Top order wickets and rain leads to bore draw at the Utilita Bowl

ECB Reporters Network22-Apr-2024

Rob Yates made sure all of Warwickshire’s top three average over 100 after the first three Vitality County Championship fixtures – but his unbeaten 84 couldn’t prevent an inevitable draw with Hampshire.Yates, opening partner Alex Davies and No.3 Will Rhodes are three of the top four run scorers in Division One so far this season with averages of 123, 120, and 116. All three attempted to up the run-rate in a bid to force a result at Utilita Bowl but eventually rain won the day and the points were shared.Warwickshire pick up 13 points to Hampshire’s 10 – with neither side yet to win or lose a game after three rounds. The visitors began the day with a 136-run lead but had a positive approach to trying to win, even if the odds, and in this case pitch, seemed stacked against them.Davies was dropped at gully after adding one to his overnight score, and only added a single before advancing to Mohammad Abbas and skewing to short third to end a 56-run opening stand. He now has 481 runs this season and sits top of the charts.Yates was tasked to keep the scoreboard ticking, while the proper aggression came from the other end, with Rhodes, Ed Barnard and Dan Mousley not needing a second invitation to attack. Boundaries remained tricky to consistently score but Warwickshire particularly impressed with their running between the wickets, which added runs consistently at over four runs an over.Rhodes is up to 348 runs in the Championship but his 25 off 39 was ended when he was leg-before to a delivery which turned from Liam Dawson. The degree of spin would have excited Warwickshire, and their spinners Danny Briggs and Yates, as they started to plot the perfect time to pull out and put some pressure on the hosts.The Yates and Rhodes alliance had brought 46 runs and Yates continued with Barnard in a similar vein – with a 54 run stand, as Yates picked up his half-century in 84 balls with a delicious cut to the boundary.Barnard fell for a 17-ball 18 when he skied Dawson, with the left-arm spinner settling underneath it himself. Mousley picked out mid on after a quick-fire 14 before the drizzle that had come down throughout the morning got slightly heavier after lunch and saw play stopped at 2pm.It proved terminal, as hands were shaken two hours later, with Hampshire at the foot of the table and Yates left unbeaten after his third 50-plus score of the season.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirms as much; also says it’s mandatory for centrally contracted players to play domestic cricket when fit

PTI and ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2024Rohit Sharma will lead India at the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup. BCCI secretary Jay Shah said as much on Wednesday, while speaking to the media at an event in Rajkot, adding that Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach of the team will also run till the global tournament*.This will be the second time Rohit leads India at a T20 World Cup, having done it in 2022 as well. In that tournament, played in Australia, India lost the semi-final to eventual champions England. Rohit did not feature in T20Is after that, not playing a single T20I in 2023. But he was called back in January 2024, to lead against Afghanistan. That move from the selectors seemed to signal Rohit was all but certain to lead at the World Cup, which will be played in the USA and West Indies in June. Shah, today, confirmed the same.Related

• Hardik takes over from Rohit as Mumbai Indians captain

• 'Wanted to take pressure off Rohit' – Boucher on Hardik captaining Mumbai

“The fact that he was returning after a year to lead in the Afghanistan series recently meant he was obviously going to [lead in the T20 World Cup],” Shah said at an event to rename the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot the Niranjan Shah Cricket Stadium.Under Rohit, India lost last year’s ODI World Cup final at home, and days later Suryakumar Yadav was leading the T20I side against Australia. Suryakumar also led India in the shortest format in South Africa in December, and Mumbai Indians announced that Hardik Pandya would be taking over captaincy of the franchise from Rohit. Then, Rohit made his comeback against Afghanistan in January. After bagging ducks in the first two matches, he scored 121 not out, becoming the first man to five T20I hundreds.Shah said that while Rohit will lead India at the World Cup, Hardik – who had led India in the shortest format in several series in 2023 – remains the primary long-term option. Shah said Rohit’s recall in the short term was necessitated by Hardik getting injured during the ODI World Cup. “In T20s, Hardik will be the captain for certain [in the future].”Rohit has the ability, we know. As he showed in the ODI World Cup where we won 10 matches in a row until the final. I am confident that India will lift the 2024 T20 World Cup under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in Barbados.”

Will Virat Kohli play 2024 T20 World Cup?

Like Rohit, India’s selection committee, led by former pacer Ajit Agarkar, had also recalled Virat Kohli for T20I series against Afghanistan. And like Rohit, Kohli, too, was back for the format for the first time since the 2022 T20 World Cup.Asked today whether Kohli will be part of the showpiece event in June, Shah merely said: “We will talk about him [soon].” Kohli had opted out of the first match of the Afghanistan series for personal reasons, but played the final two games, scoring 29 and a duck.Since then Kohli has not played, having opted out of the England Test series too for personal reasons. Shah said the BCCI will continue to support Kohli but offered no other details on his absence. “If a person, for the first time in a 15-year career, asks for personal leave, it’s his right. Virat is not a player who will ask for leave for no reason. We need to trust our player and back him.”

