“If the ball is moving around 140-145 clicks that has to be more challenging than somebody bowling at 85-90” – Ashwin

Matt Roller14-Feb-20213:57

Manjrekar – I don’t think anyone in his right mind will call this a good pitch

Ben Foakes said that conditions in Chennai were “obviously extremely tough, and probably not going to get any easier” after keeping wicket for 113.5 overs and batting for nearly two hours across the first two days of England’s second Test against India.With Jos Buttler at home in the UK as part of the ECB’s rotation policy for multi-format players, Foakes has been backed by England to keep wicket in the final three Tests of this series, and took his chance in India’s first innings with an accomplished display with the gloves: England did not concede a single extra, while Foakes took two catches off Olly Stone’s bowling and completed a stumping off Moeen Ali.Related

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He then performed creditably with the bat, compiling an unbeaten 42 from No. 7 after coming in at 52 for 5 to drag England up to 134 all out, though his keeping was less polished at the start of India’s second innings, as he missed a stumping chance off Moeen’s bowling to dismiss Rohit Sharma and also conceded five byes.”It was extremely difficult,” Foakes told the host broadcaster, Star Sports. “Obviously they [India] are a pretty high-quality spin outfit and the pitch was playing a few tricks, so all in all it was a really tough day. We have just got to try to apply ourselves [in the] second innings.”It’s obviously extremely tough and it’s probably not going to get any easier. Balls are going to spit past us, balls are going to keep low, and so we have to play within our own gameplans, our own limits, and try to put pressure on the bowlers where we can but also back our defence, too.”Foakes highlighted the lack of any moisture in the surface, which he suggested had made the pitch particularly difficult to bat on.Ben Foakes held up his end for a long time for England•BCCI

“I think it’s just spitting so much,” he said. “It’s obviously so dry on the top that a lot of balls are taking the top and really turning, and then you’re getting the odd ball shoot low as well. All in all, it’s quite a difficult pitch to bat on.”I was just trying to play for the ball that wasn’t going to rag, try to play within my limits, and play the ball late, basically – not get too far outside my bubble.”Because the ball is taking the top of the surface, it’s spitting quite a lot, so it was almost [a case of] accepting that if one hit me on the glove or something then it was fair enough. Otherwise, I just tried to stick to my gameplan as if it was a normal sort of wicket and react if possible.”R Ashwin, who took 5 for 43 to help roll through England in their second innings, said that batsmen needed to be “very patient” on the Chepauk surface, but suggested that the pitch was no more challenging than one which would offer bounce and carry for fast bowlers.”I think it’s about being very patient, like when you play on a seaming wicket,” Ashwin said. “You have to dive through the initial phase, and get over it and then put runs on the board. When it comes to spin, unfortunately people don’t expect… they want conditions in their favour, driving, cutting, everything needs to happen. But when it comes to a seaming wicket, you can’t do all those things when you start playing on that kind of a wicket in the morning. The same benchmark needs to be set when you play spin on a challenging wicket as well.”I do not know if they [England] have complaints. If they do, it is quite natural for people to come up against adverse conditions and then feel taken aback by it. In all honesty, the seven days of cricket that they have played so far, they have played really well, competed really well. I haven’t seen any of them complaining or anything like that.”But time and again there are conditions that will challenge, be it spin or seam. The only comparison I can say is if the ball is moving around 140-145 clicks [kph] off the deck, that has to be more challenging than somebody bowling at 85-90. Clearly, the challenges are way greater when you come up against seam. Just the same way when you come up against spin, you have to give it to the bowler, bide your time, and then probably cash in a little later. It is another art. As simple as that.”Graham Thorpe, England’s assistant coach, said that the toss had been an important factor – as it had been in the first Test of the series – and played down any concerns about umpiring. Rohit Sharma survived a review for lbw in the final half-hour after a ball from Moeen struck him outside the line and would have hit middle stump. Umpire Virender Sharma’s ‘not out’ decision was upheld after he had judged that Rohit had attempted to play a shot, despite appearing to hide his bat behind his front pad, which left Joe Root visibly frustrated.”It’s incredibly challenging on that surface on day two,” Thorpe said. “They’re a very skilled spin attack in their own conditions and it was a very good toss to win. Even in the first Test, we believed it was a good toss to win. I think this was just as important. We know that pitches deteriorate here as the game goes on, and this one has gone a little bit quicker.”It’s obviously a canny bit of play by Pujara [Rohit]. The umpire has to make that decision. He has to decide at the time whether he thinks a player has played a shot at the ball and you have to accept it. The on-field umpire has to make that decision and that’s the one he came down on: he thought Pujara [Rohit] was playing a shot.”

