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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.”

Mark Taylor, the Cricket Australia board director, has admitted that compromise must be found between the game’s governing body and the Australian Cricketers Association before the game suffers further damage

Daniel Brettig11-Jul-20173:46

What exactly is the Cricket Australia-ACA pay dispute?

Mark Taylor, the Cricket Australia (CA) board director, has admitted that compromise must be found between the game’s governing body and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) before the game suffers further damage, in an ugly pay war that has put the national team’s upcoming series at risk of abandonment.In speaking at an Ashes event organised by the Nine Network in Melbourne on Tuesday, Taylor became the first senior CA figure connected to the MoU debate to offer a public opinion on the dispute in more than six weeks, since the chief executive James Sutherland was interviewed by the ABC on May 25. Taylor also remains the only board director to have spoken publicly about it at all.Prior to that, Taylor had spoken firmly about CA’s desire to breakup the revenue sharing model on Nine’s programme on May 14. But he took on a more conciliatory tone this time, 11 days after the expiry of the most recent MoU between the players and the board left more than 230 of the country’s cricketers unemployed and a mounting mess of commercial problems for the board. Not least of these is reassuring its chief broadcaster Nine – for whom Taylor commentates – that the Ashes will go ahead as planned.”I think there’s got to be compromise on both sides, I really believe that,” Taylor said on Tuesday. “I think at any negotiation you give and you take. I think when you get to that situation, which I hope we are getting very close to now, then you get close to a resolution. I’m confident there will be a resolution soon. I don’t know when but I just hope both sides keep working hard at it.”I think everyone has probably read and heard enough about things that don’t involve people scoring runs and taking wickets, me included, and I think that [the cricket] is what we all want to see. That includes sponsors, TV networks, past players, commentators, and I think the quicker we get to that situation the better for the game.”I’m still very confident there will be an Ashes series and I’m very confident there will be some Test-match cricket played by Australia before them. That’s certainly what I’m working towards and I’m assuming both parties are working towards that. It’s far from ideal and it’s cost an Australia A tour of South Africa which is disappointing, no doubt about it. But at this stage we haven’t lost a Bangladesh tour and we certainly don’t want to lose an Ashes tour here in Australia.”While Taylor has only recently returned home from holidays, he said all board directors had been kept informed of progress in talks by CA’s lead negotiator Kevin Roberts, including conference calls every three days that he had dialled in to from overseas. ESPNcricinfo understands that some progress appeared to have been made by the middle of last week before regressing and forcing the cancellation of the Australia A tour. While talks go on, little if any movement from entrenched positions has been discernible since.Mark Taylor said it was necessary for everyone involved to “be adult” about the pay dispute; Ian Chappell said while his sympathies lie on the side of the players, give how protracted this dispute is, there has to be fault on both sides•Getty Images

A director since 2004, apart from a brief absence in 2012-13 when the CA board was changed from a body of 14 state representatives to an independent group of nine, Taylor agreed that it was vital to find a way for the two parties to coexist in whatever new landscape was drawn up as a result of the next MoU.”Day to day it’s management’s job, I’ve been away for the last couple of weeks, only got back on Sunday night myself, but I’ve been kept abreast of the situation,” he said. “Calls every three days, sometimes a bit more often if need be, and now I’m back in Australia I’m well aware of the situation. And I’ll be doing everything I can to try and find a resolution to this.”I think we all have to be adult about it. It’s a big game these days. Players are fully professional. Cricket boards are trying to do what they think is right for the game in general, so there’s going to be times when you disagree and that’s where we are at the moment. But I think both sides have to work towards finding a resolution which is in the best interests of the game and the players.”From a game point of view, it’s far from ideal. We are in July, the Ashes are still four months away, but the Bangladesh tour is only a month away. The quicker we can get it resolved the better, the quicker we can move on and rebuild the relationship [that] I think is important between CA and the ACA. The quicker we can start rebuilding that, I think that’ll be good for the game.”The former captain Ian Chappell, meanwhile, termed the standoff as “the biggest bust up since World Series Cricket between players and administrators” and reckoned both sides of the argument, whatever their merits, had begun to be damaged from the moment the previous MoU expired on July 1.”I think once it went past the June 30 deadline I think it started to hurt the game from both points of view,” Chappell said. “I think the public were probably sick to death of it by then it was a plague on both their houses as far as the public are concerned. I think the quicker it gets resolved the better and if it’s going to be a partnership, which I think it needs to be, it’s not a boss-employee situation.”If it’s going to be a partnership there’s got to be give and take on both sides, and probably most importantly there has to be a bit more respect, that’s the first thing that needs to happen to help rebuild the relationship. My sympathies are always going to be on the side of the players, but when a dispute goes on this long there has to be fault on both sides.”The job of the players association is to work with the administrators. Your job as a cricketer is just to play the game and having come from an era where the players had to fight the fight, that’s not an ideal situation at all. To me it’s up to the players association to get the thing sorted out with the board, and for the players to just play their game.”

