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Bangladesh’s Hridoy says he should’ve finished the game off after putting his side in a strong position

Sidharth Monga11-Jun-20241:01

Manjrekar: Maharaj’s final over was poor, but Bangladesh’s batting was poorer

South Africa’s decision to bat first in New York on Monday, at a ground that they have won two matches chasing at the T20 World Cup 2024, was actually a tribute to Bangladesh’s bowling.”Third game on the wicket,” Player of the Match Heinrich Klaasen said about the decision. “These guys are incredible when the wicket becomes slow. So that was the biggest reason why we didn’t want to chase 120. Because the wicket was definitely better than other games. But given Bangladesh, when pressure is on, and they have to go into cutters, they’ve got some of the world’s best cutter bowlers and their spinners are high quality. So that was the biggest reason why we chose to bat first.”Then South Africa found themselves in trouble at 23 for 4, but chose to pull out of it like you would in the middle overs of an ODI. They went into a T20I knowing aiming for just a run a ball, not minding staying even below six per over as long as they were just a boundary away.Related

• South Africa target four-in-four with Nepal preparing for Kingstown party

• Bangladesh fall short as SA conjure a win from nowhere

• Stats – New lows for Bangladesh in chase to forget

“I think David [Miller] showed us in the previous game [against Netherlands] how to bat on this wicket and it’s almost a similar way that we bat in the middle overs in a one-day game,” Klaasen said. “So, our mindset is not even close to T20 cricket. You just want to get in and find a way to bat at a run a ball. And we know you’re one or two hits away just for going over the run-a-ball strike-rate.”2:25

Should cricket revisit the leg-bye rule on a referral?

Hridoy: ‘I should have finished the game’

Three teams have been involved in close chases in these conditions. South Africa, under Miller’s stewardship, won despite never getting ahead of the chase. Pakistan lost using the same approach. Bangladesh lost an early wicket, but never did – or were never allowed to – get ahead of the chase. Their best batter on the day, Towhid Hridoy, said there wasn’t much wrong with going at around a run a ball, just that he should have gone on for longer.”From that position I should have finished the match,” Hridoy said when asked if Bangladesh could have perhaps tried to get ahead of the rate sooner. “It’s difficult for new batsmen to adjust to the conditions. In that position, I should have finished the match.”Hridoy fell in the 18th over, leaving Bangladesh 21 to get off 17 with five wickets in hand. One would back the chasing side in most conditions, but this pitch has been difficult and the outfield slow.When you lose by just four runs, you do tend to assign greater significance to otherwise smaller events. Hridoy was left looking at some umpiring calls without complaining about them. One of them was an lbw that was given out but they got it reversed only to lose out on possible leg-byes.”See, ICC rule is not in my hands, but at that time those four runs were very important for us,” Hridoy said. “The umpires are also human beings, and they could have made a mistake. But we had two-three more wides, which were not given. So, in a match like this, where hardly a run is being made in a low-scoring match, one or two runs are a big factor. So, I think those four runs or two wide runs were close calls. Even my out was the umpire’s call.”

The former India captain said there had been a lot of “baffling” decisions by the team management, including how Rayudu and Rahane had been handled.

