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.

The confusion surrounding security arrangements ended after the BCCI agreed to pay the actual cost for the security cover provided by the police

Arun Venugopal09-Jan-2017Fans will be allowed free entry into the Brabourne Stadium to watch the first warm-up game between India A and England after the BCCI agreed to pay the actual cost for the security cover provided by the police. A Cricket Club of India official told ESPNcricinfo that entry for what could be MS Dhoni’s last game as captain of an Indian side would be restricted to the north and east stands, which can accommodate around 10,000 fans, as the west stand was undergoing renovation. If the stands were filled by 3 pm, an hour and a half after the start of the game, the gates will be closed.The decision to allow fans into the stadium came a day after confusion prevailed around the security arrangements for the game. According to and , fans were in danger of being locked out after the police demanded Rs 60 lakh to provide security, and the CCI redirected the request to the BCCI. The BCCI, according to the reports, had subsequently instructed the club to not allow spectators and restrict the attendance to members of the Cricket Club of India, in the premises of which the stadium is located, should the police not lower their fee.According to the CCI official, the police, having initially asked for Rs 2 lakh to provide security, had hiked up the fee after anticipating a greater crowd in the stadium. The request was then forwarded to the BCCI, who, after closed-door meetings with the police department, eventually accepted to cover the actual cost incurred for security late in the evening. The BCCI, it is understood, has communicated the decision in writing to the CCI and the police department.”There were only 40 policepersons who were set to be deployed initially,” the official said. “There are normally hardly 200-300 people for warm-up matches, but with Dhoni [possibly] playing his last match as a captain, the game has become high profile. There will be a bigger crowd now. So, more police personnel will have to be deployed; there will be around 300 policepersons now.”The CCI gets only a grant of Rs 1 lakh per game from the BCCI and our expenses are generally reimbursed by the board. Even in this issue, the police dealt directly with the BCCI.”

Hashim Amla said he has not noticed any change in approach from the South Africa coaching staff since the news that positions will have to be reapplied for

Firdose Moonda31-Jan-2017News that South Africa’s coach Russell Domingo will have to reapply for his job if he hopes to continue in the role after the team’s tour of England in August resulted in “a few sad hours in the changeroom” according to ODI captain AB de Villiers but fellow senior figure Hashim Amla said he has not noticed any change in approach from the coaching staff.Domingo has a support staff of five: assistant Adi Birrell, bowling coach Charl Langeveldt, batting coach Neil McKenzie, spin consultant Claude Henderson and fitness trainer Greg King, whose deals are tied to his and as a result, they will also face contract renegotiation later this year, but none of them have appeared distracted.”It hasn’t affected the coaches too much. They still seem extremely motivated, which is brilliant. They have been professional in everything they have done,” Amla said ahead of the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Durban. “Don’t forget it’s still six or seven months away, which is a long time. In between that, we have so many different challenges to keep our focus on.”Chief among those is the Champions Trophy, which will doubtless have some bearing on whether Domingo wants to stay on and whether Cricket South Africa’s board will be keen on keeping him. If South Africa win the competition, it is almost a given Domingo will be in demand, especially as he is already the man who has achieved the most with the team at a major tournament.He was the first coach to oversee a South African victory in a 50-over World Cup knockout match, when they beat Sri Lanka in the quarter-final in 2015, and even though Domingo has not had the same success at World T20s with the 2019 World Cup looming, a strong showing at the Champions Trophy could stand him in good stead for a new two-year term.But the trophy drought has proved a nemesis for so many and no-one has yet come up with the answer to break the hoodoo. Like his predecessors, Domingo’s plans are focused on meticulous preparation – South Africa are regularly the team who have played the most matches in the months leading up to a major tournament – and so far, they seem to be working.”If you look at the build-up we have had as a team, winning the last series [against Australia] as convincingly as we did and being 1-0 up here, it’s building very well,” Amla said. “The coaches and the captains have tried to put the structures in place for us to succeed and it’s really pleasing that everything is working really well.”Amla has been part of all this before though, and knows that even the best laid plans can be derailed on the day, when pressure takes hold. In South Africa’s case, the major tournament bug has most often bitten their batsmen, who have botched modest chases – think Dhaka 2011. Then, South Africa’s line-up contained at least some inexperience. This time, it is unlikely to have any with all of the top six senior figures and all of them in decent nick.”The batting line up looks really solid. Quinny is one of the best, Faf has been in very good form, AB is a legend, JP is batting well, everybody has been contributing,” Amla said.However, even with things go as well as they could, South Africa have every reason to be cautious and not to get ahead of themselves. “Nobody is under the illusion that everything is hunky-dory and things are just going to keep going up and up. There will be some challenges inbetween here and the Champions Trophy and if that comes, we’ve got to be patient with it go through it,” Amla said.The waiting game is something Amla was forced to become well-versed in over the last few months when he went through a rare lean patch in the lead up to his 100th Test. Amla went 13 Test innings without a century before bringing up three figures in his milestone match to end speculation that the end was nigh. He has since topped up on that with a 57 in the first ODI and is feeling like his old self, with no intention of slowing down.”Sometimes you go through those patches. If I can think back, there are other players, much better players, Tendulkar, those guys, they have been through similar. That’s the nature of the game,” he said. “I take it as it comes. I try not to plan too far ahead. Whether its 100 Tests or 50 Tests, the fact that I am playing international cricket is what motivates me. I enjoy batting and I enjoy playing for the country. I feel very fresh. I still feel 18.”

