All posts by n8rngtd.top

An all-round effort from Otago helped them beat Central Districts by six wickets in the opening clash of the 2015-16 George Pie Super Smash in New Plymouth

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2015An all-round effort from Otago helped them beat Central Districts by six wickets in the opening clash of the 2015-16 George Pie Super Smash in New Plymouth.Central Districts were in disarray at 26 for 3, before Tom Bruce took charge. He hit six fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 51-ball 82 to repair the early damage, before a slew of wickets resulted in the final total of 139 for 8, a total lesser than they would have anticipated after opting to bat. Right-arm seamer Warren Barnes, on his Twenty20 debut, returned figures of 3 for 33 in his four overs.Otago’s chase was propelled by Anaru Kitchen (47) and Neil Broom (29), who added 74 for the first wicket before medium-pacer Andrew Mathieson put the brakes on with three quick wickets. But Brad Wilson (23 not out) and Nathan McCullum (22 off 11) helped Otago steer clear of the asking rate as they got past the target with 17 balls to spare.

Peter Siddle and Trent Boult enjoyed playing in front of almost 50,000 people but reserved judgment on the pink ball and day-night Tests

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide27-Nov-2015Sceptical players felt the buzz of Adelaide’s biggest Test crowd since the Bodyline series but will reserve judgment on the pink ball and the day-night format until the end of a match that has already shown what is possible for cricket’s future.The gathering of 47,441 swelled notably as day bled into night, with the provision of $20 “twilight” tickets a major plus for spectators arriving after work. Both Peter Siddle and Trent Boult noted the momentous feeling of the day, but equally maintained the view that this is not Test cricket as they have known it, largely due to the behaviour of the pink ball.There was a marked contest in good conditions for batting across the day. The ball barely moved in the air in the afternoon but bent around corners in the hands of Boult and Tim Southee in the final session under lights. Boult said the game had panned out more or less as expected, with the ball closer in characteristic to the white variety than the red. He also said that with New Zealand already planning their own pink-ball Test for next summer, he wanted to see more of this match before finalising his judgment.”We need to see a bit more of it, to be honest,” Boult said. “It was a great buzz out there, everyone could see that and it’s amazing to be playing Test cricket in front of 50,000-odd people. We’ve got to see how this one goes and pans out, but it definitely is exciting for Test match cricket.”I’ve had a couple of hit-outs with it during the day and at night, and the findings are it does tend to change a lot under lights and in the last session, it definitely swung around a little bit with the new ball and there was still a shade of it with it 22 overs old now. It is a different game under lights and we’ve got to come back tomorrow and hope to put a bit more pressure on them.”For Siddle, the fact he took his 200th Test wicket with a pink ball rather than a red ball seemed insignificant next to the fact he had done it in front of such a large and enthusiastic crowd. “That was the exciting thing for the boys, the atmosphere was amazing,” he said. “I think from early on until the end of play there, the crowd was upbeat, especially when we were on a roll and getting a few wickets [and] especially walking down after the 200 down to the crowd on the boundary and the cheer.”It was exciting for everyone. The Adelaide Test match has always been one of my favourites and to play it with a crowd like that definitely surprised a few boys, I think. We haven’t spoken too much about it yet, in time through this Test match there may be a bit more spoken about it, maybe tomorrow morning and all that. But it was a great day, wasn’t it? I think everyone here that came and witnessed what went on will be very impressed just with the whole experience.”It [the pink ball] was slightly different to the red ball, you didn’t get much swing early on but there was a bit of seam movement throughout the day, so a lot of comparisons with how it is with the white ball, but cricket in general, it was supported well here, and I’m sure it would have been on TV and all over the world. I think for cricket it’s definitely been a great day.”

Jason Holder, the West Indies captain, said his team would take heart from the efforts of Darren Bravo, Kraigg Brathwaite and also James Pattinson in trying to regather from a humiliating defeat to Australia in the first Test in Hobart

Daniel Brettig12-Dec-20151:22

‘Look to the past for inspiration’ – Holder

Jason Holder, the West Indies captain, said his team would take heart from the efforts of Darren Bravo, Kraigg Brathwaite and also James Pattinson in trying to regather from a humiliating defeat to Australia in the first Test in Hobart.Bravo and Brathwaite excelled with a pair of fine innings that stood in stark contrast to the horrid returns of the rest of the batting order, and Holder said their example had to be the starting point for his side’s preparation for the second Test in Melbourne from Boxing Day.”I think you need to look at inspiring performances, like how Darren Bravo played,” Holder said. “He just showed that once he applied himself and spent some time in the middle that runs could be made out there.””The way Kraigg Brathwaite played in the second innings [was impressive], a real fighting innings. He pushed for a hundred but unfortunately didn’t get it. We just need to look at those inspiring performances, and probably look back to performances where we’ve done well in the past, and just try to relive those moments and bring it into this Test series.”Holder was also disappointed with their work at the start of the Hobart Test, when they conceded 438 runs for only three wickets in 89 overs.”Obviously we weren’t good enough on the first day, plain and simple. We didn’t bowl well, we didn’t string enough good balls in pretty good areas long enough, and as a result they were scoring pretty rapidly from the get go. We obviously need to highlight that area and work on it before the second Test match.”But there are ways to recover from a bad first impression, as Pattinson did. Returning from injury and with a reworked action, he was unable to take any wickets in the first innings. But second time around, he fired out five West Indian batsmen.”Pattinson showed you can come back in the second innings and produce those kinds of spells,” Holder said. “That’s what good bowlers show, the ability to bounce back after not having the best start. We can take a page from his book and start to turn things around.”The results haven’t gone my way and it’s been tough times. But I can think back, that for a number of years West Indies cricket has been like this. I’m not making any excuses for anybody, but at the end of the day it’s a situation most of us have found ourselves in [before].”We need to find a way to pick ourselves up and turn things around. The only way we can turn it around is by performances.”

The BCCI’s ombudsman Justice AP Shah has asked Sourav Ganguly to respond, by January 28, to an allegation of conflict of interest relating to his role on the IPL governing council

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Jan-20161:46

Archive – Ganguly had nothing to do with Pune bid, says Manohar

The BCCI’s ombudsman Justice AP Shah has asked Sourav Ganguly to respond, by January 28, to an allegation of conflict of interest relating to his role on the IPL governing council. The allegation, received by Shah from a member of the public, is that Ganguly has a commercial tie-up with the RP Sanjiv Goenka group, which has a stake in the Atletico de Kolkata football club in Indian Super League (ISL) and, in December, secured the ownership rights to run the Pune franchise in the IPL.Shah has also written to BCCI president Shashank Manohar and general manager (game development), Ratnakar Shetty, seeking a BCCI response by January 27.”This letter is a formal complaint against Mr Sourav Ganguly, an administrator who is currently the President of Cricket Association of Bengal and also member of IPL Governing Council,” Mumbai-based activist Niraj Gunde wrote in an emailed letter to Shah, comprising 19 pages where he has given details of the ATK structure.”According to Wikipedia, Atletico de Kolkata (commonly abbreviated as ATK), is an Indian Super League football franchise, based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The team is owned by Kolkata Games and Sports Pvt. Ltd. which consists of former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, Spanish La Liga club Atletico Madrid, alongside businessman Harshavardhan Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka and Utsav Parekh. This means the RPG group are partners with Mr Sourav Ganguly in another commercial venture. It is a clear case of conflict of interest which was not disclosed by Mr. Sourav Ganguly when RPG group bid and won the IPL team Pune Franchise for 2 years during October/November 2015,” Gunde wrote to Shah, accessed by ESPNcricinfo.This is the first high profile case filed with Shah, who was appointed by the BCCI last November as part of reforms initiated by Manohar.In his email to Ganguly, sent on Thursday and which was also accessed by ESPNcricinfo, Shah wrote: “The Office of the Ombudsman has received an application from Mr Niraj Gunde (cc-ed) on 13.01.2016, making certain allegations regarding conflict of interest against yourself. A copy of the application, numbered Application No 1 of 2016, is attached. Please provide your response to the same within two weeks from today, i.e., by 28.01.2016.”Sourav Ganguly, president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, is also a co-owner of the football franchise Atletico de Kolkata•AFP

