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1983 World Cup winner Yashpal Sharma dies aged 66

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Yashpal Sharma, a member of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning side, has died in New Delhi after a cardiac arrest. Sharma was 66.A middle-order batter, he played 37 Tests and 42 ODIs for India between 1978 and 1985. He was the second-highest run-getter in India’s historic 1983 triumph, scoring two half-centuries: an 89 in India’s win over West Indies in the group stage, and 61 in the semi-final against England.In his first-class career that spanned nearly two decades, Sharma scored 8933 runs, with 21 centuries and 46 half-centuries.Post-retirement, he remained actively involved in coaching, commentary and cricket administration. He served as a national selector across two stints, first from 2004 to 2005, and later from 2008 to 2011. He was part of the committee that picked India’s 2011 World Cup-winning squad. He also officiated in a number of domestic matches, both as an umpire and match referee. Most recently, he was part of Delhi’s Cricket Advisory Committee.Yashpal Sharma, Sunil Gavaskar, Syed Kirmani and Roger Binny at a reunion of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning squad at Lord’s, on the 25th anniversary of the final•Associated Press

The news was met with shock by his former team-mates, some of whom he had met last month on the anniversary of the 1983 World Cup win.”It is unbelievable,” Dilip Vengsarkar told PTI. “He was the fittest among all of us. I had asked him that day, when we met, about his routine. He was a vegetarian, teetotaller, used to have soup for his dinner and very particular about his morning walks. I am just shocked.”Related

  • Maninder Singh remembers Yashpal Sharma – a gritty cricketer and massive Dilip Kumar fan

“As a player, he was a proper team man and a fighter,” Vengsarkar added. “I fondly remember the 1979 Test against Pakistan in Delhi. We had a partnership that helped us save the game. I knew him since my university days. Still can’t believe it.”Kirti Azad, another member of that 1983 team, had also met him last month. “He told me that day we met that I had lost weight. We had a great reunion. I remember the very first game in the 1983 World Cup playing the mighty West Indies with those fast bowlers, he set the agenda and we won that game,” Azad told PTI.”He was again fantastic in the semi-final, hitting Bob Willis for a six. Nowadays people say [Ravindra] Jadeja hits the stumps regularly but so did Yashpal. He was a livewire on the field and would hit stumps all the time,” Azad said.

Another member of the 1983 World Cup squad, Balwinder Sandhu, told PTI that Sharma should have got more recognition than he did for the way he played the game. “The ’83 team is like a family, one of our family members is no more, it is so shocking,” Sandhu said. “The media may not have given him that kind of credit that he should have been given. But he gave 100% all the time, played to win the game, and even while fielding – he was brilliant in the field.”In a BCCI release, Sourav Ganguly, the Indian board’s president, said: “I am deeply saddened by the demise of Yashpal Sharma. We have lost one of our cricketing heroes. He was a valuable middle-order batsman, a sharp fielder and an affable person off the field. His contribution to Indian cricket shall always be remembered. I extend my condolences to his family in this hour of grief.”Sharma was born in Ludhiana and represented Punjab, Haryana and Railways in the domestic circuit. He first came into national contention in 1977, when he made a match-winning 173 for North Zone in the Duleep Trophy final, against a South Zone attack comprising BS Chandrasekhar, S Abid Ali and Erapalli Prasanna.He was subsequently picked for the Pakistan tour but had to wait for nearly two years for his Test debut, at Lord’s against England. Sharma scored two Test centuries, his first an unbeaten 100 against Australia in Delhi. In the following Test, Sharma made 85 not out off 117 balls in Kolkata to steer India’s race towards the 247-run target before bad light halted play. Sharma’s second Test century (140) came during the course of a 316-run stand with Gundappa Viswanath, who made 222, against England in Chennai.Sharma is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

As it happened – England vs New Zealand, 1st Test, Lord's, 2nd day

by csb10.top Uncategorized

*Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local

6.35pm: That’ll be stumps

Neil Wagner put in a big-hearted shift as always•Getty Images

There we have it, the end of an enthralling second day as Rory Burns and Joe Root guide England’s recovery from 18 for 2, their unbroken 93-run partnership taking the hosts to 111 for 2 at stumps on the second day.With the deficit 267 runs and these two set now, they’ve put their side in position to hit back after losing the early wickets of Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley. Mark Wood made things happen for England earlier today with three wickets, including the valuable scalps of Henry Nicholls and BJ Watling, and Ollie Robinson finished with four.But what about that man, Devon Conway, 200 on debut, a wonderful knock he’ll remember for a long time and so will we.

6.15pm: Last orders

Joe Root had to bide his time•Getty Images

Into the added half hour here, with Burns and Root accumulating steadily. Santner had a brief sortie from the Nursery End, ripping one out of the footmarks to give Burns a moment of pause, and also beating Root’s outside edge; in between a full toss nearly did the England captain a mischief. A cut for four from Root off Santner took England into three figures, and this pair will be hoping to see out the day. Williamson would dearly love to pocket another before the close, and has turned back to his senior quicks in Southee and Wagner.

5.45pm: Burns back in the runs

Rory Burns swivels into a pull•Getty Images

Runs coming a little more quickly now, with Wagner and Jamieson testing out the middle of the pitch. Leg theory to Burns is a sound ploy, given he has had his struggles against the short ball in Test cricket – but he picks off Wagner for a boundary fine, before a more authoritative pull in the left-armer’s following over bisects the two men back. A four nudged off his hip then takes Burns to a hard-fought half-century, his first in nine innings. Having been dropped on the tour of India, this has been a solid comeback so far.

5.35pm: Belly on Rooty (and Kane)

Sex batting’s Ian Bell on two greats of the modern game.

5.20pm: Grindin’

Neil Wagner strains in his delivery•AFP/Getty Images

Unspectacular stuff so far from Burns and Root, but as Morcheeba said: Rome wasn’t built in a day. Their partnership at drinks during the evening session was worth 40 runs from 20.2 overs, drawing the sting from New Zealand’s seam attack. Root has been batting well out of his crease, to counter the swinging ball, while Burns has been crabbily effective in moving to his highest score since the second West Indies Test at Manchester last summer. Suspect we might get a glimpse of Mitch Santner’s twirly stuff soon.

4.55pm: Proper cricket

Colin de Grandhomme pleads unsuccessfully for an lbw decision against Rory Burns•AFP/Getty Images

A clip off the pads by Rory Burns brings up the England 50, the third-wicket pair patching things up somewhat after that nervy start before tea. Root has been the epitome of watchful, playing out 23 dot balls from De Grandhomme before chopping four through backward point. Neil Wagner has bustled into the piece, too, attempting to bash something – – from the surface. Don’t go anywhere.

