PCA chairman Daryl Mitchell has described David Leatherdale as a brilliant chief executive who retains “the full support of the members”

George Dobell03-Mar-2018Daryl Mitchell has sprung to the defence of David Leatherdale after criticism in several newspapers suggesting he no longer enjoyed the full confidence of the players he is meant to represent. Leatherdale, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), effectively the players’ union in England and Wales, has recently taken time off due to illness.But while some have suggested Leatherdale is overly influenced by the ECB, Mitchell, the organisation’s chairman, has described him as a “brilliant CEO” who retains “the full support of the members”. He has also described much of the criticism Leatherdale has faced – specifically over a change in the nature of England player contracts with the ECB and the ending of a sponsored car deal with Toyota – as unfounded.”There have been accusations that the PCA is too close to the ECB,” Mitchell told ESPNcricinfo, “but the way I see it, we have a strong, constructive relationship with the ECB that allows our voice to be heard and our views to shape plans.”We will negotiate hard and take a strong line when necessary. But nobody wants the situation we saw in Australia where the relationship between the board and players breaks down. I’d have thought the relationship we have with the ECB, a relationship that allows us a place at the table when all decisions are taken, is extremely positive.”Much of the criticism David has faced in recent days has been unfounded and inaccurate. I’m not aware of any angry emails from England players complaining about their sponsorship deals. There have been a couple asking for clarification, but nothing more than that, and those commercial deals are arranged by the ECB in any case.”And the idea that players are suddenly upset by a change in the awarding of incremental contracts is very strange. The way incremental contracts are awarded was changed in October 2016 as the ECB moved away from the points scoring system and are now awarded on a discretionary basis and have been for the past 18 months.”It is certainly a busy time for the PCA. As well as negotiating the next Team England Player Partnership (TEPP) – effectively the new central contracts – and England Women’s Player Partnership, the PCA is also central to talks regarding new Memorandums of Understanding between the first-class counties and the ECB.With the new broadcast deal having brought unprecedented amounts of money into the game in England and Wales, there is pressure on Leatherdale and the PCA to strike a deal that will see players’ remuneration reflect that windfall. It is understood, however, that family health issues may have contributed to Leatherdale’s current illness as much as work issues.Either way, Mitchell insists it is a case of “business as usual” for the organisation in Leatherdale’s absence. Bob Mitchell, a PCA trustee and successful lawyer, will take the lead on negotiations regarding TEPP and Matthew Wheeler, the PCA’s non-executive chairman, will also take more responsibility. Marcus Trescothick and Joe Root are also involved in the TEPP management committee. It is understood Root was involved in a TEPP discussion on Friday.”It is business as usual for the PCA,” Daryl Mitchell said. “We continue to deliver all those services – the personal development, the helplines, the training opportunities, the support and contract advice – that our members rely on us for.”The important thing is that David is given the time and space to fully recover. He has the full support of PCA members and we all wish him well. There is no timeframe as to when we expect him back. He must take as long as he needs.”Mitchell’s words were echoed by Tammy Beaumont, who is the PCA representative for the England women’s team. “There is no crisis of confidence from our side,” she tweeted. “PCA has always worked with our best interest at heart. Wishing David a speedy recovery.”

Despite their impressive performance in the Nidahas Trophy, Bangladesh’s wicketkeeper said they “haven’t become a T20 side of caliber yet”

Mohammad Isam19-Mar-2018Before the Nidahas Trophy, Bangladesh never felt like they were playing consistently in a T20 tournament, according to Mushfiqur Rahim. Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka twice in final-over thrillers, which has given them confidence for the future.Mushfiqur said Bangladesh’s overall recovery in this tournament, after the poor home series against Sri Lanka, stood out. They were beaten 2-0 in the T20s in February, after they lost the ODI tri-series final and the Test series, to Sri Lanka.

‘Should have been quiet’ – Nurul Hasan

Nurul Hasan, the Bangladesh substitute player, who picked up a 25% fine for his behaviour in the match against Sri Lanka on Friday, said he regretted arguing with Thisara Perera.
“I was sent inside the field to speak to [Mahmudullah] Riyad ,” Nurul said. “I asked the umpire whether the first ball was given a bouncer. Thisara Perera came up to me and said, ‘Who are you to talk? You go, you don’t have to talk’. I said I am not talking to you. He started to abuse me. I kept saying it has nothing to do with you. I should have been quiet. I think the heat of the moment got to me. This is all that happened.”

