All posts by n8rngtd.top

The BCCI has withdrawn the complaint it had filed with the ICC on Thursday afternoon against Australia captain Steven Smith and batsman Peter Handscomb in relation to the DRS controversy in the Bengaluru Test

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-20172:16

Sydney then, Bengaluru now

The BCCI has withdrawn the complaint against Steven Smith and Peter Handscomb hours after lodging it with the ICC, as the aftermath of the Bengaluru Test continued to unfold at a rapid pace.* A joint statement after the two board CEOs met constituted the second statement of peace in two days, after the ICC had said on Wednesday that it was not going to pursue the DRS controversy further.That, it is understood, came after the ICC had studied match footage and the evidence available before deciding to not press any charges against any of the Australia players or Virat Kohli. This was communicated to both the boards, who wanted the ICC to initiate proceedings. The BCCI wanted an investigation into their allegations that Australia sought dressing-room assistance on DRS reviews, and CA wanted action against Kohli who had made public accusations that Australia systemically manipulated DRS protocols.

What they said about withdrawing the complaint

CA’s James Sutherland: “We are halfway through what has already been a riveting series – and there is still much to look forward to. In discussing the relevant issues in depth, we have agreed that it is in the best interests of the game to put these differences aside and clear the way for the focus to be on the cricket.”
BCCI’s Rahul Johri: “While having responded officially to one incident which happened in the last Test, together, we believe that the focus of the teams and the joy they provide to the fans should not be diluted and it is imperative to ensure that the rest of the series, which promises a great cricketing contest, not be compromised.”

The incident occurred on the final day of the Test, when Smith looked towards the dressing room after having chatted with non-striker Handscomb when given out lbw in a tense chase, apparently for clues on whether to review the call or not. Umpire Nigel Llong intervened immediately, and sent Smith on his way. In his post-match conference, Smith put his actions down to a “brain fade”. Kohli disagreed with that, saying Australia took help from their dressing room on at least three occasions before making their mind up on DRS reviews in the Test. Kohli said he had made the umpires aware of the matter on two occasions before the third one played out in full view.Incidentally, the other two incidents that Kohli spoke of were not even part of the complaint that the BCCI CEO Rahul Johri lodged on Thursday. Under the DRS protocols, the Smith incident was already dealt with when he was not allowed to communicate with his dressing room. Had he then sought a review, it would have been disallowed.The BCCI, though, pushed for a charge for a level 2 offence under the ICC code of conduct, contending that Smith and Handscomb had acted against the spirit of cricket. To prove Smith and Handscomb had violated the spirit of cricket, the BCCI would have to prove intent, for which there is no evidence available. Handscomb had already tweeted an explanation for the incident saying he had asked Smith to look up because he didn’t know the playing conditions.Once the ICC received this complaint, it spoke to Johri and CA CEO James Sutherland, who were both present in Mumbai, and impressed upon them that the charge BCCI wanted to press was near impossible to prove. The drama ended late in the night, when the joint statement was released at 11.28pm.It said: “The BCCI will withdraw the complaint filed with ICC with an expectation that the two captains will meet prior to the Ranchi Test and commit to lead their teams by example and play the rest of the series, in the right spirit, demonstrating that the players from both teams are true ambassadors for their respective countries.”
This should put end to a hostile aftermath of the Bengaluru Test, in which both the boards and their media wings became active participants. BCCI’s official Twitter handle released a clip of Smith’s dismissal with the caption “dressing room review system?”. On Thursday, Sutherland called Kohli’s claims “outrageous”, and the BCCI responded in a media release that it stood behind its captain.*18.00GMT, March 9: This article was updated after the BCCI withdrew its complaint.

Peshawar Zalmi bowled out Lahore Qalanders for a PSL record low of 59, then nearly fluffed the chase before scraping across the line by three wickets in Dubai

The Report by Danyal Rasool12-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:17

Highlights – Peshawar edge out Lahore

In a nutshellPeshawar Zalmi limped over the line against the Lahore Qalandars in one of the more extraordinary contests in franchise T20 history. After skittling Lahore for 59 in 10.2 overs – the second-shortest innings in the format’s history – Peshawar found a hole and then promptly dug themselves into it, going from 47 for 3 to 51 for 7 as the most straightforward of run chases suddenly turned complicated in large part due to a brilliant spell by Yasir Shah. From there, Wahab Riaz and Chris Jordan forged a priceless nine-run partnership to ensure that Peshawar secured two points.Matches are often lost between the ears, but Lahore seemed to lose this one overcompensating in reaction to a scathing post-match presentation from their captain Brendon McCullum two days earlier, who criticised his team for being “too timid” in their chase against Quetta on Friday. McCullum said he would prefer to see his batsmen caught on the boundary than being bowled or dismissed lbw.They took his advice to heart, swinging from ball one. McCullum practiced what he preached, being caught at deep midwicket for a duck in the first over. The Qalandars continued to swing from the hip as they fell to 9 for 3 in two overs and then 27 for 4 inside of four overs, and an approach that started off as aggressive began to look asinine. As they fell for what was by some distance the lowest score ever in the PSL – the second lowest is 111 – they looked headed for embarrassment. Yet with this being a Pakistani competition, it was never going to be that simple.Where the match was wonIt would be churlish to say Peshawar didn’t bowl well. After all, they shot the opposition out for 59. But they didn’t appear to do anything exceptional. They simply didn’t need to as they watched Lahore continue to go after shots that were never on, not learning from each subsequent dismissal. Peshawar were outstanding in the field, though, taking every chance that came their way, both in the deep and behind the wicket. Their throwing was accurate too, highlighted by a direct hit from Chris Jordan to run out Sohail Tanvir from midwicket.The men that won itEoin Morgan, invaluable in Peshawar’s chase against Karachi with an unbeaten 80 on Friday, found himself playing an equally crucial role in a much smaller chase today. He might be known on the T20 circuit for his explosive shotmaking, but just like he had against Karachi, came in to settle his side’s nerves by scoring 23 in 26 balls to take his side within touching distance. He was unlucky to be given out when he was, Aleem Dar judging Morgan to have inside edged a ball to short leg when there seemed to be only pad involved.Legspin masterclassIt is a mark of how extraordinary Yasir’s bowling must have been for the Man of the Match award to go to a player from the side bowled out for 59. Building on a spell from teammate Sunil Narine, who extracted more turn than has been seen in the PSL so far, Yasir bowled an unrelentingly aggressive spell, making Peshawar work for every one of their 60 runs. It was legspin at its finest: attacking, accurate, fearless and effective. His figures of 4-0-7-4 did not flatter him in the slightest.Moment of the matchWhile Lahore’s batting strategy seemed somewhat peculiar throughout, the daftness reached its lowest point when Tanvir decided to risk a single to midwicket at 53 for 6 in the ninth over, where Peshawar’s best fielder Jordan was stationed. He didn’t run in a straight line, and didn’t attempt to drag his bat in either. Not that any of that would have made a difference. Jordan’s bullseye throw meant that even the third umpire didn’t need to be disturbed. Nine balls later, the innings came to a close when, in hindsight, batting out a few more overs could have made all the difference.Where they standPeshawar now have two wins from three and top the table with four points thanks to a better net run rate than Quetta Gladiators, though Quetta have a game in hand. Lahore, with one win in three, sit in third place level on points with Islamabad United but ahead on net run rate.

That Australia are within touching distance of securing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is down to a cultural shift following their 0-3 loss in Sri Lanka last year

Brydon Coverdale24-Mar-2017Steven Smith, like his namesake Hannibal Smith, loves it when a plan comes together. And Australia’s plans for this tour of India – a campaign of which Smith is immensely proud regardless of what happens in the final Test in Dharamsala – have been coming together since they were humiliated with a 0-3 defeat in Sri Lanka last year.For Smith, that tour was a wake-up call. Prior to that series Australia had only ever lost a single Test to Sri Lanka; now they lost three in a month. Their run of consecutive Test defeats in Asia had stretched to nine. And so Smith and coach Darren Lehmann needed a new approach, a new resolve, when a four-Test tour of India was on the horizon.A two-week training camp was scheduled in Dubai prior to Australia’s arrival in India, so they could control the types of surface on which they trained, and formulate plans for difficult conditions. Still, it is hard to imagine that even the Australians themselves believed they would dominate the first Test in Pune in quite the way they did, and would remain alive in the series with one Test to play.”I learned a lot out of Sri Lanka when we lost there, just about playing in the subcontinent and leading in the subcontinent,” Smith said in Dharamsala ahead of the fourth Test against India. “I had a reasonable idea before I went to Sri Lanka of how I wanted to do things, how I wanted to do thing a lot differently and didn’t want to over-attack and things like that.”I think you can see it in the way that you have to play here. You can’t attack non-stop. You have to have defensive fields at times and people are going to be critical at that but they’re not the ones out in the middle that have to do the job. I know that if you get a bit defensive on occasions and build a bit of pressure.”Back home when you’re talking about building pressure you talk about maiden overs but here it’s more if you go for two an over it’s pretty good over. It’s very hard to contain the scoreboard. If you’re limiting the boundaries, keeping the runs down and building the pressure that you need it makes a big difference.”As unsexy as such talk of defence and containment can be, Smith’s plans have put him within touching distance of becoming the first Australian captain since Adam Gilchrist in 2004 to lead a series victory in India. That would not have been the case but for some impressive fight from Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh on the final day in Ranchi, where they toughed out a draw that felt like a win.”If you look at past sides that have come here recently that day five result we had the other day where we were able to play out the draw, that’s just ended pretty quickly for us on a few occasions where we’ve just rolled over,” Smith said. “Having the fight and willingness to work hard to get the results we’re after, it’s been great from the boys.”I thought the way we fought out that draw was magnificent. I’m sure they [India] would be disappointed that they couldn’t get the result they were after. In that regard I’d rather be in our boat than theirs.”Steven Smith on Matt Renshaw: “For a guy that’s only played a handful of Tests, to go out there and just play his game and back what he’s worked on over the last few weeks has been amazing.”•Associated Press

In particular, Smith has been thrilled with the work of the young opening batsman Matt Renshaw in this series, in what is his first exposure to cricket in the subcontinent. Renshaw will turn 21 during the Dharamsala Test but has outperformed most other batsmen in the series – only Smith and Cheteshwar Pujara from either side have faced more deliveries this series than Renshaw.”I’ve been really impressed with Renshaw,” Smith said. “For a guy who’s never been here before it’s almost a different game when you get out to the middle and you see guys around the bat and crusty wicket, things like that, and that can get to players, players who have played for a long period of time.”For a guy that’s only played a handful of Tests, to go out there and just play his game and back what he’s worked on over the last few weeks has been amazing. I think a lot of the guys, the more senior players, have taken a bit out of the way he’s done things having only been a youngster and not been here before. That’s been really good.”The teams enter the final Test with the series locked at 1-1, meaning the winner in Dharamsala’s inaugural Test will claim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – and in the unlikely event of a draw, Australia will retain it as the current holders. Smith said that although much hard work remained over the next few days, he was proud of his men regardless of the final outcome of the series.”We all know that this is one of the toughest places to come to play as an Australian team,” he said. “Regardless of what happens in this last Test match I think the way we’ve played has been a credit to each and every individual here. We’ve played some very good cricket. We probably did a couple of things wrong in Bangalore where we could have wrapped up there series or had a two-nil lead. The cricket we’ve played has been really good.”Right now we’re in a good position. We’ve got to play well this week and hopefully win the series here but we’ll do that by doing the things that we’ve done well in this series so far and just doing it for just a little bit longer. I’m not worried about the result as such … It’s obviously a relatively young side and this team could be together for a very long time.”

A stunning unbeaten sixth-wicket 192-run partnership by Ian Cockbain and Benny Howell earned Gloucestershire an improbable victory over Middlesex

ECB Reporters Network30-Apr-2017
ScorecardIan Cockbain maiden one-day century led Gloucestershire to a memorable victory•Getty Images

