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The last thing the NatWest Blast needed on its opening night was for the Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, to deem it “mediocre” before a ball had been bowled

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2016
ScorecardTom Curran had a fine night with bat and ball•PA Photos

Debate continues to ferment over the future of England’s T20 competition, which whatever the outcome is unlikely to survive in its current form, but the last thing the NatWest Blast needed on its opening night was for the Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, to deem it “mediocre” before a ball had been bowled.Record attendances last season; record advance ticket sales this. The NatWest Blast might be in for a revamp, but a noisy full house for the TV match at Chelmsford – ultimately silenced as Surrey stole an eight-run win in an engrossing, fluctuating contest – was another salutary reminder that this competition has its fans.It has angered many around the counties that the “Graves digger”, whether by accident or design, almost buried the competition before it had begun.Surrey’s victory came from the unlikely position of 80 for 6 in the 11th over as one of T20’s ancients, Azhar Mahmood, combined with the up-and-coming allrounder Tom Curran to steel Surrey with both bat and ball.Mahmood smashed 42 off 22 balls as he put on 65 in seven overs in a bright and breezy seventh-wicket stand with Tom Curran to spark a mid-innings revival.And Mahmood had barely removed his helmet than he had reduced Essex to 26 for 3 with the key wickets of Jesse Ryder and Dan Lawrence in successive balls – Ryder outwitted with a slower ball, Lawrence strangled down the leg side. He ended with four for 38.New Zealand quick Matt Quinn had claimed career-best T20 figures of 4 for 35 in his first appearance for Essex only to finish on the losing side.Ravi Bopara’s decision to bowl in his first match as Essex’s T20 captain broke the Chelmsford habit and the second-wicket pair of Jason Roy and Kumar Sangakkara raised 50 b y the fifth over. Bopara was forced to recall Quinn, who had already dismissed Steven Davies, and he removed Roy at mid-off. Four balls later, he caused Sangakkara to miscue a hook.By the time Ryan ten Doeschate claimed a third catch, diving in on the deep square leg boundary to dismiss Sam Curran, Quinn had four wickets and, at 90 for 6, seemed to have settled the contest in Essex’s favour.But Tom Curran responded with 32 off 26 balls until he played over a slower ball from Napier. Mahmood went in the last over, toe-ending Bopara to Ashar Zaidi.Essex’s reply got off to the worse possible start when Bopara departed to the sixth ball, hooking Sam Curran high to Mahmood at square leg for one.Tom Westley held them together with 46 off 33 balls, but he was lbw, reverse sweeping Gareth Batty after putting on 60 for the fourth wicket with ten Doeschate and at 89 for 4 with seven overs remaining Essex were behind the pace.The burly figure of Azhar Zaidi joined ten Doeschate and took 18 off an over by Matthew Pillans, including a flat six to midwicket, and then hit another big six in a Gareth Batty over that went for 17.Ten Doeschate also launched Batty over the sightscreen for a maximum and before middling a delivery from Tom Curran to Sangakkara to depart for 36 off 32 balls. Zaidi also tried to reverse-sweep Tom Curran and departed for a quickfire 30 off 15 balls.When Tom Curran lost a skier in the floodlights, and a ball change also seemed to work to Essex’s advantage, suddenly they were back in the game with 17 needed from two overs.But James Foster and Napier fell in successive balls, leaving the ever-competitive Mahmood to dismantle Matt Dixon’s stumps and take a return catch from Quinn.

Former West Indies batsman Ricardo Powell will lead a new five-man selection panel in charge of picking USA senior men’s and U-17 squads for tournaments later this year, including the ICC World Cricket League Division Four in Los Angeles