“We haven’t become a T20 side of caliber yet but if you compare how we did in the home T20s in February to how we did in Sri Lanka, we have taken a step in the right direction,” Mushfiqur said. “We have shown we can be consistent in T20s. We still have a lot of room for improvement. Our top-order batsmen have to play till the end. We did finish two games well.”Our bowlers have to take more wickets in the Powerplay overs. We have to work on our death-over bowling. Most of the wickets were flat, we were a bit behind India’s economy rate. I think it is a gain that we now have some confidence in T20s, like we have found in Tests and ODIs.”Bangladesh were short of confidence prior to the Nidahas Trophy, but Mushfiqur boosted their morale after carrying them past Sri Lanka in the second league game. Mahmudullah’s cameo in the virtual knockout against Sri Lanka lifted them further. However, they lost one crucial moment in the final as Dinesh Karthik hit Soumya Sarkar for six off the last ball of the match.Mushfiqur however feels that Soumya cannot be blamed. “It is quite obvious to feel bad. But it wasn’t due to one person,” Mushfiqur said. “If all our bowlers could concede one or two runs less or our batsmen could have scored 10 runs more, things would have been different. It is a team game so the failure is ours. We have to take lessons from this game. It was the first time for Soumya, so I am sure the next time he faces up to such a situation, he will do much better.”A lot of big-name bowlers have failed to hold on to their nerve. Malinga was taken apart by Marlon Samuels in the same venue in the 2012 World T20. We lost a good opportunity, is all I can say. It is not every day that you get a chance to beat India. We have now missed two opportunities. We will keep this hurt inside so that we can go ahead.”

Ed Smith’s first squad as national selector includes a couple of big calls

George Dobell15-May-20183:44

Buttler selection not a snub to county cricket – Smith

Jos Buttler has earned a surprise recall to England’s Test team at the expense of James Vince, while the Somerset spinner, Dominic Bess, was the beneficiary of his team-mate Jack Leach’s misfortune, as the new national selector, Ed Smith, unveiled his squad for next week’s first Test against Pakistan.Buttler, who has not played red-ball cricket for England since the tour of India in November and December 2016, has found a rich vein of form for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL this month, with a tournament-record five consecutive half-centuries, including unbeaten scores of 95 and 94 in his last two innings.”Jos Buttler is an outstanding talent, who is already a central part of England’s white-ball teams,” Smith said. “The selection panel feels that this is the perfect moment to reintroduce Jos to Test cricket, where he has already enjoyed some success, including a stint playing as a specialist batsman at number seven. Jos is playing with great confidence and flair, and he will bring unique qualities to the Test team.”

England squad for first Test v Pakistan

Joe Root (capt), Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

He will return to the middle order, with Jonny Bairstow retaining the wicketkeeper’s role and moving up the order, meaning Vince is fall guy after a winter of false dawns, in spite of a timely Championship double-century for Hampshire against Somerset on Monday. Joe Root will bat at No.3 with Dawid Malan at No. 4.Vince, who was recalled to the Test squad for the Ashes, in spite of a mediocre start to his career against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 2016, made an attractive 83 in his first Test innings of the winter, at Brisbane in November, and signed off with 76 against New Zealand at Christchurch last month. However, in between whiles, he made just one more score of fifty in nine innings, with a propensity to get himself out when well set costing him dear.Buttler has outperformed the rest of his IPL side in May•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bess, meanwhile, has leapfrogged to the front of England’s spinning options, in the wake of a cruel injury for Leach in the nets at Taunton next week. A fractured left thumb means he will be out of action for both Pakistan Tests, and so will be unable to back up the promise he showed on Test debut in Christchurch last month. Moeen Ali was dropped for the final Test in New Zealand and has played no red-ball cricket since due to his spell at the IPL.”Dom Bess has made an excellent start to his first-class career,” Smith said. “He has impressed everyone with his performances for Somerset and when he has been given opportunities with England representative teams. With Jack Leach missing out due to injury, the selection panel wanted to invest opportunity in a young spin bowler. Dom’s strong form, character and all-round abilities presented a compelling case for selection.Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, who was recalled in Christchurch, will compete for the final fast-bowling spot while Mark Stoneman has retained his place at the top of the order despite a lean start to the season. He had faced pressure from an in-form Nick Gubbins.Meanwhile, Malan and Tom Curran have been awarded incremental contracts based on their performances in the 2017-18 period. Malan was one of the few successes in the Ashes while Curran became a regular part of the one-day side.

