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Head coach says it was Dhoni’s decision to step down from the captaincy after a “lot of consideration”

Deivarayan Muthu21-Mar-20244:52

Is this the right time for Gaikwad the captain?

It was MS Dhoni’s call to hand over the Chennai Super Kings captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, ahead of IPL 2024, their head coach Stephen Fleming has revealed on the eve of the tournament opener in Chennai.”It was MS [Dhoni’s decision] with a lot of consideration and one view to the future on the back of a good season last year,” Fleming said at his press conference on Thursday. “The timing was good. Behind the scenes, Ruturaj and others have been on a, say, a captaincy-grooming process, looking forward to days like this and the opportunities come up, but MS is the best judge and he felt the time was right.”Related

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• Gaikwad: Last year itself, Dhoni had hinted about captaincy

• A season begins, an era ends, and life goes on for MS Dhoni

• Dhoni's new role, Kohli's comeback in focus in IPL 2024 season opener

• Dhoni stepping down as captain opens up tactical possibilities for CSK

For the second time in the last three seasons, CSK have sprung a surprise by naming a new captain on the eve of a season opener. In 2022, Ravindra Jadeja had taken over as captain from Dhoni, but the transition wasn’t particularly smooth with Jadeja stepping down midway through the season after CSK had lost six of their first eight games during that season.Dhoni took back the leadership and then led CSK to a fifth title in IPL 2023 to draw level with Mumbai Indians.Fleming said that the captaincy switch in 2022 was bit of a wake-up call and that the franchise is now better-prepared to work under a new captain and build for the future.”Well, the big thing about a couple of years ago was that we probably weren’t ready for MS to move aside,” Fleming said. “And what that did was probably shake us as a leadership group or coaches into looking at the possibility when he does go. And up until that stage, it was almost unthinkable, but it sowed the seed. So, we’ve worked pretty hard on making sure that any mistakes that were made during then aren’t made again. And that the leadership isn’t a secret.”Fleming also suggested there could be some on-field mentorship from Dhoni – and other senior players – to help Gaikwad ease into the new role. Gaikwad becomes only the third player other than Dhoni to lead CSK in the IPL. The 27-year-old has led Maharashtra in 13 T20s and India in three T20Is during the Asian games in Hangzhou, where they won the gold medal.”Yeah, I hope so. It’s getting that balance right without interfering, but also providing that leadership that you can’t ignore,” Fleming said. “It’s been too long and he’s too big a presence that you don’t just turn that off, you use it. And finding that balance and being able to use the Jadejas and Dhonis and help Ruturaj as he develops is very important. In the middle, we’ll take a little bit of trial and error to a degree.”Ruturaj is very self-assured. Again, he’s not the most demonstrative captain or person around, but he’s got a very good approach with his fellow players and he’s very well-respected. So I think my understanding from the senior players is the desire to help.”Gaikwad is looking forward to leaning on the experience of Dhoni and Co. “[It] feels good. It’s a privilege, but more than that, it is a huge responsibility,” Gaikwad told CSK’s social-media channels. “I am really excited because of the kind of group we have. Everyone is experienced enough. So there is not much of a thing for me to do. I have Mahi [Dhoni] in the team, Jaddu [Jadeja] , and Ajju [Rahane] , who have been great captains to guide me.”Fleming revealed that Ruturaj Gaikwad has started to get groomed as CSK’s captain behind the scenes•BCCI

Gaikwad is one of CSK’s biggest success stories in the IPL. In the 2019 auction, CSK snapped him up for his base price of INR 20 lakh and though he had a rough start in the middle order in IPL 2020 in the UAE, having just recovered from Covid-19 at the time, he has pressed onto become a versatile opener. CSK’s team management is particularly pleased with the evolution of Gaikwad.”So, we’ve been working very hard on making sure that the plans are in place, [so] that all players are more self-sufficient,” Fleming said. “And we are. It’s not [the case that] MS only has a wonderful sense of the game, but one of the things we’re proud of is the development of young players.”Last year [Tushar] Deshpande came through and then own that space and has done well in domestic cricket. So, it proves that giving ownership and trust to players really works. It’s not just the captain’s job to pull the strings.”So, we’re looking at that. And as I say, we’re more prepared now because they jolted us into looking at life after [Dhoni]. And in some ways, we’ve been a bit slow in doing that as a management group.”