Peter Della Penna24-Jun-2016Former West Indies batsman Ricardo Powell will lead a new five-man selection panel in charge of picking USA senior men’s and Under-17 squads for tournaments later this year, including the ICC World Cricket League Division Four in Los Angeles. Powell, 37, was also named last month by the ICC to a seven-member advisory group focusing on high performance. This is one of the four national advisory groups created by the ICC to implement its strategy in the USA.The other four selectors serving under Powell are former Pakistan player Asif Mujtaba, former South African first-class player Michael Voss, former USA player Amer Afzaluddin and Barney Jones. Mujtaba served as an assistant coach for USA at the 2012 World T20 Qualifier and currently resides in Texas. Voss is based in southern California while Afzaluddin is out of the Chicago area. Jones – a former USA Cricket Association selection panel chairman – lives in Florida.”For me I take it as an honor to be a chairman of this selection panel, to be able to select the best team possible to represent the USA,” Powell told ESPNcricinfo from his home in Memphis, Tennessee. “I think that’s a very big task and I think it’s a lot of work and something I take very seriously. With the panel that we have, we have guys who are very knowledgeable but we are asking the US public as a whole, and the cricket community, to be patient because this is not going to happen overnight. It’s something we have to all work hard at.”Their first task is to select a 30-man squad to come to Florida at the end of July for a week-long camp to help narrow down the list to a final 14 ahead of Division Four. A 30-member Under-17 squad will also be chosen before a team of 14 is finalised for a tri-series against Bermuda and Canada in Houston from July 14 to 19.Powell, Mujtaba and Voss are new selectors. Mujtaba has also coached Central West Region men’s team since 2014 and has been a steadfast advocate of the country’s talent. Voss, meanwhile, played for Western Province and opened the batting alongside Gary Kirsten. He was appointed to the 10-person participation group, one of ICC’s four advisory panels.The ICC had taken a decision in the spring to dissolve the previous USACA five-man selection panel in the wake of USACA’s suspension last June and revamp the selection process beginning with a series of eight regional Combines. Jones, who chaired the USACA selection panel which had been dissolved by the ICC, applied to be part of the new panel as did his fellow former USACA selector Afzaluddin.”Having someone like Barney on the panel, who is also familiar with most of the players who have represented USA, makes a big deal for me in terms of having that knowledge,” Powell said. “But also for me going about selection, it will be done over a period of time. I want to be able to see these players myself and to basically analyse and see the best team that we can put out there for USA.”Powell, who played 109 ODIs and two Tests for West Indies between 1999 and 2005, served as a guest coach and talent evaluator at the Florida Combine held in Fort Lauderdale in April. He was frank with his opinion of the level of talent he saw there, compared to what he has observed in the past, and said he didn’t feel the best players were on display. He stated that he is open to evaluating players outside of the 30-man camp in July before deciding on the final squad for Division Four.”This initial camp that is going to be had in Florida, with the 30-man squad that we’re going to select, it’s pretty much just a start for me to look into the talent that is here in the US,” Powell said. “So that is not necessarily the final squad that’s going to be selected for USA, this is just a start based on the Combines that we just had. Going forward, I plan to continue to look for talent in the USA and not to be satisfied with what we have. I went to the Florida Combine and I was not 100% happy with the amount of talent compared to what we have in Florida. We did not have the turnout we expected. Maybe guys just did not get a chance to register or were just hesitant based on what was happening.”So hopefully we will be able to see more talented players as we go along throughout the year to come. What we have on paper right now is a lot of good talent, no doubt about that, but I don’t think it’s the end of the road in terms of guys out there who will not be selected in the 30. I think there are a lot of opportunities to come and there is a lot of cricket to be played in America. We are just a panel of five right now and it’s going to take a lot from us to see all the talent in America. We’ll be leaning on the general public in terms of the different cricket regions who helps with that.”Powell stressed his plans for developing better fitness standards for national-level players, something that has been a point of emphasis throughout the eight regional Combines. USA’s fitness has flagged behind other Associate teams, and while players have to juggle cricket around work due to the amateur status, many other Associates face the same issues but are able to maintain fitness.”These guys are playing back-to-back games when they go on tour so you have to be fit,” Powell said. “Overall there are a lot of elements that make up a good XI or a good 14 and we’ll be looking at all those different elements when it comes to cricket, from the skills, to the fitness to the discipline, to the ability to be able to execute, match-winners, guys who can think the game properly and, more so, team players.”There are a lot of components that we’ll be looking at to really come up with this final squad of 14 and I’m really looking forward to seeing these players on this stage, and really select the best for USA. As I said, nothing is written in stone. Guys have been representing USA for a while, they’ve been around but I think with this new panel, a few things will change. Players will have more responsibility, they will be accountable more for their on-field and off-field performance. So those are the things that this selection panel will be looking at.”

