All posts by n8rngtd.top

Both teams will need to ponder the balance of their attacks on a late-season pitch that may aid turn

Preview by Andrew McGlashan12-Mar-2020

Big Picture

Coronavirus is throwing sport events around the world into doubt, with many already suspended, and the impact is likely to be felt in Australia soon but, for now, the home international cricket season is set for an unseasonably late return with the Chappell-Hadlee series back after a gap of three years.Logically this would have been played after the Test matches in January, but Australia instead had to head to India for a one-day series. Since then, they have also been to South Africa and this late-season return to home puts a final stamp on what has been a disjointed men’s summer.This will be the last one-day series the two teams play before the ICC ODI league launches in May, part of the pathway for qualification to the next 50-over World Cup, adding some much-needed context to bilateral ODIs. For now, this remains a private battle by the trans-tasman rivals with Australia trying to regain the Chappell-Hadlee which has been in New Zealand hands since their win at home in 2017.New Zealand come into the series as the in-form side, having beaten India last month while Australia are on a run of five consecutive losses as their ODI limitations were exposed on the road. Justin Langer has admitted his team are weary but they have the motivation of trying to finish the home season unbeaten after T20I and Test success.Although three years away, there are also glances towards the next World Cup with players trying to ensure they remain in the selectors’ plans.

Form guide

(last five completed matches)
Australia LLLLL
New Zealand WWWTW

In the spotlight

Mitchell Marsh returned to the ODI side in South Africa with limited success and he needs a good series against New Zealand to be sure of going to England in July. He made three starts with the bat – twice getting into the 30s – but could not convert into the significant score the middle order needed and was also wicketless in the three games.Lockie Ferguson limped out of the Test series on the opening day in Perth and if he plays in Sydney it will be his first international since then. It would also come at the scene of his international debut in 2016 where he took 1 for 73. If he does get an outing, his contest with Steven Smith will be worth watching as he dismissed Smith with a short ball during the World Cup.

Team news

Aaron Finch said it was important to give the middle order a chance to bed into their roles, which suggested the same combination as in South Africa would get another opportunity, although Ashton Agar may come back into consideration on a late-season pitch. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are expected to return.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch (capt.), 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 D’Arcy Short, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Mitchell Marsh, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Adam ZampaNew Zealand’s top five is settled while they will be able to recall Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson after injury. Their main decision will rest around whether Ish Sodhi plays as a second spinner.New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Henry Nicholls, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Jimmy Neesham, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

This is very late in the season for cricket at the SCG and as soon as these two matches are completed, the groundstaff will be transforming the venue into an AFL arena. It is unlikely that the pitch will have much pace and may offer some assistance to the spinners. The forecast for Friday is good, less so over the weekend

Stats and Trivia

• Outside of the 2015 and 1992 World Cups, the last time an international was staged so late in the season at the SCG was when these two sides met in a one-off ODI in 1983 to raise funds for the bushfire appeal.
• New Zealand have not won an ODI at the SCG since 2002.

Quotes

“The results aren’t improving but we feel having a bit more stability in that middle order will give them a chance to keep batting together a bit more and build those relationships in the middle. At the end of the day it comes down to the top three, as experienced players myself, Davey and Steve haven’t got as many runs as we should’ve so that’s where the buck stops.”
“Rotation is never a word I’ve enjoyed too much, it’s more about horses for courses and putting out the best team suited to that. The one-day side has been tracking nicely but you don’t look back too much on past performances because conditions can vary so much. Our plans may be slightly different over here looking at the surface.”
Kane Williamson on how the side may shape up

Stand-in captain points to lack of runs at the top as an area of improvement for the second game

Umar Farooq30-Dec-2020Mohammad Rizwan, who led Pakistan in the absence of Babar Azam in the Boxing Day Test against New Zealand, was happy with his team for “fighting well” on the final day, when they batted 85.3 overs after starting out with just seven wickets in hand, before going down at the fag end of the day. He did, however, point to the misfiring top-order batsmen as an area of concern, and called for “a little bit of improvement” there.