Dravid to remain head coach till T20 World Cup

Dravid’s contract ended after the ODI World Cup final last year, but he was asked to continue in his role along with other support staff for the December-January tour to South Africa without finalising the tenure. But Shah said that he had held an initial talk with Dravid before arriving at the decision to retain him.”After the [2023 ODI] World Cup, Rahul had to leave for the South Africa tour immediately. We did not get to meet in between which finally happened today,” Shah said in Rajkot. “Why are you worried about a contract for such a senior person like Rahul Dravid? Rahul will remain the coach in the T20 World Cup.”Shah, however, indicated that the BCCI will hold a few more rounds of discussions ahead of the event. “I will speak with him whenever there is time, there are back-to-back series happening right now,” Shah said. “They were in South Africa, then there was a [T20I] series against Afghanistan and now England. We did not get to speak in between at all.”

Will India travel to the Champions Trophy in Pakistan?

Shah was also asked whether India would travel to Pakistan next year to play the 2025 Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to be between February and March. Shah said that was not for the BCCI to decide but for the government of India.”India’s position [on travelling to Pakistan] would be based on what the government decides,” he said.Pakistan travelled to India for the 2023 World Cup but, just before that, in August-September last year, the Asia Cup – hosted by the PCB – was played across Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with India playing all their games in Sri Lanka. With political ties between the two countries being strained, India have not travelled to Pakistan for a cricket series since the 2008 Asia Cup.

Mandatory for contracted players to play domestic cricket

Shah also said that it is mandatory for centrally contracted players, as well as those in the wider India pool as shortlisted by the national selectors, to play domestic cricket tournaments as directed. Shah said he spoke with Agarkar recently and gave him a “free hand” to take calls on the matter.Shah’s opinion on this was sought specifically because there has been questions surrounding wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who has not been playing the Ranji Trophy for Jharkhand despite being left out of the India squad for the ongoing England Test series.Shah said while he would not draw attention to Kishan specifically, he would be sending out a directive soon that all fit centrally contracted players need to make themselves available for selection in domestic cricket. “I am going to write a letter tomorrow that if the chairman of selectors, coach or captain tell you that you have to play red-ball cricket, then you have to play. We will follow the NCA [National Cricket Academy] medical staff advice on player fitness. If you are fit then no excuse [for not playing] will be entertained.”This applies to all centrally contracted players, they have to play. The player cannot decide his future, the selectors need to decide that. If the player is good in red-ball, he has to play [the format].”

Chandika Hathurusinghe expects his young Bangladesh players to pounce on the experienced Sri Lankans in the first Test, starting in Sylhet on Friday.”We understand that Sri Lanka has an experienced batting line-up,” Hathurusinghe said, referring to the fact that Angelo Mathews (107), Dimuth Karunaratne (89) and Dinesh Chandimal (77) have played more Tests – 273 – than the entire Bangladesh side – 270.”They are a formidable side. Couple of the guys [only Mathews] maybe have over 100 Tests, but we are up to the challenge. The mood in our camp is good. We have a lot of new faces. We have different teams in red- and white-ball cricket. The new boys are bringing a lot of energy and enthusiasm.”Hathurusinghe sounded wary of the slight green tinge on the Sylhet pitch. Bangladesh did beat New Zealand in Sylhet in a Test last November, the drawn series giving them 12 points, while Sri Lanka are yet to open their account in the World Test Championship.”The pitch is a little bit different. The last one [against New Zealand] was bare without much grass. This one has a tinge of green grass,” Hathurusinghe said. “Weather will be a factor in this game. Taking all that into consideration and the opposition’s limitation and our strength, this is going to be a bigger challenge than the New Zealand series. We have to play our best game to beat Sri Lanka.”Bangladesh were dealt a blow before the Test when Mushfiqur Rahim, their most-capped Test cricketer, was ruled out with a thumb injury.”We are going to miss Mushy’s experience. He is in good form. It is very hard to replace this kind of experience straight away,” Hathurusinghe said. “Having said that, we are going to back our young players. [Towhid] Hridoy is coming in. We also have [Shahadat Hossain] Dipu and Shadman [Islam] in the squad. They have been with the Test team lately.”It is an exciting time for Bangladesh cricket with so many young players. I will ask them to grab every opportunity.”Hathurusinghe is especially keen to see Nahid Rana and Musfik Hasan, the two uncapped fast bowlers in the side, in action.”They are both exciting prospects for Bangladesh. They can both bowl 140-plus. They are very young, they are strong boys,” he said. “They made good starts to their first-class careers. They bowled lots of overs. I am looking forward to seeing one of them playing in this game, if not both.”There is also going to be some spotlight on Litton Das, who was dropped from Bangladesh’s last game in the ODI series, which they won 2-1. “I expect him [Litton] to bring lot more runs in red-ball cricket. He is playing well,” Hathurusinghe said. “It is a different ball game. He will have more time to get himself in. We have no doubt about his talent. We know that he is going through a little bit of a rough patch in white-ball cricket. We hope that he will come back to form.”

