India’s Test captain, Virat Kohli, has given a strong indication that India will start using DRS in the future

Sidharth Monga29-Sep-20161:27

Will look to introduce DRS in future – Kohli

India’s Test captain, Virat Kohli, has given a strong indication that India will start using the Decision Review System (DRS) in the future. “We will certainly look to probably introduce it [DRS] in future,” Kohli said on the eve of the Kolkata Test against New Zealand.India have been the biggest opponents of DRS for a while now, but Kohli said that there have been discussions and meetings about it, and DRS is something they “definitely want to think about”. This is a big departure from the previous captain’s views and BCCI president Anurag Thakur’s ambivalent musings. MS Dhoni always opposed DRS because it was not 100%, and Thakur recently wondered, if the machine is going to make the same error as humans, “what are we getting out of it”?Kohli still had reservations about the system, but he seemed convinced about the merits of having a review system. It is noteworthy that under Kohli’s captaincy India have been at the receiving end of calls that could have been reversed easily under DRS in two Tests where the said decisions made a big difference. India ended up losing those two Tests – Adelaide in 2014-15 and Galle in 2015. In the Adelaide chase, where India came close to beating Australia, Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane were sent back when DRS would have recalled them. In Galle, Sri Lanka mounted an incredible comeback in the second innings, but both their heroes, Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne, would have been out in single figures had DRS been there.Virat Kohli: ‘[After opposing the use of DRS] for us to then say that the umpires made an error and it is going against us, it is not logical’•BCCI

“Those are the things I can’t say yes or no to sitting here,” Kohli said about DRS. “But these are the things we have discussed. These are things we have had meetings on. Because there were some areas that we felt can be debated. Especially the ball-tracking and HawkEye. But, all in all, obviously when you feel that – I personally feel these things can be discussed and debated on.”We wouldn’t take [wrong umpiring] decisions too hard because we, in the first place, decided we would not use DRS. For us to then say that the umpires made an error and it is going against us, it is not logical. There is no room for excuses. Once DRS is in place, once DRS is up and running for us as well, then you can sit and think what are the grey areas. As I said these things have been spoken about. We want to definitely think about it. but I can’t make a decision sitting here right now. It’s something we have had discussions on.”As it stands now, no other team in the world opposes DRS even if there isn’t enough technology available with the host broadcasters. Every Test not featuring India has DRS, except Zimbabwe’s recent Tests, when they couldn’t afford it. In ICC 50-over tournaments, India are forced to use DRS, but that uniformity does not extend to Test matches because they are seen as bilateral arrangements.

India opener Shikhar Dhawan has admitted to channelling the disappointment of being omitted from the playing XI for the recent T20I series against West Indies into improving his standards

Arun Venugopal14-Sep-20161:04

‘I look within for motivation’ – Dhawan

India opener Shikhar Dhawan has admitted to channelling the disappointment of being omitted from the playing XI for the recent T20I series against West Indies into improving his standards. Dhawan had a mediocre outing in the Test series in the West Indies, where he managed only 138 runs from four innings before being dropped for the final Test in Port of Spain.”I feel my motivation always increases even when things don’t go well for me,” Dhawan told reporters after the Duleep Trophy final between India Blue and India Red. “Sure, it does hurt me, but I channel the hurt to keep getting better; I don’t let it bog me down. That’s how I work.”Like, when I was left out for the T20s – of course I wanted to be in the playing XI. So, that required me to do better. So, I thought, ‘OK man, I have to raise my standards. As simple as that.’ I don’t look outside; I look inside and say, ‘I will have to do this, I will do it.'”Dhawan also said his motivation to do well increased with time, and that age didn’t have a bearing on it. “It depends on your desire [to do well], how much you love the game and what goals you have.”With the emergence of KL Rahul, India have had the luxury of opting for any two of three potential openers – Rahul, Dhawan and M Vijay – and the team used all possible pairings during the West Indies Tests. Dhawan’s middling returns have coincided with a breakout season for Rahul – he scored 236 runs, including a hundred, from three Test innings, before smashing an unbeaten 51-ball 110 in the first T20I in Florida.Dhawan agreed that the competition for the opening spots had intensified, and that it had kept every player on his toes in the lead-up to a long home season. “It is a good thing. [One needs to give it one’s all to keep one’s place in the side],” he said.”Rahul, anyway has done quite well in Test matches and T20s, so if you look at the bigger picture it’s very good for India that there are three or four openers pushing one another, as well as openers in the domestic circuit who are also pushing for places. Such competition ensures each individual keeps working hard.”With the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur set to begin in a little over a week, Dhawan said he was preparing well and getting physically and mentally stronger. Asked if there was any specific preparation involved, he replied with a laugh: “I am batting for 40 minutes [in the nets].”Dhawan was also appreciative of head coach Anil Kumble’s cricketing smarts, and said he was learning from him the importance of hard graft. “It’s been great having Anil around. Of course, he is a great legend,” he said. “He is so well educated and obviously has a sharp brain. He has great cricketing intelligence as well, so you obviously learn a lot for him – be it the dedication and hard grind he brought to his game, or the aggressive mindset with which he played.”Dhawan, who turned out for India Red who lost the Duleep Trophy final to India Blue, said the tournament provided useful game-time ahead of a busy season. “It’s quite useful because I believe practice in the form of matches is always good as it gives you a feel of the pressure,” he said. “Especially, after you field for two successive days, your body also loosens up and you get a good vibe. So, you take that confidence forward.”

USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake has picked the team’s batting as the area in need of the biggest improvement ahead of their opening match in the WCL Division Four

Peter Della Penna20-Oct-2016USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake has picked the team’s batting as the area in need of the biggest improvement, heading into their first match at the World Cricket League Division Four – the ICC’s 50-over tournament for Associates and Affiliates – in Los Angeles. USA lost the first two games in the recently-concluded Auty Cup against Canada, before chasing down 222 to win by two wickets in the final match. Dassanayake said they could have performed better with more consistency in the batting.

Santhanam doubtful for WCL Division Four

USA allrounder Srini Santhanam is likely to be ruled out of the WCL Division Four, after a recurrence of the right shoulder injury that has plagued him over the last three years. Santhanam re-injured the shoulder at the five-day national camp in Indianapolis last month. He was fit enough to bowl six overs in USA’s 34-run loss to Canada in the Auty Cup opener, but aggravated the injury when firing in a throw from the boundary, and missed the final two games.
“Srini is definitely injured and he’s not going to be 100% before the tournament, but we are taking medical advice from the physio and Srini’s family doctor,” USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake said. “We are going to wait for those reports and how they advise us, but it looks it’s very doubtful that he’s going to be 100% fit.”

“It’s always good to get a win going into the World Cricket League against Canada, but, overall, we could have done better in the first two games,” Dassanayake told ESPNcricinfo. “Especially in the second game, we had a chance at winning. Overall, we were improving every game. First game, we were very low, did lots of mistakes. Second game, we were better, and [last game] I think bowling and fielding were up there. We want some good performance in the batting, but there are lots of areas to improve.”The batting still needs to settle down. We have a very decent bowling attack. I’m happy about that. Fielding, there’s a few things we need to fix, but I’m not that nervous because the guys are putting a lot of effort, and I’m pretty sure we’ll get there. Batting, when you take the seven batters we have in the squad, they are quality, they can do the job. But, coming out from club cricket to this level may have made a huge impact.”Opening batsman Fahad Babar topped USA’s scoring charts in the Auty Cup with 148 runs, including two half-centuries. But, apart from him, Akeem Dodson was the only member of the original squad to score a fifty in the series. Ravi Timbawala, who came in as a replacement player for Sunday’s match and is currently not a part of USA’s squad for WCL Division Four, had USA’s best score with an unbeaten 73 in Sunday’s win. Incidentally, Elmore Hutchinson, a left-arm medium pacer, topped the batting averages at 59, albeit with two unbeaten knocks of 21 and 37. Dassanayake said the players are still adjusting to the rigours of 50-over cricket, given most of their local leagues are 40-over competitions.”They are used to playing a lot of 40-over cricket, so that mentality has to change. I think they’re working hard towards that, but I would still say that we are slightly behind on those areas. Next 10 days, we’re going to work hard and come to the level we want to be to win this tournament.”Dassanayake also said the team was affected by the absence of Timroy Allen and Ali Khan during the Auty Cup. Allen withdrew to attend to a personal matter, while Khan was nursing a left hamstring strain sustained at a five-day national camp in Indianapolis. Both are expected to return for Division Four, and Dassanayake was sure they’d make an impact.”Timroy is going to be one of the most important players in this tournament for us. The last three games, after Srini [Santhanam] got injured, it was tough for us to balance the team. On Friday, we went with an extra bowler and were a batsman short. [Sunday], we played an extra batsman and were a bowler short. When you go like that, it’s kind of a risk where we don’t know how we’re going to end up. I would say, on Friday, if we had that extra batsman, maybe we would have won that game in that 20 runs.”So, Timroy coming into the team is going to solve a lot of issues. As a top allrounder, he can even bat early in the order, and he can contribute 10 overs. Ali is always, when somebody bowls at 135-plus at this level, is always going to be very effective. In these types of wickets and conditions, he is capable of picking up early wickets and then very good bowling in the death overs. I’m sure both of them are going to make a huge impact by coming into the XI.”Half of the USA squad secured enough time off work to stay on in Los Angeles after the Auty Cup, while the rest went home. They will return to Los Angeles on October 23 for five days of training ahead of their first Division Four game, against Bermuda on October 29. USA will also have a warm-up match on October 25 against a Southern California Cricket Association XI. Dassanayake is hopeful that he can maximise the time he has with the players and translate it into positive results.”Even though we could have done better in the last three games, I’m confident with the talent and ability that I have with these 14 players, and I’m confident going into the tournament,” Dassanayake said. “But in saying that, this team has to do certain things well to win that tournament, and I’m just trying to have time with these players. That’s my toughest job.”