Pakistan lost four wickets and scored only 18 runs in the last four overs of the T20 World Cup final

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-20223:33

Fleming: Pakistan made ‘massive mistake’ in last four overs

Pakistan were 119 for 4 after 16 overs in the T20 World Cup final against England at the MCG but managed to score only 18 for the loss of four wickets in the last four overs, and their approach at the death was a “massive mistake” according to former New Zealand captain and current Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming.”[Pakistan were] 121 [119] for 4 in 16 overs. There’s enough in that wicket to suggest that a 165-score is going to be a real good challenge,” Fleming said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out show after the first innings. “There was inconsistent bounce, there was a little bit of movement on offer and it was turning.”So as a unit, you should be saying that ‘we’ve got some artillery here, we know that we just need to get a score on the board and we will be competitive’. The fact that the last four overs went for 16 [18] runs, I think that’s a massive mistake.””Even at 10 [runs per over], you get to 161 and if you have one good over, you get to 165 which I think is more than competitive given what we have seen,” Fleming said. “Especially given the turn, which was unexpected, and the little bit that’s on offer for probably a quicker and more skilful pace attack. So yeah, there was a lot going on up to that point, but Pakistan missed a massive trick.”Fleming said that Pakistan did not read the ground dimensions and conditions well. “Teams often go to the MCG and they think traditionally, we’ll get to 16 overs and then we’ll whack ourselves 15 runs an over and we’ll get a great score. The MCG is not that ground. If there’s any research that should have been done is on how to finish off an innings.”Shadab Khan was one of several batters caught in the deep•Getty Images

Pakistan’s last three recognised batters – Shan Masood, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz – were all caught attempting the big hits at the MCG. “The ones and twos that were so good all the way through the innings, they disappeared and all of a sudden they were just trying to hit it out of the ground over 85 metre boundaries,” Fleming said. “And that just doesn’t work. Livingstone’s there, just picking it off. Sorry, I reckon it just wasn’t smart and it could cost them, the score of 165 was easily there.”Former Australia allrounder Tom Moody said that Masood, who scored 38 off 28 in the final, laid down the right template with his running between the wickets.”We saw Shan Masood show the way to how to score runs at the MCG. His running between the wickets was superb, the twos that he ran, the pressure he put on the outfield, that didn’t really need to change,” Moody said, adding that Babar Azam’s dismissal was the turning point in Pakistan’s innings.”I think it was in the 12th over Babar was dismissed, and from then onwards, it just went south where they just seemed to lose sight of how to accumulate runs and get to that 160-165 that Flem’s [Fleming] talking about,” Moody said. “In a total of 120 balls, if you’re scoring six fours and two sixes [Pakistan scored eight fours and two sixes], I think that shows more than anything that no one else really got in on that surface to be able to in those last four overs pick off a few boundaries.”It was a pretty disappointing finish from Pakistan, they should be more than what they got and it’s really down to some poor management with their batting in the back 10 overs.”Former India captain and head coach Anil Kumble said Masood’s dismissal put the pressure back on Pakistan. “I think, like Flem [Fleming] mentioned, they were probably thinking boundaries and sixes and that’s what you are sort of tuned to in the last four overs. I think Shan Masood getting out at that time certainly put the pressure back on Pakistan, because he was someone who looked comfortable and he was in control of his scoring,” Kumble said.”And that’s something I didn’t see in even Babar, even though Babar batted well till he got out. Shan Masood looked in better control of the proceedings, in terms of how he wanted to manoeuvre the bowling.”That’s something, once he got out, it put pressure back on Pakistan batters and they only looked for boundaries which never came.”From 119 for 4, Pakistan finished on 137 for 8 in 20 overs – it was their lowest total batting first in this T20 World Cup.

Faf du Plessis, Shabnim Ismail, Imran Tahir and Laura Wolvaardt sign up as replacements

Matt Roller02-Jul-2021Nicholas Pooran, Alyssa Healy, Aaron Finch and Meg Lanning are among the latest overseas players to pull out of the inaugural season of the Hundred, with Faf du Plessis, Shabnim Ismail, Imran Tahir and Laura Wolvaardt signing up as replacements.A number of the competition’s leading overseas players have already withdrawn due to clashes with the international calendar and travel complications during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the ECB confirming 21 replacements on Friday after ESPNcricinfo revealed a number of pull-outs.The strong Australian contingent in the women’s competition has been particularly hit, with 10 players and head coach Matthew Mott pulling out of deals. With a mandatory two-week quarantine period on return home and an international season starting on September 19, there is limited scope for a rest between the two. Ellyse Perry is the only Australian women’s player who had initially signed a deal who will actually play in the competition.Mott has been replaced by Mark O’Leary, the Western Storm head coach, as Welsh Fire’s coach, while New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr has also withdrawn.Related

• Adam Milne signs as overseas player at Birmingham Phoenix

• Kane Williamson, Shaheen Afridi withdraw from Hundred, Lungi Ngidi signs for Welsh Fire

• James Anderson hopes Hundred encourages 'positivity' for England's Test players

