Tag Futebol

That call, Hardik’s performance, and a resurgent Bhuvneshwar’s four-for were key to the outcome on Sunday night

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-20221:06

“Sending Jadeja at four made Pakistan delay Nawaz’s overs”

Hardik Pandya justifiably cornered most of the glory after India’s win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup last night in Dubai. But two other aspects of India’s game stood out too. Firstly, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s four-wicket haul, including the early dismissal of Babar Azam. And secondly, a sparkling backroom idea to send Ravindra Jadeja up to bat at No. 4.Though Bhuvneshwar’s heroics came first, let’s begin with Jadeja. Rishabh Pant, the only left-handed top-order batter in the India squad, had been left out to accommodate Dinesh Karthik in the finisher’s role, which meant a top five, or even six, of right-handers. Not ideal. So Jadeja was sent out at the fall of Rohit Sharma’s wicket at the end of the eighth over. He batted through till the final over and scored 35 in 29 balls, adding 36 with Suryakumar Yadav [fourth wicket] and 52 with Hardik [fifth wicket]. A plan that clearly worked on the day.Related

• India vs Pakistan – cricket, not hype, takes centre stage ahead of Round 2

• With dry wit and a lot of mental prep, Jadeja embraces 'real pressure' in dynamic role

• Explainer – Why did India and Pakistan have five fielders inside the circle in the death overs?

• Plan for Pakistan: Open with Fakhar; Babar or Rizwan at No. 3

• Kohli shreds Dubai's nerves with perfectly imperfect knock

“The key for me was having a left-hander there in the middle because that meant they [Pakistan] couldn’t bring [Mohammad] Nawaz back,” Mickey Arthur said of India’s chase on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out programme after the game. “So they had to hold Nawaz to the back-end. And that ultimately probably cost them.”Chatting with Hardik in a bcci.tv feature after the game, Jadeja noted, “When I was promoted in the batting order, I was just thinking of taking my chances against the spinners, attack them at every opportunity I get. And our partnership was very crucial. We just talked in the middle about backing our strengths and play our shots – this was very crucial.”The Nawaz factor was a crucial one. Pakistan’s bowling combination on the night featured three right-arm quicks, a legspinner, and the one left-armer in spinner Nawaz. And Nawaz had done well. In his first over, the eighth of the innings, he had sent back Rohit. And in his next, the tenth, accounted for Virat Kohli. He bowled the 12th too, but, because of Jadeja’s presence, was brought back on only for the final over.”Nobody I think saw that [Jadeja at No. 4] coming. It was a good call. It was a good move. Something that no one really foresaw. I actually quite like that decision,” Robin Uthappa said on the same show. “Going for a bit of Pakistan’s perspective, in hindsight, they could have bowled that one over of the left-arm spinner [Nawaz] in the first six, because they had two right-handers [batting] and it was the right time.”It looked like Babar [Azam] took the safer option to bring in the spinners immediately after the powerplay. He could have brought one of them on during the powerplay. [It] would have been a great match-up for Rohit and Kohli. In the first ten balls to the spinners, they nudge the ball around and they don’t really have a great strike rate at that point in time, and that proved right again today [India were 38 for 1 after the powerplay]. That should have encouraged Pakistan.”Arthur agreed, stressing that after putting up a modest total on the board, 147, Pakistan could have done better with their spin options.”They should have taken pace off towards the back-end of the powerplay,” he said. “Principally because they knew they had only 12 overs of pace with the side they had picked, they could have gone through certainly one over of Nawaz, or even one over of Shadab [Khan, the legspinner], because I know, having studied and set up against Rohit, he doesn’t play legspin particularly well in the powerplay. Or his strike rate to legspin is a lot less.”So you could have bowled Shadab, you could have bowled Nawaz. Nawaz generally bowls in the powerplay for his franchise in the PSL anyway. That would have been a very good match-up to Virat and Rohit. Which would have delayed the overs of the genuine quicks to a little bit later in the game.”4:15

Arthur: ‘Hardik Pandya in the side means India almost have 12 players’

