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Parthiv Patel, Vinay Kumar and James Franklin are part of the coaching staff too, while Robin Singh is the general manager – cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2022Shane Bond, the bowling coach at Mumbai Indians in the IPL since 2015 – a job he will continue to do – has been named head coach of MI Emirates, the Mumbai Indians-owned team in UAE’s ILT20. The staff also has Parthiv Patel [batting coach] and Vinay Kumar [bowling coach] making their debuts as coaches, and James Franklin will be the fielding coach. Additionally, Robin Singh will be the general manager of cricket.While the fixtures for the ILT20 are not out yet, the tournament will be played in the same January-February 2023 window as the SA20 league in South Africa. That required the Mumbai Indians group to appoint multiple coaching teams, since they have teams in both the competitions.With the latest round of appointments, that exercise is complete.Related

• IPL team owners buy all six teams in SA20

• Jayawardene, Zaheer elevated to global roles with MI

• Pollard, Boult, Pooran, Tahir picked up by MI Emirates

Mark Boucher, who will step down from his position as the head coach of the South Africa men’s national team at the end of the team’s campaign at the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, has been signed up to be the head coach at Mumbai Indians in the IPL.That position opened up after Mahela Jayawardene, the Mumbai Indians head coach since 2017, was elevated to a more global role within the Mumbai Indians group. Jayawardene has been made the group’s global head of performance. He will be overseeing the scouting and coaching of all three teams that the owners have – at the IPL, the ILT20, and the SA20. And Zaheer Khan, earlier the director of cricket operations, has been made the global head of cricket development for the three teams.Simon Katich, meanwhile, has been made the head coach of MI Cape Town, the SA20 team. Katich will be assisted by Hashim Amla as the batting coach, while Robin Peterson will be the team’s general manager. James Pamment will take charge as fielding coach [and continue in the same role with Mumbai Indians at the IPL too].MI Emirates have Kieron Pollard, Trent Boult and Dwayne Bravo, among others, in their roster of non-UAE [overseas] players already.”Having been an integral part of MI for various periods of time, the coaching team is exceptionally well-versed in the values that make MI what it is,” Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, which owns the three teams, said in a statement.For his part, Bond said, “It’s always exciting to build a new team and I’m looking forward to furthering the MI legacy and inspiring our players to take the game to new heights.”Bond, the former New Zealand quick, has been a part of the coaching set-up of a number of teams in the past. Apart from being the New Zealand bowling coach and part of the team’s backroom staff at various stages, he has also been the head coach at Sydney Thunder in the BBL, a position he held between 2018 and 2021. He has also been part of the England team as a bowling consultant in the past.

Both teams were also fined 40% of their match fee by match referee Chris Broad

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2021England and India have been fined two World Test Championship points each for their slow over-rates during the first Test in Nottingham, which ended as a rain-affected draw on Sunday. Both teams were also fined 40% of their match fee by match referee Chris Broad.The teams now take two points each out of the Test match, instead of the four they would normally get for a draw under the new points system for the 2021-23 WTC cycle.Related

• 'I was content, I was happy' – Bairstow relishing his second coming

• Justin Langer laments 'really slack' over rate after World Test Championship elimination

• ICC confirms altered points system for World Test Championship

“As a team we were not pleased we lost two points because of factors that were definitely in our control,” India captain Virat Kohli said on Wednesday. “We were short by two overs, but we made up quite a few overs in that second innings. we basically have to keep up to speed with the pace of the game – small little things where we can save 10-15 seconds, that really matters, we practised that in the second innings and we were able to cover up three to four overs. You don’t want to be that far behind in the game that you are not able then to not to catch up and cover your overs in time, as the points are very, very crucial.”A major factor behind the slow over rates was both teams opting for pace-heavy attacks owing to the seam-and-swing-friendly pitch and overhead conditions at Trent Bridge. England picked four fast bowlers and no spinners, and India four fast bowlers and one spinner, Ravindra Jadeja. In the end, the quicks sent down all but 16 of the 250.2 overs bowled during the Test match.The match was also beset by frequent rain interruptions, while the completion of overs was also delayed by batters not being ready to face. As light worsened on the second afternoon, KL Rahul took his time to get into his position against James Anderson. England’s batters, meanwhile, also made Mohammed Siraj wait on more than one occasion.Over-rate-related points deductions could prove costly to teams during the WTC. In the inaugural 2019-21 cycle, Australia were docked four points for their slow over rate during the 2020 Boxing Day Test against India in Melbourne. It ultimately cost them a place in the final, which instead went to eventual champions New Zealand.