A stunning unbeaten sixth-wicket 192-run partnership by Ian Cockbain and Benny Howell earned Gloucestershire an improbable victory over Middlesex with five balls and five wickets to spare at Lord’s.Having slumped to 65 for 5, chasing 257 to win, Gloucestershire looked like suffering their second defeat in as many Royal London Cup matches. But Cockbain, who finished with 108 not out from 123 balls, his maiden one-day century, and Howell (86 not out off 71 balls), chased down the target with a mixture of quick singles and big hits. Cockbain finished the match in style, thumping a driven six over extra cover.”It did seem a long way away,” Cockbain said. “We just tried to take it as deep as we could and hope to be in touching distance when the last ten overs came. If me or Benny got out then the game was almost done and dusted which was a big factor in the way I batted. Benny struck it beautifully from ball one which took some of the pressure off me.”Middlesex had also been indebted to a middle-innings partnership, that of 111 by Adam Voges (81) and Toby Roland-Jones (65), but unlike Cockbain and Howell they were unable to bat through the innings.Middlesex, having elected to bat, had been reduced to 114 for 6 by Liam Norwell. The in-form 25-year-old, bowling his allotted ten from the start, picked up his fourth five-for of this nascent season for 36 runs.Having ended Paul Stirling’s opening salvo he dismissed a quartet of left-handers in succession. On a used pitch under overcast conditions he had four players caught at the wicket or in the slips, and bowled John Simpson behind his legs.However, after Norwell took his sweater, with the hosts 97 for 5, Voges rebuilt the innings. He received good support from Roland-Jones and with Steve Finn adding some lusty late blows Middlesex reached 256 for 9.
A tight opening spell by Tom Helm, picking up Phil Mustard and conceding 13 runs off eight overs, restrained the start of Gloucestershire’s reply. When Roland-Jones took the key wicket of Klinger, prompting a clatter of wickets, Middlesex seemed set for victory.But Howell and Cockbain steadied the innings then began bringing down the required rate. Howell launched a trio of sixes high into the Mound Stand, unnerving the executive box inhabitants, then Cockbain weighed in with some thunderous straight hits. By the end there was nothing Middlesex could do to staunch the flow of runs.There was a minor scare for Middlesex and England when Finn went to ground after what looked an innocuous piece of fielding. After a few minutes treatment the pace bowler walked gingerly off the field.At that stage he had bowled five overs which, while not troubling the batsmen, appeared to have been delivered without difficulty. Finn, it transpired, had “jarred his knee” and was able to return and bowl after a few overs absence.

South Africa ensured a place in the semi-finals with a resounding eight-wicket win, led by Dane van Niekerk and Shabnim Ismail

The Report by Vishal Dikshit12-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDane van Niekerk bagged her third four-for in four matches•ICC/Getty

South Africa’s bowlers continued their red-hot form to book a semi-final berth after 17 years in the 50-over World Cup, with a resounding eight-wicket win in Taunton, and were helped by victories from Australia and England, who made it to the knockouts too. Shabnim Ismail’s speedy 3 for 14 and Dane van Niekerk’s 4 for 24 – her third four-for in four matches – bowled out a dispirited Sri Lanka for 101. The win took South Africa’s points tally to nine and since India and New Zealand lost their respective matches, the fixture between them on July 15 will decide the fourth semi-finalist.The match slipped out of Sri Lanka’s hands as soon as their captain Inoka Ranaweera opted to bat on an overcast morning and a pitch with a decent grass cover. Her counterpart, van Niekerk, was happy to bowl and her opening bowlers showed why. Ismail bowled quick in the corridor, beating the outside edge often and built up good rhythm with partner Marizanne Kapp, who swung the ball to trouble the left-handed top order. Kapp struck with her first ball by trapping the big-hitting Chamari Atapattu for 1 with a slow and low full-toss in front of middle and leg stump. Shabnim’s first spell lasted only four overs, but in that time, she beat Hasini Perera for pace, resulting in a mis-timed pull, and created a few chances in the gully region with a probing line and consistent pace.Nearly three chances were created in the seventh over when Prasadini Weerakkody and Chamari Polgampola poked outside off and the ball went wide of or fell short of the gully fielder. Masabata Klaas’ straight and accurate lines meant Sri Lanka had barely any opportunities except when Ayabonga Khaka bowled a few wayward lines. The third-wicket partnership resisted but yielded not more than 43 runs as van Niekerk’s legbreaks accounted for Weerakkody and Polgampola in the 20th over when they top-edged off miscued sweep shots, reducing Sri Lanka to 49 for 4. Polgampola was caught by the keeper, Trisha Chetty, and the dismissal took her to the top of the women’s wicketkeeping charts in ODIs.Even though there were some patches on either side of the pitch to exploit for the spinners, it was van Niekerk’s persistent flight above the eyeline that tied down Sri Lanka’s scoring with three maidens.Sri Lanka produced another brief period of resistance in the form of Dilani Manodara’s 49-ball 25, after Shashikala Siriwardene dispatched the juiciest of full-tosses to deep midwicket for 9. Manodara stretched the score till 86 but South Africa’s disciplined lines and regular bowling changes negated any chance to flourish. Van Niekerk returned to bag two more wickets – of Harshitha Madavi and Sripali Weerakkody – before Ismail’s pace accounted for the last two wickets. Sri Lanka lasted only 40.3 overs.South Africa were troubled only initially in the chase. The hard-hitting Lizelle Lee edged to the wicketkeeper for a duck in the first over and No. 3 Chetty played across the line to Ranaweera’s left-arm spin as the Sri Lanka bowlers tightened their lines after the first four overs. Eighteen-year-old Laura Wolvaardt, the other opener, and the experienced Mignon du Preez saw them through till the lunch break, which was taken after seven overs, making Sri Lanka’s hopes linger for a little longer.Wolvaardt and du Preez were hardly troubled once they returned, barely taking the aerial route but sweeping to good effect to keep the score ticking. While du Preez used her experience and composure, Wolvaardt displayed attractive strokeplay with her high elbow to drive the ball elegantly.Opening bowler Sripali Weerakkody put down a tough return catch from du Preez, who was on 34, and injured her left shoulder. Even if she had taken the catch, it wouldn’t have helped Sri Lanka too much: Sout Africa were only 16 away at the time and took less than three overs after that to bag two more points.

MCC makes exception for Bharat Army after consulting with ICC

Melinda Farrell at Lord's22-Jul-2017Lord’s will break with tradition at Sunday’s Women’s World Cup final by allowing the Bharat Army, India’s fan group, to bring a drummer into the ground.Instruments, such as the trumpet played by the Barmy Army’s Billy Cooper, are usually banned at Lord’s, but – after consultation with the ICC – the MCC have made an exception for the final. As such, the terms and conditions of ticket sales for ICC events differ from those applied by the MCC at other matches.ESPNcricinfo understands that the ICC and MCC considered the Bharat Army’s request for a number of instruments but decided to allow only one , a traditional Indian drum, into the seating area. No horns and vuvuzelas will be permitted, however.Along with the unfamiliar sound of rhythms filling the air above St Johns Wood, there will also be a sea of colour rarely seen around the stands as the ICC will distribute flags, also banned at most matches at Lord’s, to the fans. The flags will be split evenly – half representing India and the other half England.

Yorkshire Diamonds kept alive their hopes of qualifying for Finals Day in the Kia Super League with a 17-run victory over Loughborough Lightning

ECB Reporters Network18-Aug-2017Yorkshire Diamonds kept alive their hopes of qualifying for Finals Day in the Kia Super League with a 17-run victory over Loughborough Lightning at the Hazlegrave Ground in a match reduced to 13 overs a side after a delayed start.It spelled the end of the road for Lightning, who have lost all three of their matches in the round-robin phase of the women’s twenty20 competition.For the second time this week, one big innings by an international opponent gave Lightning too much to chase. After New Zealand skipper Suzie Bates put Southern Vipers out of their reach with a brilliant 119 not out in Derby on Tuesday, it was the Sri Lankan Chamari Atapattu who enabled Diamonds to set them a challenge that was just beyond them.Lightning skipper Georgia Elwiss hit 41 off 28 balls in reply and a partnership of 48 for the fifth wicket with Sonia Odedra kept the home side in with an outside chance. But a target of 111 to win proved too much in the end as Atapattu followed her match-winning innings with 2 for 11 off her three overs, crucially conceded just two singles in the penultimate over of the match, in which she also dismissed Elwiss.Atapattu’s 66 not out off 40 deliveries helped Diamonds to 110 for 5 in their 13 overs after heavy rain and hail had delayed the start by almost an hour and a half.The left-hander, whose 178 not out against Australia was one of the highlights of the Women’s World Cup, gave one chance on 47 when she was put down on the boundary by Beth Langston off Ellyse Perry’s bowling but otherwise batted superbly, hitting nine fours and two sixes, the second of them a wonderfully timed flick over the leg side off the medium pace of Elwiss.The only real blot on the innings was a horrible misjudgement when, needing one to reach 50, she went for a single off a calculated push into the off-side off Kristen Beams but gave partner Katherine Brunt no chance of completing the run.Brunt, who struck two significant blows with the ball when she dismissed both opener Amy Jones and Australian allrounder Perry in single figures, was going well at the time with 21 off just 10 deliveries.