Three South Africa women’s players have signed as replacements – Ismail, Wolvaardt and Sune Luus – while several WBBL regulars have also had deals confirmed, including Laura Kimmince, Erin Burns and Amanda-Jade Wellington.Chris Lynn and Josh Inglis are the only Australian players who will be involved in the men’s competition, following confirmation that Finch and Adam Zampa have joined their international team-mates in withdrawing. Finch’s withdrawal means that Northern Superchargers have replaced him as captain, with du Plessis taking over.There is a New Zealand flavour to the replacements confirmed, with Colin Munro and Glenn Phillips both confirmed alongside Adam Milne, Finn Allen and Jimmy Neesham, whose deals were previously revealed by ESPNcricinfo.Sanjay Patel, the competition’s managing director, said: “We know that the ongoing situation with the Covid pandemic and an incredibly busy international schedule has caused significant challenges for a number of international players, but we are delighted with the quality of players who have come in.”Sam Hain has replaced Wayne Madsen at Manchester Originals•Getty Images

Four replacement domestic players have also been confirmed: Jordan Thompson replaces the injured Olly Stone at Northern Superchargers; Ollie Robinson and Sam Hain come in for the retired Harry Gurney and the injured Wayne Madsen at Manchester Originals; and Will Smeed replaces the injured Henry Brookes at Birmingham Phoenix.Each of the eight men’s teams will make one further signing on Friday evening in the wildcard draft, with Jake Lintott, Dillon Pennington, Sam Cook and Freddie Klaassen understood to be among the players picked up.A number of women’s domestic players have also had deals confirmed, including the Southern Vipers offspinner Charlotte Taylor – who has joined Southern Brave – and the Northern Diamonds’ Steere Kalis, who has joined Northern Superchargers.Confirmed replacements:Birmingham Phoenix:
IN: Adam Milne, Imran Tahir, Finn Allen, Erin Burns, Will Smeed
OUT: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Adam Zampa, Kane Williamson, Ashleigh Gardner, Henry BrookesLondon Spirit:
IN: Josh Inglis, Grace Scrivens
OUT: Glenn MaxwellManchester Originals:
IN: Carlos Brathwaite, Colin Munro, Lockie Ferguson, Ollie Robinson, Sam Hain, Laura Jackson
OUT: Shadab Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Kagiso Radaba, Harry Gurney, Wayne MadsenNorthern Superchargers:
IN: Faf du Plessis, Jordan Thompson, Laura Kimmince, Laura Wolvaardt, Sterre Karlis, Kalea Moore
OUT: Aaron Finch, Olly Stone, Nicola Carey, Alyssa HealyOval Invincibles:
IN: Shabnim Ismail, Danielle Gregory
OUT: Rachael HaynesSouthern Brave:
IN: Devon Conway, Quinton de Kock, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Ella McCaughan, Charlotte Taylor
OUT: Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Amelia KerrTrent Rockets:
IN: Wahab Riaz, Heather Graham, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Rachel Priest, Ella Claridge, Emily Windsor
OUT: Nathan Coulter-Nile, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Elyse VillaniWelsh Fire:
IN: Jimmy Neesham (first three games), Lungi Ngidi (next five games), Glenn Phillips (until Pollard arrives), Piepa Cleary, Sune Luus, Georgia Redmayne, Bethan Ellis, Lissy Macleod, Nicole Harvey
OUT: Jhye Richardson, Kieron Pollard (partial), Georgia Wareham, Meg Lanning, Beth Mooney

Perera is seeking compensation for expenses, loss of income and damages

Andrew Fidel Fernando10-Mar-2020Kusal Perera may receive substantial compensation over his 2015-16 doping suspension, as settlement negotiations reach their final stages. The negotiations are understood to be with the World Anti-Doping Agency, but the eventual payment could come from the Qatar-based lab whose technically flawed finding occasioned Perera’s suspension.*The final amount has not yet been pinned down, but Perera is seeking compensation not only for the roughly US$ 100,000 he and his agent had spent clearing his name but also for loss of income and damages. Perera and his legal team had initiated the settlement process, choosing not to pursue legal action.Perera had been cleared of doping allegations in May 2016, but before that had been barred from playing and training for over five months, after a urine sample he had provided allegedly contained a banned steroid – 19-Norandrostenedione. The suspension had prevented him from appearing in the 2016 T20 World Cup, for which he would almost certainly have been picked.In fighting to clear his name through the early months of 2016, Perera’s legal team even put him through a polygraph test and a hair analysis. After Perera had appealed the suspension, an independent expert hired by the ICC found that the test results that occasioned the suspension were “not sustainable… for various technical and scientific reasons”. The ICC consequently issued a release stating that “there is no evidence that Mr Perera has ever used performance-enhancing substances”.The Qatar-based lab that made the unsustainable finding has also since been blacklisted by both WADA and the ICC.Although it is the ICC that issued the suspension, no financial liability is understood to fall on the body.*That WADA may not ultimately pay the compensation has been added since initial publication of this story.