Essex strolled to a seven-wicket victory with 22 balls to spare in their T20 Blast encounter with Glamorgan in Cardiff

ECB Reporters Network01-Jun-2016
ScorecardJesse Ryder thrashed 42 to get Essex’s chase off to a flying start (file photo)•Getty Images

Essex strolled to a seven-wicket victory with 22 balls to spare in their T20 Blast encounter with Glamorgan in Cardiff.Chasing a modest 140 for 6, the visitors made light of their task, reaching 143 for 3 after opener Jesse Ryder set them on their way with a pulsating innings. The New Zealander struck 42 from 23 balls that included one six and eight fours. He found an admirable ally in Tom Westley as the pair added 55 runs in five overs following the departure of Ravi Bopara for 4.When Ryder departed with the score on 64 for 2, Westley continued the fine start, easing the visitors to the halfway point of their reply at 87 for 2.He finally departed for a 29-ball 41 when bowled by Colin Ingram but 19 year-old Dan Lawrence and experienced allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate saw their side to their first win of the season in the competition with an unbroken partnership of 49 runs in a little over five overs.It all overshadowed the Glamorgan debut of South Africa paceman Dale Steyn, who is with the county for six matches in the competition. He might have had a wicket with his first ball but Bopara was dropped by Aneurin Donald at second slip. Although he beat the bat on a couple of occasions, he was punished by Ryder in particular and his three overs went for 32 runs.Donald had provided rich entertainment for the passionate home crowd with a superb innings of 51 from 38 balls that included two sixes and five other boundaries. The 19-year-old was playing in only his fourth Twenty20 match but drove and carved with authority.He featured in the substantial partnership of the innings as he and Ingram added 56 in 7.1 overs for the third wicket. Ingram contributed 26 before he became one of two wickets for Bopara.The departure of Donald in the 14th over, when he was bowled by left-arm spinner Ashar Zaidi, left Glamorgan 105 for 4 but they lost their way thereafter.The Essex attack restricted them to 20 runs from the next five overs before Pakistan international Wahab Riaz sent down a final over costing 15 runs including a towering straight driven 6 by Chris Cooke. However it all proved too little too late in the face of the Essex batting onslaught.

Restrict the opposition to a reasonable total and chase it down with a solid top order. Rajasthan Royals’ favoured template has been working superbly, with five wins in five games, while Kings XI Punjab are yet to show consistency, with three losses in fo

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit20-Apr-2015

Match facts

Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Big picture

Five wins in five games, the latest being a hammering of the mighty Chennai Super Kings. Rajasthan Royals are unstoppable at the moment. Their favoured template – restrict the opposition to a reasonable total and chase it down with a solid top order – has been working superbly for them. The only time they have batted first this season, they have defended quite comfortably, against their next opponents: Kings XI Punjab.Shane Watson’s availability has strengthened them further. While the likes of Watson and Steven Smith will always be assets, the performances of their Indian players have also helped Royals achieve this run. In addition to Ajinkya Rahane’s solidity, Pravin Tambe, Dhawal Kulkarni and Stuart Binny have been frugal with the ball while young Deepak Hooda has won a game with the bat.Kings XI Punjab’s overseas as well as domestic players are yet to show consistency, which reflects in three losses from four matches. Apart from George Bailey’s batting and Sandeep Sharma’s bowling, the rest have not stood out. The bowling has been competitive, but it is the big names in that middle order that need to fire.

Watch out for…

When these sides met in Pune ten days ago, James Faulkner turned 75 for 5 into 162 for 7 with 46 off 33. He then took out Glenn Maxwell, Bailey and Mitchell Johnson in four overs for only 26 runs. Faulkner has not really been needed with the bat after that but has been expensive with the ball overall. He has the knack of picking the big wicket, as he did when he bowled a rampaging Dwayne Smith against Super Kings.M Vijay has been in superb touch for a while now, and that has showed in some of the shots he has played. Some of his cover drives have been effortless and gorgeous, but all he has to show are 91 runs from four innings. With the hit-or-miss nature of Virender Sehwag’s batting at the other end, Vijay will have to carry on from his starts.