Neil Foster was one of the unlikely heroes when England last won a Test series in India in 1984-85

Andrew Miller27-Feb-2006

Neil Foster took 11 for 163 in the 4th Test at Madras © The Cricketer International
“I thought at the time the India tour was going to be the turning point of my career, having had success out there, but it didn’t really work out like that. It took several years for me to establish myself in the team after that, and so looking back, it was very much the highlight.As a tour it was both fascinating and problematical. I’d never been to a place like it. Admittedly, I’d been to Pakistan the winter before, but that seemed like just a brief stopover. This was a full five-Test tour, and I really got to see a lot of the country.Cricket-wise it was an interesting time to be out there. India were the world one-day champions and tended to be quite aggressive in the way they played their cricket, which helped us get results, as opposed to the long-drawn-out draws that historically tended to happen.And off the field, of course, a lot was happening as well. It was quite surreal to arrive in the country and hear that Indira Gandhi had just been assassinated that morning. Obviously we didn’t know what had happened to start with, but then, as the penny dropped, it became apparent that it would have a big effect on the early part of the tour.Initially we were shunted off to Sri Lanka, which was again a new experience. It was much hotter over there, so for acclimatisation purposes, it was a good thing. But then, when the British Deputy High Commissioner, Percy Norris, was gunned down in Bombay, India seemed quite a dangerous place to be. For a while, we didn’t know why he had been assassinated, and whether it was a specifically anti-British thing. So for a while, we felt vulnerable.For a while there was some discussion between the players and the management as to whether the tour should be called off, but to be honest, it was the management’s liaison with the British High Commission and the Foreign Office that made the final call to carry on. At various times, certain groups of players might have felt uncomfortable, but in truth, that was as much to do with homesickness as fear.We went on to lose the first Test, but that had less to do with low morale and more to do with the umpiring! Swaroop Kishan did not have a good match, and we very definitely came second-best in his decision-making. He only did that one Test and he didn’t get a chance to do another one, and yes we did complain because it was not acceptable. From the second Test onwards, it was more of a level playing field.Before the arrival of neutral umpires, you felt as though your hands were tied behind your back. No matter how well you played, you couldn’t get a win. Their legspinner, Laxman Sivaramakrishan, did bowl well, and because he was new on the scene we hadn’t seen much of him before, but to their credit, in the later games, our batsmen played him much better and his influence really waned. We weren’t a side full of star names, so some of the guys had to step up to the plate and did really well.

Paul Downton dives to catch Dilip Vengsarkar off Neil Foster in the 4th Test at Madras © The Cricketer International
My chance came at Madras in the fourth Test. Up until then, I hadn’t been considered strong enough for the first XI, but Paul Allott had already gone home injured so that made me first reserve, and Richard Ellison bowled a heap of overs in the Calcutta Test and went in the back. So the choice became either me or Jon Agnew.I hate to say it but they very nearly plumbed for Agnew, even though he had only been on the tour a couple of weeks. Had that happened, I would have been distraught, but fortunately it didn’t, and history says what it says. I did bowl well, the ball did swing which helped, but it was a pretty good wicket as shown by two of our guys getting double-centuries. I’m immensely proud of my achievement, and that is the highlight of my career, without a doubt.I think given my tender years [22 at the time], it was the best I’ve ever bowled. In other games, I might have bowled better technically – I took eight wickets in an innings against Pakistan at Headingley, for instance – but given the whole mixture of things; my age, the country we were in, the strength of their batting, it’s got to be the highlight. And perhaps most importantly, we went on to win the series, and my 11 wickets had a big bearing on that. To take wickets in a game you don’t win is pretty inconsequential.The match was set up for us because we bowled them out quickly and cheaply in the first innings. That gave us a lot of time to accrue the runs, and Mike Gatting and Graeme Fowler did brilliantly. As a touring side, when you have two guys batting for as long as they did without losing a wicket, you get to the point where you can relax a little bit, and you don’t generally get that in Test cricket. It was fantastic, particularly in such high temperatures, and to concentrate for that long is an amazing thing.One Test later, Foxy Fowler’s Test career was over. It was harsh, but that decision was always there in the making, with Graham Gooch waiting in the wings to come back from his ban for touring South Africa. Goochy was a fine player and quite rightly reselected, but it was harsh on Foxy, who was a good lively team man, and a great contributor on tour with his sense of humour. You always think that a big game is going to set you up for a few more, but in those days that wasn’t always the case. Now, fortunately, it is.Even though we had a huge first-innings lead, we still had to get past Mohammad Azharuddin, who was in a phenomenal run of form. Usually you’d get to see a player beforehand and bowl with a general theory to him to explore his weaknesses. But Azhar didn’t seem to have any weaknesses. He’d got runs against us in a friendly match before the series, and followed up with hundreds in his first three Tests, a feat that hasn’t been equalled. We couldn’t find any answers for him. He was a fantastic player, but as his career unfolded he tended to play far more aggressively than when we first came across him, and so gave more chances. But at that time, we simply didn’t know where to bowl at him.We went into the final Test needing a draw to take the series, and mentally that does affect your strategy. Ideally you would say you are going out to win a game, and play the best cricket you can. But in crucial matches, you get a lot of talk beforehand about what the wicket may be like. We didn’t expect them to produce a flat wicket, but our preparation was a bit uncertain. As it happened the wicket looked like crazy paving and we thought it would spin, but it didn’t, it just stayed flat. Without playing astonishingly good cricket, and without being entertaining, we managed to grind out a draw pretty comfortably.Historically, India are always a tough side to beat at home, but especially in that era before neutral umpires. People should never underestimate the effect that the umpiring had in assisting India at winning games of cricket. You only have to look at the statistics to see that we would have a lot of lbws given against us, but there would be pretty much none given against them.Nowadays, the umpiring is more even, but India are still very very strong at home. They are used to the conditions and the weather, and a long tour can obviously be trying for visiting sides. There’s the acclimatisation process in general, plus the sights you might see and the illness that sometimes pervades. All of which makes it very difficult. And so, for our side to have come back from 1-0 down, it’s almost unheard of really.

