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Brendon McCullum will miss New Zealand’s pink-ball preparations ahead of the first ever day-night Test due to his role as a witness in the Chris Cairns perjury case

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2015Brendon McCullum will miss New Zealand’s pink-ball preparations ahead of the Test series in Australia, which is scheduled to include the first ever day-night Test, due to his role as a witness in the Chris Cairns perjury case. The New Zealand captain will be in London to testify in the case, for which proceedings begin on Monday, while the rest of the team has a two-day training camp under lights with the pink Kookaburra ball in Hamilton.Opening batsmen Tom Latham, speaking to , said the team will not lack direction in McCullum’s absence. “We’ve got plenty of leaders in the group, there’s plenty of senior players so we’ll go about our business as if we would if he was there,” Latham said. “Kane [Williamson] has captained us a little bit in the past, and there are plenty of other senior players.New Zealand play three Tests in Australia, starting on November 5, the final of which be a day-night match in Adelaide from November 27.The case against Cairns has been brought by the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK, stemming from what it believes to be criminal acts committed by Cairns during the 2012 libel case against former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. Cairns has been charged with perjury – effectively lying in court. Apart from McCullum, other high-profile witnesses called up to give evidence include former New Zealand players Stephen Fleming, Shane Bond and Andre Adams, and New Zealand Cricket CEO David White.

“Everything that we’re doing in the T20 space ties back into the World Cup,” says Finch

Alex Malcolm19-Sep-2022With Mitchell Marsh absent with an injury, Steven Smith will bat at No. 3 against India. His role in Australia’s first-choice XI in the lead-up to the men’s T20 World Cup, however, will remain fluid.Australia are missing three of their first-choice players in the top six for the three-match series against India starting in Mohali on Tuesday, with Marsh, David Warner and Marcus Stoinis all back at home. Mitchell Starc is also resting because of a niggle. It means Australia will structure their side differently out of necessity, with just nine matches to go before starting their title defence at home against New Zealand.Related

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Smith has batted at No. 3 in T20Is only once in the last 12 matches he has played across a two-year period. That was also out of necessity, against England in the 2021 T20 World Cup, when Marsh was left out for structural balance as Australia chose a fifth specialist bowler.Since then, Smith has batted no higher than No. 4 regardless of Marsh’s availability or not, with his long-time role as a floating “Mr Fix it”, who would enter early at the loss of wickets in the powerplay, abandoned for a more permanent place in the middle order.But his lack of strike power in the middle order has created questions around his place in Australia’s first-choice XI for the World Cup, particularly after Tim David was added to the squad. In his last 12 games, Smith has only batted eight times, with a strike rate of 107.20, down from his already middling career T20 strike rate of 125.27.Aaron Finch confirmed on Monday that Smith would likely bat at No. 3 in the series against India, and he reiterated Australia’s faith in Smith’s capabilities as a versatile cog in the line-up.”Most likely he’ll bat at three in this series with Mitch Marsh being out,” Finch said. “We know the quality that Steve’s got. He’s one of the best players that has ever played the game over all formats of the game. So we know the skill that he’s got and the game sense and the tactical nous that he’s got.”So we’re really confident that regardless of what role he has to play within the structure of the squad, that he can do that very, very well.”Finch confirmed that Australia would experiment with the structure of their side and their personnel in various positions, with an eye on both the upcoming World Cup in Australia as well as the different conditions that will be presented in the three matches in India.”Every decision that we make, I think, has one eye towards the World Cup and seeing the wicket yesterday [in Mohali], it looked like there was quite a bit of grass on it,” Finch said. “And we know in Mohali, the ball can swing around and it can carry through quite a bit, so I think we will be mindful of not being too narrow-minded in terms of our focus.”What we’ve tried to do over the last sort of six-eight-ten months is make sure that everything that we’re doing in the T20 space ties back into the World Cup and, for us, it’s about making sure that once we get there that we’ve had plenty of different combinations of teams that we can play. Because the last thing you want to do is have an injury derail your whole campaign because you’re pigeon-holed into playing one style of cricket or one structure of team. So there’ll be a little bit of mixing and matching, but still with that one eye towards the World Cup, to make sure that we’re still as rounded as we can be as a squad.”The loss of two allrounders in Marsh and Stoinis, and a left-arm quick in Starc, will force Australia to structure the bowling differently, which in turn has a direct influence on the top seven they can select.Cameron Green could make his T20I return against India•Getty Images

David looks set to make his Australia debut in the middle order as a direct replacement for Stoinis, after having played 14 T20Is for Singapore. But he only bowls very part-time offspin. Cameron Green, who is not in Australia’s World Cup squad but is on this tour of India, is another who could play if Australia want a pace-bowling allrounder. Green made his T20I debut for Australia on the tour of Pakistan earlier this year, but has only played 14 professional T20s in his career.However, Finch felt Green was capable of being a three-format player after his recent performances in the ODI series’ against Zimbabwe and New Zealand in Australia.”I think his ability to bat at five, six, seven in the one-day team has been really impressive,” Finch said. “The fact that such a young guy was able to guide us home in a really tricky run chase, in a great partnership with Alex Carey in the recent series against New Zealand, shows that he’s got all the tricks and the game sense for such a young guy to be super successful in all three formats for Australia.”He’s just such a great kid, someone who continues to impress with everything that he does.”