It often happens that a batsman chooses to play on after being hit, but that is not a good thing

Varun Shetty at Eden Gardens23-Nov-2019Cricket’s newly-introduced protocols for concussion testing and substitutions were in the spotlight on the second day of the Kolkata Test, with two batsmen – Mohammad Mithun and Mushfiqur Rahim – continuing to bat after being struck on their heads by bouncers.Two other Bangladesh batsmen had already been diagnosed with concussions in the first innings and substituted. In the second innings, Mithun was tested and showed no signs of concussion before coming back out and being dismissed soon after. Bangladesh confirmed that Rahim also showed no early signs of concussion. He batted through to stumps and is currently unbeaten on 59.Had either batsman been diagnosed with concussion, Bangladesh had only one player – Mustafizur Rahman, a bowler – available on the bench to act as substitute.Concussion protocols were introduced into the ICC playing conditions on August 1 this year, after years of deliberation following Phil Hughes’ death in 2014 and a deeper understanding about brain injuries in the broader world of sports. About two weeks after the playing conditions were amended, Australia’s Steven Smith became the first player to be substituted in a Test match with a diagnosed concussion.While it’s common for batsmen to continue to bat after passing initial concussion Tests, in most cases at international level, they have been found later to have batted with a concussion. This was true of Smith during the Ashes, as well as Hashim Amla during the World Cup this year.In New Zealand, Henry Nicholls was hit on the head but continued batting after two concussion tests – one when he was hit on Friday evening and another just before play on Saturday. The story was a little different last week though when Hamish Rutherford batted on for New Zealand A after being struck, made a fifty, then missed the rest of the match after failing follow-up tests.Henry Nicholls is hit by a delivery from Jofra Archer•AFP / Getty Images

In the absence of strong mandatory procedures, a lot of power still rests with the players, who would naturally prefer to go on batting. The topic was briefly front and centre as the physio spent a long time chatting with Mithun before he saw the over through and went in unbeaten at tea. Other injuries such as the one Mahmudullah suffered – a hamstring strain – are often readily apparent. The player feels pain immediately and the case for treatment is clear. Concussions and brain injuries though are hard to gauge as the onset of symptoms may be delayed for up to 48 hours.Cricket’s protocols depend on the appointed medical representative of a team – usually the physio – to run standardised tests and submit a report to the match referee in case a player fails the tests. But, as mentioned in the examples earlier, players can sometimes show no signs of trauma until the next day, which means they play on at less than 100% and at great risk of being struck again with the bowlers under no obligation to not bowl bouncers again. To avoid this circumstance, a sport like rugby, for instance, decrees that a player hit on the head has to compulsorily go off and is not allowed back on till he is proven to have no signs of concussion.Another crucial element of the blows sustained by the Bangladesh batsmen is that this was the first time many of them were playing an international match under lights with the pink ball. Fast bowler Al-Amin Hossain said there were no issues with the visibility as such, but India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara said otherwise.”I thought light and pink ball had a role to play,” Pujara said after the second day’s play. “Because as a batsman it’s not easy to pick the ball, especially short balls, the kind of pace our fast bowlers have. I think it (the batsmen being hit) is because of the pink ball and playing under lights, because their batters, as far as I know, they haven’t even played any first-class games with the pink ball. It’s not easy.”Of the four Bangladesh batsmen that were hit during the Test, Mithun and Rahim were the only ones to be hit after sunset, under completely artificial lighting. Mahmudulllah, meanwhile, has been “walking around” in the dressing room and could come back out to bat on Sunday.

The Chennai police commissioner advised CSK to “reschedule” the matches in the wake of the protests in the city over the Cauvery river water issue

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-20182:45

Dasgupta: Raina is the batting fulcrum of CSK

Chennai Super Kings will lose their home advantage for the rest of the 2018 season.* The IPL has decided to move their six remaining home games out of Chennai in the wake of protests during the first match, and threats to disrupt more fixtures. CSK’s home games will be played in Pune instead.Kasi Viswananthan, the Super Kings CEO, met the Chennai police commissioner on Wednesday and was advised to shift the matches because of the ongoing protests in the city over the Cauvery river water issue, a long-standing dispute between Tamil Nadu and its neighbouring state Karnataka.The Maharashtra Cricket Association president Abhay Apte told ESPNcricinfo he had requested the IPL to consider Pune as CSK’s alternative home venue. Rajkot, Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram were the other cities in consideration by the IPL.The Pune ground is familiar to CSK captain MS Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming, who were part of the Rising Pune Supergiant franchise in 2016 and 2017. The Super Kings already have experience playing home games away from home; four of their home matches were moved to Ranchi in 2014 due to the dispute between Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and the local municipal corporation.Chennai had hosted Kolkata Knight Riders on April 10, marking the return of the IPL to the city after the franchise had completed a two-year ban for corruption. However the lead-up to the game was not peaceful, with political parties organising rallies in the vicinity of the MA Chidambaram Stadium, protesting the Cauvery river water issue. Several local political parties and fringe groups wanted a boycott of the IPL matches in Chennai till the dispute was resolved.There was trouble during the match as well. A group of spectators flung shoes in the vicinity of Super Kings players on the boundary, prompting the intervention of police. The incident happened in the eighth over of the game, after which the concerned spectators were evicted from the ground and, as per reports, taken into custody. While there was no confirmation that the shoe-throwing incident was directly related to the Cauvery river water issue, it was the likely cause.*