On a pitch which at last offered the bowlers some hope, the difference between Pakistan and India was the manner in which their bowlers exploited that assistance

On the Ball with S Rajesh01-Feb-2006On a pitch which at last offered the bowlers some hope, the difference between Pakistan and India was the manner in which their bowlers exploited that assistance. Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif and Abdul Razzaq got seam movement almost throughout both Indian innings, while Irfan Pathan and Co. faded dramatically after that sensational first hour on the opening day.The key stat here is the number of wicket-taking opportunities that the bowlers from the two sides created: despite getting lucky with the toss, India ended up with only 12% deliveries which troubled the batsmen and induced edges, beat the bat or hit the pads. For Pakistan, that figure was a much higher 20%. And though Asif and Razzaq took most of the plaudits with seven wickets each, the bowler who troubled the batsmen the most was Shoaib. He ended the match with modest figures of 3 for 107, but nearly 27% of his deliveries drew false strokes from the Indian batsmen, a much higher figure than what Asif (19%) or Razzaq (17%) managed.Apart from Yuvraj Singh’s century, the one bright spot for India was Sourav Ganguly’s fluent form. He only scored 37, but his decisive footwork and fluent strokeplay suggested he would score many more. He had an in-control factor of 93%, and made only four mistakes in 56 deliveries. Unfortunately for him, the fourth one was a decisive error, and ensured that there’ll continue to be a question-mark over his place in the side.

It has been error-strewn match so far, with batsmen being given not out when they should have been out, and given out when they were not