But well before Jadeja did his bit, there was Bhuvneshwar [and Hardik too, he was everywhere].Third over, after India had won the toss and asked Pakistan to bat, Bhuvneshwar, not known to be terribly quick, sent in a bouncer that might have caught Babar by surprise. The pull only caught the top edge and flew to Arshdeep Singh at short fine-leg. The big one gone. Bhuvneshwar returned to pick up three more wickets – Shadab, Asif Ali and Naseem Shah – in the last quarter of the innings to end with 4 for 26.”[Bhuvneshwar’s contribution] was right up there with Hardik Pandya’s contribution as well,” Uthappa noted. “His story of resurgence has been a long and arduous one. He has gone from two years from an injury, not being able to figure out what the injury was […] to work day in and day out at the NCA – and I am telling you, those are not easy days, you have a surgery, you do rehab; the rehab part is the most difficult, the surgery is the easiest – and to come back and do that boring stuff day in and day out, months on end, is extremely hard.”And he has taken his time, he’s played a lot of cricket, and he’s gotten better and better. His confidence has grown. You can see him swinging the ball early and late.”Coming as this performance did on the back of good outings in Ireland, England and the West Indies, Bhuvneshwar could be a shoo-in for the men’s T20 World Cup, in Australia in October-November. Even when Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, India will hope, are back in the mix.

BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla says, “remainder of the IPL will happen but in due course”

Nagraj Gollapudi04-May-2021IPL 2021 has been postponed, following several positive Covid-19 cases across franchises over the past couple of days. There is no official word yet on when or whether the remainder of the tournament will be staged, though BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla was emphatic it “will happen” and a decision would be taken when the pandemic situation improved.In a statement, the IPL said the decision was “unanimously” taken by the tournament’s Governing Council and the BCCI. “The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved in organising the IPL,” the statement said. “This decision was taken keeping the safety, health and wellbeing of all the stakeholders in mind.”These are difficult times, especially in India, and while we have tried to bring in some positivity and cheer, however, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times.”The statement also said the BCCI would do “do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all the participants in IPL 2021”.Shukla, speaking to Star Sports, hinted at the decision-making process. “Obviously the currently situation in India is pretty bad, everybody is scared, so even they [foreign players] might be scared. A few players spoke to their franchises about wanting to leave the country, the franchises also confided in us. Not many players were willing to leave the country, but obviously there is a panic-like situation, and if people are scared, we need to look at that aspect and take steps accordingly. So taking the players’ concerns, their families’ concerns in mind, we have taken this decision.”Though the statement itself was unclear on the tournament resuming, Shukla’s comments suggested that it would at some point. “One thing I want to make very clear, it has not been cancelled – it has been suspended, it has been postponed, it has been deferred. So it will happen. The remainder of the IPL will happen but in due course, when the Covid situation improves, a decision will be taken.”

The immediate cause

The announcement came following increasing Covid-19 positive cases within the IPL. The Sunrisers Hyderabad became the third franchise to register cases when it was confirmed earlier on Tuesday that Wriddhiman Saha had tested positive for Covid-19 and was isolating from the rest of the squad.On Monday, the Kolkata Knight Riders’ Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive and the day’s match between the Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Ahmedabad was put off. Within hours came news from Delhi of two confirmed cases in the Chennai Super Kings camp: bowling coach L Balaji and a member of their service staff.Balaji’s case, in particular, raised concerns among the other franchises as he was in the team’s dugout on May 1 during the match against the Mumbai Indians. Earlier on Tuesday, it was confirmed that the Super Kings had gone into isolation for a week. The Saha news soon followed, before the tournament’s postponement was announced.Related

• ICC leaning towards T20 World Cup in UAE

• Ashwin opens up on sleepless nights during IPL after family members tested positive for Covid-19

• BCCI mulls September-October window for remainder of IPL 2021

• 'Difficult' to play T20 World Cup in India – Mike Hussey

• Prasidh Krishna tests positive for Covid-19

What happens to the overseas players now?

The Australians, who can’t go home for another ten days, are expected to spend the time in the Maldives, joining broadcast commentator Michael Slater. There are 24 Australians in the playing and coaching staff among the franchises; though some, like Dan Christian, have playing deals in England, and even those borders are currently sealed to non-UK nationals flying in from India.The two Bangladeshi players, Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman, will have to undergo 14-day quarantine once they are back home, according to the country’s health authority, which refused the BCB’s request for a shorter isolation period. They are expected to return home in a chartered flight in a couple of days. They were both named in Bangladesh’s preliminary squad for the ODI home series against Sri Lanka, which is likely to start on May 23. The BCB will be hoping that the pair arrives in the next couple of days so that they have a few days of training, after the 14-day quarantine, before the first ODI in Dhaka.The ECB said it was in “close contact with our players and staff in India as arrangements are put in place for them to return home safely”.Cricket South Africa said those travelling back to South Africa would undergo home quarantine “in line with the current World Health Organization recommendations”.New Zealand recently lifted its travel ban for India but there are limited flights between the two countries, and the New Zealand players will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine whenever they get home. NZC issued a statement saying it was liaising with different authorities to find a solution.

