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That said, the senior paceman doesn’t expect Australia to play the same four-man attack all summer

Alex Malcolm17-Nov-2021Australia vice-captain Pat Cummins feels he is as fresh as he has ever felt coming into a Test series, but says he would be surprised if the side persists with the same four-man attack through all five Ashes Tests, something they did against India last summer.Cummins returned to Australia and into hotel quarantine on the Gold Coast on Tuesday with the majority of the triumphant World Cup-winning squad to begin their Ashes preparation.He hasn’t played a first-class match since February. Cummins has also only featured in seven T20s since April having opted out of the limited-overs tours to the Caribbean and Bangladesh during Australia’s winter. He also missed the second half of the IPL prior to the World Cup to be home for the birth of his son.Australia will only have one three-day intra-squad match to prepare for the first Ashes Test starting December 8 but Cummins has no concerns about his personal preparation.”My body feels as good as it has in a couple of years. There’s no niggles,” Cummins said. “I think the first, I guess, benefit of the short spells is we’re all feeling really fresh. I always feel like it’s better to be underdone than overdone coming into a big Test series.”For now it’s just trying to work back from that day one, get a few good bowls in, I think. We’ve got access to quite a few centre wickets. So we’ll have three, four, five centre wickets where we try and have relatively big days, you know, bowl a couple of spells on those days. And we’ll be ready to go. And we had a similar prep last year and all felt really good going into that Adelaide first Test.”Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc played all four Tests against India last year, but the plan backfired as the trio tired on the final days in Sydney and Brisbane and were unable to bowl out India in either game as the visitors produced a famous come-from-behind series win.Australia rotated their bowlers heavily in the 2019 Ashes series using Peter Siddle and James Pattinson as specialists in those conditions. Cummins was the only one of the five Australian fast bowlers used in that series to play all five Tests and he expects that there will be some rotation again this summer.”When someone’s I guess rested it is normally more to it than just purely workload,” Cummins said. “There’s always niggles and small little injuries that we’re dealing with, basically after every single Test match.”The great thing is we’ve got a huge stable of fast bowlers. So yeah, I don’t think it’ll be a huge issue if someone’s not able to get up for a Test or someone’s just red-lining a little bit. Someone else can slot in.”I’d be surprised if the same four bowlers were used for all five Tests. That’s pretty rare, especially the five-Test match summer. But I certainly won’t be putting my hand up to be rested unless I’ve got something going wrong.”Pat Cummins hasn’t played a first-class match since February 2021•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Jhye Richardson is firming as a certainty to play a part in this Ashes series having not played a Test match since 2019 when he dislocated his shoulder in the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup and Ashes tour.Michael Neser has also been a constant presence in Australia’s Test squads in recent years and could also make his Test debut this summer despite coming off a hamstring injury.”I think both can slot in really well,” Cummins said. “It might be like-for-like maybe in some regards. I’d say probably Jhye, especially last week, I only saw a little bit but apparently, he bowled beautifully up here at the Gabba.”It’s really great to see him back around the squad. He was on the verge of a World Cup and an Ashes series a couple of years ago before having a shoulder injury, so it’s great to see him get back and bowling well, fully fit, and hopefully he kind of starts off where he left off against Sri Lanka a few years ago.”Chairman of selectors George Bailey confirmed Australia would have a squad mentality after announcing the 15-man Ashes squad for the first two Tests as well as an Australia A squad on Wednesday. Bailey was also impressed by Richardson’s form leading into the Ashes series following his Player of the Match performance for Western Australia against Queensland at the Gabba last week where he took eight wickets including 5 for 23 from 22.2 overs in the second innings.”Getting pretty excited by Jhye,” Bailey said. “One physically, I think he looks as strong as I’ve seen ever seen him.”He’s had a couple of niggles, and he’s worked his way back from those so he’s starting to build some resilience into his body, still a young body.”I think he’s worked his way into the last three shield games quite nicely, but one particular spell I think it was the morning of day [three], a really impressive spell early on, I think he ended up ended up getting the wickets of Marnus [Labuschagne] and Joe Burns, who both commented that it was it was impressive quality.”