Sambit Bal at Trent Bridge29-Jul-2007

‘It was the second successive time Sachin Tendulkar has been dismissed in the 90s at Trent Bridge, but in contrast to his 92 in 2002, which came off 113 balls and featured a number of scintillating strokes, this was a battling effort’ © Getty Images
You know all’s not well when umpires become the topic of discussion during a match and a good day for India in the field, their third in succession, will inevitably be overshadowed by the debate over the two decisions that denied two of their batting stars, most certainly on the their last tour of England, what would have been well-earned hundreds.Umpiring decisions, it is said, even out in the end and England – who were at the rough end yesterday – got two lucky breaks today. Umpires, like players, are entitled to poor matches, and Simon Taufel, who has been adjudged the best umpire in the world by the ICC, got two dreadfully wrong today.Players are usually far less exercised by the odd umpiring decision than fans, for they have a far greater appreciation of the difficulty of the job, but both Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly left fuming today. It could have been because both were in sight of hundreds but it could equally be because the decisions were so obviously wrong.Without doubt, Taufel has had a bad series so far. At Lord’s he gave Rahul Dravid and Kevin Pietersen out wrongly. Those were marginal decisions though, compared to the poor ones today. Tendulkar had reason to feel aggrieved because, even though he offered no stroke, he seemed to have read the line of the ball correctly. It didn’t look out and the fact that Taufel deliberated his decision would seem to indicate uncertainty. It is not criminal to have the benefit of the doubt extended to the bowler occasionally, particularly when he has beaten the batsman with a good ball, but it wasn’t the case with Paul Collingwood.James Anderson was even less deserving of Ganguly’s wicket. He had been England’s worst bowler of the day, unable to hold his line and serving up boundary balls with regularity and the ball that got Ganguly was almost as much a shocker as the decision that followed. Not only did the bat not make contact with the ball, there was no other contact, either with the pad or with the ground, that could have persuaded the umpire in favour of the appeal. In the end, the decisions perhaps squared things a bit. The point isn’t about which side benefited more, but that it has been an error-strewn match so far, with batsmen being given not out when they should have been out, and given out when they were not Later, Ian Howell’s two leg-before decisions to Monty Panesar proved that tailenders are not often awarded the generosity extended to top-order batsmen. RP Singh was no more out than Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik, who got away yesterday, and Sreesanth, the last man, was not out.In the end, the decisions perhaps squared things a bit. The point isn’t about which side benefited more, but that it has been an error-strewn match so far, with batsmen being given not out when they should have been out, and given out when they were not.Not that India should lose sleep over these decisions because it has been the perfect Test for them otherwise. Even though none of their batsmen got to a hundred, it has been a wholesome batting performance. The openers exceeded expectations and the middle order lived up to it. Batting has grown progressively easier this match but the point is the pitch has been absolutely flat. It has been the kind of a pitch on which settling in hasn’t been easy but each of India’s top order did, and five of them scored half centuries. It wasn’t as dominating or sumptuous a performance as in Headingley in 2002 but it was attritional, skilful and, at times, gorgeous.Most importantly, only twice in the innings did two top-order wickets fall in quick succession. The openers added 147, but got out within two runs, Dravid and Tendulkar then added 97, which was followed by a 96-run partnership between Tendulkar and Ganguly and a 67-run one between Ganguly and Laxman. And after Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni had fallen within the space of five runs Laxman and Anil Kumble added 50 runs. With the pitch never absolutely benign, a collapse was never out of question, but Indians averted it with alacrity.It was the second successive time Tendulkar has been dismissed in the 90s at Trent Bridge but, in contrast to his 92 in 2002, which came off 113 balls and featured a number of scintillating strokes, this was a battling effort. He didn’t score a run off Chris Tremlett for 18 balls yesterday and this morning Ryan Sidebottom kept him on the edge for more than an hour. Off the 48 balls he received from Sidebottom in the morning Tendulkar scored a mere seven runs, with three scoring shots, and was beaten six times outside the off stump and had three vociferous appeals turned down. At the first drinks break, Sidebottom was on his back as if saying, “what more do I need to do to get you out?”To Tendulkar’s credit, though, his concentration never wavered; he was alert to tuck and square drive Anderson for fours, and danced down the wicket to hit Panesar inside out over extra cover. It was a stroke reminiscent of his dominance of Shane Warne. Centuries are sometimes accorded exaggerated value; this was an innings far more significant, both in quality and importance to his team, than Tendulkar’s last two hundreds.The most fluent innings of the day, however, came from Ganguly. His footwork was decisive, his leaving outside the off stump was assured and his timing impeccable. While Tendulkar faced Sidebottom almost exclusively through the morning session, Ganguly took over the scoring at the other end, dealing mainly in boundaries between gully and extra cover. Michael Vaughan posted two gullys and two more men square of the wicket on the off side but Ganguly still eased balls into gaps and, when Panesar came, cover-drove and cut him exquisitely.The lead of 283 is India’s highest, batting second outside the subcontinent. Their bowlers haven’t allowed England to go past 300 in the series so far. They will have to earn their wickets because bowling will perhaps be hardest on the fourth day, but the stage is now set for them to go one-up.

Bradshaw bowled 40 overs in the second innings and 25 of them on the trot on the fourth day, beginning before lunch and ending after tea

George Binoy05-Jun-2006On a day full of events – Wasim Jaffer scored his maiden double-century, Mahendra Singh Dhoni treated the crowds to spectacular hitting, and a controversial catch led to utter confusion – Ian Bradshaw put on an astonishing display of stamina and perseverence.Bradshaw bowled 25 overs on the trot on the fourth day, beginning before lunch and ending after tea. With Fidel Edwards injured and the Indian batsmen in no mood to relent, Lara turned to Bradshaw to fill in the overs. In the first innings Bradshaw had struggled with his line – often spraying it down leg side – but with Dwayne Bravo having an ordinary day and Corey Collymore bowling only nine overs, Bradshaw had to raise his game, and he did. The following graphic shows Bradshaw’s line in the first and second innings.Leading by 85 with eight wickets in hand, India began the fourth day with the intent of scoring quick runs. Jaffer and Rahul Dravid scored 65 runs in the first hour and Bradshaw was given the new ball immediately after drinks. In the next 13 overs before the lunch break, India managed only 28 runs. Bradshaw bowled without rest through the afternoon session, conceding just 20 runs off 11 overs. His only reward was Jaffer’s wicket – bowled by one that threaded the bat-pad gap.Bradshaw’s nagging line and length came at a crucial time, when India were thinking about accelerating to set a suitable target for the West Indies. Though Jaffer scored 212, Bradshaw had managed to beat him regularly by angling the ball away from over the wicket. Yuvraj Singh also struggled, often getting beaten on the front foot by the suprising lift Bradshaw was able to extract from a placid pitch. India scored just nine runs in the first seven overs after tea. Bradshaw carried on after the break, bowling another seven overs for 15 runs before Lara finally gave him a much-deserved break.