A similar note was dispatched to Manohar and Shetty, via an email, asking them to respond the day before the deadline set for Ganguly expires. Incidentally, Manohar had defended Ganguly when the new franchises were announced last year stating that, “According to me there is not [a conflict of interest] because this is a transparent bidding concept.”Gunde’s accusation comes close on the heels of the Lodha Committee report, which laid heavy emphasis on getting rid of various conflict-of-interest situations prevalent within the BCCI as well as state association. The report detailed, across five pages, conflict issues and its various forms, and illustrated with various examples where the BCCI and state association administrators, employees, players, selectors and commentators could be in breach of the various rules.A case of indirect conflict, the committee said, could be: “C is a Member of the IPL Governing Council. The IPL enters into a contract with a new franchisee, the Managing Director of which is C’s partner in an independent commercial venture. C is hit by Indirect Conflict of Interest.”That example matches Gunde’s allegation that Ganguly could fall under this definition of conflict of interest. Both Goenka and Ganguly brushed off any suggestions that this is a case of conflict of interest.Incidentally Gunde was one of the people interviewed by the Lodha committee before it submitted its report to the Supreme Court. Last year, Gunde had revealed a picture of BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur in the company of suspected bookie Karan Gilhotra. That had prompted the ICC CEO David Richardson to write a letter to then BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya over an allegation that Thakur was spotted with Gilhotra, who “appears on the ICC ACSU database… following rumours … about his involvement in betting on cricket.” Thakur retaliated through a letter to the then ICC chairman N Srinivasan, alleging a “counter offensive” from the latter, following Thakur’s election as BCCI secretary.

A round-up of the Regional 4 Day Tournament matches that ended on February 28, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Feb-2016
ScorecardEvin Lewis cracked nine fours and one six during his 41-ball 56•WICB Media/Ashley Allen