Player receives penalty after team-mate raises complaint

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Jan-2019A Mumbai age-group player has been banned for three years for “gross misconduct” towards a team-mate during an all-India tournament in December. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) took the decision after a complaint was raised against the player by his team-mate on December 22. The ban will last till January 14, 2022, during which the player will not be allowed to participate in any cricket organised by the MCA, or represent Mumbai in any BCCI tournament.The player’s details are being withheld given that he is a minor.ESPNcricinfo understands that the in addition to using bad language, something the player admitted to during the inquiry by an ad-hoc committee set up by the MCA, the player exposed himself in front of his team-mate. It is understood that the player will appeal to the MCA to review the ban.This is believed to be the first such case where a player in India has been punished for a sexually offensive act in front of, and following a complaint by, his peers.The MCA’s verdict did not specify the offence. But in the notice sent to the player, the MCA said he was guilty of “gross misconduct and bringing the name of the association to disrepute”. It also pointed out that the player had resorted to “the ugliest behaviour, which has shocked the entire team. In fact, this [incident] also affected the team atmosphere and is against the very principles of sportsmanship and healthy atmosphere amongst the team members.”The verdict was reached by the ad-hoc inquiry committee, after a meeting held at the MCA office on January 14. In addition to hearing the player and the complainant, the committee also spoke with the team coach, manager and chairman of the age-group selection committee. The ad-hoc committee comprised MCA secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar, CEO CS Naik, and managing committee members Naveen Shetty, Ganesh Iyer and Shah Alam Shaikh.

Ben Stokes has been withdrawn from England’s Ashes squad, pending further investigation into his alleged street brawl in Bristol last month. Steven Finn has been drafted into the squad in his place

Andrew Miller06-Oct-20171:23

Stokes set to miss Ashes as Finn gets the call

Ben Stokes has been withdrawn from England’s Ashes squad, pending further investigation into his alleged street brawl in Bristol last month, with Steven Finn stepping into the squad for the full five-Test series.Stokes has, however, retained his place on England’s list of centrally contracted players for 2017-18, and could yet be recalled to the party if no further police action is taken. Alex Hales – who is also currently unavailable for selection in the wake of the events on September 25 – also keeps hold of his white-ball contract.In a raft of announcements from the ECB, it was also confirmed that three other players who had been out drinking with Stokes and Hales on the night in question – namely Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball and Liam Plunkett – have accepted a formal written warning and a fine for unprofessional conduct.All three players have paid an undisclosed sum to to the Professional Cricketers’ Association Benevolent Fund and the Hornsby Professional Cricketers’ Fund. The ECB added that the internal investigation into that matter had been closed and that it will make no further comment.The measures against Stokes and Hales, who were the only two England cricketers still present at the time of the alleged incident outside Mbargo nightclub, were last week referred to the Cricket Discipline Commission, headed by Tim O’Gorman, who will independently review any breach by the pair of the ECB’s directives and regulations.In a statement, Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, said that Stokes’ retention on an ECB central contract should be taken as a sign that the board were not prejudging the police investigation, but rather were seeking a measure of clarity for the whole squad ahead of what is guaranteed to be their highest-profile series in recent memory.”With the Ashes just around the corner, it’s important to give the players, the coaching staff and supporters some clarity around a complex situation,” Strauss said.”This decision will help us in the weeks ahead and give every player and the whole England set-up the best chance to focus on the challenge ahead in Australia.””We have spoken to Ben and assured him that our decision in no way prejudges the outcome of the ongoing Police investigation or Cricket Discipline Commission process, as can be seen by the award of Central Contracts.”Finn, who was overlooked in the original tour party in spite of a late burst of form for Middlesex in the County Championship, now steps in for what will be his third consecutive Ashes tour. In 2010-11 he claimed 14 wickets in the first three Tests, more than any other England bowler at the time, but four years later he was rendered “unselectable” after suffering a meltdown in his bowling action.”Steven is a high-quality cricketer, with considerable experience of both international cricket and Australian conditions,” said Strauss. “The selectors believe he will add to the range of options and the squad will be further supported by the arrival of the Lions in Australia in November.”The decision to replace Stokes, who would have been England’s designated No. 6, with an extra fast bowler instead of reinforcing the batting is an indication of how England plan to fill such a huge hole in their first-choice XI.The three other allrounders in the middle-order – Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and the wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow – can be expected at this stage to move up a place in the order, to allow England to retain a four-man pace attack.With James Anderson and Stuart Broad also sure to feature in the first Test at Brisbane on November 23, Finn will now be competing with Craig Overton and Jake Ball for the remaining place in the team. Ben Foakes, the reserve wicketkeeper, could also come into consideration if Bairstow – one of England’s most in-form players – is chosen as a specialist batsman.

