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Amit Mishra will turn 33 this November. He has been a first-class cricketer since 2000, and made his international debut more than 12 years ago. Yet now is the most secure he can feel about his place in the side. This is the first time he is starting a home season with reasonable hope of playing a significant part in all three India squads. Before the Sri Lanka Tests in August this year, Mishra had played every match of a series only twice – against South Africa in 2010 and against England in 2008, both at home – but even then he did not feature in the limited-overs sides on those tours.The only other time he was picked in all the matches of a series – not counting those when first-choice players were rested – was the World Twenty20 last year, when Mishra repaid the faith by ending up as India’s second-best bowler, only to be left behind later in the year by Karn Sharma in the Tests and Axar Patel in the World Cup side. If he was hurt, he did a good job of not making it apparent. With the Sri Lanka tour and a dearth of spin, especially with Ravindra Jadeja not coming back the same bowler post a shoulder injury, Mishra has capitalised on the opportunity. He can now feel comfortable that he is a first pick in all squads. Except that he isn’t taking his place for granted.”Whether I will play depends on captain and team management,” Mishra said on the sidelines of India’s pre-season preparatory camp in Bangalore. “I still can’t say I will play all the matches, but yeah I can say that the way I have performed I should get some matches. I am positive in my mind, I am positive about my bowling, I am looking to improve.”Mishra knows better than to take his place in the side for granted. He has been in and out of the side most of his career. As he said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo earlier this year, Mishra has come back a more mature legspinner. He has shown better control of his legbreak, and through some variations has shown he can get better of his old problem: slow turn, which used to let batsmen recover even if he beat them in the air.Asked if he has ever bowled better, Mishra said: “I can only say I have improved. I have worked hard.”Asked about the slowness, he said: “Yes I needed to work on bowling the right pace for different pitches and different batsmen. I have worked hard on my fitness, on my strength. Now I feel I can bowl the pace I need.”How much confidence does being assured of a place give him? “Nobody should think along the lines of whether he is in the side or not,” Mishra said. “Just work on your bowling. I have just thought of ways to improve over the last four-five years. That chases out negative thoughts from your head.”No doubt you are disappointed when not part of the team, but whenever I have been left out of the team I have looked for ways to improve. Work on my fitness [apart from the bowling]. Work on my fielding. Work on my batting.”Mishra said he worked on his batting too to become more valuable to the side. He said he learnt the value of lower-order runs when he captained Haryana, when he always looked for extra runs from himself and fellow bowlers. In a team that is looking to play five bowlers, Mishra’s runs will be welcome.On Thursday Mishra, along with 29 of India’s best cricketers, will begin to work on his bowling, batting and fielding again after a short break. Thursday will be the fourth day of India’s pre-season camp, which got off to a slow start with the board president dying on the eve of the camp.The first three days have been all about medical appraisals and fitness work. Players have mostly stayed indoors. They began with a visit to Hosmat Hospital for a medical check-up followed by training in the gym of National Cricket Academy at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. MS Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu had a net session on Wednesday, but it was optional activity.

Punjab, led by the returning Harbhajan Singh, were shot out 147 as Bengal‘s Pradipta Pramanik and B Amit shared six wickets between them on the opening day in Amritsar. Eighteen-year-old Shubman Gill, in his comeback match after an injury layoff, provided the lone resistance, top scoring with 63.Opting to bat, Punjab lost Jiwanjot Singh in the 10th over to Pramanik’s left-arm spin to trigger a collapse that resulted in them being shot out in just 46 overs. Gill apart, no other batsman topped 15. In reply, Bengal were off to a strong start, finishing on 70 for no loss at stumps, with Abhishek Raman (42*) and Abhimanyu Easwaran (33*) at the crease.Keenan Vaz led the middle-order resistance for Goa as they folded for 239 against Vidarbha in Porvorim. The hosts crashed to 92 for 6 having elected to bat first, as Vidarbha spinners Akshay Wakhare and Aditya Sarwate picked seven wickets between them. Vaz’s 72 took them to 216 for 8, before the last two batsmen folded.Diwesh Pathania (4 for 45) and Vikas Yadav (3 for 10) dismantled Chattisgarh as they were bowled out for 130 against Services on the opening day in Raipur. Wicketkeeper-batsman Manoj Singh’s 53 of 117, laced with seven boundaries, provided the sole resistance for the hosts, as four of their batsmen walked back for a duck. Services seamer Pathania scalped his fifth three-for this Ranji Trophy season. In reply, openers Navneet Singh (17*) and Ravi Chauhan (21*) took Services to 39 for no loss at stumps.