4.35pm: Hair apparent

4.30pm: Root boo boo

Joe Root wore one on the gloves•Getty Images

De Grandhomme has had the ball on a string, curling his outswingers through to BJ Watling – and then suddenly he gets one to jump and rap Root’s bottom hand. Root previously took a blow to his right hand in the nets on Monday, but is okay to continue after a check from the physio.

4.10pm: The De Grandhomme of Cricket

Now, this is the contest we’re here for. Kane Williamson brings on Colin De Grandhomme to bowl to Joe Root straight after tea – doubtless mindful of their last encounter on this ground. De Grandhomme’s 10-2-25-1 off the reel during the 2019 World Cup final saw Root rendered almost strokeless, until a wild slash cost him his wicket and left England 59 for 2, deepening the sense that their chase was going to be anything but a formality.Also, De Grandhomme is rocking the sort of mullet that would once have seen him ejected from the Long Room, which is another tick in the box for us.

3.45pm: Tea

Tim Southee bowled a skillful spell with the new ball•Getty Images

New Zealand rattled England with two wickets in a 10-over spell before tea, as the home side set about their reply. New Zealand’s innings had unravelled quickly from a seemingly dominant position at 288 for 3, but not before Devon Conway had become the seventh man to score a double-century on Test debut.Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee both then struck in their new-ball spells, as England suffered an early wobble with the bat. Dom Sibley played completely the wrong line to be lbw in Jamieson’s second over, while Zak Crawley edged an impetuous drive behind off Southee.Conway has been by far the most composed batsman on show, and he continued his fine debut by going to 200 with a six off James Anderson. But Ollie Robinson claimed 4 for 75 and it needed some humpty from No. 11 Neil Wagner to lift New Zealand above 350, before Conway was run out trying to come back for a second.

3.25pm: Two down early

A loose waft at a tempter from Tim Southee and Zak Crawley is back in the sheds, too. Out comes Joe Root, England’s captain, with the scoreboard reading 18 for 2 and the home crowd beginning to get a little twitchy. Lord’s on day two with the sun out and it’s patrons who should be getting squiffy, not batters.That tour match scorecard, by the way, reminds me of the halcyon days of Joe Denly, and his over-my-dead-body approach to batting in the top three. England could probably do with a bit of that right now…

3.10pm: Jamieson nips in

Kyle Jamieson struck early to dismiss Dom Sibley•PA Images via Getty Images

No Trent Boult for New Zealand, but no issues making the new ball count, either. Kyle Jamieson continues the trend of Lord’s newbies hitting the ground running, swinging one past Dom Sibley’s crease-bound prod to hit the pads in front of off – only just in front, according to Hawk-Eye, but umpire’s call is good enough to confirm the dismissal. Sibley was actually hit on the helmet by Jamieson in a tour match in Whangarei two winters ago, before either of them had played Test cricket.Jamieson hadn’t previously opened the bowling in Tests but, given the start to his career, it was probably bound to go well. He now has 37 wickets at 12.94.

2.43pm: All going off!

ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Devon Conway goes to his double-hundred with a hook for six off Anderson… and then in the next over is run out trying to come back for a second to deep midwicket! So Conway walks off with the seventh-highest score by a man on Test debut, and the second-highest for NZ, but he doesn’t manage to carry his bat.A superb innings from Conway, nevertheless, and all the more so given the next-highest score was Nicholls’ 61. From 288 for 3, you’d have banked on New Zealand passing 400 comfortably, but probably worth waiting to see England bat before passing judgement.

2.35pm: More than all right, Jack

2.25pm: Tail Wagging

Neil Wagner has just disdainfully pumped Broad over long-off for six – a genuine lofted drive, front elbow pointing to the sky – and followed up with a punch past mid-off to bring up New Zealand’s 350. He then greets the return of Mark Wood with a Brian Lara-esque thrash through extra cover for four more. They’d have wanted a few more than this, from 246 for 3 overnight, but this could still be a fighting score for New Zealand.

2.20pm: Uber Stat Alert

Ollie Robinson reacts to a dropped catch off his bowling•AFP/Getty Images

This is from my colleague Sampath: only once in Test cricket have a century and a five-for been recorded by debutants in the same innings:Harry Graham (107) and Bill Lockwood (6-101) at Lord’s in 1893.Robinson would actually have had his fifth, if Broad had held on to Southee’s drive at mid-off. And Joe Root has now taken Robinson off, after a four-over spell, and gone back to Broad from the Nursery End. Gah!

2.15pm: NZ slide continues

There were groans when Robinson had a shy at the stumps with Tim Southee still in his ground, with the ball deflecting away for a run… but perhaps it was all part of a cunning plan, as Southee kept the strike and found himself in James Anderson’s sights. A little tickle at an outswinger and James Bracey, the third debutant in this Test, finally gets a piece.”Oh Jimmy, Jimmy! Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy Anderson!” comes the cry from the crowd. Test wicket No. 616 – and 994 in first-class cricket – for England’s attack leader.

2pm: Timmy time

1.45pm: Robinson > Jamieson

Ollie Robinson roars in celebration after removing Kyle Jamieson•Getty Images

England’s new boy has a fourth wicket on debut, as Kyle Jamieson joins the lower-order procession for New Zealand. Robinson went short, and the hulking Jamieson swung it high but not-so-handsome to deep square leg, where Zak Crawley did really well to hold on to a sprawling catch coming in off the rope.Robinson’s debut has been a memorable one – not all for the right reasons – and he is closing in on a Lord’s honours board appearance of his own. Conway, meanwhile, isn’t far off a double-hundred and could well end up carrying his bat.