The allrounder’s one-year ban ends on October 29

Mohammad Isam11-Aug-2020Shakib Al Hasan is likely to make an immediate return to the Bangladesh team after his suspension deadline ends on October 29, with Sri Lanka the assumed venue of his comeback. Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka is all but confirmed and given how the tour schedule is shaping up, it is more than likely that Shakib will at least feature in the proposed three-match T20I series.According to SLC chief executive Mohan de Silva, the two boards have reached an agreement on Bangladesh’s departure date, but they are still in discussions over whether it will be a two or three-match Test series after the BCB requested a three-match T20I series in addition to the original tour schedule.Shakib will be training at the BKSP – Bangladesh’s largest sporting institute – from next month, so it is likely that the Bangladesh team management will have one eye on his progress towards full fitness.Head coach Russell Domingo has said Shakib’s return will depend on his fitness levels and possibly some match-time under his belt. However, he compared Shakib’s year-long break from cricket with the current Bangladesh players also having had to sit out for six months without any on-field action, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.ALSO READ: Qazi Onik banned for two years for failing dope test“I think Shakib being out for a year is not that much different to the rest of our squad who have been out for six or seven months as well,” Domingo told ESPNcricinfo. “We are hoping all the players are fit. Obviously, there are standards that they need to attain in terms of fitness level. We have to organize a bit of game time for Shakib, as well as for all the players. It is very difficult to get into international cricket without any sort of cricket. I think we need to try to find some opportunities for him to play some games. He is a world-class player so I am sure he will get back into it pretty soon, but fitness is an important thing.”Domingo, however, said Shakib would have to play unofficial cricket matches as a suspended cricketer, so a lot would depend on his fitness regime and net practice during the next couple of months. “It is something that we have to discuss with the selectors. I don’t think he can play any official game before October 29, so all games that he plays have to be unofficial games. It might be inter-squad games but we need to have clarity if he is allowed to play that.”He has to make sure he is fit and that he starts hitting balls and bowling some balls. Once we assemble before heading off to Sri Lanka – when that tour is confirmed – we will get closer to making a decision. There’s still a while to go; it is only August now. His ban finishes in two-and-a-half months. When he is fit and available, we will cross that bridge.”On Tuesday, SLC chief de Silva said Bangladesh’s departure date, September 24, is nearly confirmed but the boards are still a couple of days away from finalising the tour schedule. “It is more or less [finalized],” de Silva told the Dhaka-based TV channel . “We are actually negotiating. They [BCB] want to play three T20Is and three Tests. So we are actually negotiating with them to reduce one Test and then play the T20Is. We will be able to confirm it within a day or two.”

Ireland’s last-wicket pair of George Dockrell and Tim Murtagh put together 87 to keep them in the contest after Afghan bowlers run riot

The Report by Shashank Kishore15-Mar-2019Afghanistan were utterly dominant for large parts of the opening day of the one-off Test against Ireland in Dehradun. So much so that a snooze for 25 overs in the second session didn’t cost them much.They let Ireland recover from 69 for 8 to 172, with 37-year old Tim Murtagh becoming the second-oldest No. 11 to score a Test fifty; only South Africa’s Pat Symcox was older when he scored a half-century. The last-wicket pair of Murtagh and George Dockrell added 87 together to frustrate Afghanistan and give their bowlers some leeway, though not much.Afghanistan shelved their firebrand approach to batting, which they displayed during a nervy Test debut nine months ago. Mohammad Shahzad kept lunging forward and defending, pottering to 6 off 35 deliveries as Ireland opened with pace and spin in trying to adopt the very methods that brought Afghanistan much success earlier in the day.But where Afghanistan’s spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Waqar Salamkheil got the ball to bite and zip off the pitch, Ireland were much more traditional, relying on the batsmen to make mistakes. The turn they extracted was slow and Shahzad adjusted nicely. Even then, the odd ball that was dropped short or bowled full was either cut, lofted over mid-on or paddled fine.In the second hour of the final session, Ireland finally managed to induce a mistake as Shahzad stepped out and drilled one back down the pitch. It needed outstanding reflexes from offspinner James Cameron-Dow to move low to his left and pouch the catch to send the danger man back on 40. Cameron-Dow had earlier taken the first wicket when he trapped debutant Ihsanullah Janat with an arm-ball for 7.Tim Murtagh raises his bat after reaching fifty•AFP

Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah ensured there were no further hiccups as Afghanistan closed the day on 90 for 2, trailing Ireland by only 82.As such, Ireland are not entirely out of it, and will be in business if they can strike early on Saturday. That they are in a slightly better position than looked likely after the first session where they were reduced to 69 for 7 was because of their lower-order defiance.William Porterfield called right, but all the batting unit had to show in the first couple of hours was Paul Stirling’s aggressive 26 at the top, 24 off which came off fours, three of them in a single over off Yamin Ahmadzai, Afghanistan’s best fast bowler on the day with returns of 3 for 41. Ireland raced to 37 without loss in the ninth over, and at that stage Afghanistan were struggling, not having bowled a single maiden over.The impressive Ahmadzai, who took the new ball, finally struck when he had Stirling after Afghanistan had strung together 20 dots. He bowled one that nibbled away to take the edge through to the keeper. Exactly six balls later, Porterfield was done in by drift, squared up by one that spun away sharply to be lbw off Nabi.Andy Balbirne walked in at No. 3 and looked every bit a nervous wreck looking for his first Test runs. The debut against Pakistan was far from memorable as he had bagged a pair. Here, he managed just four off a thick outside edge before being done in by Ahmadzai’s nipbacker that sent the off-stump cartwheeling. Spin soon took over.Rashid’s Test inception was forgettable. He was walloped for three fours in his first over by Shikhar Dhawan, and then smacked for two fours and a six off his fourth. Then, he kept over-bowling the googly, dropped short, and failed to have any control over the red ball like he does with the white ball. Here, he was on the money straightaway, picking up two wickets – James McCollum with a googly and Stuart Poynter with a dipping full toss that struck the batsman on the toe – off the first three deliveries.At that stage, Ireland were in danger of being bowled out before lunch. But with Dockrell in the middle, they hobbled to 69 for 7 at the break, and after that Murtagh and Dockrell made sure to turn some of the tide Ireland’s way.In the third ODI earlier on tour, Ireland scripted a remarkable turnaround to level the series, which went on to end 2-2. On that occasion, Dockrell had added 143 for the fifth wicket in a match-turning stand with Balbirnie. Here, with only the No. 11 for company, he batted with plenty of calm and tremendous application to negate Afghanistan’s spin threat.Dockrell wasn’t concerned about farming strike, happy to give Murtagh the strike whenever singles were available – quite easily, because Afghanistan had gone on the defensive. Murtagh, who has solid experience of playing on trickier surfaces at Surrey, repaid that faith. His solidity and strokeplay belied his batting position, and his use of the crease and swift footwork to move forward or rock back to cut the spinners stood out.What started off as a partnership with Dockrell looking the more accomplished batsman soon turned into a stand among equals. Murtagh’s expert reading of the spinners by picking lengths early was a practical lesson his mates in the dressing room would have done well to take note of.Murtagh remained unbeaten at the end, looking good for much more, when Dockrell became Ahmadzai’s third and final wicket of the day.

