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Finally, at the twelfth attempt, Surrey have their first win of the 2013 County Championship, and one that keeps their fate in their own hands.

Vithushan Ehantharajah01-Sep-2013Surrey 289 (Solanki 93, Footitt 4-50) and 218-6 (Amla 88) beat Derbyshire 219 (Linley 4-59, Edwards 3-29) and 286 (Madsen 59, Wainwright 54*, Batty 5-71) by four wickets
ScorecardGareth Batty, a captain in crisis, unrecognised by the Surrey Honours Board, finally had reason to celebrate•Getty Images

Finally, at the twelfth attempt, Surrey have their first win of the 2013 County Championship, and one that keeps their fate in their own hands.That they are battling at the foot of the table is purely down to an inability to win games rather than a propensity to lose them. There are only so many crumbs of comfort you can take from draws (eight in total) until you are left with the remnants of a whole biscuit, with none of its consistency.Nothing nourishes quite like a win, and this one that sees Surrey leapfrog Derbyshire, with a game in hand on those around them.Gareth Batty was certainly as satisfied as he has been in a tough season for him, personally. Taking on the captaincy in place of Rory Hamilton-Brown after the Tom Maynard tragedy last year and then again this season after the injury to Graeme Smith, he has lead the side for the best part of two years, yet you won’t see his name on the captain’s honours board in the Pavilion.Given the character he is, he probably could not care less, but he deserves recognition for his work behind the scenes and out in the middle, even if he is reluctant to take it.He finished off the Derbyshire innings this morning, taking all three wickets to give him five in the innings and 500 first-class scalps in his career. Not that it mattered as much as victory.”I think everyone in the changing room know that at some point they are going to have to put their hands up and win a game of cricket. Today was my day; it was just one of those things. The wickets are irrelevant – we got the twenty-odd points and that’s the only thing that matters for me, certainly.”We were the ones forcing the game all the time, so we knew if we batted time, they would have to take it on. We had a plan on how we were going to knock off the runs and it served us well.”We’ve played some very good cricket but we just couldn’t force the wins. We can take a lot of confidence from this win. You can see the look in the boys’ eyes and can see the determination to get the win. We will come out against Middlesex next week and start on the front foot – I truly believe we have the skills to start forcing results.”The difference was Hashim Amla, Surrey’s third overseas reinforcement and the number one ranked Test batsmen in the world. He has taken little time integrating himself into the club, even using a day off to come in and pass on words of wisdom to their young batsmen, who have been spoiled for choice for world-class mentors this season.It certainly wasn’t a classic Amla knock, and it could have been a different story had Alex Hughes not dropped a routine catch at cover that spared him when he had just 24.That was the second of three reprieves. The first came ten minutes before lunch when he was hit on the pads by Footitt without a run to his name. It looked to have a lot going for it, but not according to the standing umpire.He was then nearly run out at the non-strikers end later in the afternoon after some brilliant work from Wayne Madsen, who stopped a straight drive from Zander de Bruyn before managing to get in a throw while sprawled on the floor that just missed the stumps. It was rather sloppy from Amla, who had been dawdling back to his crease on a few occasions after walking in with the bowler. From then on, he was more cautious.It wasn’t so much of a masterclass, more of a taster session enticing you to sign on for more. Those here to witness the powerful shots through cover or the checked straight drives – all powered by those snappy wrists – may now subscribe to the idea that Surrey can avoid the drop. Derbyshire played their part in an engrossing encounter, but the hosts, as Batty said, were superior during vital periods.Every run David Wainwright and Tim Poynton added this morning was valuable and risk free, as their fifty partnership was brought up early on, as they continued their careful accumulation. They ran decisively, picking up a couple of threes on their way to taking Derbyshire’s lead passed 200.Poynton, who was the more fluent of the two, fell one short of a deserved half century when a delivery from Batty ballooned up off his glove, with Zafar Ansari under the helmet at bat-pad diving toward leg slip to take a smart catch. Wainwright survived through to the end of the innings to bring up his third first class fifty for the county.The chase was set – Surrey needed 217 off a minimum of 73 overs. It could not have got off to a worse start when just four runs in, Rory Burns fell in the third over thanks to a brilliant catch from Madsen at cover; Burns met it well, as he does, but the Derbyshire skipper managed to dive to his right and clutch on to the ball with his right hand, before landing safely on his side without losing it. Two balls later, Arun Harinath was also back in the dressing room when he nicked Higginbottom to Chanderpaul at second slip, for a seven-ball duck.A long-form specialist, Harinath played just two games in the YB40 and did not feature at all in Surrey’s FLt20 programme; instead, tiding himself over with 2nd XI cricket. The Championship break has done him no good, as his binary return of 1,0,1,0 in the last four innings indicates.But with Amla bearing the brunt of the run-scoring, all that was required were contributions around him. Vikram Solanki was the first to share the burden with 44 of an 84-run partnership before he was adjudged lbw.De Bruyn played well for 31 before needlessly swiping at a wide ball from Hughes, who was trying desperately to make amends for his costly drop. An 18 for Steven Davies took them to 200 leaving Ansari and Batty to pick off the remaining 17 runs – each greeted with cheers. When Ansari completed the run chase with a boundary off a Burgoyne full toss, cheers turned to song.By Batty’s calculations – he admits he is no mathematician – a win away to Somerset and one from games against Middlesex next week, Warwickshire or Yorkshire should be enough.Derbyshire travel to Taunton first, before meeting Durham who have emerged later as a big threat to Yorkshire at the top of Division One. Having shown immense character to beat Sussex and Middlesex, this defeat is a big setback and leaves them at the mercy of others. The fight-back, as impressive as it was, was probably too late. Surrey might have timed theirs just right.

