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'Need to use your brain more in red-ball cricket' – Chahal

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Returning to red-ball cricket after almost two years, Yuzvendra Chahal puts his lack of game-time in the longer format down to a time crunch rather than a disinterest in days’ cricket

Sreshth Shah in Alur13-Aug-2018Returning to the red-ball format ‘isn’t easy’ after a two-year absence, according to legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who is currently representing India A against the touring South Africa A side.Chahal has taken only four wickets in the two games, and he admits that adjusting to a newer format takes time because the batsmen’s approach differs across formats. “It does take a bit of time to adjust because the batsmen don’t have a lot of pressure [in red-ball cricket],” Chahal said on the third day of the second unofficial Test in Alur.”In ODIs and T20s, if the run-rate is high, then the batsman tries to go after you and get out. But in the longer form you need to get them out with your skills. You need to use your brain more. So it’s quite different because you need to bowl 30-35 overs here, but only four overs in T20s.”Chahal, however, puts his lack of red-ball cricket down to the paucity of time and not because of any disinterest in the format. He firmly believes that playing red-ball cricket vastly improves one’s skills, primarily because the format requires much more planning. Chahal is confident of using the lessons from the A series in white-ball cricket too, and feels his addition into India A’s four-day squad is a move towards the goal of Test cricket.”After 2016 [his last first-class appearance for Haryana in the Ranji Trophy], I have continuously played white-ball cricket, so I didn’t get time,” Chahal says. “But if you bowl with the red ball, your bowling will improve and your mind will get sharper. You need to adjust on these kinds of surfaces where spinners don’t have much help, so you use your idea – whether bowling outside off stump or changing the field – so in this format you need more planning. We can implement these learnings in ODIs and T20s too.”Because there’s a difference between red and white, so the selectors sent me here. A two-year gap is a long time, and I need to stay fit for longer periods, because you need to bowl 30-35 overs a day. It’s difficult to bowl a good ball but to take a wicket off it, that’s even more difficult. The more I play this format, the more I’ll mature.”Chahal, though, is not looking at the Indian squad that’s due to be announced for the last two Tests against England. Instead, he wants to focus on what he learnt during the ODI and T20I legs of the tour of England and Ireland, where he took nine wickets in eight games. Chahal’s next international assignment is likely to be the Asia Cup in the UAE with India’s 50-over squad.”Not even thinking about the squads for the last two Tests in England,” Chahal says. “My experience of England was very good because it was my first tour, but my focus is on this game. If my name doesn’t come, then my mind will be on the Asia Cup. So I’ll shift my focus on that series after this game.”When asked about India’s current form in England, where their batsmen crumbled at Lord’s inside four days to concede a 2-0 series deficit, Chahal praised England’s pace attack, but also remained positive about India’s chances in the last three games.”The conditions are great for pacers in England, swing is there too. You saw James Anderson reached 550 wickets,” Chahal said. “Batting is always tough there, but, it’s a five-game series. Even if you lose early matches, you have the opportunity to come back in the final three games.”

Morne Morkel 'too good' as Surrey close in on Championship pennant

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A spell of five wickets in 38 balls from Morne Morkel either side of tea saw the Division One leaders roar back into contention against bottom side Worcestershire

