“Kane is a freak, isn’t he? He’s amazing and will go down easily as New Zealand’s greatest.”

Umar Farooq05-Jan-2021Daryl Mitchell has described getting his maiden Test century as “surreal”, after he stroked 102 at his adopted hometown in Christchurch. New Zealand were 599 for 6 at tea and had a lead of 302, but the captain Kane Williamson allowed the team to keep batting, something Mitchell was grateful for.Mitchell, who was unbeaten on 69 at the time, made the most of the extra time, as he and Kyle Jamieson smacked 60 in 4.5 overs to increase New Zealand’s total to 659.Related

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“It probably hasn’t sunk in yet, to be fair, it’s pretty surreal at the moment,” Mitchell said. “I was given two overs to start after tea, so I thought after two overs we were off but obviously very grateful for Kane and the coaching staff to allow me to get that milestone. I was swinging pretty hard there at points to try and get there and very grateful for that to happen. I was just happy to go out there and try and be busy and contribute to trying to put a total on for us to try and get 10 wickets.”With two days still left in the Test, New Zealand hold all the cards, having already dismissed Pakistan’s opener Shan Masood for a duck in the second innings, ensuring they lead by 354 runs. Mitchell credited Williamson’s sublime double-century for putting the hosts in such a commanding position.

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“Obviously Kane’s 238 .. that’s pretty amazing and he has set us up for a chance to win this Test match,” Mitchell said. “He is a freak, isn’t he? He’s amazing. He makes the game look so easy at the moment and the way he’s going about things, it’s cool to see him doing so well. For me I’ve played against Kane when I was about 14 years old and now to be playing test cricket with him as well. He’s a very special player and probably will easily go down as New Zealand’s greatest.”Pakistan were dismissed for 297 on the opening day, and they did not help themselves with their poor fielding either, as New Zealand capitalised on several dropped catches. Williamson and Henry Nicholls went on to stitch a partnership of 369 runs for the fourth wicket, the best ever at the Hagley Oval. Among the bowlers, Naseem Shah (0-141) and debutant Zafar Gohar (0-159), had particularly forgettable outings, bowling a combined 58 overs without a single wicket.”As a fast bowler there isn’t any excuse,” Shah said on a day when he also bowled nine no-balls. “The wicket was good as it had bounce and I was getting the seam out of it but then there were mistakes which I shouldn’t have done. I was pushing hard to bowl fast hence over stepping. As a fast bowler with no balls, it really shatters your confidence and I am trying to get back on track. During games you can’t really help it out but can learn from your mistake. Test cricket isn’t easy, you have to bowl in one area consistently for a lot more time and you can’t afford to change the line. These are world class players and you can’t give them enough room.”A lot of damage has been done with no balls and those dropped catches. It makes you disappointed, but then you can’t do much about it because it’s part of the game. You can’t stop bowling if anyone dropped your catch but you come in hard and create more chances. It happens in cricket and that is what the learning curve is for us. We have to regroup and come hard with the ball next time.”

Fast bowler realises that both he and his team needs to take more responsibility with the bat