A former ICC official has suggested that the BCCI’s flouting of the FTP could have legal implications

Amol Karhadkar10-Oct-2013Even as CSA president Chris Nenzani is set to meet with Indian officials on Friday in the hope of finalising an itinerary for India’s tour to South Africa, a former ICC official has suggested that the BCCI’s flouting of the FTP could have legal implications. David Becker, who was the ICC’s Head of Legal for five years until 2012, and who is one of several lawyers offering CSA advice, said it was “improper” to allow a member body to “blatantly disregard an ICC resolution”.The BCCI, though, says there is no legal impropriety and no threat of any legal action against it.Under the current FTP, the tour includes a schedule of three Tests, seven ODIs and two Twenty20s. This was the schedule announced by CSA on July 8; the following day, the BCCI objected to the tour, saying the dates had been released without its consultation. It has since announced dates for series against West Indies and New Zealand that, as things stand, would severely shorten the original South Africa schedule.In a statement released to journalists last week, Becker revealed he resigned from his post because of what he considered “questionable governance” at the ICC and listed three examples, all relating to the “dominance of BCCI President N Srinivasan”. What he called the “most concerning one” related to the FTP.”Perhaps the most concerning example is the recent attempt by Srinivasan to manipulate the FTP schedule to his own benefit,” Becker said. “There is a formal, unequivocal and unanimous ICC board resolution approving the current FTP schedule [including 3 Test matches, 7 ODIs and 2 T20 internationals between India and South Africa].”When the ICC allows one of its directors to blatantly disregard an ICC board resolution, it becomes more than questionable governance – it becomes improper.”Becker explained to ESPNcricinfo why he thought it was legally binding. “The original FTP agreement was approved as a binding regulation of the ICC in 2004. The roll-over of the FTP agreement was approved unanimously by the ICC board in June 2011, as was the FTP schedule for 2012-2020.”Mr [Shashank] Manohar, the BCCI president at the time, was present in that meeting and voted in favour of it. It is legally binding on the ICC and its members, and hence it can and should be enforced for the sake of international cricket.”Becker said the FTP not being upheld places the entire structure of international cricket at financial risk. “After the June 2011 board meeting each member then went away and signed deals with its commercial partners on that basis. If one member is allowed to alter the agreed FTP schedule unilaterally, it undermines the entire commercial structure of international bilateral cricket.”His statement further read. “It’s not only hugely concerning for the game, it’s contrary to the regulatory framework within which ICC operates, and hence its illegal.”The BCCI said they have not had communication indicating lawyers would become involved. “We haven’t heard anything about any legal action by Cricket South Africa so far. In fact, we are very positive about the tour and don’t see any reason to take the extreme step. So I don’t know where this legal recourse talk is coming from,” Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, told ESPNcricinfo.Patel said there was no question of the legal route because there is no contractual agreement between India and South Africa regarding this series. “The FTP may have been considered by the ICC and agreed upon. But the fact is we have not signed the bilateral agreement. And the bilateral agreement between the two boards is the only legal document for any international series. The FTP has always been treated as a guideline. Further, there is an argument that India played more matches in the previous FTP cycle (2006-2011) in South Africa (five Tests, nine ODIs and two T20s) than South Africa in India (five Tests, three ODIs and no T20s) and on balance, South Africa owe India a few home games.”There is no reason for anyone to believe we are betraying a commitment. A commitment is made when the bilateral agreement is signed. But if one side goes ahead and announces the schedule without obtaining the consent of the other, the question of signing the agreement doesn’t even arise.”The ICC has distanced itself from Becker’s comments. “The ICC is disappointed to read the inaccurate and unsubstantiated comments made by Mr Becker about the governance of the ICC and its board of directors. These comments are made some 18 months after Mr Becker left the ICC, and at a point in time when he is acting as legal advisor to Cricket South Africa. However, having spoken with the president of CSA, Mr Chris Nenzani, we are assured that these comments do not reflect the view of CSA and are Mr Becker’s own personal views,” the ICC said.An ICC official also explained why it cannot intervene in drawing up India’s tour itinerary. “As with all other FTP cricket, the detail of each tour format is a matter for the respective parties to agree upon bilaterally. Since there has been uncertainty in this instance, the ICC has encouraged CSA to pursue dialogue directly with the BCCI.”(With inputs from correspondents in Pakistan and India)