Nagraj Gollapudi11-Jul-2019″Baffling.”That was the word former India captain Sunil Gavaskar used to express his disappointment with the Indian team management’s decisions ahead of, and during, their World Cup 2019 campaign. India had topped the league stage of the tournament, but lost by 18 runs against fourth-placed New Zealand in a thrilling semi-final.Matt Henry and Trent Boult had reduced India to 5 for 3 in their chase of 240, but there was some surprise about MS Dhoni’s batting position, with the most experienced member of the team coming in at No.7, with all of Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya sent in ahead of Dhoni.Dhoni didn’t walk out even when India became 24 for 4 in 10 overs, with Jimmy Neesham taking a spectacular one-handed catch to send back Karthik. The general expectation was that the situation was ideal for Dhoni’s experience and calm, but it was Pandya who came out to join Pant.Both young players put their heads down in a 47-run stand for the fifth wicket, playing with confidence and composure. However, Pant went for the slog-sweep against Mitchell Santner, with the bowler having built up pressure through tight bowling, and was caught at deep midwicket. Pandya was out to a similar shot, as the asking rate mounted.Gavaskar felt that Dhoni should have been the one to join Pant when the fourth wicket fell, since he could have settled any nerves that Pant, as a rookie, might have felt.”At that stage (24 for 4) you did not need two players playing in the same mould,” Gavaskar told on Thursday, the day after India’s defeat. “Both (Pant and Pandya) are attacking players. It could have been an MS Dhoni coming in at this stage and talking to Rishabh every second delivery.”He would have assessed from the non-striker’s end what exactly Rishabh Pant is feeling: is he getting a little impatient? You have sent two people whose natural game is to go bang-bang, and at that stage, with the ball doing all kinds of things and the pressure being there, four wickets gone – you wanted somebody to hang in there. That was baffling.”When India’s captain Virat Kohli was asked why Dhoni walked in at No. 7, the lowest he has batted in the tournament, he said the role Dhoni had been given some games into the tournament was to be there at the end. “Well, he’s been given that role after the first few games of being in a situation where he can, if the situation’s bad, control one end, like he did today,” Kohli said. “Or if there is a scenario where there are six or seven overs left, he can go and strike.”Gavaskar pointed to Ambati Rayudu as one batsman who would have had the ability and experience to handle the situation following the top order collapse. Rayudu had been on the list of standbys for India’s World Cup squad, but wasn’t called up despite two men being rendered unavailable through injuries, following which he announced his retirement from all cricket.Rayudu had batted 14 times at No.4 since his return to the Indian ODI squad last year in the Asia Cup, but he wasn’t called up to the team, with Pant flown in when Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out and Mayank Agarwal included when Vijay Shankar had to exit.”Let’s face, there have been a lot of baffling decisions over the last couple of years. Ambati Rayudu for example – he should have been brought here,” Gavaskar said. “Why and how can you explain to me you bring in a Mayank Agarwal? He hasn’t played a single ODI as yet. He just came before the Sri Lanka game, the last league game, (so) you want to him to make his debut in a semifinals or a final in case a slot was open? Why not bring in an Ambati Rayudu, who is your standby? Very disappointing to see what happened yesterday.”VVS Laxman, too, was critical of the selectors and the Indian team management for preferring Vijay Shankar over Rayudu in the original squad. “Yes, Vijay Shankar can contribute with the ball (too), but what about the experience the Indian middle order required?” Laxman said. “Who is that batsman at No. 4? It has been musical chairs: 13 players have been tried and tested, but they have not been given enough opportunities. In a semi-final ultimately, those kind of decisions will affect the team, which it did.”MS Dhoni smashed a six late into the chase•AFP

Gavaskar said the Indian fans deserved answers to some of the rationale behind the decision-making. “Last year you say we found our No. 4,” he said, referring to when Kohli had anointed Rayudu as the man to fill that spot. “So what happens to that No. 4? He is now left out of the original squad. Then when you have the opportunity when Vijay Shankar gets unfortunately injured, you bring somebody else in. This is something nobody can understand. The Indian public is entitled to answers – what is the thinking behind this (selections).”It is not the selection committee’s decision. It is the team management which has been asking these things. We are not saying you are wrong but at the moment what we are seeing didn’t work out, so we need to know.”Gavaskar said even someone like Ajinkya Rahane could have been an option at No.4, given his sound technique. Rahane had been tried at that position earlier, but was dropped, and Gavaskar felt the batsman was given confusing messages.”You have tried Ajinkya Rahane. He was your middle order batsman for such a long time. Suddenly you are only going to consider him as an opening batsman because in the middle overs he is not a finisher, he does not take runs, whatever, whatever excuses we heard,” Gavaskar said.”In those conditions in Manchester, what did you need? Somebody with technique. Somebody who could have been around to see that period off and then eventually leave the field open for a Hardik Pandya or even a MS Dhoni.”