Arjuna Ranatunga, recently appointed the chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket, talks about his plans – both for the long run and short – and the changes Sri Lankan cricket needs

Interview by Charlie Austin18-Jan-2008

If you were to prioritise one aspect of Sri Lanka’s cricket that needs urgent attention and needs to be a key focus of your tenure in charge of Sri Lanka Cricket, what would that be?
Junior cricket. Our school cricket has been neglected for too long. I am not pointing fingers, I just think that that has been too much focus on the top, the national team, which has had a detrimental impact on junior cricket. There was a time, in the 1980s and even early 1990s, when a handful of cricketers, perhaps five or six, could be accommodated into the national squad straight from the school system – a school system that was the envy of the world. Sadly, this is no longer the case.What has gone wrong with school’s cricket?
I think the change to limited-overs cricket at the younger age groups – Under-13 and Under-15 – was a mistake. Even when we were 12, 13 and 14 we used to play full-day matches from 9.30am to 6pm. We’d play aggressive and positive cricket. But these days the kids play just overs cricket and learn less. In addition, coaching has become a business and winning has become too important. When I was growing up Sri Lanka had some fantastic coaches – the likes of Lionel Mendis, Bertie Wijesinghe and Nelson Mendis to name just a few – who were committed to cricket and had a huge passion. Nowadays, with a combination of pressure from school principals, Old Boy Associations and parents, all that matters is winning. Spinners are finding it tougher and players are not learning how to be creative and think on their feet. Go to a school match these days and the coach will probably be standing on the boundary edge setting the field. That approach is not conducive to developing quality cricketers.So what are you going to do about this?
Well, DS de Silva has been appointed by president Mahinda Rajapakse as a cricket advisor and we have asked him to spend four to six weeks researching the current situation. We hope he’ll be able to come up with a good solid proposal that will be discussed with a strong Cricket Committee, which is to be headed by Aravinda de Silva. We hope to have a plan for the future very soon.You have just completed the inaugural one-day Provincial Tournament, soon to be followed by the Provincial T20 and later this year a four-day competition – is this now going to become the bedrock of the domestic professional game?

Yes. We have to raise the standard of first-class cricket to bridge a growing divide between our first-class cricket and the international arena. We have the talent, no doubt about that, but our players are not developing as fast as they should be. For example, under the club system, a top batsman may be exposed to one high-class bowler in each game, but at the other end he’ll be able to pick off runs more easily. The obvious and only solution is concentrating the talent so the best players play against each other. The provincial system will achieve this. We’ve already seen this in the one-day series that finished recently. Batsmen were made to work really hard. The matches were competitive and the cricket of a much higher standard than normal club cricket. So we are looking at provincial cricket being the main competition, and the main arena for national selection. Below that we are considering the option of a district-level tier that feeds into the provinces – there are about 22 districts which could be feeding into their respective provinces. And then below this will sit the club system which will also remain a very important component of the national system.How do you anticipate the clubs taking this? It will be a radical departure from the current system and could be unpopular.
I am here to go the right job. When the president asked me to be chairman he gave me one instruction: “Get cricket right.” That is what I have to do. I will have to make tough decisions and I am ready to do that. That might make me unpopular in some quarters. But being popular is not as important as giving our cricket the right structure so that we can be a consistent global force. We need to be challenging Australia for the No. 1 position in the world.Interim and Executive Committees come and go promising to change the system and make Sri Lanka the best team in the world. Invariably, though, the status quo remains. How can you force through proper change and also safeguard those developments under future administrations?
It is too early to go into specifics, but the plan is for us to spend the next few weeks reviewing the current system. There will be lots of consultation and discussion. Crucially, our leading cricketers, from the past and present, will be at the forefront of this. Our job will be to come up with a proper plan which we will take to the sports minister. This can then become the basis of a national policy of cricket and a new constitution for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) that will protect us from the problems that have plagued us in the past. Now is the time to get things right.