Watch cricket on ESPN+

New Zealand vs Pakistan is available in the US on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the series

The final day’s play in Mount Maunganui started with Pakistan 71 for 3 in a chase of 373. That they lost by just 101 runs, after almost pulling off a draw, was chiefly down to the 380 balls Fawad Alam and Rizwan himself ate up during a 165-run partnership for the fifth wicket. It was the second-longest stand for Pakistan in Tests where ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data is available. Alam scored 102 in 269 balls, over 396 minutes, while Rizwan’s 60 came in 191 balls, scored in 285 minutes.”I am not disappointed with the result, because the result is not in our hands, but the hard work is – I think we didn’t put in enough hard work as compared to them,” Rizwan noted after the game. “They played really well, so it’s fair that they won. But I will give full credit to my boys as well, we put on a great fight. Otherwise this game wouldn’t have gone that far. The end shows that both teams played really well, but they were ahead of us, and deserved to win.”Rizwan, like most others watching the game, had praise reserved for Neil Wagner, who bowled 28 overs with two fractured toes in the fourth innings and returned 2 for 55. But he stressed that Pakistan didn’t take their chances, and that made it tougher for them.”You must give credit to their bowlers, the way they bowled throughout it was wonderful. Especially Wagner, with his injured toe,” Rizwan said of the quick who sent back Alam after the stand-in captain had fallen to Kyle Jamieson. “I told Williamson that he [Wagner] is mad. He bowled with a fractured toe and that is just different… New Zealand must be proud of him. His attitude, aggression and everything was beautiful. He is a big bowler.”We had two difficult days and the decision to bowl first was taken so we could pick up some early wickets and gain some momentum. But we missed those half-chances from players like Kane Williamson and that helped them take the lead and later set a target for us. We wanted to chase and had the ability to chase but losing two openers yesterday and today losing Azhar [Ali] meant we had to try and save the game.”Related

• Injured Neil Wagner out of second Test, could be out of action for 'five to six weeks'

• 'A very special effort' – Kane Williamson on Neil Wagner, who bowled with fractured toes

• Southee turns to Anderson and Taylor for inspiration

• Red-hot Fawad Alam gets his vindication after a decade of cold shoulders

• Wagner: Unless they carry me off on a stretcher, I'll be doing all I can

The brightest spot in the Pakistan batting ranks was Alam, who scored his second Test century – the first one had come in July 2009 – and kept Pakistan’s hopes alive. The gap between centuries was 4218 days – only two others had a longer gap between Test centuries, Australia’s Warren Bardsley (5093 days) and India’s Mushtaq Ali (4544 days). Alam’s century was also the first by a Pakistan batsman in the fourth innings of a Test in New Zealand.”Congratulations to Fawad for his runs and the record,” Rizwan said. “He was focused and his concentration level was very good. We kept on talking about how to play, and the only simple plan we formed was to not worry about the runs and the scoreboard. And we didn’t panic. We agreed to play out 280-300 balls each, and then see. We did that, but Wagner, [Tim] Southee, Jamieson, [Trent] Boult never gave up, they kept on coming at us hard and turned it around.”If Alam was a positive, the top three of Shan Masood, Abid Ali and Azhar was not. They put up 40 runs in the first innings, together, and while Azhar scored 38 in the second, Masood and Abid were out for ducks.”We need a little bit of improvement in our top order and then we can perform well,” Rizwan said. “We have done well in the past and can do it again. Runs are due for a few and they will have to score. They have done it before, and I trust them to do it again. I know conditions are tough, but then all they have to do is see off the new ball, stay in, and make big scores.”Importantly, everyone saw that we fought well, and we are still in the series. I hope we will come back hard in Christchurch and square it.”

England hand maiden call-up to Ollie Robinson as captain returns from paternity leave