Chris Cairns has been found not guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice following a nine-week trial at Southwark Crown Court. Here’s how the events unfolded

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2015Chris Cairns has been found not guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice following a nine-week trial at Southwark Crown Court. Here’s how the events unfolded:Monday, October 5Mr Justice Sweeney, the presiding judge at Southwark Crown Court, outlines the case to the 16 shortlisted men and women of the jury, of whom 12 will be sworn in on Wednesday. His “pessimistic” view is that the trial will extend until November 20.Monday, October 12Lou Vincent, the first of the witnesses to be called for the prosecution, claims he was under “direct orders” from Cairns to get involved in match-fixing. His introduction had come while playing for Chandigarh Lions during the 2008 Indian Cricket League.Tuesday, October 13During his second day on the witness stand, Vincent recalls how Daryl Tuffey, an alleged fellow member of the Chandigarh Lions match-fixing operation, threatened to “f****** kill” Cairns for non-payment. Under cross-examination from Orlando Pownall, QC, Vincent’s emotional state causes an early adjournment.Wednesday, October 14Vincent recalls how Stephen Fleming, the former New Zealand captain, accused him and Cairns of being “dirty”. Despite claiming to have been “disgusted” at Cairns’ lies, Vincent nevertheless agreed to support his libel action against Modi. The reason for this, suggests Cairns’ defence, was “there was no corrupt activity … and you could give a truthful account.”Thursday, October 15Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, tells how he had been approached three times by Cairns to get involved in spot-fixing, but did not report this to the authorities for three years because he “did not want it to be true”. The defence queries the inconsistencies in McCullum’s three statements to the ICC, claiming that his main concern was to protect his lucrative “Brand McCullum”.Friday, October 16Andre Adams and Kyle Mills, two former New Zealand team-mates, take the stand via videolink. Adams recalls how Cairns had doubted how the ICL could prevent corruption because it was an unsanctioned event. Mills states that he had been “gobsmacked” in 2009, when McCullum admitted his approach from Cairns.Monday, October 19Eleanor Riley, Vincent’s ex-wife, tells the court of a key conversation in a bar in Hale, Greater Manchester, in which Cairns calmed her fears about her husband’s activities by saying “everyone was doing it in India”. Riley insists her recall was “clear as a bell” despite the defence suggesting she had been “infected” by alcohol. “I certainly wouldn’t come to a perjury trial to lie,” she adds.Tuesday, October 20Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain, confirms he was present in a bar in Kolkata in 2008 when McCullum claims to have been first approached by Cairns to spot-fix. McCullum, he said, described a five-minute phone-call with “Cairnsy” as a “business proposition”.Tuesday, October 20Leanne McGoldrick, McCullum’s former agent, recalls how her client had asked her during a dinner in Christchurch whether she thought Cairns was involved in match-fixing. “I was completely shocked,” she says. “I couldn’t believe what he was saying.” She encouraged McCullum to report the approach but their business relationship ended soon afterwards.Wednesday, October 21John Rhodes, the ICC anti-corruption officer, says that McCullum’s initial statement to the ACSU in February 2011 omitted any explicit mention of “match-fixing”. Rhodes tells the defence that the “inference was clear” in the statement but says that he was not in a “position to put words” into McCullum’s mouth.Wednesday, October 21Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the chairman of the ACSU, denies the defence’s assertion that the “scalp” of Cairns is being sought to deflect criticism away from his unit’s lack of success in tackling corruption. “Absolutely not,” he says. “If scalp turns out to be an appropriate description, I think it is an absolute tragedy.”Thursday, October 22Daniel Vettori tells the court he was “shocked and angry” upon hearing that his “mentor” Cairns was allegedly involved in match-fixing. He encouraged McCullum to report Cairns’ approaches following an anti-corruption briefing in 2011, but played down his own request for Cairns to buy him a US$15,000 diamond ring with the proceeds from a toothpaste commercial in 2006 as “innocuous”.Monday, October 26Chris Harris, the captain of the ICL franchise Mumbai Champs, claims that Cairns had worn an “unusual” expression after Chandigarh’s wicketkeeper, Sarabjit Singh, had won a match featuring an “unusual number of strange incidents” with 41 not out from 22 balls. Harris also claims that Andrew Fitch-Holland, Cairns’ co-defendant, had stated “Cairnsy’s guilty” during a Lashings charity game ahead of the libel case. The comment, it was suggested, could have related to his marital issues.Tuesday, October 27Vincent’s mental state made him “vulnerable” to approaches from match-fixers, according to his friend and former Auckland team-mate, Steve Pearson. In his own testimony, Vincent had outlined how he had struggled with depression since being dropped by New Zealand in 2007. Confessing to his involvement in match-fixing was, Pearson said of Vincent, “a release”.Wednesday, October 28Cairns’ statements to the Metropolitan Police in April and May 2014, following the allegations from McCullum, Vincent and Riley, are played back to the court. “Seriously? These are the accusations in regard to this?” Cairns is heard saying. “This is why I can’t get money, this is why I can’t make a living? This is it? I don’t want to seem like a whack job. I’ve been wracking my brains for months, I’ve been f**ked over.”Thursday, October 29Cairns’ defence questions the motives of the police investigation, in particular why there was no move to charge Vincent for his admissions of match-fixing and money-laundering. Detective chief superintendant Michael Duthrie said his force was interested only in what happened at the High Court, but added that Vincent had not been granted immunity from prosecution.Tuesday, November 3Cairns takes the stand for the first time in the trial but limits his responses largely to one-word answers. Asked by Pownall, his barrister, whether at any stage he was involved in match-fixing, Cairns replied: “No.” “Did you contemplate match-fixing?” Pownall continued. Cairns again replied: “No.”Wednesday, November 4Cairns receives a warning from the judge for evasion during a cross-examination from the prosecution. Mr Justice Sweeney told him to stop “making speeches” as he struggles to give straight answers to Ms Wass’ line of questioning.Thursday, November 5Cairns’ wife, Mel, denies that any discussion about match-fixing had taken place in the Manhattan Bar and Grill in 2008, the scene of Riley’s alleged encounter with Cairns. “I would never lie to help my husband in court,” she said via videolink, adding that the couple had not been able to afford for her to fly to the UK to support him during the trial.Friday, November 6Fitch-Holland, Cairns’ co-defendant, denies attempting to procure a false witness statement from Vincent during a recorded Skype conversation. He also denies all memory of a conversation at a charity cricket match in which he was alleged to have declared that “Cairnsy’s guilty”.Monday, November 9Under cross-examination, Fitch-Holland is reminded of an incident in 2009 in which Rod Marsh, the former Australia wicketkeeper, refused to sign a cricket bat which already had Cairns’ name on it. It was a sign, said the prosecution, that players had been “warned off” associating with Cairns. Fitch-Holland, however, said that the ICC had told him he was not under investigation.Tuesday, November 10Fitch-Holland is accused by the prosecution of inventing a convoluted story to explain his “very guilty words” in the Skype conversation with Vincent. “I’ve come up with the truth,” Fitch-Holland says. “I’m saying Lou Vincent is a self-confessed liar, and a cheat … I hoped I would be believed over him, as I hope now I will be believed over him.”Thursday, November 12Ms Wass closes the case for the prosecution by describing Cairns as the “Lance Armstrong” of cricket. The evidence that he was involved in match-fixing is “overwhelming”, she says. “He has made a mockery of the game of cricket, the fans, the game.”Monday, November 16Cairns’ barrister, Pownall, denounces four of the nine witnesses for the prosecution as liars, namely Vincent, McCullum, Vettori and Riley. Cricket’s authorities, Pownall added, were “determined to have the scalp of an innocent man”.Tuesday, November 17The case for the prosecution was “biased” from the outset, according to Pownall. “Beyond rumour, beyond self-motivated lies, you cannot be sure Mr Cairns is guilty. For that reason, we invite you to acquit him.”Wednesday, November 18Jonathan Laidlaw QC, Fitch-Holland’s barrister, protests that his client’s case has become a “sideshow”. “The prosecution has become rather too Cairns-focused in this case,” says Laidlaw. “Have they overlooked that there is a second man on trial here?”Friday, November 20Mr Justice Sweeney, beginning his summing-up, warns the jury to treat Vincent’s evidence with caution, given a self-confessed reputation for lying. “It is incumbent on me to emphasise to you the potential danger posed by such a witness and point out to you that he might have his own interests to serve by giving evidence.”Monday, November 23The evidence provided by Ms Riley is highlighted by the judge as “the most important”, seeing as it stemmed from a direct conversation with Cairns. Mr Justice Sweeney also reminded the jury of Andrew Hall’s testimony, that Cairns had told him his suspension from the ICL had been for match-fixing allegations. It was not, however, “evidence of the truth” per se.Tuesday, November 24The jury retires to consider its verdict at the completion of Mr Justice Sweeney’s summing-up. It is a “matter for you”, he tells them after outlining McCullum’s evidence, whether they believed he altered his ICC statements deliberately to serve his own interests, or as a consequence of more careful questioning in each of his three interviews with the ACSU.Friday, November 27After a two-day break, the jury is unable to reach a unanimous verdict in its initial deliberations. Court is reconvened at 11.44am in order for the judge to grant them permission to seek a majority verdict of 11-1 or 10-2. With no time pressure, the hearing is adjourned for the weekend at 4.30pm.Monday, November 30After 10 hours and 17 minutes of deliberation, the jury find Cairns not guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice. His co-defendant, Fitch-Holland, is also acquitted on the second charge. Speaking after the verdict, a relieved Cairns speaks of the five-year “hell” through which he and his family have been put, but admits that his reputation in cricket has been “scorched”.