So a feature of your administration is going to be the greater participation of the cricketers?
Absolutely. This is the key. It is the cricketers that have generated the television and sponsorship revenues that are now financing SLC and it is the duty of the administration to make sure this money is spent responsibly. Cricketers need to be in charge of the cricket board with support from high caliber administrators, including financial and marketing expertise. The cricketers are in the best position to get our cricket structures right. They have been through the system and they understand the needs of professional sportsmen. The Cricket Committee, headed by Aravinda, will have increased power to implement their policies and plans. I have ideas of my own, but it is this Cricket Committee that will shape the future of our game.Does this also mean a closer relationship being forged between the cricket board and the SL Players’ Association?
Yes, absolutely, we want the input of cricketers and we want to have a closer relationship with the SLCA. We are even looking at the possibility of them having an office within the board.Just prior to your appointment it was alleged in the media that the previous administration, headed by Jayantha Dharmadasa, extended the Ten Sports television agreement from the end of the current contract, due to expire at the end of 2008, to 2012 without a proper bidding process. What is the status of this?
The sports minister has put a stop to the deal for the time being. We now need to sit and discuss with the lawyers to find out what has happened and whether everything has been handled in a legal manner. All the documents are with the lawyers and we are awaiting their advice. It is too early to make any further comment, but it is an issue that we are addressing as a matter of importance.There was also talk of a corruption probe – is that taking place?
We want to do an independent financial and management audit and we are already speaking to leading audit firms about this. There has been 10 years of financial wastage in this cricket board and this needs to stop. We don’t have the money to waste – we have to spend our cash wisely. Thus, we feel professional expertise is required to get our financial and administration procedures right. We hope the audit can take place within a time frame of four to six weeks and that the recommendations will form part of the report or plan we forward to the sports minister.There have been several selection problems and controversies in recent times. How are you going to address this?
We do need to sort out the unpleasantness that has happened over the past year or so regarding selection. But to be honest I think a lot of this has resulted from miscommunication. With better communication we can have a much better system. We’ve already had a really constructive dialogue with the selectors. We don’t want to get directly involved in selecting teams. That is the job of the selection panel and not the cricket board, but I do feel that we need to better define their role within a national cricket policy. They need directives so we are all pushing in the same direction. For example, we need to be clear as to criteria for selection – should this be provincial or club cricket? We need to discuss and come up with a clear and open plan understood by everyone.

What are your initial thoughts on long-term development projects – is Pallakelle Stadium in Kandy going ahead and are any more big projects in the pipeline?
Yes, Pallakelle is going ahead although we have to raise the funds first. However, I also think we have enough international stadiums now. We also don’t have the money to keep spending millions on big projects. If outside investors come in, that’s fine. We can look at that, but we have to be sensible with our finances. Instead, my opinion is that our development focus should be on developing high-performance centres in each province and also a good ground and training facility in each district. These projects will be less costly and will ensure a greater number of cricketers island-wide will have access to quality facilities. It will spread opportunity and help us tap the huge talent in our outstations.In the past you have been quite outspoken about foreign coaches and critical of Sri Lanka’s failure to develop homegrown coaches. Will you be looking to develop more local coaches, physiotherapists and physical trainers?
We have top coaches and most of these are employed overseas. So this shows we have talented coaches in Sri Lanka. What I’d like to see is this talent being developed. And, in addition, we have to encourage more first-class cricketers into coaching and umpiring positions especially. We need to be able to fast-track them to make it an attractive career opportunity.In general, what are your ambitions in terms of the national team?
I want us to raise our standards to be able to compete with Australia. This is a very achievable objective if we can close the gap between domestic and international cricket. As I have said before, we have the talent here in Sri Lanka. We should be looking at the 2011 World Cup as a major priority. We have a great chance of winning that if we get things right now. That will also entail protecting some of our older players, like Murali, who I think should be playing in only major ODI tournaments in future. He is a huge asset for Sri Lanka and needs to be protected very carefully.How will your appointment change Sri Lanka’s position in terms of other nations? Will you, for example, aim to develop a close relationship with India?
We have to have a strong and close relationship with India, but we also have to have healthy relationships with the other Test nations. I think we have done pretty well in recent years in terms of attracting top teams to Sri Lanka, but I would like to see more proper tours. Two Test matches in a series is too little and we should aim for a minimum of three per series. In addition, we need to look at the A team and make sure they are playing at least one series outside Asia, one in Asia and one in Sri Lanka each year. We need them to be feeding players into the national team and that means they have to be playing more series in the likes of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to gather more experience of different conditions.

Andrew McGlashan looks at how Ireland fared in 2007

Andrew McGlashan23-Dec-2007

Ireland do a lap of honour after their stunning World Cup win over Pakistan in Jamaica© Getty Images
Irish cricket went through a rollercoaster of emotions during 2007; from the mind-boggling highs of World Cup victories against Pakistan and Bangladesh to the battle to retain their key players before finally ending the year struggling to financially break even.The World Cup success, for all the joy and excitement it brought to an awful tournament and the subsequent spark in interest it engendered back in Ireland, caused many of the problems for the Irish board (ICU). Despite the additional prize money, and the boost it provided to the game, there were increased outgoings in terms of costs of the team’s stay in the Caribbean and wages for the players. There was hopeful talk of central contracts being introduced to give players some security and encourage them to stay with Ireland, but reality quickly began to sink in.For two-thirds of the year the amateur Ireland players had the demands of professionals. They began with the World Cricket League in Kenya, a quick trip to Abu Dhabi for an Intercontinental Cup match then onto West Indies for what turned into a seven-week stay. After a raft of home-coming celebrations the squad was straight into the Friends Provident Trophy, further Intercontinental matches and a host of one-day internationals as the board tried to cash-in on Ireland’s new-found status.It was a reasonable idea; invite India, who were on their way to England, to play a few ODIs in Stormont, throw in another high-profile side – South Africa – and sell the rights for millions to an Indian broadcasting company. Sadly, these things rarely run smoothly and it took last-ditch negotiations for the games to be on TV at all. Thefinal value was less than had been hoped, then the weather intervened with temperatures barely in double figures and attendances poor.

