Krunal Pandya smashed a 37-ball 86 to set up Mumbai Indians’ total of 206, a score they defended by 80 runs against Delhi Daredevils in Visakhapatnam

The Report by Nikhil Kalro15-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKrunal Pandya blitzed 86 off 37 balls, his career-best score•BCCI

After Shahbaz Nadeem, bowling the first over of the game, got his first two balls to grip and turn, Delhi Daredevils captain Zaheer Khan may have been proud of the move to play an extra spinner. That changed quickly as Mumbai Indians’ Krunal Pandya pummelled 13 boundaries in a 37-ball exhibition of power-hitting against spin. His career-best score of 86 set up Mumbai’s total of 206 and their subsequent 80-run win in Visakhapatnam. As a result, they climbed to third spot on the points table, and Daredevils dropped from fourth to fifth.Rohit Sharma had laid into Nadeem in the first over to set the tone for Mumbai’s innings. A sweep and a lofted cover drive off consecutive balls meant Mumbai had already equalled their Powerplay boundary count from their previous game. However, Martin Guptill struggled to find timing in his second IPL game despite a forehand swat he sent for six over point in the fourth over.Daredevils’ bowlers forced many chips and bunts through wily changes in pace. Rohit, though, peppered the midwicket region with exquisitely-timed heaves, primarily off the front foot. Just when it looked like Rohit was settling into the anchor role, he skewed a cut to point.Against two legspinners and a left-arm spinner, Krunal, batting at No. 3, utilised his hitting arc through midwicket. Even googlies from Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir were heaved across the line. Krunal’s brisk stand with Guptill resulted in a strong platform where Mumbai could launch from towards the end.It was the 13th over that gave them the extra push. Tahir was walloped for consecutive sixes as he floated deliveries in Guptill’s half. And Pandya finished the over with two more boundaries as 23 runs were taken. Pandya didn’t look back from there.He struck eight boundaries in the following four overs to ensure Mumbai never stalled after Guptill holed out to long-off. Krunal got to a 22-ball fifty with a muscular biff over long-on and celebrated it with an imitation of his brother Hardik’s stance. “I knew there were two legspinners and one left-arm spinner. I was picking the googlies and going with the flow,” Krunal said at the post-match presentation.In the 18th over, Chris Morris used variations in pace and length to remove Krunal and Kieron Pollard in the space of four balls. A 16-run penultimate over meant Tahir finished with figures of 0 for 59, the worst returns by a spinner in the IPL. Twelve more runs in the last over gave Mumbai their fifth-highest IPL total.Daredevils were never in the hunt after losing regular wickets in the chase. Quinton de Kock’s impressive pick-up strokes kept them hoping briefly. But those slim chances were ended when he was adjudged caught behind in the 10th over. De Kock had gone back in his crease to execute a late dab, but so deep was he that his bat flicked Jos Buttler’s gloves as he missed the ball, the second successive time he was wrongly given out.By then, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair and Sanju Samson, had fallen for single-digit scores. With Harbhajan Singh ripping his offbreaks, Mumbai’s challenging score seemed out of reach as the required rate climbed steeply. JP Duminy and Rishabh Pant fell off Jasprit Bumrah’s consecutive balls in the search of quick runs.Bumrah used his offcutters on a slow pitch effectively to finish with 3 for 13 from four overs. Daredevils folded for 126 as Mumbai recorded their third-biggest win. It was fitting that Krunal finished the game with an offbreak that turned past Zaheer’s outside edge to hit the off stump.

Pakistan’s new coach Mickey Arthur has said the opportunity of associating with a subcontinent team was a “massive attraction”

