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Legspinner declares himself available for Leicestershire’s Metro Bank Cup final

Matt Roller06-Sep-2023Rehan Ahmed cherished a “special feeling” on Tuesday night as he played international cricket in his home town of Nottingham for the first time – and could play at Trent Bridge again later this month after declaring himself available for Leicestershire’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup final against Hampshire.Rehan, the 19-year-old legspinner, made his Test debut in Pakistan last December and won his first white-ball caps in Bangladesh earlier this year, but England’s six-wicket defeat to New Zealand in Nottingham was his first taste of international cricket on home soil.He was inundated with requests for his four complimentary tickets, estimating that he had seen “150” friends and family in the stands at Trent Bridge. And he impressed with both bat and ball, hitting 11 off 7 before taking 2 for 27 from his four overs.”It was a special feeling,” Rehan said. “Obviously playing abroad is great but playing in front of my home crowd is a different feeling. To be fair, in Pakistan we got a couple of big roars as well but when you are playing at home, especially in Nottingham – I know a lot of people here and am from here – it’s special.”Related

• Brook added to ODI squad to set up World Cup shoot-out

• Bairstow ready for reunion as World Cup prep begins

• Seifert, Phillips, Chapman counter Bairstow's fireworks

• Ackermann, Hill combine to keep Leicestershire promotion hopes alive

• Handscomb, Mulder guide Leicestershire to first final since 2001

He bowled in tandem with Adil Rashid through the middle overs, and admitted that he used to dream of playing alongside his fellow legspinner. “Him and Mo [Moeen Ali] are people we look up to as an Asian community,” Rehan said. “Everyone in England looks up to them, so to play with them is a special feeling.”We talk about bowling quite a bit. He [Rashid] is probably five times the bowler I am: he has four different legspinners, he’s played a long time, has a lot of experience. He was young, played and it didn’t go well for him; then he came back, and became the best bowler. He’s been through a lot.”Rehan is not part of England’s ODI squad to play New Zealand and is due to link back up with Leicestershire later this week. He is available for their four-day fixture against Sussex which starts on Sunday, as they bid for promotion to Division One of the County Championship.He will then join up with England again for a three-match ODI series against Ireland, starting on September 20 at Headingley, but hopes to be involved two days before in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup final.Rehan missed the group stage of the Metro Bank Cup while playing for Southern Brave•Getty Images

Rehan has not featured in the competition this season, instead representing Southern Brave in the Hundred, but is eligible to play in the final. Leicestershire will be without Peter Handscomb, who has returned to Australia, but they announced on Wednesday that he will return to the club next summer and in 2025 after signing a two-year contract.”I’ve not thought far ahead,” Rehan said. “I’ll hopefully play some four-day cricket next week, try to get some overs in. I’d like to [play in the final] if I’m free and get picked. The boys are smacking it without me so I don’t know if they need me…”His 15-year-old brother Farhan has been playing for England Under-19s in a one-day series against Australia this week, and was in the stands at Trent Bridge on Tuesday. “I have been watching,” Rehan said. “They got smacked 4-1: that never happened to us when we were Under-19s.”Rehan himself only turned 19 last month; he missed England’s training session on Monday to take his driving test, with permission from head coach Matthew Mott. He passed “first time, no minors” and said: “It was the Bank Holiday Monday morning in Nottingham, so there was no-one on the road.”

Harleen Deol makes a comeback to India’s 50-overs set-up having played her one and only ODI in 2019

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2022Veteran fast bowler Jhulan Goswami does not feature in India’s white-ball squads that will travel to Sri Lanka later this month. The contingent will also be without the newly retired Mithali Raj, but Jemimah Rodrigues returns for the T20I leg, while Harleen Deol comes in for the ODIs.India T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been put in charge of the ODI squad too, taking over from Raj, with Smriti Mandhana deputising.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Raj, 39, had announced her retirement from international cricket earlier in the day, saying she was leaving because “the team is in the capable hands of some very talented young players”. That next generation will also have to bridge the gap in experience left by the additional absence of Goswami, who is also 39. Raj and Goswami between them have the experience of 433 ODIs and 157 T20Is.Given her potential, 21-one-year-old middle-order batter Rodrigues’ omission from the Indian women’s team’s previous assignment – a limited-overs tour of New Zealand in February followed by the 50-over World Cup in the same country in March – had caused a stir, despite her form not being the best. Now she has made her way back into the T20I set-up following a Player-of-the-Match 66 off 44 for Trailblazers in the recent Women’s T20 Challenge.Related