The promoted Jonny Bairstow held together a poor England batting display on the opening day in Mohali as they reached 268 for 8

The Report by Andrew McGlashan26-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:41

Ganguly: Haven’t seen a surface as dry as this in Mohali

“There was a glint in his eye,” Alastair Cook said of Jonny Bairstow’s reaction to being moved up England’s order amid a batting reshuffle for the Mohali Test. After a year of rescuing the side from No. 7, this time he kept their head just above water from No. 5 after England had gift-wrapped the advantage for India despite having won the toss.England’s 268 for 8 was a huge missed opportunity especially as India dropped four catches. But without Bairstow’s 89 off 177 balls – ended when he was lbw the ball after being dropped by Parthiv Patel – this Test would have escaped them already. And they would only have had themselves to blame. Winning the toss needs luck, but when the important ones fall your way it is careless not to embrace the opportunity.Five of England’s eight wickets fell to shots that could be classed as careless at best, reckless at worst. Bairstow, who helped add consecutive stands of 57, 69 and 45, gave them a chance although the late loss of Chris Woakes dented the prospect of a lower-order boost. Compared to last year’s Test involving South Africa, the total is already handsome although local judgement is that this pitch is not at that level of mischief.

184 runs, 1 dismissal

• 184.00 Jonny Bairstow’s batting average in this series against spinners – the highest for any batsman from either side. India’s Cheteshwar Pujara averages the next-best among batsmen who have faced at least 50 balls from spinners.

• 10 Number of fifty-plus scores by Jonny Bairstow batting at No. 5 or lower this year. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, in 2002, and Angelo Mathews, in 2014, are the only other batsmen to get as many fifty-plus scores from that low in the order in any calendar year.

• 72.73 Bairstow’s average batting in the first innings of Tests. Among batsmen to score at least 1000 runs, his average is the sixth-highest. Bairstow has made 1091 runs in the first innings of a match, including three hundreds and six fifties in 17 innings.

• 4 Number of catches dropped by India’s fielders on the first day. Alastair Cook was given two reprieves and Bairstow benefited from the other two drops.

• 60.75 Jos Buttler’s batting average in Tests against India – his best against any team. He has scores of 85, 70, 45 and 43 in his four innings against them. Buttler is playing his first Test and only his second first-class match in over a year.