Umar Farooq09-Jun-2016Pakistan’s new coach Mickey Arthur has said the opportunity of associating with a subcontinent team was a “massive attraction”. Soon after his arrival in Lahore, his first visit to Pakistan after his appointment, Arthur spoke to the media and explained his decision to take up the job by saying, “If you haven’t coached in the subcontinent you haven’t really coached.”Arthur was appointed last month to fill the role vacated by Waqar Younis, who resigned following the team’s early exit from the World T20. This is Arthur’s third assignment with an international side – he previously coached South Africa from 2005 to 2010, and Australia from 2011 to 2013.”(It has) massive attraction,” Arthur said. “You just got to look at the passion that the Pakistan public have for cricket. The passion that everybody in the subcontinent has for cricket. For me, I wanted to come and coach in the subcontinent at some stage of my coaching career because if you haven’t coached in the subcontinent, you haven’t really coached.”That was a massive attraction, coupled with the fact that we need to improve the rankings in ODI cricket without a doubt, we need to improve the rankings in Twenty20 cricket. We need to become a little bit more consistent. Our Test cricket seems to be very good at the moment. Test cricket is being played in conditions conducive to the subcontinent. If we can play well outside the subcontinent [it] means the team’s really going forward and those are all the challenges I’m really looking forward to.”Pakistan are ranked No. 3 in Test cricket but are currently at ninth place on the ODI table and at No. 7 in T20Is. With a long tour of England and Ireland as his first assignment, Arthur urged the team to guard against fear of failure.”I don’t care if they fail, I don’t care if they make mistakes. Professional people are going to make mistakes. As long as we’re learning from those mistakes and going forward as a team, I’m going to be happy. I don’t want us to fear the failure. I think any team that fears failure is a team that struggles. Certainly I don’t want us to fear failure at all and we’re going to give players the opportunity to get out there and really perform to the best of their ability.”The strategy is to make them believe in their own abilities, make them believe where we are going to take this team and that belief comes over time, it just doesn’t start. I love to see the players dig deep inside and find the extra 10% that’s going to make a significant difference to this team going forward and that’s what I will try to dwell and try to get out of every player. To make sure that they become better, and if they become better players Pakistan cricket will benefit. That is my primary focus at the moment.”Arthur has a two-year deal with the PCB, which will be reviewed after a year based on the team’s performance. With four major series for the side over the next eight months – after the England tour, Pakistan are scheduled to play West Indies, New Zealand and Australia – Arthur has set his sights on identifying players who fit in with the long-term vision of taking the team to No. 1 across formats.”The short-term plan comes in and creates a culture that I think is necessary for a team to be successful,” he said. “With long-term plans I want to get the team to No.1 in all forms of the game, that is without a doubt. We also need to identify long-term players who can be with us for the ride, players who can play all three formats. We need to identify really good allrounders, somebody who can bat in the top six and bowl seam specially when he plays outside subcontinent conditions. Those are all things in my mind as long-term plans.”Arthur had an uneasy tenure as Australia’s coach, despite having garnered success with South Africa. He was sacked almost three weeks before the start of the 2013 Ashes in England, after a challenging time with the team which included the infamous Homeworkgate episode on the tour to India earlier that year. Arthur was confident such an incident would not occur again.”I’ve got no doubt they’ll operate in the right way and Australia did,” he said. “Sometimes things work and sometimes things don’t. We’ve had a good record with Australia but there were other issues that we needed to address and they always say there’s two types of coaches – there’s a coach that’s current and there’s a coach that’s been fired, and if you haven’t been fired, you’ve never coached. So I had a really good five years with South Africa, with Australia we had two very good years and that ended in tears, but that’s what happens. I’m confident that in this role we’ll get things going in the right direction, it won’t happen again.”Arthur’s arrival in Pakistan was delayed by a month – due to paperwork issues involved in switching from South African to Australian citizenship – and he missed the preparatory fitness camp for the England tour. He clarified that his inputs were taken before the selection of the team and that he had had fruitful discussion with the selectors and the rest of the coaching staff.”I had very good and clear communication with the selection panel before this team was selected,” he said. “Inzi (Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s chief selector) and I have built a nice relationship, we spent some time chatting and I know that my opinions will always be taken into account. At the end of the day it’s their job to select the best possible team but I know they will do this in consultation with myself and the captain always.”I’ve had fruitful discussions with every stakeholder throughout the last month – with Inzi and his selection panel, with Mushi (bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed) in terms of the young players coming through, so I’ve got a pretty good indication where Pakistan cricket is. I’ve got a pretty good indication that if we find some players that become long-term, we need to invest in those players, and if we invest in those players and be consistent with our selection, and consistent in the roles that those players have within the team, then, without a doubt, the team will go from strength to strength.”Soon after his appointment, Arthur had stressed the importance of discipline and fitness, and he stated he would manage this on a day-to-day basis to ensure the team’s performance was not affected.”At the end of the day it’s up to me to give them a clear role, let them know exactly how they fit in and also to make sure that they bind to the team. All those issues I haven’t experienced yet and I will manage them on a day-to-day basis to make sure that they don’t impact our performance going forward.”