In-form James Hildreth has given Somerset a good chance of victory on the final day as the Taunton wickets show signs of not being the featherbeds of old

Alex Winter at Taunton28-Apr-2015
ScorecardJames Hildreth has given Somerset the upper hand at Taunton•Getty Images

The Taunton wickets are much loathed for not being conducive enough to results – no-one drew more matches than Somerset’s 10 in 2014 – but the opening two matches of this season have seen a more even contest between bat and ball and, with 30 wickets falling in the opening three days of this match, a second consecutive positive result is possible.Somerset are the favourites after setting Middlesex 402 to win but Middlesex have a sporting chance following a third afternoon where they chipped away at the hosts’ second innings and took the final five wickets for 50. In the final analysis, James Hildreth’s 86 was a vital innings as the middle order fell away. It was no bad thing for the match.To win, Middlesex need to make their fourth-highest fourth-innings total but they can take some confidence from the 472 for 3 they made last season to beat Yorkshire at Lord’s – their second-highest fourth-innings total – albeit the architect of that chase, Chris Rogers who made 241 not out, is no longer at the club.They will hope Rogers’ replacement, fellow Australian Adam Voges, can create something similar. Or indeed, Nick Gubbins and Sam Robson who played carefully to reach the close unscathed.The danger for Middlesex is the fragile nature of their line-up. They lost 8 for 118 in the first innings and this wicket has offered assistance to the seamers throughout the match. Somerset will hope to probe that weakness and have in their attack two young Devonians showing the best form of their fledgling careers.Jamie Overton, who turned 21 at the start of the month, is a big and genuinely quick bowler who appears to have calibrated his radar over the winter. A quick spell on the second evening whittled out the Middlesex lower order. But it appears his injury worries, having blighted his career since breaking into the Somerset first XI, are not yet behind him. He limped off after seven balls of the chase. More will be revealed later.Lewis Gregory has his own injuries last season but, fit for the start of 2015, has been rewarded for his progress over the last 12 months with a call up to England’s squad for the ODI against Ireland next week. He celebrated by taking two wickets in five balls, both lbw, to see off the Middlesex first innings in the fourth over of day three.The swift end gave Somerset a 102-run first-innings lead, which was comfortably built on in a stand of 82 for the second wicket between Marcus Trescothick and Tom Cooper. The latter’s ill-advised reverse sweep, to be bowled for 42, did not appear crucial at the time but it ended what turned out to be the highest stand of the innings.Trescothick looked set for a second century in the match, having twice played the deftest of late cuts off Steven Finn to take boundaries fine of third man, and looked to have successfully covered a Rayner delivery on 76, only to lose his off stump. Again, the bounce Rayner generates created problems. The dismissal should encourage Somerset’s Abdur Rehman on day four.Thereafter only James Hildreth spent significant time at the crease. He passed fifty in 109 balls with five fours – a far more sedate effort than the first innings – but, as Finn returned from the River End, he pulled his first ball down the throat of deep midwicket to be ninth out. Overton then clubbed a six but Finn cleaned him up next ball.There were three more wickets for James Harris, who continued his impressive form, bringing a beauty into the off stump of Tom Abell. Two other middle order wickets followed as Middlesex kept themselves in the match.

Kevin O’Brien will lead Ireland in their three-match T20I series against Scotland. Allrounder Tyrone Kane and wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter have also been picked

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2015Kevin O’Brien will lead Ireland in their three-match T20I series against Scotland later this month in the absence of regular captain William Porterfield, who, along with wicketkeeper Gary Wilson and Niall O’Brien, will miss the series due to county commitments.The 14-member squad includes 20-year old allrounder Tyrone Kane and Durham wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter both of whom also made the squad for the World T20 qualifiers.

Squad for the World T20 qualifiers

William Porterfield (capt),
Andrew Balbirnie,
Alex Cusack,
George Dockrell,
Tyrone Kane,
Andrew McBrine,
Graeme McCarter,
John Mooney,
Niall O’Brien,
Kevin O’Brien,
Stuart Poynter,
Paul Stirling,
Stuart Thompson,
Gary Wilson,
Craig Young

Kane has been rewarded for his good showing in the domestic T20 competition. Playing for Merrion, he took a hat-trick in the opening game against Northern Knights and followed it up with a five wicket haul against North West Warriors. “Tyrone is an exciting young talent who deserves his chance, he’s very much an impact player as shown by his performances in the T20 games this season,” John Bracewell, the Ireland coach, said.”The World Cup Qualifier squad has a nice blend of youth and experience despite the retirements of Ed Joyce and Tim Murtagh last week. There have been a lot of match winning efforts by our guys in the T20 Blast in England too, so everyone looks to be in really fine form going into these games.”Kane was delighted at the call-up and said it was a dream come true for him. “It should be a tough series against Scotland and ideal preparations for the qualifiers which follow. It’s going to be an intense period for all the squad, but hopefully we’ll have secured qualification for another T20 World Cup at the end of it.” Kane said.Squad for the Scotland series:
Kevin O’Brien (capt), Andrew Balbirnie, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Tyrone Kane, Andrew McBrine, Graeme McCarter, John Mooney, Andrew Poynter, Stuart Poynter, Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Craig Young.

ESPNcricinfo previews the opening ODI between England and New Zealand

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan08-Jun-2015

Match facts

June 9, 2015
Start time 2.00pm local (1300GMT)3:29

New-look England begin latest rebuilding job

Big Picture

New Zealand and England could hardly be further apart in terms of their reputation as one-day teams. The visitors are viewed as trendsetters, the home side trying – for the umpteenth time – to move their game forward, having to catch up with the way 50-over cricket is now played.As you would expect then, given the starting points of both teams, the two squads highlight the contrasting fortunes. Apart from enforced changes through retirement or injury, New Zealand have retained the players who helped them to the World Cup final. England, meanwhile, will have at least five changes from the team which played their last match of the World Cup; the selectors did not have a full hand of players to select from for the rained-off match against Ireland, but that was an early glimpse into the future.New Zealand will not feel any need for reinvention although moving on from the retired Daniel Vettori will be a significant challenge; his ability to hold the innings allowed the pace bowlers even greater freedom to attack. But the batting order remains stable and all the players have shown form on the tour – some ODIs are played at a slower tempo than New Zealand batted in the second Test.Perhaps New Zealand’s biggest challenge is refocusing their aims. Although Brendon McCullum and Mike Hesson have consistently said they allowed the team to develop naturally into the World Cup it did provide a definite target to aim for. The next global 50-over tournament is the 2017 Champions Trophy in England.That gives the hosts a significant focal point, too, because although much talk in recent times has been about the World Cup in 2019 a four-year cycle is a vast amount of time. The next two years will give a good indication of how different, or otherwise, the fortunes of these two teams can be. But ultimately it’s about winning the next match, and the next series. As New Zealand have shown, a winning side generally finds things slotting into place.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLLWL
New Zealand LWWWW

In the spotlight

How Alex Hales has only played 10 one-day internationals is a mystery which sums up the mess of England’s limited-overs cricket. Because the Indian seamers nipped a few deliveries through his defence the selectors appeared spooked that he had been “found out” and he was back on the sidelines. He has not been afraid of expressing his frustration but, importantly, at the start of this season has scored runs, too. Individually, and in his likely partnership with Jason Roy, success won’t always come his way but he needs backing for the long run.It might seem odd, given all the talk of attack, but Kane Williamson remains a vital element in the New Zealand’s one-day team. His match-winning six against Australia at Eden Park reverberated around the game, but he got to that position by being able to absorb pressure amid mayhem. There remains a place for the orthodox in a one-day team, especially when surrounded by so much aggression. In the absence of Vettori his remodelled offspin may see greater service, too.

Teams news

Three players who made their ODI debuts in Dublin, on what became a day overshadowed by the news of Peter Moores’ sacking, could appear at Edgbaston. Roy should form an attacking opening pairing with Hales, David Willey will be given a chance to fill the left-armer’s role picked out by Paul Farbrace as an area England must fill and Mark Wood has impressed in the early days of his international career although his workload may be a concern and Liam Plunkett could be preferred. A new-look batting order is likely to see Ben Stokes at No. 4 and Jos Buttler at No. 6. James Taylor and Sam Billings are expected to miss out.England (possible): 1 Alex Hales, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 David Willey 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Steven FinnTim Southee is likely to sit out this opening match after his workload in the Test series while Corey Anderson, who missed the second Test with a back problem, may also struggle but is expected to be fit soon. His absence could open the way for Mitchell Santner, a left-handed batsman and left-arm spinner, to make his ODI debut. Ben Wheeler, another left-arm seamer, is an option for the pace attack while Mitchell McClenaghan took four wickets in the warm-up against Leicestershire.New Zealand (possible): 1 Brendon McCullum (capt), 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Ben Wheeler, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Mitchell McClenaghan

Pitch and conditions

England twice struggled to post totals in ODIs on this ground last year, falling to defeats against Sri Lanka and India, with spin playing a key role in keeping them quiet. But under lights the ball can also zip around. The forecast is set fair, if not exactly warm.

Stats and trivia

• Last season on this ground, against Sri Lanka, Jos Buttler was Mankaded by Sachithra Senanayake
• Eoin Morgan needs 62 runs to reach 4000 in ODIs, but in the last year has passed fifty just twice in 25 innings (scores of 62 against Sri Lanka in Colombo and 121 against Australia in Sydney). His average of 19.60 is the second-lowest of anyone since May 1, 2014 to have batted at least 20 times in ODIs.
• At the World Cup, five of New Zealand’s top seven had strike-rates over 100; Williamson was 78.00 and Taylor 61.55. Only two batsmen – Buttler and Moeen Ali – passed that mark for England.
• The two teams have not played a completed ODI at Edgbaston since 1994. The 2008 meeting was controversially abandoned one-over short of a match. New Zealand will field at least three survivors from that match – McCullum, Taylor and Elliott (Southee also played). England have none, although Dimitri Mascarenhas is now the New Zealand bowling coach.

Quotes

“For a long time now, we’ve been behind the eight-ball in one-day cricket. We’ve fallen behind by a long way and it’s time for a catch-up.”
“We have an eye to those but you have to deal with the here and now, we aren’t good enough to look too far ahead. There are some guys introduced with a view to those tournaments but we just need to keep playing how we have been.”

The fourth overall modification in the Powerplay conditions is set to change the mindset of the bowlers and their captains starting with the first ODI between Bangladesh and South Africa on Friday

Mohammad Isam09-Jul-2015The fourth overall modification in the Powerplay conditions is set to change the mindset of the bowlers and their captains starting with the first ODI between Bangladesh and South Africa at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Friday. There is hope, among the bowlers who will get a first taste of the new rules, of less trouble and fewer runs in the slog overs.Fielding captains no longer have to worry about the batting Powerplay and close-in fielders in the first ten overs, while bowlers will have extra protection in the last ten overs after the new rules came into effect from July 5. Five fielders are now allowed outside the 30-yard circle in the last ten overs of an ODI innings. Free hits are awarded for all no-balls in ODIs and T20 internationals, not just when bowlers overstep.South Africa allrounder Ryan McLaren said that bowlers will welcome the changes in the fielding regulations and there will be better strategies for the last ten overs. “Obviously the new rules mean guys have to adapt to not bowling in the Powerplays, and to have that extra fifth fielder in the last ten overs is a bit of a different mindset for the bowlers and something they will welcome, to be honest.The only difference between overs 10 and 40 is the removal of the batting Powerplay•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Powerplay rule changes over the years

• 1992: All ODIs have fielding restrictions for first 15 overs, two inside the circle; five outside for rest of the overs

• 2005: Powerplays and supersubs are introduced for the first time

• 2006: Supersub is discontinued

• 2008: Batting team can now choose one Powerplay

• 2011: Second and third Powerplays only between 16th and 40th overs

• 2012: Powerplays reduced from three to two, and four fielders allowed outside circle in non-Powerplay overs