Jon Culley at New Road12-Sep-2018Surrey 268 (Burns 122) and 70 for 0 need a further 202 to beat Worcestershire 336 and 203 (Fell 89)
ScorecardAfter such a season of dominance, this may have been the last place Surrey would have expected to find themselves in a fight, so it is a great credit to Worcestershire that if they are to leave here with a ninth straight win and the title in their pockets they will have earned it.Home supporters were grumbling, having seen Worcestershire’s last eight wickets fall for 49 – five of them to the redoubtable Morne Morkel – but it still left Surrey needing 272 to win. No other team has required Surrey to chase as many fourth-innings runs this season. Having left The Oval with a draw in May, Worcestershire can therefore see themselves as having been their toughest opponents.Goodness knows, Worcestershire might yet win the game, which would set off some tremors of anxiety among the others fighting to avoid relegation. It is probably unlikely, frankly, with Surrey 70 without loss overnight, and for all Ben Twohig’s promise, Worcestershire would fancy themselves rather more with a Ravi Ashwin or a Moeen Ali to exploit a turning pitch. But there is still time for a twist or two yet.Surrey’s task task would have been somewhat easier but for Tom Fell, who supplemented his first-innings 69, which he had made in the most difficult conditions of the match, with another gutsy performance, making 89. He shared an opening partnership of 65 with Daryl Mitchell and enjoyed some strong support again from the debutant Ollie Westbury.Fell has not made a first-class hundred for more than three years, a period in which he has undergone treatment for testicular cancer, and for that reason alone the home crowd were willing him to find those 11 more runs.Morkel did for all their hopes, unfortunately. Surrey may be the team of homegrown talent but the South African has been a major component of the title-chasing machine. In eight matches, he has 50 wickets, a landmark he reached with a brilliant spell of controlled fast bowling in the pleasant afternoon sunshine that yielded his fourth five-wicket haul for the county.All five came within the space of 38 deliveries either side of tea, Fell falling to what became the last ball of the afternoon session when Morkel bowled a beauty to clip the top of off-stump, having found the edge of Alex Milton’s bat in the previous over.Ross Whiteley, Ed Barnard and Wayne Parnell followed in swift order after tea, all pretty much beaten for pace. “He bowled brilliantly and showed why he has been such a fantastic bowler over the past 10 or 15 years,” Fell said. “He was a bit too good for us unfortunately and probably changed the game.”Morne Morkel reached 50 wickets in a hugely successful first season•Getty Images

Amar Virdi exploited the turn in the pitch with 3 for 73 and Worcestershire’s 203 all out was a disappointment, having been 154 for 2. Last-day runs are often the hardest, though, and although Rory Burns and Mark Stoneman came through 20 overs with their wickets intact and the target down to just over 200, a good morning for Worcestershire could make for a tense afternoon and batting on this surface is not straightforward, as Burns discovered on 3 when he inside-edged a ball from Parnell that narrowly missed his leg stump.Worcestershire had the upper hand on the third morning, after all, as Surrey’s plan to add a couple more batting points to their overnight position yielded only one as their last four wickets fell for 55.Burns built on his fourth hundred of the season but not by as much as he would have liked, miscuing a pull to be caught at mid-on when he had reached 122. His was the ninth wicket to fall after Ben Foakes, coming in at No. 9 after feeling ill on Tuesday, had been caught at gully for 13. Foakes, still poorly, was off the field thereafter, Ollie Pope keeping wicket.Worcestershire have their fitness worries too. Joe Clarke has struggled with back spasms, adding to Worcestershire’s worries ahead of Vitality Blast Finals Day on Saturday. They are already without Martin Guptill, who made a major contribution to their success in the early part of the competition, after a hamstring injury forced the New Zealander to cancel his projected return. Brett D’Oliveira has missed this match, also with a back problem.Parnell will play despite splitting the webbing on his right hand and Ben Cox will return after being dropped from this match. Nottinghamshire have cleared Luke Wood to play on loan, as he did in the group stage, and Moeen Ali is available.

Tasmania collapse gives Queensland slim chance of win

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Five wickets from Jackson Bird had earlier put the Tigers in control

Alex Malcolm18-Oct-2018Mark Steketee celebrates a wicket with his team-mates•Getty Images

