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Lancashire’s two England Lions men took the honours as the NatWest T20 Blast holders finally showed some of last season’s prowess in a four-run win against Durham at Chester-le-Street

ECB Reporters Network22-Jul-2016
ScorecardSaqib Mahmood (centre) struck three times to stifle Durham’s chase•ICC

Lancashire’s two England Lions men took the honours as the NatWest T20 Blast holders finally showed some of last season’s prowess in a four-run win against Durham at Chester-le-Street.Liam Livingstone made an unbeaten 43 off 24 balls to lift Lancashire’s total to 176 for 3 and Durham were on target until Saqib Mahmood struck timber three times in four balls.They were revived by an unbroken stand of 48 in 3.5 overs between Paul Coughlin and Keaton Jennings, but when Coughlin needed to hit the last ball from Nathan Buck for six it landed ten yards short at long-on.Durham finished on 172 for 5, virtually ending their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals, a target already looking beyond Lancashire when they arrived in bottom place in the North Group.After being put in, Lancashire worked the ball into spaces as they ticked along to 88 for 1 after 12 overs before doubling the score in the remaining eight. The only six was a powerful straight drive by Livingstone, who used the ramp shot
to hit four fours.Chris Rushworth’s first 11 balls cost one one run, plus four byes, which proved costly in the end. Alviro Petersen guided his first two fours deftly to third man before left-hander Luis Reece was struck on the helmet, prompting a delay while a new one was sent for. But in the next over Reece drove at Coughlin and edged behind.
With only two runs coming off that over, Lancashire were 36 at the end of the Powerplay.Karl Brown opened up on the return of Usman Arshad for the 13th over, taking 15 off the first four balls before Petersen drove well wide of off stump and edged behind for 42.Brown departed in the next over for 41, lbw trying to sweep Scott Borthwick, but Livingstone and Croft upped the momentum.Durham’s top T20 scorer, Phil Mustard, made only 8 before skying Jordan Clark to wicketkeeper Tom Moores.Mark Stoneman smashed Clark for two big sixes wide of long-on in the sixth over but when Croft, the third of Lancashire’s three spinners, brought himself on for the tenth over Stoneman was bowled for 36 when trying to hit a straight ball over midwicket.Calum MacLeod offered Durham’s best chance of victory as he made 45 off 31 balls. But when stepped back to hit Mahmood through the off side he was yorked and the same fate befell Ryan Pringle and Gordon Muchall.Coughlin hit Mahmood for a big six as the 19th over brought 16 runs, but the youngster still finished with 3 for 31 and Durham had left themselves too much to do.

Tourists will use Pope-Buttler partnership as evidence their batting line-up can succeed in Australia

Matt Roller08-Dec-2021England have no choice but to cling to the positives. A chastening opening day of the Ashes series at the Gabba saw them bowled out for 147 in 50.1 overs, which represented a recovery of sorts from 11 for 3, 29 for 4 and 60 for 5, but they will use Ollie Pope’s partnership with Jos Buttler as evidence that their batting line-up can be successful in Australia, so long as their top order can make it through the new ball.Pope and Buttler combined for a 52-run stand for the sixth wicket, which represented the only hour of the first day during which England controlled the pace of the game. Pope was typically busy, making it hard for Australia’s seamers to set him up by scampering through for sharp singles, while Buttler’s innings encapsulated the “fearless” approach he had pledged to take in this series, lofting over the infield and capitalising on width.Neither batter kicked on, Buttler top-scoring with 39, but if England are to retain any hope of winning – or even drawing – this series then they must see the partnership as proof that there will be opportunities for big runs against the old ball and put their top order’s struggles down to poor preparation and opening-day nerves.Related

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• Pat Cummins delighted that bowlers followed Ashes 'blueprint'

Rory Burns’ tally of ducks in 2021 – six, the record for an opening batter in a calendar year – reflects the fact he is vulnerable early in his innings but he would surely expect to clip Mitchell Starc’s leg-stump half-volley away for four more often than not, but for the pressure of the first session of an Ashes series. Dawid Malan’s success in the 2017-18 series indicates that he should adapt to the extra bounce on Australian pitches once he has had the chance to bat on them, while Joe Root and Ben Stokes are their two best batters and will not fail consistently throughout the series.India’s top order demonstrated in 2020-21 that batting for long periods to set the game up for an attacking middle order is a method that works for touring teams in Australia, not least against a side that relies heavily on three frontline quicks. England lost their fifth wicket after 26.4 overs on Wednesday; at the same stage last winter, India lost more than two wickets only twice in eight innings, one of them in their freak 36 all out at Adelaide.”If we had managed to get through that first two hours one down, for example, I think we could have made the most of it with a softer ball and a slower pitch,” Pope said. “We’ve just got to execute better, particularly in the first two hours of the game.”Personally I like to come out with a lot of intent. I always want to move the scoreboard along, especially if the ball is in my area, and a situation like that lends itself to that as well. You need to get your runs on the board. The ball got a little bit softer – the seam wasn’t quite as pronounced, so maybe the ball didn’t nip around as much.”Jos came in and took the pressure off. Obviously it’s frustrating that neither of us could go on and push for a bigger score. It would have been nice for us to both extend our innings and make 70s, 80s or 100s, but we weren’t able to today. At the time, he took the pressure off nicely, took the pressure off me and suddenly the scoreboard was ticking along pretty well. He’s ridiculously talented and reads the situation of the game and if he feels that he puts his best foot forward by doing that, that’s what he’ll do.”Jos Buttler and Ollie Pope counter-attacked after lunch•AFP/Getty Images

There is too much on the line for England in this series for them to rip up their blueprint after a single innings, however poorly they batted: Root has accepted that it will “define my captaincy” while Chris Silverwood highlighted winning back the urn as his top priority when he was appointed two years ago.There is no doubt that their confidence will have been hit, but Pope insisted that a tough start would not be a “massive dent”. Instead, he stressed that the crucial question was how they will react to a disappointing day, and whether their seamers can make early inroads on a helpful pitch.”We’re going to keep fighting,” Pope said. “We’ve got to see both sides bat on this wicket. We don’t know how it’s going to react tomorrow but we’re going to come back stronger and hopefully get a good score on the board second dig after knocking them over.”Our preparation from the mental side has gone well. We’ve spoken about everything, obviously we haven’t performed as well as we would have wanted today but both teams have got to bat on it. We’re not going to get too down about today now and we’ll come back hard tomorrow.”

IPL franchises considering pooling together to arrange chartered flight for the group

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Mar-2021South Africa’s IPL-bound players who are part of the national squad for the limited-overs series against Pakistan, which starts on April 2, will be allowed by Cricket South Africa to fly out to India after the second ODI on April 4. The Pakistan series includes three ODI series, followed by four T20Is running till April 16. The IPL begins on April 9.The new-ball pair of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje (both Delhi Capitals), wicketkeeper batsman Quinton de Kock (Mumbai Indians), power-hitter David Miller (Rajasthan Royals) and pacer Lungi Ngidi (Chennai Super Kings) are expected to be part of the group travelling straight from the Pakistan series into the IPL.ESPNcricinfo understands that the franchises involved are checking on whether pooling in to arrange a chartered flight is a viable option, considering that would then allow some of the players to not miss their team’s first matches. According to BCCI guidelines, team members do not need to do the mandatory seven-day quarantine in their hotel rooms if they are moving between biosecure team bubbles via chartered flights. If players take commercial flights, then they will need to undergo quarantine before they can link up with those already in the IPL bubble.The IPL opener, on April 9, will be between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai. The next day the Capitals, who finished runners-up in IPL 2020, will compete against three-time champions Super Kings in Mumbai. The Royals play their first match on April 12 in Mumbai against the Punjab Kings.

Both score 80-somethings to chip away at lead but Lawrence keeps England in it with last-ball strike

Valkerie Baynes11-Jun-2021New Zealand boasted an embarrassment of riches for a second day running as Devon Conway and Will Young frustrated England’s bowlers and moved to within 74 runs of England’s first-innings total with seven wickets in hand at Edgbaston.Conway, who cemented his place in the side with 200 on debut in the series opener at Lord’s, produced another valuable, though not chance-less, innings of 80. And, while he would have been disappointed not to press on to triple figures again, a gutsy 82 from Young – in the side as a replacement for injured captain Kane Williamson – mitigated the damage.Stuart Broad bowled superbly for his 2 for 22 from 15 overs, including six maidens, but he was the only England bowler to reap any reward for his considerable efforts – until Young’s dismissal by part-time off-spinner Dan Lawrence on the last ball of the day.England had resumed on 258 for 7 with Lawrence on 67 and Mark Wood 16. Wood provided serious entertainment as he pushed his score up to 41. He hit Trent Boult for three fours in six balls across two overs followed by back-to-back boundaries off Matt Henry as he punished New Zealand’s persistence with short-pitched bowling.Wood eventually fell, bowled by a Henry outswinger which found an inside edge onto the stumps.Lawrence remained not out 81 to share top-scoring honours for England with Rory Burns, while Boult polished off Broad and James Anderson to end as New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker with 4 for 85.When Broad had Tom Latham, New Zealand’s stand-in captain, out lbw in the sixth over of the innings, the visitors were 15 for 2.Mark Wood and Dan Lawrence added vital runs for England•PA Photos/Getty Images

Young ground out eight runs from 45 balls to begin with before settling into his stride, unfurling a beautiful on-drive to the rope off Olly Stone and then lacing another past third slip. In Stone’s next over, Young jabbed another four through point, his feet leaving the ground as he latched onto a short ball.Having survived on seven when Joe Root juggled and dropped a standard-looking slips catch off Stone’s bowling, Young brought up his maiden Test fifty with a single off Anderson’s late-moving inswinger.Conway had earlier done well to make it back to his crease when Latham struck a Broad delivery straight back down the pitch and the bowler, following through, managed to get his fingers to it before it crashed into the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Conway, who was advancing, tracked the ball like a hawk and managed to turn and stretch his bat back to safety.That was positively skilful, whereas his next nervous moment – on 22 – fell more in the lap of fortune. Having edged Broad towards Zak Crawley at third slip, the soft signal given on the field was not-out, suggesting the ball had touched the ground first. Broad was incensed but, upon review, there was enough doubt for the decision to stand – and spark debate over the existence of the soft signal.Conway and Young put on 122 runs together before Conway holed out to Crawley at deep backward square leg, giving Broad his second wicket, having conceded just 18 runs to that point midway through his 12th over. Conway’s scores of 200, 23 and 80 meant he had scored more runs in his first three Test innings than any other New Zealand batter.Broad gave Ross Taylor a thorough examination, beating the bat on numerous occasions while Anderson provided excellent support from the other end. It was Anderson who had Taylor given out lbw shortly after Broad had wrapped up his spell but the decision was overturned on review, which showed the ball was missing leg stump by a distance.Taylor managed to grit his way towards a half-century and was 46 not out at stumps when part-time off-spinner Lawrence finally broke through in the last over of the day. Lawrence ended Young’s knock with his ninth ball, finding an inside edge onto the pad, which Ollie Pope swallowed diving forward at short leg.Young was playing just his third Test – he earned both his previous caps in the home series against West Indies in December – and had scored two centuries in three innings for Durham in the County Championship in the lead-up to this match, earning his place among six changes to the New Zealand side which drew at Lord’s. Based on his performance at Edgbaston, he gave selectors plenty to think about going forward.

Teenager Huraira became the first player to top the run charts in his debut Quaid-e-Azam season

Danyal Rasool30-Dec-2021No one would have begrudged 19-year-old Mohammad Huraira finishing the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with the title, and that was precisely what made defeat such a bitter pill to swallow for the teenager.Over the course of a remarkable three months, the Northern opener became the first player to top the run charts in his debut QeA season, accumulating 986 runs at an average of 58, with three hundreds and five half-centuries – including 51 and 57 in the final against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Instead, it was the well-oiled machine of KP – joint winners of last year’s tournament – who came out on top once more as Huraira’s Northern fell short by 169 runs.”Of course, it’s personally satisfying to be the top scorer but it would have been much nicer if it was in a winning cause,” Huraira said after the game. “But hats off to KP; they outplayed us in all three departments. I didn’t have a huge goal of finishing as the highest scorer, but I had small goals from game to game. Whenever I get a chance I give it my best shot. It came off thankfully. Last year, I didn’t get a chance and I was off-colour after the U-19 World Cup. I just worked hard.”In Pakistan, domestic success, particularly for younger players, is seen as something of a stepping stone to international stardom, epitomised by what Hurraira went on to say. “My next target is to represent Pakistan in all three formats, and to give match-winning performances for my country.”With Pakistan struggling for runs at the top of the order of late, their woes exacerbated by the heart condition that Abid Ali is currently ailing from, Huraira has timed his purple patch to perfection.

‘The way my form is going, it feels like I’ll play for a long time’ – Iftikhar

At the other end of the emotions and experience spectrum, KP captain and Player of the Match Iftikhar Ahmed was beaming.”I’m feeling very proud because where you go and win a trophy, it makes you proud,” Iftikhar, 31, said. “Winning five consecutive trophies is a testament to all the hard work of our players. They work hard in the field and give their all, which gives them success.”Iftikhar’s form with the bat in this tournament has been pivotal to KP’s success whenever he has been available. Despite absences from the competition because of his involvement with the national side, he amassed 461 runs in ten innings at an average of 51.22. Two of his four half-centuries came in the last league game against Central Punjab, but he saved his best for last. In the final, a glorious 102 in the first innings set up a decisive lead for his side, before he chipped in with two top-order wickets in the fourth innings to put KP on course.The victorious Khyber Pakhtunkhwa team with the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy•PCB

“I was thrilled to get a hundred and perform in such a big match,” he said. “I was thinking before the final that I’ll go out and help my team win. The way my form is going, it feels like I’ll play for a long time. Our team has a lot of young players and senior players, and everyone pulls their own weight. Our young players perform really well. The juniors take as much responsibility as the seniors.”

Our domestic structure ‘incentivises positive cricket’ – Amin

His opposite number, Umar Amin, has been in this position before. Two years ago, he was part of a young Northern side that defied the odds and made it all the way to the final against a star-studded Central Punjab side, and found themselves blown away by an innings. In 2021, despite himself being near the top of the run charts – in fourth place with 811 runs at 50.68 – he found his side up against an equally relentless juggernaut.”Of course, it’s disappointing if you don’t get over the line after playing two consecutive QeA finals,” he said. “When we moved to Karachi, we won four matches on the bounce to qualify for the final. It would have been nice to win to cap our season and the efforts we put in. Unfortunately, we didn’t do it this time but if we ever get a chance again, we’ll try and get over the line.”This points system is very exciting; the tournament remains wide open till late in the tournament. Even Sindh, who didn’t qualify, only fell short by about two or three points. It’s fun till the end and gives all six teams a fair chance. It encourages teams to play aggressive cricket. Overall, this is good for both our domestic and international cricket that we have a system in our domestic structure that incentivises positive cricket.”

Coach Justin Langer will assess Joe Burns over the next couple of days and Matthew Wade appears an option to open

Andrew McGlashan15-Dec-20202:04

Justin Langer: ‘We’re going to be really well planned for Virat Kohli’

Australia coach Justin Langer has confirmed that Cameron Green will make his Test debut against India in Adelaide if he passes concussion protocols over the next couple of days with Matthew Wade shaping as a potential opener if the allrounder does play.Langer said there had been “good news” on Green’s progress on Tuesday morning following the blow he took on the side of his head in his follow through against the Indians at the SCG.”If he’s passed fit he’ll definitely play,” Langer said. “We are just going through the protocols. He had another test this morning which we got good news on. He’s a terrific young bloke, obviously an excellent talent, he’s earned the right for selection through his performances. It’s very exciting for Australian cricket for him and his family.”He added that the selection decisions were a “jigsaw puzzle” with “a lot of balls in the air” and whether Green gets the medical sign-off to be available will determine the balance of Australia’s XI.Related

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The other big call that needs to be made is whether to show faith in badly out-of-form opener Joe Burns – who has made 62 runs in nine innings this season – although his experience may still tip the scales in his favour.Langer also confirmed that Marnus Labuschagne would not be considered as an interim opening batsman, with the aim to make as few changes to the batting order as possible in the absence of David Warner, which would point towards an elevation for Wade from No. 6 if Green is available.”I have been backing Joe in the whole time,” Langer said. “He’s a very good player, you don’t lose your talent overnight. He also understands that runs are the greatest currency to any player and he’s been a bit light on. We’ll get eyes on him today, see how he’s going, have a chat to him and we’ll make our decision on who will open in the next day or so.”Marnus won’t be opening, he’s done an amazing job at No. 3. Steve Smith does an amazing job at No. 4. We’ll try and stay as settled as possible while David [Warner] is injured. We’ve got some tough decisions to be made.Cameron Green made a century against the Indians at Drummoyne Oval•Getty Images

“We’ve got to wait and see what happens with Cameron Green first so that’s one part of jigsaw puzzle. We’ll look at Joe and Marcus [Harris] today to see how they are tracking at training. We’ve got to pick our six best [batsmen] and that’s all part of the jigsaw puzzle. There’s a lot of balls in the air, I wish we could be more definite, not only for you guys but more importantly for our players but until we get a few things ticked off we can’t make a decision.”Wade has never opened the batting in first-class cricket, but has done it considerably in the limited-overs game, and him batting alongside Burns was the option endorsed by Ricky Ponting during Channel Seven’s BBL coverage on Monday evening.”He could…he could handle anywhere,” Langer said on Wade going in first. “He’s mentally tough, physically tough, he’s got good footwork, he can counterattack like David Warner. We’ve just got to work out what the best make-up of our team is going to be.”Despite a horror season, Burns gained Ponting’s endorsement to continue in the role although if Green is a success at No. 6 there will be another decision to make when Warner and Will Pucovksi are fit again.”I’m sticking with Joe Burns,” Ponting said on Seven. “I’ve heard a lot of suggestions that he hasn’t scored enough runs to stay in the side but I’m keeping him in there.”He made 40 in his last Test innings, he’s made four Test hundreds, averages almost 40 – I’m sticking with him and showing some faith. I think he’s good enough to get through it.”What I am doing is moving Matthew Wade up to the top of the order to open with [Burns]…I think you’ve got to tell Wade it’s just for one game. Wadey will want to do it. He’ll be excited by this, he’s that sort of character that he’d love the chance to get up there and take on the Indian opening bowlers in a Test match. He won’t shy away from it.”

West Indies’ rare chance to win consecutive ODIs at home – and wrap up the series – against a top-10 opposition

Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Mar-2021

Big picture

It had been over a year since Sri Lanka played ODIs, and yet the script for Wednesday’s ODI seemed so familiar. For decent stretch of the game, they appeared confident – dominant, even – as Dimuth Karunaratne and Danushka Gunathilaka sailed to half-centuries and put them seemingly on track for a total in the range of 300. The collapse that followed was tragicomic. There were two run-outs, both extremely avoidable. Gunathilaka was given out unfairly – bizarrely, actually – obstructing the field, when there was scant evidence of wilful obstruction. Experienced batsmen floundered under the pressure West Indies put them under, and it fell to a 22-year old debutant – Ashen Bandara – to provide respectability to the total with a middle-order half-century.To the extent that form exists in pandemic cricket, West Indies went into that first match with worse form than Sri Lanka, but so comfortable was their first win, they must now like their chances of sealing the series on Friday. The attack, which at one stage seemed insipid, was inspired by captain Kieron Pollard’s intensity in his first spell, and once they had Sri Lanka by the collar, refused to loosen their grip.On the batting front, Shai Hope’s hunger for ODI runs has proved to be undimmed by the months-long hiatus. Perhaps even more importantly, they were able to play out their tormentor from the T20s – Wanindu Hasaranga – without giving him a wicket. This was helped by a track that took little turn, and the fact that there was next to no pressure to score runs off his bowling, so paltry was the Sri Lanka target. But still – top-order batsmen now have had time in the middle against him.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)West Indies: WLLLL
Sri Lanka: : LWWWLDushmantha Chameera marked his return to ODI cricket by bowling both Shai Hope and Evin Lewis•AFP

In the spotlight

Shai Hope may have done Shai Hope things, but almost as impressive was Evin Lewis‘ departure from his regular style, to play an innings that fit his team’s circumstance. While Hope was fluent almost from the outset, striking a variety of pleasing off-side boundaries, Lewis was almost stodgy in comparison, where ordinarily he would be expected to provide the impetus in the powerplay. Of the 90 balls he faced, 52 were dots. And of the 65 runs he scored, only 28 came from boundaries, where the remaining 37 were from singles and twos – and almost obscene scoring split for him. Don’t expect his big-hitting to go anywhere. But perhaps know that when the team needs him to, Lewis has this safer, low gear as well.While Hasaranga was being played out safely, Dushmantha Chameera became Sri Lanka’s primary wicket-taking threat, beating both Lewis and Hope with raw pace as he bowled them both, if a little too late in the game to make a serious impact. Though he played his first ODI for Sri Lanka as far back as the 2015 World Cup, Chameera’s has been a frustrating career so far, as injuries – including a stress fracture – have seen him sidelined for months, as the likes of Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha leapfrogged him on the seam-bowling list. He seems to be in excellent rhythm in the Caribbean, though, and he has been the quickest bowler on tour so far. Sri Lanka are desperate to find limited-overs wicket-takers for their post-Malinga era. Could Chameera become that regular penetrative force?

Pitch and conditions

Just as was the case on Wednesday, there is patchy rain forecast for early in the morning in North Sound, but it should clear up in time for the match. The pitch may be another batting-friendly one, if slightly more worn than the first track, thanks to a match having been played on the square.

Team news

West Indies have no real reason to mess with their XI, with almost all their bowlers having pitched in, in the first match, and no batsman having been dismissed for less than a fifty.West Indies (possible): 1 Shai Hope (wk), 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Jason Mohammed, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Kieron Pollard (capt.), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Fabian Allen, 10 Akeal Hosein, 11 Alzarri JosephSLC announced on Thursday that Angelo Mathews would be flying home to attend a family matter which means the middle order will need changing. Thisara Perera could come into the side. Dasun Shanaka is still in quarantine, and unavailable. There may also be a temptation to bring in offspinning allrounder Ramesh Mendis.*Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt.), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Pathum Nissanka, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Ashen Bandara, 6 Kamindu Mendis, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Lakshan Sandakan, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan Pradeep

Stats and trivia

• Forty of the 60 deliveries Wanindu Hasaranga bowled on Wednesday were dot balls. He conceded 26 runs.
  
• Lewis has never made a slower fifty-plus score than his 65 off 90 on Wednesday.
  
• Wednesday’s was Chameera’s second ODI since 2019, and seventh since the start of 2018.
  
• Staggeringly, West Indies have not won consecutive ODIs at home against top-10 opposition since way back in 2014, when they swept Bangladesh 3-0.

*3.10am, GMT, March 12 – The story was updated with news of Mathews leaving

Anil Kumble, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid have taken part in a high-level meeting, the first of its kind, to discuss the road map for the next one year (2016-17) of Indian cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2016Anil Kumble, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid have taken part in a high-level meeting, the first of its kind, to discuss the road map for the next one year (2016-17) in Indian cricket. The meeting, which took place in Bangalore on Sunday, was organised by the BCCI, which said the primary idea was to bring “all stakeholders on the same page”.Apart from the two captains and the coaches of India’s senior and junior sides, the meeting was attended by Sandeep Patil, the chairman of selectors, Venkatesh Prasad, the head of the junior selection committee, WV Raman and Narendra Hirwani (batting and spin bowling coaches at the National Cricket Academy), Patrick Farhat (India physio), Andrew Leipus (NCA physio), Shankar Basu (India trainer), and MV Sridhar, the BCCI’s general manager.The brainstorming session lasted a few hours with the main motive of setting in place plans to lift India to the top of the world rankings, and how the various support systems could play a role in fulfilling that goal. “Issues ranging from domestic cricket set-up, India A tours, injury management and workload of the players, and strengthening the bench strength of Indian cricket were discussed in detail to synchronise the efforts of everyone working for the betterment of Indian cricket,” a BCCI release said.According to Kumble, who was recently appointed India’s head coach, the meeting was a “very fruitful” exercise. “Sitting here, we all have one intention and agenda: To align our actions to maximise the potential of Indian cricket. For that we all need to work as one unit.”Other members attending the meeting said it was a significant development and they welcomed the idea of the free exchange of information and everyone being kept in the loop. It is understood both Dhoni and Kohli were keen to ensure players’ fitness reports were monitored properly so they were in peak fitness and ready to play before they were picked for a series.