Seam bowlers continued to dominate on the second day of the Specsavers County Championship match between Gloucestershire and Leicestershire at Cheltenham

ECB Reporters Network21-Jul-2016
ScorecardDavid Payne claimed 5 for 36•Getty Images

Seam bowlers continued to dominate on the second day of the Specsavers County Championship match between Gloucestershire and Leicestershire at Cheltenham.David Payne finished with 5 for 36 as Leicestershire were bowled out for 218 in reply to the hosts’ 183, having begun the day on 122 for 5. Angus Robson top scored with 62, while Ned Eckersley and Ben Raine made important contributions.When Gloucestershire batted again there was more evidence of swing and seam movement as they progressed to 133 for 4 before rain brought play to a premature conclusion. Skipper Michael Klinger was unbeaten on 43, with Chris Dent having made 34. Neil Dexter claimed 2 for 11 to match his first-innings figures and the home side were precariously placed with a lead of just 98 going into the third day.The morning session saw the pitch still offering plenty of assistance to the bowlers after 15 wickets had fallen on day one. Leicestershire’s remaining batsmen had to show application to gain a slender, but useful first-innings lead of 35.Left-armer Payne took the last three wickets of the innings, sending back Clint McKay, Richard Jones and Charlie Shreck, having bowled without much luck on the previous evening.Robson, unbeaten on 49 overnight, had reached a battling half-century off 148 balls, with nine fours, before falling to Craig Miles, having added 73 for the sixth wicket with Eckersley, who also went to Miles, having faced 106 balls and hit three fours.At one point, Leicestershire looked well placed at 201 for 7, but Payne then ensured their advantage was a small one, wrapping up the tail with three wickets in as many overs.Lunch was taken at the change of innings and Gloucestershire made a solid enough start, with openers Dent and Will Tavare wiping out the deficit. But with the total on 39, Tavare edged Charlie Shreck through to Mark Cosgrove at second slip and departed for 18.Graeme van Buuren made only 3 before being bowled driving at Raine and it was 80 for 3 when Dent fell to a superb low catch by Cosgrove in the slips off Dexter.Hamish Marshall, playing his last Championship innings at Cheltenham before leaving Gloucestershire at the end of the season, also went cheaply to Dexter, edging to Robson at first slip. But Klinger showed his quality by stemming the tide and was unbeaten on 32 at tea, which was taken with Gloucestershire 113 for 4 and leading by 78.Jack Taylor followed his first innings half-century by helping his skipper add a further 20 runs after the break when rain started falling at soon after 4.30pm. It was light drizzle to start with, but when it became more persistent umpires Michael Gough and Graham Lloyd called play off for the day at 6pm.

Misbah-ul-Haq avoided making pronouncements on his future as Test captain as Pakistan prepared for the final match of the series against England