“If you look at the statistics at the World Cup, it was quite easy to see over the last ten overs there were many occasions when it went for more than 100 runs. Surely it showed the batters dominated that facet of the game. From a bowling point of view, it helps to strategise the last ten overs. I don’t think it will change the mindset of the batters.”McLaren reckoned that batting sides would try to score at a higher run rate in the first few overs to make up for the extra fielder in the last ten overs. But Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladesh batsman, believed that when five fielders were available previously, it didn’t stop teams from going after the bowling in the slog overs.”I don’t entirely agree with what McLaren has to say,” Tamim said. “When five fielders used to be outside the circle about three-four years ago, people used to go after the bowling in the last ten overs. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to start the hitting earlier. It is important to use the fielding restrictions in the first ten overs. If we can give a solid base, there will be runs towards the end. You cannot put up a building without a foundation.”Tamim said that teams would have to adjust quickly to these major rule changes, especially the two that will play the first match under the new regulations. Coincidentally, Bangladesh played the first match when the Powerplay rules were first tweaked in October 2008 and also the first match when the second and third Powerplays started to be used between overs 16 and 40.”Somehow we end up being one of the first sides to start a new rule,” Tamim said. “It is actually a headache for any team. You will have plans to do it this way or that, and sometimes you will do things in the middle which were not in your plans. We will need at least two matches to get used to the new rules.”We can be mentally prepared to play in a certain way from the 40th to the 50th overs or during the first 20 overs. But it will take time to get used to. When the rule was to have four fielders outside, extra fielder inside, then too everyone was puzzled for the first couple of matches.”In the first 10 overs, there need not be two compulsory fielders in the 15-yard circle•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Two days after the ICC announced the changes, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said that unless pitches around the world are made sporting and bats are not regulated, fielding changes won’t make much of a difference. He, however, was happy that he had fewer things to worry about as a fielding captain although he said he would still have close-in catchers in the early overs.”I don’t see any reason for bowlers to be so happy,” Mashrafe told on June 28. “It is still a batsman’s game. Still, it is better than before. There is some relief for the bowlers. There is no benefit unless wickets are changed. The world over, ODI wickets are purely for batting. There’s nothing for the bowlers. Bats are ultra-modern too, making it tougher for bowlers.”I can’t just think about the bowlers being a bowler myself. As a captain I have to think about the batsmen too. Their advantage has reduced. Previously, I used to think a bit more, like who will open the bowling, who will bowl in the batting Powerplay or in the last ten overs. There used to be a lot of calculations. Now there is less to think about. Whether to place a close-in fielder or not, will depend on the situation. I usually want to keep a slip or a close-in fielder.”Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, another bowler who has seen much of the changes in ODI playing regulations since 2005, said that spinners can now think of taking wickets and will be beneficial of the new rules.”Wicket-taking spinners were getting lost from ODIs,” he said. “Everyone had to think about stopping runs. Batsmen used to get mental support with four fielders outside the circle. They didn’t hesitate to play shots. The rule change will help the spinners.”The other change is the application of the free-hit for all no-balls. McLaren said that bowlers will have to be extra careful, especially in games where dew is a factor.”Obviously it is now slightly more challenging. It is something you practice or aim but in these conditions it can be slippery so we need to be aware of it, because it can happen,” he said.

On the day he collected his 400th Test wicket, Dale Steyn admitted that he had needed some time and space to sort himself out following South Africa’s heartbreaking loss in the World Cup semi-final

Firdose Moonda30-Jul-20152:20

Never thought I’d get to 400 wickets – Steyn

Dale Steyn would like everybody to just “shut up,” about his new hairdo, to stop pre-empting how much longer he will play, because “if I am fit and I am strong I will bowl all day.” He wants to cut his team-mates a bit of a break because they are playing in “really difficult conditions to bat and bowl” in Bangladesh, but those frustrated phrases are all just a facade. Steyn is actually having the time of his life.”I love what I am doing right now, even if it’s in 40 degree heat and the ball is staying ankle high and it’s not bouncing and there’s no seam and it’s very slow. Shit, I love it. I would rather be here than anywhere else right now,” Steyn said.Just a week ago, Steyn looked like he would rather be anywhere else. He struggled for success in Chittagong and looked a shadow of the seamer who could charm even subcontinent surfaces. It all seemed to be getting too much. Steyn was shattered after South Africa’s World Cup semi-final defeat and sullen through an IPL in which he warmed the bench more than he played. He sneered that he did not want to “waste” the deliveries he had left on an ODI series in Bangladesh and has now admitted he needed some space to sort himself out.”There was a period after the IPL when I actually didn’t want to have a ball in my hand. I just needed maybe two or three weeks – maybe four weeks – just to get that love back again. I said before coming here that sometimes if you don’t have that love or passion for the game, things kind of don’t go your way,” he explained. “And then when you have got it you just don’t want to let it go. I just love being on the field right now.”Was the romance rekindled by his new record – fastest to 400 wickets in terms of balls and joint second in terms of matches? “No, it’s was not really different to any of the other wickets I’ve taken, to be honest,” Steyn said of Tami Iqbal’s nicking off. “It’s nice to have the numbers but I’ve had a lot better moments in my cricketing career. But it’s cool – it’s nice to have 400.”It was nicer to be able to let his hair down. “It’s pretty cool to take a wicket and get the headband off and the hair out. I think I’ve taken some abuse about my hair. Funnily enough, it doesn’t influence the bowling at all. So, I guess, shut up.”Floppy fringes have not been known to have much of an impact on fast bowlers and on Thursday, that was more evident than ever before. A few hours after Steyn celebrated his milestone, Mitchell Johnson picked up his 300th and Steyn had words of praise for his Australian counterpart’s approach.”Mitch is a scary bowler,” Steyn said. “I think he is one of those guys who are never going to be a line and length bowler. His captain is never going to ask him to run in and just hit a line and length. He’s going to bowl fast, he’s going to scare you and he’s going to get you out like that. He’s going to make you make a mistake because of his pace.”I think that’s why he bowls well against England – because they don’t like him. Even when he is bowling badly, they still don’t like facing him, and he still going to get wickets. That’s his strength; that he is quite a scary guy to face regardless of his pace. He is quite an intimidating bloke with his long moustache.”Sounds a little like Steyn himself, but if you think that means the South Africa would want Johnson in his strike force, think again. When asked who he thought was better than Johnson, it took Steyn a split-second to reply. “Vernon Philander.” He didn’t add a “shut up,” afterwards, but it was probably implied.Steyn’s dominance has partly come down to his the men at his side, who he is happy to share his success with. “Overall as a bowling unit, we are looking to get 20 wickets and so far we are doing quite well. I would have been very happy if I had taken just one wicket in my international career. And I managed to get 400. I never thought that that would happen. Ever in my life.”No wonder he is having such a good time.