A list of players and support staff who tested positive for Covid-19 at various camps ahead of the 2021 edition

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2021Daniel Sams (Royal Challengers Bangalore allrounder)Sams tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, two days ahead of his team’s opening game against the Mumbai Indians in Chennai. The Australian arrived in Chennai on April 3 and had returned a negative test at that time, according to a statement issued by the franchise. But a second test result on April 7 came out positive. He has since gone into isolation at a designated medical facility and is reportedly asymptomatic.Kiran More (Mumbai Indians wicketkeeping consultant and scout)More, the former India wicketkeeper and chief selector, tested positive on April 6. More has isolated himself in an appropriate facility in Chennai, where the team is based, and is asymptomatic. To ensure maximum safety for everyone around him, the team had cancelled its training session on April 6. Members of the squad, who were in contact with More before his positive test, all underwent tests and returned negative results.Devdutt Padikkal (Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman)Padikkal linked up with the squad on Wednesday in Chennai after recovering from Covid-19. Padikkal had been in home quarantine after testing positive on March 22, and after driving down to Chennai, he trained with the rest of the team on Wednesday, suggesting that he would be available for selection for the team’s opener against the Mumbai Indians on April 9.Members of the groundstaff at Mumbai’s Wankhede StadiumA few members of the groundstaff at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium tested positive for Covid-19 in the first week of April. The Mumbai Cricket Association, though, has expressed confidence that the matches – a total of ten, between April 10 and 25 – would not need to be moved out because they are being played in a biosecure environment. The staff on-site, meanwhile, is being tested every two days. Two of those who tested positive have already returned negative results, according to reports. The entire staff has been housed in the Garware Pavilion clubhouse, which is part of the stadium. Those who tested positive have been sent into isolation, and are expected to return into the bubble only after testing negative.Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals allrounder)Patel, one of the heroes of India’s recent 3-1 Test series win over England at home, tested positive on April 3. He had checked into the team hotel in Mumbai on March 28 with a negative report but things changed after the second test. He is currently in isolation at a designated medical facility. The Capitals take on the Chennai Super Kings in the second match of the tournament, on April 10 in Mumbai.Nitish Rana (Kolkata Knight Riders batsman)Rana tested positive on April 3 after arriving in Mumbai, but has since recovered. Rana joined the Knight Riders camp on March 21 after returning a negative test. However, he tested positive on March 22. Rana’s reports came out negative on April 1 after he was in isolation in accordance with the IPL protocols.

Two people were arrested with fake accreditations; on a different day, one man came in the garb of a cleaner

PTI05-May-2021Potential corruptors were spotted at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi on different days of the IPL 2021 season, including during the May 2 match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) chief Shabir Hussein Shekhadam Khandwawala told PTI. Two people with fake IPL accreditations were arrested by the Delhi Police on the day of that Royals-Sunrisers match.In another incident – on a different match day, at the same venue – one man “in the garb of a cleaner” fled after ACU officials had caught him having a telephone conversation. He is currently being traced by Delhi police after the ACU managed to retrieved two mobile phones from him.Related

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It was suspected that he could have been engaging in ‘pitch-siding’, which is the act of relaying information from the ground to a remote location to beat the delay in the TV feed. It can be used to get an advantage while betting on passages in play before the live computerised odds shift.”One of my ACU officers caught a person and handed over the details to Delhi Police. While that particular offender managed to flee leaving behind his two mobile phones, ACU lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police,” Hussein told PTI on Wednesday.”We are thankful to Delhi Police that in a separate incident they caught two other persons from the Kotla on ACU tip-off.”So on two separate days, these people managed to get access to Kotla. The one who fled came in the garb of a cleaner. However, we have all his details as he was employed for the tournament. His Aadhar Card details have been handed over to Delhi Police,” Hussein said. “I am confident that he will be nabbed in a day or two. He is a small fry working for a couple of hundred or some thousand bucks may be.”The man who fled came under suspicion when he was spotted on the phone, by himself, in a secluded area.”He was standing (inside Feroz Shah Kotla premises) in a secluded area all by himself and so one of our officers approached and asked him: ‘What are you doing here?’ He said: “” [I am talking to my girlfriend].”My officer then asked him to dial the number he was talking to and then asked him to hand over the phones. Just when he was going through the contents of his phone, the guy fled from the spot,” Hussein said, without divulging which match-day this incident took place on.”It was one of the evening matches in Delhi. He was wearing an ID card. Also what raised suspicion was he had two mobiles,” he said.”The information he may be supplying could be to someone more influential among bookmakers, and so we needed to inform the Delhi Police. Delhi Police has responded positively and thus next instance two people were arrested.”Hussain also confirmed that the ACU didn’t receive any complaint of corrupt approaches being made to players or support staff involved in IPL during the 29 games that were held before the tournament was postponed.”Obviously with bio-bubble and no crowd around, it certainly becomes a bit easier to manage as there is no physical proximity of questionable characters. When there is a crowd, it becomes difficult to check anyone and everyone,” Hussein said.He also said that during the Mumbai leg, the hotel in which the Sunrisers team was staying had three people with questionable records, and whose names were in the ACU database. However, they couldn’t come in contact with any of the players.”The moment we had information, we got in touch with Mumbai Police. The Police Commissioner of Mumbai took immediate cognisance and the Mumbai Police got hold of those three,” he added.