Allan Donald, who has been elevated from bowling coach to head coach for Pune Warriors this year, has spelled out his expectations from the players in no uncertain terms

Amol Karhadkar31-Mar-2013Despite being around for two years in the Indian Premier League, Pune Warriors – the most expensive franchise in the event – seem to be struggling to find their feet. In both the editions they have featured in, they have finished near or at the bottom.No wonder then that their third successive season will see a new captain and coach going into the tournament. While both their previous coaches – Geoff Marsh in 2011 and Sourav Ganguly as captain-cum-mentor last year, when they participated without a head coach – were diplomatic ahead of they stints, Allan Donald, who has been elevated from bowling coach to head coach this year, spelled out his expectations from the players in no uncertain terms.Referring to his new role as “intimidating” in a tournament that moves “at a million miles per hour”, Donald, the former South Africa pace spearhead, urged the players to “care” for one another.”I am going to have a meeting with our overseas players on their own to explain their commitment to our cause for the next two months. Every one of those players wants to play. I would be disappointed if I wasn’t picked. But what is important for Pune Warriors is for everyone to be swimming up one stream, [and] not every way and direction like it went last year,” Donald said, referring to a disgruntled unit in the latter half of last year’s IPL.”And negativity spreads cancer. It does because it gets people talking, players talk among each other. And my message to the team is [to] be up front and honest. [This] is going to be the key. I am not here to make anyone promises.”That’s what this format requires. You just can’t be pleasing cricketers for the sake of it. I just want guys to be part of the team and helping each other out. The care factor for me is huge. I want guys to look after each other. That creates that relaxed environment that I talk about. That’s pretty much what I look for. How we gel as a team, how we grow as a team and how we care as a team is going to be the key for us.”In a season in which Pune Warriors tried out 23 players during the season, not many players were given a long rope. It led to team harmony going for a toss as the tournament progressed, and affected the team both on and off the field. Donald seems to have learned the lessons from the disappointing previous outing: “[I] don’t think last year was a great example for me. That was my first year, and I felt that at times, we were a bit gung-ho with our selection.”At times, [we tried] quick fixes, which didn’t work. I see that the teams that have been successful in the IPL have stuck with a certain group of players for a long period of time. And that’s what I intend to do.”Why fix [something] if it’s not broken? All coaches and teams are looking for early momentum and confidence, and we have to earn the right to do that first of all. The hard part about this competition is to get your nose in front. I am not looking far ahead. I am not looking at the semi-finals or anything like that. I just want to concentrate on every game, and on what we do in every game. If it doesn’t work and we go down fighting, so be it. To try and stick to certain processes is the key.”

Michael Carberry quietened lurking doubts about his fitness when he no longer needed the runner he had summoned the previous day

28-Apr-2012
ScorecardMichael Carberry, recalled to the England Lions squad for the match against the West Indies at Northampton next month, quietened any lurking doubts about his fitness when he no longer needed the runner he had summoned on the previous day because of the dual effects of cramp and a groin injury.Carberry took his overnight 73 not out to 84 as rain and bad light meant only 10 overs were bowled on the third day of Hampshire’s second division match with Leicestershire.With only one day remaining the match is heading for a draw. Hampshire are 217 for 4 from 55 overs, still 17 behind the Leicestershire first-innings total of 234 all out made on the first day and some of the second.