The broader pandemic backdrop

The tournament has been held with India in the grip of a vicious second wave of the pandemic, with the six host cities – New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad – among the worst hit. The IPL’s “caravan” model of scheduling, with two of the six venues being used at any given time, cut down on air travel and other risk factors as compared to the usual home-and-away concept, but still left teams vulnerable.The rising numbers – around 400,000 new positive cases daily over the past few days – prompted several countries to ban travellers from India. The Australian government even imposed a ban on its own citizens returning from India until May 15 and said any transgression would be deemed a criminal offence.It led to a statement last week from the BCCI that sought to reassure all stakeholders and the eight teams that the tournament bubble was “totally safe”.However, the players were getting anxious. Liam Livingstone and Andrew Tye (both Rajasthan Royals) and the Royal Challengers pair of Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson returned home – to England and Australia – before the clampdowns. The Delhi Capitals lead spinner R Ashwin also left the IPL after the first leg to attend to his family, many of whom had tested positive for Covid-19. Senior Indian umpire Nitin Menon too returned home to Indore to attend to his parents, who were positive. Australian umpire Paul Reiffel admitted he was minutes away from leaving India until the travel corridor through which he was planning to return was shut off.

“It does disappoint me when a lot of our boys don’t get opportunities as assistant coaches in IPL”

Saurabh Somani in Lucknow28-Nov-20191:39

‘It disappoints me that some of our boys are not picked as coaches in the IPL’ – Dravid

Rahul Dravid believes IPL franchises are “missing a trick” by not involving more Indian coaches. Dravid feels Indian coaches are as good as any in the world, and even if not appointed at the top of the tree, they will add value as assistant coaches, given that a majority of players in every IPL franchise is Indian.”I believe we’ve got some very good coaches, a lot of good people. I’m fully confident [in their ability]. Just as we have a lot of talent in the cricket department, we have a lot of talent in the coaching department,” Dravid said in Lucknow on Thursday. “We need to give them confidence and time to flourish. I’m sure they will do it.”It does sometimes disappoint me when a lot of our boys don’t get opportunities as assistant coaches in IPL. Honestly, there are so many Indian players in the IPL, there’s so much of local knowledge [among our coaches]. I feel a lot of teams could actually benefit from using a lot of our Indian coaches in the IPL. They know the Indian players better, they understand them better. Even as assistant coaches… there is a lot of talent and ability. It just needs to be given the opportunity, and flourish.”In an expanded role as the National Cricket Academy director, from previously being the head coach of India A and India Under-19, part of Dravid’s remit is to develop Indian coaches in addition to overseeing the next rung of talent in Indian cricket.Rahul Dravid has been cleared by the BCCI to take charge at the National Cricket Academy•Getty Images

“A part of our goal is to create a programme for coaches as well, so that we can give them certain skills in which they can develop – and hopefully then get the opportunities to work at a slightly higher level,” Dravid said. “I think a lot of IPL teams miss a trick by not using more domestic talent in the coaching area and the talent identification area, even if it is as assistants.”That’s my personal opinion. It’s not for me to decide for franchises and head coaches what they do, but I think they miss a trick by not involving more Indian coaches. Indian coaches understand and know the system, and they know a lot of Indian players. Every IPL team has at least 17-18 Indian players. It’s my personal view, but I would love to see a lot of our boys get the opportunity to be in and around that environment. Hopefully we can work with some teams to try and ensure that.”Dravid has been in Lucknow to observe the ongoing one-day series between India Under-19 and Afghanistan Under-19 as part of preparations for the World Cup early next year. Victory in the fourth one-dayer meant India took a winning 3-1 lead in the series. Dravid said the trickle-down effect of the success of India’s pacers had in international cricket could be seen in how many young cricketers were taking up pace bowling at the age-group level.”Every year now in Under-19 cricket, we’ve had some very good fast bowlers,” Dravid said. “Last time, (in the Under-19 World Cup 2018), we had three of them in Kamlesh (Nagarkoti), Shivam (Mavi) and Ishan (Porel). This year also you will see some good fast bowlers in the team.”