Jamshed has become the third player to be provisionally suspended by the PCB as the board continues its investigation into the corruption scandal that has hit the ongoing Pakistan Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2017Nasir Jamshed, the out-of-favour Pakistan opener, has become the third player to be provisionally suspended by the PCB as it continues its investigation into the corruption scandal that hit the Pakistan Super League this weekend.”PCB has provisionally suspended Nasir Jamshed from all forms of cricket for violating its anti-corruption code,” said a statement issued by the board on Monday.Unlike Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif – the two Islamabad United players who have already been sent back from the league for alleged breaches of the anti-corruption code – Jamshed was not part of any PSL franchise.Jamshed’s name had cropped up initially in speculation surrounding the news of Latif and Sharjeel’s suspensions. But the exact nature of his involvement has not been made clear.The PCB named three other players who were questioned in the fallout: Islamabad United’s Mohammad Irfan, Quetta Gladiators’ Zulfiqar Babar and Shahzaib Hasan of the Karachi Kings. None of them, however, faced the prospect of immediate provisional suspension. Shahzaib’s questioning, according to his team Karachi Kings, was the result of his reporting an approach to the PCB and Quetta are understood to have volunteered Babar for questioning to clear his name as it had also emerged during speculation.Sharjeel, Latif and Jamshed will now be sent a show cause notice by the PCB according to board chairman Shaharyar Khan.”There is a legal way to move forward and first show cause notices are being sent to both players (Sharjeel and Latif) and they are likely to receive it tomorrow,” Khan said in Lahore, before the news about Jamshed emerged.”Two players Shahzaib and Zulfiqar were under the scanner but are cleared and free to play. Irfan, however, is still under observation but he hasn’t been issued any show cause notice so far.”But probably in a day or two he will also be served. Apart from these five players I confirm no other player playing in the PSL is related to this issue.”It is likely the PCB will then set up an inquiry committee involving one or more judges.Not that long ago, Jamshed was Pakistan’s first-choice opener in limited-overs cricket, and with three ODI hundreds against India between March 2012 and January 2013, one with a potentially long career ahead of him.Since then, however, a dip in form and confidence has pushed him to the periphery. Between the end of the India series in January 2013 and the start of the 2015 World Cup, Jamshed scored 458 runs at an average of 19.91 with only two fifties, featuring in 23 of Pakistan’s 50 ODIs in this period. Before this, he had averaged 50.26 in 22 ODIs since his debut, scoring 955 runs, with three centuries and six fifties.His last appearances for Pakistan were miserable ones at the World Cup: he made only five runs in three matches. An indicator of how far he has fallen was evident by his absence from the PSL in both seasons.Overall, Jamshed has played two Tests, both against South Africa in February 2013. In 48 ODIs between 2008 and 2015, he scored 1418 runs at 31.51. Jamshed played only 18 T20 internationals, scoring 363 runs.