The schedule for the CPL has been selected to avoid matches coinciding with West Indies’ international games, allowing marquee players to submit their names for this year’s draft

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2018A window for the sixth edition of the Caribbean Premier League has been finalised, with the tournament to take place between August 8 and September 16. The schedule for the CPL has been set to avoid matches coinciding with West Indies’ international games, allowing marquee players to submit their names for this year’s draft.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Speaking at the announcement, CPL’s chief operating officer Pete Russell said, “The Hero CPL is now the start of our domestic season and we are delighted that we have found a window when all of the best cricketers from the Caribbean will be available to take part. We are sure that 2018 will be the biggest season yet.”The opening games of the CPL, which comprises six teams, will take place in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.The window for the CPL will, however, clash with the Natwest T20 Blast, England’s domestic T20 tournament, which will run from July till September.

New Zealand has been dealt another injury blow on the eve of the second Test with fast bowler Trent Boult ruled out after aggravating a right knee injury

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Nov-2016New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult has been ruled out of the second Test against Pakistan by a knee injury. Doug Bracewell has been added to the squad in place of Boult.Boult had “irritation in the joint of his right knee” since the tour of India, coach Mike Hesson said, and had since aggravated the complaint while fielding in the first Test in Christchurch. He did continue to bowl through each of Pakistan’s innings in that match, however, claiming match figures of 5 for 76.”We were optimistic he would be ready for Hamilton, but during training on Wednesday felt further pain and has subsequently been ruled out of the Test,” said Hesson. New Zealand hope Boult will recover in time for the three-match ODI series in Australia, which begins December 4, but will “continue to monitor him over the coming days”.Matt Henry is foremost among those vying to replace Boult in the starting XI, having been in the squad since the beginning of the series. He had bowled creditably in the Kolkata Test during New Zealand’s recent tour of India, but like other seamers, had struggled in Indore.Boult has not missed a New Zealand Test since early 2012, having played in 44 consecutive Tests.

India legspinner Amit Mishra has been arrested in Bangalore in connection with the case of assault filed against him by a woman on October 20

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2015India legspinner Amit Mishra has been arrested, and subsequently released on bail, in Bangalore in connection with the case of assault filed against him by a woman on October 20. Mishra, who had been asked to report to the police within seven days, was charged with sexual harassment, criminal intimidation and causing injury, among other offences, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.”It is a bailable offence. A chargesheet will be prepared and submitted in the court,” Bangalore’s Deputy Commissioner of Police, central division, Sandeep Patil, said. He said Mishra, who had been interrogated for two hours, was free to travel outside Bangalore.Patil had last week said the woman who had pressed charges was known to Mishra and the alleged incident occurred in end-September, when the Indian team was in Bangalore for a training camp ahead of the South Africa tour.Mishra is part of the India Test squad that will play South Africa in a four-match series beginning on November 5 in Mohali; the squad is due to assemble on November 2.The BCCI is yet to formally react to the matter but IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said it had “taken note” of it. “We are trying to find out the details of the case,” Shukla said in New Delhi. “The moment we get details, we will look into it. We will find out whether (Mishra) is responsible for the crime or not. When we get the exact details, then only will a decision be made.”He also said Mishra would be eligible for selection until the BCCI took a decision. “The question (of eligibility) arises only when BCCI takes a decision,” Shukla said.

Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi has vowed to make a comeback to Pakistan’s one-day squad, claiming that he is “better than most”