Melinda Farrell10-Aug-2016There are few things so certain in life as death, taxes and Misbah-ul-Haq facing questions about his future before the final match of a Pakistan Test series. While it is hardly unusual for an international captain to be grilled about their motivation to continue – even Alastair Cook, 11 years younger than his counterpart, was asked similar questions in his press conference – at 42, Misbah knows there are many more Tests behind him than there are ahead.And no matter the result of the match at The Oval, the topic will almost certainly be broached once more at its conclusion; such is the reality of professional cricket life after 40.Misbah’s captaincy of Pakistan is arguably one of the most impressive in the history of the game: that he has rebuilt a team in tatters after it was almost ruined by scandal, led them to become one of the world’s best sides despite never playing at home and helped them regain the respect of the international cricket community ensures his legacy will be monumental whenever he does decide to call time on his career.While winning the Investec Test series is now impossible, levelling the scoreline would still be an impressive feather in Misbah’s already distinguished cap given the current status quo, in which the disadvantages of playing away from home are so difficult to overcome.”Yes, of course, it is a crucial Test for us,” Misbah said. “A win will square the series and it will be really good for morale, also for the team, and it is very important for me also.”Obviously they have the momentum in their own conditions, they are confident but we believe we can come back from any position because this is a do or die Test match for us so we have to really play well.”Throughout the series, Pakistan have struggled with the balance of their side. They gaze at England’s allrounders with all the envious desire of a child at a sweet shop window. Their fast bowlers – unused to playing more than three Tests in a series, unfamiliar with the burden of extra overs required in seam-friendly conditions – have been worn down by a grinding England.Somehow, Misbah must find a way to pick up his bowlers and infuse them with the energy required to take 20 wickets and inspire his batsmen, both in-form and struggling, to give him something to defend. But, having banished thoughts of retirement after the series against England in the UAE last year, he maintained he isn’t afraid of any consequences for his captaincy should they fail to square the series.”I don’t have that sort of fear otherwise I would have retired long ago,” Misbah said. “I am always up for challenges and never thought of the results. I believe in just looking at the challenges and trying hard.”Another daunting Test tour looms in Pakistan’s near future. After returning to the UAE to host West Indies, they will head to New Zealand for two Tests and then Australia for a three-Test series where the experience of Misbah and Younis Khan, in particular, could be crucial. Misbah has been Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in England, with 267 at 44.50, but would not be drawn on how much longer he hopes to continue playing.”It’s really difficult for me to leave the team on these difficult tours,” Misbah said. “That’s why I’m here on this tough series. I’ll be looking forward to that [Australia tour], but let’s see how it goes after this series, and how I plan my future.”That could be really hard for someone young – even as a batsman to replace me in Australian conditions – and obviously it would be a challenge for a young captain.”Of course, there will always be challenging tours and series and, no matter when Misbah does decide to move on, he will leave an enormous crater for Pakistan to fill. But, in the meantime, there is The Oval, there is a chance to level the series and there is the possibility – albeit a slim one – that Pakistan could become the No. 1-ranked side in the world for the first time since the implementation of ICC rankings.”I will keep trying throughout this Test and if Pakistan needs me afterwards, that’s another point. I will think about that after the series but for the moment this is important for me and the Pakistan team. I will just go about this Test match.”

The farce in Port of Spain ended in bright sunshine with no play possible, just like the earlier three days

The Report by Sidharth Monga22-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

TTCB to investigate washout

After the Test, Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board president Azim Bassarath said the reasons behind the outfield’s condition would be investigated by his board.
“As hosts, the TTCB and Queen’s Park Cricket Club regret that limited play was possible in the fourth Test match between West Indies and India at the Queen’s Park Oval,” he said in a statement. “We have jointly launched an investigation to determine what occurred with a view to remedying the situation so that this does not occur in the future. Once this has been done it will be presented to the WICB.”

The farce in Port of Spain ended in bright sunshine with no play possible, just like the earlier three days. Called off at 9.30am on the fifth day, this was the third-shortest non-abandoned Test ever.This was the first Test played in August in Trinidad, which is the rainy season. The outfield had taken a lot of beating in the days leading up to the Test, but the ground staff was economical with covering the ground when it rained, leaving the bowlers’ run-up exposed. There was no super sopper available either. As a result the field didn’t recover from the rain on day one, and only 22 overs – all in the first session of the Test – were bowled.The draw meant India lost their No. 1 ranking to Pakistan one week after they had gained it thanks to the whitewash of Australia in Sri Lanka. They still won the series 2-0, the first time they won two Tests in a series in the West Indies.

Sarfraz Ahmed extended his T20I record as captain to three wins in as many matches, with Pakistan successfully defending 160 to take the series 2-0