The wicketkeeper-batsman scored at a strike-rate of 462.50, slamming eight sixes and six fours

Barny Read22-Nov-2018″Feeling tired? Low on energy? In need of a boost?”We’ve all heard the adverts. In fact, there were probably hundreds of them as coatings of dot balls and most energetic player at last year’s T10 League.They usually come with a handy little vitamin solution with the promise of added vigour and perk.But there is a remedy you ignore at your peril. One so smack-you-round-the-gob invigorating, it can wake a few thousand drowsy cricket fans from their slumber in, give or take, 30 minutes.This is, of course, the outrageously addictive product from Afghanistan; Mohammad Shahzad.Still doubtful? There are ringing celebrity endorsements from the likes of coaches Herschelle Gibbs and Tom Moody that can further sway you.”Unheard of. I haven’t seen such clean hitting in a long time,” Gibbs said. “Everything they tried he had an answer to. That was on another level of striking.””We saw something pretty unique and special tonight and you have to take a step back and admire a performance like that,” added Moody on the cure he described as “something out of the ordinary”.”I’d be surprised if we saw an innings like that again in the next couple of weeks. I think tonight we’ve been treated to something special.”Shahzad entered things on the back of a lethargic start to T10’s second season, ready to write prescriptions for all and sundry with a cocktail of sixes over cover, rasping cuts through point, bludgeons over mid-wicket and those – most powerful-of-all – launches over long-on.His 74 off just 16 balls included eight sixes and six fours. This innings should have come with a warning over dosages.Just let it sink in a minute, 74 off a mere 16 balls.He scored at a strike-rate of 462.50 and had he been up against a more challenging total would surely have blistered a first T10 ton. Chris Gayle’s record-fastest T20 century of 30 balls was well within sight, the extra ball to surpass AB de Villiers’ ODI record of 31 balls would have almost certainly given him a six-run buffer.There wasn’t a single dot ball, it was the fastest T10 half-century, the format’s highest score and the most sixes in a single innings. Shahzad breathed life into the opening night of the new T10 League season with an audience desperately in need of vitality. It had just borne witness to a sluggish start to the tournament that undermines the very essence of T10’s modus operandi.There was lethargy early on, a small crowd taking in proceedings but far from engaged and in need of a pickup. Shahzad well and truly delivered the lift, encapsulating everything T10 aims to be as he blasted a whirlwind knock that peppered the boundary. His innings was just what the doctor ordered as a sleepy Sharjah were invigorated by the Shahzad tonic; inspiring Rajputs into chasing down Sindhi’s total of 94 in just four overs and all ten wickets intact.It was with such majesty that Shahzad dispatched the bowling attack that captain Brendon McCullum was reduced to the role of junior doctor, with a knock of 21 off eight balls. His knock was something to savour, to bottle up and take in small doses at risk of sending your body into a spasm.The dizzying side effects resulted in far greater rapture in the stands for the second game, with the likes of Chris Gayle and Shahid Afridi on hand to maintain the buzz as Pakhtoons set Kerala Knights 110 to win from their ten overs.And Shahzad is not the only chemist on the circuit, there are two fine alternatives in the form of Paul Sterling (40 off 14 balls) and Eoin Morgan (46* off 20). After Gayle departed, they kept the party going with some potent medication of their own as Kerala Knights got their title defence up and running with an eight-wicket win.But it was Shahzad who stole the show on a night two sets of bowlers were left feeling dizzy. The onus is now on them to discover an antidote.

The Global T20 League will find a dedicated block in South Africa’s cricket calendar which is set to accommodate three touring countries before April 2018

Firdose Moonda04-Sep-2017South Africa’s six domestic franchises will compete in all three formats – including a T20 event – in the 2017-18 summer, which will be headlined by the inaugural T20 Global League.To accommodate for the privately-owned glamour competition, there will be no domestic cricket for almost two months, between October 26 and December 20, while the T20 Global League is played. In that time, all South Africa’s national players will be available, but their likelihood of featuring for their franchises has been reduced by a packed international calendar that sees them hosting Bangladesh, India and Australia.The domestic season begins with a round of first-class fixtures which start on September 19, nine days before the Test series against Bangladesh begins on September 28. Four more rounds of first-class cricket will be played before the format takes an extended break until February 8. That means South Africa’s cricketers will be without immediate long-form practice before the Test series against India. Dates are yet to be confirmed but that series is expected to start in January 2018 and CSA are considering other opponents to fill the gap over Boxing Day.India are understood to want at least two tour matches before the series, which could delay the traditional New Year’s Test, but will provide an opportunity for some South African players to get back into the red-ball mindset after six weeks of T20 cricket.The T20 Global League will be played from November 3 until December 16, after which the domestic one-day cup will kick off. It will run from December 20 until February 4, and will follow the usual format of a league round, semi-finals and a final.The second-half of the first-class competition will be played between February 8 and March 11, by which time South Africa will be involved in a four-Test series against Australia which will also coincide with the franchise T20 tournament. From March 14 to April 15, the six franchises will compete in two sets of round-robin matches against each other, semi-finals and a final.For the second season in succession, the T20 competition is set to be played without a sponsor. In the 2015-16 summer, courier company RAM put their name to the event which was broadcast internationally for the first time. It was marred by a corruption scandal which saw seven players, including former internationals Alviro Petersen, Thami Tsolekile, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Gulam Bodi, banned for between two and 20 years, for their roles in attempting to fix matches. RAM did not back the competition in 2016-17 and it was played with CSA’s sole funding. It appears that will be the case again in 2017-18.