Alex Blackwell and Beth Mooney made fifties to steer Australia’s chase of 254 against New Zealand women and level their three-match series

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2017
ScorecardAlex Blackwell struck 65 to steer Australia’s chase of 254•Getty Images

Alex Blackwell struck a timely 65 to help Australia recover from a middle-order slide and chase down 254 against New Zealand in the second women’s ODI in Mount Maunganui. Blackwell’s knock followed on from Beth Mooney’s 57 at the top as Australia made 256 for 6 to win by four wickets and level the three-match series.Mooney helped Australia recover from the early loss of Nicole Bolton for 17 in the seventh over. She added 87 for the second wicket with her captain Meg Lanning. However, the introduction of 16-year old legspinner Amelia Kerr dented Australia’s chase. Kerr struck twice in her first over, the 21st of the innings, bowling Lanning for 44 and Elyse Villani for a first-ball duck. Mooney fell in the same fashion six overs later, as Australia slid from 109 for 1 to 138 for 4.But Alyssa Healy and Blackwell made sure the runs kept flowing and shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 81 off 85 balls. Blackwell, in her first game back from a hamstring injury, walked out to face the hat-trick ball, but managed to get off the mark straight away. “It’s never nice to face a hat-trick ball. I was just thinking about playing as straight as possible,” she said. “It was a bonus to score off the first ball, that settled me. I would have liked to finish not out.”Healy became Kerr’s fourth victim when she was caught and bowled in the 41st over for 36. Blackwell was caught behind with Australia 17 away from the target. Jess Jonassen and Ashleigh Gardner ensured her effort wasn’t in vain as they knocked off the remaining runs with 16 balls to spare.”We know it’s a really good wicket here and the outfield is exceptional, so 250 wasn’t something we were too concerned about,” Blackwell said. “I think we can continue to improve with the ball as well, but today was a much better effort.”Suzie Bates, the New Zealand captain, felt lapses in the field cost them. “I don’t think we fielded well today, it was probably our worst fielding performance this series,” she said.Bates showered praise on Kerr, who finished with 4 for 54 runs in 10 overs. “I probably left her a little bit late. For a 16-year old, you would think she’d be under pressure, but there is no such thing as pressure to her, she just wants to bowl. She knows her game and the game of cricket really well. She knows exactly what she wants to do and has pretty good control. She is going to be a massive star for us and she was a key bowler for us today.”Kerr, who dismissed Lanning with a googly, especially cherished that wicket. “She’s one of the best players in the world, and to get her with a googly is wow, it’s something I have been working on a lot,” she said. “The bowling coach told me to bowl the googly to Lanning, and luckily, it worked. And she is tough to bowl to, so I was glad I didn’t need to bowl to her for too long.”When New Zealand batted, after being asked to, Bates dominated the early going, and made 35 of the 55 runs her team had scored at the time of the dismissal. Amy Satterthwaite and Katey Martin joined hands for a third-wicket stand of 87. Once the association was ended, with the dismissal of Martin, the onus on building the innings fell on Satterthwaite. Perkins chipped in with 38 and helped Satterthwaite add 63 for the fifth wicket that pushed the score past 200.Satterthwaite hung on till the 47th over. She made 85 off 117 balls, falling 15 short of what would have been her fifth consecutive ODI century. New Zealand stumbled towards the end, losing two more wickets after her dismissal to finish with 253 for 8. Amanda-Jade Wellington took three wickets for Australia, but Perry, who opened the bowling, stood out in her short spell, finishing with 1 for 9 in four overs.

After his career-best 4 for 47 against New Zealand, JP Duminy said even though the work had been put into his bowling, there weren’t too many opportunities to improve