The allrounder, who had been due to play the T20 Blast, is heading home after just one game

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-2021Sean Abbott’s spell with Surrey in county cricket has ended after just one match with the allrounder suffering a hamstring injury against Gloucestershire.Abbott scored 40 and took 2 for 5 in his first match for the club but did not take the field on the final day at The Oval last week. A Surrey statement said the hamstring was “badly damaged.”He had been due to take a full part in the T20 Blast which begins next week but will now return home immediately to begin his recovery ahead of Australian season.”Sean’s injury is incredibly unfortunate as he made a great impression during his first game and had already become a popular member of the dressing room,” Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, said.Related

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Abbott, who was part of various Australia squads during last season and played in the T20I and ODI series against India, was not included in the preliminary group named for the tour of West Indies next month.As with anyone returning to Australia he will have to undergo two weeks quarantine and will then have around three months to recover before the beginning of the domestic season with New South Wales.Abbott is the second Australian to have a county deal cut short by injury following Billy Stanlake who suffered a stress fracture of his back after one game for Derbyshire.There is significant representation by Australians in county cricket this season with more due to begin stints during the T20 Blast.However, the influx of marquee names for the Hundred – across the men’s and women’s competitions – is now in doubt. The men’s tours of West Indies and Bangladesh clash with a large part of the tournament while the quarantine requirements on return to Australia are likely to mean more of the female players will follow Rachael Haynes’ lead and withdraw due to the home series against India starting in mid-September.

With Australia set to tour Pakistan in February-March next year, PSL looking at a likely window in April and May

Umar Farooq12-Jul-2021The PSL is facing a scheduling challenge for the 2022 season, as Pakistan hope to welcome a landmark home series against Australia in the window usually occupied by the T20 competition. The PSL has been conducted between February and March since its inception in 2016, but with Australia’s visit in mind, April-May is being considered as a window. That means it could be played at the same time as the IPL.The current FTP was negotiated for Pakistan by the previous board administration and during the time it was being worked on, concerns had started to emerge about the league and its scheduling impact on Pakistan’s international season. But the board was balancing a return to Pakistan for all its international cricket with the needs of a young league at the time. Australia’s visit is an especially significant one in the board’s efforts to play all its home cricket in Pakistan, because they have not toured since 1998-99.Related

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The board needs around 47 days to stage the entire season and there is, potentially, another window available from December 25 to February 15. But that could hurt foreign player participation since those from the top-five countries will be busy with national duty.Another reason the PCB is not keen on this option is a limited availability of venues. Karachi will be the only city suitable to play cricket during those months while Punjab and three other venues in Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi will experience extreme fog, which has left the board looking for a window past the month of March.At the same time, the board and the six PSL franchises remain locked in trying to agree on a tournament financial model that both sides are happy with. They have already been at loggerheads over it with the franchises taking the board to court, claiming that it is getting richer while they keep losing money.The Lahore High Court had made both parties sit together and directed PCB to “formally redress the grievances of all franchises” and “revise the model of PSL in accordance with its statutory mandate and make it financially viable”. Currently, all six teams, even though their annual rights fees range from USD 1.1 million to USD 6.35 million, get an equal share of the revenue every season.ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB has formed a panel with an independent consultant and a retired judge in Tassaduq Hussain Jillani – who is also a former Chief Justice of Pakistan – to resolve this issue. The judge has already got the work started by sending all six franchises a lengthy questionnaire assessing their finances, with a deadline of Friday. Jillani will then submit a report with his recommendations to the PCB.The PSL is also set to reassess the value of its assets this year before selling its commercial and broadcasting rights. The last three-year cycle for the TV and digital streaming rights, worth approximately USD 36 million, has come to an end this year.The PCB is set to hire an independent consultant to evaluate the value of the brand and to sell the rights. In the previous cycle, PCB had managed to secure a 358% rise in their new broadcast deal.