1.40pm: Wood clicks

Mark Wood caused plenty of awkward moments with his short ball•AFP/Getty Images

This is how Mark Wood can contribute, . On a slow wicket, against stubborn batters, he has the point-of-difference skill to unlock batting line-ups. He proved that here.Now, I know what you’re thinking: Wood’s record in England is modest. Ahead of this game he took his wickets at a cost of 44.91 in home Tests. At Lord’s the record – eight wickets in four Tests as a cost of 52.50 apiece – was even more modest. There remains a suspicion that his skills – or at least his pace – may well be neutered by the sort of slow seamers which suit the majority of English seamers.But in Australia? You’d think he’d very much enjoy the harder, faster tracks. In six overseas Tests – not all of them played on quick tracks by any means – he has taken his 29 wickets at a cost of 23.93.He’s also a different bowler to the one who played his first 12 Tests. For those Tests, he operated off a short run and seemed to have an ankle made of crystal. His wickets in those games came at a cost of 41.73. Since the Caribbean tour of early 2019, though, he has bowled off a longer run, retained his fitness pretty well (for a fast bowler) and taken his wickets at a cost of 22.46.He actually bowled well on day one here. And fast. Twice he hit Devon Conway on the body with short balls; a couple of other times he might have had him. Given how serenely Conway has batted, that is no mean achievement. Sure, the wickets didn’t come, but the performance was rather better than the results.It was noticeable that his wicket-taking spell was slower. About 10% slower, really. But it was still sharp. And it’s unfair to think of Wood as JUST a fast bowler: he’s better than that. At the start of his career, he was used by Durham as something of a reverse-swing specialist and he can still gain movement in the air and off the seam. The ball that dismissed BJ Watling, for example, drew a false stroke by leaving the batter up the slope.His bouncer remains a valuable weapon, though. His relative lack of height means it doesn’t bounce as high as might be expected and renders it hard to duck. The pull that cost Henry Nicholls his wicket was a good example of a batter not knowing how else to play the ball.There’s another lesson from this spell. At one stage, Wood’s figures for it were 6-2-7-3 but, understandably, Joe Root gave him an extra over. It cost eight. Wood really does need to be used in short, sharp spells of four or five overs. With the likes of Jofra Archer or Olly Stone also in the side, that should be accommodated okay.Is Wood the right man for all circumstances? Probably not. Even at Durham, it’s noticeable that Chris Rushworth remains at least as potent a threat in Championship cricket.But on quick, flat tracks where England might otherwise look a bit toothless? Yes, he’s a role to play there. He really is the sort of bowler who could make the difference in an away Ashes series.

1pm: Lunch

Mark Wood roars in celebration after removing Henry Nicholls•Getty Images

A Mark Wood-inspired fightback lifted England off the canvas at Lord’s, even as Devon Conway continued to rewrite the record books on debut. Four wickets fell during the morning session, as New Zealand’s firm grip on proceedings loosened slightly.Conway and Henry Nicholls had initially resumed in untroubled fashion, extending their overnight partnership to 174. But Wood hustled out Nicholls shortly after he had brought up his fifty – a well-directed short ball inducing a flap to long leg – and BJ Watling, so often a one-man roadblock at No. 6, was taken at slip for 1 as England’s fast man found some seam movement to go with his pace from the Pavilion End.Ollie Robinson then trapped Colin De Grandhomme lbw, given after a review, and when Wood had Mitchell Santner caught in the covers, New Zealand had lost 4 for 6 in little more than eight overs. Conway, however, was immovable on 179 not out at lunch, the highest Test score by a male debutant in England.

12.40pm: Wood on fire

Mark Wood claimed three wickets quick succession•PA Images via Getty Images

Now Mitchell Santner has popped a catch to extra cover! New Zealand are seven down and still shy of 300 – and with the unbeaten debutant Devon Conway having scored more than half of their runs, too. Wood’s spell so far today reads 6-2-7-3, and England’s hopes of wrapping up the innings up for a manageable total have greatly increased.

12.30pm: CDG TTFN

Ollie Robinson•Getty Images

Never mind giving the bowlers the first hour… England gave it to New Zealand’s batters, but has since roared back with three wickets either side of drinks. This one required the intervention of DRS, after Colin De Grandhomme propped forward to be hit on the knee roll by Ollie Robinson. There was bat involved but it was definitely pad first, and ball-tracking showed it to be hitting middle and leg.Third wicket for the traditional seam-and-swing virtues of Robinson. Who ever said this was a flat pitch?

12.15pm: Good Wood

Another one goes, as Wood knocks over perennial opposition-thwarter BJ Watling! As well as the extra pace, Wood also found some movement off the straight here, seaming the ball up the slope as Watling aimed a clip to leg, Dom Sibley pouching a safe catch at second slip. Still some batting to come, with Colin De Grandhomme walking out at No. 7 and Mitchell Santner – who put England to the sword alongside Watling in Mount Maunganui two years ago – at No. 8, but England have clawed some ground back.

11.55am: Dislodged

Mark Wood made the breakthrough for England on the second morning•Getty Images

Mark Wood gets his reward for the hard yards, striking in his second over of the day. Henry Nicholls is the man to depart, having looked utterly unflappable for the majority of his innings… but an 85mph bumper hurried him on the pull, and Ollie Robinson continued a lively debut by taking a good running catch at long leg. That ends a stand worth 174, though the Kiwis are still flying at altitude.

11.45am: Conway out in front

ESPNcricinfo Ltd

A clip off the pads for two and Devon Conway moved to the highest score by a Test debutant in England – Ranjitsinhji, WG Grace, Peter May and Sourav Ganguly the next four names on the list. Fair effort this.

11.35am: Bowling dry? Nice try

Stuart Broad and James Anderson hatch a plan•Getty Images

Well, England might have been hoping to “control the game, control the scoring”, as Wood put it – but they’ve not had much success so far, with Conway and Nicholls ticking along at roughly a run a minute during the first half an hour or so. Anderson delivered a maiden but then conceded driven boundaries in consecutive overs to Conway, while Broad and Joe Root seemingly couldn’t decide on their plan after another four went down to third man: one fielder went out of the cordon, then was brought halfway in; second slip was moved to midwicket and back again. In the end, not much changed.Ollie Robinson has now replaced Anderson from the Nursery End, the second new ball still only 14 overs old. But NZ’s fourth-wicket pair currently have the sun on their backs and a gentle breeze in their sails.

11.15am: Fifty for Nicholls

Henry Nicholls reached 50 early on the second morning•Getty Images

A crisp punch down the ground off Broad, the ball rolling gently up the slope towards the pavilion, takes Nicholls to a compact half-century. He has played his part to perfection so far, continuing a run of fine form that began with a career-best 174 versus West Indies in December.Conway, meanwhile, has pinged a couple of sumptuous drives through the covers off Anderson, and is closing in on the highest score by a Test debutant in England – only WG and Ranji above him, as things stand.NZ straight back up to cruising speed this morning.

11.05am: You Have to Answer

4:19

Henry Nicholls: Kohli or Babar’s cover drive?

Conway has survived a maiden from James Anderson, starting from the Nursery End again this morning. Stuart Broad is back in harness, too. Henry Nicholls, meanwhile, resumes in sight of a half-century – both of England’s senior seamers will be hoping to ask questions of him, though nothing so fiendish as “Kohli or Babar”, you’d imagine.

10.55am: Back to Plan A… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Mark Wood: ready to pounce•PA Photos/Getty Images

England’s Mark Wood, one of those fast bowlers who’s got to strap on the spikes again today, has been speaking before play about the experience of bowling to Devon Conway – the two had a decent scrap, with Wood upping the pace and hitting Conway a couple of times, only for the batter to come through unscathed.”He played some amazing shots, to play the way he did on debut was outstanding. Was a thorn in my side all day, I never felt we were on top of him. Hopefully he’s a little bit tired today, or more tired than we are and we can get him early on. We’ve got plans in the dressing room, as we do for every batsman, Plan A, Plan B. But unfortunately Plan A, B, C, D and E didn’t quite work yesterday, so maybe start on Plan A again and see if that works.”Wood admitted it was “a tough day overall”, but said England would be aiming to control the scoring and continue to chip away. Of his own bowling, which saw the speed gun up at 96mph, he suggested that the number in the wickets column was more important.”If we can get a couple of quick wickets this morning, the whole complexion of the match changes – they could easily have been 300-320 [yesterday] with Lord’s being fast-scoring. It was very difficult [to find] the [right] length on this wicket. At Lord’s we’ve talked about being fuller and trying to hit the knee roll, but actually the fuller length seemed to bring Conway [into it], some of his drives were beautiful. So this morning, drag that length back, still hitting the top of the stumps, I think that’ll be key.”When it’s clicking you certainly feel it – but I’d rather bowl slower and get five wickets. The key today is not how quickly I bowl but how well I bowl, can I get some wickets and get us back in the game. I’m giving it everything I’ve got, as the speed gun suggests. If I keep giving it my all, hopefully I’ll get the rewards today.

10.35am: Conway Part Deux

Hello, and good morning. Hope you bounced out of bed like a man sitting on 136 not out overnight… rather than a fast bowler who’s shortly got to pull their boots on and go again. If a certain Danish brewer made Test debuts, they’d still have had to pull out all the stops for Devon Conway. A century in whites for the Black Caps, almost four years after setting off on the road from Gauteng to Wellington – Conway admitted last night it was more than he could ever had dreamed of. But his fun’s not over yet, and England’s footsore seamers are going to have to have another crack, with New Zealand already well placed and looking for a first-innings position from which they can dictate the game.

Dhawan, bowlers lead Sunrisers' cruise

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:30

‘Mumbai should not experiment more for playoffs’

Sunrisers Hyderabad rode on a counter-attacking second-wicket partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Moises Henriques to outplay Mumbai Indians and keep their playoff chances alive. Dhawan and Henriques walloped a stand of 91 that came off just 11 overs as Sunrisers razed a target of 139 with 10 balls to spare and maintained their stronghold at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium with their sixth win in seven matches at the ground.The win was set up as their bowlers exploited a sluggish pitch to stifle Mumbai. That the visiting team was able to recover to 138 was down to their captain Rohit Sharma, who played an innings of class and poise to give his team a chance.Sunrisers’ position on the table remained unchanged, but they stayed afloat as the race to the playoffs got tighter. The win also brought the curtains down on Delhi Daredevils who do not stand to qualify for the final four anymore.Switched on, switched offSunrisers oscillated between sharp and lax in the early exchanges. Their bowlers made good use of a slow surface where shot-making wasn’t at its easiest. Bhuvneshwar Kumar set the tone with a tight first over. And with Mohammad Nabi following suit, it took 10 deliveries for Mumbai to crack. Lendl Simmons lost his middle stump, swinging wildly and missing a quicker, non-turning offbreak from Nabi. Mumbai were 4 for 1 after two overs.Mohammed Siraj undid some of that good work next over, when Parthiv Patel and Nitish Rana capitalised on poor lines and lengths to punish him for 16. The surge, however, was short-lived. While Nabi got a few to stop and turn, the odd ball kept the pacers interested as well. Siddarth Kaul got a shorter one to hurry on to Rana, who lobbed a catch to mid-off trying to fetch a pull. Kaul’s next ball wasn’t too dissimilar. This time Parthiv played the line, but couldn’t keep the slap down, picking out point where Vijay Shankar let it burst through. Fortunately for Sunrisers, they weren’t left to rue the chance, as Kaul took pace off and Parthiv chipped a knuckle ball to long-on two overs later.Rohit bats on a different planeBefore Monday, Rohit had faced 37 balls of legspin and scored just 35 while perishing four times. On Monday, off the first ball he faced from Rashid Khan, he deftly used the width to guide him through third man for four. Then, with Mumbai having limped to 59 for 3 at the halfway stage, Rohit broke the shackles by going against the spin of Rashid, launching him over long-on for six. Overall, he collected 16 runs off the 11 balls he faced from the legspinner.Rohit then settled into a beautiful rhythm. That he rarely played across the line showed how well he had read the pace of the surface. His three fours off Moises Henriques in the 14th over further demonstrated his class. When Henriques took pace off, Rohit picked it early and pierced the cover region; when Henriques banged it in at pace, Rohit calmly opened the face to steer it into the gap.Unlike Rohit, the rest of Mumbai’s batsmen struggled against Rashid. Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard, especially, hardly picked him. Hardik, who had helped Rohit stitch together 60 for the fourth wicket, tried to slog his way out and skewed a top-edge to cover. But Rohit continued to pinch singles and find the boundary. By the time he fell, he had struck over 50% of his team’s runs. Following his dismissal, Mumbai added just 12 more off 11 balls and lost two wickets.Big loss, big hittingWith Sunrisers desperately in search of a win, Mitchell McClenaghan pinged the back pad of David Warner first ball of the second over. Pressure on. But Mumbai conceded the early advantage through poor bowling. They hardly made an effort to take the pace off the ball. To Mumbai’s misfortune, the pitch did ease up in the second innings for the batsmen. It compounded the shorter lengths they tried out as Dhawan and Henriques relished the pace and picked their areas.Dhawan’s sixes over long-on off Karn Sharma – a muscular heave to a fuller one from outside the crease and a flat-batted shovel to a shorter one – showed how well he had sussed out the pace of the surface. Henriques, on the other hand, impressed with his strokeplay off the back and front foot. Successive fours off Malinga in the 11th over – to a full-toss and a shorter one – exposed the predictability of Mumbai’s bowling.When Henriques fell to a slower offcutter from Bumrah, shortly after Harbhajan had put down a return catch, Sunrisers were left with 41 to get off 47. And though Yuvraj Singh struggled with an injured finger, Dhawan closed out the game without undue risks.