Ajinkya Rahane, India’s Test vice-captain, has joined the chorus of pink-ball supporters, and suggested he was keen to try it out in the Duleep Trophy, which will be played as a day-night tournament this season

Arun Venugopal23-Jun-2016Ajinkya Rahane, India’s Test vice-captain, has joined the chorus of pink-ball supporters, and suggested he was keen to try it out in the Duleep Trophy, which will be played as a day-night tournament this season. While Rahane has played with a pink ball of a different brand in the past, he felt the dynamics of playing with the Kookaburra ball were different and that the Duleep Trophy would help players get a feel of it.”[I am] really excited about this pink ball,” Rahane told ESPNcricinfo in Mumbai. “A long time back, I think, in an Emerging [Players] tournament we played with a pink ball, we played with fluorescent, green ball,” he said. “But that was a different company – we played with Platypus ball [then], but this Kookaburra is different and we will get an idea in the Duleep Trophy [as to] how it is behaving, what the bounce is like.”I saw this club match [Mohun Bagan v Bhowanipore] on TV. The ball was doing a bit, swinging [more] than red ball, bounce was slightly more than red ball, but once we play, once we practice with that, then only we will get an idea of how to go about it.”Rahane’s observations come two days after former India captain Rahul Dravid told ESPNcricinfo that players needed to keep an open mind about day-night Test cricket with the pink ball. Other India players like Mohammad Shami and Wriddhiman Saha, who played in the country’s maiden pink-ball game in Kolkata, have provided positive appraisals as well.Rahane also gave a thumbs up to the BCCI technical committee’s recommendation to play Ranji Trophy matches at neutral venues. While some former players, coaches and administrators have expressed reservations over the suggestion, Rahane felt playing at neutral centres would help players become mentally tougher.”I think the decision which BCCI made is really good. It is challenging when you play at neutral venues,” he said. “Players will learn about their game, they will get to know how to go about it. You are actually thinking more about your game, your preparation will be more [and] your strategies before the game will be slightly different. Because, when you play home games you know your home conditions, but when you play neutral games I think players will get mentally tougher.”On the personal front, Rahane used the downtime after the IPL to enjoy a brief vacation in Thailand before resuming practice a week ago ahead of the West Indies tour next month. He has been practising with wet rubber balls and tennis balls to get used to the varying pace found on different surfaces in the Caribbean.”[A] few wickets [in West Indies], they have good bounce and pace. Jamaica has good bounce. Few wickets, there might be some turn, some help for the spinners,” Rahane said. “It’s rainy season in Mumbai, so we cannot practise outdoors so I am just practising indoors, but just simulating whatever conditions I am going to face.”I was practising with wet rubber balls, just to get my reaction right, my hand-eye co-ordination right. Because sometimes wickets are softer, two-paced wickets, it [also] helps to practice with a tennis ball. The tennis ball comes [on to the batsman] slightly slower than a rubber ball. So I have been practising with tennis ball, rubber ball and leather ball.”Rahane also said he was excited and motivated by BCCI’s decision to name him vice-captain for the tour. “Whenever I am on the field I always try and think that ‘if I am the captain what should be my field, what I am going to do in certain situation, certain conditions.’ I always think that way so that whenever opportunity comes I am ready for that,” he said.According to him, the camaraderie in the team helped the players get the best out of themselves. He said there was no competition among the likes of himself, Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, and instead there was a culture of looking out for one another. “Competing with each other would be the wrong word. I think we help each other. That’s the right word,” Rahane said. “During our fitness sessions, during our net sessions, we try and help each other to improve our game and improve our fitness. We motivate each other, that’s the important thing. If you are willing to help your team-mate, if you are willing to improve your team-mate’s game, eventually your team will go up and you are helping yourself also.”This group has been playing together for the last two to two and a half years together. We have a good combination not only on the field but off the field [too]. We go out for dinner, go out for lunch, sometimes we just have some discussion not only on cricket but in general about what’s going on in the world. I think that journey together is what we have. We enjoy each other’s success in the team.”

