who are in line for comebacks. The other two, Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, are part of the Ireland tour party for the three T20Is from August 18-23.If fully fit, Rahul is India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in ODIs and will likely slot into the middle order along with Iyer, who has a formidable record at No. 4. In Iyer’s absence, the selectors have experimented with a number of options, including Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson and Axar Patel during the recently concluded ODI series in the Caribbean.Iyer hasn’t played any competitive cricket since the fourth Border-Gavaskar Test against Australia this March. He underwent a back surgery in London subsequently, which forced him to miss the entire IPL season. He was in line to return for the Ireland T20Is, but this had been pushed back after the NCA staff felt he needed a longer rehabilitation window.Rahul, meanwhile, pulled up towards the end stages of IPL 2023, when he tore a tendon in his right thigh while fielding. Like Iyer, Rahul too underwent surgery in the UK and has been in rehab at the NCA for the past two months.

Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah all set for Ireland gig

Prasidh and Bumrah had been had been put through similar match simulation exercises by the NCA staff late last month as their final lap of preparation before the squad selection for Ireland. On Sunday, Prasidh played for Mysuru Warriors in the Maharaja T20 Cup, his first top-level game in almost a year.Both players have now linked up with the squad leaving for Ireland.

An unbeaten tenth-wicket stand of 17 from MacMillan and Vidler helped Australia clinch thriller after Straker’s six-for

Sreshth Shah08-Feb-2024An unbeaten tenth-wicket stand of 17 between Raf MacMillan and Callum Vidler took Australia past Pakistan in a topsy-turvy second semi-final in Benoni to seal a date against India in Sunday’s final for the 2024 Men’s Under-19 World Cup title.Chasing only 180 after Tom Straker’s 6 for 24 wrecked Pakistan in the first innings, Australia nearly threw away their advantage with the bat after a few clumsy top-order dismissals brought some parity into the contest. Fifteen-year-old Ali Raza (4-34) struck thrice late in the day, but the young pair of MacMillan (19*) and Vidler (3*) staved off the challenge posed by the inspired Pakistan bowling attack in the death overs to just about take Australia over the line. The winning runs in the final over were scored off an inside edge that very nearly crashed into the stumps but instead trickled behind for four.Australia also had opener Harry Dixon and wicketkeeper-batter Oliver Peake to thank for their contributions with the bat that held their fragile innings together.Dixon, who models his game on David Warner, hit his third half-century of the tournament and perhaps the most important of his youth ODI career with 50 in 75 balls. He held one end up as Sam Konstas (14), Hugh Weibgen (4), Harjas Singh (run out for 5) and Ryan Hicks (0) fell in quick succession to leave Australia reeling at 59 for 4. Along with Peake, he added 43 for the sixth wicket, but a double-wicket burst from left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas brought Pakistan into the game.Tom Straker starred with six wickets•ICC/Getty Images

Pakistan then went ahead in the contest when Raza with his blistering pace picked off Peake – on 49 – and Straker in the 42nd and 46th overs respectively. He then bowled the No. 10 Mahli Beardman for a duck leaving Australia scrambling with only one wicket in hand. But the tenth and most important wicket remained elusive.Earlier in the day, Pakistan were inserted to bat by Australia captain Weibgen. On a surface with ample spin and enough lateral movement, four of Pakistan’s top six were out for single digits. Straker, with his height and pace, dismissed Shamyl Hussain (17) and Saad Baig (3) while fellow new-ball bowler Vidler got Shahzaib Khan (4). Offspinners MacMillan and Campbell also found enough purchase to keep the left-hand heavy Pakistan line-up guessing.Two batters who did look comfortable for Pakistan, though, were the No. 3 Azan Awais and the No. 7 Minhas. They both struck 52 of different styles, to ensure Pakistan could make 179. Awais was more reserved, playing according to the struggling situation Pakistan found themselves in, while Minhas was more attacking in the back end, with the team searching for a respectable total. Their 54-run fifth-wicket stand seemed to set Pakistan up for a score closer to 200, but their dismissals in the 41st and 45th overs gave Australia an opening to exploit.And that came in the form of Straker’s extreme pace. He picked up a fourth wicket when Ubaid Khan mistimed a shot to cover in the 47th over, and when he returned for the 49th, Straker rattled the stumps of both the No. 10 and No. 11 Pakistan batters. In a game of close margins, the seven balls Pakistan failed to face in the first innings turned out to be mighty expensive.The result now sets up a repeat of the 2018 Under-19 World Cup final and more recently, the 2023 ODI World Cup final contested between the India and Australia senior sides. That contest will be at the same venue in Benoni on Sunday, February 11.