Stats and trivia

• Ajinkya Rahane is one hit away from reaching 200 fours in the IPL. Shane Watson is one short of 100 sixes
• Sandeep Sharma’s economy-rate of 5.37 is the best so far this season. Stuart Binny is next with 5.71
• Royals have won seven out of ten games in Ahmedabad

Quotes

“It is great to be able to come and take over with the team in such a good place. Steven Smith does an incredible job as a leader. He is tactically incredibly good. He did a fantastic job in the first four games and I am very lucky to be able to have him in and around the squad.”
“Our batting has been a letdown so far in the tournament. The top batsmen are just not getting enough runs. That has been putting the team in a tight spot.”

Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL), the owner of the IPL team Deccan Chargers, is in advance talks to sell the franchise, its chairman TV Reddy has said

Tariq Engineer31-Aug-2012Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL), the owner of the IPL team Deccan Chargers, is in advanced talks to sell the franchise, its chairman T Venkatram Reddy has said. The group has been forced to consider selling the team to raise funds to help it tide over a liquidity crisis brought on by a poor expansion strategy.”We will sell our cricket team Deccan Chargers, which will sort out most of the immediate requirements,” Reddy told the in an interview. “We are at an advanced stage of negotiations to sell Deccan Chargers. And then the company will be back in action. The newspaper business will not be sold.” The group reportedly needs an infusion of about Rs 500 crore (US$90 million approx.) to get through the current crisis.DCHL had appointed Religare Capital to handle the deal to sell the team back in June. Chargers have not paid all its players in full following the 2012 IPL season and the BCCI had set August 31 as the deadline for all player payments to be made.One potential complication for the sale is the board’s contention that it holds the ownership rights and that no franchise can mortgage the rights without its consent. At an emergency meeting on August 14, the IPL governing council confronted the owners and asked them why the company had mortgaged the team ownership rights to two leading Indian banks.According to Reddy, the company tried to expand its newspaper business too quickly and are now paying the price for that approach.The Deccan Chargers franchise was bought by DCHL for $107 million in the first IPL team auction in 2008. At the time, it was the third-most expensive franchise, after Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. During the second team auction in 2010, the Pune franchise was sold to the Sahara group for $370 million while the now dissolved Kochi franchise was bought by a consortium for $333 million.If the owners succeed in selling the team, they would be the second in the IPL to sell at least a part of the franchise. In 2009, Rajasthan Royals, then the reigning IPL champions, sold an 11.7% stake in the franchise for approximately $15.4 million to Shilpa Shetty, the Bollywood actress, and her partner Raj Kundra, a UK-based businessman. That put the valuation of the franchise at around $140 million, more than double the $67 million the owners, Emerging Media, paid for it in 2008.Chargers won the IPL in 2009 but have largely struggled since then. They finished eighth out of nine teams in 2012, winning just four games under the leadership of Kumar Sangakkara, the former Sri Lanka captain, and Cameron White, the Australia batsman.

Alastair Cook believes Kevin Pietersen can be part of England’s 2015 World Cup side