After Alyssa Healy and Tahlia McGrath lifted Australia to 155 for 6, Bangladesh folded for 78

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2024Tayla Vlaeminck capped her comeback tour in impressive fashion as Australia wrapped up a successful visit to Bangladesh with a 77-run victory in the third T20I.Fast bowler Vlaeminck took a career-best 3 for 12 from her four overs as Bangladesh were dismissed for 78 after Australia had posted 155 for 6. The win ensured Australia completed a clean sweep of the three ODIs and three T20Is on their tour.It was Vlaeminck’s only second match back after two years out of the team due to a recurrent foot stress fracture and then shoulder surgery. She removed Ritu Moni in the fourth over and returned to claim Fahima Khatun and Shorifa Khatun in the space of three balls in the 11th.Australia’s bowlers shared the other success around with all seven used claiming at least one wicket.Captain Alyssa Healy put Australia on track for victory early in the tour finale with 45 from 29 balls while Tahlia McGrath scored an unbeaten 43 from 29 balls batting at No. 5.The visitors returned to their more conventional batting line-up for the final outing having experimented in the second match. But Healy and Beth Mooney could not race away in the powerplay and Bangladesh chipped away to leave them 98 for 5 in the 16th over with Mooney, Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner all kept below a strike rate of 80.However, McGrath and Grace Harris ensured a powerful finish as they added 57 off 27 balls, which gave Australia more than enough to defend.Australia now have a lengthy break from international action before facing New Zealand in September ahead of the T20 World Cup, which will be staged in Bangladesh.

Royals had dropped to second place on Sunday after five weeks at No. 1

Sreshth Shah06-May-20242:16

It’s Kuldeep and Axar vs Chahal and Ashwin

Match details

Delhi Capitals (sixth) vs Rajasthan Royals (second)

Delhi, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)

Big picture: More carnage at the Kotla?

Delhi has been a batter’s dream and a nightmare for bowlers in IPL 2024, with an average first-innings score of 249 and an overall run rate of 11.38 – the highest of any venue this season – in the three matches there so far.It has worked out well for DC, who won their last two games at home on the back of Jake Fraser-McGurk’s fireworks. DC’s openers have averaged 57.33 with a strike rate of 292 in Delhi.The powerful starts have allowed Tristan Stubbs, Rishabh Pant and even Axar Patel to continue the momentum. Stubbs is striking at 186 against both pace and spin, Pant is on track to have his best IPL season, and Axar’s left-handedness has proved to be a big weapon anywhere in the order. Those are all promising signs as DC need to win their remaining three league games, but the odds are stacked against them since they are facing Rajasthan Royals.It’s taken a lot to beat RR in IPL 2024: Gujarat Titans managed it by hitting a last-ball boundary, and Sunrisers Hyderabad denied RR two runs off the final ball in their previous game.Royals, who dropped to second on the points table on Sunday after leading for more than five weeks, have the standout bowling unit of IPL 2024. A win will not only help them reclaim the top spot but also assure them of a place in the playoffs. Their pacers’ economy of 8.22 and an average of 23.57 are the best among all teams. They are also exceedingly potent with the new ball, averaging three wickets per game in the first six overs. Add to that, the experience of their spinners and the form of their top order.If there’s any weakness, it is their undercooked lower-middle order. Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell are finding big shots but not finishing games off. Dhruv Jurel has also struggled apart from one half-century, and their Nos. 5 to 8 are averaging only 20.93. That makes the eight overs from Kuldeep Yadav and Axar major factors for DC, but the spinners will need support from a lacklustre pace-bowling unit that has conceded 10.35 per over this season.

Form guide

Delhi Capitals LWWLW

Rajasthan Royals LWWWW

Previous meeting

In Jaipur, Riyan Parag’s 84 helped RR recover from 36 for 3 to finish on 185. In response, DC lost their way after a strong start to the chase, with the RR bowlers squeezing the middle order. Pant, Abishek Porel and Axar scored only 52 runs off 49 balls between them, and DC went down by 12 runs.Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson go head to head in Delhi•BCCI