Andrew Miller15-Jul-2020Joe Denly’s Test career would appear to be over after he was omitted from England’s squad for the second Test at Emirates Old Trafford, while James Anderson has been rested on his home ground alongside Mark Wood, in a rejig of their fast-bowling attack given the short turnaround between contests.Root missed England’s four-wicket defeat in the first Test at the Ageas Bowl, but returns to the fray as captain after attending the birth of his second child, as his team seeks a means to avoid their first home series defeat against West Indies since 1988.England did not confirm their final 13-man squad until late on Wednesday aftenoon, with Anderson understood to be sore after bowling 40 overs in his first match back after injury, and Wood also being monitored given his history of niggles. Sam Curran has been added to the squad, alongside the Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson, for whom this represents a first call-up to England’s senior squad.England’s preparations were hampered by rain in Manchester that forced the team to train indoors, and by a lively practice wicket on Tuesday that restricted their opportunities to assess the form and fitness of their quicks, and Root conceded there had been “a few areas to shore up” before any final decisions could be made.”We’ll have to have another look at the wicket, and there’s a few things we have to clear up in-house,” Root said in England’s pre-match press conference, prior to the squad announcement, “making sure everyone pulls up as we would like, and being really clear on what’s the best thing for the team over these five days.Anderson, who turns 38 at the end of the month, needs another 13 wickets to become the first seamer to reach 600 Test wickets. He was the pick of England’s seamers in the first innings at the Ageas Bowl, claiming 3 for 62 in 25 overs, but went wicketless second time around as West Indies sealed victory on the final day.Anderson’s omission for the first of two back-to-back games at his home ground means that he will have missed 10 of England’s last 14 Tests in the last 12 months, dating back to Ireland’s visit to Lord’s last July. Only once in that period has he attempted back-to-back games, the second Test against South Africa at Cape Town, where he broke down in the second innings after claiming 5 for 40 in the first.The situation means a probable recall for Stuart Broad, who expressed his displeasure at being overlooked for the first Test despite having been England’s stand-out seamer in both last summer’s Ashes series and the winter tour of South Africa where he claimed 14 wickets at 19.42 in the 3-1 series win. Chris Woakes could also make his first appearance of the summer, with all 22 of England’s players obliged to remain within the team environment due to the bio-secure arrangements for the series.ALSO READ: Broad ‘frustrated and angry’ at being left out of England side“I think there’s challenges that present themselves in this Covid era,” Root added. “With the games coming around quickly, managing bowlers is going to be quite important. Getting the balance right with a few of them coming back from injury, it’s about making the right calls at the right times. We are blessed with a number of guys who haven’t played or weren’t in the squad who’ve averaged 20 in the last couple of years in English conditions.”Anderson and Broad have played alongside one another for 116 Tests since 2007-08, claiming 883 wickets in tandem out of a combined total of 1072. But as both men approach the latter stages of their careers, Root conceded that their opportunities to extend that joint record could be limited in the coming months.”With Stuart and Jimmy, trying to maximise their careers is really important to make sure they are playing for as long as possible,” he said. “If that has to be slightly different to how it has been over the last few years, then we might have to think outside the box and not play them in every game or not play them together all the time.”That is not to say it won’t happen again. They are two world-class performers and we are very, very lucky to have them. I think to wish that away early or to push them to one side would be stupid, I really do. [But] I think we’ve got to deal with it well and be smart with it and we will find opportunities to play other guys, too.”James Anderson, with England bowling coach Glen Chapple, has been rested for the second Test•Getty Images

Root’s pre-match press conference was pushed back by 90 minutes, partly to enable the captain to have a bat given the weather restrictions, leading to speculation about England’s selection issues. However, all the signs in the build-up to the match had pointed to Denly being dropped. His scores of 18 and 29 at the Ageas Bowl were the 23rd and 24th occasions in 28 Test innings that he has reached double figures, but he has converted those starts to just six fifties in 15 Tests, with a highest score of 94 and an overall average of 29.53.”Over a period of time Joe has done a brilliant job for us,” said Root. “He has helped show the identity of our side, how we want to play moving forward. He has laid the platform for guys behind to go on and make big scores.”I think he’ll be just as frustrated as anyone that he’s not managed to quite convert those opportunities,” Root added. “But certainly the door’s not closed. He’s been a big part of our squad for some time now. He gets if he gets an opportunity to come back again, then I’m sure he’ll be desperate to take it.”Zak Crawley, by contrast, has improved his career-best score in each of his five Tests to date, and top-scored for England in the first Test with a second-innings 76. At 22, he is a full 12 years younger than Denly, and is set to make his first start for England at No.3, having debuted in New Zealand at No.6, featured as an opener in South Africa, and slotted into Root’s No.4 berth at the Ageas Bowl.”You watch Zak’s progression since he’s been involved in the team, his game has continued to get stronger,” said Root.England squad for second Test: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes.