Two days after scoring his maiden CPL half-century, Darren Sammy did a star turn with the ball, his three-wicket haul setting up a seven-wicket win for St Lucia Zouks against Barbados Tridents

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDarren Sammy rattled Barbados Tridents’ top order•CPL/Sportsfile

Two days after scoring his maiden CPL half-century at the stadium renamed in his honour, in Gros Islet, Darren Sammy did the star turn with the ball, his three-wicket haul setting up a seven-wicket win that kept St Lucia Zouks in the hunt for a top-four berth.Barbados Tridents, who opted to bat, were restricted to 137 for 8, with Kyle Hope, the opener, making his first T20 half-century. Only three other batsmen moved to double digits, with captain Kieron Pollard’s 20 being the second-highest score of the innings. In reply, Zouks chased down a revised target of 131 in 19 overs, with 15 balls to spare.Tridents started positively, Hope and Ahmed Shehzad raising a 50-run partnership, before Sammy struck in his first over to remove Shehzad. Sammy then sent Shoaib Malik back in his next over to reduce Tridents to 60 for 2 in the tenth over. Sammy coaxed a mistimed pull from Hope in his final over and ended with figures of 3 for 18.The dismissal of Pollard and the in-form Nicholas Pooran off the next two overs, to Derlon Johnson, the left-arm fast bowler, and Shane Watson, further threw Tridents back. David Wiese’s 17-run cameo, however, helped them score 28 off the last three overs.Zouks were driven by 88-run opening stand in the chase, between Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher, which helped them steer clear of the asking rate. Fletcher hit two fours and three sixes in his 41-ball 45 before Pollard struck in consecutive overs to dismiss the openers either side of a rain interval that reduced the contest by an over.By then, Zouks needed only 33 off 36 balls. While Shane Watson, who made 19, was dismissed by Ravi Rampaul, David Miller struck two fours and a six in an unbeaten 19 to seal the winning runs along with Sammy, the captain. This meant that Tridents were consigned to their fourth loss in eight matches.

Allrounder Jimmy Neesham has been named in New Zealand’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of India, having not played an international since the Brisbane Test against Australia last November

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-20160:43

Quick Facts: Jimmy Neesham

Allrounder Jimmy Neesham has been named in New Zealand’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of India, having not played an international since the Brisbane Test against Australia last November. Fast bowler Matt Henry and batsman Jeet Raval have been dropped from the 16-man squad that toured Africa, with Neesham the only addition to what is now a 15-man group.Neesham was forced out of last summer’s Australia tour due to back pain, but he has since then played for Otago during New Zealand’s home season and for Derbyshire in England’s county competition. New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said Neesham’s all-round ability made him an attractive proposition for the tour of India, while Corey Anderson could not be considered due to a back injury.”Jimmy has put in a lot of work to make sure he is physically ready for a return to Test cricket,” Larsen said. “Having two pace-bowling allrounders in Jimmy and Doug Bracewell helps the balance of the squad, particularly if playing on pitches which demand a spin-heavy bowling attack.”Jeet Raval misses out on this tour, but we were really pleased with what we saw of him in Africa. He did everything asked of him and we’ll continue to monitor him closely.””Mitch Santner and Ish Sodhi will have benefitted from getting a taste of Indian conditions earlier this year at the ICC World Twenty20 and both showed excellent form at that tournament. It’s another big challenge for them early in their young careers, as well as for Mark Craig, who has made some changes in the past six months and has shown growth in his game.”India’s the No.2 ranked side in the world, and their record at home is formidable. We’re yet to win a Test series over there and that’s motivating for everyone. We’ve got three Tests to try create a special piece of history.”The first Test is in Kanpur beginning on September 22, followed by Tests in Kolkata and Indore.Squad Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Mark Craig, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling.