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Sri Lanka women’s coach Hemantha Devapriya said finishing in the top four at the World Cup qualifiers – which will allow them to play the World Cup in England – is the team’s utmost priority

Sa'adi Thawfeeq07-Feb-2017Finishing as one of the top four sides in the Super Six stage of the Women’s World Cup Qualifier – which allows teams entry into the 2017 Women’s World Cup in England – will be the Sri Lanka women’s utmost priority, according to coach Hemantha Devapriya.Sri Lanka are one of 10 nations playing the qualifying tournament which began in Colombo today. Sri Lanka are grouped with India, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Thailand in Group A. Group B has South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Scotland and Papua New Guinea. The top three teams from each group will advance to the Super Six stage. Sri Lanka play India in their opening game.”India is the toughest team in our group and we have to win at least three matches to qualify for the next round,” Devapriya said. “It’s an advantage playing under home conditions but there is also a bit of disadvantage because of the pressure, as expectations are high for us to do well.”However the players are ready to perform and take up the challenge. In the last three months since I took over I see about 20% development in all areas, which is a surprise for me.”Their attitudes have changed and we worked hard. It was a hectic three months and the players also coped up very well to the demands. We had good preparations. We played a lot of practice games with the Under-17 boys and they are ready for it. Now it’s all about putting it into practice at the matches and showcasing their talent. They are confident and I can see it in them.”Chamari Atapattu will be crucial to Sri Lanka’s chances•IDI/Getty Images

Sri Lanka played a warm-up game against Pakistan on Sunday which they lost by three wickets. But what was pleasing to the coach was that Sri Lanka were able to cross 200 in their innings. “It’s a plus point scoring over 200. We couldn’t win because Pakistan batted well and at the same time we didn’t bowl well. We didn’t have the pace to bowl on that wicket,” Devapriya said. “The result didn’t matter much because both sides were trying out various things ahead of the tournament. The players know what to do, they have identified their roles and I am confident they will do their best.”Devapriya, a wicketkeeper of the pre-Test era, said that his team will be banking on senior players like Eshani Lokusuriyage, Chamari Atapattu, Prasadani Weerakkody, Dilani Manodara and Chamari Polgampola to lead their batting while Udeshika Prabodhani and captain Inoka Ranaweera will need to excel with the ball.Devapriya was also pleased to see that the programmes being carried out by Sri Lanka Cricket to raise the standard of women’s cricket in the country were proving to be a success.”There about 2000 students keen to play cricket. SLC is organising an Under-21 district tournament for them. At the same time there is a group going around picking talent. That’s a good indication that we will have good players coming through,” Devapriya said. “A lot of schools start playing cricket around the age of 16. I have seen young players who are not yet ready to make it big, but they have the talent. It’s our responsibility once this tournament is over, to identify these players and get them into the main stream and groom them.”

While there could be attempts from BCCI office bearers and state associations to bring back N Srinivasan for the ICC Board meeting, the CoA has said such a move would need the approval of the Supreme Court

