The Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) sent its doctor on call to the Sri Lanka dressing room for a medical check-up during the lunch on the fourth day, but the purpose of the test and its methodology was lost on the Sri Lanka camp

Sidharth Monga in Delhi05-Dec-20171:32

Vallabhji: Poor air quality will affect cricketers in the long run

The Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) sent its doctor on call to the Sri Lanka dressing room for a medical check-up during the lunch on the fourth day, but the purpose of the test and its methodology was lost on the Sri Lanka camp. Apart from the wicketkeeper and the bowler at that time, all nine Sri Lanka fielders wore masks, and Suranga Lakmal vomited on the field. This came after Sri Lanka were left with only 10 healthy mean to take the field on Sunday as they struggled to cope with the pollution in Delhi.A BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo that “the Sri Lankan players have been checked by a senior doctor and they are all well”, but reports quoted DDCA sources as saying that the players refused to take the test after three of them returned good readings. According to these reports, three players underwent tests for oxygen concentration levels, which returned readings pretty close to the optimum ones. Then the other players allegedly refused to take the test.It was clearly a surprise visit for the team, which was left wondering how such a test would tell them what the events on the field didn’t. “There was some test done,” Sri Lanka coach Nic Pothas said at the end of the fourth day’s play. “I have no idea what that test does or doesn’t tell you. You saw today at the end of the day, Mohammed Shami was also struggling (He vomited on the field as well). I thought the guys did superbly well. We said the situation is the situation. Let’s just get on with it. The guys did fantastically well through the day.”I am not a doctor so I have no idea what these tests tell you. What were we testing? Why were we testing? It doesn’t make anything go away. But I thought the guys did brilliantly. Great attitude through the day.”Sri Lanka have been under fire from a few of the commentators and fans both in the stadium and on social media. The genuineness of their concerns has been questioned every day, including some people wondering why their players didn’t wear the masks when batting and wore them only while fielding. Pothas was asked if he felt the doctor had been sent to discredit their claims and his answers remained non-committal.”It has nothing to do with me,” Pothas said. “We made a pact as a team that we will get on with it. It is what it is. It is not going to go away. I thought the guys showed great attitude through the day.”The bottom line is we have got to play a Test match. There is a professional bunch of people in that dressing room. We are very positive about our talk, and the way we behave, and the way we adapt to situations. We made a pact this morning that we are not going to discuss it, we are not going to talk about, we are going to go out and do our job.”Asked if the situation ever reached a stage where the team might have questioned the health risk was too much to take, Pothas said: “That is not for us to decide. Are people in discomfort? I think it speaks for itself. The rest we cannot control. We are professional. We stopped talking about it. It is not going to make a difference talking about it. The only thing we can do is go out and play. As I said, the guys brilliantly today.”About the questions asked of their wearing masks only when fielding, Pothas chose not to go into the nitty gritty of how calling for runs and concentrating can be hindered by them. “I think (commentator and former Sri Lanka cricketer) Russell Arnold’s reply to that was the best reply I have ever seen,” Pothas said.” In that some people wear sunglasses when they field, and the same people don’t wear them when they bat. I think when you read in newspapers today some of the reports from medical experts from around India, that will answer your question.”The newspapers have been quoting medical experts on the dangers of outdoor exertion in this air quality. “Players from other countries will not be able to breathe in the current situation,” KK Aggarwal, national president of Indian Medical Association, told . “Our players might be accustomed to it, but they still should not be exposed to such air quality. It is dangerous and medically not advisable. The Sri Lankan players were right to protest.”Aggarwal was quoted by the as saying: “This match should not have taken place in the first place. It is time the ICC comes up with a policy on pollution. You have fast bowlers, batsmen and fielders out there exposed to these very harmful pollutants over five days at a stretch. It takes a serious toll on your health in the long run.”Over in Pakistan, which shares the problem with India, former captain and legendary allrounder Imran Khan used the Delhi Test as an example for his compatriots. “This should be a wake up call for Pak,” Imran tweeted. “Our children are at a huge risk because of dangerous pollution levels.”Pakistan’s entire National T20 Cup was shifted out of Faisalabad because of pollution. A few days’ play in the group stages of the first-class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, was also abandoned for the same reason. One of the many reasons Pakistan was reluctant to host West Indies last month was the smog in Lahore.

Dhananjaya Lakshan’s 120-ball 101 and captain Kamindu Mendis all-round show took Sri Lanka to a win over Ireland in their opening match

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jan-2018
ScorecardDhananjaya Lakshan celebrates his century•Getty Images

Dhananjaya Lakshan’s 120-ball 101 and captain Kamindu Mendis’ all-round show took Sri Lanka to a seven-wicket win over Ireland in the rain-reduced 48-over Under-19 World Cup match in Whangarei.Electing to bat, Ireland were off to a strong start, with openers Jamie Grassi (75 off 117 balls) and Mark Donegan (36 off 53 balls) adding 73 runs, before Mendis (3 for 35) broke their partnership in the 20th over. A collapse followed, with no one from No. 3 onward making more than 25.In reply, Sri Lanka were reduced to 9 for 2 within four overs, but a subsequent 42-run stand between opener Lakshan and Krishan Arachchige resurrected their chase. Mendis (74 off 73 balls) then joined Lakshan at the crease, to add 157 runs off 154 balls to take Sri Lanka home. Not only was their partnership match-winning, it was the highest fourth-wicket stand for the team in Under-19 ODIs.

Australia vice-captain says ICC sanction won’t cramp his on-field aggression as new footage emerges of bust-up with Quinton de Kock

Daniel Brettig in Port Elizabeth07-Mar-20180:49

Start of Warner-de Kock clash revealed

Australia’s vice-captain David Warner is as repentant about his wild reaction to alleged “vile and disgusting” comments about his wife from Quinton de Kock as he is unrepentant about the way he behaved on the field in Durban. He insists that he will not change the way he plays, despite spending the next two years only a single disciplinary infraction from an ICC suspension.Speaking for the first time since accepting a fine of more than A$13,000 for “conduct bringing the game into disrepute”, Warner said the fact he had not been sanctioned a single time by the ICC since 2015 was a strong indicator that, apart from the Durban lapse, his behaviour has been more than acceptable.At the same time, he conceded he had not shown enough restraint in his reaction to de Kock’s comment, which Warner said had been muttered quietly as he and Tim Paine began to mount the stairs from the players’ race at Kingsmead up towards the two dressing rooms. While saying he had been called “every name under the sun”, Warner said that disparaging comments about family members were out of bounds, and strongly denied claims from the South African camp that he had mocked de Kock’s sister or mother.”I think you guys are well aware that I cop it left, right and centre, especially off the field from spectators. I am used to that and it doesn’t bother me,” Warner said in Port Elizabeth. “But in the proximity of my personal space and behind me, a comment that was vile and disgusting and about my wife and just in general about a lady was quite poor, I felt, and as I said my emotional response, you saw, was just something that I don’t believe should have been said.”I will always stick up for my family. And in that case, my team-mates as well. I just would have liked him to say the comment a little bit louder, instead of muttering it under his breath next to me and Tim Paine, and then walking up the stairs and saying ‘I didn’t say anything’ as soon as the rest of his team came out. At the end of the day, we’re all men, and if you’re going to say something, you look someone in the eye and say it.”I’ve always felt that when it comes to family or racism comments or anything like that, that’s just a no-go zone. I’ve been called everything under the sun out the field and that, quite frankly, doesn’t bother me. Each individual is different, of course, but if we are going to jot down everything that is in that sort of spectrum, whether it is calling me a slowcoach on the field or whatever it is, it is up to the individual, but at the end of the day, the other day was, I felt, was probably out of line. I’ve seen the footage and I regret the way it played out but, for me, it is how I am and I responded emotionally.”Fresh CCTV footage of Warner and de Kock has provided a link between pictures capturing the two teams walking off the field of play at tea on day four and the stairwell footage that showed an irate Warner being kept at a distance from de Kock by several team-mates, including Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith and Tim Paine.”There was probably three different camera angles and you’ve probably seen the only one at the top of the race,” Warner said. “So, at the end of the day I can only speak for what was shown on the footage. But look, where it was said was literally at the top of the stairs before the first set of stairs to the changerooms. And that was where you saw my emotional response. Yeah, from there you probably would have seen me turn around.”After it happened that night we didn’t really speak about it because we honestly thought there was not a lot in it until there was a bit of video footage leaked and we had to explain what happened. I’m just relieved to be able to get back on the park and move on.”As for the way Warner celebrated the run out of AB de Villiers – essentially using it as a stick to beat Aiden Markram – and pursued other members of the South African side in the middle, Smith’s deputy said he would continue to seek a competitive edge wherever he could.”For me, it was a key moment in that game,” he said. “The way we celebrate or other people celebrate should never be questioned, I don’t think. We were excited, it was a big moment in the game, he’s one of the best players to ever play the game and to get him out with a guy at the other end who hasn’t really played much Test match cricket, we’re going to celebrate those moments.”I play with aggression on the field and I try not to cross that line and it has been in the past that I have sort of been fiery, but I don’t think whatsoever there on the field that I have ever crossed that line. But that’s how I play my cricket, I live by the sword and die by the sword, so I’ll keep playing with that energy and making sure I am the voice in the team to keep our guys motivated on the field, that’s for sure.”You guys have seen the past 18-24 months how I conduct myself on the field. What happened the other day was not appropriate and I responded a tad emotionally. But I think I’ve been fantastic the last 18-24 months. I’ve played with aggression, it’s just the cameras haven’t been on me for the last two years.”Looking ahead to the Port Elizabeth Test match, Warner said he did not expect to face similar barbs to the one allegedly delivered by de Kock. However if he did, he insisted he would handle it differently. “I’d find it quite poor if similar comments were said,” he said. “I’d take an appropriate stance and make sure that matters are taken off field away and spoken about in a quiet room, and make sure we can deal with it that way.”But I can’t see anyone else making comments the way that he made them, which were outright disgusting. As I said, it’s a thing you wouldn’t say about any lady, especially someone’s wife or a player’s wife. I’ve accepted that the way it was played out was regrettable, I’ve stated that, and hopefully in the future if I’m going to respond emotionally, I would try to do it in a more appropriate manner and walk upstairs.”

Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, has suggested getting rid of T20 internationals and leaving the format to the various leagues around the world

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2018Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, has suggested getting rid of T20 internationals and leaving the format to the various leagues around the world, following the culmination of a disappointing tri-series for the tourists.England beat New Zealand by two runs in Hamilton to finally register a win but failed to qualify for Wednesday’s final because of an inferior net run rate.Asked about England’s performances in the tri-series, where they lost three out of four T20s, Bayliss suggested they had had to make do without a full-strength side because of the packed nature of the calendar. He went on to reiterate his view that the format should only be played internationally in the run-up to World T20s.”Look, I haven’t changed my opinion on it. I wouldn’t play T20 internationals,” Bayliss told Sky Sports. “I’d just let the franchises play. If we continue putting on so many games there’ll be a certain amount of blowout, not just players but coaches as well.”If you want to play a World Cup every four years or whatever it is, maybe six months before you get the international teams and let them play some T20 internationals.”England were without first-choice T20 players such as Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes in the tri-series – the latter because of a police investigation – as they gave opportunities to the likes of Dawid Malan, Sam Billings, James Vince and Liam Dawson. Malan was England’s top run-scorer, with three fifties in four innings, but they struggled for consistency overall.Debate about the schedule has increased in recent days, after Adil Rashid announced his decision not to play first-class cricket for Yorkshire in 2018. With lucrative T20 leagues continuing to proliferate, players are increasingly required to make decisions about how to best manage their playing commitments in different formats.Bayliss, who has previously coached in the IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders, said that the likelihood of coaches also going down the route of specialisation was increasing.”If you go to a swimming tournament you’ve got 1500m specialists and 100m specialists,” Bayliss said. “I think it’s definitely the way it’s heading, not just with the players… but when that happens I’m not sure.”England are actually set to increase the number of T20s they play during home summers from 2020, with three-match series becoming the norm alongside a reduction in ODIs. Bayliss will no longer be in the England job by that stage, having already indicated he will step down after the 2019 World Cup.

With emphasis on the World Cup in May 2019, Australia have revamped their contract list with five new players added to an initial group of 20

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2018With emphasis on the World Cup in May 2019, Australia have revamped their contract list with five new players added to an initial group of 20. Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were not part of that number after receiving bans of up to one year in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal from last month. All three men would have served out their suspensions by the time the first match of the global event begins on May 30.

Australia’s contract list

Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matthew Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
In: Alex Carey, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye
Out: Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Hilton Cartwright, James Pattinson, Steven Smith, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Tim Paine – who was not among the contracted players in 2017-18 when CA released the list last April – found a place this time, and is likely to be among the highest earners, given he is Australia’s new Test captain. The other first-timers on the list were allrounder Marcus Stoinis, wicketkeeper Alex Carey and the fast-bowling Richardsons – Kane and Jhye. Australia have also placed their trust in fingerspinners at a time when wristspin has taken limited-overs cricket by storm, with Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar edging out Adam Zampa, the team’s top-seeded slow bowler on the ICC rankings for both ODIs and T20Is.Australia have a system by which players gain points based on appearances at international level: five for a Test, two for an ODI and one for a T20I. Those out of contract can earn one for themselves by collecting at least 12 points – a method that Paine, Stoinis, Shaun Marsh and Andrew Tye used over the course of the 2017-18 season to get retainers for themselves. Adam Zampa, Chris Lynn and D’Arcy Short might be targeting this option as Australia build towards the World Cup with limited-overs tours of England and Zimbabwe in June and July.The other notable absentees were Chadd Sayers, who made his Test debut in Johannesburg recently, and Jackson Bird, often the back-up for Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. Injury forced Nathan Coulter-Nile and James Pattinson out of reckoning, although the latter hopes to be fit in time for the next Ashes series in 2019.”There has been a bit of a focus in this contracting period on white-ball cricket, as we look ahead to trying to win back-to-back World Cups,” national selector Trevor Hohns said.As such, some of the brightest performers from the Big Bash League were rewarded with Australia contracts: Carey came into the fray after finishing as the second-highest run-scorer in the 2017-18 edition. So did Kane Richardson, who was among the top 10 wicket-takers. Jhye Richardson enjoyed the selectors’ favour again, two months after he was picked in the Test squad to tour South Africa even though, at the time, he had played only five first-class matches.”Alex (Carey) is the second wicket-keeper in this squad, alongside Tim Paine,” Hohns said. “He is a promising young player who has had a strong domestic summer and performed well in his international opportunities to date with bat and gloves.”Jhye (Richardson) is a young fast bowler who has been on the fringes of selection in all three forms of the game. He’s an exciting prospect who has played ODI and T20 cricket for Australia this summer, and was in the Test squad for the recent tour of South Africa.”

A win for RCB against Kolkata Knight Riders will leave both teams with three wins each, but a KKR win will create a clear gulf between the top and bottom half

The Preview by Nikhil Kalro28-Apr-20184:36

Agarkar: Southee inclusion a no-brainer for RCB

Form guide (most recent matches first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Lost to Chennai Super Kings by five wickets, beat Delhi Daredevils by six wickets, lost to Mumbai Indians by 46 runs.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Lost to Delhi Daredevils by 55 runs, lost to Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets, beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets

Big picture

Royal Challengers Bangalore retained Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, two of the best batsmen in T20s, ahead of the IPL auction. With batsmen to play around them, it was always going to be a case of RCB’s bowling unit needing additional resources. Out of six games, RCB have conceded more than 200 three times and lost all those games.An interesting second half of the season could be at stake in this game. If Royal Challengers beat Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, both teams will have three wins in seven games. If Knight Riders win, a clear gulf between the top and bottom half will start to form.Knight Riders endured their worst day of the season on Friday, losing by 55 runs to Delhi Daredevils after conceding the season’s biggest total. There were also several fielding lapses; match-winner Shreyas Iyer was dropped twice. Despite that, KKR’s depth in batting and bowling should provide a stern test for Royal Challengers, given the short dimensions of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.Umesh Yadav is thrilled after dismissing Sunil Narine•BCCI

In the news

Royal Challengers will likely look at ringing in a few changes on the bowling front after failing to defend a 200-plus total against Chennai Super Kings. Left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya, who hasn’t played since their third match, against Rajasthan Royals, had an extended spell at practice.

The likely XIs

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Manan Vohra, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Mandeep Singh, 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Pawan Negi, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalKolkata Knight Riders: 1 Chris Lynn, 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Dinesh Karthik (capt, wk), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Shubman Gill, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Shivam Mavi

Previous meeting

Knight Riders ran down 177 comfortably in the opening game for both these sides at Eden Gardens. That chase included a 17-ball fifty from Sunil Narine.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Strategy punt

Lynn and Narine are an efficient batting pair because of their varied preferences. Lynn relishes pace: he strikes at 178.8 per 100 balls, and hits a boundary every 3.4 balls in the IPL since 2015. Against spin, he has a strike rate of 127.3, with a boundary every seven balls. Narine, on the other hand, prefers spin: he has a strike-rate of 196.6 against these bowlers, with a boundary every three balls.Royal Challengers could use a spinner against Lynn and a fast bowler to Narine, with tight fields to prevent singles. That could force both batsmen to attempt tougher shots against a type of bowling they’re not comfortable with.