Albie Morkel, whose international career is probably over, is set for leadership and mentorship roles in domestic cricket

Firdose Moonda02-Sep-2015Albie Morkel has played for his country, played for his franchise, played for three IPL teams, three counties, and a CPL team. He has played a Test, played more than 100 limited-overs internationals and over 500 representative matches. Until 22 games ago, he had played more T20s than any other player, a title which now belongs to Kieron Pollard, but that does not take away from Morkel’s myriad achievements.”He has done everything in the game, except lead,” Mark Charlton, the coach of provincial side Northerns, told ESPNcricinfo. But this Saturday, that will change.Morkel will captain Northerns in the Africa Cup, the new T20 tournament being played by South Africa’s provincial team as well as invited teams from Zimbabwe, Namibia and Kenya, as a precursor to taking over the leadership of the Titans franchise in limited-overs formats. Morkel’s accepting of the armband is an admission of what most already knew: his international career is probably over and he is looking at other ways to play a part. Mentorship has emerged as one of them.”He is a very calm, assured, respected player and he is a guy everybody can take something from,” Charlton said. “He has already been spending a lot of time with the young bowlers and guys are seeing that they can lean on his experience. We’re hoping he’ll have the same kind of effect Jacques Rudolph had at the Titans.”In the last two seasons, Rudolph had provided stability to a Titans’ team in transition. He provided experience both in batting terms and behind the scenes as the squad went through retirements of some of their senior-most men like Martin van Jaarsveld and Paul Harris besides change in coaches. Rudolph has decided to finish his career in England and it is hoped that Morkel will take over from where he left off.Titans, the franchise team which both Northerns and Easterns feed into, are still experimenting with a mix of players as they filter through a talented younger pool. Twenty-two year-old-opening batsman Theunis de Bruyn is one of them, while last year’s Under-19 World Cup winners Corbin Bosch and Aiden Markram are two others. All three of those players will turn out for Northerns in the Africa Cup and Charlton hopes they will blossom under Morkel, with Markram in particular identified as someone who can feed off Morkel.”Aiden is someone we have earmarked as a potential future leader, although we haven’t quite decided in what capacity,” Charlton said. Markram, who captained the national Under-19 side to World Cup glory last year, could end up as part of the leadership group of provincial team, for example.Markram was awarded a semi-professional, provincial contact for the 2015-16 season after solid performances for Northerns last season. He played 10 first-class matches, scoring 424 runs at 30.28, including three fifties. He has not yet pushed on to franchise cricket but Charlton thinks that could change soon.”He has been steadily going about his work and learning his game,” Charlton said. “Quietly, he has been building his career and I think big things could come for him. He has a good base and a competition like this, the Africa Cup, is a chance for a player like Aiden to show he can compete with franchise players and to learn from them with guys like Albie also involved.”

Mitchell Starc was left shaken after his bouncer inflicted a fierce blow on Eoin Morgan’s helmet, which forced the England captain to retire hurt