Andrew McGlashan03-Oct-2011Alastair Cook believes Kevin Pietersen can be part of England’s 2015 World Cup side and sees it as one of his key roles as captain on the tour of India to help guide a one-day revival for the batsman. Pietersen has returned to the squad for the upcoming series, but doubts remain over his long-term future in the 50-over side after a lean two years in the format and the emergence of talented young batsmen pushing their claims.Pietersen was rested, officially at least, for the one-day series recent ODIs against India in England, and the two Twenty20 internationals against West Indies that concluded the home season. His place in the Twenty20 team isn’t in doubt – he played the game against India at the end of August and was Man of the Series when England won the world title in West Indies in 2010 – but that security doesn’t extend to the longer limited-overs format.”I see Kevin as a huge part of this one-day side, especially in the 2015 World Cup,” Cook said at Heathrow airport shortly before the squad departed for India. “He’s had huge success in Australia, but we need to manage him well so he can get there.”After he controversially flew home injured from the World Cup, reports emerged that he was planning to retire from ODIs although he subsequently denied those and remains available for all three formats. However, if there was a change of heart from Pietersen it is more likely to have been because he wouldn’t have been eligible for a central contract if he quit one-dayers.His availability, though, doesn’t come with a guarantee of selection, as Andy Flower has been at pains to point out, and Pietersen’s one-day form of the last two years raises questions as to whether he warrants a place in the side. Since March 2009 against West Indies, his first one-day series since losing the captaincy, he has averaged 22.86 from 32 matches with two half-centuries. His last hundred came against India, in Cuttack, in October 2008 and three of his seven tons came in his first 11 matches. However, he does average 51 in ODIs on Indian soil, which shows he enjoys conditions.”He’s had a tough 12-18 months with his form, this happens when you spend a huge amount of time at the top of the game. It’s tough to keep your standards high,” Cook said. “I think he still averages very high 40s in Test cricket, so it’s amazing to think we are talking about a drop. His last couple of years in one-day cricket haven’t been as good as they were in the first part of his career and part of our job as England management is to try and get him back there.”A KP averaging 50 and striking over 100 is a huge element of an England side and we can’t ignore talent like that. He loves proving people wrong.”England have tried various roles to reinvigorate Pietersen’s one-day career including using him as an opener during the World Cup. That tactic was short-lived due to the hernia he picked up, but it did provide some momentum to England’s innings alongside Andrew Strauss. A return to opening is unlikely with Cook and Craig Kieswetter establishing their partnership, but Pietersen’s exact position in the order hasn’t been nailed down with Cook hinting at flexibility.”At No. 3 or 4 is where he’s had most of his success,” Cook said. “Towards the end of the Sri Lanka series [in June] we talked about being more flexible in our batting line up and we’ve got the right to do that.”The pressure on Pietersen to retain his place is coming mainly from his own form, but also the emergence of a group of new batsmen pushing for international honours. Jonny Bairstow, who impressed on his debut against India, is part of this tour, while Jos Buttler will join in for the Twenty20 at the end of trip along with Alex Hales. Eoin Morgan, who has taken the mantle of England’s key one-day batsman from Pietersen, is out if action until January but will slot straight back in when he’s fit and Cook is thrilled with the competition for places.”You have to perform to stay in an England shirt; like Kevin has to, like I have to, the whole team has to,” he said. “You can see from the players who aren’t coming on this tour, the competition there is for places and that’s a very encouraging sign.”England have two warm-up matches, the first on Saturday, before the opening one-day international, in Hyderabad, on October 14.

If Kent go on to suffer relegation this season, they will surely rue the first day of this Championship match at Edgbaston

George Dobell at Edgbaston 31-Aug-2010
ScorecardDarren Stevens took three early wickets but Warwickshire ended the day in a strong position•PA Photos