A startling collapse from Tasmania has given Queensland a slim chance of a remarkable comeback at the Gabba after five wickets from Jackson Bird had earlier put the Tigers in control.Queensland began the third day at 5 for 74 in its first innings and Nathan McSweeney and Jimmy Peirson compiled a 60-run stand before Simon Milenko made the breakthrough, removing the debutant McSweeney for 35. Tom Rogers claimed Peirson shortly after and Bird cleaned up the tail to claim his 13th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.Tasmania started their second innings with a lead of 207 but lost their first four wickets for 36 with Mark Steketee bagging three of them. George Bailey fell to a stunning catch from McSweeney at cover. Jake Doran was then run out by a direct hit from Sam Heazlett after the batsman collided with his partner Matthew Wade while running a quick single.The Tigers wicketkeeper held the bottom half of the innings together with his second half-century in the match. But Mitchell Swepson claimed 3 for 17 to wrap up the innings and leave Queensland needing 340 for an unlikely victory.The chase started poorly though with Sam Truloff bowled third ball by Bird. Joe Burns nicked Gabe Bell behind in the third last over the day. The Bulls need 311 runs to win on the final day with eight wickets in hand.

Shaun Marsh requires surgery on buttock abscess

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It was hoped Marsh would be available for the second ODI in Adelaide on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2018Shaun Marsh was ruled out of the opening ODI against South Africa due to requiring minor surgery on a buttock abscess.There were no further details given by Cricket Australia when the news was confirmed shortly before the toss in Perth, but it was hoped Marsh would be available for the second ODI in Adelaide on Friday. It meant D’Arcy Short came into the line-up.The loss of Marsh robbed Australia of one of their most in-form one-day batsmen of recent times following the tour of England earlier this year where he made two centuries.After a lean Test series against Pakistan in the UAE it was suggested that Marsh should potentially skip this one-day series to spend more time in the Sheffield Shield ahead of the India series, but that was quickly talked down by coach Justin Langer who said you had to reward good form in various formats and Marsh was a key part of the one-day side.Marsh did make the most of his Shield outing for Western Australia last week when he made 80 and 98 against Tasmania

Australia make wholesale changes, bring back Siddle and Lyon for ODIs

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Australia have dramatically reshaped their one-day squad for the three-match series against India with just six players retained from those that faced South Africa earlier in the season

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-20195:53

Martyn: Like Lyon’s selection in ODI squad, not Siddle’s

Australia have dramatically reshaped their one-day squad for the three-match series against India with just six players retained from those that faced South Africa earlier in the season.This is partly due to the three main quicks – Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins – being rested with an eye on their workload, but there have also been significant changes to the batting line-up with Travis Head, Chris Lynn, D’Arcy Short and Ben McDermott all omitted.Ashton Agar has also been dropped with Nathan Lyon given a chance to compete for the spin-bowling role alongside Adam Zampa at the start of the World Cup year, while Nathan Coulter-Nile has been left out after experiencing some lower back pain.There were one-day recalls for Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Mitchell Marsh, who was dropped for the final Test against India, Peter Siddle, who played the last of his 17 ODIs in 2010 having impressed in the BBL over the last couple of seasons, alongside Western Australia pair Jason Behrendorff and Jhye Richardson.”After a disappointing period in ODI cricket, the National Selection Panel along with team coaches have reviewed our performances across this format and we’ve identified a number of key areas that we feel we need to improve in order to help put this team in the best possible position to turn this period around,” national selector Trevor Hohns said.”With this in mind and the World Cup looming, we’ve selected players we feel provide us with the flexibility to play a variety of roles at different stages of a match.”With a focus on improving our ability to post competitive totals we’ve recalled Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb and Mitch Marsh to the squad.”Usman is a batsman we know can put vital runs on the board at the top of the order, and Peter is not only a fine player of spin bowling, he’s also a batsman we know can hold an innings together while keeping the scoreboard ticking over. Mitch gives us another all-round option with his ability with both bat and ball.””Travis Head, D’Arcy Short and Chris Lynn have been unlucky to miss out. All three have had opportunities to cement their spots, but unfortunately, they have not been as productive as we would have liked in recent times when playing ODI cricket for Australia.”Hohns confirmed the decision to rest Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins was with a view to the two Sri Lanka Tests which follow the India ODIs. He also singled out Siddle’s “leadership qualities” and picked out Behrendorff as a like-for-like swap with Starc.”It’s wonderful to have Peter [Siddle] back in the squad for the first time since 2010. His white ball cricket has improved considerably the older he has got, and his selection is great reward for his professionalism and strong leadership qualities.”We have rewarded both Jhye and Jason as they continue to put up strong performances with the white ball. Jason provides us with a left arm option in the absence of Mitchell Starc and is very capable of taking wickets early in the innings.”Nathan [Lyon] is the best offspin bowler in the world and we’ve noted how successful teams around the world have been using a two pronged spin attack in the right conditions in white ball cricket, something we are very mindful of heading to the World Cup.”Squad Aaron Finch (capt), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Peter Siddle, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Hendricks ton gives Jozi Stars bonus-point win