“I guess it’s a great way to give back to the fans that’ve supported us,” Tim Southee says

Deivarayan Muthu07-Jul-2021New Zealand’s World Test Championship-winning squad is set for a week-long, nationwide tour with the mace later this month. The tour will kick off in Whangarei on July 26 and will end in Invercargill (Stadium Southland) on August 1, with Auckland (Eden Park), Tauranga (Hamilton), New Plymouth/Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin (Forsyth Barr Stadium) being the other stops on the trip.Captain Kane Williamson, Kyle Jamieson, the Player of the Match in the historic WTC final, Devon Conway and Colin de Grandhomme, however, will not be part of the revelry at home, as they are all currently in the UK, playing county cricket or preparing for the Hundred. The rest of the players and the support staff will likely be part of the tour after spending time with their families following MIQ (Managed Isolation Quarantine) in Auckland.Spinners Will Somerville and Todd Astle, and opening batter Jeet Raval, will also take part in the tour. The trio was not part of the squad for the UK tour, with the WTC final thrown in, but will be recognised for their roles in helping New Zealand qualify for the final.”It’s quickly become apparent that Kiwis want an opportunity to be part of, and to share in this historic achievement,” NZC chief executive David White said in a statement. “We’ve been inundated with requests to do something so that New Zealanders can join in with the team and share the moment.”At first, we thought the time-out in managed isolation and the length of time since the win would dampen enthusiasm for a public celebration, but we have been persuaded to think again.”NZC/BlackCaps

Senior seamer Tim Southee has been lined up to launch the tour in his hometown of Whangarei. He was particularly excited about sharing New Zealand’s WTC success with the public.”I guess it’s a great way to give back to the fans that’ve supported us – not only the last couple of years through the Test Championship but for a long time,” Southee said. “For some of these smaller places that don’t get a lot of international cricket or see a lot of cricketers, it’s a great chance to go back to those smaller towns… I know growing up in a small town, anytime there’s something special like that, it’s always a great occasion. Hopefully, we can give back and hopefully give kids a bit of future hope of future cricketers.”Southee was also looking forward to celebrating the occasion with Somerville, Astle and Raval who were among 22 players that represented New Zealand in the inaugural World Championship cycle.”With the Test Championship spanning over a two-year period, we used a number of players. I think 20-odd players in total and although there was [only] 15 in the final, it was nice for those guys that contributed,” Southee said. “I look back to the likes of Somers that played a massive role in the series in Sri Lanka that got us underway in the Test Championship, so it’s great to have those guys that contributed along the way in a two-year cycle to get us through to the final. So, it’s nice for them to be able to bask in the rewards as well.”‘Huge of sense of pride among the whole community here’ – Somerville
As for Somerville, he will be part of the Auckland leg of the mace tour. The offspinner had played his part in New Zealand’s overseas Test victories in Abu Dhabi and Colombo.”It was just a huge sense of pride, having been involved in a small way,” Somerville said. “[I] suppose I played three of the games before the final. Huge sense of pride amongst the whole community here – walking up to school and dropping the kids off. Everyone was very excited, talking about it, and there was a lot of buzz around, going into day six and yeah there was not a lot of sleep had by the dads the next day and it was very exciting. It was a nice result to have after a few years of really good cricket by the Black Caps.William Somerville played a key role for New Zealand in their overseas victory at the P Sara Oval•Getty Images

“It [the mace] looks like quite a big thing to hold. But it’d be fun waving it like a wand I suppose and get some photos with it…To have won the first World Test Championship final is something that everyone in New Zealand is going to remember forever. To be part of that history is pretty wonderful really.”The 36-year old has not played for New Zealand since the Sydney Test last year, but could come back into the selection frame as the side prepares for two Tests in India later this year, which will be part of the second WTC cycle.”I’ve always felt a part of this squad and the wider squad, in contact with Steady [coach Gary Stead] and Gav [selector Gavin Larsen] about where I sit,” Somerville said. “Unfortunately last year we were supposed to go to Bangladesh in August, but by the time June came out, we sort of knew that wasn’t going to happen. That was a two-Test series that I’d have liked to be a part of; it hasn’ t happened.”Moving forward, there’s a tour of India in November – whether that’s in India or not who knows at this point? I’m sure they’ll be keen for it to be there based on the wickets that we present for them. So, hopefully they will want to get us back with some spin-friendly wickets and it’ll be nice if we can meet that challenge head-on. If that occurs, I’d love to be a part of that. Certainly have my eyes set on the Indian tour and hoping that I can have that opportunity into the year.”