Essex trampled all over Kent in front of their own fans for a derby hammering that soured a truly exceptional night of revelry.

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Canterbury22-Jul-2016
ScorecardRavi Bopara’s all-round excellence kept Essex alive in the tournament•Getty Images

On a night when one campaign would be reignited and another shelved, Essex trampled all over Kent in front of their own fans for a derby hammering that soured a truly exceptional night of revelry. It was standard English T20 fare: ale in the air, kids playing in the array of green nooks that Canterbury has to offer and unhindered sun cheering even the most straight-laced Kent fan lamenting a season in which a side that promised so much has delivered so little.Before the match Ravi Bopara was not entirely sure what Essex needed for a quarter-final spot. Having called the toss correctly, he assumed winning every match might do it. Opting to bat, both he and Tom Westley notched their first half-centuries of the competition to post 190. A turn with the ball, removing Alex Blake and then running out James Tredwell with a direct hit, showed that Bopara was at least up to scratch with the short-term needs if not the bigger picture. He’ll be pleased to know that they now sit in fourth, with their fate in their own hands.With a plethora of English talent on show, Andy Flower was present to soak in an evening when the ground was bursting at the seams with a crowd that pushed the 6,000 capacity to its limit. There was not a seat nor a patch of grass spare on the bank. Standing space, too, had to be earned. The food village at the Nackington Road End was a sweaty mosh-pit of pad thai at the interval. Flower opted for the sedate order of the Sainsbury’s next to the ground.As it happens, he would have made all if not most of his notes of praise during Essex’s innings, as Kent Spitfires’ chase stuttered every few boundaries. Sam Northeast, with 994 Championship runs and, now, over 403 in the T20 Blast, was snipped after 12 balls at the crease, just as he was starting to threaten a thrilling star turn. The returning Lions fared no better: Daniel Bell-Drummond gifting David Masters a high return catch before Sam Billings, given a WWE-style fanfare when he strode to the crease, made a more sombre return walk after just two balls for Masters’ second.Westley shone brightest, coming in during the fifth over and batting right through to the end for 74 off 49 balls. It was typically Westley – a wrist-heavy affair that was more kiss-kiss than bang-bang. He took a particular liking to Darren Stevens, at times allowing deliveries to sit up, on a pitch that responded well to variety, to find gaps on both sides of the wicket.The half-century came off 33 balls, by which point, in the 15th over, Bopara had just 12 from 17 balls. A post-fifty acceleration from Westley allowed his captain the chance to settle before thrashing 15 off the 20th over, bowled by David Griffiths. Bopara’s own half-century saw him redress his stodgy start with 31 off the last 15 balls. Together, they put on 119.Tonight also marked the return of Matt Coles. Since being made unavailable for selection after an indiscretion during the Championship game against Glamorgan in Cardiff last month, the rumour mill has been turning. It is familiar territory for Coles, who is Kent through and through but will find it harder to command the goodwill of a fan base starting to lose their patience with him.News of Coles’ return to the side had not reached those at the ground until the toss, many of whom had already sussed his presence, a spitting burly figure throwing down stumps with Kagiso Rabada in the warm-ups. Brought on after four overs, he conceded consecutive boundaries off his first two balls back but finished the over with the wicket of Nick Browne – caught well by Rabada at deep midwicket- before undoing Dan Lawrence with a change of pace.A penny for Flower’s thoughts: it was he who ejected Coles from a Lions tour in 2013, along with Ben Stokes, as his visit to the camp in Australia coincided with their drunken misdemeanours. Stokes has made his peace by becoming one of the game’s most exciting allrounders as Coles battles on to find his.He needs time to get back to where he wants to be – in cricket and in life. In so many ways, it is hard not to look at Coles and, even considering the self-inflicted nature of his misdemeanours, label him “unlucky”. As one member of that 2013 Lions tour put it: “it’s not that Colesy got drunk – it’s that he got caught”.