Mohammad Isam21-Jan-2021West Indies can no longer think about their lack of experience if they are to beat Bangladesh at home. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, one of the few members of this squad to have ODI caps prior to this tour, said that they now have enough information about the opposition and conditions to mount a comeback in the second game on Friday.West Indies went down by six wickets after being bowled out for 122. Joseph gave them a steady start, before left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein showed that their bowling has the bite that their batting lacked.Joseph, who went wicketless in his eight overs but was highly economical, said that the West Indies camp is very motivated to bounce back in the second game, knowing full well that another defeat would be the end of the series for them.”It probably might have boiled down to not having the experience playing against a team that is well experienced,” Joseph said. “Probably a bit of (lack of) application as well. But, that being said, we have already seen what is there to come at us, so we have no excuses in the second ODI. We have seen their bowling attack and somewhat of their batting. So we should be well prepared to give a better showing in the second ODI.”Everyone is aware of what’s at stake. Everyone is pumped up to give a better showing in the second ODI. It is really important for us to come in. This game is even more important than the last one. If we lose this game, it’s the series. Everyone knows exactly what they need to do. We have to play harder, dig deeper and push the Bangladeshis all the way. From ball one to ball 300.”Joseph admitted that had there been a hundred more runs on the board in the first game, they could have made a good fist of it. He said that the pace bowlers have to show patience in order to get the best of out pitches that are generally spin-friendly.”Maybe 220 would have been a more challenging total based on what the bowlers put up yesterday. A few more early wickets, and you don’t know what could have happened.”It wasn’t the best (pitch) to bat on, if I was to be honest. As a fast bowling group, we have to more consistent, hit good areas. Also play the patient game. I know its 50 overs, not necessarily the longest format. But being patient in the good areas is what is needed for the fast bowlers to be successful in this wicket,” he said.West Indies could have made a bigger score on Wednesday, particularly after Kyle Mayers and Rovman Powell added 59 runs for the sixth wicket. But from 115 for 5, they slipped to 122 all out.Joseph said that the lower order must take a bit more responsibility, and he himself has ambitions to become an allrounder, although his first priority being bowling.”We all have our roles to play, weight to pull. If the top half got skittled out earlier, the bottom half has to pull that weight. It is a team. We all need to look within ourselves and realise that this is international cricket, and we have to do better.”Personally I am aiming to become an allrounder myself. But as of now, I am just taking everything step by step. I am looking to, firstly, do my main attribute which is contribute what I can with the ball, and then I will give my best in batting.Joseph however ruled out the notion that bowling first is the best way to go with their fragile batting and somewhat better bowling attack. “A toss could go either way. We all have to be prepared for what we have to do first, or second. I think it all boils down to cricket.”We shouldn’t focus on the toss. We have to be better than Bangladesh in all three aspects if we want to win games,” he said.

The seam bowler is part of Australia’s T20I squad in New Zealand having fully recovered from a minor injury

Andrew McGlashan17-Feb-2021Kane Richardson believes the Power Surge fielding restrictions, which were introduced in the BBL this season, could have a place at the T20I level, but from a selfish point of view will be happy if that moment waits until he retires.The Surge regulations modified the traditional six-over powerplay into a two-over block that could be taken by the batting side any time from the 11th over onwards, leaving just four at the beginning of the innings. It was generally viewed as the most successful of the three innovations tried in the BBL and did bring a new dynamic with innings both losing and gaining momentum in the two overs.Richardson was the third-most expensive bowler in the Surge (bowlers who operated during it in at least five innings), going at 12.11 – 109 runs off 54 balls – and picked up just two wickets, and admitted he enjoyed it more as a spectator, but could see the value it brought to the game.Related

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“It’s a good discussion. I enjoyed watching it as a fan,” he said. “There was games I didn’t particularly enjoy bowling in it, but as a fan it made games interesting where you thought the game was decided, especially in the second innings then teams would catch up.”Think Trent [Woodhill] and the BBL did a really good job with that, whether or not it goes to international cricket I’m not sure. It probably has a place to be fair, I think it was successful this year and guys who found a niche in the team in the middle-order, who can play that role really well and vice-versa with the ball, were almost first picks.”It’s interesting, it’s tactical, it’s good to watch, so there’s nothing but positives for that. But as a bowler, if we could probably steer clear of it at international and IPL level until I’m maybe too old to be playing I’ll happily sit back in my old rocking chair and watch.”It has been a while between Australia outings for Kane Richardson•Getty Images

Richardson won’t have to concern himself with the Surge over the next few weeks in New Zealand where he will be one of the more experienced members of an Australia attack without some key names, who were due to be in South Africa for the now-postponed Test series.Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are certain starters in Australia’s first-choice T20I side with Josh Hazlewood also in the mix, while Sean Abbott would be another option and Richardson believes there are others outside of the two squads who would be worthy of selection.”You look at a pool of ten or so bowlers, it does seem like there is a big group of players who could play in that World Cup,” he said. “There’s guys back home who could easily have been picked in this team – Wes Agar had a great Big Bash, Nathan Ellis was impressive again – so there’s almost a group of 20 bowlers to pick from.”It’s great for Australian cricket because in T20 cricket if you have a good bowling attack you are a very good chance of winning. Even yesterday at training, bowling alongside some of these guys, we all do it a bit differently, there’s a separate indemnity to each person so it’s great to be around. If I was an Australian selector I’d be pretty excited about what lies ahead.”Richardson missed the tail-end of the BBL with the Melbourne Renegades because of a quad injury but is now fully recovered. He did not face India in the white-ball matches during the summer having opted to stay at home with his new-born son.

Dawson leaves after six years at Bristol during which club won Royal London Cup and Championship promotion

Matt Roller01-Mar-2021Ian Harvey will become Gloucestershire’s interim head coach at the end of the month, when Richard Dawson leaves the club following his appointment as the ECB’s elite performance pathway coach.Harvey, the former Australia allrounder, played 168 times for Gloucestershire across formats between 1999 and 2006, and has been the club’s assistant coach since Dawson’s appointment as head coach ahead of the 2015 season.Dawson has worked regularly with England squads over the past two years, leading the England Lions’ tour to Australia in early 2020 and working with England’s spinners on a camp in Mumbai in late 2019 and during the Test series against West Indies last summer.During his tenure at Gloucestershire, Dawson oversaw the club’s triumph in the 2015 Royal London Cup, when they beat Surrey at Lord’s, and their promotion to Division One of the County Championship in 2019. While they have never gone past the semi-final stage, they have also been among the most consistent counties in the T20 Blast: only Nottinghamshire have won more games than them over the last six seasons.”It has been a huge privilege to have been the head coach of Gloucestershire since 2015,” Dawson said. “There were highs and lows on the pitch but winning the Royal London One-Day Cup in 2015 and gaining promotion to Division One of the County Championship in 2019 were highlights on the pitch, as was seeing a Gloucestershire player [James Bracey] breaking into the England set-up last year.”As a playing and coaching unit, we have faced a lot of challenges off the field, and I’m proud of the togetherness of this squad, who have been incredibly supportive of one another through good and bad times. I’m confident the group is in a strong place with a healthy mix of experience and youth to compete in all formats of the game.”Will Brown, the club’s chief executive, said: “Richard has been a fantastic coach to work with from the outset engendering a belief and excitement that has filtered into all areas of the club. His dedication to building a positive and winning culture has been evident throughout his time in Bristol and the impact he made will be felt long after he is gone.”Richard has taken huge pride in his role as head coach, working tirelessly to get the best out of himself and the players. His likeable easy-going personality, coupled with his commitment to Gloucestershire, garnered respect from the playing squad and meant he had a great rapport with the wider club staff.”Dawson will continue to oversee pre-season preparations until the end of the month, when Harvey will take over with the support of the club’s existing coaching staff, as well as Matt Windows (chairman of cricket) and David Graveney (an executive board member).A Gloucestershire statement said: “The club will now begin a review of its cricketing requirements in order to continue and grow ahead of a formal recruitment process later in the year.”The raft of coaching appointments announced by the ECB on Monday also had ramifications further down the M5, with Marcus Trescothick’s association with Somerset coming to an end after nearly three decades.Trescothick, who made his Somerset debut in 1993, retired at the end of the 2019 season to become Somerset’s assistant coach, and has now been appointed as the ECB’s elite batting coach. In a Somerset press release, he set his sights on returning as head coach in the future.”Although I’m leaving, I’m still going to be around the place to come in and see some of the batters that Somerset have,” Trescothick said. “Not being around the ground as much as I normally am is certainly going to be a bit different.”I want to further my career so that I can eventually become a head coach at a domestic county with the hope of moving into international cricket somewhere down the line. To do that I need to branch out and look at different environments in order to get a better understanding of certain things, and this will certainly give me the opportunity to do that. Hopefully, this might be the stepping stone for me to one day come back and look after the team here.”

Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza to oversee process as ombudsman of Social Justice and Nation-Building committee

Firdose Moonda08-Apr-2021Cricket South Africa’s Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) committee will hold public hearings as the country seeks to address issues of racial discrimination in the game, with the discussion around the national team not taking a knee still ripe.The SJN, formed in response to a letter from more than 30 former players and current coaches of colour during last year’s Black Lives Matter (BLM) resurgence, had yet to begin its work until now. On Thursday, CSA unveiled advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza as the SJN ombudsman tasked with adjudicating the testimonies of various cricket stakeholders to understand the history of exclusion and make recommendations to CSA on mediation. The body has, so far, not committed to reparations as was the case last year under the old board.CSA is currently operating under a ministerially imposed interim board, which, through its member Andre Odendaal, confirmed that there has “never been a formal budget for such a [reparations] fund, neither have we created a budget for one.”Odendaal reiterated the interim board’s stance over the national team’s response to BLM, specifically to them not taking a knee. “We are little disappointed that our team did not take the knee, which we explained to them at the time,” Odendaal said. “We supported the taking of the knee as the interim board and the chairperson wrote to the team and to the director of cricket (Graeme Smith) and the answer was that while the team supported the stand against racism and it had been through a pre-season course of bonding and discussing these matters, they decided on a slightly different approach which the group as a whole had bought into.”While England, West Indies, New Zealand and Bangladesh have all taken a knee, Australia formed a barefoot circle to acknowledge the Aboriginal ownership of land and South Africa opted for a banner against both racism and gender-based violence when they played England in November. They subsequently raised their fists ahead of the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka, but have yet to take a knee as a national team (all those involved in the experimental 3-Team Cricket [3TC] match last July took a knee), and this is something the board continues to be concerned about. “The board, while maintaining its own position, given the strength of the BLM and take-the-knee action throughout the world, we felt in a country with our history that would be most appropriate, [but] it was not something for us a board to decree should happen,” Odendaal said. “It brought across to us that CSA should have a broad policy that all components buy into and that we would continue to talk this through with the players and the team going forward.”With the interim board and the players on different sides about the ways in which South African cricket should show support for anti-racism, developing a centralised policy on anti-racism will be one of Ntsebeza’s tasks. He will only be able to do that once he has heard from those who have faced discrimination, those who have perpetrated it and even those who don’t understand why it is part of the cricket conversation. He indicated that the hearings would take place on a platform like Zoom to give members of the public access to testimony. So far, several former players of colour, including Makhaya Ntini, Ashwell Prince, and Thami Tsolekile, have told their stories on media platforms.”I want to meet with all cricket stakeholders – former players, current players, the player representative body, administrators, employees, educators, sponsors, the whole gamut. I also want to meet with government, the sports ministry, non-governmental organisations and business. All of these entities are critically important because at the root of it all, the aim which is intended, is to unite this nation behind this sporting code,” Ntsebeza said. “Once people are given an opportunity to say in their own words the things that hurt them, that process has the magic of restoring to them their dignity.”Ntsebeza has six months to conclude both the hearings and a report with recommendations, and he hopes by the middle of that period, in July, CSA will be ready to host a transformation conference, which will inform his recommendations. “We hope to have a whole range of cricket stakeholders together, who will seek to discuss the main issues that will have been raised in the hearings and what remedial action is required going forward.”