Ireland celebrate their facile two-day win over Canada in the Intercontinental Cup final© ICC
Key players also became unhappy, making it a tough transition from Adrian Birrell to Phil Simmons, who took over as coach following the World Cup. Jeremy Bray refused to play following a double century in the Intercontinental Cup final where Ireland crushed Canada. He hit out at how the ICU was being run, while the players refused to undertake media commitments following an ODI against Netherlands in protest at a lack of payments. Meanwhile, Boyd Rankin and Niall O’Brien were securing their futures with county contracts. As Ireland found during 2007, success can only bring so much. At the end of the day, money talks.New man on the block
Australian-born Alex Cusack enjoyed a memorable ODI debut against South Africa in June, collecting 3 for 15 and an unbeaten 36 to walk away with the Man-of-the-Match award. A carpenter by trade, Cusack followed this performance with a maiden first-class century against Scotland in the Intercontinental Cup and he has the chance to establish himself during 2008 in a new-look Ireland team.Fading star
Jeremy Bray was a significant loss to the Ireland top order went he made himself unavailable for selection midway through the season. His century against Zimbabwe in the World Cup paved the way for a thrilling tie, but international bowlers soon worked him out with full straight deliveries. Back among his peers he still churned out runs, but his subsequent walk-out highlighted the problems Ireland faced.High point
St Patrick’s Day in Jamaica will go down as one of Ireland’s greatest sporting occasions. A motley crew of seamers skittled Pakistan on a green-top, before Niall O’Brien played the innings of his live to steer the chase close. After a late wobble, Trent Johnston, their heroic captain, completed the win with a mighty six. The celebrations were long and loud, just like the leprecon-led conga line whichfollowed the team around the Caribbean.Low point
Reality hit home when everyone finally had a chance to sit back from the afterglow of the World Cup. Cricket in Ireland remains a minority sport and with results reverting the momentum couldn’t be maintained. The ICU needed financial help from the Irish Sports Council and ICC and the early-year talk of professional contracts quickly disappeared. Probably forever.What does 2008 hold?
A year of trying to balance the books while keeping the players happy. The demands being placed on associate cricketers is far too great and an increasing number will find it unsustainable to complete their full-time jobs and play for Ireland. The next generation will get their chance at the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia, before the senior side embarks on another packed season. They begin with a tour of Bangladesh, then take part in the FP Trophy and have ODIs against their fellow Associates and New Zealand. Throw in the Intercontinental Cup matches and something will have to give.

ODIs 19 5 12 1 1 Twenty20 – – – – Intercontinental Cup 2 1 0 1

A statistical preview to the first Test between Sri Lanka and England in Kandy

Mathew Varghese30-Nov-2007England’s recent ODI series victory over Sri Lanka was a surprise, but they’ll still be the underdogs for the three-Test contest, which gets underway on Saturday. England have a good record in Tests against Sri Lanka, with eight wins and five losses in the 18 matches they have played so far. In Sri Lanka, though, both teams have won three Tests each.

The first Test of the series will be played at Kandy’s Asgiriya Stadium, the only home venue where Sri Lanka have lost more matches than they have won (six wins, nine defeats). And of Sri Lanka’s six victories, five have come against Zimbabwe, West Indies and Bangladesh in recent years. The venue has witnessed some close encounters, including England’s three-wicket win in 2001.The ground, though, is Muttiah Muralitharan’s favourite home venue – he has 108 wickets at an average of 16.06, and five more over the next five days will make him the leading wicket-taker in Tests. Murali is his side’s leading bowler against England as well, with 93 wickets at 19.74 apiece.

Among the Sri Lanka batsmen, Mahela Jayawardene has the most runs against England, at an impressive average of 52.71, which goes up to 66.22 at home. However, Sri Lanka will be without the services of Marvan Atapattu, who retired from international cricket after the Test series in Australia, and Tillakaratne Dilshan, who has been dropped from the squad for the first Test.

Apart from Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood, England’s frontline batsmen for the series haven’t played a Test in Sri Lanka. Their leading run-scorers in Sri Lanka are two left-handers – Marcus Trescothick and Graeme Thorpe. Paul Collingwood has had a poor run in Sri Lanka – 89 runs in four innings – but he is the team’s best batsman in Tests played in the subcontinent (excluding Bangladesh).

The bowlers in the squad are equally new to Sri Lankan conditions, with only James Anderson and Matthew Hoggard having played a Test each in the country. England’s leading wicket-taker in the subcontinent (excluding Bangladesh) in the last ten years is the retired Ashley Giles, with 51 wickets, followed by Andrew Flintoff, who is also missing from the touring party.

The team winning the toss has a slight advantage in Kandy, with nine wins and six losses.

England’s fast bowlers will be encouraged with the numbers in Kandy, though – pace has accounted for 197 wickets at an average of 28.36.