It’s hardly the most flamboyant clash given the two basement dwellers are pitted against each other, but this is an opportunity for the teams to get their campaign on track

The Preview by Jamie Alter23-Mar-2010

Match facts

Wednesday, March 24
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Yusuf Pathan hasn’t performed since his century, Shane Warne hasn’t performed at all•Associated Press

Big picture

It’s hardly the most flamboyant clash given the two basement dwellers are pitted against each other, but this is an opportunity for the teams to get their campaign on track. Kings XI Punjab are tied with Rajasthan Royals on two points, separated only by a minor difference in net run rate, with both picking up their maiden wins after three defeats. Rajasthan earned their first points with a disciplined fielding and bowling effort against an insipid Kolkata Knight Riders, and Punjab held their nerve to force a tie against Chennai Super Kings and then clinched the Super Over.Punjab’s IPL campaign has been hampered by the absence of their Australian players, either injured or unavailable, and the poor form of captains former and present, Yuvraj Singh and Kumar Sangakkara. The batting has not been imposing, the bowling toothless. But on a steamy Chennai night that turned from deplorable to delirious, their bowlers managed to convert a modest total into a mountain and procure a tense win in the Super Over. Now, with the arrivals of Brett Lee and Shaun Marsh, Punjab have another reason to believe they’ve turned the corner. Critics will argue that one win won’t cure Punjab’s frailties but it has given them a much-needed shot of enthusiasm, which Sangakkara and Yuvraj hoped would mark a change in their fortunes.Rajasthan have also been hurt by the absence of Shane Watson and injuries that ruled out Graeme Smith and Dimitri Mascarenhas. As a result, their batting has been poor and the bowling lacks the zing that a player of Watson’s ability brings, especially since Shaun Tait’s radar needs drastic fine-tuning. Worse, the middle order has not responded as a unit; their only win was put into motion by Abhishek Jhunjhunwala’s 45 and a debut innings from Adam Voges. Shane Warne has been an utter flop with the ball and his tinkering with the bowling attack – he’s opened with five different bowlers in four games – hasn’t yielded desired results. Warne has vocally and tactically shown a lot of faith in Yusuf Pathan, opening with his offspin successfully in the win over Kolkata, but the time has come for the likes of Michael Lumb, Tait, Munaf Patel and Naman Ojha to perform.

Team talk

The arrival of Lee and Marsh is immense for Punjab. As a precaution Punjab tested Lee in a practice match today and a final call on him and Marsh, who has also been sidelined by injury, will be taken before the game. If they are passed fit, expect the Aussie pair to slot right in at the top of the batting and bowling line-ups.Rajasthan might not want to tinker with the unit that secured a maiden victory, despite how disappointing Hampshire’s Lumb has been. He scored a duck in the last game but should continue at the top of the order in place of the absent Smith, until Watson arrives next month.

Previously…

Rajasthan won the first game played between these two sides in 2008, by six wickets, before Punjab hit back with a 41-run win. When they came up against each other in South Africa, Punjab beat Rajasthan by 27 runs before losing the second game by 78 runs.

In the spotlight

Yusuf Pathan: Yusuf has failed to get going since that 37-ball century in the first match. He can’t obviously be expected to score centuries each time he walks to the middle but, being Rajasthan’s main match-winner, he’s got to take stock of where his batting’s at. Yusuf has been exposed by the short ball in his last three innings.Piyush Chawla: The man – yes, he really is, so can the TV commentators stop referring to him as a youngster? – singled out by Sangakkara as “outstanding” needs to do something, anything. Chawla has taken two wickets in four games at an average of 52.00 and an economy-rate of 7.42. His variations have been limited, the batsmen haven’t been kept guessing, and the legbreak isn’t being crafted well enough.

Prime numbers

• Punjab have been the most successful batting side in the last five overs of a game. In four macthes they have scored 203 runs off 120 balls, losing 11 wickets. In that same period, Rajasthan have scored 173 while losing more wickets than any other team, 14.
• Rajasthan have conceded the least number of sixes in the last five overs, just three in four games.
• In six innings played by Swapnil Asnodkar, Naman Ojha and Paras Dogra – three of Rajasthan’s young Indian talents – they have scored a combined total of 157 runs at an average of 26.16.

The chatter

“Why would he return if he’s not fit? He’s raring to go. Good days are back.”
“The IPL is a bit [more] relaxed than ODIs or Tests and it will be easy for me after the injury.”