“I don’t play for the three-figure mark maybe that’s why I end up crossing it more times, because I am not thinking about it”

Arun Venugopal in Chennai16-Sep-20171:05

Sachin or Kohli: Who would Irfan and Shaun rather bowl to?

A tendency to detach himself from individual landmarks is the secret behind Virat Kohli’s staggering collection of international hundreds.This was the Indian captain’s own assessment when asked if the pursuit of 100 international centuries – a feat that only Sachin Tendulkar has managed – spurred him on to big scores consistently.At 28, Kohli already has 47 international hundreds. Thirty of those have come in ODIs, only Tendulkar has more. None of Kohli’s contemporaries – Steven Smith (28 international hundreds), Kane Williamson (26) and Joe Root (23) – are within striking distance of his record. Among current batsmen only AB de Villiers (45) comes close.Kohli felt putting team goals ahead of personal statistics helped take the pressure off him. In other words, the runs were an inevitable upshot of his batting long enough to see the team home. “I don’t play for the three-figure mark. Maybe that’s why I end up crossing it more times, because I am not thinking about it,” he said on the eve of India’s first ODI against Australia.”So I don’t put myself under pressure in terms of ‘I need to achieve a landmark’. For me what’s most important is to win the match for the team. As I said before, even if I am 98 not out or 99 not out, I don’t mind, as long as I win the game. In that process, things end up happening because you want to stay till the end.”If there is enough runs on the board, you end up achieving those landmarks, because you are thinking of that end result, not about you reaching that landmark. Whatever time I play – eight years, 10 years, 12 years whatever it is – I will never think of that because it just doesn’t come to me naturally. For me what’s most important is how I can help the team win with the bat and in the field, giving my 120 percent every time I step onto the field and preparing accordingly.”That, I think, is more important to me than the personal landmark, if I end up achieving it. They feel good afterwards because, yes, you have scored runs and made the team win but you can’t start of thinking about [such] things because you lose the ultimate goal, which is to win the game for the team.”Virat Kohli went to No. 3 on the list of top scorers in T20Is•NurPhoto/Getty Images

India have been vocal about experimenting with their combination in the run to the 2019 World Cup. One such rejig has led to KL Rahul batting at No.4 after playing as an opener in six of his nine ODI innings. After vice-captain Rohit Sharma spoke about the team’s versatility on Friday, Kohli reiterated the need for his men to adapt to different requirements.”I think, if you look to bat in the position that you bat in one format in all the formats, then it can get very difficult for the team to find the right kind of balance including that player,” he said. “So I think players need to adapt to what the team requirement is more often.”For example, I’ve opened in the T20 cricket as well. So I would do that any day if there is a guy in the middle order who is going to strengthen [the batting]. So, I should be flexible enough to do that. I think it’s up to the player to get versatile in a manner that he can take up different positions what the team requires him to do.”It takes time. I am not saying it is easy. If you see Jinks [Ajinkya Rahane] as well – he has played in the middle order in the ODIs, he plays in the middle order in Test matches. He’s also opened a lot in ODIs as well. He also felt that he found it difficult to switch. Now, we’re backing Jinks at the top of the order. So he knows his plans are clear. So, once you get that balance, with giving that player more chances, then he gets more confident of his role in the team.”Till then obviously, Manish [Pandey] is there as well, Kedar [Jadhav] is there as well. So there’ll always be competition for a particular spot. KL is an outstanding talent. He’s proved himself in all formats. And he is someone that needs to be backed. Because we believe that he has the ability. Once he gets his role done, he’ll start winning us games. We’re very sure of that.”Kohli also felt that playing two “proper” allrounders was the way forward in international cricket. According to him, India had a solid pair of seam-bowling and spinning allrounders in Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel. “You need depth in batting, you need depth in bowling as well. I think those two allrounders provide that kind of balance to you,” he said. “That’s why we have someone like Hardik or Axar in the team. Or Jadeja… he is a proper left-arm all-rounder.Hardik Pandya races seagulls in the outfield•AFP