Andrew McGlashan at Old Trafford13-Sep-2015Mitchell Starc was left shaken after his bouncer inflicted a fierce blow on Eoin Morgan’s helmet, which forced the England captain to retire hurt and left him unable to play any further part in the deciding ODI at Old Trafford.Starc was the only Australia player in this match who was involved at the SCG the day Phillip Hughes was struck and the emotional impact of the event still runs deep. At the end of Starc’s fourth over, which included the bouncer, Darren Lehmann walked around the boundary to speak to him while Steven Smith said others in the team had also been affected by the moment.”There were a couple of guys who were a bit shaken up, Starc in particular,” Smith said. “Obviously it was a tough summer for us back home, losing a close mate, and it’s always nasty when you get a glance like that. There were a few guys shaken up and hopefully Eoin is okay.”I don’t think anyone ever means to do anything like that, it’s part of the game bowling bouncers, so you have to get back on the ship as quickly as possible. You still have a job to do out in the middle and you have to take it out of your mind as quickly as possible but you never like seeing anyone get hit like that for sure.”Morgan turned his head away from a bouncer – clocked at just over 90mph – in the seventh over and was struck flush on the side of the helmet.The Australia players were quick to check on Eoin Morgan•AFP

He managed to stay on his feet but signals were quickly made for assistance with both the England physio and doctor coming to assess him and, after a few minutes of discussion, he walked off the field.After a lengthy period of assessment from the England medical team, it was confirmed that Morgan was being treated for concussion and would neither resume his innings nor take the field in Australia’s reply.Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, who was in charge of New South Wales when Hughes died, said Morgan had been dizzy after the blow but that by the end of the match he was up and about in the dressing room, although he will continue to monitored for the effects of concussion.”He’s alright, he’s got a bit of a lump on his head and a bit of a headache but he’s up and about now having a chat,” Bayliss said. “When anyone gets hit it’s an anxious moment but he walked off the field which I think is a good sign. He was a bit dizzy for a while, it took an hour or so for him to come good but the medical staff will keep a close eye on him.”It was not the first time Morgan had been troubled by the short ball in this series. He took blows on the gloves at both Lord’s and the previous match at Old Trafford. After the match at Lord’s, Morgan upgraded his helmet to include the new flaps which cover the neck area that have been introduced in the wake of Hughes’ death last year.Bayliss said Morgan may need to make some adjustments when playing the short delivery. “We probably have to look at it, see if there is anything technically he can do. I haven’t actually sat down and had a close look at it but sure it’s something we’ll look at going forward.”Morgan finished as the leading batsman in the series with 278 runs at 69.50. His next duties with England will come in November when he leads the one-day side against Pakistan. Despite being a limited-overs only player, he is expected to be handed a central contract when the new batch are confirmed later this month in recognition of the importance white-ball cricket now takes. Interestingly, though, and despite his pedigree as a limited-overs coach, Bayliss admitted he remains very loyal to the Test format.”One of the focuses, supposedly, here in England is on one-day cricket but the focus is obviously Test cricket as well,” he said. “From my point of view I’m a bit old school and Test cricket to me is the most important.”5.30pm – This story was updated with quotes from Steven Smith and Trevor Bayliss

SLC’s chairman of selectors Kapila Wijegunawardene is confident that offspinner Tharindu Kaushal can work on his action for the doorsa and bring it inside the ICC’s 15-degree limit

Sa'adi Thawfeeq03-Oct-2015Sri Lanka’s chairman of selectors Kapila Wijegunawardene is confident that offspinner Tharindu Kaushal can work on his action for the doorsa and bring it inside the ICC’s 15-degree limit. After being reported for a suspect action during the home series against India and tested in Chennai, Kaushal was cleared to bowl the offbreak but his doosra was banned from international cricket.”Where Kaushal is concerned, we had a very close scrutiny of him and it was only after we were convinced that he was within the rules that we picked him to play in the side,” Wijegunawardene said. “However this citation came and he was tested, after which we were notified that his doosra was exceeding the stipulated parameter of 15 degrees marginally, but his offspin was cleared with flying colours with his extension being only five degrees.”On the doosra, 50% of the deliveries in which he was tested was within the stipulated parameter and only the balance marginally exceeded 15 degrees,” Wijegunawardene said. “What we now need to understand is at which point he is able to bowl this particular delivery and support him towards staying within the rules. Not being able to bowl the doosra does impact his armoury of deliveries. However, if you closely analyse the wickets that he has taken during his short career, he has no more than three-four wickets with the doosra with a large majority of the wickets being with offspin.”From the side of Sri Lanka Cricket, everybody is very eager and committed to support him towards getting this delivery cleared. Going forward we hope to work proactively with the ICC and it is not the first time we are facing a situation like this. I am confident that he will overcome this slight impediment.””This boy’s got a special talent where he has ultra supple wrist similar to Muralitharan. If he succeeds in bowling this delivery within the stipulated regulations it will be a huge plus factor and also good for the game.”Kaushal, 22, had been randomly tested in Canberra by the ICC at the conclusion of the 2012 Under-19 World Cup and there had been nothing amiss with his action, including the doosra. He made his debut in December 2014 and has played six Tests – taking 24 wickets at an average of 42.