ESPNcricinfo lists five issues that should be on the priority list of the refurbished managing committee, led by Sharad Pawar after he swept the MCA polls on Wednesday

Amol Karhadkar18-Jun-2015The elections may have been over, but the problems plaguing Mumbai cricket remain the same. ESPNcricinfo lists five issues, in no particular order, that should be on the priority list of the refurbished managing committee, led by Sharad Pawar after he swept the MCA polls on Wednesday.Involving former cricketers in MCADuring the last MCA annual general meeting, former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar had supported a proposal to amend the rulebook and allow voting rights to only those who have attended at least four general body meetings. As much as it is a proposal to keep the flock of politicians entering the MCA at bay, the move may help former cricketers gain some sort of importance in administering the game.More importantly, the need of the hour for the MCA is to integrate at all levels. Till very recently, Mumbai has had a long tradition of former cricketers watching games from sidelines on the maidans and giving valuable advice to youngsters. Somehow, the trend has been missing over the last few years.”The need is to involve passionate former cricketers who have got nothing to do with club cricket. They shouldn’t be associated with any office or club lobbies so they come in with neutral views,” says former Mumbai captain Amol Muzumdar.Feeder lines alternate to age-group systemsWhile inter-school cricket has traditionally been the first line of supply to Mumbai’s rich legacy of producing international cricketers, inter-college tournaments have served as the platform to hone skills for talented cricketers. Of late, though, both have suffered due to various problems.”With cricket having spread to remote suburbs like Palghar, Dahanu and Badlapur, Ambarnath (all of which are more than 100kms from south Mumbai), the traditional Harris and Giles shield tournaments are not providing necessary platforms to spot talent. After all, both these inter-school tournaments are restricted to schools that are in the jurisdiction of the municipal corporation,” says Vengsarkar, who was elected as a vice-president for the fifth time.As for the schools that participate in the Harris and Giles Shield, the most rampant problem has been of overage players. Age-fudging results in getting laurels to a select few schools year after year, and overage players end up overshadowing promising cricketers, many of whom give up the game even before blooming as cricketers.”If overage thing is ruining school cricket, put in place a system that would bar it. Or have an alternative, like playing the Harris and Giles matches on the same day so that it would put considerable brakes on the age-fudging problems,” says Muzumdar.Making optimum use of infrastructureThe MCA’s academy at the Bandra-Kurla Complex is one of the plushest facilities, indoor and outdoor. Same is the case with the new club house in Kandivali. But over the last couple of years, the academy at BKC has resulted into a dormant facility, with want of quality coaches.”It’s a dummy academy. Yes, it’s a world-class academy in terms of infrastructure but if it’s not run efficiently, there’s no use of it,” Muzumdar observes. “For that, a good thought process needs to go in it. Otherwise it will just be one more academy. Let’s hope quality coaches are roped in to achieve the primary objective of setting up the academy, which is to produce cricketers.”Making the tournament structure more competitiveDuring their topsy-turvy 2014-15 Ranji Trophy season, Mumbai used a whopping 25 players, nine of whom made their first-class debuts. More than half of those debutants were exposed as they never appeared to be ready for the format. It was in stark contrast to Mumbai’s history to have a second rung of players ready to push those in the first XI.It is primarily due to the lack of a tournament structure that focusses only on quantity rather than quality. Two years ago, the ruling MCA regime drastically changed the club tournament structure, which resulted in the Kanga League, that used to test the batsmen’s technique, but it has lost its charm for being the only monsoon tournament in India.Though the revised structure has given more opportunities to cricketers to pile on the numbers, it has created confusion about what exactly is the selection tournament for the senior team. “Please restore Kanga League. Club cricket is the lifeline of Mumbai cricket,” Muzumdar pleads.Similarly, Vengsarkar had proposed a T20 franchise league, towards the end of his eight-year stint as vice-president, to give more opportunities to fringe players. The proposal had resulted into a Corporate Twenty20 tournament, which has also been stalled for the last few years.”If the corporate tournament is revived, it will not only help us create a bigger bench strength but may also help cricketers getting employment even in private sector. That coupled with a restructured college tournament can give us two additional options for fringe players to make a case for senior team selection,” Vengsarkar says.Women’s cricket and communication wingWomen’s cricket has largely been ignored by all the BCCI member units and MCA is no exception. But with a steady stream of Mumbai cricketers into the national team, it’s high time the MCA comes up with infrastructure and tournament structure for women. President Sharad Pawar’s announcement of creating a provision for female representation on the managing committee is a welcome move, to begin with.And equally important for the MCA is to improve its communication world. In the era of cyber age, MCA’s website wears an ancient look. Statistics and records are outdated and it’s not at all a user-friendly portal.Combining both the factors, Muzumdar sums up aptly: “It’s time for Mumbai cricket to be trendsetters like yesteryears. Be it in any walk of the game, Mumbai has set the trend and the rest of the Indian cricket fraternity has followed them. If we can do it early, it would put Mumbai cricket back to where it has belonged.”