Stats that matter

• Royal Challengers are the worst bowling team at the death this season, conceding 13.29 runs an over in that period. They are also the second-most efficient batting team in that period, scoring 11.49 runs an over.
• In IPLs since 2015, de Villiers hasn’t had a strike-rate under 150 against any form of bowling. His worst strike-rate is against left-arm spin: 154.8.
• Andre Russell may have a slight weakness against right-arm legspinners. Since 2015 in the IPL, he has scored just 66 runs off 52 balls, and has been dismissed three times.

Fantasy pick

After their struggles against Super Kings, it’s a good time to bank on some untested death bowlers for Royal Challengers, such as Tim Southee, who joined the team late, after missing the first few games due to an illness. In T20s since 2015, Southee has taken 52 wickets, 18 of which have come in the death overs.

Ireland avoided a third-straight loss in the tournament after beating Scotland by 46 runs in Deventer

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jun-2018Andy Balbirnie goes for the sweep•Getty Images/Sportsfile

A trio of half-centuries from Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie and captain Gary Wilson propelled Ireland to a 46-run win over Scotland at Deventer, Ireland’s first win of the T20 tri-series after losing two straight to the Netherlands at Rotterdam.Ireland posted their joint third-highest total in T20Is in making 205 for 5 after choosing to bat first. Of the three totals that were equal or better than Saturday’s effort, a common thread has been the excellence of Stirling and Wilson. Both batsmen scored a half-century in 200+ scores made in separate matches against Afghanistan while both crossed 50 the last time they played Scotland as well when the Irish made 211 for 6 in the semi-final of the Desert T20 Challenge in January 2017 in Dubai.Behind Stirling’s hot start, Ireland raced to 76 for 2 in seven overs when he finally was caught off the bowling of Michael Leask. Ireland’s run rate never dipped below nine during the entire innings. Balbirnie entered the match with a career-best of 31 in 10 T20Is but more than doubled it against Scotland, combining for a pair of half-century stands – first with Stirling and later with Wilson, who fell in the final over just after helping Ireland past 200.Just like Scotland’s performance on Tuesday in the first T20I against Pakistan at the Grange, they kept the required run rate in check during the Powerplay behind a confident reply constructed by captain Kyle Coetzer and George Munsey. The pair added 65 but once Coetzer was dismissed by George Dockrell in the seventh over, the wheels fell off of the chase. Munsey was caught for a top score of 41 in Dockrell’s next over before spin continued to make inroads in the middle overs of the chase. Calum MacLeod fell to Stirling’s part-time offspin while Richie Berrington was caught by Dockrell off the spin of Simi Singh to make it 130 for 4, leaving the middle order 76 to get off 25 balls. Scotland never came close to threatening the target and eventually ended on 159 for 5.

Glamorgan look likely to stay rooted to the foot of Division Two after Northants dominated the third day in Cardiff

ECB Reporters Network27-Jun-20181:57

Kent go top of Division Two

ScorecardNorthants are well placed to win their second consecutive championship game and move off the bottom of the table after outplaying Glamorgan on the third day at Sophia Gardens.After the visitors had declared on 403 for 9, the home team were set the mammoth total of 434 to win. They closed on 121 for 4, and with Usman Khawaja already out, their chances of avoiding defeat are slim on a pitch where the odd ball is misbehaving for the seamers, and there was sufficient turn for Seekuge Prasanna to take two late wickets.When play resumed on another glorious morning, Ben Duckett and Luke Procter extended their opening partnership to 208, and surpass the previous record for that wicket against Glamorgan, established by Brian Reynolds and Mickey Norman at Northampton in 1962.Procter, who made an assured 70, was the first to go, when his inside edge off van Der Gugten was well caught by Cooke, and three overs later Duckett’s season best of 133 from154 balls which included 22 fours, ended when he mishit a short ball from Rory Smith to midwicket.The third wicket then fell for the addition then fell for only seven runs, when Alex Wakely sliced a drive to second slip, and the Glamorgan bowlers’ efforts were rewarded further when Richard Levi and Adam Rossington perished in quick succession.Any hopes Glamorgan might have had of a further collapse were dashed by Ricardo Vasconelos and Steven Crook who extended Northants’ lead to over 300, and shared a partnership of147 for the sixth wicket.Vascolenos, a 19yr old South African left hander, who qualifies by owning a Portuguese passport, again made an impression in his first year with the club, after scoring 56 in the first innings. Most of his runs came through the offside, but when Hogan dropped short he pulled him over square leg for six.After scoring 76, Crook was bowled, heaving at Smith, who then had Vasconelos caught at slip for 79. The tail surrendered in their quest for quick runs, before Wakely declared two overs before tea.
Glamorgan had 33 overs to face in the evening session, and after a promising start, were soon 54 for2 .Nick Selman gave cover point a simple catch from Procter’s second ball, then Jack Murphy, shortly after being struck on the helmet, guided one from Buck to third slip.Usman Kahwaja after his century in the first innings, began by striking four boundaries, and followed by taking two more fours from Buck’s third over. Owen Morgan was more circumspect, but played every ball on merit, and the third wicket pair soon shared a fifty- run stand.After scoring 38, Kahawaja was caught by Vasconelos at short leg, when the Australian struck the ball firmly off Prasanna, only to see the fielder the fielder juggle with it three times before eventually holding on. Prasanna then took his second wicket when Morgan’s push was deflected by first slip to second with Glamorgan almost dead and buried.

The players have been asked to play in the Super50, perform and push for a recall, following meetings between the board and the players’ agent in Trinidad

Colin Benjamin24-Jul-2018A return to the West Indies ODI team is a distinct possibility for the Bravo brothers, Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard, following discussions between the players and Cricket West Indies (CWI). The development could potentially pave the way for the players to be involved in the 2019 World Cup.The development has been aided by a board decision to move their next domestic 50-over competition to October this year, instead of February 2019 – a switch that means there will be minimal clash between the Super50 and the various domestic Twenty20 leagues Caribbean stars are such an integral part of.The players have been asked to play in the Super50, perform and push for a recall.”The overall message to Pollard, the Bravo brothers and Narine was ‘come and play in the Super50 Cup’, so that Courtney [Browne, chairman of selectors] and his selection panel will have all the players in system playing,” Johnny Grave, board CEO, told ESPNcricinfo.”This will not only increase the standard and hopefully give the panel a headache but will help our selectors better gauge and assess our young players if they’re scoring runs against Dwayne Bravo or Sunil in the final overs or getting Darren [Bravo] and Pollard out.”Browne told ESPNcricinfo he was looking forward to seeing the players in action. “It’s a very important tournament for us in preparation for the World Cup. People that want to put their names in the hat for consideration would need to play Super50 and perform.”Although far from resolved, this would represent a distinct thaw in the relationship between the board and players in what has been a difficult year. It began with Narine, Pollard and Darren Bravo choosing the PSL over helping West Indies in their World Cup Qualifiers, a decision that left Grave and CWI “hugely disappointed”.Matters escalated in April when the Bravo brothers, Pollard and Narine claimed they were denied an opportunity to help the Caribbean after being ignored for a Hurricane Relief charity game between West Indies and a World XI side.Dwayne Bravo embraces Sunil Narine after the latter dismissed Kamran Akmal•Getty Images