Players and their families will not be required to serve out a mandatory quarantine upon arrival in India

Shashank Kishore01-Jun-2022In a change from what has been the norm in the last couple of years, the BCCI has decided to do away with stringent biobubbles for India’s upcoming T20I series against South Africa starting June 9. ESPNcricinfo understands that players and their families will not be required to serve out a mandatory quarantine period upon arrival either.The Indian team is expected to link up in New Delhi, the venue for the series opener, on or before Saturday. The South African team, led by Temba Bavuma, is expected to arrive in the city on June 2. Their touring contingent includes as many as ten players who featured in IPL 2022.The change in regulations also means that player movement in and out of the hotels and stadia would not be restricted. However, everyone has been advised to remain cautious and avoid large gatherings, as far as possible. It is understood that Covid-19 tests will only be carried out if someone reports symptoms, as against the policy of regular testing earlier.Related

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The BCCI’s decision to open up multiple venues for the same series is encouraging. It’s a practice they have slowly embraced over time, since last November, when they hosted New Zealand and Sri Lanka at multiple venues.For a brief while in February, they reverted to hosting an entire leg in one city due to the omicron threat when West Indies toured. The ODI leg was played in Ahmedabad before Kolkata hosted the T20I leg. This time around, players will travel across five venues – New Delhi, Cuttack, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot and Bengaluru – across 12 days. There will also be no cap on crowd attendance at any of the five venues either.The decks have also been cleared for all state associations to begin the sale of tickets, allowing 100% attendance, across all venues. Sunday’s IPL final in Ahmedabad witnessed possibly the biggest crowd at a cricket match in India, with the official number pegged at 104,859.India’s declining number of active Covid-19 cases have led to the easing of restrictions. The country recorded 2745 active cases on May 31; the corresponding numbers for the same date in 2021 stood at a whopping 127,510 cases.Most cricket boards around the world have moved on from stringent biobubble measures to managed environments, with minimal restrictions. For example, Bangladesh’s recent home Test series against Sri Lanka was held without any bubble restrictions. The upcoming England vs New Zealand Test series, starting June 2 at Lord’s, will also be hosted on similar lines.However, New Zealand Cricket has asked its players to “avoid mass gatherings and events of high exposure”, while making masks mandatory when indoors with people from outside the environment and unable to socially distance. They will also carry out immediate testing in case of symptoms and five days of isolation if there is a positive case. The ECB has specified no such restrictions on their part.

Australia’s captain said their collapse from 298 for 5 on the second morning was “an opportunity missed”

Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Jul-2022They won an attritional series in Pakistan, and dominated Sri Lanka in what was essentially a two-day win last week. But this loss in Galle, by an innings and 39 runs, might be a “reality check” for an Australia team intent on improving their long-form cricket in Asia.So said captain Pat Cummins, after the second Test hurtled to a conclusion on the fourth evening – Australia collapsing to 151 against spin inside 41 overs.”Some batters went out with a really clear plan, and you just get a ball with your name on it earlier than you would’ve liked,” Cummins said. “It’s a good reality check for people touring over here that it’s really hard. So many positives out of last week, that we did find methods that work. One small hiccup doesn’t mean you have to change everything. And it makes for more learning than after a win.Related

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“I think half our batting line-up and half our bowling line-up hasn’t played a lot over here in the subcontinent. So the experience on these two vastly different wickets [in the two Tests], I think we got a lot of lessons out of it to take to India next year.”Cummins pointed to the second morning as a session in which Australia let the match slip. Although they had won the first day, ending at 298 for 5 at stumps, they then lost their last five first-innings wickets for 35 runs, finishing at 364 all out. This was after Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne had hit hundreds, and while Smith remained at the crease, the wickets fell at the other end.”That was probably an opportunity missed. The way we set up the game on day one, we were hoping to get 400-plus, which history suggests here puts you in a really good position,” Cummins said. “Unfortunately none of us hung around with Smith long enough to get up to the 400-plus, which meant even if we were out there for 180 overs you were kind of level at the turn.”Dimuth Karunaratne and Pat Cummins pose with the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy, which they shared•AFP/Getty Images