Tasmanian cricket’s chairman Tony Harrison has scoffed at the suggestion that Hobart might be in any danger of losing its share of Australia’s home Test matches

Daniel Brettig at Bellerive Oval16-Dec-2012Tasmanian cricket’s chairman Tony Harrison has scoffed at the suggestion that Hobart might be in any danger of losing its share of Australia’s home Test matches. He also proffered a slogan in response to media criticism that seems likely to end up on a bumper sticker: “If you don’t like Tasmania, don’t come here.”Granted the opening match of the series in mid-December before the Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests in Melbourne and Sydney, Bellerive Oval has been host to attendances of just 6221 on day one, 3810 on day two and 4388 on day three. This is against Cricket Tasmania’s budget estimates of around 9000 on the first day and about 7000 on each of Saturday and Sunday.Harrison admitted that 23 years after hosting its first Test, also against Sri Lanka in 1989, Tasmania was still to develop a strong “Test match culture”, something not helped by the five-day game only making periodic visits to the island state’s capital.Among various mitigating circumstances for the slim turnouts, Harrison cited the fixture’s close proximity to Christmas, ticket prices that outstripped those on offer for popular Twenty20 BBL matches at the ground, and Hobart’s changeable weather, which was overcast on day one and caused rain breaks on each of days two and three. By way of a concession, Harrison said general admission tickets for Monday’s fourth day would allow the bearer to sit in the southern stand, rather than simply to stand on the hill.However he flatly rejected any potential for the state losing its share of Australia’s home Test matches, typically receiving the sixth match of the summer when two touring teams make the journey down under.”I think that’s a ridiculous suggestion quite frankly,” Harrison said. “I’ve heard that said, and that is nonsense. We are one of the owners of Cricket Australia and CA has a philosophy in its programming to spread the game around the country, and Test matches [in Hobart] are not in question, not in doubt.”There are no guarantees, we don’t know what the programme will look like in three, four, five years’ time. But at the moment our philosophy is to share the game around the country, to give people around the country the opportunity to see Test cricket. Our job as Cricket Tasmania with CA is to promote the game and get more people to come along to it. That’s problematic when you get a fixture so close to Christmas and the weather interferes.”Another issue for Tasmania and Western Australia in particular is the lack of a set position in the calendar for their Test matches. While residents of Melbourne and Sydney know instinctively when to clear room in their calendar for the annual Test, other states have less certainty, something commonly reflected in oscillating crowds depending on the time of year and the touring team.”We can’t always be certain when teams will come and play, but one year we’ve got a Test match in the second week in November, and the next week it’s the third week in December,” he said. “So it’s not like Sydney and Melbourne where on Boxing Day you know its the Test, doesn’t matter who plays, and it’s an event. Similarly in Sydney you have the New Year’s Test.”Adelaide doesn’t have it always, Perth doesn’t have it, Brisbane gets the first Test of the summer but dates vary … so that’s an issue too. We need to develop a Test match culture.”As for some unkind depictions of Tasmania on the ABC radio broadcast beamed live around Australia, Harrison was pugnacious. Happy with how the local media had promoted the fixture, he more or less raised the drawbridge to those not expressing great enthusiasm for being in Hobart.”I should pay tribute to the local media because I don’t think the promotion could have done anymore,” Harrison said. “But I’m a bit disappointed at some of the comments I’ve heard on the radio in the last two days, not only critical of the crowds, but they’re critical of Tasmania. What I’d say to the commentators who do that, if you don’t like Tasmania, don’t come here.”Unless Tasmania can find a way of developing a greater affinity for Test matches, there remains a chance that in future years they won’t have to.