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Delhi Capitals
Ishant Sharma is fit again, but a call on David Warner’s availability will be taken on match day. DC will also toss up between Prithvi Shaw and Kumar Kushagra but the latter may get the nod. Shaw struggles against the ball swinging in and has an average of 11.75 in his last four games. Wicket-taking fast bowler Rasikh Salam is the expected Impact Player.Likely XII: 1 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 2 Abishek Porel, 3 Shai Hope, 4 Tristan Stubbs, 5 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 6 Axar Patel, , 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Khaleel Ahmed, 10 Lizaad Williams, 11 Mukesh Kumar, Rajasthan Royals

Mitigating circumstances aside, RR are likely to play the same team. They have no injury concerns. Jos Buttler for Yuzvendra Chahal is the likeliest Impact Player swap.Likely XII: , 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Dhruv Jurel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Sandeep Sharma,

In the spotlight – Pant and Samson

Outside the IPL, there’s another contest to keep an eye on, the one between the two wicketkeeper-batters in India’s T20 World Cup squad – Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson.Both are approaching 400 runs and could finish with their best IPL seasons. There’s also little to choose between the two as Pant’s numbers (398 runs, strike-rate of 158.56, ball-per-boundary ratio of 4.56) are similar to Samson’s (385 runs, strike-rate of 159.09, ball-per-boundary ratio of 4.57).The one difference is that Samson is a better hitter of spin in IPL 2024 and his strike-rate of 150.92 between overs 7-16 is the best among all the players in India’s World Cup squad. One reason for that could be Samson, at No. 3, has more opportunity of being set before playing the middle overs. However, since 2019, Samson averages only 18.78 when walking into bat after the 11th over, while Pant’s performances are much stronger there. Who will take the upper hand with the World Cup approaching?

Stats that matter

• The team batting first has won all three games in Delhi this season, after making 220-plus each time.
• Kuldeep had dismissed Buttler three times in nine innings. The batter has a strike rate of 138.09 (87 runs off 63 balls) against the wristspinner.
• Rishabh Pant vs spin could be a key battle: he has a strike rate of 188 against pace this season, but only 118 against spin.
• Delhi is averaging 14.83 sixes per innings this season, the highest among all venues.

Pitch and conditions

Expect another highway. Dew should not be a major factor and conditions for batting will not change between innings. It will be a hot but dry in the evening.

Quotes

“We know that we are coming up against a very good Rajasthan side, but we know if we play our best cricket, as we have seen in the tournament so far, if we can play our best cricket for 40 overs, then I’ll guarantee we’ll be hard to beat. It doesn’t matter who we play or where we play them. We know we can beat anybody”

Stoinis’ 27-ball 61* allowed Australia to race to a modest target with nearly nine overs left

Danyal Rasool18-Nov-2024Australia signed off their T20I series against Pakistan as they played the rest of it: with a decisive seven-wicket win that also sealed the series 3-0. Pakistan limped to 117 before being bowled out in 18.1 overs, losing their last nine wickets for 56 runs. Adam Zampa ran rings around them after the Powerplay, his 2-11 in four overs the catalyst for their collapse. Babar Azam – who top-scored with 41 off 28, had led Pakistan to a good position in the first six overs; by that time, the visitors sat relatively pretty at 58 for 1.Marcus Stoinis put any jeopardy out of the contest in the chase when he smashed Haris Rauf for 22 in an over. His 27-ball 61 meant Australia got to the target with almost nine overs to spare after Pakistan had made a respectable start in their attempt to defend a below-par target. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short fell early, while Jahandad Khan’s variations made life tricky for Australia in the powerplay. But, as Stoinis later guaranteed, the visitors were merely delaying the inevitable.Pakistan’s bright startPakistan came out with clear intent after they had shown precious little of it when trying to chase Australia down in the previous game. Sahibzada Farhan fell early, but what Pakistan were trying to do was obvious: take advantage of the Powerplay. Even Babar, usually a slow starter, found the boundary off the first ball and carried on in that vein. Haseebullah Khan was riding his luck somewhat, his edges finding the boundary, but that, too, was a product of flashing hard. The upshot was Pakistan racing to 58 – their highest powerplay score in an innings against Australia.Zampa’s sorceryZampa’s impeccable control and skill makes him little short of a sorcerer in this format. For Pakistan, today, he was also their torturer – toying with batters at will as he varied pace, line, and variations, keeping batters second-guessing all the time.Adam Zampa put Babar Khan’s proactive innings to a halt•Getty Images

It took him just five balls before he saw to it that Haseebullah’s luck ran out, the flash outside off stump finding short third. In his third over, he put an end to Babar’s entertaining knock, adjusting the flight of his delivery as he saw the batter running down the wicket, and cleaning up his stumps.Even when he wasn’t taking wickets, he was piling on the pressure at the other end. Pakistan’s stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha played out five dot balls against him before he was put out of his misery by Aaron Hardie in the following over, and his figures of 4-0-11-2 didn’t remotely flatter him.Pakistan’s balanceIt’s difficult to expect the batters to play high-risk cricket when you simply don’t have enough batters. Pakistan had clearly briefed the team they expected aggression from the outset, even from players to whom it doesn’t come naturally. Usman Khan tends to take a few balls before being able to launch, but he came out from ball one looking to slog – even when the shot was never on. It never looked sustainable, as was demonstrated when he holed out off his fourth delivery, triggering a Pakistan collapse.Marcus Stoinis made 61* off 27 balls•Getty Images

Every fall of wicket was made all the more concerning for the visitors because of the extreme length of their tail; they effectively ran out of batters when the fifth wicket fell, with Abbas Afridi coming out at No. 7. It proved a problem for them in the second game, too, and remains an issue they need to find a way to resolve.Australia get on top of Haris – finallyA running theme in this series is Haris Rauf coming out and dominating whichever Australian batter he finds at the other end. This has been especially true of Glenn Maxwell, but Stoinis said post-match he told Haris this was the only time “one of us” got Haris’ number.And Stoinis did so in enthralling fashion. At the end of the eighth over, Australia were 57 for 2, and Pakistan still believed they had time to insert jeopardy into the game. But the ninth over saw him clobber Haris for two fours and two sixes off the first four balls, with the final six flying out of the Bellerive Oval altogether. It began a passage of play that saw Stoinis plunder 45 off his next 12 deliveries, including a 25-run over off Shaheen Afridi. The following over, Abbas had Stoinis caught at deep square leg but had overstepped. Sixty-one runs came off the final 21 balls to draw curtains to the match and the series.

Tail-end pair delay follow-on then return as nightwatchers to give Worcestershire a boost

ECB Reporters Network12-Jul-2023Worcestershire 242 (Coad 5-33) and 22 for 0 trail Yorkshire 407 (Bean 135, Lyth 79, Hill 53, Finch 5-100) by 143 runsBen Coad returned his season’s best figures with the ball but Yorkshire’s victory push was held up by stubborn resistance from the Worcestershire last-wicket pair of Adam Finch and Ben Gibbon on day three of the LV=Insurance County Championship match at New Road.Coad finished with 5 for 33 from 21 overs – the 11th five wicket haul of his career – and he was well supported by Mark Steketee and Matthew Fisher as Worcestershire were forced to follow on 165 behind.But Finch and Gibbon ate up invaluable time to bolster Worcestershire’s hopes of securing a draw as they batted for 35.3 overs during a last wicket stand of 63 – the highest partnership of the innings.It kept Yorkshire out in the field for two hours and put extra miles into the legs of some of their bowlers when they were itching to have a crack at the Worcestershire top order for a second time.Gibbon’s 41 not out was a career best and Finch followed up his five-wicket haul yesterday by making a defiant 24 before he was last out.Yorkshire are probably sick of the sight of Finch as his three sixes in the final over of the Vitality Blast game at New Road in May off Fisher earned his side an unlikely victory.Coad picked up his second five-wicket haul of the campaign after his 5 for 54 against Sussex at Hove in April and was a constant threat.With just nine overs remaining, Finch and Gibbon went straight back out into the middle in nightwatcher mode to open rather than the established batters.They again proved difficult to dislodge as Worcestershire reached 22 for nought, 143 in arrears heading into the final day.Worcestershire resumed the day on 46 for 2 and Jack Haynes looked in good nick as he collected a trio of boundaries off Coad.He square drove, cover drove and flicked him off his legs to the ropes. But Coad had his revenge with the final ball of the sixth over of the day as Haynes (29) was adjudged lbw.Azhar Ali battled away against some probing bowling but fell victim to Coad after he switched ends. He was squared up by a delivery and provided George Hill with a comfortable catch at first slip.Coad bowled five successive maidens before being rested after morning figures of 8-5-14-2.Steketee came into the attack and he accounted for Ed Pollock who nicked a ball angled away to second slip.Adam Hose needed 26 balls to get off the mark but he then started to score freely with a succession of boundaries against Matthew Fisher and George Hill.But there was further reward for Skeketee as former Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Waite appeared to edge a delivery onto his pad before the ball ballooned to third slip.Hose was unbeaten on 37 when rain brought about an early lunch but he only added a single after play resumed before being beaten all ends up by Fisher and losing his off stumpJoe Leach and Josh Baker added 31 for the eighth wicket before the latter was caught at cover driving at Coad.Leach made an accomplished 33 off 44 balls but then was undone by a ball which lifted on him and Coad held a head high catch at third slip.Worcestershire were then 179 for nine with 47 overs still remaining in the day. But then Finch and Gibbon joined forces to blunt Yorkshire’s efforts to quickly wrap up the innings.