Legspinner signs three-year deal after finding opportunities limited at his boyhood county

Vithushan Ehantharajah19-Jun-2023Matt Parkinson will leave Lancashire at the end of the season to join Kent on a three-year-deal.The 26-year-old legspinner has found his opportunities limited at his boyhood county, despite starting the season with a five-wicket haul in the first round of this season’s County Championship against Surrey. He then played one match on loan at Durham before returning for Lancashire’s Vitality Blast campaign.Parkinson made his Test debut last summer as a concussion substitute for Jack Leach during the Lord’s Test against New Zealand but has since fallen down the pecking order for club and country. That remains the last of 12 international caps as other spin-bowling options, such as Rehan Ahmed and Will Jacks, came to the fore over the winter.Parkinson’s travails were compounded when he was overlooked for the Hundred draft, despite taking 20 wickets for Manchester Originals across the first two seasons of the men’s competition. In the end, a move suited all parties, with the emergence of finger spinner Tom Hartley at Lancashire, who also offers greater value with the bat.Nevertheless, Parkinson still boasts exceptional first-class and Twenty20 records, with 151 dismissals at an average of 25.92 and 139 at 18.96 respectively.”The time is right for me to embrace a new challenge and environment,” said Parkinson in a Kent statement. “I’m so excited that this will be at Kent.”I’m proud of my record in the game so far & I believe my best years as a leg-spin bowler are ahead of me. I’ve heard very positive things about the squad and I’m looking forward to working with Matt Walker and the other coaches.”I promise my new team-mates and the Kent supporters that I will throw myself into this new challenge and I can’t wait to get down to Canterbury to get started.”I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the Lancs members for the support they have given to me during my time at Old Trafford. I thank my teammates for their friendship and wish them the best.”Kent’s Director of Cricket, Paul Downton, said: “Everyone at Kent is really excited that Matt has decided to join the club on a long-term contract.”To have a proven match-winning leg-spinner in our ranks will be a major boost to the squad. Matt is also a feisty competitor who will bring a lot to our dressing room. We look forward to welcoming him to Canterbury.”Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s Director of Cricket Performance, said: “On behalf of everybody connected with Lancashire Cricket, I would like to thank Matt for all of his commitment and efforts since making his first-class debut in 2016, having progressed through our academy.”Matt has found first-team opportunities limited this season and we respect the decision that he has made to move on at the end of his contract, in order to seek a new challenge elsewhere. We would all like to wish Matt well for the next stage of his career at Canterbury.”It seems unlikely Parkinson will move on loan for the remainder of the season, as is usually the way with these sorts of deals. The fact Lancashire (seventh) and Kent (ninth) are separated by 20 points at the foot of Division One makes that an awkward proposition.

They were originally booked at a hotel 90 minutes from the cricket ground in New York

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-2024Pakistan have made a change to their accommodation in New York, switching to a hotel closer to the cricket ground in Nassau County, where they will play two T20 World Cup group games on June 9 and June 11.Pakistan were originally booked to stay at a hotel about an hour and a half away from the venue. ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB took exception to the arrangement and arranged for the team to move to a hotel in Long Island, about a ten-minute drive from Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.Pakistan arrive in New York from Dallas on June 7 and play India at the venue two days later. The Indian team has been accommodated at a hotel about ten minutes from the ground, and have been in New York for more than a week, having played their warm-up match against Bangladesh and their first group game against Ireland at the venue.Generally at World Cups, hotel bookings are handled by the ICC working with the Local Organising Committee (LOC), a body that includes the host board. It is rare for teams to change hotels but given Sri Lanka’s experience during their stay in New York, arrangements have come under scrutiny.Sri Lanka were staying in Brooklyn ahead of their game against South Africa, 90 minutes from the ground. The logistical complications resulted in them cancelling their training session on the eve of the game to prevent fatigue. Ahead of their morning match, Sri Lanka were forced to start their day at 7am and ultimately succumbed to a heavy defeat against South Africa. Bowler Maheesh Theekshana called the scheduling and logistics “unfair” and Sri Lanka’s manager Mahinda Halangoda told ESPNcricinfo they had lodged an official complaint about their travel arrangements in this tournament.The PCB decided not to wait and raised concerns about their hotel being too far from the ground, insisting on a change in accommodation. The ICC eventually acquiesced to the request. Pakistan play India on Sunday 9 June, and Canada two days later in New York.