The Report by Shashank Kishore24-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBefore this match, Pakistan had won 24 out of 27 T20Is defending 150-plus. On Saturday, they posted 160, which was 22 more than the average first-innings score at this venue. That meant West Indies had to achieve the highest successful chase to take the series into a decider. On paper, it was advantage Pakistan, but cricket is played out on the field, sometimes on greasy ones because of heavy dew that negates any advantage teams batting first conjure.Did it affect them? It didn’t look like, as yet another timid batting show that lacked application and self-belief resulted in West Indies falling 17 short of the target. It meant Sarfraz Ahmed extended his unbeaten run as T20I captain to three matches.On these outfields, it isn’t unusual to see teams trying to overachieve while batting first in their quest to negate the dew factor. Perhaps the experience of having played their home matches here since 2009 helped Pakistan set a clear mandate. If Shoaib Malik provided the fire through swift foot work and muscular hits in his 28-ball 37, top-scorer Sarfaz proved to be the ice in a 69-run stand off just 46 balls to drive the innings.West Indies didn’t help their cause with ordinary fielding – chances were dropped and extra runs conceded through misfields – to further give Pakistan breathing space; 60 were scored off the last six overs as they finished with 160 for 4.Sarfaz then went to his go-to new ball bowlers, and they didn’t disappoint. Sohail Tanvir stamped his class with an opening burst of 3-0-11-2, in which he troubled the batsmen with late away movement to all but seal the deal even before the halfway mark of the chase.If ugly hoicks mirrored West Indies’ effort on Friday, across-the-line swipes and ill-advised footwork resulted in their downfall here. Johnson Charles holed out to long-on, Evin Lewis nicked to the slips and Marlon Samuels was done in by late movement, partly because he was feeling for the ball from the crease. At 20 for 3 in six overs, the chase was in tatters.West Indies’ batsmen also kept playing for turn when there was none. Dot balls added to the pressure – 21 of them in the first six overs alone – as the required rate spiralled over ten runs to the over. When Dwayne Bravo, fresh off a half-century on Friday, was bowled playing all around an in-drifter from Mohammad Nawaz, the left-arm spinner, West Indies were tottering at 45 for 4 in 10 overs. From there on, it was largely a question of damage limitation. Not even Sunil Narine’s entertaining cameo, 30 off 17 balls, a majority of which came against the inexperienced Hasan Ali, came as a soothing balm to a side that was brutally exposed by the trying conditions.The start to the clash wasn’t exhilarating like in the first T20I. What was constant, though, was a string of dots forcing the openers to up the pace. For the second time in as many matches, Sharjeel Khan was bowled by Samuel Badree, in the third over, to give West Indies an ideal start.Khalid Latif and Babar Azam rebuilt through a mix of ones and twos, with the odd boundary laced in between. Latif, made to look ungainly at times, was reprieved on 26 by Nicholas Pooran at long leg. While he managed to add just 14 more, his second successive fifty-plus stand with Azam helped set up a foundation from which Pakistan could tee off in the end-overs.Azam threw it away after bedding in by dragging a pull to wide long-on, while Latif’s cramping legs and tiring body that drained out his reserve energy resulted in him being run-out in the 12th over.There was a ray of hope for West Indies, but that was quickly extinguished. Malik was quick on his feet to take second runs that seemed far from the realms of possibility, while Sarfraz, far from being intimidating, managed to pinch cheeky runs through his trademark whips and glides to give Pakistan a formidable total. That Pakistan consumed just 10 dots in the last eight overs exhibited their control to a certain degree. In the end, the good deeds with the bat meant it was 11th time in 13 T20Is that a side batting first had successfully defended a 150-plus total at this venue.

Essex have turned to South African Simon Harmer to answer their spin weakness

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2016Essex have signed Simon Harmer, the South Africa offspinner, on a one-year deal as they prepare for life in the first division of the Championship.Harmer will qualify as a Kolpak registration and will help address a glaring Essex weakness. They won the second division title largely without a specialist spinner – Ashar Zaidi played only two matches – even in a season when changed toss regulations encouraged spinners back into the domestic game.Harmer made his Test debut for South Africa in January 2015 and has five Test caps, with 20 wickets at an average of 29.40 with best match figures of 7 for 153. He will be available in all competitions next season.Chris Silverwood, Essex’s coach, said: “Simon is an exciting cricketer who has played at the top level of the game for his country. He will give us another high quality spin option in all formats.”Harmer said: “Playing county cricket has always been a boyhood dream of mine and to have the opportunity to fulfil that dream at Essex is very surreal.”I am really looking forward to adding as much value as I possibly can to the team and making sure our time in the Specsavers County Championship Division One is a long one.”Harmer has had a satisfying month. He was also appointed as Warriors’ captain in the Sunfoil Series when Colin Ingram stood down after knee surgery.Harmer is the second South African to win a non-overseas contract in county cricket in successive days, following Colin Ackermann’s signing for Leicestershire.