Babar, Rizwan add 150 for first wicket, before Shaheen Shah Afridi stars with three wickets

Valkerie Baynes16-Jul-2021Liam Livingstone scored England’s fastest T20I century in vain as Pakistan won a thrilling contest by 31 runs to go 1-0 up in their three-match series at Trent Bridge.Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan guided Pakistan to their highest T20I total of 232 for 6 with a 150-run opening partnership, Pakistan’ssecond-highest for any wicket in this format.It meant England had to better their highest T20I score while chasing and Livingstone did his utmost to try and get them there, his 42-ball hundred beating Dawid Malan’s 48-ball century against New Zealand in 2019. But with his dismissal, they fell short, bowled out for 201. Livingstone struck nine sixes and six fours but, after Pakistan had reduced England to 48 for 3, their bowlers continued to take wickets at regular enough intervals to dent the hosts’ run-rate, which had been superior for significant periods. Shaheen Shah Afridi was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 30 off 3.2 overs and he was excellent in the field.Pakistan didn’t get off to a blazing start. On the contrary, by the end of the powerplay, they were 49 for 0 and it wasn’t until the 12th over that they struck their first six. They went on to score 12 in all, equalling Pakistan’s record against Bangladesh in 2007.Rizwan was still scoring at a run a ball by the end of the eighth over but the 12th over – when he and Azam each struck sixes off Matt Parkinson in the space of three balls – signalled an acceleration. Pakistan ended up scoring 152 runs of the last 10 overs, their middle order maintaining the momentum even after Azam fell for a 49-ball 85 and Rizwan for 63 from 41.

Azam on a roll

His 158 had set Pakistan up to avoid being swept 3-0 in the ODI series before James Vince and Lewis Gregory trumped his effort, and Azam continued his fine form. He struck three consecutive fours off David Willey in the third over of the match, steering him through the covers before advancing down the pitch to send the ball over long-on and then flicking through midwicket with imperious timing. On the last ball of the over, he survived an England appeal for lbw and their subsequent review when he was given not out, replays showing the ball was missing leg stump.Eoin Morgan brought Livingstone on in the ninth over, but it backfired when he conceded 11 runs, including back-to-back fours to Rizwan. The 12th over, bowled by Parkinson, went for 18, Azam cracking a shot over the midwicket boundary and Rizwan going flat and hard in the same direction. Azam went over the fence at long-on twice more, off Parkinson and Gregory, amid a total of eight fours. He finally fell swinging at a wide, full delivery from Willey which Jonny Bairstow took behind the stumps. Initially given not out, England’s review was successful when UltraEdge revealed a clear spike for bat on ball.Sohaib Maqsood contributed 19 runs off seven balls, Fakhar Zaman 26 off just eight – including three sixes off Saqib Mahmood in the 18th over – and Mohammad Hafeez 24 off 10 to keep Pakistan tracking in the right direction.

Catches, winning matches and all that

England were well ahead of the required run-rate at the end of the powerplay, having scored 20 more runs than Pakistan to that point, but wickets were the problem and some excellent fielding from the visiting side was responsible.Afridi’s gem of a return catch sent Malan packing for just 1, as he dived forward on his follow-through to grab the ball low to the ground. Imad Wasim’s take to dismiss Bairstow, also off Afridi, was straightforward in comparison, but then came Haris Rauf’s miraculous effort at cow corner to remove Moeen Ali. Having skied Mohammad Hasnain in that direction, Moeen could only watch as Rauf – and Maqsood – were lucky not to be injured as they both ran for the ball. Rauf ended up in Maqsood’s lap as he leapt with two hands and both fell to the ground, Rauf crucially holding the ball to leave England wobbling on 48 for 3.

Livingstone lights it up

Jason Roy looked the man most likely to go big for England, racing to 32 off just 13 balls as wickets fell around him. But when Roy was out edging Shadab Khan to Azam at deep point, Livingstone stepped in. Playing just his sixth international T20, Livingstone raced to a half-century off just 17 balls, England’s fastest fifty in T20Is.His striking was immaculate and power immense as he pummelled nine sixes in all. Having seen Hasnain tip his leading edge off Rauf over the rope at third man, he then sent Rauf into the stands over deep square leg. Livingstone punished a couple of Shadab long-hops before punching him down the ground twice more. His drive into the stands at cow corner off Rauf took him to 97 off 41 and within reach of the England record. Livingstone’s almighty drive over long-on off Shadab to bring up his hundred was to be his last. He skied the very next ball in the same direction but picked out Afridi on the boundary’s edge. Needing 44 off the last three overs, the task proved too much for the England tail.With Eoin Morgan having said that England would use this series to assess fringe players ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year, Livingstone showed there is nothing “fringe” about him.