The Delhi Capitals allrounder said Avesh Khan was initially supposed to deliver the Super Over

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Apr-20211:57

Axar Patel – I suggested Rishabh Pant I should bowl the Super Over against Sunrisers

Axar Patel, playing his first IPL 2021 game after recovering from Covid-19, revealed following Delhi Capitals’ Super Over win against the Sunrisers Hyderabad that it was he who told the team management that he should bowl in the one-over shootout. Bowling at David Warner and Kane Williamson, Patel conceded only seven runs in six balls, which the Capitals chased down.Patel said in the post-match press conference that the Capitals were planning on having Avesh Khan – who took 3 for 34 in his four-over quota – deliver the Super Over. But at the end of regulation play, Patel approached the Capitals captain RIshabh Pant and suggested that a spinner would be much harder to put away on the sluggish Chepauk surface. The assessment proved correct eventually as Patel bowled two dots, two singles, one leg bye, and one four.”When I was in the dressing room, I was thinking that on this wicket, a spinner would be pretty effective,” Patel said. “When I came out of the dressing room, the coach and everyone were talking. The initial thought was to go with a fast bowler – Avesh Khan – because they would send a left-right combination.Related

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“After that, when we were just stepping onto the ground, I thought a spinner would be more effective. So I told Rishabh that I could also bowl the over. Then he spoke to Ricky [Ponting], and it was decided at the last moment that I would bowl.”Patel also said that the Capitals’ decision to not send both their openers – Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan – in the Super Over chase of eight and instead of going for two left-handers in Dhawan and Pant was based on the dimensions of the ground, which were bigger on one side and, therefore, would allow more twos to be taken. That decision worked out against Rashid Khan, whom the Sunrisers fielded to bowl the Super Over.Patel, who took 2 for 26 in his regulation four overs, said that he was match-ready ever since he came out of the medical facility in Mumbai where he spent nearly three weeks recovering from Covid-19. With the Chepauk surface assisting spinners, and Patel having rejoined the Capitals camp in Chennai on Thursday, he was asked by the management ahead of Sunday’s game if he felt fit enough to play, to which he said yes. The management told Patel that if he was ready, they he would slot into the XI right away. Patel said his confidence was boosted by his stellar returns against England in the recent home series.”Even before Covid I was bowling well, in Test matches, and then I bowled in the T20Is too. So, I was carrying the same confidence,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking much that I have had Covid. After recovering from Covid, if I still keep thinking about it that I lost 20 days…obviously it was frustrating but I wasn’t thinking much about it.”When I was in quarantine, the team-mates used to have a chat with me over calls, so I was thinking only the positive stuff that I would regain my rhythm and won’t think much about how I would do, or if my bowling or batting would be affected. So, I followed the basics, spent some time in the nets, and found the rhythm I wanted in those four days. After that, I was both mentally and physically ready.”

Tight home-Test schedule of six games in eight weeks lies ahead, with questions over red-ball preparation to boot

Daniel Brettig19-May-2021Australia are set to play six matches in fewer than eight weeks next summer, after a gap of 312 days since their last assignment against India in January, meaning an idling Test team will have to re-learn the fundamentals of the longest form of the game in an almighty hurry.A one-off Test against Afghanistan at Bellerive Oval in November-December – Hobart’s first Test match since November 2016 – will be followed by an Ashes series that will take in matches at the Gabba, Adelaide Oval (day-night), the MCG, the SCG and concluding at Perth Stadium in mid-January. It’s the first time Sydney has not hosted the conclusion of an Ashes series since 1995, when the WACA Ground was the scene of the final match in early February.The women’s international calendar is also heavily stocked, with a series against India in September that ESPNcricinfo has reported will include a Test match, before the multi-format Ashes series against England that will take place after the conclusion of the WBBL. The men’s and women’s international fixtures have been devised with virtually no clashes between the two.Covid-19 risk management, combined with a concentration by Cricket Australia on the home fixtures that bring in the vast majority of the governing body’s revenue through broadcast-rights deals, has left the team led by Tim Paine and his deputy Pat Cummins to play just 10 Test matches over the course of more than two years, after going 345 days between Tests in 2020. None will take place away from home between September 2019 and (at least) February 2022 when a tour of Pakistan is very lightly etched into the calendar.Getty Images