Mills, Rashid Khan included in CPL draft

by csb10.top Uncategorized

England T20 specialist Tymal Mills and a clutch of Afghanistan players – including IPL-bound Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi – are among the high-profile names to be included in the draft for this year’s Caribbean Premier League.Mills, who was picked up for USD1.8m in the IPL auction last month, is one of four English players in the draft, alongside former Test spinner Monty Panesar. Mills’ availability is likely to be limited, however, as there is significant overlap between the CPL – scheduled to run from August 1 to September 9 – and the NatWest Blast, England’s domestic T20 tournament which this year takes place in July and August, with Finals Day on September 2.Rashid and Nabi are joined by compatriots Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai and Najibullah Zadran. There are a number of other Associate players in the mix, including Canada’s Rizwan Cheema and Ruvindu Gunasekera; George Dockrell, Kevin O’Brien and Niall O’Brien from Ireland; Oman’s Sufyan Mehmood and Zishawn Qureshi of the USA.Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are all well represented in the 258-player pool, ahead of the draft scheduled for March 10.The list also includes a number of local players looking to be picked up, including two-time World T20 winner Marlon Samuels. Those retained by their franchises, as well as marquee players, will be announced separately.”T20 is capturing the world of cricket by storm, and with the huge numbers of talented players from across the cricketing world eager to sign up to the biggest party in sport, I’ve no doubt that the 2017 season will be our best yet,” Tom Moody, the CPL’s director of international cricket, said.”In attracting the cream of international talent from a healthy blend of established and fast-developing nations, it extends the growing international appeal of the sport and of the Hero CPL itself, and I have no doubt that we are going to see a hugely contested player draft in Barbados on March 10th.”

Kohli's India brace for England's power

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Match facts

Sunday, January 15, 2017
Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT)5:46

Agarkar: Can’t leave out Yuvraj after picking him in the squad

Big picture

The cricketing gods must be crazy. We are living in an era where India are regularly winning Test series 3-0 and 4-0, having done so only twice in their history until 2012. In ODIs, on the other hand, they are not starting as favourites in a series against even after beating them 4-0 in Tests. England are not the clear favourites either, but it says a lot about their metamorphosis since the 2015 World Cup that they start on even terms against a side that has beaten them in four of the last five bilateral ODI series and is 17-8 in recent ODI cricket between them. And England are not apologetic about pushing the boundaries in ODIs independent of how the Test side is performing.India and MS Dhoni have recognised that they, for a change, need motivation from their Test side. That the split captaincy doesn’t work. So Virat Kohli, who has tasted early success in Tests, takes over an ODI side that is desperately in need of new ideas and match-winners in the middle order.England have batting match-winners all the way down. Which is why they keep coming at you with the big shots, the switch hits and the reverse-sweeps. India will look to bat more clinically, relying as they do on a smaller base of batsmen, especially given Rohit Sharma’s absence. Either way there will be runs. A lot of them.The contest, though, will come down to the bowlers. One spell of 10 overs for 45 runs or one extra wicket in the middle overs. England will rely more on discipline of their pace bowlers, India on the spinners. A flat pitch will give England the advantage, and the slightest hint of slowness or turn will give India control. The day-night warm-up match played at the Brabourne Stadium between an England XI and India A showed a lot of what to expect: Chris Woakes and David Willey were tight at the start, keeping India A down to 304, and India A came back in their defence through the spin of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. England XI scored 156 for 1 off the 24.5 overs bowled by the quicks, and 148 for 6 in 24 overs of spin.The pitches for ODIs, though, are generally flat. And India wouldn’t necessarily want too much help for the spinners: they wouldn’t want to be chasing 250 on turning pitches, as demonstrated in the defeats against New Zealand in Delhi and Ranchi, and Adil Rashid cannot be underestimated in ODIs. Early starts to the matches – 1.30pm as opposed to 2.30pm in earlier years – should make dew and the toss less of a factor. Hopefully.

Form guide

India WLWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLWLWEoin Morgan comes into the series with scores of 3 and 0 in the warm-up games•AFP

In the spotlight

Dhoni has had his share of eulogies. Now the attention must shift to Virat Kohli. He operates differently to India’s most successful limited-overs captain. His first call of duty will be to deal with Dhoni’s batting order. Will he give Dhoni a long stint at No. 4 and start looking for other finishers? What plans does he have for Yuvraj Singh? How is he going to utilise his Test talisman R Ashwin, who had seemingly fallen out of favour with Dhoni in the final stages of his captaincy? Does Ajinkya Rahane have a place in India’s ODI plans when everybody is fit? And Kohli will have to keep winning matches with the bat while he does all that thinking.Kohli’s counterpart Eoin Morgan, on the other hand, is going through a bit of a Dhoni patch in a batting line-up full of power hitters. He is often required in pressure situations and during good times he hardly gets enough balls to face to register big innings. His last century came in June 2015, he has averaged 38.00 since then and has won one match award in 25 matches. These numbers by themselves shouldn’t put him under pressure, but he has scored 3 and a golden duck in the tour games after Sam Billings impressed as his replacement when he opted out of the Bangladesh tour. He too will now have decisions and runs to make.

Team news

India’s squad looks completely different to the one that beat New Zealand 3-2. The two Test spinners are back, and Yuvraj is part of the 15 too. Looking at England’s struggle against spin in practice games, India could look to stack the side up with batsmen who bowl part-time spin. Manish Pandey could make way for Yuvraj but where does the man in irrepressible form, KL Rahul, fit? One way out could be to give up on Hardik Pandya or Umesh Yadav and rely on Yuvraj and Kedar Jadhav for 10 overs. Otherwise one out of the returning Rahane, Rahul and the returning Shikhar Dhawan might have to sit out. And does Kohli make the call of sitting out Amit Mishra, the spinner who took five wickets in his last ODI, just because the Test spinners are back?India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Ajinkya Rahane/ KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 MS Dhoni (wk), 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin/ Amit Mishra, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Jasprit BumrahAs they suggested with their line-ups in the warm-up games, England could look to play six batsmen, including the allrounder Ben Stokes and the wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, and five bowlers. This means they might have to make more than one difficult decision, and leave out both Sam Billings, who scored a match-winning 93 in the first warm-up game, as well as the in-form Jonny Bairstow. England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Jos Buttler (wk), 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 David Willey, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Liam Plunkett/Liam DawsonAmit Mishra took a five-for in his last ODI, but may have to sit out this one with R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja back in India’s squad•Associated Press

Pitch and conditions

The pitch is expected to be a regular ODI surface where 300 from both sides cannot be counted out. Two days before the match India’s coach Anil Kumble said there hadn’t been any dew until 7.30pm but you cannot be certain in this time of year in India when dew usually affects day-night games. If the dew does show up at around 8pm, it still has an hour and a half to play havoc in, and the last 90 minutes of an ODI can often sway the result.

Stats and trivia

  • In four matches against India, Alex Hales averages 23 and has struck at 68.65 per 100 balls as against corresponding overall numbers of 37.77 and 94.49. In 2014, India choked his off-side game by cramping him with straight inswingers.
  • England have won only one bilateral series in India in eight attempts, back in 1984.
  • This is only the second ODI at this venue: in the first, Australia scored 304 and defended comfortably.

Quotes

I was actually pretty delighted to be given the captaincy for all the three formats. It adds to the responsibility and makes you a better player, a better person; that’s something I have always liked that aspect of captaincy.
You wake up on the weekend and all you wanted to do was play cricket. You look out the window and hope the sun was shining. So that kind of attitude is very important. It’s a nice way to play cricket regardless of you win, lose or draw.