If Kent go on to suffer relegation this season, they will surely rue the first day of this Championship match at Edgbaston.With Warwickshire on the ropes, Martin van Jaarsveld, at slip, spurned a chance offered by Imran Tahir off the bowling of James Tredwell. The batsman had just 18 at the time and, had it been taken, Warwickshire would have been dismissed for 195.It wasn’t the easiest chance. But van Jaarsveld seemed to have it within his grasp and, had he been able to cling on, Warwickshire would have finished without a batting bonus point for the fourth match in succession and the eighth time in 11 games.As it was, however, the momentum of the game shifted. Warwickshire’s tenth-wicket pair of Tahir and Ant Botha added 118 in 25 overs. Their stand transformed a day that Kent had, to that point, utterly dominated and Warwickshire – and Chris Woakes, in particular – hit back strongly with the new ball when Kent began their innings. It’s far from impossible that it could prove to have been a defining day in the battle to avoid relegation.This is certainly going to prove a crucial match. The two teams started the game level on points with only Essex below them in the table. While Kent have a game in hand over Warwickshire, neither side can afford to give the other any ground. Warwickshire, in particular, need to win.Any hopes of victory had all but receded when they were reeling at 107 for 7 shortly after lunch. The brittle top-order batting that has proved their Achilles heel all season haunted them yet again as their batsmen struggled against the swinging ball and their own lack of form and confidence.Darren Stevens was the unlikely destroyer. With Kent missing Amjad Khan, who has reacted to news of the club’s inability to keep him by saying he didn’t feel in the right frame of mind to play for them, Stevens took the new ball and bowled throughout the morning session. That admirable 15-over spell realised 3 for 30, with Stevens swinging the ball consistently and compensating for his gentle pace with a probing line and length.If Ian Westwood, reaching for one without moving his feet, and Varun Chopra, who played around a straight one, had some cause to regret their strokes, there was little Darren Maddy could do about the ball that dismissed him. Pitching on middle, it demanded the forward defensive shot he offered, but swung away late to take the outside edge. It was fine bowling, by any standards.Meanwhile Jim Troughton, who has now not passed 50 in 26 championship innings, and Richard Johnson prodded pad-first at a straight one, before Rikki Clarke changed his mind about pulling and top-edged a simple chance back to the bowler. Laurie Evans, who was released by Surrey a few weeks ago and is on trial at Edgbaston, resisted for over an hour, but them appeared to lose sight of a full delivery and was bowled.From that low point, however, Warwickshire began to regroup. With resistance first mustered by Woakes and Botha, their last three wickets added a further 187 runs, earning their side two bonus points and a foothold in a game that had almost slipped away from them.Though Woakes was beaten by a sharp off-break and Neil Carter steered a wide one to point, Botha and Tahir counter-attacked intelligently against an attack that was left looking a little one-paced and lacking in variation.It wasn’t just the runs that were scored as the manner in which they were scored that so upset Kent. Tahir, who has been dismissed for a duck five times in this Championship season, has few pretensions as a batsman, but here went after the bowling with such relish that he hit seven fours and four sixes in his 72-ball stay.While two of those sixes, pulls off Tredwell, were somewhat agricultural, the others, a cover-drive off the medium-pace of Simon Cook and a clipped six over long-on off Tredwell, were almost classical. It was the third first-class half-century of his career and his first for Warwickshire.Botha’s was a more polished performance. While this was his first half-century of the campaign, he showed his pedigree by negated the swinging ball by playing admirably straight and timing the ball sweetly. Together they set a new 10th wicket record stand for Warwickshire against Kent, surpassing the 73 posted by HJ Pallett & T Forrester at The Angel Ground, Tonbridge, in 1897.It’s far from the first time this season that Warwickshire have been grateful for the lower-order’s runs. Indeed, their tenth-wicket pair have recorded more century and half-century stands than the first-wicket partnership. It is often remarked upon around these parts that the hosts sometimes appear to be batting in reverse order.Botha and Tahir pair may yet go on to play a large part with the ball. This game is being played on the same pitch used for Monday’s CB40 game against Scotland and Warwickshire expect it to encourage the spinners appreciably.The tail-end resistance appeared to knock Kent’s confidence. Not only did they drop Tahir once again, this time when he had 61, but their ground fielding became ragged and their heads appeared to drop.Confronted by Woakes, now bowling with a bit more pace but no less control or swing, they were soon in trouble when they began their reply and resume on the second day with Tredwell, their second nightwatchman, at the crease.Joe Denly, leaving one that nipped back, was bowled by the first ball of the innings, while Rob Key played around another swinging delivery in Woakes’ next over. Cook, perhaps unlucky with some low bounce, also missed one that nipped back.With batsmen as accomplished as van Jaarsveld and Stevens still to come, there is a great deal of cricket left to play in this match. But Kent have already squandered a golden opportunity to put this match – and their relegation fears – to one side and their failure to take it may come back to haunt them.

Teen prodigy Sam Konstas has a chance to score his third century of the summer, after helping NSW navigate a wet day at the SCG

AAP07-Dec-2024Sam Konstas has helped New South Wales survive a tricky 20-over session, taking the Blues to 137 for 1 at stumps on a wet day two of the Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia.After rain washed out the opening five hours of day two at the SCG, NSW were asked to contend with an 80-minute period before stumps on Saturday.The Blues lost one wicket, Blake Nikitaras edging speedster Lance Morris to Cameron Gannon in the gully on 38.Otherwise NSW got through unscathed, with Konstas 80 not out and the Blues moving closer to Western Australia’s first-innings total of 211.After Konstas rocketed to 55 by stumps on Friday, he was far more circumspect in Saturday’s shortened period.The opener squeezed out two boundaries behind point in one over against Gannon, and used his feet to hit Corey Rocchiccoli back down the ground for four.He offered one half-chance late, sweeping Rocchiccoli in the air to deep square leg, only for a tough diving chance to be put down by Brody Couch.Tanveer Sangha also navigated through 28 balls, after being sent in as a nightwatchman at No.3 following the fall of Nikitaras.Konstas’ runs continued a serious purple patch for the opener, who scored 107 against a Test-quality Indian attack for the Prime Minister’s XI last week in Canberra.He also began the summer with twin Shield tons against South Australia, shooting him into the conversation for a Test debut.The 19-year-old has made no secret of the fact he feels ready for the game’s toughest level, keen to challenge himself as soon as this summer.A century on Sunday will only strengthen his case, with he or Josh Inglis likely to be next in line if Australia make changes to their top order.Tasmanian allrounder Beau Webster is also in Australia’s squad after three sparkling years with the bat in the Shield, but his chance is more likely to come if a vacancy opens up at No.6.Konstas’s runs have also come at a good time, with this the last round of the Sheffield Shield before the BBL break.It means he and other hopefuls will not play another Shield game until February, by which time Australia’s Test side will be in Sri Lanka for a two-match series.