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Apr-2017The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) has made it clear that any attempted move by the BCCI office bearers and state associations to bring former board president N Srinivasan back into the fold would need the approval of the Supreme Court.The office bearers want to nominate Srinivasan as the BCCI representative for the crucial ICC Board meetings later this month in Dubai. A final decision is likely to be taken at the board’s special general body meeting (SGM) on April 9 in Delhi.Although Srinivasan has not made his thoughts public, he met the three existing BCCI office bearers in Hyderabad on Wednesday. This was just before the three men – Amitabh Choudhary (acting secretary), Anirudh Chaudhry (treasurer) and CK Khanna (acting president) – were headed to meet the CoA, led by Vinod Rai and Vikram Limaye. It is understood that Rai, the CoA chairman, told the three office bearers that members attending the SGM or any ICC meeting would need to comply with the eligibility criteria approved by the Supreme Court.Srinivasan fails the eligibility test on three main fronts. He is past the age cap of 70 years. He has also completed nine years as an office bearer both at the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and the BCCI, which disqualifies him automatically. Srinivasan is also yet to resign as the president of the TNCA, thereby flouting the court judgement of July 2016, which had approved the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.However, in their meetings with the CoA, the office bearers pointed out that there were no restrictions on the states or BCCI appointing a representative to attend the ICC meetings.The CoA, on Thursday, said it would seek the court’s approval, but asked the BCCI members to adhere to the court order. “Members may kindly note that the Committee of Administrators has decided to seek appropriate directions from the Hon’ble Supreme Court on matters relating to eligibility for participating in any Special General Meeting or Annual General Meeting of the BCCI (both with reference to Members and their nominees/representatives) as well as eligibility for being appointed to represent the BCCI at the ICC.”Members are requested to consider the above issues and ensure that attendance and decisions at any Special General Meeting or Annual General Meeting of the BCCI is in compliance with the orders passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court as well as all applicable norms, rules and regulations.”There have been murmurs in the past few weeks of Srinivasan making a return at the ICC Board, which was considered improbable after he was forced to step down as BCCI president by the Supreme Court in 2015.In its meetings on April 26 and 27, the ICC Board is expected to deliberate, and probably vote, on the various resolutions concerning the governance structure and the revenue distribution model. Last month, the CoA sent an expansive e-mail to the ICC elaborating on its differences on the various resolutions.Nonetheless, the BCCI office bearers and most state associations have been sceptical of the CoA’s accommodating attitude towards the ICC Board. The CoA has stressed that the BCCI ought to engage and not confront the other member boards. However, the office bearers are adamant that the BCCI could not afford to loosen its grip and certainly not come down on its share derived from the ICC’s broadcasting rights.These office bearers and the other members of the BCCI have strongly objected to the reformist drive put in place by ICC chairman Shashank Manohar, who was the board president until last April. To take on Manohar, the office bearers felt a strong opposing voice was necessary.Incidentally, in an order issued in February, the court had approved three names – Limaye, Choudhary and Chaudhry – who could attend the ICC meetings that took place couple of months ago. Choudhry attended the ICC chief executives committee meeting while Limaye sat in the Financial & Commercial Affairs as well as the ICC Board.

Jesse Ryder slammed 131 off 110 balls, but could not prevent Essex falling to their first Royal London Cup defeat of the season