The home series defeat to India last summer, in spite of a raft of injuries and withdrawals from the touring team, was put down partly to the difficulties of adapting from cricket’s short formats to its longest without much in the way of preparation in between. CA is looking at re-filling the position of batting coach that sat vacant last summer, in order to give the top six – which underperformed badly against India – greater one-on-one assistance this time around.Equally, the selection chairman Trevor Hohns has spoken firmly of the need to return to a system of squad rotation for the fast bowlers in particular, after the gains made in the 2019 Ashes were abandoned over the past two home summers, much to Australia’s cost against India.”Particularly now, when most Test matches are programmed pretty closely on the heels of each other. We can’t ask them to continually back up, day after day after day,” Hohns said when naming the central contracts list in April. “It’s only natural they are going to get tired. Sure, they might feel okay within themselves, but we’ve really got to monitor that a bit harder.”But the challenge will be all the greater with another year devoid of Test or first-class matches for many of the players, namely those who will also be involved in Australia’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign in the second half of the year. Among established members of the Test team, only Paine, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood and perhaps Marnus Labuschagne can expect to play much Sheffield Shield cricket prior to the Afghanistan Test, which will be left to serve as a sort of Ashes preparation game for the rest.Related

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“Certainly the home summer preparation and particularly the preparation for the home Ashes is front of mind for us so we’re working through our planning for that at a team level but also at an individual level, and exploring a number of different options for the winter,” the head of national teams Ben Oliver said this week. “Fortunately, a number of our players will have competitive cricket either internationally or domestically here and overseas.”So we feel across the players that are likely to feature in that, in the home Test series, that they’ll all be well prepared. Obviously we’ll have a significant amount of Sheffield Shield cricket to assist in that preparation for those that don’t have the opportunity to be part of a World Cup or other overseas competitions.”Paine said that the Hobart match would be critical to Australia’s chances of putting together a cohesive and settled unit for the Ashes matches that would follow so closely afterwards.”We haven’t got any red-ball cricket in the lead-up to the Ashes except that Test match,” Paine said in Hobart. “So from a preparation point of view it’s going to be a really important Test match to set us up for the Ashes and Afghanistan have got some highly talented spinners in particular, which will create a real challenge. Any Test match we play, we want a full-strength side, and it’s not always possible these days, but fingers crossed we can make it happen.”Last summer wasn’t our best in key moments, but I think over the last couple of years we’ve played some pretty consistent cricket. We’re now talking about going from being a good team to a great team, and that Afghanistan Test and the Ashes this year is a really important part of that.”Other men’s fixtures announced on Wednesday include three ODIs and a T20I against New Zealand in late January and early February, and five T20Is against Sri Lanka, who have stepped in for South Africa.

The offspinner, though, will need a work visa to play county cricket

Sidharth Monga06-Jul-2021R Ashwin will play a County Championship match for Surrey – provided he gets the required work visa on time – before re-joining the Indian team. While Ashwin is in England already for the Test series that will start in August, he will need a work visa to play county cricket. Both parties are confident it will be done in time for the match starting July 11.The Indian squad is currently on a break before it gets back together to prepare for the five-match Test series against England starting August 4 with the Trent Bridge game. Ashwin will play against Somerset at The Oval, which will host the fourth Test of the series. Ashwin’s match against Somerset is scheduled to end on July 14, the day the India team reconvenes.As of now, India have no tour games scheduled before the Tests. They haven’t been big fans of side games in recent years because there had been a trend of hosts not wanting to help visitors out by giving them tough opposition to practise against. Barring Australia last year, where they got a game against a strong Australia A, India have tended to prefer intense nets sessions to side games.However, reports suggest that India have now made a late request for a tour game or two before they get to Nottingham for the first Test. India captain Virat Kohli didn’t seem pleased they didn’t get first-class games in preparation for the Tests. After India lost the World Test Championship final to New Zealand, a side that had already played two Tests in England before the final, Kohli made a cryptic statement that his side hadn’t got what it wanted.”Well, that doesn’t depend on us,” Kohli said in the post-match press conference when asked if he would have preferred to play side games instead of intra-squad matches. “We obviously wanted first-class games, which I believe have not been given to us. I don’t know what the reasons for that are. But yeah, other than that, I think our preparation time will be ample for us to be ready for the first Test.”In that regard, the experience of getting a full first-class match – at a venue that will host a Test – for Ashwin will be welcomed from India’s point of view. His skills come at a good time for Surrey too. Teams in the County Championship are permitted two overseas players in their XI, and while Surrey already have two registered in Hashim Amla and Kyle Jamieson, Jamieson is an injury doubt for the Somerset fixture after injuring his glute in the ongoing game against Hampshire, in which he bowled only six first-innings overs.Ashwin has represented Nottinghamshire and Worcestershire in the past.