Having freed-up Dhoni around a 'win-win situation', says Kohli

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India’s newly appointed limited-overs captain Virat Kohli has said having MS Dhoni in the team without the responsibility of leadership will be a “win-win situation” for India and himself. In an interview with the BCCI website the day after he was named captain, Kohli also said he feels “confident” taking charge in the shorter formats given his understanding of them, and is “excited” to build a team for the 2019 World Cup.”It’s a win-win situation for the captain coming in to still have Dhoni for his advice, his inputs and his cricketing brain,” he said. “But what I’m most happy about is that he’ll be able to play free cricket and express himself as the aggressive MS Dhoni we knew when he first came into the team. As a player, responsibility can take that away from you. I think it’s time he enjoys his cricket because he has taken so much burden for the country.”Dhoni stepped down as India captain on Wednesday, after a nine-year stint in the role. Kohli had been his long-time vice-captain.Kohli said he and Dhoni shared a good relationship, and Dhoni had been grooming him for the role of captain. “I’ve learnt a lot from him in terms of leadership and conducting myself. When you think ‘Dhoni’, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘captain’. For me he’s always going to be my captain because I started my career under him. He will always be the guy who guided me, who gave me opportunities, who gave me ample time and space to grow as a cricketer, who saved me from getting dropped many a time.”There’s a lot of mutual respect between us because he understands that having been given the opportunity, I have actually worked hard on my game and improved the mental side of things. We share a great friendship and I couldn’t be luckier to have him around for his ideas.”It’s something I’ve been preparing for in my own head, and MS has been talking to me as well about strategies, how to approach situations, etc because he also understood how important it is to guide me.”Dhoni’s spot in the batting order has been a point of wider debate of late, with some suggesting it would be best for him at this later stage of his career to bat up the order and guide the innings instead of taking on the mental and physical demands of finishing games. Kohli, too, said he would like to have Dhoni batting up the order. “I would love to see him bat higher up than he has been for the last few years and totally enjoy his cricket. If MS Dhoni enjoys his cricket and plays the way he did in his initial years, then the team is in a very solid space.””I’ll be able to execute plans with more conviction starting off [as limited-overs captain], which wasn’t the case when I became Test captain”•ICC

Kohli said he thought he was better prepared for the limited-overs captaincy than he was when he took over in Tests in January 2015; then, Dhoni had retired from the longest format midway through India’s tour to Australia, captaining on Boxing Day but handing over to Kohli for the New Year’s Test. At that point, Kohli had played 32 Tests. Now, he has 176 ODIs and 45 T20Is behind him.”I feel confident taking it up because of the kind of cricket I’ve played in the shorter format and what I’ve learnt from playing in the different situations in that format. So I’ll be able to execute plans with more conviction starting off, which wasn’t the case when I became Test captain.”I was told a day before that MS is not going to play… and I’m going to captain the country; it was quite surprising for me because, in my head, I was still finding my feet in Test cricket.”Kohli said captaining India at the 2019 World Cup will be the “biggest achievement of my life”, but, even while preparing for that tournament, he would not want to lose sight of playing to win in every game. Winning, he said, would be the best preparation.”Just hearing about the World Cup gives me goosebumps. I think it’s a wonderful phase in Indian cricket where the youngsters have an opportunity to come in and seal their spots for that big occasion. The main goal is to identify players who can play in different positions and can work around the batsmen who’ve been featuring in the ODI set up for a long time, at the same time giving them ample time to prepare for those big events and not rush them into any kinds of plans that they can’t execute.”[But] there is a lot of time to go for it. Our basic goal is to win every game that we play – not taking this process for granted, saying it doesn’t matter if we win or lose games. I don’t think that will create confidence.”When you’re put under pressure, that situation is too overwhelming for a lot of people and you don’t know a way out. But if you’re encountering those situations and know how to win from different situations, it makes a mindset for big tournaments, for big games, for big oppositions and that’s what you start craving for. So I think it’s a gradual process where the main aim will be to win games and give guys the vision and mental strength, and the ability to counter situations and come back and win games.”Being in charge, Kohli said, has made him a better cricketer overall. “Responsibility has always been good for my game, in the sense that there’s no room for complacency. In the IPL, when I’m captain [of Royal Challengers Bangalore], it’s very easy for me throw my wicket away after 60-70, but the reason I push on is that I realise as captain I need to set an example, make that kind of effort before I can ask the same from others. That’s something I’ve always believed in.”It makes me a better player, it makes me a better person, it makes me understand the game more and it makes me much more focused on the game – understand the minute details that win or lose you the game. It works beautifully for me.”

Scorchers flick the furnace back on

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Scorecard
Mitchell Johnson took three wickets to rip through the Strikers’ middle order•Getty Images

Perth Scorchers opened their Big Bash season with a 48-run win at the WACA, racking up 197 for 7 before holding the Adelaide Strikers to 149 for 9 in reply. Ian Bell and Mitchell Marsh drove the innings past the halfway mark before Ashton Turner finished it off with an unbeaten 44 off 19 balls.Ben Dunk and Jay Weatherald had put on a partnership of 133 in Adelaide’s so-nearly run chase against Brisbane Heat two days earlier, but they contributed one run between them against Perth. David Willey got them both after opening the bowling, and after three overs of the chase Adelaide were 2 for 7. That slipped to 3 for 15 in the last ball of the fourth when Travis Head nicked Jhye Richardson behind off an extravagant cut.Brad Hodge played a gem in resistance, including four consecutive fours off Richardson after the fall of Head, a cover slash for four to welcome Mitchell Johnson back to competitive cricket, and a top-edged flick for six off Andrew Tye. But Johnson got Kieron Pollard that same over, and Hodge’s eventual 56 off 33 balls wasn’t enough.Bell tolled you soIan Bell was in ordinary form when he was squeezed out of the England Test team, but that middle order hasn’t had a convincing replacement since. It may seem far-fetched to suggest that a good BBL could vault him back into the reckoning, but it wouldn’t hurt his cause.Bell’s first ball in the BBL was dropped by Weatherald at midwicket from a top-edged pull, but thereafter the new signing was a picture of composure and class. English batsmen are supposed to struggle with the bounce of Australian pitches, but Bell’s cross-bat shots were a feature of his innings. The highlight, though, was his cover drive for six off one-time England teammate Chris Jordan. Bell was out in the 16th over, and his 61 off 42 balls had set up the match.The engine room deliversWith Bell steaming along like a well-tended bain marie, Marsh came out to join him at 2 for 64 in the eighth. Another player recently dumped from his country’s Test team, Marsh came good with a couple of massive sixes in his 31 from 19 balls.By the time he fell it was 3 for 121 in the 13th over, a platform was set. Turner hit four sixes and two fours to build it skywards, and the resultant scoreboard pressure undid the Strikers from the first over of their chase.If you can’t win tough, win funnyPerth crowds have quickly become accustomed to success during the Big Bash, and didn’t smile much at missing out last year.They managed a good laugh during the end of their batting innings, though, as Ashton Agar slapped a single towards cover and tried to come back for a second. There was not even half a run there and the allrounder should have been run out by yards. Instead, as he watched helplessly, wicketkeeper Dunk couldn’t handle the throw. It went through his gloves to backward point where it was kicked even further away on the slide, and a single plus a wicket had instead become three runs and no dismissal. Commentators called for the Benny Hill music, and the orange-clad throng in the crowd lapped up every second.Strikers teeter early, Scorchers solidify Two adverse results, and the Strikers are in early trouble. They haven’t managed to chase successfully from two attempts this season and now they have to wait for New Year’s Eve for their next chance at home against Sydney Sixers.A good start for Perth though, with all the confidence that will flow from an early win in which all departments excelled – Johnson with three wickets, new boy Bell with runs, and Marsh showing that he isn’t downcast after his Australian troubles. A trip to Sydney two days after Christmas to tackle the Sixers is next.