ECB Reporters Network24-Jul-2016
ScorecardJesse Ryder’s hundred was in vain for Essex (file photo)•Getty Images

Jesse Ryder slammed 131 off 110 balls, but could not prevent Essex falling to their first Royal London Cup defeat of the season.Essex paid the price for losing half the side for 119, chasing Surrey’s 313 for 8, though while Ryder was at the crease anything looked possible, particularly when he was putting on 91 in 11 overs with Ashar Zaidi for the sixth wicket. Once both went in the space of three balls to Jade Dernbach, Essex resumed their earlier dismal form and finished 66 runs short.Dernbach returned figures of 4 for 41 as Surrey, finalists last season, won for only the second time in this year’s 50-over competition. His colleagues had been thrashed around Chelmsford by Ryder, who struck four sixes and 13 fours in his innings, accelerating from fifty to his hundred in 33 balls.The base for Surrey’s large total was laid by Steven Davies, who hit 82 from 81 balls and was ably supported by fifties from Jason Roy and Rory Burns, as well as 41 from Aaron Finch and 45 from Ben Foakes, after they had elected to bat.Finch put on 94 for the first wicket with Roy before he was beaten by one that kept low from David Masters. Masters, Graham Napier and Zaidi kept the shackles on the openers until Matt Quinn returned for the 13th over and Roy hit him 6, 4, 6 from successive balls to put the Surrey innings into full swing.Roy reached his half-century off 52 balls with a reverse-swept four off Dan Lawrence. But eight balls later the England batsman fell victim to an incredible sleight of hand by James Foster, who whipped off the bails when Roy reached for a ball down leg side from Lawrence.Davies and Dom Sibley posted fifty for the third wicket in nine overs before Sibley drove Bopara to midwicket where Zaidi held on to the catch. Davies then moved to his personal fifty, from 52 balls and with only three boundaries.He found another willing partner in Burns and together they put on 92 in 14 overs. Davies departed for 82 when he moved well outside off stump to try and deflect Ryan ten Doeschate towards third man and was caught by Foster. Burns pulled Napier for his seventh four to bring up his half-century in 47 balls, but next ball tried something similar and was caught on the midwicket boundary by Nick Browne.Matt Pillans lofted one down Bopara’s throat at long leg to give ten Doeschate a second wicket, and then Gareth Batty followed suit – ten Doeschate taking the catch on the same spot and Bopara claiming his second wicket.Surrey were helped past the 300 mark when Quinn was hit for a third six to long off by Foakes as he condeded 56 from his six-over spell. Bopara restricted himself to just five overs but took a third wicket when his last ball found Foakes looking to heave the six that would have brought up his fifty, and missing the ball completely.Mark Footitt broke the Essex opening partnership when he had Tom Westley caught in the covers by Stuart Meaker, and then Browne swished outside off stump at Dernbach to give a catch behind. Bopara went to an outstanding catch by Davies, diving low down to his right at first slip, and Lawrence wafted at Meaker to give Foakes a catch down the leg side.Ryder lofted Batty over deep mid-off for his sixth four to bring up Essex’s hundred and his own fifty, which took 53 balls, and then drove the same bowler high over long-off for six. But after a 50-run partnership for the fifth wicket, Essex lost ten Doeschate lbw to Pillans.Zaidi cleared the sightscreen at the Hayes Close End for six off Batty but played second fiddle to Ryder. The Kiwi added two more maximums off Pillans, one straight, the other over midwicket. He went to 99 with his final six, pulled over midwicket off Meaker, and then chopped the single that took him to his century from 86 balls.The returning Dernbach broke the rampant partnership when he had Zaidi caught down low by Foakes, and then Ryder taken on the midwicket boundary. Foster went lbw to Sibley, Napier provided a fourth catch behind for Foakes and Masters gave Batty a wicket to end the game nearly nine overs early.