A 1-1 scoreline between England and Sri Lanka is an unexpected turn of events after the home side cruised to victory in the opening match. But England managed to exploit bowling second, which is clearly becoming a crucial factor, and draw level by 65 runs. With the monsoon rains arriving in Colombo, where the final two matches will be played, the third encounter of the series is shaping as a possible decider.But while it was England’s quick bowlers who put them on course for a win on Thursday, spin also played a role with Graeme Swann taking 2 for 27 to follow his important contribution of 34. And Swann’s impressive form means Monty Panesar, who began the tour as England’s No. 1 spinner in ODIs, is going to face more time on the sidelines unless the series throws up a pitch expected to be a raging turner.Captain Paul Collingwood has been full of praise for Swann, who is back in the international arena more than seven years after making his debut against South Africa in January 2000. But success for Swann means a frustrating time for Panesar, who hasn’t been able to force is way into the starting XI despite playing six of the seven matches against India when England won the series 4-3.”We all know what Monty can do but Graeme Swann is performing well and that’s what we’ve asked him to do and that’s what he’s been selected for – his contribution in all three dimensions of cricket is crucial to the team,” said Collingwood. “He’s been very good. He changes his pace very well and just his overall contribution has been pretty special.”To come in at number eight and perform with the bat as well is a big contribution, especially on wickets like this. His fielding is pretty good and to bowl his 10 overs for not many runs and take crucial wickets is a really good all-round performance.”It is Swann’s three-dimensional role in the side which is proving attractive to Collingwood and Peter Moores. Without the services of Andrew Flintoff, it is allowing them to play three frontline fast bowlers – James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad – while also adding extra depth to the batting. His offspin has also provided a wicket-taking option for Collingwood and he produced a perfect delivery to remove Tillakaratne Dilshan, who was bowled through the gate trying to drive.Sri Lanka are considering strengthening their spin attack with the inclusion of legspinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi after England milked the part-time offerings of Dilshan and Sanath Jaysuriya in the second match to begin their recovery. In an attempt to adjust to conditions under lights, should they be asked to chase again, Sri Lanka switched their practice session to the evening and coach Trevor Bayliss said he was surprised that all five matches were day/night fixtures.”We’ve still got to be confident playing at home, but the one thing I’ve found a little bit strange coming from Australia to here was that we’re actually playing five matches at night,” said Bayliss. “I can see the point of having one or two at night, but I thought that if there is a home-ground advantage, we’ve probably lost that by playing at night.”He said life would have been tougher for England if some day games had been included in the series. “If we’d have played in the middle of the day when it’s a bit warmer for the English guys, it might have been a bit more interesting. But that’s the sort of thing you have to put up with and that’s the decision that’s been made and we’ve got to work out a way to play in the conditions that we’re given.”Sri Lanka (probable) Upul Tharanga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Silva, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Jehan Mubarak, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara FernandoEngland (probable) Alastair Cook, Phil Mustard (wk), Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood (capt), Owais Shah, Ravi Bopara, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson

Dave Richardson, the ICC general manager cricket, has explained that the Members’ Participation Agreement (MPA) from 2007 to 2015 will provide greater flexibility for players taking part in ICC events.While almost all the other ICC members are ready to sign the MPA, the Indian board announced last week that it would not do so it in its present form because it affected its commercial interests.The MPA is a document which lays down guidelines and restrictions that the players must follow for ICC events, including those that deal with ambush marketing. “The new MPA will be more flexible for players than previous agreements regulating participation in ICC events,” Richardson said. “In drafting the player terms that fall within the MPA we have taken on board the views of players, including views expressed from India, to build a framework of agreements that will provide added benefits to players.”Players will be faced with fewer restrictions regarding their own endorsement deals and will have greater control over the use of their own player attributes before, during and after ICC events,” he continued. “The formal and informal discussions that we have had with players and their representatives indicate widespread support for these developments. The new system will have the added benefit of incorporating clearer guidelines and opportunities for all.”While the ICC is required to deal directly with the Indian board on player issues, I’ve always enjoyed a good relationship with the Indian captain Rahul Dravid and several of their leading players and, should the BCCI permit, I’d welcome an opportunity to answer any queries they may have.”However, the India board has taken a firm stand. “I think we made it very clear that we will not be able to sign the document in its current form,” N Srinivasan, the BCCI treasurer, told . “We differ on basic issues and are clear that certain basic minimum changes are required. We will inform the ICC of this by Monday, the deadline they have set us.”Percy Sonn, the ICC president, had said that if India failed to sign the MPA then it was possible that it could not continue as one of the joint hosts of the 2011 World Cup. However, he added that he hoped that an agreement would be reached and common sense would prevail.