Liam Plunkett’s four wickets enabled Yorkshire to edge a tense quarter-final against Kent on a dead Canterbury surface

Paul Edwards at Canterbury18-Aug-2016
ScorecardLiam Plunkett pulls off a vital return catch to dismiss Darren Stevens•PA Photos

There is an old cricketing saw that if you want to know how good a pitch is, you need to wait until both sides have batted on it. Like most proverbs, this is a useful saying only when used carefully; trotted out uncritically, it is tripe. This close and noble match, which ended with Yorkshire looking forward to a home semi-final against Surrey, illustrated the point.Between the two innings, as a St Lawrence ground which had brimmed with afternoon sunshine gave itself over to the gentler grace of evening, Kent’s supporters had reason to be optimistic. A Yorkshire side containing seven Test cricketers had managed no more than 256 in their 50 overs, a good score to be sure but self-evidently not the 300-plus the home fans may have feared.Kent skipper, Sam Northeast, may even have half toyed with notions of a Lord’s final. That would have capped a great season for the still youthful-looking Northeast, who has scored runs for the fun of doing so in the Championship. He has also been appointed club captain in succession to the slightly aldermanic figure of Rob Key. Sam Weller has taken over from Mr Pickwick.Eighteen overs into their innings the mood in the home dressing room was probably considerably less sanguine. Although 64 runs had been scored, four prime wickets had been lost, including that of Daniel Bell-Drummond, leg before to a David Willey yorker in the second over and Sam Billings, lbw on the front foot to Steve Patterson when he had made a mere single. Sandwiched between these dismissals, Northeast had gone, too, when he chipped a catch to Gary Ballance at midwicket.Thus did one Old Harrovian send another packing, although this very posh dismissal was moderated a little by the involvement of the bowler, Liam Plunkett, he of Nunthorpe Comprehensive. Maybe we should have known then that it would be Plunkett’s night, just as it had been against Essex at the same stage of the same competition a year earlier.

Alex Lees, Yorkshire captain: “I thought we were 20 runs or so light at the end of our innings, although Adam Lyth played quite beautifully, because we lost our way a bit after he got out. It is such an asset having someone like Liam who takes wickets in the middle overs, because in one-day cricket that is so important. Adil, at the end, bowled with great skill and it was testament to his ability that he got us wickets just when we needed them.”
Sam Northeast, Kent captain: “We lost too many wickets in the first 20 overs. We made a good show of it in the end but we were just not good enough overall today. We pegged them back really well on a pitch that was slower than we expected. Rashid bowled really well at the end, and we came up short.”

Faced with Kent’s grim situation, Darren Stevens and Alex Blake resolved to die with their boots on and their magazines empty, if necessary. The fifth-wicket pair took 61 runs off the next seven overs, most of the damage being done to the spinners, Adil Rashid and Azeem Rafiq, both of whom were lifted for sixes into the crowd sitting in front of the mustard-coloured crane on the Old Dover Road side of the ground.The pair had added 86 in 13 overs when Blake was caught behind by Jonny Bairstow for 50 when attempting to pull a bouncer from Plunkett but only edging a catch. Nevertheless, the later Kent batsmen took their cue from this stand and it needed some outstanding cricket from Plunkett to prevent them winning the game.Northeast’s men needed 109 off 20 overs when Blake was out and the rate was not to drop much above or below five an over for the rest of the innings. Crucially, of course, though, wickets were to fall, the first of them that of Stevens, whose leading edge was clutched one-handed with supreme athleticism by the diving Plunkett. Will Gidman gave the same bowler a much easier return catch two overs later but Kent battled on and the crowd warmed to themMatt Coles took a four and two sixes off a Rafiq over before being stumped off a Rashid googly – his foot raised just for an instant, but exposed by Bairstow’s fast work.Charlie Hartley and James Tredwell maintained a rate of five an over and 37 were needed off the last 48 balls. Yorkshire’s bowlers became nervous, then irritated. But with only 16 needed, Hartley was leg before to Rashid and his 29-run stand with the calm Tredwell was ended. Then a borderline lbw for Willey finally killed Kent’s chances when 12 runs were required, 13 balls were left and most in the 6000 capacity crowd were beginning to think that, just for once, hope was not going to betray them.All this floodlit tension followed a Yorkshire innings which had been dominated more by accumulation than the artillery which Blake and Coles favoured. Although Adam Lyth hit two fours and a straight six in his first 15 balls, the boundaries were not to flow with comparable frequency until the final over of the innings, when Rashid drove successive balls from Mitch Claydon to the Nackington Road for four and over midwicket for six. Claydon had been the early sufferer, too, when he pitched the ball up rather too far to Lyth, who rarely passes up such pleasant opportunities, especially when the deep field is as empty as a gambler’s wallet.But this early fun more or less marked the end of the visitors’ big shots. After Alex Lees had pulled Claydon straight to Blake on the square leg boundary, Lyth and Joe Root added 90 for the second wicket in 19 overs by pushing the ball into gaps, working it around and scampering twos.Root’s innings exemplified the few problems Yorkshire’s batsmen encountered on this pitch. England’s finest batsman is so well balanced at the crease that he is almost incapable of inelegance, yet the accuracy of the Kent attack and the apparent slowness of the wicket prevented him playing any of his straight drives or signature back-foot forces. Instead he and Lyth were content for the most part to milk Tredwell, the off-spinner conceding 52 runs off his ten overs.Root and Lyth’s partnership was by far the best of Yorkshire’s innings. Three other pairs added 27 runs apiece, a statistic which itself rather reveals the absence of rhythm in the visitors’ innings. The batsmen’s problems were caused – some would say merely exacerbated – by the accuracy of Kent’s bowling. The pick of the attack was the medium-pacer, Hartley, who was playing just his fourth List A game and will dine out on his removal of Root, well caught at deep midwicket by Blake for 45, and Bairstow, who drove too soon and chipped a catch to Bell-Drummond when he had only 9 to his name.Although Gidman later removed Tim Bresnan and Willey in the same over, the latter departing to a contentious leg-side catch by Billings when the ball appeared to have hit only the pad, the most successful Kent bowler was Coles. Like Chaucer’s Miller, “a stout carl for the nones” Coles has plenty of pace and perhaps more variations than is sometimes assumed. “Ful byg…of brawn, and eek of bones” he may be but there is craft there, too, and in this game, it was sufficient to account for Lyth for 88 when edging a drive and both Plunkett and Rafiq late in the piece. Coles finished with 3 for 39 and maybe he, too, was pondering spending a September Saturday in St John’s Wood as he ate his tea.Instead it will be Yorkshire’s players who have that chance when they play Surrey in a semi-final at Headingley a week on Sunday. Having set up one semi-final Lees and his players can now travel to Edgbaston to play in another. Kent’s players were left with deep disappointment and the ink-blue glory of a Canterbury night.Matt Coles dismisses Yorkshire’s top scorer Adam Lyth•PA Photos