• Harmanpreet: Sri Lanka tour 'ideal platform' for young bowlers to step up

• Rodrigues, Bahadur, Navgire – Takeaways from the WT20 Challenge

• Mithali Raj retires from international cricket

Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, who last played for India in mid-2021, also returns to the T20I squad. Both Simran Bahadur and S Meghana were retained in the T20I squad and returned to the main ODI side after being among the reserves at the recent World Cup.Deol, meanwhile, will be looking forward to her first ODI since February 2019 – her only ODI till date. The middle-order batter had finished third on the runs charts while averaging over 60 in the domestic Senior Women’s One-Day Challenger Trophy, but did not make the cut for the last World Cup. The players who did make it but miss out here are allrounder Sneh Rana and left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht.

Sri Lanka vs India fixtures

1st T20I, June 23, Dambulla
2nd T20I, June 25, Dambulla
3rd T20I, June 27, Dambulla
1st ODI, July 1, Kandy
2nd ODI, July 4, Kandy
3rd ODI, July 7, Kandy

India Women’s ODI squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Meghana (reserve at World Cup), Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Simran Bahadur (reserve at the World Cup), Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol
Out: Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Sneh Rana, Ekta Bisht (reserve at World Cup)
In: Harleen DeolIndia Women’s T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Meghana, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Simran Bahadur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav
Out: Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia, Ekta Bisht
In: Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav

He picked up the injury while fielding at short leg on the third evening of the second Test

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2021Shubman Gill, the India opening batsman who copped a blow in his left forearm while fielding at forward short-leg on the third evening, has been taken for a “precautionary scan”, the BCCI confirmed on Tuesday, the fourth morning of the second Test in Chennai.It was the last ball of the 18th over of the England second innings, bowled by R Ashwin, and Dan Lawrence stretched out to get to the pitch of the ball and swept with power. Gill tried to take evasive action at the close-in position but the ball still hit him in his hand.Only one over was bowled on the day after that incident, and the BCCI said via a tweet on Tuesday: “Shubman Gill sustained a blow on his left forearm while fielding on Day 3 of the 2nd Test. He has been taken for a precautionary scan. The BCCI Medical Team is assessing him. He won’t be fielding today.” The fourth day started with England at 53 for 3 chasing 482 for victory, and a 2-0 lead.Gill made his Test debut on the recent tour of Australia, and scored 45, 35*, 50, 31, 7 and 91 in his three Tests there as India won the series 2-1. He finished the series with an impressive average of 51.80, only behind Ravindra Jadeja’s 85.00 and Rishabh Pant’s 68.50 among Indians. Then, in the first Test against England, also in Chennai, Gill scored 29 and 50 even as India lost by 227 runs to fall 1-0 back in the four-Test series, and he had scores of 0 and 14 in the ongoing game.

As Hayden Walsh Jr. prepares to play for West Indies, a look at other players who have appeared for both an Associate and Full Member