It wasn’t so long ago – the summer of 2003, in fact – that the England & Wales Cricket Board decided that the best way to keep cricket alive in this country was to “sex it up”. James Anderson led the charge with his ill-advised go-faster hair-stripe, while a series of lifestyle profiles were commissioned, featuring the likes of Simon Jones and Marcus Trescothick in chiselled, arty poses, answering questions ranging from bat-care to skincare.Two years later, and the true elixir for the game has been revealed. All it takes is a winning team, and the endorsements start to roll in. According to a leading sports marketer, Andrew Flintoff will take his off-field earnings into the millions if England avoid defeat at The Oval this week. And as for the rest of them, there will at least be plenty fresh fruit to take home to the family.It’s not exactly sexy, but it is very wholesome, and that is the image the ECB are happy to cultivate, after forging a partnership with the Department of Health to promote the virtues of fresh fruit and veg. Anderson, back in the squad as a replacement for Simon Jones, had no red stripe this time, but Ashley Giles had a bunch of bananas on his head instead, as the “5 a day” scheme was launched at The Oval on Tuesday morning.”This wonderful Ashes series has caught the public’s imagination and created enormous interest in cricket,” said the ECB chairman, David Collier, as England’s bowlers gathered round a large bowl of fruit for a photocall. “It is our job to capture this enthusiasm and translate it into more people playing cricket and staying healthier. It also means using the power of cricket to promote important messages that everyone who plays cricket should follow, such as eating well and staying fit.”At the other end of the ground, Marcus Trescothick was being tapped up for another worthy cause, as he received the NSPCC Standards award, in recognition of the ECB’s commitment to child protection, via its Safe Hands programme – a scheme that was set in motion two years ago.”As a father I completely understand the importance of developing a safe setting for kids to participate in sport and in particular cricket,” said Trescothick. “The welfare and protection of all young people in our sport is of paramount importance and through the Safe Hands programme this Standards award recognises the effectiveness of this important project.”Sven-Goran Eriksson is expected to visit The Oval for the second day’s play, as cricket – temporarily at least – takes over from football as the most-talked-about sport in England. But for now, it seems, England’s cricketers have been identified as the sorts of role-models for the young that the footballers have conspicuously failed to be. And it is utterly unsexy, which is precisely the point.

The Videocon Cup has been touted as a dress rehearsal for the ICC Champions Trophy in England, but India and Australia are looking a step further. In October, less than a week after the Champions Trophy final, the two sides face off in a four-Test series which has been billed as the clash of the year.”It’s going to probably be the biggest series of the year. We all know that,” said Sourav Ganguly, who captained India to a remarkable come-from-behind victory when Australia last toured India in 2001. Speaking to AFP after India’s game against Australia was washed out, he said, “They will be definitely looking forward to coming to India and we will be looking forward to that series. They did well in Sri Lanka [when Australia won 3-0] so we’ll have to be up for it.”His counterpart, Ricky Ponting, termed the series “huge”, and zeroed in on Shane Warne as the bowler who could make the difference. Warne has had a successful time with Hampshire in the English domestic season and unlike previous tours to India, where he was plagued by niggles, he’s operating at peak fitness.”I think Shane can make a huge difference for us over there,” said Ponting, according to a report in . “The Indians have played him well on the last couple of tours to India, but I know for a fact Shane hasn’t been all that fit on the last couple of tours there. He’s obviously fitter now than he’s ever been, his body’s in great shape. Talking to Michael Clarke, who’s been playing with him at Hampshire, he’s bowling very, very well. If he can take some of that form into the Indian series I am sure he’ll play a big part for us.”Australia haven’t won a series in India since Bill Lawry led his side to a 3-1 triumph in 1969-70. Then, Ashley Mallett, an unheralded offspinner, had been the revelation, taking a bagful of wickets to offset the damage done by Bishan Singh Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna.Though Warne averages a dismal 52 in Indian conditions, Ganguly was in no mood to trivialise the challenge that he represents. “He’s their key bowler,” he said. “He will make a difference to any side. We’ve played him well over the years but obviously he’s the type of bowler who can win matches any day.”Ganguly also reckoned that the upcoming series would have a different feel to it in the absence of Steve Waugh. Waugh had been a part of four Australian Test tours to India, and also played in two World Cups on the subcontinent. “It will be different,” said Ganguly. “Steve’s a legend and people in India respect him. Obviously, it’s going to be a new side with some young boys.”He, and millions of Indians, will hope though that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Australia have been continuing their mind-games (or covering their backs, depending on how you look at it) ahead of the inaugural Test against Bangladesh at Darwin on Friday. Last week, Steve Waugh was warning that Australia were underprepared for the challenge. This week, Adam Gilchrist has been toeing the party line.”