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2013Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi has vowed to make a comeback to Pakistan’s one-day squad, claiming that he is “better than most”. He was dropped from the side for the upcoming tours of Scotland, Ireland and England for the Champions Trophy in June, along with batsman Umar Akmal and fast bowler Sohail Tanvir.”The decision to drop me from the side is taken by the captain (Misbah-ul-Haq),” Afridi told the . “It isn’t a big thing if the captain does not want a player but in cricket, being in and out is a one-off thing. It happens and I will soon come back.”I am still better than most. I know I have ample cricket left in me and I can represent Pakistan for the next few years. Players usually get dropped but I appeal to my fans to pray for me.”Afridi, 33, had been dropped from Pakistan’s squad for the ODI series in India in December 2012, but was chosen for the trip to South Africa because of his skill as a legspinner. He failed to take a wicket in 37 overs, though, and scored 126 runs in four innings with a high score of 88. Since the start of 2012, Afridi’s taken only 15 wickets in 21 ODIs, and five of those came in one game against Afghanistan. His batting average during this period was 19. He managed to score only 70 runs and take three wickets in four matches for his domestic side last month.”I have been training for the England tour. I want to insist once again that I will walk away before being a burden on the side but for a while I understand I have to work hard to come back,” said Afridi.However, Afridi could be playing Twenty20 games for Hampshire this season. Due to visa issues, he was forced to miss the T20 matches for the county last year. In 2011, he had a successful stint with the county, taking 17 wickets in 10 matches at 11.17.

Chris Gayle’s expected return to the West Indies team has been delayed after no decision could be arrived at during Monday’s high-level meeting

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2012Chris Gayle’s expected return to the West Indies team has been delayed after no decision could be arrived at during Monday’s high-level meeting, which was expected to resolve the year-long dispute between the player and the West Indies Cricket Board. Chaired by Prime Minister of St Vincent, Ralph Gonsalves, the meeting was also attended by WICB chief executive, Ernest Hilaire and officials from CARICOM.A resolution would have seen the former captain available for West Indies team’s ongoing series against Australia, which continues till April 27. Gayle, however, is contracted to represent Bangalore Royal Challengers in this year’s IPL from April 4 to May 27 and county side Somerset, in the English Twenty20 tournament. The clash of dates between the West Indies team’s international commitments (the current series is followed by a tour of England between May 5 and June 24) and Gayle’s contractual obligations could be a possible reason for the delay in the talks.Before the meeting, the had reported that Gayle was likely to either submit an apology or retract his comments made against the board and the coach Ottis Gibson during a radio interview.In February, the WICB chief executive Ernest Hilaire said he wanted Gayle to make his priorities clear, saying that Gayle could not ask for unconditional no-objection certificates (NOCs) to play domestic Twenty20 tournaments around the world and simultaneously make himself available for West Indies selection.Gayle attended Runako Morton’s funeral in St Kitts on Saturday and was spotted in the stands during West Indies’ second ODI against Australia, in St Vincent. He last played for West Indies in the 2011 World Cup, and has since taken part in Twenty20 leagues around the world, including the IPL, the Big Bash League in Australia and the BPL in Bangladesh. He has turned out for Jamaica in the domestic one-day and four-day competitions. He was left out of the WICB’s 30-man squad for a fitness and training camp ahead of the home series against Australia.

Yasir Hameed, the Pakistan batsman, has been banned from the ongoing Pentangular Cup competition and the year’s national Twenty20 championship

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2011Yasir Hameed, the Pakistan batsman, has been banned by the PCB from domestic cricket for his interview with an undercover reporter from in the immediate aftermath of the spot-fixing controversy.In the interview, Hameed had discussed the fall-out of the Lord’s Test, the Sydney Test against Australia early last year and a possible approach by a bookie. The precise length of the ban has not been specified but it is thought to apply only to the ongoing Pentangular Cup and the domestic T20 championship that will follow. He has also been fined Rs.300,000 (US$3,500 approx).Nadeem Sarwar, the board spokesperson, said Hameed had been banned “for his
spot-fixing allegations against some national players in a newspaper interview last
year”. Hameed has always denied making any allegations, claiming that he merely repeated what the tabloid had already reported.At the time Hameed said he was duped by the investigative reporter who came to him in a hotel in Nottingham as a representative from a global airline to discuss possible sponsorship deals, but apologised to the PCB immediately after. “I was trapped into it but I should not have said all that before a stranger and I apologise to all the players who were hurt because of that,” he had said.Hameed was also summoned to the Pakistan High Commission in London to explain his utterances during the sting operation, and he recently lodged a formal complaint against NOTW with the UK’s Press Complaints Commission, accusing them of inaccurate reporting, breach of privacy, misrepresentation of character and harassment. He also alleged that the man, an Abid Khan, had sent him intimidating SMSs after the meeting once Hameed had denied what had been attributed to him.Hameed, 32, represents Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in the Pentangular Cup. The ban is the result of an investigation into the matter by the PCB’s recently-constituted Integrity Committee, in front of which Hameed appeared last month.