Sussex’s defeat, following a brace of washouts, probably puts the knockouts out of reach

ECB Reporters Network01-Jun-2018
ScorecardA partnership of 98 from only 10 overs between Colin Ingram and Kiran Carlson saw Glamorgan win their first game in the competition, against as a strong Sussex team, who included Chris Jordan and Jofra Archer for the first time this season.This defeat and two abandoned games last week, has probably denied the visitors any chance of qualifying for the latter stages of the competition. Ingram was undefeated on 95, as his team reached their target with 10 balls remaining.After Sussex had been put in, the two Lukes – Wright and Wells – gave their team a brisk start, sharing 41 in eight overs before Wells chipped Timm van der Gugten to mid-on, then Wright, who had scored 41 from 34 balls, flicked one down the legside from Lukas Carey to the wicketkeeper.Andrew Salter’s offspin was introduced in the 12th over, and with Graham Wagg bowling his cutters effectively from the other end, they restricted Sussex’s progress, with no boundaries conceded from 16 overs. The visitors also lost two wickets, with Ben Brown sent back attempting an impossible run, and Harry Finch lbw, sweeping at Salter.After Ingram and David Lloyd- the fifth and sixth bowler- came into the attack, Burgess and Wiese restored Sussex’s fortunes, by adding 71 in the next 10 overs. A series of full tosses and short pitched deliveries did not help Glamorgan’s cause, and they would have been disappointed not to have capitalised after bowling so well in the middle of the innings.The partnership was broken by the admirable Wagg, who began his second spell by having Burgess caught low down at extra cover, before Wiese, in the next over, struck a short ball from van der Gugten to cover point. His belligerent innings of 67, included seven fours and two sixes as Sussex reached a commendable total from their 50 overs.Despite losing Nick Selman early on, Aneurin Donald, who has experienced a lean start to the season, and Connor Brown moved along at a brisk pace and had put on 69 for the second wicket, until Donald, who made 40, chipped Chris Jordan to Burgess on the midwicket boundary.Brown quickly followed, dragging one from Ishant Sharma to mid-on, but David Lloyd gave Ingram valuable support by adding 77 for the fourth wicket, with Ingram the dominant partner. Lloyd departed for 20, but Kiran Carlson, playing his first game in the competition, soon made his intentions clear by striking Danny Briggs and Archer for sixes.With five overs remaining, Glamorgan required 47, but the home team kept up with the required run rate with another brace of sixes from Carlson, as he reached a rapid unbeaten 59 from only 40 balls.

The visitors clinched the second one-dayer by 67 runs on the back of the allrounder’s maiden List A hundred, levelling the three-match series 1-1

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2018Thisara Perera slams one into the leg side•Associated Press

Thisara Perera’s maiden List A century helped Sri Lanka A to a 67-run win over Bangladesh A in Sylhet, levelling the three-match one-day series 1-1. Perera struck nine fours and five sixes in his 88-ball 111 which rescued his side from a difficult position.Batting first, Sri Lanka posted 275 in 49.4 overs after slipping to 129 for 7 in the 29th over. Thisara added 77 runs for the eighth wicket with Malinda Pushpakumara, with the latter contributing just eight runs. Shehan Madushanka then scored an unbeaten run-a-ball 36 with two fours and as many sixes, adding 44 for the ninth wicket with Thisara.In reply, Bangladesh were 71 for 1 at one stage before getting bowled out for 208 in 44.3 overs. Five of their top six batsmen scored at least 25 but none of Saif Hassan (28), Zakir Hasan (32), Mohammad Mithun (25), Al-Amin (46) and Ariful Haque (27) could kick on to a substantial score.For the visitors, Pushpakumara and Nishan Peiris took three wickets each.The last one-dayer will be played at the same venue on July 21.