After the MCA and TNCA objected to the recheduling of two Ranji Trophy league matches being rescheduled, Ajay Shirke has said the BCCI’s senior tournament committee will look into the matter

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2016The BCCI’s senior tournament committee will review the decision to reschedule the two Ranji Trophy league matches that had earlier been abandoned in Delhi due to smog and pollution. BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke took the decision during the board’s Full Members’ meeting in Delhi on Friday.The two matches – involving Gujarat and Bengal from Group A and Hyderabad and Tripura from Group C – had been rescheduled to be played from December 15 to 18, four days after the completion of the final round. That led to protests from the Mumbai Cricket Association and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association saying it would give the said teams “unfair advantage” to qualify for the knockouts.While Mumbai have already booked a quarter-final berth by leading the Group A table with 29 points, Tamil Nadu, placed third with 23 points, need an outright win against Gujarat, second with 24 points, or a first-innings lead and other results going in their favour. The last round of the league stage will be played from December 7 to 10.”Some members raised the issue in the meeting and in response to complaints received from members, our senior tournament committee will review the decision,” Shirke told the .”We are going to have a full, detailed inquiry of this. The whole problem has come because the match referees (P Ranganathan for the Gujarat-Bengal game and Sanjay Sharma for the match between Hyderabad and Tripura) didn’t wait to go into day three and day four. We are going to convene a meeting of the senior tournament committee, which is responsible to look into all such things. And once we hear from the persons concerned, we will take an appropriate decision in the matter. We are going to call the complainants also, who made the allegations.”Shirke is one of the members of the BCCI’s senior tournament committee, which is chaired by Gautam Roy, also a board vice-president.While the BCCI had stated in a press release dated November 6 that the board’s technical committee rescheduled the matches, Sourav Ganguly, the committee’s head, later told ESPNcricinfo that they had not made the decision to postpone the two matches.

Tamil Nadu captain Abhinav Mukund expressed happiness at the manner in which a young seam attack stood up and delivered after his team became the first to enter the semi-final of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy

Deivarayan Muthu in Visakhapatnam25-Dec-2016Tamil Nadu captain Abhinav Mukund, who was ill, slept through most parts of Saturday, and then woke up to watch his team trample Karnataka in two days. Last December, it was Tamil Nadu who were at the wrong end of a two-day finish and crashed out of the Ranji Trophy. They have turned the tables dramatically this season by becoming the first team to secure a spot in the semi-final.Former Tamil Nadu captain S Badrinath had said last year that wilting under pressure held the side back. The mental make-up of the team seems to have changed for the better in 2016-17 under the guidance of Abhinav and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the first player from outside the state to be appointed Tamil Nadu coach.They were without R Ashwin and M Vijay, who were both injured, for the quarter-final against a full-strength Karnataka team that had seven players with international experience. Tamil Nadu, though, stepped up under pressure and beat Karnataka for the first time since the 2003-04 season. This was also Tamil Nadu’s first win over Karnataka in a knockout clash in the Ranji Trophy in three attempts.”We have never really focussed on who the opponent is,” Abhinav said. “That is the good thing about this team. It is lack of knowledge or people don’t bother about their opponents and continue doing their own things.”Abhinav took pride in mentoring and shaping a young seam bowling attack, which has adapted impressively to neutral venues. K Vignesh, T Natarajan and Aswin Crist have picked up 94 wickets between them. They were so relentless in Visakhapatnam that Tamil Nadu did not need the services of left-arm spinner Aushik Srinivas in both innings.”It is always heartening when people you pick and mentor are doing great things,” Abhinav said. “I have backed certain number of players this season, and I think they are doing really good things. Someone just said he [K Vignesh] has taken 39 [37] wickets. I don’t know the last time two Tamil Nadu fast bowlers had more than 30 wickets [in a season]. It is really amazing and heartening for me. I have always hoped something like this would happen after [L] Balaji. Touchwood! Hope this continues.”Abhinav also cautioned against getting excited by recent success, as did coach Kanitkar.”No smile on my face yet. There are two more matches to go,” Kanitkar said. “Ideally, I would have liked us to chase 87 without losing a wicket. We need to improve in every area.””Hrishi is one of the best things to have happened to Tamil Nadu,” Ramji Srinivasan, the former India and current Tamil Nadu fitness trainer, said. “His inputs and very sharp and valuable, and he wants excellence and we strive for it.”Kanitkar is no stranger to building a team. After representing Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, he led Rajasthan to back-to-back Ranji titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12 from nowhere.”Huge proportion is from what I learned from Rajasthan,” he said. “There, I was myself learning things, as I was also new to the role and still playing. It’s all about what you say to each player. Those boys taught me how different people need to be told differently.”[In the Tamil Nadu team] Somebody like Dinesh Karthik has a certain way of batting and Abhinav has a certain way of batting. Both are very experienced; Dinesh has slightly more international experience.”Telling them, you have to specific. You don’t need to tell much to Dinesh. You just need to tell him what little bit is needed. Abhi usually discusses more and tries to learn new things. Dinesh knows what works for him, and I am with that. We let him be in his space. The same way, a new player might need extra throw-downs. So I do things accordingly.”The management also rotated players and even dropped B Aparajith, who started the season as the vice-captain, midway through the campaign, after a string of low scores. Kanitkar said that proper communication promoted a healthy environment in the dressing room.”The rotation was only based on the form of players, and the need of the team,” he said. “It wasn’t a set policy. We did just what the team needed.”As a coach, it is very important for me to tell why a player is playing and why he is dropped so that there is no puzzle in his mind and has to work out why he has been dropped… I tell them the reason and make sure they get their chance when they are doing well again. I keep my eye on them. They just don’t disappear from my sight.”