“If you don’t believe you belong at the international level, you start over-respecting the opposition and forget your strengths”

Shashank Kishore15-Sep-20251:14

Maharoof: Bangladesh have been lacking in major tournaments

Belief. That was the buzzword as Mushtaq Ahmed, Bangladesh’s spin consultant, addressed a press conference ahead of his team’s must-win Asia Cup fixture against Afghanistan.Bangladesh’s chastening defeat to Sri Lanka with 32 balls to spare dented a net run-rate that should’ve received a bigger fillip when they beat Hong Kong. That they took 17.4 overs to knock off 144 despite having a platform was criticised from several quarters.That means Bangladesh won’t be able to control their fate even if they win, since Afghanistan and Sri Lanka play the last group game of the pool.Related

• Trott: Afghanistan 'not shy about achieving new things or breaking new ground'

• Bangladesh in need of a handout against buoyant Afghanistan

• Hridoy hits back at critics as Bangladesh opt for safety over speed

“You have to believe. The coaches and management keep telling the players that belief is very important,” Mushtaq said. “It’s difficult, of course, having to rely on ifs and buts, but you have to concentrate on winning the match first.”Asked of potential dangers to look out for, Mushtaq was clear it would come from Afghanistan’s spinners, led by their captain, Rashid Khan.”Their spin department is very good, especially in the middle overs,” he said. “If we can counter their spin well and put a decent score on the board, we can challenge them because our bowling unit is also strong. My main concern is the middle overs.”This middle phase is where Bangladesh revived their innings in their previous game, with Jaker Ali and Shamim Hossain reviving a floundering innings. From 59 for 5, they put together an unbroken 80-run stand to lift Bangladesh to 139.Mushtaq said despite their batting struggles, the messaging has been constant: to try and keep going for their shots, which he also said wasn’t something that can be ingrained instantly. But it’s something they’ve been trying to develop in trying to ramp up their batting methods – like their focus towards six-hitting.”Sometimes, early failures lead to losing four or five wickets quickly,” Mushtaq explained. “We tell our batsmen that such things happen, but they must move on fast. If they dwell on the past, their progress will be slow. As coaches, our duty is to prevent them from going into a shell, maintain their confidence, and keep giving them belief.Bangladesh suffered a heavy defeat to Sri Lanka•Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images

“As I’ve said in press conferences, I emphasise on belief. I played with legends like Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, and Wasim Akram. One lesson I learned from them is that if you don’t believe you belong at the international level, you start over-respecting the opposition and forget your strengths. Even failure while playing aggressively makes you a stronger player.”If coaches and management can instill that belief, the team can challenge any side. Players like Litton [Das], [Towhid] Hridoy, Tanzim [Hasan], Jaker and Shamim have shown that even when situations look tough, they can find momentum and score 170-180. With good fast bowlers and spinners, and if we get stronger as a team, we can challenge any team.”Mushtaq also called for some patience while dealing with a player like Rishad Hossain, the legspinner. It’s an art that hasn’t always been explored to its full potential in Bangladesh, primarily because of their battery of traditional left-arm spinners over the years.Rishad, though, has had an impressive initiation into international cricket, even though he hasn’t picked up wickets by the truckloads. His only over the other night against Sri Lanka went for 18.”Sometimes, as a young leg-spinner, you can overthink and try too many deliveries in one over,” Mushtaq assessed. “Especially in the first few overs, you risk losing your line and length. Funny enough, you asked this question [about his form].”I spoke to him today before we came to the nets. His strength is always to bowl the first three balls in good areas. That builds belief and confidence, after which he can use variations. He has to learn these little things quickly and also figure out, situation-wise, which deliveries to bowl more.”If a bowler, like Rishad, struggles in the first three balls, it doesn’t mean he loses rhythm for the rest of the spell. As a leg-spin bowling coach, I remind all spinners to focus on the process. Bowling good balls consistently builds confidence. He’s young and hasn’t played much red-ball cricket, so it’s my responsibility to ensure he remembers his process before worrying about outcomes.”Mushtaq was then asked what Afghanistan are doing in their development of wristspinners and cricketers in general that Bangladesh aren’t.”Afghanistan players have played lots of franchise cricket,” he explained. “You can buy a bed, but you can’t buy sleep. Bangladesh has been strong at home, but in ICC or ACC tournaments, we have to improve.”

Will Rohit Sharma be tempted to tinker with his XI?

Sreshth Shah11-Nov-202325:23

Virat Kohli on the MCG Diwali miracle, part 1

Big picture: Will India give the fringe players game time?