Taylor confident of coping with vision issues in Hamilton

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He has been cleared to play in Hamilton, and doctors are confident he will recover well, but Ross Taylor admits the experience of going into a Test match with doubts over his vision was a galling one. Taylor had received news that the pterygium on his left eye had worsened the day before he went out to bat in the previous Test.A batsman who has had his run of form – he averaged 14.83 in the Tests in India and scored only three runs in three Test innings in South Africa – may have had doubts about his game in any case; the optometrists’ diagnosis only added to them.”When you play and miss your first couple of balls after seeing an optometrist, there are some interesting things that go through your mind,” Taylor said. “Finding out during the Test match was a little bit distracting mentally. Eyes are pretty important. Hopefully I can come back and get back to the form I was in a few years ago.”Taylor has had the pterygium – a growth on the tissue that lines the eyelids – for “five or six years”, but has seen it deteriorate over the past few months. He had initially noticed it hindering his play in a Test in Brisbane last year. Having received eye drops on that occasion, he went on to score a career-best 290 in Perth. He will now require surgery to remove the pterygium, however, and a recovery period of four to six weeks will follow.”The surgery involves cutting your eye, and cutting the growth,” he said. “Then they’ll take a little bit from under the eyelid and glue it in so the growth doesn’t come back.”With any operation there’s always a chance that things don’t go as well as possible. The surgeon I talked to last night was pretty confident that the recovery time is as we had said. After four to six weeks there could be a period when it does deteriorate a little bit, but hopefully I can get it back after a little while.”Taylor is confident his vision remains good enough to play the Hamilton match, though he does expect criticism of the decision should he fail.”All the tests said I had very good vision – I guess the growth was just coming across. I prepared to play, even before I saw the specialists. I am looking forward to this Test. I can’t say I’m looking forward to the operation, given what it entails, but I’m sure I’ll get over it.”Among the challenges Taylor will have to overcome will be swing and seam movement, given the colour of the pitch the teams will play on, and the wet forecast for the first three days. With New Zealand surfaces having become increasingly seam-friendly over the past few years, the hosts’ batsmen have begun to relish playing on them, Taylor said.”There’s been a mindset change in the team. In the last three or four years we’ve always played on green seamers, or wickets that have got a little bit in it for the seam bowlers. The way the guys train – a few years ago no one would have wanted to go and bat in the green net. But now, in the green net in Hamilton – all the boys want to go and bat in that to test themselves out. There’s no use going to bat on a flat wicket when you know the ball’s going to do a bit out there on day one and two.”

County ins and outs 2017

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ESPNcricinfo keeps you up to date with all the player movements ahead of the 2017 seasonRilee Rossouw has joined Hampshire on a Kolpak deal•Getty Images