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The 29-year old made his second consecutive T20 hundred to prolong a purple patch where he has three 50-plus scores in his last three innings

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2018Reeza Hendricks smashed his second consecutive T20 century to set the foundation for Jozi Stars’ bonus-point victory, a win that took them to No. 3 in the standings. With Chris Gayle set to join the side, this victory couldn’t have been sweeter.Their 81-run win over Nelson Mandela Bay Giants was the biggest margin of victory in terms of runs this season. The result manifested because of a sorry batting show from the Giants, who were bowled out for 92 in a chase of 174 on a slightly tricky surface that aided the slower bowlers as the evening progressed.Giants approached the chase cautiously at the start, and weren’t allowed to get away when they tried bringing out the big shots. Once the stranglehold was well and truly on, they committed by playing outrageous shots – swiping and swinging across the line blindly – and eventually falling to tame dismissals.Where even Hendricks, initially slow to get off the blocks in the Powerplay, was willing to spend time, the Giants batsmen went with an ambitious approach after limping to 24 for 2 in seven overs. With the asking rate climbing all the time, their high-risk game played right into the hands of Jozi Stars. Dwaine Pretorious picked three wickets, while legspinner Edie Leie and Beuran Hendricks picked two apiece.The Stars elected to bat and started slowly, but held their shape. When the loose balls arrived, they took full toll. The first sign of them breaking the deadlock came in the fifth over, off Chris Morris, with Hendricks laying into the bowling; Stars picked three fours and six in an over that went for 19. From there on, Hendricks didn’t look back.Hendricks did a bulk of the scoring in a 61-run opening stand with Ryan Rickelton, who was out to Aaron Phangiso for 21. The brakes were on briefly after that with Rassie van der Duseen struggling for timing. To his credit, he fought through pockets of frustration that seemed to have minimal effect on an in-form Hendricks. Patiently, he set himself up for the end-overs and was along the way helped by some inconsistent bowling, particularly by Morris, whose four overs went for 43.Imran Tahir pulled things back briefly in the middle overs, but didn’t have much support from the other bowlers. Eventually a score of 173, fuelled later by a Dane Vilas cameo, proved more than adequate on the face of some reckless batting.Kagiso Rabada’s pace felled JJ Smuts, who anticipated a beamer but was bowled off a yorker to start a procession. Ben Duckett’s array of failed reverse sweeps and paddles only added to the frustration and when he fell for a 17-ball 11, Giants were all but out at 39 for 5 in the 10th over. Only five batsmen crossed double digits, with Aaron Phangiso’s 17 being the highest, the result a foregone conclusion even before the halfway mark of the chase.

Surrey's Tom Curran, Sam Curran, Ben Foakes sign contract extensions with club

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Sam Curran, Tom Curran and Ben Foakes all commit to The Oval after prominent seasons for England