They’ve been occasionally tested, but otherwise, India’s World Cup run has been nothing short of magical. Now on the day of the auspicious Indian festival of Diwali, they have a chance to gift their fans another dose of entertainment, and even though we know that anything can happen in sport, a defeat for the hosts is extremely unlikely.That’s because India have been absolutely dominant during their 8-0 run at this World Cup. Coming into their final league game, they face the least-fancied team of the tournament, Netherlands, even if they have performed better than expected. With a semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday their next big game, Sunday also offers India a chance to rest key personnel should there be a need for it.According to India head coach Rahul Dravid’s press conference, India are not looking at “tactical” changes, but they may yet be tempted to give some game time to the likes of Prasidh Krishna, who is playing his first World Cup, or R Ashwin, who hasn’t played since the first game against Australia last month.Someone who is unlikely to be rested, though, is Virat Kohli, who is chasing a century that will put him where no man has ever gone before – 50 ODI tons. Both Kohli, and India, will hope that a hundred on Sunday brings a close to all the chatter about records being broken, and by the time the semi-final comes along, the collective focus of the Indian side is on that elusive knockout win and not on milestones that, on some occasions, have taken importance over the ruthlessness of victory in this tournament.Netherlands will have their own statement to make. They’ve been in India longer than any other visiting side this World Cup, and despite the highs of two terrific wins, they wouldn’t want to finish rock-bottom on the points table. They wanted to desperately play the warm-up game against India that got washed out, but here is another chance to shine in what will most likely be their team’s most-watched game of international cricket. It will be excruciatingly difficult though, as eight other teams have already learnt.Bas de Leede played a brilliant game against Pakistan but has not hit those same high notes since•AFP/Getty Images

Form guide

India: WWWWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
Netherlands: LLWLL

In the spotlight: Shubman Gill and Bas de Leede

Before the World Cup, Shubman Gill was the unanimous choice among fans and experts as the one player most likely to succeed at the World Cup. But it hasn’t been so. A case of dengue made him lose muscle mass and weight, he wasn’t at full fitness at the start of the tournament, and a run of only two half-centuries in six innings has meant his overall performance has been below the lofty stands he has himself set. With Rohit Sharma and Kohli churning out the runs, Gill’s scores have gone under the radar, but India would want a big score from the opener ahead of the big semi-final in Mumbai.He has the most wickets for Netherlands at this World Cup (14) but he also has the worst economy (7.10) among his team’s quicks. For Bas de Leede, this competition promised a lot of highs but all that followed after his all-round effort against Pakistan has been disappointment. He’s leaked runs, he’s failed to score crucial runs from the lower-middle order, and the bottom line is that he has not lived up to his potential. Here’s one last chance for him to make a mark, and you never know… a strong performance against hosts India could be the perfect finish with an IPL auction also looming next month.

Team news: Bumrah to rest?

Dravid said the team will not “experiment” tactically, but the odd change cannot be ruled out.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul, 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Kuldeep Yadav / R Ashwin, 9 Jasprit Bumrah / Prasidh Krishna, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohammed SirajShubman Gill was in good spirits during India’s training session•ICC via Getty Images

Netherlands should field the same side from the England defeat.Netherlands (probable): 1 Max O’Dowd / Vikramjit Singh, 2 Wesley Barresi, 3 Colin Ackermann, 4 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 5 Scott Edwards (capt), 6 Bas de Leede, 7 Teja Nidamanuru, 8 Logan van Beek, 9 Roelof van der Merwe, 10 Aryan Dutt, 11 Paul van Meekeren

Pitch and conditions: Big score galore

Runs, runs and more runs shall be the theme at the last World Cup game scheduled for the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. Australia scored 367 against Pakistan here while New Zealand thumped 401. If India bat first, their aim will be for a score in that region.

Stats and trivia: India chasing history

• India and Netherlands have played each other twice in World Cups previously (2003 and 2011). In 2003, Bas’ father Tim de Leede was the Player of the Match.
• Roelof van der Merwe is the only Netherlands bowler who has previously bowled to any of the Indian batters (Kohli and Rohit) in ODI cricket.
• India’s 8-0 streak at this World Cup is the third-best streak in this tournament, behind only the 11 consecutive wins achieved by Australia in 2003 and 2007.
• Fifteen years ago, Sybrand Engelbrecht played for South Africa against Kohli and Jadeja in an Under-19 World Cup final in Kuala Lumpur.
• No Dutch batter has reached a century at this World Cup.

Quotes

“We had a balance. We’ve structured the whole thing around certain things. But when that hasn’t happened, we’ve had the ability, the skill, and the mental fortitude to be able to bounce back, and to be able to still compete and do really well. So yeah, I think credit to the guys, credit to, like I said, I think even the NCA for all the work that they do.”