Even in Division Two, the County Championship demands tenacity and bloody-minded resolve – especially for Surrey of late

Tim Wigmore at Beckenham26-May-2015
ScorecardZafar Ansari produced an impressive spell to take out Kent’s middle order•PA Photos

Even in Division Two, the County Championship demands tenacity and bloody-minded resolve – especially for Surrey of late. A back spasm limited Luke Fletcher to six overs in the match, the third time in four games that a Surrey bowler has been injured mid-match.With Surrey left relying upon two young pace bowlers and spin twins, a rarely spotted sight in England in May, it felt rather ominous as Kent cruised to 182 for 2 on the first afternoon. But Tom Curran and Matt Dunn, two men of whom much is expected at The Oval, shared six wickets to restrict Kent to 282 all out.Asking them to do something similar, even after Surrey had eked out a lead of ten, was to demand a lot. The wicket at Beckenham, enjoying its first Championship match since 2009, was a little slow and low, but possessed nothing of menace. Yet they dismantled Kent for a second time, Zafar Ansari and Gareth Batty sharing seven wickets, to leave Surrey well place for victory.”There was not anything out of the ordinary,” was the assessment of Kent’s Joe Denly, who reckoned that only “one ball misbehaved all day” after top-scoring with 66. That was a brute from Dunn, which lifted from a good length to catch Rob Key’s bat.Still, as Kent cruised to 97 for 2, the game had a rather somnolent feel, enlivened only by Denly’s delightful straight six off Ansari. Perhaps cruising too much after reaching an effortless run-a-ball 26, Sam Northeast then edged Ansari to slip.If Surrey could just about glimpse an opening, there was no hint of the bedlam to come. Attempting an extravagant heave, Fabian Cowdrey was stumped off Ansari, a shot that had locals accustomed to the technical proficiency of Cowdreys furrowing their brows. The following over Darren Stevens was neatly snaffled at slip after a delivery gripped and bounced. And the next ball Sam Billings, who did not quite join Ansari in making his ODI debut earlier this month in Dublin, got a leading edge straight to cover.Three Ansari wickets in four balls had transformed the game. Yet he was scarcely less impressive either side of that burst, bowling with purpose and poise, daring to flight the ball and eschewing the temptation to bowl flatter when he was driven. It was no isolated success, either. Ansari is Surrey’s highest Championship wicket-taker, with 20 wickets at 32.55 apiece, elevating himself above skipper Batty as Surrey’s leading spinner.Batty might not be the sort to care but he bowled as if a man whose pride had been prickled just a little. The delivery that spun between Denly’s bat and pad prompted howls of delight: Denly had married circumspection and class in his 66.Thereafter, there was only contrasting tail-end resistance to come. Calum Haggett batted with almost exaggerated care as he took 101 balls over 24 precious runs. Matt Coles took the opposite approach, driving with ferocious strength for 29 until slapping Batty to point. While Surrey had bowled with skill and control and fielded with intensity, no one could deny Denly’s verdict on Kent’s batting performance. “Some of the dismissals were on the soft side – mine included,” he reflected.Kent did enjoy the consolation of a wicket in the 11 overs they bowled at Surrey before the close, but with Rory Burns in counter-punching mood Surrey are left with only 151 more runs to secure their second victory of the season.A few minutes after leading Surrey off after his sterling bowling effort, Ansari trudged disconsolately off after playing around a straight ball from Stevens, and was in no mood to speak to the media after play. While the development of Ansari’s bowling has been one of the noteworthy aspects of Surrey’s season so far, there is good reason why few cricketers in history have combined opening the batting with being a frontline bowler.