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2019Surrey have secured the continued services of three of the current stars of the England set-up, by confirming contract extensions with Sam Curran, Tom Curran and Ben Foakes.At the age of 20, Sam Curran earned the Man of the Series accolade in last year’s 4-1 Test series win over India, after a series of match-turning performances with both bat and ball.He went on to become the break-out star of last year’s IPL auction, in which he was bought by Kings XI Punjab for Rs7.2 crore (approx. £800,000. His new two-year deal with Surrey will keep him at The Oval at least until the end of the 2020 season.Foakes, like Sam Curran, is currently playing for England in the Test series in the Caribbean, having himself been Man of the Series during England’s 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka before Christmas – his first appearances for England.He has agreed a three-year extension, as has Sam’s brother, Tom, who will link up with England’s white-ball squad in the Caribbean later this month, having enhanced his reputation with some eyecatching performances this winter for Sydney Sixers in this year’s BBL.Sam and Tom Curran made their senior debuts for Surrey in 2015 and 2013 respectively, while Foakes joined the club from Essex in 2015.Director of Cricket Alec Stewart said: “I am very pleased to have extended the contracts of three of our current England players. It’s a credit to everyone at the club that our players want to sign contract extensions and help play a major part in building on the success of last year.”

Chris Gayle hints at 'un-retirement' after six-laden 162

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West Indies opener suggests he could still change his mind after rolling back the years in ODIs against England

George Dobell in St George's 27-Feb-2019Chris Gayle never was the retiring sort, really. And so much did he enjoy the run-soaked fourth ODI in Grenada that he confessed afterwards he just might be rethinking his decision to retire from the format at the end of the World Cup.Gayle struck 14 sixes in his innings of 162 – the second-highest score of his ODI career – on the way to leading West Indies to their highest total in this form of the game. It was his second century of a series in which he has now amassed 347 runs from three innings at an average of 115.66 and a strike rate of 120.06. During the innings, he became the 14th man, and second from the Caribbean after Brian Lara, to reach the milestone of 10,000 ODI runs.As a consequence, he has proved to himself he still has the ability to contribute at this level. So while it is only ten days since Gayle announced he intended to retire after the tournament, he has suggested that, if he were able to regain some fitness, he might decide to extend his career.”I think this is one of the most entertaining games I’ve ever played in,” Gayle said. “It was a fantastic game of cricket. I’ve been playing a lot of T20 cricket so it’s always going to be a difficult coming back into 50-over cricket. But eventually the body gets accustomed to the 50-over format.”I just have to work on the body and then maybe you can see a bit more Chris Gayle, maybe. Things change quickly. Hopefully the body can change in the next couple of months and we can see what happens.”To get the 10,000-run milestone is a great feeling. I’ve done it in T20 as well. It’s a fantastic achievement from my point of view. Doing it for West Indies as well, that makes it even more superb.”What’s the matter with the body? I’m nearly 40. But could I un-retire? We’ll see. We’ll take it slowly.”While Gayle enjoyed the game, he felt West Indies could have won if they had played “a bit smarter”. They allowed England to put on a century opening stand and then plunder 154 from the final ten overs, then fell away with the bat from a position of strength at 220 for two.”We didn’t utilise that new ball well,” Gayle said, referring to England’s opening stand of 100 within 14 overs. “If we had, we would have been chasing 380.”I’m sure the team are all disappointed. I can see the expression on their faces. It’s a learning process for the young players. If they do things differently they could have won. So it’s good to see that body language when you lose. When that situation comes again I’m sure it will be totally different.”

Ricky Ponting hails top-order trio of Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant

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The Delhi Capitals coach isn’t too worried about the team’s recent propensity to collapse in the latter stages of run-chases

Sreshth Shah in Kolkata11-Apr-2019While Ricky Ponting is mightily impressed by Rishabh Pant’s skills as a white-ball player, the Delhi Capitals coach believes his impatience can lead to his downfall.Speaking ahead of Capitals’ return fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, Ponting was in praise of his three young top-order batsmen – Pant, Prithvi Shaw and the captain Shreyas Iyer – but said each of them had areas to work on, Pant in particular. Even so, he said he wouldn’t try to curb his natural style too much.”With Rishabh in white-ball cricket, the issue is that he’s such a competitor that sometimes that gets the better of him,” Ponting said. “He wants to get things done quickly in the white-ball game. In the Tests he doesn’t so much because there’s not as much scoring pressure in Tests.”But I’m not going to curb the way he plays, I’m not gonna tell him to slow down because if he plays his best he will win games for us. I want him to go out with pure freedom and with no other thought other than hitting the ball for a six. We saw in Mumbai. – when it comes off, we’re going to win. He made 77 facing just 28 balls. But he needs to understand we need him to bat in the last four overs. We need our best batsmen to stay till the last four overs, and we expect that from him.”Prithvi Shaw goes down the ground•BCCI