Joe Root set the stage for England to draw level in the ODIs, and Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid finished the job

The Report by Shashank Kishore14-Jul-2018In what England would hope heralds a sustained run of form through their home season, Joe Root made a high-quality 113, his 13th ODI century, to provide the base for England’s series-levelling 86-run win at Lord’s. To put their win down wholly to Root’s knock, however, would do no justice to David Willey or Adil Rashid or Moeen Ali.Willey’s 30-ball half-century, the fastest for England against India, injected late momentum into an innings that seemed destined to end up at 280 or thereabouts. Siddarth Kaul, in just his second ODI, repeatedly lost his lengths and bore the brunt of Willey’s improvisation. Umesh Yadav didn’t fare much better as England plundered 94 off the last 10 to finish with 322 for 7. Virat Kohli kept India in the hunt in the chase, but Moeen changed all that by having him lbw in the 27th over. England proceeded to choke India with spin, and the required rate escalated to over eleven an over with 12 overs to play.That England managed to keep Dhoni and Hardik Pandya quiet was a mark of the control they had over proceedings. Eoin Morgan had elected to bat presumably to deny India’s spinners the advantage of bowling on a drier surface late in the day. As it turned out, their very own benefited from this, combining for figures of 3 for 80 off 20 overs in decisive spells.The final result had a feeling of inevitability to it, with Dhoni plodding along to make a 59-ball 37, making Tuesday’s clash at Leeds a winner-takes-all contest. While the big hits eluded him, Dhoni brought up the 33 runs he needed to become just the fourth Indian, after Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, to bring up 10,000 ODI runs.The preceding T20I series had marked the first time Root was dropped in any form of cricket for England since the 2014 Sydney Test. There may have pressure on him subsequently, but, with the injury to Alex Hales and the team’s spin woes piling up, he couldn’t have asked for a more opportune moment to roar back into form.Root’s diffidence to spin had cost him at Trent Bridge – he was pinned on the back foot. At Lord’s he was much more assertive against Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, playing them as late as possible but trying to get as close as possible to the pitch of the ball. This helped him put away the odd lose delivery the pair delivered in trying to impart turn. His control percentage against the wristspinning pair was 86%, a measure of how well he played them, even if his run-scoring was not at its most fluent.That this innings came hot on the heels of the openers falling to Kuldeep made it all the more crucial. In looking to break a threatening opening stand, Kohli turned to Kuldeep in the 12th over and he struck with his second delivery, Jonny Bairstow failing to pick a googly and deflecting the ball onto the stumps. Jason Roy, meanwhile, slog swept one to Umesh Yadav at deep midwicket.Root’s innings was a soothing balm, and set them up for the late assault they eventually managed. He put on a 103-run third-wicket stand with Morgan, who made 53. Their partnership was an old-fashioned repair job that put the focus on run accumulation with minimal risks. It might have begun to ring some alarm bells for India, but then Morgan whipped a juicy Kuldeep full toss to Shikhar Dhawan at deep midwicket.At 189 for 3 in the 31st over, the stage seemed set for Jos Buttler, but England preferred Ben Stokes, who had made England’s slowest half-century in the last 10 years at Trent Bridge two days ago. He did not click today either, and to compound matters Buttler was out soon after, leaving England vulnerable. This was when India’s bowlers switched off and Willey cashed in to make a difference of at least 40 runs to the end total.India’s openers started well, adding 49 in 8.1 overs before Morgan’s call to persist with Mark Wood for a fifth straight over paid dividends. In an attempt to mow one to the short leg-side boundary, Rohit advanced only to miss one that came back in with the slope to crash into the stumps. Next over, Dhawan sliced a drive to backward point. When KL Rahul was snuffed out by a spectacular Jos Buttler grab – moving to his wrong side to take an inside edge – five balls later, India were truly in trouble.Kohli and Suresh Raina, playing his first ODI innings in almost three years, added 80. Raina was reprieved twice, the second instance causing Roy to immediately walk off the field to nurse his hand. But, in the same over, Kohli played all around a straight Moeen delivery to open the floodgates. At that stage, India needed 183 off 23 overs, which meant little time for Dhoni and Hardik Pandya to settle in. They never did find their rhythm as the game meandered to a farcical end, Dhoni even defending balls to boos from the crowd.