Dean Foxcroft included in a squad which sees a number of senior players rested before the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2023Lockie Ferguson will captain New Zealand in their ODI series against Bangladesh later this month with Tom Latham among a group of senior players given a break before the World Cup.Latham, currently leading the one-day side in place of Kane Williamson, has been rested from the three-match tour in late September along with Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee to allow them a short period at home.Trent Boult will feature along with Kyle Jamieson and Adam Milne. The spin bowling will be shared between Ish Sodhi, Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie.Related

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• Williamson has two weeks to prove fitness for ODI World Cup

Ferguson recently captained New Zealand in a T20 warm-up match against Worcestershire on the current tour of England.”Lockie is an experienced bowler at the international level, and this is an opportunity for him to really lead from the front with not just the bowling group but the team as a whole,” head coach Gary Stead said. “He stepped into the role for the warm-up matches in England and led a group with a lot of moving parts well.”We have a very full schedule between now until the end of our tour to Pakistan in April including the World Cup and the start of the new World Test Championship cycle so trying to keep players and staff fresh and ready at the right times is paramount,” Stead added.”Balancing workloads also provides opportunities and it’s exciting to have different players in the group and learning in an environment like Bangladesh. It can be a challenging place to tour and getting used to different conditions quickly will be important over the next few months.”Dean Foxcroft, who has recently qualified for New Zealand and made his T20I debut against UAE last month, has been included in the squad.”Any time a player is selected for the first time it’s exciting and Dean’s shown as the [Otago] Volts’ leading white ball run scorer last summer the talent he has,” Stead said. “We were impressed with the way he came into the group with the T20 squad, and this will be another great opportunity to keep learning in our environment.”Mark Chapman and Jimmy Neesham weren’t considered for selection because of the birth of their first children.The three ODIs will take place in Dhaka on September 21, 23 and 26 with the teams then heading to India for the World Cup.New Zealand ODI squad vs Bangladesh Lockie Ferguson (capt), Finn Allen, Tom Blundell, Trent Boult. Chad Bowes, Dane Cleaver, Dean Foxcroft, Kyle Jamieson, Cole McConchie, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Will Young

The offspinner has recovered from Covid-19 but it’s still unclear if he’ll feature in the warm-up game

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Jun-2022In welcome news for the Indians, premier offspinner R Ashwin joined the Test squad in Leicester, having recovered from Covid-19. What remains to be confirmed, though, is whether Ashwin, who reached Leicester on Wednesday, will feature in the four-day warm-up match, which started on Thursday between the visitors and Leicestershire.Ashwin failed to depart for England last week with the rest of the squad, having tested positive for Covid-19. He joined the Indians at the ground in his whites on Thursday morning, but his name did not feature on any of the team sheets, finalised on Wednesday. The match is being played as a 13-a-side game.Related

• Four selection puzzles for India at Edgbaston

• Leicestershire warm-up gives Indians chance to regain red-ball intensity

Ashwin’s presence will boost the Indian camp based on his vast experience of playing in England, including featuring for three clubs in county cricket. Ashwin, who is second on the ICC’s Test bowlers rankings as well as third on the allrounders’ list, was part of the Indian squad for the first four Tests of the Pataudi Trophy last year, but did not get to play as the then team management preferred Ravindra Jadeja as the primary spin allrounder.Ashwin could still be in contention for the rescheduled one-off Test starting at Edgbaston from July 1 in case the conditions support two spinners. Ashwin’s numbers in county cricket, where he has featured for Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire and Surrey are impressive: he has 61 wickets at an average 25.32 and has scored 553 runs at an average of nearly 37.Meanwhile, the quartet of Cheteshwar Pujara, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and Prasidh Krishna turned up as part of the Leicestershire team. The arrangement to allow the Indians to be part of the hosts’ team was reached to allow all the visiting players to test their match fitness and workloads. The game is the only practice match the Indians are playing ahead of the Test next week.