Opener Evin Lewis struck a quick fifty as Trinidad & Tobago knocked off 107 within 14 overs to secure 18 points; their first win at home this season.Lewis was dismissed for 56 off 41 balls but Kyle Hope stayed unbeaten with Marlon Richards to seal the victory. This meant that Leeward Islands remained rooted to the bottom of the table with a solitary win in eight matches.Leeward Islands were left to play catch-up right from the first day, when they were bowled out for 225. Debutant Keacy Carty, who had steered West Indies Under-19s’ tense chase against India Under-19s in the World Cup final, was the first to go, bowled by Rayad Emrit for 5. Daron Cruickshank soon became Emrit’s second victim. Nkrumah Bonner mounted some resistance with 47 before Jahmar Hamilton and Rakheem Cornwall added 74 together, but the lower order was cleaned up by pacer Marlon Richards.Legspinning allrounder Imran Khan pitched in with two wickets. He then led T&T’s batting effort with his ninth first-class fifty, at the top of the order. Narsingh Deonarine and Steven Katwaroo also stroked fifties to give their side the advantage with a first-innings lead of 181, despite Cornwall’s five-for.Leeward Islands fared marginally better in their second dig, managing 287, but the small target was brushed off by T&T. Carty hit a fifty as did Cornwall, but Imran’s four-wicket haul rattled the middle order. His match haul of six wickets eventually put him joint second on the wickets charts, with 37 scalps.
ScorecardRonsford Beaton’s five-for in the first innings followed by Leon Johnson’s 107 shaped Guyana’s six-wicket win against Windward Islands in St Lucia. Guyana picked up 18 points with the win to strengthen their position at the top of the points table.After being inserted, Devon Smith and Jelornie Robinson set Windwards up nicely with a 120-run partnership for the second wicket after Beaton had removed Tyrone Theophile early. Raymon Reifer broke the stand by removing Robinson for 57, a wicket that triggered Windwards’ middle-order collapse. A combined bowling effort from Guyana, led by Beaton, ensured that no other Windwards crossed the score of 20 as they lost nine wickets for 80 runs. Beaton cleaned up Windwards’ tail quickly as they were bowled out for 216.Guyana’s strong response was built on Johnson’s century, while Vishaul Singh and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (46) played the support roles. Johnson struck 13 fours in his 107 and also shared a 119-run fifth-wicket stand with Vishaul, who made a patient 58 – a partnership that put them in control after they were at a wobbly 100 for 4. Guyana got a late push when Johnson and Reifer combined for the seventh wicket to add 62, a stand that set them up for over 300. Mervin Matthew’s late wickets, that helped him complete career-best figures of 6 for 81, helped Windwards bowl Guyana out for 339, a 123-run lead.Windwards suffered another batting collapse in the second innings that had them lose seven wickets for 41 runs as they slumped to 131 for 9. Smith’s 51 was the only score of note before Shane Shillingford provided lower-order resistance with a quick 26 that took his side to 161 before they were bowled out. Reifer led Guyana’s bowling effort, picking up 4 for 35, while Devendra Bishoo and Beaton accounted for a total of five wickets.In their pursuit of 39, Guyana were reduced to 13 for 4 by Shillingford and Kyle Mayers. Johnson then came out full of positivity though, and smashed a quick 17 to take his side home without further damage.
ScorecardJustin Greaves’ 5 for 41 and fifties from Kraigg Brathwaite and Roston Chase set up Barbados’ six-wicket win over Jamaica at Sabina Park. The result, though, had no bearing on the points table as Barbados maintained their second position, while Jamaica follow at third.Shacaya Thomas and Andre McCarthy struck fifties but Greaves’ five-for cut through Jamaica, bowling them out for 177 as only two other batsmen made double-digit scores, both without touching 20.Nikita Miller led the hosts’ bowling effort, cutting through the visitors with a haul of 8 for 67. Barbados, though, were rescued and helped to a 40-run lead by Brathwaite and Chase’s fifties. Brathwaite stroked 11 fours during his 130-ball 66, while Chase’s knock came with eight fours.Jamaica slumped to 80 for 7 in their second innings before Devon and Jason Dawes combined to add 63 for the eighth wicket. Their partnership helped the hosts set Barbados a fighting if still small target of 118. Jomel Warrican and Hayden Walsh combined to pick up 6 for 90 for Barbados, while Miguel Cummins finished with 2 for 20.Brathwaite combined with Jonathan Carter to help take Barbados to 77 for 1 in the chase, before both batsmen fell in consecutive overs. Chase then came in and smacked a brisk 35 to take them home with six wickets in hand.

ICC chief executive David Richardson has said that the ICC is satisfied the Under-19 World Cup was a success despite Australia’s pullout

Mohammad Isam15-Feb-2016ICC chief executive David Richardson has said that the governing body is satisfied with its decision to carry on with the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh despite Australia pulling out of the tournament due to security reasons.Richardson said that the security standard from this event will be followed for future ICC tournaments, including the World T20 that will be held in India next month.”I think we’re very pleased with the fact that we made the decision to carry on with the tournament, despite Australia’s decision to withdraw their team,” Richardson said. “I think the outcomes and the results say that it was the correct decision. We’re certainly looking forward to the World T20 in India coming up. There is no doubt that there will be security challenges there as well. And we learnt a lot from this tournament.”We’ve set a standard of what we need to deliver, with respect to all events. We’ll make sure that any threat that is received or any threat that is identified, we’ll put in place anything needed to negate it.”

Richardson on age verification at U-19 World Cup

“The trouble is that the medical experts tell you that there is very little we can do to test the age of someone in a reliable fashion. To that extent, we’ve to rely quite heavily on documentation that is available and the honesty and integrity of the player.”