Australia’s second-innings collapse took less than two sessions, after they started 190 runs behind. Usman Khawaja and David Warner put on 49 to begin, suggesting the surface remained decent for batting. But then they lost 10 wickets for 101.”Certainly as the game went on the footmarks started to react a bit more,” Cummins said. “A fresh bowling side always makes a bit of a difference as well. So it all happened pretty quickly, and unfortunately we were on the wrong side.”The plan had been to just bat. It was still close to five sessions left in the game. I think if we were behind by just over 100 we were still in the game, but 200 probably put it beyond us. We were trying to bat for the rest of the day then come up with a plan for tomorrow.”Australia’s tour has come in the backdrop of a crippling economic crisis and a major political crisis in Sri Lanka. Cummins and the Australia team have made efforts to reach out and understand the situation better, even making appeals for fundraisers. On day two of this Test, large protests were seen on the fort overlooking the ground, and at the central intersection at Galle, which is right outside the stadium.”We’ve got protests round the ground, it really hits home how lucky we are to be travelling the world but also in some ways it’s more than just being here to play cricket, you can see the impact it can have. It hasn’t been lost on our group, something we speak about quite a bit.”You couldn’t escape the protests on Saturday. We got lots of messages from back home, just saying ‘How is it? Hope you’re ok.’ And we felt totally fine.”

Sussex seamer played more than 350 games in 17-year professional career

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2021Mitchell Claydon, Sussex’s Australia-born seamer, has announced his retirement from professional cricket at the end of this season.Claydon, 38, was born in New South Wales but used his British passport to play county cricket, with spells at Yorkshire, Durham, Kent and Sussex, and also played domestic cricket in New Zealand. He was part of the Durham squad that won three County Championships and a Friends Provident Trophy, and won promotion with Kent in 2018.Claydon was an excellent death bowler with a good yorker in one-day and T20 cricket, and has taken 310 first-class wickets at 31.90 with the red ball. He is expected to stay in the game as a coach, and already has experience working with Sydney Sixers as an assistant coach.”After 17 years as a professional cricketer, I have decided that 2021 will be my last,” Claydon said in a statement. “I’m so proud that my shocking rig has got me through 371 games – over a hundred in each format – but all the overs are taking their toll, and everything is starting to hurt. I’m committed to finishing the 2021 season and ending on a high.”Big thanks to Canterbury, Central Districts, Durham, Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex for giving me the opportunity to play the game for a living all these years and all the coaches and support staff at those clubs for their help.”I’d like to give a special thanks to my family both in the UK and back home in Australia. I’ll miss life in the changing rooms more than anything. The fun I’ve had with so many people over the years will provide me with fantastic memories for the rest of my life.”Claydon has only played sporadically for Sussex since signing for them in 2019, appearing in four first-class matches and two T20s. He is yet to make a first-team appearance in 2021. He was banned for nine games following a ball-tampering controversy last year in which he applied hand sanitiser to the ball, which also saw the club docked points.

Parthiv Patel will join India’s squad at the Asia Cup as a back-up for their captain MS Dhoni, who suffered a back spasm during a training session on Monday

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2016Parthiv Patel will join India’s squad at the Asia Cup as a back-up for their captain MS Dhoni. According to a BCCI release, Dhoni suffered a muscle spasm in his back during a training session in Dhaka on Monday. Parthiv, the 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, last played for India during the ODI triangular series in Australia in February 2012.Parthiv has featured in just two T20Is, both in 2011, but has been in decent touch in domestic cricket; he was Gujarat’s second-highest run-getter in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with 295 runs, including a century and a fifty, which helped the team clinch the title. He also stroked a century in the Deodhar Trophy last month, against India A in Kanpur.

The seventh-wicket pair put on 166, the third successive century partnership of the innings