Peter Della Penna16-Oct-2019Hayden Walsh Jr.’s call-up to the West Indies ODI and T20I squads is a reminder of one of the quirks in the ICC eligibility policy with regards to players representing two countries. A player who has played for a Full Member at senior level must wait three years after their last appearance before they can represent an Associate Member.However, someone who has played for an Associate Member on Monday can make an immediate switch and play for a Full Member on Tuesday if called up. Here’s a rundown of some players who have made a very quick move.Mark Chapman: Hong Kong to New ZealandThe left-arm spinning allrounder was born in Hong Kong to a mother from mainland China and a father from New Zealand. Chapman was raised in Hong Kong though he did his higher education in New Zealand. After playing as a 15-year-old for Hong Kong at the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, Chapman made his Hong Kong debut in January 2011 as a 16-year-old against USA at ICC WCL Division Three. His last match for Hong Kong came at the 2016 T20 World Cup in India against Scotland. Consistent performances for Auckland in New Zealand’s domestic competition finally earned him a New Zealand call-up in February 2018 for a T20I series at home against England.Dirk Nannes: Netherlands to AustraliaBorn in Victoria, Nannes made his debut for the state in February 2006 and over the next three years he played 17 first-class and 15 List A matches them. But he carved out a much more prominent niche in T20 cricket, first for Victoria in the pre-franchise era of the Big Bash League, then for Middlesex in England’s domestic T20 tournament before being taken by Delhi Daredevils in the 2009 IPL.Two weeks after the end of the 2009 IPL, Nannes utilised his Dutch passport – through his lineage – to make his Netherlands debut in the 2009 T20 World Cup in England taking the new ball in their famous win at Lord’s. He played against Pakistan four days later for his final match for Netherlands on June 9. Less than three months later, he was called up to make his Australia debut in an ODI against Scotland in Edinburgh before making his Australia T20I debut two days later against England at Old Trafford.Eoin Morgan: Ireland to EnglandFrom Dublin, Morgan made his Ireland international debut in a 50-over match against Denmark five days short of his 17th birthday in September 2003. He went on to play in Ireland’s first ever World Cup appearance as a 20-year-old in 2007, then helped them qualify for the 2011 World Cup with solid performances at the 2009 Qualifier in South Africa.By that stage he had been playing for Middlesex long enough to qualify for England on residency. His final innings for Ireland was 76 off 62 balls in a six-wicket win over Netherlands in South Africa on April 15, 2009, a match which helped Ireland secure a spot in the 2011 World Cup. Just over a month later, he made his England debut in an ODI against West Indies.Ed Joyce: Ireland to EnglandAnother Dublin boy, he first played for Ireland as an 18-year-old against Scotland in 1997. But it was Joyce who blazed a trail for Morgan at Middlesex when he joined the county in 1999. He played in the final of the 2005 ICC Trophy (World Cup Qualifier) in Dublin, a tournament in which he scored two centuries and two fifties in his five innings to help Ireland qualify for their maiden World Cup, but 11 months later he was in an England shirt making an ODI debut for his new country in Belfast against his old Ireland team-mates. When his England career faded his focus returned to Ireland and in 2011 he made his first ODI appearance for them at the World Cup in India.Boyd Rankin: Ireland to EnglandThe towering Londonderry fast bowler made his Ireland debut in August 2006 against Italy and stayed in an Ireland shirt for the next six years, making his final appearance during his first stint in September 2012 against Australia in the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. Rankin had been on the books at Derbyshire and Warwickshire since 2006, who were grooming him for England colours. The switch finally happened nine months after that last appearance for Ireland – in his first go-around at least – when he suited up for England in an T20I against New Zealand in June 2013.Gavin Hamilton: Scotland to EnglandThe allrounder made his Scotland international debut as an 18-year-old against Ireland in a three-day match at Eglinton in June 1993. He impressed enough for Scotland at the 1999 World Cup to catch England’s attention. After playing his last World Cup match for Scotland against New Zealand on May 31, 1999, he suited up in whites for England just six months later against South Africa in a Test at the Wanderers in November 1999. He’s the only Associate player to play a Test as his debut match for a Full Member nation rather than a T20I or ODI. It wound up being his only match for England before resuming his Scotland career in February 2004.Hayden Walsh Jr.: USA to West IndiesBorn in St. Croix of the US Virgin Islands, Walsh moved to his parents’ native Antigua when he was just a few months old and is a dual national of both the USA and Antigua. After playing first-class cricket for both Leeward Islands and Barbados, he utilized his US passport to gain selection for USA in November 2018 as part of their squad for World Cricket League Division Three in Oman.Walsh made his USA T20I debut against UAE in March, then his ODI debut – which wound up being his lone ODI – against Papua New Guinea in Namibia this past April after they secured ODI status through a top-four finish at WCL Division Two. As recently as August 25, he was playing in a T20I for USA against Canada as part of the 2020 T20 World Cup qualifying process. But after a Player of the Tournament performance in the 2019 CPL for the champions Barbados Tridents, Walsh was called up into West Indies’ ODI and T20I squads for a November series against Afghanistan in India.