Birmingham allrounder Alex Thomson took four wickets on debut but he was unable to stop Lancashire strengthening their top-four grip

ECB Reporters Network10-Aug-2018
ScorecardExciting young legspinner Matt Parkinson claimed 3 for 23 as Lancashire beat Birmingham Bears by 37 runs to make it back-to-back Vitality Blast wins and strengthen their grip on a quarter-final place.The Lightning comfortably defended their total of 185 for 5, given to them by Karl Brown’s half-century and late-order firepower from Jordan Clark.Another victory only 24 hours after their Roses triumph at Headingley kept Lancashire third in the North Group table while Birmingham’s knockout hopes suffered a blow as they slipped to sixth.Jim Troughton, Birmingham’s coach, too solace in the debut of offspinning allrounder Alex Thomson, who took a wicket in each of his four overs to finish with 4 for 35Troughton said: “We knew what we would come up against, stack their team with spinners on a used wicket. So we had a personnel change and special mention to Alex for his four-fer on debut. Alex is an impressive young man, he’s worked very hard over the winter. He turns the ball and can get bounce.”Getting a first crack on that wicket was probably important to get. I think the big difference was boundary count between the two teams. They hit eight sixes and we only hit one. The spell from Parkinson pretty much killed us – getting three quick wickets there and ripping the middle order out.”Lancashire won the toss and chose to bat, but Birmingham made a strong start in restricting the opening pair in the Powerplay and the first five overs were all bowled by spin.Thomson certainly didn’t disappoint. He struck in his first over to remove Lancashire’s in-form opener Alex Davies for 17. In fact, Thomson took a wicket in each of his four overs to finish with fantastic debut figures of 4 for 35Lancashire’s standout performer was once again opener Brown. 24 hours on from his match-winning half-century against Yorkshire, he delivered another scintillating fifty having been given a life on 32 when Josh Poysden couldn’t hold a caught and bowled chance. The fifty from just 32 balls including three 4s and three 6s.Brown shared a half-century stand with Dane Vilas to take Lancashire to a solid position of 82 for 2 at halfway. But Brown, like Vilas and Arron Lilley, was a victim of Thomson as the Lightning stuttered to 134-4 with five overs remaining.Their late-order acceleration from Clark and James Faulkner, who came together after Steven Croft holed out in the deep, was pivotal for the hosts.Clark blasted 41 from 25 balls and together they put on 45 in 23 balls as the Lightning took 51 from the final five overs of the innings to kick their total to 185 for 5.Lancashire got their defence of to a great start, claiming three wickets inside the Powerplay. James Faulkner got the crucial wicket of the Vitality Blast’s top run-scorer Ian Bell in the second over, bowling him for two.Aaron Thomason and Ed Pollock also departed inside the first five overs, bowled by Steven Croft and run out by Alex Davies respectively. That left the Bears 26 for 3 and struggling in pursuit of Lancashire’s total.Hope was given to them by a nice innings from Sam Hain. He raced to 34 from 22 balls with a lovely array of strokes and good running in partnership with Adam Hose.But his dismissal triggered the beginning of the end for Birmingham as Parkinson all-but sealed the win for Lancashire with three wickets in four balls.Hain was stumped by a smart bit of work by Dane Vilas and Colin de Grandhomme was bowled next ball. Parkinson had his hattrick attempt at the start of the next over and was denied one as his lbw appeal against Grant Elliot was turned down.But the New Zealand international was stumped with the next delivery as Birmingham slipped to 75-6 in the 12th over, still needing another 111 to win.They never looked likely to get there, despite Adam Hose’s 45 from 39, ultimately being bowled out for 149.Lancashire face a trip to Durham then face Birmingham again at Edgbaston, before which the Bears take on Worcestershire.

The 13-man squad also includes Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Hanuma Vihari, Shreyas Iyer, Saurabh Kumar, Ishan Porel, and others