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.

“It all boils down to execution in crunch moments,” says India captain

Nagraj Gollapudi03-Aug-20213:39

A player of Pujara’s calibre and experience should be left alone – Kohli

Having spent two months in the UK, India are “definitely better prepared” for the five-Test series in England, but Virat Kohli believes the visitors cannot cross the line if they don’t find a way to execute their plans in “situations which are not easy”. More than winning the Pataudi Trophy, a feat India last achieved under the leadership of Rahul Dravid in 2007, Kohli said the challenge for his team was to win in “situations which are not ours”.This is Kohli’s fourth tour of England and second as captain. In 2011 he came in as a replacement for Yuvraj Singh during the series, but did not play any Test. In 2014, James Anderson made him feel like the loneliest guy in the world. Four years later, Kohli returned as the best batter across both teams and the only one to make an aggregate of 500-plus runs. India, though, lost the series 4-1 having started on equal footing alongside England.Three years after that, Kohli’s India have been rated as firm favorites by all and sundry against an England side without Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes. In a chat with the Indian media on Monday, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar even said India had the potential to win 4-0 if the conditions were dry in August and September.Related

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• Are the India of 2021 better than the India of 2018?

• Test cricket emerges from shadow of the Hundred as India eye England glory again

Kohli, though, was not interested in looking too far ahead. Asked on Tuesday what it would mean to win the Test series in England, he remained impassive.”It is a very relative question,” Kohli said. “I have never really played for any kind of landmark or milestones in my career. Every game in international cricket has been an opportunity for me to test myself and my character and how mentally strong I am and how much skill level I have to be able to sustain at this level for a long period of time. And things are going to be no different this series as well – we are going to play with the same passion, same commitment, same belief that we play every series with.”(The question of) a few series matter more than others – I don’t really believe in these things because then you are really picking and choosing what you want to do. That is not being honest with the game. For us it is all about wanting difficult cricket, wanting tough cricket, and wanting to win in conditions which are not ours. That is the only challenge that I see.”India have been in the country since June 2, arriving early to play the World Test Championship final against New Zealand. They had a three-week break after the final, post which they played a warm-up match in Durham. The time spent has also meant better acclimatisation to the English weather.”We are definitely much better prepared than we have been in the past,” Kohli said. “The situation allowed us to get acclimatised to the weather firstly because it can change quite drastically and quite quickly. At the same time playing under different changes in conditions in terms of weather – whether it is overcast, or it is sunny, how the pitches behave, how the ball travels, how much it swings in the air. All those kinds of things are definitely going to add to our experience which already the team possesses a lot of, having played in England in the past.”It all boils down to execution in crunch moments and that purely comes from belief and how badly you want to be in situations which are not easy. As long as we are looking to embrace that we will find answers to all the questions thrown at us. Otherwise you cannot play at this level for a long period if you are not literally wanting to be in situations which are absolutely opposite to what your comfort zone is.”One of the reasons behind the 2018 series loss was how India lost the key moments to England. Kohli admitted it was an area of concern.”As a team we looked to improve. We haven’t done well and that is one aspect of the game we need to get better, which is understanding when things are not going your way, how to control damage. That’s what Test cricket is all about: you have to go through situations and then eventually capitalise when things turn your way as well. Because you are not going to have all sessions turn your way. When things do not favour you as a team, that’s an area we want to keep improving at and the Test matches that we have done that well we have ended up winning. It all boils down to execution in those difficult moments.”