Jadhav is set to return to action for the first time since suffering a hamstring tear on the opening day of IPL 2018

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2018Kedar Jadhav is set to return to action for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury on the opening day of IPL 2018. Jadhav has been included in the India B squad for the ongoing Quadrangular series also involving Australia A, South Africa A and India A.Jadhav replaces Ricky Bhui in the India B squad. There is a change in India A’s squad as well, with Ambati Rayudu coming in to replace Siddhesh Lad. Lad and Bhui have been released to allow them to play for India Red and India Blue respectively in the Duleep Trophy.Jadhav was a regular in India’s ODI team until suffering a grade 2 hamstring tear while batting for Chennai Super Kings against Mumbai Indians on April 7. The injury ruled him out of the remainder of the IPL season, and also left him out of contention for India’s tours of Ireland and England.Rayudu was originally part of India’s ODI squad for the England tour, but was left out after failing a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Having last played for India as part of a second-string team that toured Zimbabwe in 2016, Rayudu had forced his way back with a prolific IPL season in which he scored 602 runs at an average of 43.00 and a strike rate of 149.75.August 25, GMT 1506 The story had earlier said Jadhav would play for India A and Rayudu for India B. The error has been rectified.

The CoA has asked the Supreme Court to take note of the “disruptive and subversive conduct” of disqualified office bearers who were preventing the implementation the Lodha recommendations

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Jul-20175:55

Ugra: Old BCCI challenging Supreme Court

The Committee of Administrators has turned up the heat on the BCCI’s old guard, asking the Supreme Court to take note of the “disruptive and subversive conduct” of disqualified office bearers who were preventing the board from implementing the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.In its fourth status report which the court will consider on July 14, the COA, which was appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations, named former BCCI office bearers N Srinivasan and Niranjan Shah as being particularly problematic to the process.Srinivasan and Shah had become ineligible to continue in their roles as heads of the Tamil Nadu and Saurashtra Cricket Associations, and to attend BCCI meetings, after the court approved the Lodha report on July 18, 2016. They were disqualified because they were over the prescribed 70-year age cap and had exceeded the maximum tenure for office bearers.Yet both Srinivasan and Shah have found ways to stay involved in administration and attend important BCCI meetings, including the most recent special general meetings (SGM) of the board on May 7 and June 26. Those two SGMs had been convened for the BCCI’s members – the state associations – to approve the new constitution, as per the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.The CoA said the SGM on June 26 was “manifestly disruptive”. In its report, the CoA told the court that it had managed to convince the majority of the state associations to adopt the recommendations but the SGM was “hijacked” by the disqualified former office bearers.”From an audio recording of the SGM, it appears that such disqualified persons were able to effectively hijack proceedings at the SGM by prevailing upon other attendees (who may have been otherwise willing to facilitate the reform process) to either support the cause of such disqualified person or remain silent,” the COA said.Srinivasan and Shah, and other disqualified administrators, had attended the meetings as a representative or nominee of their state association. In their defence, the TNCA and SCA said the Lodha Committee’s eligibility norms were for office bearers and not representatives. The CoA countered in its report that the “true intention” of the court’s order had been violated on a technicality.”In this manner, such disqualified persons are effectively able to do indirectly what they have been prohibited by this Hon’ble Court from doing directly,” the CoA said. “Such disqualified persons have a vested interest in stalling implementation of the Judgement because, if the Judgment is implemented, such disqualified person will have to relinquish control over their respective State/Member Associations.”The COA also noted that though the three existing BCCI office bearers – CK Khanna (acting president), Amitabh Choudhary (secretary), and Anirudh Chaudhry (treasurer) – had given written consent to the Supreme Court, only Choudhary urged the members to take “concrete steps” to implement the reforms at the SGM on June 26. Chaudhry, the COA said, was a “mute spectator, lacking the courage and conviction” to support the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.The BCCI’s recent decision to form a special committee to shortlist “critical points” from the Lodha recommendations that it wanted the Supreme Court to reconsider, was also criticised by the CoA. Such a committee, the COA said in its report, was formed almost a year after the order was delivered last year, clearly indicative of the resistance to the reforms. The COA requested the court to “remove the impediments to implementation” of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.