Michael Hussey’s Twenty20 Champions League duty for Chennai Super Kings has ruled him out of Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield opener, against Tasmania at the WACA ground

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2011Michael Hussey’s Twenty20 Champions League duty for Chennai Super Kings has ruled him out of Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield opener, against Tasmania at the WACA ground from Tuesday.Having been the undisputed man of the series for Australia against Sri Lanka in September, plucking the match award in all three Tests, Hussey flew direct from Sri Lanka to India for the CLT20, and then back to Perth in time to train with the Warriors ahead of their first domestic fixture.However the national selectors have decided to withdraw Hussey from the match, allowing him time to rest and rejoin his family before flying off again as part of the Australia ODI squad to face South Africa. Their decision reflects the impact of the CLT20 on player schedules, for Ricky Ponting, Xavier Doherty and Mitchell Johnson, all due to fly to South Africa at the conclusion of the Shield match, will take part having missed the T20 event.Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s general manager, said the call was made with consideration to Hussey’s workload, but also his outstanding batting form of recent times. As a point of contrast, Ponting has played nine days of cricket since the start of the Sri Lanka Test series – returning home mid-series for the birth of his second child – while Hussey has been involved in 18.”The NSP took into account all the various factors in making this decision,” Brown said. “Michael was Man of the Match in all three Test matches on Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka and has just returned from the CLT20, so his recent workload has been significant. Looking at all the coming international fixtures, it was decided that it is best for Michael if he sits out this week’s Sheffield Shield fixture in Perth, in advance of his Friday night flight to South Africa.”Queensland, meanwhile, have been dealt a one-two punch on the eve of the Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at the Gabba, losing the captain James Hopes and young batsman Chris Lynn to injury.Hopes suffered a jarred knee in the Bulls’ limited overs victory over the Bushrangers on Sunday night, while Lynn sustained a hamstring strain. It was thought prudent to keep the duo out of the match given that another one day fixture against Tasmania in Mackay following closely on the heels of the Shield game.Chris Hartley, the Bulls’ wicketkeeper, will captain the hosts in place of Hopes, having also deputised at times last summer.The withdrawals took place on the same day that CA announced the healthcare group Bupa had signed on as the Shield’s sponsor for the next three summers. The conglomerate replaces Weetbix after its own three-year association expired.”Health, sport and physical activity are a logical mix – CA and Bupa objectives are closely aligned, with each being committed to promotion of healthy lifestyles,” James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, said. “In particular, we are both committed to promoting physical activity as an important contributor to life-long good health.”The Sheffield Shield has a rich tradition, is a critically important part of Australian cricket’s success and it is pleasing to have Bupa’s support promoting its continued success.”The company had previously been engaged by CA as the provider of health insurance for the national team.

The Supreme Court of India has asked the BCCI and Lalit Modi to reach a compromise over the impasse regarding the composition of the disciplinary committee

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2010India’s Supreme Court has asked the BCCI and Lalit Modi to reach a compromise over the composition of the disciplinary committee investigating charges levied against the former IPL chairman. In a surprising turn of events, which was sparked by a plea from Modi’s lawyer, the court said it would resume hearing the case if the parties could reach no agreement by October 27.The court also offered two suggestions for the compromise: to increase the size of the existing committee or have its three members stay away from the league’s governing council, which is authorised to look into the disciplinary committee’s report on Modi. The disciplinary committee currently comprises IPL chairman Chirayu Amin, BCCI vice-president Arun Jaitley and Jyotiraditya Scindia, the president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association.”I am hoping good sense will prevail on the BCCI and they will accept this suggestion,” Modi’s lawyer, Mehmood Abdi, told CNN-IBN.Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, however said the board had neither been asked nor ordered to reach any settlement in the matter within a deadline. He said, “At about 10.30 in the morning Mr Ram Jethmalani (Modi’s lawyer) stood up and asked to use his ‘good offices’ to settle the issue.” The BCCI’s lawyers, Manohar said, responded by saying they had no such instructions on this. The court then asked Jethmalani to use those good offices and come to an agreement by October 27. Asked whether the BCCI would enter into a discussion with Jethmalani, Manohar said, “We are always ready to listen to anyone.”Modi had filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the removal of Amin and Jaitley from the disciplinary committee. Modi’s plea for the recusal of these two members, on grounds of bias against him, had been rejected by the Bombay high court in September.The BCCI’s lawyer CA Sundaram told the court that it was not feasible to reconstitute the committee. “It is not possible,” he said. “The inquiry is at an advanced stage. Many witnesses from abroad have already been examined.”The BCCI had suspended Modi immediately following the conclusion of IPL 3 in April and charged him with financial irregularities relating to the bidding process for IPL franchises, the mid-over ad sales and the sale of theatrical rights. He was also charged with colluding to set up a rebel league in England. Modi has denied all the charges and repeatedly accused BCCI president Shashank Manohar and the president-elect N Srinivasan of harbouring personal grudges against him.