[The match] could be very difficult for us for a few reasons,” said Gilchrist. “Not so much that where we are playing or who the opposition is. But it is a unique time of year and despite our month off, we have about 10 months on the road with a serious amount of cricket.”It could be a feeling of difficulty to try and lift ourselves for that. I sense that there could definitely be a threat of that so we have got to make sure that we address it and don’t let it slip in.”Gilchrist’s fear of failure is relative. The Test has been described as cricket’s biggest mismatch of all time, and last week the former Australian batsman, David Hookes, urged the Aussies to win the match inside a day. That prospect, however attainable, is extremely unlikely.”We will keep using the word respect,” said Gilchrist. “We will respect the fact that it’s a Test match. And hopefully, if we win we’ll be able to do it to a level that we are happy with and let Bangladesh know where the standard of being one of the best Test teams in the world is at.”Brett Lee was equally keen to put in a wholehearted performance. “I think that it is not fair on them if we don’t go out there and try toput on a really good show,” he said. “I think the best way to learn is for us to go out there and put on a really good performance against them. That’s the way they can actually get better in Test cricket.”

Sri Lanka recorded their first series victory in two years at home when they beat India in the decisive final Test Match in Colombo on Sunday and Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya hoped that it would be a springboard to future Test success.”It was an important series victory and hopefully first of many to come,” he said with a beaming smile.Failures against Pakistan, South Africa and England had put the team under considerable pressure in this series, especially when India leveled the series in Kandy.”The last two series were pretty disappointing,” said Jayasuriya. “We just didn’t bat well on those occasions and luckily the players realised that. If you take the decisive third Test against England, we were bowled out for 80 odd runs in our second innings. You simply can’t do that.””Everyone was under a bit of pressure and as the captain I am always under extra pressure to perform.”India’s seven-wicket victory in Kandy seems to have been a wake up call for the team.”We had a meeting just before this game with all the batsmen and I told them to play their natural game,” he revealedThe Sri Lankan captain paid tribute to Mahela Jayawardene and Marvan Atapattu, both of whom scored centuries, but singled out veteran left-hander Tillakaratne and debutante Thilan Samaraweera for special praise.”Thilan (Samaraweera) batted like an experienced player out there and never looked like getting out,” he said. “He looks like a genuine allrounder.””Hashan (Tillakaratne) was under tremendous pressure to perform in this game and I am really happy that he came back to form at the right moment,” he said.Sri Lanka took control of the match after a spectacular eight-wicket burst from man of the series Muttiah Muralitharan.”We needed was to get them out for 250 and it was not going to be easy, but Murali just changed the whole game in the first day itself by bowling out India for 234,” he said.”We were then able to enjoy the best batting conditions of the match on the second and third day,” he said.India were left 376 in arrears with over two days to bat to save the game. They started well adding 107 for the first wicket.”When the wickets proved hard to come by we didn’t get worried, because it was such a huge task that I knew the Indians would panic at some stage if we kept bowling tightly, ” he said.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPaul Stirling’s incisive spell was followed by a John Mooney hat-trick at the end of the first innings as Ireland quelled a Jersey threat to seal their spot in the 2016 World T20. Ireland’s qualification was also helped by losses to Papua New Guinea and Namibia. PNG, Namibia and Hong Kong finished on seven points to confirm their place in the playoffs next week.Stirling claimed 3 for 16 before bashing a swift half-century in the chase, which was sealed with 20 balls to spare, while Jersey’s knockout stage hopes were extinguished with the loss.Jersey were 88 for 1 in 13 overs after being sent in as captain Peter Gough and Sussex academy batsman Jonty Jenner put on a 46-run stand before Stirling sparked the visitors’ slide with the wicket of Jenner. However, replays showed that Jenner was struck outside the line of off stump on his attempted sweep.Jersey were still in with a chance though at 102 for 2 in 15 overs with Gough still at the crease, but Stirling and Alex Cusack continued to keep Jersey off balance and the last eight wickets fell for just 16 runs. Stirling hadn’t bowled since the tournament opener against Namibia, but