A flare-up in the dressing room immediately after the Champions Trophy final may have been the final act of Anil Kumble’s tumultuous final weeks as India coach

Nagraj Gollapudi21-Jun-20171:06

How the Kohli-Kumble saga played out

A flare-up in the dressing room immediately after the Champions Trophy final may have been the last act of Anil Kumble’s tumultuous final weeks as India coach. According to insiders, Kumble, who stepped down as coach on Tuesday, gave a “dressing-down” to one of his players at The Oval on Sunday, moments after Pakistan had completed a 180-run win to seal the title.Debriefings are part of the coach’s job and it was natural for Kumble to have been disappointed after the crushing defeat. But a BCCI official said his timing was not right.”After the final he gave a big dressing-down to the player,” the official said. “There is a time for everything. Team has just lost. They are down. You come and [give the dressing down].”Kumble was unavailable to comment on developments since Tuesday.The morning after the final, when Kumble met the BCCI top brass, he was told of the reservations the players, including captain Virat Kohli, had with regards to his approach. In his parting note, which he released on Twitter on Tuesday, Kumble said it was the first time he had been told of these differences. Yet, others in the know insist that the relationship between Kohli and Kumble had become dysfunctional over the last few months.On Tuesday, when the India squad left for the Caribbean to play a limited-overs series against West Indies, Kumble stayed back in London to participate in the ICC’s chief executives committee meeting, where he sat as chairman of the cricket committee. Although Kumble’s year-long contract ended with the Champions Trophy, the BCCI had given him an extension until the end of the West Indies series.”Kumble had accepted to travel to the West Indies, but that was subject to resolving the differences,” the BCCI official said. The BCCI had even booked a room in his name in the team hotel in Trinidad, where India start the five-match ODI series on June 23. Kumble was meant to land on Thursday.Kumble had been recommended by the BCCI’s three-man cricket advisory panel comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. Despite not having any formal coaching experience, the CAC felt Kumble had the right credentials for the job, and offered it to him ahead of candidates such as Ravi Shastri, who had been the India team director for two years.Before the Champions Trophy, the BCCI decided to invite fresh applications instead of extending Kumble’s contract. The job was advertised the day India landed in England (May 25) to start their Champions Trophy campaign. Asked if he agreed with the BCCI’s decision, Kohli simply said the BCCI was following its usual processes. Later on, during the tournament, he denied any rift within the team, saying there were “no issues whatsoever”. BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary, meanwhile, said the friction between coach and players was solely in the “realms of imagination” of the media.According to one of its officials, the BCCI had booked a room in the team hotel for Anil Kumble in Trinidad, where India start their five-match ODI series against West Indies•Getty Images