Security was at its tightest in the eight stadiums and team hotels in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar. Teams making their way to the hotels, grounds and airports were accompanied by long convoys of security forces. In Chittagong, the team hotel was barely 50 yards from the MA Aziz Stadium where some of the matches were held alongside many practice sessions. The teams usually walked to the stadium during the Bangladesh Premier League last year but this time they had to travel by bus.In Dhaka, the team hotel was fortified by security forces and many of the roads were closed in the Mirpur area on match days. The same was the case in Cox’s Bazar. There, the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Complex was under lockdown as soon as the teams entered for training or matches, with only accredited persons allowed; a limited number of fans were allowed for a few matches.India coach Rahul Dravid had mentioned on Sunday that the security at times was overwhelming, particularly since it meant having to keep Under-19 players in their hotel rooms at all times when they were not training or playing a match. “I think it has been a great tournament, the way it has been organised and conducted. We’ve really enjoyed the cricketing side of things,” Dravid said. “But yes, I must admit that at times security has been a bit overpowering and we’ve had to stay in our hotel a lot.”It’s not easy for young kids to be stuck in their hotel rooms for 24 days now, so that has been the hard part. But overall, in terms of the cricket and the facilities we’ve got, just the way the tournament has been conducted, it has been superb.”Richardson admitted that security measures were “over the top” at times, but said it was only to ensure that there would be no complaints or incidents during the tournament. “Certainly, for this event, probably more so than any previous event, absolutely no stone was left unturned in providing a secure environment. We realise this was a massive undertaking, some would say even over the top for the occasion.”On the consequences of Australia’s pull out, Richardson said: “It’s basically a contractual matter. Whether it results in any damage being suffered by any party, that is to be seen. Another point is, we can’t force a particular country into competing. It’s up to them. As I said, they [any team that pulls out of an ICC tournament] might run the risk of being in breach of a contract, but that’s the decision they need to take.”

West Indies have picked uncapped opener Evin Lewis to replace injured batsman Lendl Simmons for the World T20 in India

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2016West Indies have picked uncapped opening batsman Evin Lewis to replace Lendl Simmons for the World T20 in India. Simmons was ruled out of the tournament last week due to a back injury.Lewis, 24, has been in good form recently, in domestic matches for Trinidad & Tobago. He scored 221 runs in six matches for T&T in the Nagico Super 50 tournament, including one century and a fifty. In five matches of the WICB Regional 4-day Tournament, he has scored 442 runs at an average of 49.11, including a century and three fifties. His overall T20 record stands at 1044 runs in 34 innings at an average of 31.63.”It’s a great feeling and dream come true, to know that my hard work in recent months is paying off and has been recognized by selectors,” Lewis told . “I was surprised at the call-up, but at the same time very happy.”If I get the chance to play I would be thankful, but at the same time I could learn a lot from just being at this tournament and in the presence of some of the top West Indies and international players,” he said.Simmons was the fourth player to be ruled out of the West Indies T20 squad, after Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Darren Bravo had also withdrawn from the team. It was speculated that Dwayne Smith, who won the Man-of-the-Match award in the final of the Pakistan Super League, was a favourite to replace Simmons, while Jonathan Carter was also reportedly in contention.Clive Lloyd, WICB’s chairman of selectors, said Lewis had been picked in keeping with West Indies’ policy to give younger players more exposure.”Evin Lewis is a young and exciting batsman who we believe will fit into the team set-up very well. He has the ability to perform at this level of the game,” Lloyd said. “His selection is in keeping with our policy to give exposure to young, talented players we believe will help to carry West Indies cricket forward.”The West Indies team, which arrived in Kolkata on Monday after a two-week camp in the UAE, are scheduled to play warm-up matches against India and Australia on March 10 and March 13. They are in Group 1 of the Super 10s stage with England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and one of the teams from the first round. They will play their first match of the World T20 against England in Mumbai on March 16.

Having managed only one win in four matches, Kings XI Punjab need to get things right quickly if they are to get off the bottom of the points table

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu22-Apr-2016

Match facts

Saturday, April 23, 2016
Start time 2000 local (14.30 GMT)

Big Picture

Having started with back-to-back defeats, Sunrisers Hyderabad recovered to post back-to-back victories. Kings XI Punjab started similarly slowly and recovered briefly with a win against Rising Pune Supergiants before faltering again in their next game against Kolkata Knight Riders. As a result, they are languishing at the bottom of the points table.Manan Vohra and M Vijay have provided solidly at the top of the order, but that hasn’t made up for a shaky middle order – Shaun Marsh’s unbeaten half-century against Knight Riders was an exception. Their big-ticket players – Glenn Maxwell and David Miller – have only managed a combined tally of 75 runs in four matches. The concerns seep into their bowling attack as well. Neither Mitchell Johnson nor Kyle Abbott have been penetrative and the Sharmas – Mohit and Sandeep – have blown hot and cold. The seamers have put more pressure on left-arm spinner Axar Patel.Sunrisers, led by David Warner, are in a happier space. Warner has struck three half-centuries, two of which have resulted in comfortable victories. Shikhar Dhawan regained form with a fifty of his own in Sunrisers’ ten-wicket win in Rajkot. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has swung the new ball both ways in addition to unfurling slower balls in the end overs. Mustafizur Rahman is fast enhancing his reputation with his bag of cutters. After claiming the Man-of-the-Match award on Thursday, Bhuvneshwar said:” No one can bowl the way Mustafizur bowls.”

Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad: WWLL (most recent matches first)
Kings XI Punjab: LWLL

In the spotlight

Wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha enjoyed a productive domestic season. He made 645 runs in the Ranji Trophy, including four successive fifty-plus scores in the knockouts, and then led Rest of India to a historic win against Mumbai. He pitched in with 37 off 28 against Knight Riders last weekend, and is the fail-safe in Sunrisers’ middle order.Wriddhiman Saha may be a better keeper than Ojha but his batting form has dipped. He has scratched his way to 35 runs in four matches. That he has not batted in the same position twice so far this season hasn’t helped his cause, but he, like his team, will be hoping to turn things around.

Team news

Having identified a settled combination, despite injuries to Ashish Nehra, Yuvraj Singh and Kane Williamson, Sunrisers are unlikely to tinker with their XI. Yuvraj, who is nursing an ankle injury, had his cast removed on Thursday and hopes to be fit for the clash against Gujarat Lions on May 6.Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable) 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Moises Henriques, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Deepak Hooda 6 Naman Ojha (wk), 7 Aditya Tare, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Bipul Sharma, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Barinder SranKings XI might consider bringing Mitchell Johnson back in place of Kyle Abbott.Kings XI Punjab (probable) 1 M Vijay, 2 Manan Vohra, 3 Shaun Marsh 4, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 5 David Miller (capt), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Mohit Sharma, 9 Pardeep Sahu, 10 Kyle Abbott/Mitchell Johnson, 11 Sandeep Sharma

Pitch and conditions

The surface at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium has offered some early assistance to the seamers, and the ball usually comes on to the bat better in the second innings.

Stats and trivia

• Dhawan and Warner have been involved in four century partnerships, the most by any pair for the first wicket in the IPL
• Maxwell has not scored a half-century in 24 innings in the IPL. His last half-century came against Chennai Super Kings in May 2014

India Women’s captain Mithali Raj has expressed the need for more support staff in the team, even as she welcomed the BCCI’s decision to allow the country’s women cricketers to play in foreign leagues