Pakistan have already won the series against West Indies but their captain Misbah-ul-Haq has all but said that there are no dead rubbers in Test cricket

Umar Farooq in Sharjah29-Oct-2016Pakistan have already won the series against West Indies but their captain Misbah-ul-Haq has all but said that there are no dead rubbers in Test cricket. Victory in Sharjah will mean Pakistan would have won all nine matches across formats, after 3-0 wins in the ODIs and T20Is during West Indies’ tour of the UAE. It will also consolidate their no. 2 ranking in Test cricket.”Every victory is important, no matter which opponent is up against you,” Misbah said on the eve of the Sharjah Test, his 49th, which will make him the most-capped captain of Pakistan. “Test cricket is Test cricket and it’s always great to win a Test match. West Indies, on a given day, gave us a tough time and they created a situation where they could have won or drawn the game.”So you can’t say that it’s an inconsequential series. In terms of ranking and your team’s reputation – it’s important for you to perform consistently and keep on winning.”West Indies took the first two Tests into the fifth day, batting more than 100 overs in the fourth innings before Pakistan won by 56 runs in Dubai and 133 in Abu Dhabi. Misbah was determined to finish the series with a strong performance ahead of testing away tours during the winter.”We are confident as a team the way we are playing and will try to win this one,” he said. “Because we have a tough series ahead, we want to sign off with confidence and on a winning note. We want to keep it simple for, every game has importance and series victories always carry a unique value.”After the series against West Indies, Pakistan will travel to New Zealand for two Tests and then to Australia for three, one of which will be a day-night contest in Brisbane. Pakistan drew their most recent away series – in England this summer* – and will hope to improve on the 0-3 defeat they suffered in Australia in 2009. Misbah said preparing for such tours was a “continuous process”.”The process for England, the preparation I think started long ago in 2010, with every passing day and every passing series, whatever we gained in experience gave us confidence and actually helped us in England. Now with wins against England and West Indies, we are in better shape and this will help us in New Zealand and Australia.”Perhaps the biggest disappointment for Pakistan during this Test series against West Indies in the UAE was the poor spectator turnout. Barely 500 fans came to watch a day of Test cricket. Not even the novelty of a day-night Test in Dubai drew a crowd, and motivation needed to come from within when playing in an empty stadium.”It’s tough as a player to motivate ourselves,” Misbah said. “You clearly see the difference between England being house full and here in the UAE. There [in England] every good shot, good fielding, even one good ball was appreciated by the crowd.”It was a completely different atmosphere and we play for the crowd that’s the main passion for us. That motivates us, so it’s tough in a stadium without a crowd. Without them, we don’t enjoy as much but we are professional and we eventually have to give 100% and perform.”*4.10pm (GMT), 29 October: This article had erroneously stated that Pakistan won the Test series in England in July-August 2016. This has been corrected

The MCC has named a team featuring five England Test cricketers to play Yorkshire in the Champion County match next month

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2016The MCC has named a team featuring five England Test cricketers to play Yorkshire in the Champion County match next month. Ian Bell had already been announced as captain and he will lead his Warwickshire team-mate Rikki Clarke, Graham Onions, James Tredwell and Scott Borthwick.Kent offspinner Tredwell played for England most recently, alongside Bell in the Caribbean last year, while Borthwick won his sole Test cap to date on England’s ill-fated 2013-14 Ashes tour. Onions took 32 wickets in nine Tests between 2009 and 2012, while Clarke played two Tests in Bangladesh in 2003.Two Essex batsmen who hope to have England futures are included, in Nick Browne and Tom Westley, while England Lions James Harris and Jake Ball will join Onions in the seam-bowling attack. Promising Surrey pair Rory Burns and Ben Foakes make up the XI.The Champion County match, which begins on March 20, will be preceded by the Emirates T20 tournament, featuring MCC, Yorkshire, Lancashire and the UAE. Former Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara will join the MCC side for the T20s.”We have put together a squad with a great mixture of youth and experience that are capable of challenging Yorkshire, and I’m sure it will be an engaging fixture for everyone involved,” John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, said.”In Ian Bell, we have one of the best England cricketers of recent years, and there is plenty of international experience throughout the rest of the group – as well as a number of young players with the potential to play for England. I’m confident our squad can do MCC proud, put on a good performance and uphold the Spirit of Cricket throughout the tour.”MCC Champion County XI: Nick Browne (Essex), Rory Burns (Surrey), Scott Borthwick (Durham), Ian Bell (Warwickshire, capt), Tom Westley (Essex), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Rikki Clarke (Warwickshire), James Harris (Middlesex), James Tredwell (Kent), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Graham Onions (Durham)