Even then, however, Grave had spoken of meeting with the players after the IPL to discuss futures, meetings which have now taken place. This breakthrough of sorts continues Graves’ policy of building bridges with disaffected players. Last year’s amnesty resulted in Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels returning to the team, Andre Russell’s recent selection into a West Indies squad, improved player contracts and now this olive branch.”Jimmy Adams [director cricket operations] and I met with Dwayne, Darren, Pollard and Narine’s agent in Trinidad,” Grave said. “We met with them individually because they all have different circumstances. I would describe the meetings as positive, as everyone was looking to the future rather than the past.”We talked through our entire schedule, not just now and to the 2019 World Cup, but also through all the matches and tours scheduled up to the World T20 in Australia 2020.”We asked the players individually to take time to consider the requirements of Cricket West Indies, where we are going with the teams and how we are looking for prepare for international series.”We have asked them to send us in writing a summary of their reflections confirming their availability and commitment to play for the Windies in different formats of the game.”The scheduling switch of the Super50, Grave said, wasn’t aimed at getting the quartet to play but the result of a holistic reviw of the domestic system.”We changed the contractual year to start July 1st, so that the off-season would be April-June when we would do new contracts, appraisals and renewals, while players in the system can do their core conditioning work, as well as obviously have a break”, Grave explained.”So now we start contracts in July and go almost straight into CPL. Hence in the review it just made sense to continue with white-ball cricket by having the Super50 in November with October to prepare for the change in format.”Only because we are hosting the ICC Women’s World T20 in the Caribbean it meant moving the Super50 to October for this year.”That switch has coincided with the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) moving to January, instead of its November slot. Grave said CWI had discussions with BCB on the matter, as West Indies are due to tour Bangladesh in November.”It has transpired that the only league we will be clashing with this year is the Afghanistan League but you are always going to clash with some T20 league whenever you schedule it,” Grave said. “But it has potentially fallen at a good time as we used to clash with both the Big Bash and Pakistan Super League.”We had discussions with BCB [Bangladesh Cricket Board] around when the BPL would be as we are touring them in November. We were very clear to them our Super50 was in October and it would be less disruptive for us if the BPL was played in January.”That’s probably the only tactical thing we have done with our schedules to assist players in having this window available to play for us in the Super50.”

National selector clarifies reasons for dropping batsman who seemed to have found his game during tough Ashes tour

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2018Ed Smith, England’s national selector, has clarified his perceived criticism of Dawid Malan in the wake of the batsman’s axing for the second Test against India at Lord’s.Malan endured a difficult match in the opening Test of the series at Edgbaston last week, making scores of 8 and 20 in England’s two innings, as well as dropping three catches in the slips, including a crucial reprieve for Virat Kohli, India’s captain, early in his first-innings century.And Smith, who has made a number of big calls in his brief tenure, including recalls for two white-ball specialists in Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid, had suggested, in preferring the 20-year-old Surrey rookie, Ollie Pope for the Lord’s Test, that Malan’s game might be better suited to overseas conditions.Speaking at Lord’s during a washed-out first day, however, Smith explained in greater detail why he had dispensed with the services of a player who scored an excellent maiden Test hundred at Perth during the Ashes and seemed to have emerged from a disappointing 4-0 defeat as England’s middle-order discovery.”[Malan] has had a full calendar year of Test cricket and he knows where he is at,” Smith said. “He showed with that excellent Test hundred at Perth that he can play very well on the international stage.”Not that many people score hundreds at Perth … not that many Englishmen have looked as comfortable at the WACA as Dawid did.”Moving forward we talked about how his strengths could come into play, but in no way did I mean that line as an implicit criticism, he has scored over 10,000 first-class runs in England and the guy has shown he can play very well on different surfaces.”But in an England shirt, one of the things he has done distinctively is play very well in very alien conditions so I wanted to reaffirm to him that one of the things we are looking at is having the right players for the right conditions, which is not horses for courses.”I bridle at that sense because you wouldn’t play someone who can only play well at one ground. That is not going to happen. We are not interested in going back to picking one player for one Test.”Despite his promising winter, Malan’s average in England is a paltry 20.23 in eight Tests, with a top score of 65 against West Indies last summer – an innings that was carefully compiled but didn’t display the same fluency that he showed in making three half-centuries in Australia, including his 140 at Perth, as well as a further fifty in New Zealand.”With Dawid we talked it all through, the decision and his game – we played together [for Middlesex], I have seen him whack it out of the park in training – but it also is about constructive feedback to give them the best chance to come back into contention. And he remains in contention.”Out of it all, the most important thing is that anyone in the England side should feel very comfortable approaching me and James Taylor. We are a little bit closer in age than has sometimes been the case – it’s not everything – but we are around. I am aware of giving them space but if anyone wants to chat about selection, I will relish those conversations. And I have had those with selections that predate me too, guys who are looking to come back in.”The wash-out at Lord’s meant that Pope, Malan’s replacement, will have to wait until Friday morning to be confirmed as England’s latest Test cap. MCC will have to refund up to GBP2 million in tickets through its insurance after the first full day lost to weather at the ground since 2001.