After watching India bat through 160 overs, England were plunged into huge trouble in the closing stages of the second day as they lost three late wickets to close on 41 for 3 in reply to the hosts’ imposing 521 for 8 dec

The Report by David Hopps16-Nov-2012
Scorecard and ball by ball detailsFile photo: On day two in Ahmedabad, Cheteshwar Pujara made his first Test double hundred (ESPNcricinfo is not carrying live pictures due to curbs on the media)•Associated Press

After the certainty of Cheteshwar Pujara’s unbeaten double century for India, England’s fallibility against spin bowling was even more painful for them to bear. India have plotted turning pitches, they opened the bowling with a spinner and in 18 overs of gathering mayhem struck three times in the closing phase of the second day. Initial evidence at least suggests that England’s Asian nightmare is about to continue.One of those three wickets was a nightwatchman – Jimmy Anderson, who prodded the left-arm spinner, Pragyan Ojha to short leg – but that was small consolation for England. Nick Compton batted reasonably securely on debut until R Ashwin, who had opened the bowling, found sharp turn to bowl him through the gate. Jonathan Trott also fell to Ashwin for a fourth-ball duck, a cast-iron push forward and another catch at short leg off bat and pad.What a contrast this was with what had passed earlier. England knew little of Pujara before the series: a bit of a recce in a warm-up match, a few shots watched on a laptop, a provisional theory or two about how best to get him out and a worried expression or two from statisticians unable to deliver megabytes of data.England know lots more about Pujara now. When India declared, to leave England 18 overs before the close of the second day, Pujara had batted in accomplished fashion for more eight-and-a-half hours. But they still do not have much idea how to get him out. Not on low, ponderous surfaces like this, at any rate.When Jimmy Anderson took the first wicket by an England seamer, in the 158th over, there was an emotional argument for throwing the laptops in the skip, but England’s management stared into them with the staunch, glassy-eyed futility of a touring party under enormous pressure.The scorecard showed them that Graeme Swann, valiantly bearing an onerous responsibility as England’s only specialist spinner, had maintained an immaculate line, bowling in traditional offspinner’s style, to finish with 5 for 144. Swann added one more wicket on the second day, bowling MS Dhoni behind his legs, a deflection off a glove as he tried to sweep.Pujara’s progress will have had the connoisseurs purring. He played in stately and composed manner, producing a masterpiece of strategic thinking. Rahul Dravid has retired to England’s relief and they have walked straight into another India batsman with an insatiable appetite for batting. It is understandable how to an Indian eye he might occasionally resemble VVS Laxman, but his mindset is pure Dravid. He bats more elegantly but, like Dravid, has no need for flourish or frippery. The man himself, looking on from the commentary box, could not fail to be mightily impressed.

Smart stats

• Cheteshwar Pujara’s 206 is his highest Test score surpassing the 159 he made against New Zealand in Hyderabad in 2012. It is also the first double-century for India against England since Rahul Dravid’s 217 at The Oval in 2002.

• India’s total of 521 is their tenth 500-plus total against England overall and their fourth against England in home Tests. The previous 500-plus total at home came in Mumbai in 1993.

• The 130-run stand between Pujara and Yuvraj Singh is the fifth-highest fifth-wicket stand in Tests in Ahmedabad.

• R Ashwin is now the joint fourth-fastest bowler to reach the 50-wicket mark in Tests (nine Tests) and the fastest Indian bowler to reach the mark going past Anil Kumble (ten Tests).

• Graeme Swann’s five-wicket haul is his fifth in the subcontinent. His tally of 58 wickets in ten Tests is the second-highest for an England spinner in the subcontinent.