Promising young batter moves down the coast to Ageas Bowl for 2024 season

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2023Ali Orr has become the latest promising young Sussex cricketer to move on from Hove, after agreeing to join Hampshire ahead of the 2024 season, on a multi-year deal.Orr, 22, had been part of the Sussex set-up since the age of ten, and enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2022 when he racked up more than 1500 runs in first-class and List A cricket combined, including three Championship centuries and a career-best 206 from 161 balls against Somerset at Taunton in the One-Day Cup.However, his opportunities were limited in 2023, in part due to a knee injury and a subsequent finger dislocation, and with Sussex missing out on promotion in the County Championship and as well as the knock-outs of both limited-overs tournaments, he has chosen to move on.”I am very grateful for the opportunity to play for Hampshire, it is a club I have always followed very closely,” Orr said. “I’m hoping I can contribute to the success of the club moving forward and can’t wait to get started.”Hampshire challenged for silverware across formats in 2023, reaching T20 Finals Day for a record tenth time before losing the One-Day Cup final by two runs to Leicestershire. The club also finished third in the County Championship after memorable victories over both title contenders, Essex and champions Surrey, in their final two games.Giles White, Hampshire Director of Cricket, added: “Ali has had an encouraging start to his career, he’s got a strong desire to win and I think he is an excellent fit for our squad.”During our discussions he impressed me with his determination to challenge himself and improve. He’s stepped outside of his comfort zone to join us and we are all looking forward to welcoming him to Hampshire.”Orr is the latest high-profile player to move on from Hove, following George Garton’s recent decision to quit his childhood club and link up with his former Sussex coach Mark Robinson at Warwickshire.”Sussex Cricket have agreed to the termination of Orr’s contract for him to make the move and will receive compensation from Hampshire for the switch,” a statement from the club read.”Orr had one year remaining on his contract and was seeking to renegotiate the terms with the Club, however with this not possible, he signalled his intentions to move elsewhere.”Everyone at Sussex Cricket would like to wish Ali all the best in his career moving forward.”

Window for negotiation opened ahead of mini-draft ahead of postponed maiden season

Matt Roller24-Sep-2020Teams in the Hundred will be able to retain as many men’s players as they wish for the 2021 competition, as details for next season’s draft were revealed on Thursday.The Hundred, the ECB’s new flagship 100-ball competition, was due to be staged for the first time this summer before the Covid-19 pandemic caused its postponement to 2021. The competition’s regulations had initially allowed teams to retain up to 10 players at a mutually agreed salary band for the second season, but that has been extended to the full squad on account of the delay.In practice, teams are unlikely to retain their entire squads due to a number of factors, including the end of Kolpak status, a lack of clarity over the international calendar, and form over the last 12 months.ALSO READ: Women’s Hundred players given option for contract roll-overThe ECB is due to release a list of centrally-contracted players for 2020-21 – likely to be within the next two weeks – at which point teams will be able to negotiate to retain a player at a mutually-agreed salary. That could be higher or lower than their salary last year, meaning that Dawid Malan (a £40,000 pick by Trent Rockets) could negotiate up after an impressive 12 months, while a player who had struggled for form could agree a deal worth less. As revealed by ESPNcricinfo, all salary bands have been cut by 20% from last year.Teams will have from October through to January in which to negotiate with players and agents, with a mini-draft to follow at some point in early 2021. In that draft, each team will then have a ‘right to match’ option, allowing them to retain players with whom they failed to negotiate a deal, if they have a spot remaining in the draft at the salary band at which another team picks him.Each team will still be able to pick one ‘wildcard’ player, who will be chosen after the T20 Blast season in 2021 and will sign a £24,000 contract for the competition.The early stages of retention will depend on England’s red-ball central contract list, with the competition again set to overlap with a Test series, this time against India, and their Hundred deals falling outside of the main draft system. It is unlikely that many of the 10 players currently with deals will fall off the list, with Jonny Bairstow the main exception, but a handful of players – Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Dom Bess – will come under consideration for red-ball contracts.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Players with red-ball central contracts both years will be able to be retained. Ultimately, each team will have at least one, and at most two players with a red-ball central contract, which will be confirmed in October.A spokesman for the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) said: “The PCA was supportive of the process in confirming the retention details for the 2021 Men’s Hundred.”The players were consulted through PCA representatives, including those who were not originally contracted for the 2020 Hundred. The PCA Players’ Committee fed back their approval of the process to the ECB which allows players an element of control and freedom to negotiate for 2021 while offering opportunities for those who impressed during the 2020 Vitality Blast.”There will be several sub-plots regarding retentions, not least questions over the availability of certain players on Kolpak deals. Dane Vilas, for example, was signed by Manchester Originals as a top-price pick in last year’s draft. He hopes to continue playing as a local via a UK ancestral visa next year, but would be less likely to command a top salary if competing for one of three overseas spots. Cameron Delport, signed by Birmingham Phoenix, is in the same position.The process for women’s retentions has already been confirmed, with players given more control in that they are able to choose to roll their contracts over at the same salary if they choose to do so.