Firdose Moonda in Wellington16-Mar-2017Despite JP Duminy taking a career-best 4 for 47, he said offspinner Dane Piedt, who is arriving ahead of the Hamilton Test, should “definitely not” remain in South Africa at his expense. Instead, Duminy intends to keep working on his bowling in the hope that he will finally be able to live up to the allrounder reputation he was developing a few years ago.”It’s something that I have been working on for a period of time and unfortunately I haven’t reaped any rewards, but I guess it comes down to opportunities,” Duminy said. “If you look at recent Test matches, our seam attack coupled with Keshav (Maharaj) have been doing really well. I’ve been getting an odd over here and there so the opportunities haven’t really been there. When you look at a spinner, it’s got to be a big portion of overs that they have to bowl to get success. Today was one of those days when I got an opportunity to carry on.”Although picked for his batting alone, Duminy offered South Africa offspin from the start of his career and was often asked to play a holding role in the early years. He bowled in 11 of his first 14 Tests, once delivering as many of 24 overs – against England in Durban – and had some success. In total, Duminy took 11 wickets in that part of his career albeit at an average of 45.Things became more serious in November 2012, when Duminy was picked as the sole spinner in a South African XI to play a Test in Brisbane but tore his Achilles’ tendon in the match and was out of action for six months. On his return, he bowled with some regularity for South Africa, and delivered a minimum of 11 overs a match in the next ten Tests. Since, however, he has tapered off. He has only bowled more than 10 overs twice in 16 Tests after that and fewer than five overs on eight occasions.In Wellington, Duminy was tasked with bowling 11.3 overs and helped trigger a lower-order collapse in unlikely fashion. Six of New Zealand’s wickets fell to spin on a surface that was seamer-friendly. “It’s probably not a wicket we will think that spinners will dominate on,” he said. “The plan we had to try and get wickets was a good one – to try and bowl a wider line. There wasn’t a lot of purchase for spinners so I thought our tactics were pretty good.”South Africa had some luck – Jimmy Neesham was stumped after striding far out of his crease and BJ Watling was caught off the back pad flap – but Duminy believed that was a result of the pressure the visitors put back on New Zealand after easing off in the second session. “There were periods when they played really well and we were probably guilty of leaking a bit in the middle session. But I thought we brought it back nicely and got some crucial wickets at crucial times,” Duminy said. “There are times in the game when things need to go your way, and fortunately for us it happened that way. But I think it comes down to being consistent in a certain area and with that, things will happen for you. That sort of played out today.”Although South Africa fought back, they found themselves on the back foot after both openers were dismissed in the final period. With “something in the wicket,” Duminy expects his batting will be needed more than his bowling on the second day. “Tomorrow will be a big day in terms of where this Test match goes. There will still be a hint of swing with Southee there so we’re going to have to bat well.”

The Pakistan batsman told a news website that he could be open to the idea of extending his Test career if the team management requests him to do so

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-2017Pakistan may not have to suffer the double whammy of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan exiting at the same time if they do not want to. The latter is open to the idea of extending his international career, but only if the Pakistan board and team needs him to do so. Younis raised the possibility ahead of Pakistan’s Test in Jamaica, having hinted at it during the announcement of his retirement in Karachi two weeks ago.”Yeah, I will think about it,” Younis told before the first Test. “It all depends on if my team needs me. If they request me or people want me then why not? But it all depends on my team.”Given his experience and recent Test form, and given that a tour to Bangladesh this summer will provide a far sterner test of their batting than tours past, a case can be readily made for wanting Younis to stay on. If he scores runs in this Test series, that is likely to increase calls for him to stay on though Younis has said he would prefer to leave with people wanting more from him, rather than overstaying. The selection committee, headed by Inzamam-ul-Haq will also play a role – Inzamam is known to have been keen to move on beyond both Misbah and Younis after the Caribbean tour.Younis announced his decision to retire at the end of the West Indies tour earlier this month, only two days after Misbah did. Together the two batsmen brought close to 190 matches worth of experience to the side, with Younis on the verge of becoming the first Pakistan batsman to score 10,000 Test runs.An example of the influence the pair had on the side came during their tour to England last year, when the side drew the Test series 2-2 and briefly gained the No. 1 ranking. Misbah scored a crucial first-innings hundred at Lord’s in the first Test, while Younis’ 218 in the fourth Test at The Oval, helped Pakistan cling on to the series after two defeats. Their contributions earned them places on list of Five Cricketers of the Year.In a column for ahead of the first Test, Misbah also made public his feeling that the team still needed Younis and that he could continue playing for a year or two.”I talked to him about it in Australia and told him that ‘You can play on’,” Misbah wrote. “Even though we have some very good youngsters in the team, the gap left by Younis’ absence will be difficult to fill.”The Pakistan team will not just miss him as a batsman, they’ll also miss him as a mentor. He has been a terrific role model for everyone and it will be very tough to replace him. Every member of this team, including myself, has learnt a lot from him. He has changed our dressing room culture. If one wants to be successful in professional life, one only needs to regard Younis Khan’s organised and punctual lifestyle from breakfast to bed.”The speculation around Younis’ retirement after the tour of Australia was not as intense as it had been for Misbah, who battled poor form on the tour and came away with a 0-3 series defeat. After scoring an unbeaten 175 in the third Test in Sydney, Younis had said his future plans would depend on what the team needed from him. In April, while announcing his intention to retire, Younis said: “No player always remains fit, the motivation never remains the same, so this is the time when Younis should leave the field after the upcoming series in West Indies.”One of Pakistan’s modern batting greats, Younis’ 17-year-long Test career saw him play 115 Test matches with 9977 runs and 34 Test hundreds, the most by a Pakistan batsman. Younis’ personal best of 313 – against Sri Lanka in 2009 – is the third-highest score by a Pakistan batsman, after Hanif Mohammad’s 337 and Inzamam-ul-Haq’s 329.