Only six applicants put forward their resume, one of them being Kumble himself. The CAC informed the BCCI that Kumble remained the frontrunner as his track record as coach had no blemish. The CAC was then asked to patch up the differences between Kumble and Kohli. Although the CAC met Kohli, it did not meet with Kumble.In his meeting with the BCCI on Tuesday, Kumble said that since the CAC did not want to meet him he could not have been doing anything wrong. “Anil just did not budge,” the BCCI official said. “He said the CAC met Virat and did not meet me [Kumble], so I am the guy who is right.”Kumble has never been shy of expressing his opinion, but the official said the last word in the dressing room has always belonged to the captain. Kumble, according to the official, was trying to “overstep” and that caused problems. “In the cricket construct it is the captain who takes the credit and the flak. Everybody else plays the supporting role. But Kumble wanted due credit.”It is understood “multiple meetings” took place during the Champions Trophy to attempt to repair the relationship, but Kohli’s opinion had not changed when he met the BCCI separately on Monday. “There is no cricketing difference between the two. It has been a personality clash.”Kumble and Kohli not wanting to reach out to each other to mend their differences may have widened the chasm between the pair over the past few months, culminating in the former opting to leave the job. The board official felt Kumble, being the senior, could have tried a little harder to reach out to Kohli. The official said being a prominent personality himself and having been in cricket for a long time, Kumble could have drawn on that experience to “handle personalities” in the dressing room.In his statement, Kumble said he had made clear the distinction between the roles of coach and captain. “I was informed for the first time yesterday by the BCCI that the captain had reservations with my ‘style’ and about my continuing as the head coach,” he said. “I was surprised since I had always respected the role boundaries between captain and coach.”

There is no ICC requirement that World Cup knockout matches must be played on unused pitches

Matt Roller15-Nov-20233:44

Rohit: I believe toss is not a factor at Wankhede

The first semi-final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, between India and New Zealand in Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon, will be played on a used pitch that has already staged two matches in the tournament.ESPNcricinfo understands the semi-final was initially supposed to be played on Pitch 7, the central strip of the Wankhede Stadium’s pitch block. Pitch 7 is a fresh surface that was not used in the league stage of the World Cup.But a decision was made to shift the game to Pitch 6, which is slightly off-centre and has already hosted two matches in the tournament: South Africa’s 229-run win over England on October 21, and India’s 302-run victory over Sri Lanka on November 2.The change represents a late deviation from the pitch allocation devised before the World Cup. A source told ESPNcricinfo: “6-8-6-8-7 was the planned rotation at Wankhede. 6-8-6-8 is what has been used so far.”After the semi-final had begun, the ICC released a statement saying the change was not unusual. “Changes to planned pitch rotations are common towards the end of an event of this length, and has already happened a couple of times. This change was made on the recommendation of the venue curator in conjunction with our host. The ICC independent pitch consultant was apprised of the change and has no reason to believe the pitch won’t play well.”According to the ICC’s Playing Conditions for the World Cup, the relevant ‘ground authority’ is “responsible for the selection and preparation of the pitch” before any given match – in this case, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). The ICC also have an independent pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson, who works alongside local groundstaff.The Daily Mail reported that Atkinson has become frustrated by changes to pre-agreed plans throughout the World Cup, and that he speculated in a leaked email whether the pitch for the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday “will be the first ever ICC CWC final to have a pitch which has been specifically chosen and prepared to their stipulation at the request of the team management and/or the hierarchy of the home nation board.”Should India make the final in Ahmedabad, they would face either Australia or South Africa. Pat Cummins put his faith in the ICC to oversee the pitch process.”Yeah, I saw that [the report]…obviously ICC have an independent pitch curator who manages that so I’m sure they are all over making sure it’s fair for both teams,” he said. “So far this tournament [on pitches] that we’ve played on I’ve not seen any issue.”There is no ICC requirement which states that knockout fixtures must be played on fresh pitches. The only stipulation in their Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process reads: “It is expected that venues that are allocated the responsibility of hosting a match will present the best possible pitch and outfield conditions for that match.”The semi-finals of the 2019 ODI World Cup, in England four years ago, were both played on fresh pitches at Old Trafford and Edgbaston. But last year, both T20 World Cup semi-finals were played on used pitches: one at Adelaide Oval, the other at the Sydney Cricket Ground.Both India and New Zealand players inspected the pitch at the Wankhede from close quarters on Tuesday evening before it was covered by groundstaff early during India’s training session under floodlights.