The wicketkeeper-batter played 74 Tests, 139 ODIs and 71 T20Is, and hopes to continue being a part of T20 leagues around the world

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2022Former West Indies captain, the wicketkeeper-batter Denesh Ramdin, has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect.”It is with great pleasure that I announce my retirement from international cricket,” Ramdin, who last played for West Indies in a T20I in December 2019, said on Instagram. “The past 14 years have been a dream come true. I fulfilled my childhood dreams by playing cricket for Trinidad and Tobago, and the West Indies.”My career afforded me the opportunity to see the world, make friends from different cultures and still be able to appreciate where I came from.”He will, however, continue to play franchise cricket, Ramdin said. He hasn’t found a team at the upcoming edition of the CPL, though, despite having represented Guyana Amazon Warriors, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Trinbago Knight Riders from 2013 to 2021. He has also played for Multan Sultans at the PSL, in 2017 and 2018.Ramdin, who played 74 Tests, 139 ODIs and 71 T20Is, started out in Test cricket, making his debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo in July 2005. His ODI debut, against India, followed later on the tour in a tri-series involving the three teams.He played a part in West Indies’ T20 World Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2016. In the first, he hardly got a chance to bat in seven matches, but effected six dismissals behind the stumps. In the second, he was unimpressive in front of the wickets, with 36 runs in four innings – in six games – at a strike rate 69.23, and had three dismissals behind the stumps.More recently, Ramdin fell off the radar of the national selectors. His last Test and ODI appearances were back in 2016.”Yea Viv Talk Nah!”•Getty Images

A competent batter usually, Ramdin hit four Test centuries across his career, three of which came away from home. His second Test hundred – against England at Edgbaston in 2012 – caused controversy when he took out a note from his pocket on achieving the milestone, stating “Yea Viv talk nah”. This was in response to Viv Richards having questioned Ramdin’s poor form in the first two Tests of that tour, where he managed only 51 runs, and wasn’t consistent with his wicketkeeping either.As a result of his antics, Ramdin was fined 20% of his match fee by the ICC.He was in trouble with the ICC again only a year later, when playing against Pakistan, he claimed a grounded catch off Misbah-ul-Haq in the Champions Trophy. Ramdin had fumbled while trying to take the ball falling forward, but still went up in celebration. On that occasion, Ramdin was suspended for two ODIs, and docked his entire match fee.Ramdin was named West Indies’ Test captain in 2014, taking over from Daren Sammy, who had retired from the format. Overall, Ramdin led his country in 17 matches – 13 Tests, three T20Is and an ODI – before being removed in September 2015, when Jason Holder replaced him at the helm.The results were mixed. West Indies won four of those 13 Tests, all at home against New Zealand, Bangladesh [two] and England, but lost seven, including five at home. West Indies won the only ODI he led in, while it was one win and two losses in T20Is.Later, in mid-2016, Ramdin tweeted about his exclusion from the Test side against India before the West Indies squad was made official, triggering some chatter. He had played all three Tests in Australia in 2015-16, scoring half-centuries in Melbourne and Sydney, but never played a Test again.