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2018Batsman Karun Nair, who was benched throughout India’s Test tour of England, will lead a 13-member Board President’s XI squad to take on the visiting West Indies for a two-day practice match in Vadodara. The match will begin on September 29 and will precede the two-Test series in October.Hanuma Vihari, who was selected ahead of Nair for the fifth Test against England and made a fifty and a duck on debut, also found a place, as did Mumbai batsman Prithvi Shaw, who was also called up for the final two Tests in England without getting a game.Mayank Agarwal, who has been on the periphery of an India call-up for a while, also made it to the side on the back of an extended prolific run that included a first-class double-century last month against South Africa A and a one-day hundred in the quadrangular series that followed. In his last first-class innings, he scored 80 on a tough second-innings pitch against Australia A.Shreyas Iyer and Ankit Bawne, who struck three fifties in six first-class innings against the visiting South Africa A and Australia A teams, form a strong batting line-up. The selectors, however, opted for a less experienced bowling attack, especially the pace line-up which will be led by Kerala’s Basil Thampi, who has played 18 first-class matches.Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar and Tamil Nadu pacer K Vignesh were rewarded for impressive performances in the Duleep Trophy. Saurabh finished the tournament as the highest wicket-taker, with 19 scalps from three matches. Vignesh, with eight scalps in two matches, was also among the top-five wicket-takers. Madhya Pradesh’s Avesh Khan, Bengal’s Ishan Porel, experienced allrounder Jalaj Saxena and wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan complete the 13-member squad.West Indies will be in India for a full tour featuring two Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is in October-November.Board President’s XI squad: Karun Nair (capt), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Hanuma Vihari, Shreyas Iyer, Ankit Bawne, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jalaj Saxena, Saurabh Kumar, Basil Thampi, Avesh Khan, K Vignesh, Ishan Porel

The India opener said he wasn’t eyeing a fourth double-century though Rayudu told him he could reach the landmark

Varun Shetty in Mumbai29-Oct-20182:17

CCI can be tricky while chasing – Rohit

When Rohit Sharma completed his first ODI century in Mumbai, he took some time to savour it, settling into a relaxed acknowledgement of the applause with his arms outstretched. Even at about 60% capacity, the crowd was rather loud for their local hero.

West Indies captain Jason Holder on…

What went wrong: “We definitely didn’t play well. The way we started the series and the way we have played so far, we certainly didn’t do any justice today. Gave away too many runs. I felt it was a very good wicket, the outfield was lightning. It was a wicket where once you get in, you can go really big. Unfortunately none of our batters just really got it and gave themselves a chance to bat deep into the innings.”
Coping with the rising asking rate: “The asking rate definitely plays on your mind as well, you know. Obviously a big total and you need to be up with the total for a majority of the innings. We never really got any momentum up front, lost too many wickets up front. And the two run-outs didn’t really help us. Set us back really – two of our better players, and we didn’t really have any momentum in the middle. Credit to India, they bowled reasonably well upfront and caused trouble.”

Rohit likes playing at the CCI’s Brabourne Stadium. It is the venue where he made his first T20 hundred, an unbeaten 101 against Gujarat in 2007, and two years later made 309 in a Ranji match against the same opposition.”I have played a lot of cricket at CCI and I have always enjoyed batting here,” Rohit said. “It is a good pitch and you get value for your shots. It has a fast outfield, so you don’t need to try and hit too hard. You can find the gaps, and that’s what I was looking at.”When you come to a ground where you have played enough cricket, you feel confident of going into a match. That was my mindset before walking into bat. I understand the nature of the pitch and what it does when the spinners are bowling. Those things are important. Like I said, I’ve had lot of opportunities to play here and it was going about and doing the same thing.”Rohit Sharma scored his seventh 150-plus score at Brabourne•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

This hundred, Rohit’s 21st, comes in the middle of a purple patch and falls in line with a pattern of increasing scores every time he has gone past 50 over the last month. After scores of 52 and 83* in the Asia Cup, Rohit made an unbeaten 111 against Pakistan in the same tournament, and in the next instance of making a 50-plus score, Rohit finished with an unbeaten 152 at the start of this series. Incredibly, he managed to better even that score, but the three-time ODI double-centurion said didn’t think of a fourth at any point.”While batting, I don’t think about scoring hundreds or double-hundreds. I just want to go bat, score runs and get the team to good positions,” Rohit said. “The three double-hundreds that I’ve got, I had never thought about getting them. Even today, in fact, Rayudu was telling me that I can get a double-hundred. But I was just trying to focus on my batting and not think about how I’m going to get to double-hundred. I wanted to score runs and make sure that we get enough runs because CCI can get tricky while [defending]. But we bowled well to get them out.”There were signs that Rohit was alluding to in terms of balance between bat and ball, and perhaps nothing nailed down that hypothesis better than the 224-run margin of victory. And among the stars of India’s 377 defence was left-arm fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed.”In the first innings when me and Shikhar were batting, we were not finding it that easy because it was doing a little bit,” Rohit said. “You can’t just go straight away and start playing shots. You need to spend some time. So in my opinion the pitch was on offer for both batsman and bowlers. It was probably one of the best pitches that I’ve played on in India.”When the left-armers swing the ball the way Khaleel did today, it’s always going to trouble the batsman no matter what sort of batsman he’s bowling against. If he’s swinging the ball the way he is, any batsman in the world will find it difficult. He’s maturing very fast, he understands his bowling. And the management also understands where he needs to be come the World Cup. I hope he continues to do that because it’s only going to be better for us. Come New Zealand, and the World Cup in England, where the ball swings a lot, he might be very handy there.”