R Sridhar, India’s fielding coach, is of the view that the recent spate of injuries has put them off the good fielding work they had done in the last two years

Sidharth Monga in Chennai16-Dec-20162:57

Trott: Root put the pressure back on Mishra

Finally a fielding error has hurt India big. They have been lucky that their bowlers have been creating opportunities again and again to make sure a reprieve doesn’t cost them big runs, but finally Moeen Ali – dropped on 0 by KL Rahul – ended the day unbeaten on 120, rescuing England from 21 for 2 with help from Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. The costliest miss of the series for India is at least not part of a pattern. It is the slips standing back that have been a headache ever since Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar retired.R Sridhar, India’s fielding coach, is of the view that the recent spate of injuries has put them off the good work they had done in the last two years. “I would agree that our catching, especially our close-in catching of pacers behind the stumps, has not been up to scratch as far as this series is concerned,” he said. “We have set right standards for the last couple of years, and this particular series things haven’t gone our way.”It is a work in progress. There have been a few injuries for players in the series. We have changed personnel in the close cordon all the time. That is something we are working on. It is not an excuse, but it is something we have to get around. We are trying to manage the workloads, and the injury part as far as fingers are concerned. We are working hard to improve. We are sure to get better from here.”Sridhar said his ideal slips cordon from the players available in this series would be M Vijay at first slip, Karun Nair at second and Virat Kohli at third, with Ajinkya Rahane at gully. That means missing out on Shikhar Dhawan, who had worked on his slip catching over the last two years. Also, Nair has played only the last three Tests, and has not been entrusted with slip catching. At any rate, to play both Nair and Rahane, India will have to drop one bowler.The injuries mean India have had to push Kohli to second, and Ravindra Jadeja has had to fulfill third-slip duties. All three – Vijay, Kohli and Jadeja – have dropped catches this series, which raises questions not just over the personnel but also over the technique. They might get away with it at home with bowlers creating chances again, but when they go away and there will be fewer chances India won’t be able to afford such ordinary slip fielding. To add to their woes, Rahane has been injured for the last two Tests, which means Kohli has had to move to slip for spinners too.”I think Kohli has been magnificent, filling in for Rahane,” Sridhar said. “But we miss Kohli’s energy in the outfield. He is an absolute livewire when he is fielding at short cover or short midwicket where he stops a lot of singles and creates opportunities. We have Jaddu who stepped up today. He was magnificent in the field today. He stopped a few boundaries and a few singles at covers. So with Kohli at slip, there is no difference in the slip. He is as good as Ajinkya. Only thing is we miss Kohli’s energy in the outfield.”Back to the costliest drop then. “It burst through his fingers over the head,” Sridhar said of Rahul’s mistake when Moeen offered a chance. “Maybe the timing of his jump could have been a little better. But these things happen in cricket. It was a tough situation for England at that time, getting Moeen out early could have helped us because the first session, especially in the first hour, there was a little moisture on the wicket. Later the wicket eased out, and became good to bat on. As Moeen showed, he batted beautifully for his 120 not out.”