Zimbabwe coach Makhaya Ntini has said that his side would like to see teams send their strongest XI to the country, instead of using Zimbabwe as a trial series for younger players

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jun-2016Makhaya Ntini, the Zimbabwe interim coach, has demanded international teams send their best players to tour the country. According to AFP, speaking on the eve of the first ODI against an Indian outfit so inexperienced that their captain MS Dhoni has more matches under his belt than the rest of the 15 combined, Ntini said: “If you send us a team that is not your strongest team, we’re going to put them under the carpet.”Ntini hit out at other Full Members for their reluctance to send full-strength squads to play Zimbabwe, who are ranked below Afghanistan in ODIs and were the only Full Member team not to qualify for the Super 10s stage of the recently concluded World T20.”We’re sick and tired of waiting around for South Africa to send their A team,” he said. “We want to compete with the big boys. We’re creating a new venture here. We want to make sure that this country gets to play more games, and if you send us a team that is not your strongest team, we’re going to put them under the carpet so that they go home and tell people that they need to send their strongest team.”India’s interim coach Sanjay Bangar in turn said that his side’s “focus is inwards”.”We believe in [letting] our performance speak,” Bangar said. “We have a talented bunch of young players. They’ve done really well in the domestic championships and the India A circuit. We do not want to give too much attention to what the opposition is saying.”It’s [Zimbabwe tours] a great platform for the younger guys. It has provided a launch pad for a number of cricketers – Virat Kohli came here and led India for the first time [in 2013], Suresh Raina came in and then Ajinkya Rahane. We believe it’s a very, very important tour for the younger lot. It provides us an opportunity to look at the future stars emerging from the Indian scene.”

Craig Meschede’s maiden hundred rescued Glamorgan against Surrey in a match which will live long in the all-rounder’s memory

Press Association21-Apr-2015
ScorecardCraig Meschede maiden hundred edged Glamorgan beyond the follow on•Getty Images