The BCCI will receive a little over US$100 million more than what was agreed upon by a vast majority of the ICC Board in meetings in April

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Jun-20171:44

How the BCCI and ICC reached a consensus

Peace has broken out in world cricket, as the BCCI and ICC have finally reached an agreement on a new finance model. The bare facts are that the BCCI will receive a little over US$100 million more than what was agreed upon by a vast majority of the ICC Board in meetings in April and most of the other boards will receive marginally less. Under this model, approved by the ICC Board on Thursday in London during the ICC’s AGM, the BCCI will now receive US$405 million, $112 million more than in the original model, which was passed by nine votes to one in Dubai in April.In the final model, seen by ESPNcricinfo, figures are based on the ICC earning US$2.7 billion in the new rights cycle from 2016-2023. After various ICC expenses and costs are taken out, the net surplus is US$ 1.776 billion; of this amount, Full Members will receive US$1.536 billion and Associates US$240 million. Out of the FM’s share, the BCCI will receive US$405 million and the ECB US$139 million. Each of Cricket Australia, Cricket South Africa, Pakistan Cricket Board, New Zealand Cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket, Cricket West Indies and Bangladesh Cricket Board will receive $128 million. Those figures represent a US$ 4 million drop for each of the eight boards. Zimbabwe Cricket retains the same share that was presented in April – $94 million.The total reduction of the eight boards – $32 million – as well as a $40 million cut from the Associates’ share ($280 million in April) has likely gone some way to making up the BCCI’s increase. That, as well as a cut in total ICC event costs of nearly $16 million; also notably absent from the financial model that was approved in February are proposed shares for Afghanistan and Ireland. It is not clear what the breakdown in revenue for Associates will be yet.The BCCI will receive more than what was agreed upon by a majority of the ICC Board in April•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Though all sides will have breathed a collective sigh of relief, the BCCI will feel it especially pleased given the manner in which it was so comprehensively outvoted at the April meetings. At that meeting the BCCI had walked in demanding $570 million as what it thought was its due share. But it was outvoted 9-1 – the only Full Member board to oppose. Licking its wounds the BCCI also rejected a $100 million increase, offered to them as a compromise by the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar. In the intervening months the BCCI has clearly softened its stance and it is now clear it accepted Manohar’s offer.The BCCI’s refusal to accept the new financial model – as part of changes drawing back from the short-lived Big Three era – had hovered over international cricket since February, when matters first came to a head. There was, briefly, a worry that the BCCI might pull India out of ICC tournaments, though that was swiftly assuaged when India played at the Champions Trophy.A key detail is that the finance model is not part of the new constitution. During the last two Board meetings, the BCCI had insisted that the finance model be dealt with exclusively outside the constitution which caters mostly to the governance structure. An accompanying paper from the ICC on the new governance structure, seen by ESPNcricinfo, states that the details of a financial model will “be determined by the Board from time to time in a manner that may allow each member to receive a different level of distribution”.

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.

Luke Fletcher ‘feels lucky to be here’ after his blow on the head while bowling in the NatWest Blast and he fears he may not be the last to be injured in this way