Ponting also expected Shaw to end up as one of the top run-getters in the tournament if he continued his current form. Shaw’s most notable performance this season so far is his 99 against Knight Riders in Delhi, but Ponting also highlighted his 22-ball 28 in what eventually proved a tricky chase against Royal Challengers Bangalore.”Prithvi Shaw, I’ve seen him develop as a player,” Ponting said. “We took a punt on him as a young guy who hadn’t played any T20 cricket. And from the moment I saw him, I knew he was ready to play.”He showed that last year and has shown glimpses this season too. I was absolutely heartbroken for him when he was out for 99, he deserved to get a hundred. He’s got us off to some good starts. He single-handedly helped us win against Bangalore, with some aggressive batting in the Powerplay, although Shreyas played well. He’ll be one of the leading run-scorers if he plays like this by the end of the season.”This time last year, Iyer was shoved into the limelight when he took over the captaincy following Gautam Gambhir’s resignation. Ponting said he had big expectations from him as both batsman and captain. Despite the Capitals dugout including strong personalities such as himself and the advisor Sourav Ganguly, Ponting said Iyer was the team’s primary leader.Shreyas Iyer improvises•Sportzpics

“It’s 100 per cent Shreyas Iyer’s team,” Ponting said. “It’s not my team, it’s not the coach’s team, it’s Shreyas Iyer’s team. He’s the captain, and with captains of any team, once the game starts the captain is the coach. He’s a terrific young man, determined, very good player. He’s developing his leadership well. Halfway through last year, then he’s captained for Mumbai [in domestic cricket], and finally India A. It’s a high-pressure environment, the IPL, and I love working with him.”Capitals have tended to suffer collapses late in their chases this season. They slid to a scarcely believable defeat against Kings XI Punjab and nearly did the same against Royal Challengers too, but Ponting wasn’t too worried.”We can look at it in two ways,” Ponting said. “I was worried about the Kings XI run chase. We should’ve won that with an over to spare, but what didn’t worry me about the RCB game was that the boys were taking the opposition on. They were being ultra-aggressive, maybe recklessly.”But I don’t mind that, we need that mindset to win big games, but you must ensure you get across the line. We had the game won when the collapse happened in Bangalore. Collapses will happen if your best batsmen aren’t there at the end, which our batting group is now aware of.”

Zimbabwe Cricket Union given a facelift

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The Zimbabwe Cricket Union has rebranded itself after months of planning, and will now be known as Zimbabwe Cricket

Cricinfo staff22-Apr-2019

The new-look logo for the newly-named ZC
© Getty Images

The Zimbabwe Cricket Union has rebranded itself after months of planning, and will now be known simply as Zimbabwe Cricket. Peter Chingoka, the chairman, announced the strategic change at the Harare Sports Club, where he also unveiled the winning design for the board’s new logo.In a speech at the launch, Chingoka spoke of the challenges posed for the future of cricket in Zimbabwe. He said one of the broad aims would be “to continue with our development programme to spread cricket to all corners of the country and to all sectors of the community”.As part of this programme, he pledged that ZC would spend Zim$635million (around £60,000) to fund the development of 130 schoolboys who study in such places as Harare, Kadoma, Bulawayo, Masvingo and Marondera. One player to have already benefited from such funding is Tatenda Taibu, Zimbabwe’s current captain. Taibu, 21, was appointed after Heath Streak quit in April when the board refused to give him guarantees over selection.