Craig Meschede’s maiden hundred rescued Glamorgan against Surrey in a match which will live long in the all-rounder’s memory.Meschede might have wondered whether the spotlight would ever be his after being farmed out on loan by Somerset, the move happening after fellow all-rounder Jim Allenby had made a winter switch across the Severn Bridge in the opposite direction.But in the space of three days Meschede has gone a long way to proving the wisdom of his season-long move and winning the affections of Glamorgan supporters into the bargain.On Sunday, he grabbed the headlines by ruining Kevin Pietersen’s attempt to impress the England selectors by having his fellow South African native caught at slip for only 19.The 23-year-old was back with the bat on Tuesday with Glamorgan in dire straits at 293 for 7 in this Division Two contest, still needing 121 to save the follow-on after Surrey’s massive 563 for 7 declared, and far exceeding his previous career-best 62 to make an unbeaten 101.”It means the world to me,” he said. “I have been longing for this moment for my whole professional career and finally it has happened, so it is really special for me. It’s just nice to finally get a big score under my name and kind of have some belief in myself, knowing that I can do it. That’s the main thing.”If you score runs, hopefully you can go up the order, but I am also a bowler and I have got to take that aspect in my game as well.”His 130-ball innings, which featured 16 fours and a six, guided a relieved Glamorgan to 419, although there was late anxiety when the supporting Dean Cosker was ninth man out with the hosts two runs short of their target of 414.Preventing the follow-on appeared a tall order yet, in tandem with Cosker, Meschede frustrated a Surrey attack who had hitherto provided variation and penetration and shared the wickets around on a batsman-friendly surface.Meschede revealed a full range of shots either side of the wicket but kept his best for a sweetly-timed straight drive off the economical Gareth Batty which belonged to a top-order batsman, let alone an aspiring all-rounder batting at No. 9.Two games into his new career he already has a place in the Glamorgan annals, his partnership of 119 with Cosker eclipsing the club’s previous ninth-wicket best of 88 against Surrey between Robert Croft and David Harrison at Swansea in 2006.Meschede was still five runs short of a century when Cosker departed but Andy Carter hit a single and he then struck a legside boundary before moving to three figures with his first false shot of the day, an uppish pull which just cleared the retreating fielder at midwicket.Glamorgan’s innings appeared to have turned earlier on a remarkable run out after they had just passed the 200 mark with Colin Ingram, the South African one-day international batsman, posting a first fifty for his new county.Ingram had lost his morning partner Will Bragg, bowled around his legs by Matt Dunn for 37, but the Kolpak signing and Chris Cooke were motoring along against the soft ball. But then Cooke pushed the ball firmly through the covers and it was only the enthusiasm of Zafar Ansari which prevented it going all the way to the boundary.Cooke set off for a third run but he soon realised he was in danger and to his horror he was stranded by Ansari’s direct hit from fully 70 yards. The bizarre dismissal had the effect of unsettling Ingram and he soon fell for 56 when striking Tom Curran to cover.Mark Wallace and Graham Wagg set about repairing the damage against the new ball with an entertaining post-lunch partnership which had reached 55 when the latter was bowled playing back attempting to cut Batty.Last week Wallace became the first specialist wicket-keeper in Glamorgan history to reach 10,000 runs and once again he illustrated that losing the captaincy to Jacques Rudolph at the end of last season has had no effect on his commitment to the cause.Wallace played diligently to reach his half-century from 87 balls but, after Batty had punished David Lloyd’s ill-judged sweep, Curran took his edge while he was defending and removed him for 51.At that stage Surrey must have felt they would be enforcing the follow-on at some point after tea, but Meschede and Cosker had other ideas to set up what could yet be an intriguing final day.

The fast bowler Ryan Harris has all but ruled himself out of Australia’s Test series against South Africa this summer as he continues his recovery from shoulder surgery

Brydon Coverdale24-Sep-2012The fast bowler Ryan Harris has all but ruled himself out of Australia’s Test series against South Africa this summer as he continues his recovery from shoulder surgery. Harris had an operation two months ago and he believes it is “pretty unrealistic” for him to return for the South African series, which starts at the Gabba on November 9, and is instead hoping to be available for the Test series against Sri Lanka, beginning in Hobart on December 14.Harris played two of the three Tests during Australia’s tour of the Caribbean in April and was Man of the Match in Barbados for his five wickets and unbeaten half-century. Since he made his Test debut in early 2010 only Pat Cummins and James Pattinson, who have played far fewer matches, have had better Test bowling averages for Australia than Harris, who has collected 47 wickets at 23.63 in 12 appearances.However, his workload has taken a physical toll and the Australian team management is reluctant to overuse Harris, who turns 33 next month. The only time Harris has played all the Tests in a series was during his debut series in New Zealand, and he knows that it does not make sense to take any risks in an attempt to rush himself back into contention for the South Africa matches.”I would love to be able to be back against South Africa but at this stage it is pretty unrealistic. It is one of those things I can’t control,” Harris told News Limited newspapers. “I will get back for Queensland and let the rest take care of itself before any Australian stuff. In theory I will be up and going in six weeks but it is an injury we will not rush. The pain is going, I just have to build confidence now but believe I can get back well.”Although the absence of Harris is a blow for Australia, the depth in their fast-bowling stocks should allow the attack to remain strong against South Africa. If Pattinson and Cummins remain fit they will be in contention for the Gabba Test having both impressed in their initial Tests last summer, while Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle will shoulder much of the workload. The left-armer Mitchell Starc is another candidate.The Australians will be battling for the No.1 spot on the ICC’s Test rankings when they take on South Africa, having not lost a Test series since Michael Clarke took over as captain. South Africa are on top of the rankings table and have not been defeated in a series since Australia beat them 2-1 in early 2009, but in their past 20 Tests South Africa have not won any two consecutive matches.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Irani Cup match between Rest of India and Rajasthan in Jaipur