The India batsman injured his left shoulder while fielding in the ODI series opener against England

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2021Shreyas Iyer was taken for scans after subluxating – partially dislocating – his left shoulder when fielding in the first ODI against England in Pune.Iyer picked up the injury in the eighth over of England’s chase, when he dived at extra cover to prevent a boundary, and was ruled out of the rest of the match along with Rohit Sharma, who had been hit on the elbow while batting. Sharma’s injury wasn’t deemed serious enough to require scans.Iyer’s injury will leave the Delhi Capitals sweating too, as the IPL will start soon after the ongoing ODI series, on April 9, and Iyer is their captain. It can take weeks – even a surgery in certain cases – to recover from such an injury. The difference between subluxation and a complete dislocation is that in case of a subluxation, the two bones that form a joint are still in contact with each other.There were two other injuries during the Pune ODI, with England batsman Sam Billings hurting his collar bone when diving at the boundary and captain Eoin Morgan splitting a webbing in his right hand when stopping a crisp cover-drive from Hardik Pandya. Both men went on to bat during the chase.

James Sutherland has made the first conciliatory noises since player pay talks with the Australian Cricketers Association broke down last week, stating the two parties “have a lot more in common than they have not”

Daniel Brettig27-Dec-20163:07

Brettig: Conciliatory words from CA in recent times

James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has made the first conciliatory noises since player pay talks with the Australian Cricketers Association broke down last week, stating the two parties “have a lot more in common than they have not” and expressing hope for compromises in what are widely divergent positions at present.CA have made it plain in their submission to the players that they want to break up the revenue sharing model that has existed for the past 20 years, limiting it to only the top 20 male players and excluding domestic cricketers and also women from a guaranteed share of the money earned by the game down under.Other contentions, including questions over whether it is “appropriate” for CA to fund the ACA, have raised eyebrows among the players. Bitter exchanges of views over various clauses in women’s contracts culminated in the suspension of talks by CA last week, leaving the players’ delegation all dressed up at the board’s Jolimont headquarters with nowhere to go.Having worked closely on the relationship with the ACA in the past, principally with the former chief executives Tim May and Paul Marsh, Sutherland said he was hopeful that talks would resume in the new year on a less adversarial basis after both sides had time to reflect on the past few weeks. Kevin Roberts, the former board director and now senior executive widely thought to be Sutherland’s likely successor, is leading CA’s delegation this time around.”It was probably an opportune time, the right time, just to take a little bit of a deep breath with a couple of issues circulating, and to be honest we haven’t properly got into discussions or negotiations,” Sutherland told ABC Radio. “It was really just some formalities at the start in terms of putting each other’s perspectives or proposals on the table.”We haven’t gone into any detail with that, I think it’s a long haul in terms of detail we need to go through, but I think the facts of the matter are that both organisations have a lot more in common than they have not, and from that perspective it’s all in the interest of the game, ensuring the game’s better.”And as I’ve said before, the opportunity around these sort of agreements which come around every five years or perhaps a little bit less sometimes, is to come to a better agreement. An agreement that helps the game to be better and helps all the relevant stakeholders to be supported.”The players are seeking the retention of the revenue sharing agreement, which guarantees around 26% of Australian Cricket Revenue (ACR) goes to the players. At the same time they want the definition of ACR to be expanded to counterbalance the inclusion of women in the same MOU for the first time. Last week Australia’s players were addressed by May, who told them about the history of the accord between players and board.”I talked about the historical battles of 1997 and the incredible similarities that are bobbing up now,” May told the . “I told them that they weren’t selfish then. Yes, they wanted a benefit, but also wanted a system to last into the future. You owe it not only to yourselves, but to future generations and to the players 20 years ago.”Meanwhile, Sutherland also stated that a Christmas Day Big Bash League match was becoming increasingly likely, though probably not as soon as next summer. “The more I think about it… then you see the next day, the NBA and the audiences they get… I think the growing sentiment is that that’s a possibility,” he said.”We’d need to think about the right venue for it, and we also need to consult widely. We understand that it’s not just a narrow-minded cricket decision. There’s a lot more to it than that. And we’ll think that through. But I think it is an opportunity and it would be a good thing for the game and for cricket fans around the country.”The Australian cricket team come in a few days before Christmas and they’re here. I know in Women’s Big Bash League, our daughter, she was on a lunch-time flight to Sydney, Christmas Day. It’s part and parcel of what happens as a professional cricketer today, so I think that’s a concern or a matter that we’ll talk through, but cricketers are on the move at that time of year anyway.”

England dismissed for 185 after another flaky display with the bat in Melbourne

Valkerie Baynes26-Dec-2021It was a case of the more things change the more they stay the same for England as Australia took a stranglehold on the Ashes, bowling out the tourists for 185 on the opening day of the third Test at the MCG before reaching the close one wicket down and only 124 runs behind.England had made four changes to their side that lost by 275 runs in Adelaide to concede a 2-0 lead in the series, but again their batters struggled as Pat Cummins ripped through the top order by lunch and Nathan Lyon matched his captain’s haul of 3 for 36 as England succumbed for under 200 runs for the 12th time this year.In between, Cameron Green reaped rewards for a suffocating four-over spell and Scott Boland claimed a wicket on Test debut while also taking two catches to have a further hand in England’s demise before a Boxing Day crowd of 57,100.The Australians reached 57 without loss before James Anderson had David Warner sharply caught by Zak Crawley at gully. The hosts closed on 1 for 61 with under-pressure opener Marcus Harris unbeaten on 20.Cummins won the toss after rain delayed the start and sent England in to bat on a pitch offering some grass coverage. He capitalised with his fifth ball – the 11th legitimate delivery of the match after Mitchell Starc had opened with a no-ball – when he had Haseeb Hameed out feathering a catch behind to Alex Carey for a second consecutive duck.Cummins then had Crawley, replacing opener Rory Burns, caught by Green at gully for 12 as England slumped to 2 for 13 inside eight overs.
The tourists were again looking to Joe Root and Dawid Malan to steady them and they did, to some extent, with a 48-run partnership from 115 balls. But England needed so much more than even the 162-run stand they put on to give them some hope in the first Test in Brisbane and, when Cummins had Malan caught in the slips by Warner on the last ball before the lunch, they were again in strife at 3 for 61.Root brought up his ninth fifty in Australia after the break, but he fell a short time later when Starc – used sparingly in the morning session – had him caught behind chasing a ball outside off stump. Visibly furious with the fallibility of his dismissal, Root now needs to score a maiden century in Australia – 109 runs to be precise – in England’s second innings if he is to pass Mohammad Yousuf’s record for runs scored in a calendar year.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