George Dobell12-Jul-20172:35

‘I’m lucky to be here’ – Luke Fletcher

Luke Fletcher feels “lucky to be here” after sustaining a ferocious blow to the head during Saturday’s T20 Blast match at Edgbaston.Fletcher, the Nottinghamshire seamer, sustained the injury when his first ball of the match was struck back at him by Birmingham batsman, Sam Hain and hit him on top of the head.While Fletcher didn’t lose consciousness, subsequent scans showed bruising and a small bleed on the brain with a decision taken to rest him for the remainder of the season. He will have a further MRI scan in the coming days to assess his recovery and currently sports a cut held together by eight stitches under the hairline.But while he is naturally disappointed to miss the rest of the season – Nottinghamshire are well-placed to push for promotion and are among the favourites in the Blast – and frustrated at being told he must not drive a car, he accepts his is a story that could have had a far more serious ending.Indeed, he has warned that something similar “will happen again” and said that, at Notts, the bowlers no longer take-part in net sessions with batsmen to avoid such injuries.”I’m really lucky to be here now and speaking to you today,” he said. “The doctors said I pretty much dodged a bullet. A few inches to the left or right and it could have been a completely different story. If it had hit the temple or straight in the face then…. I don’t really want to think about what may have happened.”In a weird way, I suppose I’ve been lucky. It’s hit me on a part of the brain or skull that the surgeon said you don’t use much.”He remembers every moment of the incident. And, having not seen the ball hit back at him – his head was down as he completed his delivery stride – or felt much pain, it was only when he saw the reaction of his teammates and then saw footage of the moment of impact that he started to realise how serious the episode was.”I remember letting go of the ball and I could see that Hain backed away,” he said. “The next thing I remember being hit on the head and thinking ‘I may be in a bit of bother here.’ I didn’t see the ball one bit. I just felt it.”When it hit me I went down and was waiting to go unconscious. When I realised I was all right, I had my hand on my head and the physio, James Pipe was asking ‘How are you?'”I said ‘I don’t feel too bad to be honest.’ And then I lifted my hand off my head. Steven Mullaney ran off – and a few other lads ran off – because of the bleeding. But I got to my feet pretty quickly and never really felt unstable at all and walked off. Which is absolutely amazing having watched it back. You’d probably expect a bit more, really. Having such a big ‘swede’ probably helped me out a bit.”In a weird way, I quite enjoyed watching it back. I quite like stuff like that. As long as I knew I was all right, it was quite good. It was just amazing how far the ball went. I couldn’t believe it. The first time I saw it, I was a bit like ‘off’ and that’s when I realised why everyone was so concerned.”The concern of Fletcher’s teammates was understandable. Not only is he a popular member of their squad, but it is only just over a year since the club was jolted by news of James Taylor’s illness.”Having spoken to a few of my mates – Mullaney and Jake Ball – that’s what was going through their minds,” he said. “And then there was Phil Hughes as well….”But once the lads came off the field and saw I was fine, they got on with the game. James Pipe has been unbelievable throughout; he stayed by my side for the next 48 hours, really. He’s been amazing.”Fletcher is guided from the field at Edgbaston•Getty Images

It doesn’t take long to understand Fletcher’s popularity. He has a good line in self-deprecating wit – “I don’t know how the ball is,” he says at one stage. “Someone had better check up on it; the lads said it was reversing a bit later” and, later “My mum and dad were a bit annoyed as they had paid £30 and they only saw me bowl one ball” – and knows many of his team-mates well having come through the club’s system from his teenage years.He didn’t have things easy, either. When he was initially offered a place on the staff as a 16-year-old, he was obliged to turn it down as it didn’t pay as much as the job he was currently in – he was a grill man at Hooters – so the club arranged for him to have a stint on the gates letting lorries come in and out as the Radcliffe Road Stand was redeveloped. “It was freezing,” he recalls with a smile. “It was much better in the kitchen.”But he has developed into a fine cricketer. While not an especially fast bowler – probably somewhere around 80 mph – he can move the ball in the air and off the pitch, is considered one of the best death bowlers in the county game and was recently run-out just eight short of a maiden first-class century. He is out of contract at the end of the season but the club will look after him: a new contract will be announced shortly.The worrying aspect of this incident is that it could easily have ended much worse. Indeed, Fletcher warns that in training, bowlers are already reluctant to bowl at batsmen practising their T20 skills.”I think it’ll happen again,” he said. “Most bowlers – certainly at Notts – in the nets tend to go away and do target practice on the side in one-day and T20, just because balls are coming back at a speed you can’t react to. You get hit all over your body. I certainly think the chances are it will happen again.”I’m sure after this people will come up with some sort of theories and some sort of technologies or protective equipment. You can’t be running in with a helmet, can you? But maybe something to protect your head?”I’ll certainly bowl again. I’d bowl now if I could.”There are huge questions here for the game. While some level of risk may be considered unavoidable, incidents such as this – coming on top of the incident that caused such devastating damage to club cricketer Alex Tait a few months ago – might be considered warnings. With bats better, batsmen seemingly more powerful and the aggression of the game having undergone a transformation since the introduction of T20, it seems inevitable that, sooner or later, we’re going to see a bowler killed by a return hit. The game, or at least the look of the game, might have to change radically to counteract such a threat.