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya30-Sep-2011

Match facts

October 1, Jaipur
Start time 0930 IST (0400 GMT)Had they not been involved in the Champions League, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina could have been part of the Rest of India team•Getty Images

Big Picture

Not for the first time the first first-class game of the Indian domestic season will be reduced to a sideshow. Last year, the Irani Cup clashed with Australia’s two-Test series in India, and this time it will fight a losing battle with the four-day game’s ultimate foe, Twenty20 cricket. It’s not so much a battle for hearts and minds of most of Indian cricket fans – that appears to have been settled – but one for putting the best team available on the field.

Many who would presumably have found a place in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup are representing their IPL franchises in the Champions League Twenty20. Those yet to prove a point in Test cricket, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli for example, are unavailable, and so are those who could have a Test future – R Ashwin and S Badrinath.Fans are not the only ones neglecting the start of the first-class season. The Irani Cup could have done without the selection fiasco that raised questions about the selectors’ professionalism and their communication with state associations vis-à-vis the availability of players. At a time when Indian domestic cricket is struggling to stay relevant to the needs of upcoming cricketers in the wake of other, more lucrative, options, the selection blunders and the scheduling are all the more concerning.For many players with an eye on India’s international assignments in the months to come, this is the first opportunity to attract attention. Seven members of Rest of India are part of India’s ODI squad against England, and will also be keen to stake their claim for the home series against West Indies in November.Ajinkya Rahane impressed in the limited-overs games in England, and his selection owed much to his prolific run in the previous domestic season, during which he averaged 87 in the Ranji Trophy. He’s part of a strong squad with an attacking batting line-up – Manish Pandey was the fourth-highest run-getter in 2010-11, the captain Parthiv Patel is back in the Indian squad and opener Shikhar Dhawan will want to make a return to the national side.The bowlers will be under greater scrutiny. Many would have liked to have a look at the Jharkhand seamer Varun Aaron during the ODIs in England, and he is likely to share the new ball with Umesh Yadav, who had a satisfactory tour with India Emerging Players to Australia and is in the ODI squad against England. Rahul Sharma, the legspinner, shone in this year’s IPL and won a national call-up, and joins the race for the regular spinner’s spot in the absence of Harbhajan Singh.Rest of India’s opponents, Rajasthan, made history by winning the Ranji Trophy for the first time but had problems in the build-up to this match. Pankaj Singh and Deepak Chahar, the seamers who took 20 wickets in three Super League games and 63 in the Plate League, have suffered injuries. Pankaj is out – he was replaced by Aniket Choudhary – while Chahar reportedly split the webbing of his palm, but may play. The veterans Aakash Chopra and Hrishikesh Kanitkar are key to the batting line-up and Rajasthan will hope Ashok Menaria and Rashmi Parida, who are returning from injuries, perform in the middle order.

Players to watch out for…

Abhinav Mukund made 620 runs in nine Ranji Trophy games last season, but had difficulty against the moving ball in the Tests in the West Indies and England. Abhinav will feel he could have had a better start to international cricket, and with the home series against West Indies coming up, he’s back in friendlier batting conditions. Vacancies may fill up with the return of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, but he won’t want to waste time getting into the groove should an opportunity arise.Ashok Menaria led India in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, and after recovering from injury was elected by Rajasthan for the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals last season. He answered their call with centuries in each knockout game. He has had a run in the IPL, cracked 112 in a high-scoring game in the Emerging Players Tournament, and also bowls left-arm spin. Against a formidable Rest of India line-up, much may depend on how Menaria delivers for Rajasthan.

Pitch and conditions

The track at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur reportedly has some grass on it, and Parthiv didn’t mind that. “We have three very good medium-pacers in side in Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav and R Vinay Kumar. So, we are not concerned about the grass,” he told .”This time it has more grass on it. Last year, it turned out to be a run feast but I hope it is a sporting one this time,” Rajasthan captain Kanitkar said. “We did not have any say in it and the chairman of the BCCI pitch committee was here to supervise.”

Stats and trivia