More importantly, however, England needed their skipper to convert to dig them out of a hole. Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, the latter replacing Ollie Pope, set about trying to salvage the innings but Green applied sublime pressure in a four-over spell which included three maidens and one wicket for one run, when Stokes tried to lift him over the slips cordon, but picked out Lyon at point for 25. Green threatened to claim another two balls later with a pearl of a delivery that zipped back between Jos Buttler’s bat and pad as the scoreless batsman lunged forward.It was Lyon who had Buttler out, England’s No. 7 advancing down the pitch and skying the ball straight to Boland at deep midwicket – a rash shot which saw him depart for just 3 on the stroke of tea. Lyon also dismissed Ollie Robinson for a spirited 22 from 26 deliveries and Jack Leach, who took his fellow spinner for 11 runs off one over – including a thumping straight six, before falling for 13. Leach had returned to the side after his bowling had been punished at the Gabba, making his courage with the bat a short-lived bright spot for England.Starc claimed his second, cramping Bairstow with a short ball that saw him lose his footing as he toppled backwards and gloved a catch to Green at gully. Bairstow was England’s second-highest run-scorer with 35 but, in an all-too-similar vein to the other recognised batters, it was simply not enough.Mark Wood, coming in for Stuart Broad in England’s other personnel change, had earlier became Boland’s first Test wicket when he was trapped lbw. Boland became the fourth Indigenous Test cricketer after Faith Thomas, Jason Gillespie and Ashleigh Garner in one of two changes for the Australians alongside the return of Cummins, who missed the second Test as a close contact of a Covid case.Wood threatened with the ball, showing England what they had been missing Adelaide, but it was Anderson who made the breakthrough that was a rare moment of solace for the battling tourists.

Hardus Viljoen has struggled for credibility in international cricket but he made an immediate impact in his debut for Kent in Bristol

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Bristol23-Aug-2016
ScorecardHardus Viljoen made an immediate impact for Kent [file picture]•Getty Images

It was the sort of impact county fans rarely expect of an overseas player, least of all one that drops in for the latter part of a season, with little international credibility behind them. But Hardus Viljoen, on Kent debut, became on their fourth bowler to take a five-wicket haul this season, as his 5 for 55 helped dismiss Gloucestershire for 221 in their first innings. It was the South African’s 20th fifth-wicket haul in first class cricket.It is a stint that will provide something beneficial for Viljoen as much as Kent, who are looking to keep the pressure up on Essex at the top of the table, ready to pounce from third if any stutter is forthcoming.The 27-year-old is looking to build on what is so far a one-Test career that started with the wicket of Alastair Cook, first ball. That was as good as it got for Viljoen in the third Test of England’s series away to South Africa earlier this year as his robust, aggressive style was successfully countered. The winter has been spent finding form in Zimbabwe and Australia as part of South Africa A, ventures that haven’t quite reaped the rewards he would have wished. A week at home followed before he flew over to Canterbury for the rest of the season.With Kent testing the limits of their seam bowling reserves, Viljoen’s acquisition has added further breadth to a broad-shouldered bowling line-up of Matt Coles, Mitchell Claydon and Darren Stevens. A foursome you would not wish to meet down a dark alley. Then again, no alley could house them unless they greeted you in single file. And they were in no mood for courtesy today.Kent opted against the toss and decided to give Gloucestershire first go on a pitch that looked used, with a brownish-green tint that looked more like an Olympic pool than a four-day pitch. With the odd ball zipping through, Viljoen hammered away at a length to take the key wickets. The usually unflappable Michael Klinger was rushed with a delivery that moved sharply into him, trapping the right-hander in front of middle and off. Hamish Marshall, who top scored with 58, was also given the hurry up by Viljoen, just as he looked set to take his side out of the red.It has been an interesting summer for Gloucestershire, one which many locals regard as their best since 2011, when they finished fourth in Division Two. Their white ball aptitude, culminating in last year’s Royal London Cup success, also carried over this season into a quarter-final spot in the NatWest T20 Blast. And, going into the game, Gloucestershire sat fifth, 12 points behind Kent, with a game in hand. If Kent’s promotion hopes were still alive, so logically were theirs.Members have been mightily impressed by the upturn in fortunes since Richard Dawson look over at the beginning of 2015. But their subsidence to 67 for 4, with Darren Stevens moving the ball both ways to account for Chris Dent (played on) and returning skipper Gareth Roderick (lbw), brought a sense of disappointment around the ground that there may be an early finish to their competitive season.Gloucestershire battened down the hatches in the afternoon, 60 runs were added in 33 overs. It was, however, a necessary trudge, with Gloucestershire’s season hanging in the balance. They need not have taken the closed curtains of the flats at the Ashley Down Road End personally.The evening session brought with it runs, wickets and dashings of brilliance, as those who sought the sun were baked into a slumber. Marshall used a reprieve on 37, when Stevens dropped a simple catch at first slip off Viljoen, to move to his half-century from 166 balls. A reprieve might have been enjoyed, too, by Phil Mustard, caught down the leg side, for Viljeon’s second wicket. The reaction told the story: rarely has a man pointed at his own thigh guard with more apoplexy.