“You need to identify at least two of those guys for your side to have more strength in both the departments. That’s something that all the sides around the world are going to move towards. Because of the strength it gives you in both departments. Along with the guy being a top fielder as well, that’s very, very important. You need a proper allrounder and not a bowling and a batting allrounder. That’s something we have focused on. It has paid good dividends in the last series as well and that’s something we will look to continue.”Kohli was also encouraged by the performances of wristspinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav against Sri Lanka. Chahal and Kuldeep were particularly effective in the middle overs and finished the series with five and three wickets respectively at less than five runs per over.”It is a great advantage to have two wristspinners in your team, especially when both are so different to each other and both can pick up wickets in the middle overs,” Kohli said. “That is the most important thing in one-day cricket. You can have as many dot balls as you want, but if you can’t pick up wickets, you can go for 10-12 runs an over.”It is important to keep picking wickets and have breakthroughs throughout. Those two guys have provided that to us and they are very confident coming into this series. They are in a zone where they don’t mind getting hit as long as they pick up 3 or 4 wickets, which I think is a very good space to be in and it’s something that gives me as a captain lot of confidence.”Kohli was pointed to the high-scoring nature of the 2013 series, where there were five totals in excess of 300 in six matches, and asked what the bowlers could do to restore parity.He responded by saying the bowlers shouldn’t be blamed when the pitches are that good for batting, but conceded that they could be “smart in patches” to keep things under control. “Look, if it is happening on both sides, then obviously you have to understand the wickets are really good to play. And, even saving 10-15 runs can actually make a difference.”You don’t need to start of thinking you need to bowl out a team for 250 or 260. If the wicket is good to bat on, then you are setting expectations that could not be achieved. You need to be realistic on how many runs can be scored on this pitch and how many can we give less for us to get an advantage when we bat.”The game is moving so rapidly that even in Test cricket runs are scored at four an over without losing too many wickets. The skill level of the batsmen has changed according to how the game is moving on so quickly with T20 coming on. The effect of that is going to be on the other formats as well. I don’t think you can pressurise the bowlers too much in that regard. But, where the situation of picking up wickets [arises] and [when] they have assistance from the pitch, you will see low-scoring games as well. Yeah, the two new balls, especially in the subcontinent, make it difficult for the bowlers to get wickets at regular intervals.”

Astle suffered a groin injury during the New Zealanders’ warm-up match against Board President’s XI on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2017A groin strain has ruled Todd Astle out of New Zealand’s squad for their ODI and T20I tour of India. Fellow legspinner Ish Sodhi, who was initially only named in the T20I squad, will replace Astle in the ODI squad.Astle suffered the injury during the New Zealanders’ tour game against Board President’s XI at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday, walking off the field after bowling just three balls. According to an NZC release, a scan confirmed Astle had suffered a tear to his right side, which would rule him out for around three weeks.The ODI series begins on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.ODI squad: Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, George Worker.

Assam, who are still without a win this year, are last in Group A with just two points in four games

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2017Railways lost five wickets for 51 runs on the final day to concede a first-innings lead of 100 to Maharashtra on the final day in Pune. Railways had resumed on 330 for 5, but lasted just 17.2 overs on the fourth morning. No. 10 Amit Mishra scored 24 of those runs.Maharashtra declared their second innings on 186 for 6 with Naushad Shaikh top-scoring with 40. Set 287, Railways made 54 for the loss of Shivakant Shukla for 12. Railways are at third place with 14 points, followed by Maharashtra on 10 points.Uttar Pradesh‘s clash against Assam ended in a stalemate at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. UP resumed the final day at 229 for 2, with a narrow first-innings lead of 31 runs. Umang Sharma, the overnight centurion, added another 17 to finish with 148, and Mohammad Saif struck 77. With the lower-order chipping in with solid contributions, UP declared on 357 for 6.Set 389, Assam were reduced to 18 for 2 before Sibsankar Roy and Gokul Sharma revived them with 62 each. The duo were dismissed in quick succession, before Assam finished on 148 for 4.Assam, still in search of their first win of the competition, are at the bottom of the table with two points. UP are just above them, with four points in five matches.