Himanshu Agrawal13-Mar-2022Jharkhand posted a mammoth 769 – their highest score since they began playing first-class cricket from the 2004-05 season onward – on the back of wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra’s commanding knock of 266 and No. 8 Shahbaz Nadeem’s unbeaten 123, his highest score in first-class cricket. These followed Virat Singh’s innings of 107 from Saturday, as Nagaland stared at a mountain to climb after spending 177 overs on the field across two days.It was a day where multiple records tumbled: Jharkhand achieved their highest first-class score by far, eclipsing the 556 they had made against Hyderabad in 2015; Eden Gardens witnessed its second-highest first-class total; and Kushagra bagged the second-highest score by a Jharkhand batter in first-class cricket.Kushagra and Nadeem added 166 for the seventh wicket, capitalising on some ineffective bowling as well as poor fielding from Nagaland, who dropped Kushagra on 132 on the second morning after also giving him lives on 10 and 44 on the first day. Eventually, Kushagra took only 269 balls to hit 266, 160 of which came in boundaries.He reached his double century off 213 deliveries in the morning session, and displayed a range of strokes throughout the day: a drive to bisect cover and mid-off, a pull between fine leg and deep square leg, a punch off the back foot and a loft over the bowler’s head, among others.At the other end, Nadeem displayed the patience and application of a frontline batter, grinding his way to a second first-class century. He got to his fifty off 100 balls, and reached the three-figure landmark off 196 deliveries. He hit 14 fours, and one effortless six, a casual walk down the pitch to legspinner Khrievitso Kense followed by a gentle loft over long-on.Nagaland’s frustrations on the day were summed up when a straight drive from Nadeem off medium-pacer Raja Swarnkar in the 161st over hit the stumps at the bowler’s end and ricocheted to the rope for four.Earlier, overnight batter Anukul Roy had got to a half-century before falling for 59 to end a 128-run partnership with Kushagra. Jharkhand were 489 for 6 at that point; if Nagaland thought they would soon be done chasing leather, Kushagra and Nadeem rid them of that notion by putting on the third successive century stand of the innings.

David Warner has spoken for the first time about the prospect of a “rebel” cricket league bankrolled by the Essel Group tycoon Subhash Chandra

Daniel Brettig19-Jun-20151:58

Brettig: Warner’s Essel Group warning must not be ignored

David Warner has spoken for the first time about the prospect of a “rebel” cricket league bankrolled by the Essel Group tycoon Subhash Chandra, saying the vast sums of money mooted for the signatures of the world’s leading cricketers could be impossible to ignore.Alongside Australia’s captain Michael Clarke, Warner was reportedly near the top of the Essel Group’s list of targets, with a story in the suggesting he would be in line for a contract worth $50 million over 10 years if he made the leap. While stressing his commitment to Test cricket and national duty, Warner said such figures could not simply be rejected out of hand and challenged other athletes to be honest with the public about the role financial rewards played in their thinking.”At the moment I’m contracted to Cricket Australia, the fact is I’m playing for Australia, it’s what I do, it’s what I love,” Warner told ESPNcricinfo. “But these guys are talking about big sums of money and, let’s be honest, if people are saying to you that they don’t play for the money then they’re having a laugh, because every single person who gets offered this or gets offered that, what happens? They always take it. I think athletes in general have to be a bit more honest and say that’s what’s happening.”This is a company that’s coming in and trying to take over world cricket. At the end of the day if this company comes in and wipes out who you play for and you want to play cricket, what happens there? Who pays you? That’s the thing. Ultimately we’re working, we love what we do, I cherish the baggy green and if Test cricket exists I’ll continue to keep playing Test cricket, because from where I’ve started to where I am now, I love that and I’ll keep cherishing that.”David Warner: “I think at the moment the players have got a lot to think about and a lot to weigh up.”•Getty Images

The scope of Chandra’s plans remains somewhat murky, from the registration of business names and online domain names for alternative boards in all cricket’s major nations to less ambitious public pronouncements about an improved version of the Indian Cricket League of 2008. Warner, though, indicated that cricket’s present structure may not have room to co-exist with the new venture.”Everyone says you can’t put a price on the baggy green, and you can’t,” he said. “But the simple thing is if the rebel league comes and takes off, I don’t think there is going to be Test cricket. That’s where people are going to be like ‘who are these people, where is Cricket Australia going to go with this, how are we going to play every other Test nation when some of those nations are definitely going to go on board’.”I can’t talk on their behalf, but if you weigh the numbers up I think what they’re talking about sum-wise it’s going to be hard for a lot of the minnow countries to say no, and that’s the scary thing. Then it’s going to be Australia versus England versus India all the time. Cricket’s in a great position at the moment. It’s interesting times ahead and I think at the moment the players have got a lot to think about and a lot to weigh up.”Warner’s comments could raise some eyebrows, notably in the months after Cricket Australia sought to protect their playing stocks by offering numerous players the added security of multi-year national contracts, a privilege commonly reserved for only a select few.As of the start of Australia’s tour of England, these deals were yet to be formally signed by the players ahead of the expiry date of existing contracts on June 30. The team performance manager Pat Howard has been working diligently to find out as much as he can about the Essel Group’s plans.While the current mix of ICC-sanctioned international tours and domestic Twenty20 tournaments has provided plenty of additional income streams for players, the game is entering a newly uncertain and entrepreneurial phase with a succession of new tournament concepts springing up, many under the guide of “exhibition matches” for retired cricketers.”I consider myself lucky and others would as well, with what’s going on in today’s cricket,” he said. “The opportunities to play three different formats of the game in 10 different countries at different times of the year is a special thing, and the rest of the world is seeing a lot more talent out there.”