Atherton terms on-field soft signal for outfield catches “nonsense” as TV umpire remains unconvinced about the catch but has to stick with “out” signal

Nagraj Gollapudi, Matt Roller and Varun Shetty18-Mar-20216:14

Does cricket need to rethink the soft-signal rule?

The decision to cut short an enterprising maiden international innings from India batsman Suryakumar Yadav has thrown open the debate about the validity of the on-field umpire’s soft signal for outfield catches, with India captain Virat Kohli suggesting after the match that there’s no realistic way for an on-field umpire to judge low catches from a distance.Off the second ball of the 14th over of the fourth India-England T20I in Ahmedabad, Yadav, on 57, pulled England left-arm seamer Sam Curran into the deep where Dawid Malan initially appeared to have taken a low catch at deep-square leg. England’s fielders celebrated as umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan gave a soft signal of “out”.That decision sparked instant debate as third umpire Virender Sharma remained unconvinced about whether it was a clean catch, despite reviewing Malan’s pouch multiple times for nearly four minutes. Sharma repeatedly described the evidence as “inconclusive”, and subsequently, as per the rules, was forced to stick to Anathapadmanabhan’s soft-signal ruling.Kohli: Why not an ‘I don’t know’ call for the umpires?
Speaking to broadcaster Star Sports at the post-match presentation, Kohli said that the soft signal during Yadav’s innings cost India some runs during their innings, even if they were happy getting to a total of 180-plus. Kohli called that passage “strange” and said the rules around that part of the game need to be more clear than the “grey areas” that they currently are.According to the ICC’s playing conditions, the soft signal is a “visual communication by the bowler’s end umpire to the third umpire (accompanied by additional information via two-way radio where necessary) of his/her initial on-field decision prior to initiating an Umpire Review”. “Look, there was that instance that happened during the Test series where I was next to Jinks [Ajinkya Rahane] when he clearly caught the ball, but then I wasn’t sure and I asked Jinks, he wasn’t sure,” Kohli said. “And then we went up straightaway. If it’s a half-and-half effort and the fielder’s in doubt, I don’t think the umpire from square leg would see that clearly and, you know, make a conclusive call. So the soft signal becomes that much more important and it’s a tricky one. I don’t know why there cannot be a sort of “I don’t know” call for the umpire as well. Why does it have to be a conclusive one? Because then that [dictates] the whole decision completely. Similar to the argument we have about umpire’s call as well.””I think these are some things that can really, really change the whole course of the game, especially in a big game. We are on the other side [of the result], but there could be another team bearing the brunt of this. So you want these things ironed out as much as possible, keep this game simple, keep it linear, have one set of rules which are not grey areas which we don’t understand sometimes, and sometimes we do. So it’s not ideal, especially in a high-pressure game which has a lot of things riding on it, a lot at stake. It’s important to have a lot of clarity on the field.”Atherton: Soft signal for boundary catches is nonsense
Former England captain Michael Atherton, who is one of the commentators for Sky, the UK broadcaster for the T20I series, was critical of the soft signal for outfield catches, calling it “nonsense”.”The third umpire had a long look at that and the key thing here – and it is a thing I have a slight problem with – is the on-field umpire’s call is out and therefore the third umpire made exactly the right call: he said it is inconclusive, I’ve got to go with the on-field umpire’s call which was out,” Atherton said immediately after Yadav was ruled out. “But how you have a soft signal from the umpire standing in the middle for a boundary catch is beyond me. I don’t how the on-field umpire can see that when the fielder makes a catch on the boundary.” India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, doing commentary for Sky, echoed Atherton’s thoughts. “I’m absolutely with Athers on that,” Karthik said. “I don’t understand this: the [on-field] umpire is not sure whether it’s taken or not [cleanly] hence he goes to the third umpire. And then why give a decision [soft signal] at all? Allow the third umpire to take the call. Another grey area of cricket along with the DRS umpire’s call – these are things always up for debate.”Related