his spell shifted momentum back in favour of Ireland as he induced Cornelis Bodenstein to loft to long-off before another ill-advised sweep accounted for Anthony Kay.Cusack opened the bowling and was hit hard in his first two overs – going for 18 runs, but came back in the 17th to end Gough’s scratchy innings for 42 as he mistimed a slog over midwicket that was well taken by Stuart Poynter backpedaling from edge of the circle. He struck again four balls later, teaming up with Poynter at cover to get the right-handed Nat Watkins for 1 before snatching his third in the 19th over as Corey Bisson lofted to Stuart Thompson at long-off.Mooney reinforced his position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, moving to 14 in six games by wiping out the tail with a series of slower balls in the final over. Charles Perchard was done in by a yorker out of the back of the hand off an attempted paddle scoop. Kevin O’Brien claimed a skier on the next ball to remove Ben Kynman before George Dockrell settled at deep square leg to catch Ben Stevens and give Mooney his hat-trick.With Niall O’Brien still nursing a knee injury and unlikely to take any further part in the tournament, William Porterfield moved himself back up to open with Stirling for the first time in the tournament. The previous five opening partnerships – a mix of Stirling, O’Brien and Andy Balbirnie – amounted to a total of 27 runs, but the reunification of Ireland’s prolific opening duo from the last few years had its desired effect, adding 44 runs in just 4.5 overs.Jersey’s fielding, which had been impressive all tournament, let them down as Porterfield did survive a straightforward chance at slip in the first over. Stirling also could have been caught off a slash to third man on 35, but Nat Watkins opted to let the ball fall in front of him to prevent a boundary which left the bowler Kynman bemused.Porterfield added 17 to his tournament tally of 186, including a huge six that clanged off an oak tree beyond the deep square leg boundary but fell trying to repeat the shot off the following ball from Kay and was caught by Bodenstein running in from deep midwicket. Stirling added another 47 for the second wicket with Balbirnie and brought up his fifty off 34 balls, his first of the tournament, before being caught in the deep by Jenner off Stevens’ left-arm spin.The only other wicket to fall was Kevin O’Brien, leg before after missing a sweep to Stevens. Balbirnie and Gary Wilson took Ireland the rest of the way in an unbeaten 21-run stand. Balbirnie hit the winning single through the off side on the fourth ball of the 17th over to finish 32 not out while Wilson ended unbeaten on 11.

Noakhali Express head coach Khaled Mahmud stormed out of the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Thursday during a training session a day before the start of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) season, getting into an auto rickshaw with assistant coach Talha Jubair after complaining about the lack of arrangements for training, including the paucity of balls.The duo, however, later returned to the stadium, with Mahmud calling the incident a “misunderstanding”.*It started when the coaches arrived for training at the stadium on Thursday, with Express scheduled to take on Chattogram Royals in a contest between two new teams on the tournament’s opening day on Friday, they found just a handful of practice balls.Mahmud and Jubair walked out of the stadium immediately.Related

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“I will not work in the BPL under these circumstances. I have never seen this in the BPL before,” Mahmud told reporters while getting into the vehicle, locally called CNG. He later said that he would not be working with the Noakhali franchise.A few members of the team’s staff tried to persuade Mahmud and Jubair to return to the venue, assuring them that the mistake would not be repeated. Mahmud, however, didn’t change his stance.The players, though, continued training at the Sylhet stadium after the coaches left. They have in their ranks prominent overseas players like Johnson Charles, Kusal Mendis and Mohammad Nabi, as well as Bangladesh stars Hasan Mahmud, Soumya Sarkar and Jaker Ali.Mahmud later said that he “may have overreacted” after not receiving sufficient facilities during training. “It was a misunderstanding,” he said. “I think I may have overreacted in the moment. There were not enough facilities in training. I didn’t get the equipments I needed. That’s when I lost my temper. I think I behaved poorly at that instance. I want to thank the owners. I spoke to them. The BCB have also spoken to me.”ESPNcricinfo understands that the incident has caught BCB’s attention, and the board is looking into the matter. Noakhali is one of the four new franchises in this season’s BPL. It was the last team to be brought into the tournament this season, where six instead of seven teams will be taking part.The incident took place just a few hours after the BCB had taken over the reins at Chattogram Royals after their owners, Triangle Services Limited, gave up the franchise citing lack of sponsor interest.The two incidents just 24 hours before the start of the BPL’s twelfth edition has clearly rocked the BCB, and many of their high-ranking officials were spotted at the stadium afterwards.