Returns from his ban in style

Mohammad Isam20-Jan-2021On the eve of the first ODI against Bangladesh, West Indies captain Jason Mohammed was asked about the threat posed by Shakib Al Hasan in his first international match since his ban. Mohammed – himself returning to top-flight cricket after two years and leading a relatively inexperienced side – had a straightforward answer.”We have to play [Shakib] as we see it. We know he is one of the best going around the world,” he said. “We just have to stay positive against him. If there are balls that we can score off, we have to score. If it is good balls, we have to defend.”Easier said than done. Shakib broke the spine of West Indies’ batting, as he finished with the cheapest four-wicket haul in Bangladesh’s ODI history. In the process, West Indies couldn’t score off 35 out of his 44 deliveries.Related

• Shakib Al Hasan being 'treated and reviewed' for fresh injury in his left thigh

• Shakib's 4 for 8 leads Bangladesh to comfortable win

• Shakib back to middle order, new role for Soumya

• Tamim: 'My style of captaincy will grow with time'

Shakib was in his element from his second ball, when he nearly had the debutant Andre McCarthy caught at slip. Bowling from a slightly straight run-up with an unmistakable loop and drift towards the right-hander’s middle stump, Shakib, still among the top four allrounders across formats, was back. It helped that he had the bite to snatch the ball away from the batsman.McCarthy was eventually his first wicket back in international cricket, which was also his 150th at home, an enticing full ball from Shakib that he was unable to connect with a sweep shot. Mohammed fell in the 17th over, stumped to another that turned away and dragged him forward just enough. Nkrumah Bonner was lbw in Shakib’s next over, pressing forward but unable to remove his thrusting front pad, thus giving Shakib figures of 7-2-8-3 in his first spell.Shakib then returned to pack up the West Indies innings inside two balls, clean bowling Alazarri Joseph to get his fourth wicket. There is always the temptation to find some fate in Shakib’s performance. But great cricketers like Shakib write their own scripts through sheer hard work, patience and – as his mentor Nazmul Abedeen Fahim explained shortly after his four-wicket haul – the often undetected “hunger and desire”.Fahim and Mohammad Salahuddin are among the leading coaches in Bangladesh who are known for their mentorship of cricketers like Shakib, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and many others.Shortly before his one-year ban was lifted, Shakib had returned to Bangladesh in September to prepare for the Test series against Sri Lanka, which was scheduled to be held in October but was later postponed. Shakib went straight to BKSP, his alma mater, where Fahim and Salahuddin helped him through fitness and skills.Fahim, who is now BKSP’s cricket advisor, said that Shakib’s hard work over the last few months was exactly for this type of return to international cricket.”It is not much of a surprise,” Fahim told ESPNcricinfo. “I mean, I didn’t expect him to concede just eight runs, but certainly I expected him to bowl well, having seen how hard he has worked recently. He has brought on some changes to his bowling, which we started seeing when we worked together in BKSP. Salahuddin worked on his bowling too.”Fahim explained how Shakib has started to reinvent his bowling by bringing on a lot more than what he had been doing in the last few years. “[Shakib] used to mostly bowl flat and side-arm. His strengths were pace variation, angle and not much of turn. I don’t know what he did during his break, but now he can bowl more vertically as well as side-arm,” he said.”He can bowl slowly, he can extract bounce and also better turn the ball. He has bowled a lot, but he started from the basic. He went step by step before reaching what he wanted to do.”Fahim also said that Shakib’s greatness invariably lies in his “wonderful attitude”, which is missed by most observers. “It shows that he wants to develop himself more. It shows that he knows there is room for improvement. This is a sign of a player who is always striving to do better. It is a wonderful attitude.”He is exceptional in his desire and hunger, which doesn’t meet our eyes. We only see him playing well. He was waiting for this moment and this platform,” Fahim said.It is now a well-established fact that Shakib’s reticence to engage in conversation, which was seen as shyness in his early days and standoff behaviour more recently, has nothing to do with his on-field drive to be the best.In the core of Shakib Al Hasan is a cricketer who seeks greatness. What Fahim meant by “waiting for this platform” was not Shakib being eager to take wickets against a relatively weaker batting line-up. Rather, Shakib’s wait was to prove that he will now be remembered for performances like his 4 for 8 in Mirpur.

Manchester franchise hoping to challenge United and City as IPL investors arrive in “UK’s number one sporting city”

Matt Roller14-Feb-2025Lancashire officials have played down the idea that Manchester Originals could be seen as a consolation prize by the RPSG Group, who are finalising a deal for 70% stake in the franchise after missing out on a minority share in London Spirit.Lancashire shortlisted four bidders with links to IPL franchises, though Reliance, the owners of Mumbai Indians, were removed when they won the auction for a stake in Oval Invincibles. The RPSG Group – who run Lucknow Super Giants – eventually saw off competition from Kolkata Knight Riders and Amit Jain, whose bid involved a cricketing partnership with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.The auction for Originals took place three days after the RPSG Group had missed out on London Spirit, the Lord’s-based franchise, in a three-hour bidding war with a Silicon Valley tech consortium. They were the final bidders remaining as Spirit’s valuation reached an eye-watering £295 million, and instead secured Originals at a valuation of £116m.Related

• Northern Superchargers officially renamed Sunrisers Leeds

• James Anderson registers for Hundred draft

• Hundred teams lean on new IPL partners in recruitment for 2025 season

• Lancashire want IPL link for Manchester Originals

• Hundred sale explainer: Who has bought what and for how much?