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According to Atherton the soft signal should be valid only for rulings on catches in the 30-yard circle, where the on-field umpires have a better view of events. “I can absolutely understand why an on-field umpire gets a good view of the catch inside the inner circle, but when it is out on the boundary, 50 metres away, there’s no way that the standing umpire can see whether Dawid Malan has caught that. So the soft signal for boundary catches is nonsense. You [should] just send it upstairs and let the third umpire make his call. There’s no way that the standing umpire can see that: he has not got X-ray eyes from 50 yards away.”The frequency of the controversial rulings on outfield catches due to soft signals has resulted in the topic being debated at the most recent meeting of the MCC’s World Cricket Committee, on which sit some eminent former international captains including Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, and umpire Kumar Dharmasena who stood in the 2019 World Cup final.”The committee felt that the soft-signal system worked well for catches within the 30-yard fielding circle, but that catches near the boundary often left the umpires unsighted,” the MCC said at the time in a media release. “It was proposed that, for such catches, the on-field umpires could give an ‘unsighted’ instruction to the TV umpire, rather than the more explicit soft signal of ‘out’ or ‘not out’.”

Fabian Allen bursts into top ten among T20I bowlers as West Indies take 3-0 lead against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2021Pakistan captain Babar Azam has consolidated his position as the No. 1-ranked batter and Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie has made a gain of 14 spots to move to No. 36 after the latest week of ODI fixtures in England and Ireland. Fabian Allen, meanwhile, entered the top ten among T20I bowlers after an impressive run against Australia at home, where West Indies are 3-0 ahead in the five-match series.Azam’s career-best 158 in the final ODI against England at Edgbaston on Tuesday, which earned him eight rating points, kept him 16 clear of Virat Kohli, who is at second place.

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Following England’s series sweep, there were two major movers low down in the tables. James Vince, who hit 102 – his first century for England across formats – rushed up 85 spots to No. 113 among batters, while Saqib Mahmood, who picked up nine wickets in the three games, gained 89 places to be 63rd among bowlers.Ireland’s historic maiden ODI win over South Africa in their second fixture, after the first game was washed out, also led to some of their players making progress. Balbirnie’s 65 and 102 in the two games gave him a career-high 584 points as he gained 14 places to be ranked No. 36, while William Porterfield (up five spots to 74th) and Harry Tector (up 37 to 90th) among the batters, and Craig Young (up four to 78th) and Josh Little (up 22 to 86th) among bowlers moved up.T20Is: West Indians make big gains
It wasn’t just Allen, who rose 16 positions, but there were a number of West Indians who made big strides up the tables as their team won the third T20I against Australia.Related

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Of the bowlers, Obed McCoy, who has five wickets from two matches – including 4 for 26 in the first T20I – has jumped 15 spots to No. 38. while Sheldon Cottrell and Dwayne Bravo, with two wickets apiece so far, have risen by two places to 22nd and seven places to 37th, respectively.Meanwhile, Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer and Lendl Simmons – all among the top five run-getters in the series at the moment – had their own gains too. While Gayle and Russell were tied at No. 103 after rising 22 and 38 ranks, respectively, Hetmyer has raced up to No. 62 by climbing 37 places and Simmons moved to No. 64 after gaining six spots.Tests: Mahmudullah finishes at No. 44
Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by 220 runs in their one-off Test in Harare, and Mahmudullah, who announced midway into the match that it would be his last in the format, gained 19 spots to get to 44th place after his 150* in the first innings. Liton Das, who scored 95 in that innings, rose 15 places to get to No. 55.The bowling star for Bangladesh was Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who finished with a match haul of 9 for 148. He gained six places to get to No. 24.And though Zimbabwe lost the game, captain Brendan Taylor’s 81 and 92 pushed him seven spots up to No. 28, while Blessing Muzarabani’s 4 for 94 in the first innings took him up to No. 45 among bowlers, a gain of six spots.