DerbyshireIN: Hardus Viljoen (Kolpak), Gary Wilson (Surrey), Luis Reece (Lancashire), Daryn Smit (SA, Kolpak).
OUT: Neil Broom (NZ), Callum Parkinson (Leicestershire), Chesney Hughes (released), Andy Carter (retired)
OVERSEAS: Jeevan Mendis (SL, April-June), Imran Tahir (SA, June-September), Matt Henry (NZ, T20)DurhamIN: Cameron Steel
OUT: Scott Borthwick, Mark Stoneman (both Surrey), Asher Hart (Hampshire), Gordon Muchall (retired), Phil Mustard, Calum MacLeod, Jamie Harrison, Gurman Randhawa (all released)
OVERSEAS: Stephen Cook (SA, April-July), Tom Latham (NZ, July-September)EssexIN: Varun Chopra (Warwickshire), Adam Wheater (Hampshire), Simon Harmer (Kolpak)
OUT: Graham Napier, David Masters (both retired), Jaik Mickleburgh, Tom Moore (both released)
OVERSEAS: Mohammad Amir (Pak, June-September), Neil Wagner (NZ, April-June)GlamorganIN: Marchant de Lange, arry Podmore (short-term loan, Middlesex)
OUT: James Kettleborough, Dewi Penrhyn Jones (both released), Mark Wallace (retired)
OVERSEAS: Jacques Rudolph (SA)GloucestershireIN: Phil Mustard (Durham)
OUT: Tom Hampton (released)
OVERSEAS: Michael Klinger, Cameron Bancroft, Andrew Tye (T20) (all Aus)HampshireIN: Kyle Abbott, Rilee Rossouw (both SA, Kolpak), Asher Hart (Durham), Fraser Hay
OUT: Adam Wheater (Essex), James Tomlinson, Andy Carter (both retired), Joe Weatherley (Kent, loan)
OVERSEAS: George Bailey (Aus)KentIN: Will Gidman (Nottinghamshire), Joe Weatherley (Hampshire, loan), James Harris (Middlesex, loan)
OUT: David Griffith, Sam Weller (both released), Fabian Cowdrey (retired)
OVERSEAS: TBCLancashireIN: Dane Vilas (SA, Kolpak), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI, Kolpak), Brooke Guest
OUT: Tom Smith (retired), Nathan Buck (Northamptonshire), Gareth Griffiths (Leicestershire), Luis Reece (Derbyshire), George Edwards, Alviro Petersen (both released),
OVERSEAS: Ryan McLaren (SA), Junaid Khan (Pak, T20)LeicestershireIN: Gareth Griffiths (Lancashire), Callum Parkinson (Derbyshire), Richard Jones (Warwickshire), James Burke (loan, Surrey), Dieter Klein, Colin Ackermann (both European passport)
OUT: Jigar Naik, Ollie Freckingham, Michael Burgess, Atif Sheikh, Rob Taylor, Niall O’Brien (all released)
OVERSEAS: Clint McKay (Aus), Luke Ronchi (Pak, T20), Cameron Delport (SA, T20)MiddlesexIN:
OUT: Andrew Balbirnie (released), Max Holden (loan, Northants), James Harris (loan, Kent), Harry Podmore (loan, Glamorgan), Cameron Steel (Durham)
OVERSEAS: Brendon McCullum (NZ, T20), Adam Voges (Aus)NorthamptonshireIN: Nathan Buck (Lancashire), Max Holden (loan, Middlesex)
OUT: Olly Stone (Warwickshire)
OVERSEAS: Rory Kleinveldt (SA), Seekkuge Prasanna (T20)NottinghamshireIN: Ben Kitt
OUT: Will Gidman (Kent), Sam Wood (released)
OVERSEAS: James Pattinson (Aus), Daniel Christian (Aus, T20), Ish Sodhi (NZ, T20)SomersetIN: Steven Davies (Surrey), George Bartlett
OUT: Chris Rogers (retired), Alex Barrow (released)
OVERSEAS: Dean Elgar (SA)SurreyIN: Scott Borthwick, Mark Stoneman (both Durham), Kevin Pietersen (T20)
OUT: Steven Davies (Somerset), Gary Wilson (Derbyshire), James Burke (loan, Leicestershire), Azhar Mahmood (released)
OVERSEAS: Kumar Sangakkara (SL), Aaron Finch (Aus, T20), Moises Henriques (T20)SussexIN: Laurie Evans (Warwickshire), Jofra Archer (UK passport), Stiaan van Zyl, David Wiese (both SA, Kolpak)
OUT: Craig Cachopa, Fynn Hudson-Prentice (both released), Lewis Hatchett (retired)
OVERSEAS: Vernon Philander (SA, April-June), Ross Taylor (NZ, T20)WarwickshireIN: Olly Stone (Northamptonshire), Grant Elliott (NZ, Kolpak, T20)
OUT: Varun Chopra (Essex), Laurie Evans (Sussex), Richard Jones (Leicestershire), Recordo Gordon, Jonathan Webb, Freddie Coleman (all released)
OVERSEAS: Jeetan Patel (NZ), Colin de Grandhomme (NZ, T20)WorcestershireIN:
OUT: Chris Russell (released)
OVERSEAS: John Hastings (injured, arrival uncertain), Mitchell Santner (T20, NZ)YorkshireIN: Azeem Rafiq
OUT: Andrew Gale (retired)
OVERSEAS: Peter Handscomb (Aus), Travis Head (Aus, T20)

'We need to apply pressure for longer' – Williamson

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Amid the disappointment of having lost a Test, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson felt the team had the skill to compete but has asked his team-mates to apply them for much longer durations. There were times when New Zealand had India under pressure, the batsmen combating unfamiliar conditions, but such is the dominance of India’s spinners in their own conditions that New Zealand still lost by a whopping 197 runs. Williamson identified the breaks in concentration as something that could be improved despite the short turnover involved while playing three back-to-back Tests.”On the scorecard it looks like a biggish defeat, but there were a couple of moments that I would reflect on as where the game turned slightly more in their favour,” he said. “The back end of our first innings with the bat and certainly when we bowled in the second innings there was probably a three-hour period where we didn’t bowl very well and they got away from us. It’s a combination of us not quite being at our best at certain times, and they played very well.”New Zealand lost the toss in Kanpur but had competed with India evenly for the first six sessions. They had five wickets in hand and a first-innings lead was only 63 runs away when they collapsed from 255 for 5 to 262 all out. India ended up with a 56-run advantage – which is as good as 150 in these conditions – and it showed in how demoralised the New Zealand bowlers were in the second innings, and how freely the India batsmen were able to score.”Obviously, whenever you lose it’s disappointing,” Williamson said, “but credit certainly has to go to India. They’re a good side, particularly in their home conditions and they showed that again. In saying that, there are certainly positives for us to take from this Test into the next one. The way Mitch Santner played, and Luke Ronchi, coming back into the side [making 38 and 80] were a couple of highlights. As a unit we want to be able to apply that pressure for longer, which isn’t always easy in this part of the world against a side like India. But it’s certainly a challenge for us moving forward.”New Zealand have three days left for the next Test in Kolkata. They would need to recover physically, and then figure out ways to be better, both individually and as a team.”The first thing is the guys need to recover well,” Williamson said. “There were a lot of good things to come out of this game, and for a number of players it is their first time batting in these sort of conditions. There will be a lot of lessons learnt, reflecting on those and looking to apply the skills that worked for a period of time for a lot longer. That’s certainly what the Indian players do, it is very important.”[R] Ashwin and [Ravindra] Jadeja are both very good bowlers but there were a lot of positives for us,” Williamson said. “Guys who hadn’t played here before spent some valuable time in the middle and made some valuable contributions. Mitch Santner for one and Luke Ronchi another who certainly showed they had the skill-sets to perform well in these conditions. I do think it’s applying ourselves for longer.”As he had said in the lead-up to the Kanpur Test, Williamson pointed out how his team could learn from India. “It is a challenge against a very good attack but they [the New Zealand players] have got the skill-sets, and it’s being able to stick to it for a lot longer. That is the same with the ball for our young spin attack, who are extremely talented. Being over here in these hot conditions, being able to remain focussed for a long period because you know if you put the ball in the area for long enough, you’ll get your rewards. That’s what the Indian team showed us.”One of the reasons for Williamson hoping New Zealand could put up a better fight as the series wore on was Santner, who became the first player from his country to aggregate more than 100 runs and five wickets in a Test since 2011.”He played outstandingly well,” Williamson said. “It’s his first time in this part of the world playing Test cricket, and it was a great step in the right direction for his game. We all know he has got the talent with bat and ball and in the field. To apply himself like he did and bowl a number of overs and be successful was very good against good players of spin. It was a huge positive for us. He’ll look forward to the next one, and I’m sure he’s learnt a lot from this experience.”Martin Guptill, on the other hand, had an underwhelming Test with 21 in the first innings and a duck in the second. Williamson didn’t say if Guptill’s position was in threat yet. “This game has just finished so we get to sit down and talk about whatever the team may be for the next one and what balance will go in with. In the first innings, he got off to a good start and was perhaps a bit unfortunate in the second innings, but he has certainly shown his class in the white-ball format and we are backing him to show that in the red-ball [format]. He is working hard at his game and looking to improve. It isn’t the easiest of places to play sometimes. We’ll sit down in the next day or two and look at the side we might go with.”

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