Lancashire have stressed that the RPSG Group had been their preferred partner for a significant period of time, and RPSG Group chairman Sanjiv Goenka has insisted his commitment to “developing a deep bond” with the club, saying he sees “huge potential” in the partnership.”Lord’s is Lord’s, but Manchester is Manchester,” Shashwat Goenka, Sanjiv’s son and the group’s vice-chairman, said at a launch event at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday. “While we did bid aggressively for Lord’s, we stopped at a point and I’m extremely happy with Manchester. We’ve been delighted with our interactions with Lancashire and I’m very excited with this partnership.”James Sheridan, Originals’ chair, played down the significance of the failed bids in London. “It doesn’t concern us,” he said. “We’ve had some amazing conversations… I was actually on the phone to one of Shashwat’s colleagues the minute after the auction finished in London. We’re not concerned. We’ve got 100 percent, total confidence that RPSG is in the right place.”ESPNcricinfo revealed last year that officials from the RPSG Group had visited Manchester during the Hundred, while Lancashire also sent a delegation to Kolkata – where RPSG is based – last year. “The team from Lucknow have just been exemplary from a partnership approach, right from day one,” Sheridan said. “We have got a fantastic partner that we can build something very special with.”Lancashire opted to sell part of their stake in Originals but will retain 30% and plan to include a reserved matters provision – effectively a set of veto rights – while drawing up contracts over the next six weeks. They will use their windfall of more than £30 million to pay down their debt and invest in infrastructure projects, including the development of a second home venue in Farington, near Preston.Daniel Gidney, Lancashire’s chief executive, believes that new investment will eventually help Originals compete with Manchester’s two Premier League football clubs. “We’ve talked about Manchester being probably the UK’s number one sporting city… We want the Manchester franchise in the Hundred to become the third-biggest sports team in Manchester and challenge those two [United and City].Sheridan and Gidney speak to the press•Lancashire CCC

“That is the scale and level of the ambition of both of us as partners… This is something that is incredibly exciting for us and that is why we wanted to partner with an IPL team and we always have done. You’ve got a 1.4 billion population of people who adore cricket: why wouldn’t we want to inject a bit of that energy and passion into Manchester and Lancashire?”The two parties did not confirm as much but it is widely expected that the franchise will be renamed Manchester Super Giants from 2026, following the lead of the Lucknow and Durban teams in the IPL and SA20 respectively. The RPSG Group also own Mohun Bagan, the Kolkata-based football club who play in the Indian Super League.LSG reached the play-offs in their first two IPL seasons before missing out on net run-rate last year, and spent a record INR 27 crore (£2.54m approx.) on Rishabh Pant at November’s auction. The arrival of four IPL owners in the Hundred has led to speculation that Indian men’s players could feature in future, but that appears unlikely in the short term.”If you could get Rishabh Pant playing in the Hundred, you’d have a lot more eyeballs on what’s going on,” Sheridan said. “But we all know that the BCCI doesn’t allow that to happen at the moment… I don’t think that is likely to change anytime soon.” Goenka added: “Where Indian players play and don’t play is the prerogative of the BCCI.”Phil Salt and Beth Mooney, who have both been retained for 2025, said that the partnership will benefit Originals. “There’s definitely a new level for this tournament to find,” Salt said. “At the inception of the IPL, their ambition was to bring the world’s best tournament that we’ve ever seen… We sit here today knowing full well that our ambition is to bring the world’s best cricket to Manchester.”Mooney, speaking from Vadodara shortly before playing for Gujarat Giants, added: “The IPL changed the landscape of men’s cricket, and we’re seeing that starting to happen with the WPL heading into its third season… The exciting part of the Hundred is that it’s only going to get bigger and better.”