The wickets of Amla and Bavuma aside, he impressed by often clocking close to 150kph

Liam Brickhill29-Nov-2018Cape Town Blitz fast bowler Anrich Nortje has been ruled out of the remainder of the Mzansi Super League with an ankle injury that will require surgery.”Anrich has several small avulsed bone fragments from the inferior tip of the lateral aspect of the talus in his left ankle,” explained Cape Town Blitz physiotherapist Shane Jabaar. “He has associated bone oedema and surgery will involve removing the fragments arthroscopically.”Nortje, 25, made an immediate impact in the league, taking eight wickets in three matches – including the likes of Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma and Reeza Hendricks – at an average of 10.4. Even more eye-catching than his figures were his methods, with Nortje upsetting the usual balance of bat and ball in T20 cricket with pace and swing, attacking the stumps at speeds of up to 150kph.”Unfortunately, I had to make a decision that I will no longer be taking part in the Mzansi Super League,” Nortje said. “I have had to leave the team after the abandoned match against the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants and will be having surgery on Friday to remove a small piece of bone that has broken off.”Nortje’s performances will not have escaped the national selection radar, especially with a space in the Protea bowling attack having opened up after Lungi Ngidi’s knee injury put him out of action for three months. For the moment, Nortje’s own injury would appear to put him back out of contention, but his coach at the Cape Town Blitz, Ashwell Prince, believes he has a bright future.”It is really unfortunate that the injury has come at this particular time in his career,” said Prince. “He is definitely one for the future for the Proteas and South Africa has a lot to look forward to from this young man. I have no doubt he will go on to play successfully at Test match level.””Everybody in Cape Town was really excited to see the sheer pace that Anrich could generate, which they saw in the first warm-up game against Paarl Rocks, where he got the ball through at 150 – maybe higher. I think all Capetonians were really excited about his potential in the tournament and in the brief time he played with us, he didn’t disappoint.”We are just hoping that it is not a rushed process and the young man will be granted the opportunity to fully recover before he starts cranking it up again. We are most certainly looking forward to having him back at the Cape Town Blitz next year.”Nortje will be replaced by Highveld Lions left-arm seamer Nandre Burger. While he only played in three games before his injury, Nortje praised the MSL for the exposure he had already received. Nortje had been part of the South Africa A tour to India in July, and started the domestic season with 24 wickets in five games for Warriors, but it was not until he tore through line-ups on national television that he was really noticed.”This tournament is great for getting some exposure, it is something we don’t get at domestic level and I haven’t heard this much of a buzz around myself or any other player,” said Nortje. “Within two weeks, things have changed, so it’s really nice to get the exposure and having the matches broadcast all over the world.”Nortje played alongside Dale Steyn in the Cape Town Blitz XI, and is hopeful of following in his “role model” Steyn’s footsteps. “With this tournament, you are playing with international players,” said Nortje. “To be learning from them, listening to them and to be working with them is something that can’t be taken for granted because we don’t really get to see the Proteas often. It has been an amazing experience to be in that environment.”My ultimate goal is to play for the Proteas. I can still remember watching Mornantau Hayward, who is also from Uitenhage. Obviously, now I got to play with my role model Dale Steyn. It’s definitely something I am working hard to try to achieve. Hopefully, it is something I can achieve in the next few years and I can’t wait for the day to come where I can sing the national anthem and wear the green and gold – any format would be a dream come true.”Nortje’s is not the only recent injury in the MSL. Australian Michael Klinger has also been ruled out of the remainder of Paarl Rocks’ campaign in the league after injuring his back in the field against Cape Town Blitz last Sunday. David Wiese has joined Paarl’s squad as a replacement.