Arun Venugopal03-Jun-2016India Women’s captain Mithali Raj has expressed the need for more support staff in the team, even as she welcomed the BCCI’s decision to allow India’s women cricketers to play in foreign leagues.Raj’s observations came in the wake of the BCCI’s women’s cricket committee meeting earlier this week, which deliberated on the creation of an expansive vision document that will, among other things, deal with the appointment of support staff.”I personally think we need to have a more enhanced support staff,” Raj told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s the first thing I will look into. For the World Cup [World T20], we just had a coach, manager, physio and trainer. Probably if we have a fielding coach or an assistant coach it will enhance the team as there won’t be too much pressure on the coach to look after everything.”The coach can’t deal with everything. [For instance] when some of us are batting in the nets, there is nobody to give fielding practice to the other girls as the coach would be at the nets.”Raj also stressed on the need to commence preparations for the 50-over World Cup next year in England, and said it would be ideal to have preparatory camps ahead of India’s forthcoming series against West Indies and Pakistan. “With pretty much a year [for the World Cup] to go, we should start our preparation as soon as possible,” she said. “Both these series are going to be vital in terms of points and preparation.”I would prefer to have a couple of camps before these series because getting the girls to regroup after a break is important. There are also some girls who might want to work on different things.”Raj was also confident the players will be better for the experience of playing in leagues abroad. “It’s a very positive decision. Since we don’t have one [a league] of our own this crossover will give youngsters like Smriti Mandhana and other young spinners a chance to play in leagues abroad where there will be exchange of cultures,” she said.”It’s a great opportunity for them to start observing other players and their rituals, their tactics and how they prepare. It’s a different feeling to be playing with a player who you have never played in the same team with. That’s how we felt when we played in the Rest of the World [versus MCC] match.”Veteran seamer Jhulan Goswami said the exposure that came with playing in different conditions had long-term benefits. “The experience you gain by making runs and taking wickets in different conditions will be useful when you play international cricket,” Goswami said. “I hope many young women participate in such leagues. This will benefit the Indian team in the future as well.”The BCCI’s decision, though, has come a little late for Indian participation in the inaugural Women’s Super League in England, which will be held this year from July 30 to August 14. The BCCI had not decided on the matter when the ECB sent a letter to all Full Members seeking their permission to enlist players. India’s women players had also missed the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League in December-January. Despite missing out on the tournaments, Raj was upbeat about the future.”If we had played in the inaugural Women’s Big Bash it would have given us a platform for WSL,” Raj said. “Nevertheless, it’s just one season and I am sure many Indian players will be a part of such leagues in the future.”When asked if these were logical steps towards the creation of a women’s IPL, Raj said it would happen eventually. “It should be, maybe in a year or two. It should happen when people in India actually start following women’s cricket more keenly, and not just the World T20 and big events.”Shubangi Kulkarni, the women’s cricket committee member from the west zone, said the women’s IPL wasn’t specifically discussed, but was optimistic about how the meeting panned out.”This was an introductory meeting. I thought everybody was pretty positive and I think some good things have come out of this,” Kulkarni said. “It’s difficult to come up with solutions for everything in the first meeting, which is why we felt a vision document was needed. We will table the document shortly.”

Worcestershire reproduced their excellent T20 form with a thumping seven-wicket over Durham in a rain-affected Royal London Cup contest at Chester-le-Street

ECB Reporters Network12-Jun-2016
ScorecardBrett D’Oliveira took two wickets and helped finish off the chase•Getty Images

Worcestershire reproduced their excellent T20 form with a thumping seven-wicket over Durham in a rain-affected Royal London Cup contest at Chester-le-Street.The visitors top the North Group table in the Natwest T20 Blast and blew Durham away comprehensively in this 22-over contest. Only two home batsmen reached double figures in a total of 90 all out, the seventh-lowest List A total in Durham’s history.Worcestershire bowled exceptionally after electing to field first on a surface conducive to bowling, with four bowlers each picking up two wickets. Victory was rarely in doubt and despite three early Chris Rushworth wickets, they reached their target with 17 balls remaining.The match length was twice revised after a number of frustrating showers added to overnight rain, before a break in the clouds allowed the umpires to call a prompt start at 3.30pm. Visiting captain Joe Leach, standing in for the injured Daryl Mitchell, had very little hesitation in electing to field first.A catastrophic run out by Phil Mustard in the fourth over, charging to the non-striker’s end while Mark Stoneman stood his ground, set off an all-too familiar Durham batting collapse.From 24 for 0, they slumped to 46 for 5 as they struggled to get to grips with conditions and the seam movement of Worcestershire’s quick bowlers.Graham Clark was excellently caught by wicketkeeper Ben Cox, Scott Borthwick chopped on after being surprised by extra bounce while Stoneman and Keaton Jennings fell to Ed Barnard, the former beaten by a terrific delivery which just clipped the bails.Paul Collingwood staged a lone recovery through the middle overs but soon came under pressure from the scoreboard, with Durham managing only five boundaries in their entire innings.Fellow allrounder Ryan Pringle, fresh from a maiden century at Derbyshire during the week, threatened to offer resistance before he knocked an easy catch back to Brett D’Oliveira And Collingwood eventually holed out in an attempt to up the scoring rate, as Durham limped to 90 inside the final over.Rushworth’s new ball spell of 3 for 19 did offer Durham hope, trapping Tom Kohler-Cadmore lbw in the first over before removing the off stump of both Leach and Joe Clarke. But small target allowed the batsmen to settle in as D’Oliveira and Alexei Kervezee’s partnership of 60 saw them home with consummate ease.