Hetmyer still out on fitness grounds, but chief selector Desmond Haynes says he remains in West Indies’ plans

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2022Captain Kieron Pollard and vice-captain Nicholas Pooran will lead a familiar squad in the T20I series against India in February. West Indies did not make any changes to the 16 that was named to take on England at home for the away series against India. West Indies, at the time of naming the squad on Saturday, were leading that home series against England 2-1, with two games to play.West Indies had announced their squad for the preceding ODIs against India on January 27, and 11 players feature in both the limited-overs squads: Pollard, Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith and Hayden Walsh Jr.Related

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Allrounder Odean Smith keeps his place after a bizarre incident this past week which included claims of him being “victimised” after he was left out for the third T20I against England to make way for Rovman Powell. The claims were made in a voice note sent to the media – by whom it is as yet unclear, though local media reported it was “a regional cricket commentator” – and duly rubbished by coach Phil Simmons. Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt termed the allegations “a malicious attack on the credibility of the West Indies Captain, designed to sow division within our team”.West Indies’ tour to India is the first assignment for new West Indies chief selector Desmond Haynes. The tour comprises three ODIs in Ahmedabad starting on February 6, followed by the T20Is in Kolkata between February 16 and 20.Hetmyer still out on fitness grounds, Lewis yet to return post-Covid
Shimron Hetmyer was left out of the squad on fitness grounds once again. Earlier this month, West Indies head coach Phil Simmons was critical of Hetmyer’s attitude towards physical fitness, saying it was “heart-wrenching” to see him fail to reach the minimum standard. Haynes, however, stressed that Hetmyer is still part of West Indies’ plans moving forward. The 25-year-old batter is currently part of the Quetta Gladiators squad at the PSL.”What we need to do is we need to put our arm around these guys and let them know that we are interested in their development… to also [make them] understand that there’s a level of fitness that is required to play at international level,” Haynes said. “But Hetmyer is in our plans. There’s no question about it. Hetmyer was ill this month at the beginning of the year and obviously we’ve got a squad of people here who are doing well at present in the T20 tournament. So, we decided we will keep them for the tournament going to India.”As for opening batter Evin Lewis, he is yet to return to competitive action since testing positive for Covid-19, ahead of the Ireland series. While Haynes said that the selectors wanted to give the squad that is playing against England at home another go in India, he pointed out that Lewis, too, will be part of West Indies’ future plans.”This year both Evin and Hetmyer had illness and I think Evin was recovering from Covid,” Haynes said. “I just want to let everybody know that Evin is still in our plans. Evin is not part of the T20 squad that was selected before I took on the role of a lead selector. We’ve done well against the England T20 team and I believe that it was right of us to give these guys a chance.”Left-arm seamer Obed McCoy, meanwhile, is still recovering from the shin injury he sustained at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE.Haynes impressed by Powell, Hosein
Dwayne Bravo’s international retirement after the T20 World Cup last year stripped the side of an experienced all-round option, but Powell and Hosein have since stepped up, impressing Hayes. Dominic Drakes, who had a breakout CPL 2021 and then got gigs in the IPL and T10 league, is also part of the squad for the T20I leg of the India tour.Replacing Smith, Powell walloped a 51-ball hundred to hand West Indies a 2-1 lead in the ongoing T20I series against England. Left-arm fingerspinner Hosein, who had batted up the order for West Indies Under-19s back in the day, showed his batting chops in the second T20I, when he smashed an unbeaten 16-ball 44 from No.10 to give England a massive scare.”Yeah, I’m very impressed with the guys,” Haynes said. “I liked the innings that Powell played – I think that was fantastic. Here was a guy who struggled to play spin, I was told, and then he came in and the first shot [with which] he got off the mark was a sweep for six. England then were planning to bowl a lot of googlies at him and he just paddle-swept. Also, he’s a strong guy too; when it was time to use his power coming down to the end, he played very well and I was very, very impressed with him.”I was also very impressed with Akeal in that one run-defeat. He came in there and everybody thought it was over. He played exceptionally well and that’s what you want because in T20 cricket you want the guy batting up to No.11 to be able to hit a six.”Squad: Kieron Pollard (capt), Nicholas Pooran (vice-capt), Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Brandon King, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Kyle Mayers, Hayden Walsh Jr