Swann apart, for England there was no encouragement. The ball refused to deviate, in the air or off the ground, for a hard-pressed seam attack as India’s first innings moved inexorably forward. After the Sehwag-fuelled start on the first day, India ground on, their rate slowing. By the declaration, they had added a further 198 at 2.82 runs per over. It was a day in which India’s domination was not expressed noisily but seeped into England’s consciousness.Pujara had rounded off the first day by driving Jimmy Anderson crisply through mid-off for four, a satisfying finale, but one which left him on 98 not out. England sensed an opportunity.Stuart Broad allowed him a comfortable leg-side single to move to 99, and hammed up a vociferous lbw appeal for a ball pitching outside leg; Swann bowled an intelligent maiden. But he picked off another single in Broad’s next over to reach his second Test hundred and celebrated with a quiet air of contentment. When he later reached 200 by steering Anderson past gully, the crowd were ecstatic at the success of one of Gujurat’s own, but Pujara struck you as the sort of level-headed man who does not dance easily in company.His innings, characterised by subtle placement and a sober mind, was a model of restraint and orthodoxy. How England must regret Anderson’s inexplicable misjudgement when Pujara was 8, dashing forward too far at mid-on as he misjudged the flight of Pujara’s leading edge against Tim Bresnan. The decline in England’s fielding has been marked for some time and, as Anderson showed again, it is afflicting both the best and the worst.The most romantic story of all failed to materialise. Yuvraj Singh made a successful return to Test cricket after treatment for cancer, but there was no comeback century, that hope ending when he was unhinged by a groin-high full toss which he whacked obligingly down to long on in the fourth over of the afternoon. Patel had the good grace to look sheepish.Yuvraj entertained, though. His skip down the pitch to strike Swann straight for six was the shot of the morning and was followed by a sweep that fell short of six by inches. Fifteen came from the over; if India broke Swann, England really were in trouble. They never did, but Yuvraj, as a left-hander, had an appetite for Patel, an inconsequential second spinner. His place at No. 6 is justified by his adroitness against spin but, in this Test, his own left-arm slows look slightly round-arm and unthreatening.

Virat Kohli has said India have been playing good cricket from the one-day series in England and were confident ahead of the ODI in Hyderabad

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2011India’s 126-run win against England in Hyderabad was a dramatic turnaround after they had been battered by the same opposition all summer, but Virat Kohli said they had been playing good cricket from the one-day series in England. Rather than any drastic change in approach, Kohli said it was the fact that the team had continued to stay positive through the 0-3 loss in the ODIs in England that allowed them to win the game.”I think we played really well in the ODIs in England,” Kohli said. “It was just a matter of crossing the line which we couldn’t do there. Unfortunately, a few times we had rain and Duckworth/Lewis coming in at the wrong time, though we can’t really blame that. We fought hard through that series and kept our heads high; and that probably made the difference in this first game here.”India were also helped by home conditions in Hyderabad and Kohli said the spinners would be the key through the series. The second ODI, on Monday, is at Kohli’s home ground – the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, where the pitch had been quite inconsistent during the IPL in April-May.”This pitch has always been on the slower side and there isn’t much bounce,” Kohli said. “Apparently it’s improved from before. You might not see too much bounce but it should be better than before.”In Hyderabad, it was slow and it spun, and the spinners did well. That’s our strength and we would like to exploit it as much as we can. The spinners know the conditions in India really well; it’s about them expressing their skills and if they get it right it’s very difficult to tackle them on Indian wickets.”England lost six wickets to the spinners in Hyderabad, and though they had more than a week in India to prepare for the series, Jade Dernbach says they are still adjusting to conditions. “Conditions here are very different from what we experience back home,” he said. “We have just got to adapt; we can’t use the different pitches as an excuse. We know what to expect and have had good preparation for ten days.”The pitch does play a part in how quickly I bowl, and how much pace I take off the ball for the slower ones. If the pitch is very slow, then obviously you get a lot more pace taken off if you bowl a slower ball, so it gives the batsman a bit more time to see it. Those are the things you have to adapt to in terms of deciding what variations to use, and you also have to consider boundary sizes and other things.”After the first one-dayer, MS Dhoni had said that while the pitches would help the spinners, the possibility of dew could play a big role in the series, as that would affect the spinners’ ability to grip the ball. “There will be some dew here in the winter,” Kohli said. “The team batting second will also have an advantage as the wicket will settle down. This is my home ground but I have played just two games here this year so I’ll have to see what happens in the match tomorrow.”England’s coach Andy Flower admitted his side had been out-fielded by India in the first ODI, something he said did not happen often. India have a young squad for the one-day series with several senior players missing, and Kohli said there had been a concerted effort to raise the standard of fielding.”We have started to warm-up for practice sessions with fielding now. It’s a daily routine though it’s left up to the individuals how much time they want to spend on fielding practice. Whenever you have time before nets or after practice, you go and put some time in on fielding.”All of us are trying to improve as a fielding unit because it makes a huge difference if you can save 10-15 runs in the first ten overs. It sends the opposition a message and from then on they are wary of taking you on for an extra run. It’s enjoyable fielding at home because you have 60,000 people backing you. If you are feeling a bit off one day the crowd lifts you. You can’t really teach someone to enjoy fielding as it comes from within.”