Plays of the Day for the 17th match, between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Brabourne Stadium

Cricinfo staff22-Mar-2010Fumbling times for Tare
Twice in the first over of the match, Aditya Tare failed to collect the ball cleanly. On both occasions the ball arrived at a slower pace than the Mumbai glove-man would’ve expected, but both times Tare was besides the line of the delivery instead of lining himself behind. He continued to fumble frequently, adding to the bowlers’ and Sachin Tendulkar’s frustration. Three overs before the Kolkata innings came to an end, Ryan McLaren’s attempted yorker to Owais Shah went wide, but Tare was once again was slow off his haunches, and his dive came late as the opposition picked a few more extras.Simon says not out
Dwayne Bravo picked a return ball from Chris Gayle and immediatlely threw at the stumps, finding the Jamaican halfway down the pitch. But Gayle, having been sent back by Sourav Ganguly, charged back home to beat Bravo’s direct throw in the nick of time. Simon Taufel, the square-leg umpire, did the right thing to re-arrange the bails and avoid cutting the rhythm of the match, even if the entire Mumbai team pleaded him to refer the decision to the third umpire.Bravo, bravo
After his first over in the second spell went for 13 runs, Bravo, before passing the ball to the captain, bounced it hard on the pitch in disgust but the rebound came back swiftly to hit him flush on the face. Bravo didn’t wince, and the consummate cricketer that he is, was furious at himself for leaking runs.“Sky is your limit”, Dinda to Gayle
During the batting time out taken by Kolkata, 12th man Ashok Dinda rushed into the field, along with Dav Whatmore. As the Kolkata coach got busy with Owais Shah, Dinda threw the towel to Gayle and started pointing towards the top tier of the CCI pavilion, inspiring the West Indian to hit over the sky. Though the distance was within manageable limits for the 6’4″ tall West Indian, it was a big challenge considering the Mumbai bowlers were firing yorker-length deliveries at him consistently; in the end Dinda’s demands went unfulfilled.Hazare presses the panic button
On the final delivery of the Kolkata innings, Zaheer Khan fired in a searing inswinging yorker against Gayle. Gayle had moved a step down the legside when the ball hit him on the toe of his back leg, which was easily half a yard, if not a full one, down the leg side. But the umpire Sanjay Hazare, reluctant initially, finally raised his finger after Zaheer started to appeal incessantly.Kartik goes blind, makes Dada angry
Murali Kartik, Kolkata’s best bowler, made an impact immediately by picking a wicket in his first over. And in the following over, he nearly snatched the prized wicket of Tendulkar, as the Mumbai captain’s leading edge flew back towards Kartik. However, Kartik failed to sight the ball at all and came up with a late attempt which proved to be unsatisfactory. Ganguly, standing at cover shrieked at his bowler knowing well it would be the most important turning point of the match as Tendulkar was on 41 and the match still hung in the balance.Ganguly gives extra workouts
Throughout the Mumbai innings bowlers argued with Ganguly about the fields he was setting. One fine example was when Angelo Mathews pushed Shane Bond back towards the third man and positioned Owais Shah at short-fine leg. The very next instant, Ganguly got Bond inside the circle while sending Shah towards fine leg. Mathews argued strongly, waving his hands, forcing Ganguly to reverse his decision. Ganguly’s indecisiveness only added to the workload of his fielders.