India’s bowling was exacting throughout the day. Ravindra Jadeja performed an excellent holding role either side of tea and claimed two wickets, after the run rate had briefly got away from India in the afternoon session, the pacemen challenged with new ball and old and Jayant Yadav continued his impressive start to Test cricket with the scalps of Bairstow and Joe Root.There was turn from early, but nothing extravagant, and after the brutish delivery received by Haseeb Hameed, which reared off a length, the bounce largely behaved itself. Reverse swing, especially a spell before tea by Umesh Yadav, posed a significant challenge which was repelled by Bairstow and Jos Buttler, but in the final session it was the squeezing of the run rate – a boundary took Bairstow to 53 off 76 balls, then he needed 99 balls for his next 36 – more than devilish deliveries that made life hard work.Buttler, playing just his second first-class match since being dropped from the Test side last October, played the other significant innings of the day. Ended with a loose drive to cover, as India throttled the scoring after tea, it was not substantial enough to satisfy England’s needs but he played with confidence that belied his lack of recent cricket.During a frenetic morning, Alastair Cook and Root gifted their wickets to India, as did Moeen Ali to leave England 92 for 4 at lunch. In the afternoon, Ben Stokes joined the list of haphazard dismissals when he charged at and missed a straighter delivery from Jadeja. He had begun the rebuilding job alongside his regular partner-in-crime, Bairstow, as the pair added 57 for the fifth wicket, rather than their usual sixth, which took their tally together for the year to over 800 runs.Only Hameed could reflect that he did not have a hand in his dismissal in the first session. England were 32 for no loss in the tenth over when the first sign of the tricks that the surface could play brought Hameed’s wicket. A delivery from Umesh spat off a length and smashed into Hameed’s top glove, forcing him to drop the bat as the ball looped to gully. As with the grubber he received in the second innings of the previous Test, there was little Hameed could do except curse his bad luck.Cook’s was an incident-filled stay as he was twice offered lives. His first came in the third over of the day when he had 3 and was squared up by Mohammed Shami. The leading edge flew quickly towards third slip where Jadeja did not even get a hand on the chance. Then, when Cook had 23, R Ashwin spilled a simple chance at midwicket as Cook flicked at Shami’s first ball from round the wicket.It was shaping up as a morning to forget for Ashwin who also made a mess of trying to intercept a leg-slide flick from Root – with Virat Kohli’s expression growing more angered by the minute – but he quickly made amends when tossed the ball, striking first delivery as Cook thin-edged a cut off a wide delivery.Cook’s dismissal meant England had lost their two key batsmen in the space of seven deliveries after Root had absent-mindedly swiped across the line at Jayant having skipped his way to 15 at better than a run-a-ball. After his first-innings dismissal in Vizag, it was another poor moment that England could ill-afford from their best player.Moeen, one of the England batsmen most comfortable using his feet against the spin, attempted a counter-attack when he came down the pitch to Jayant, who had started with four consecutive maidens, sending back-to-back deliveries straight for four and six. But a return to pace ended his stay when Shami produced a well-directed bouncer towards Moeen’s shoulder that he could not control and a top edge picked out fine leg.It meant a familiar pairing had to come to the rescue. During Bairstow’s stellar year there has been much debate as to whether he is wasted down at No. 7, particularly given the struggles of others tried higher up by England. His footwork was confident whether playing forward or back, which enabled him to pick the lengths of the spinners instead of being caught betwixt and between.Stokes, too, had looked in good order – with a stinging straight drive off Shami being particularly eye-catching – before Jadeja earned reward for keeping him quiet. He had only been able to take Jadeja for three runs off 30 deliveries before using his feet and driving around a delivery that did not turn, giving Parthiv plenty of time to complete the stumping. Words were briefly exchange between Stokes and Kohli, two cricketers who don’t take a backward step, leading the umpires to intervene.Bairstow was reprieved on 54 when Parthiv, playing his first Test for eight years and now slated to open the batting after an injury to KL Rahul, could not hold a thin edge off Ashwin. Initially it appeared to be a missed stumping, as Bairstow dragged his back foot out of the crease, but subsequent replays confirmed the nick. Parthiv later spilled another as Bairstow edged Jayant but he only needed to stew for a matter of seconds before Jayant straightened one into Bairstow’s front pad.Woakes and Adil Rashid almost made it through to the close but Umesh capped India’s day by knocking back Woakes’ off stump after working over the outside edge. Both sides will know they made mistakes, but India will feel like they got away with theirs. For England it was a day of what could have been.

Tamil Nadu captain Abhinav Mukund conceded that the side’s first-innings collapse and then letting Mumbai build from 180 for 4 were key factors in their Ranji Trophy semi-final loss

Arun Venugopal05-Jan-2017Tamil Nadu captain Abhinav Mukund attributed his team’s six-wicket defeat to Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy semi-final to the batting collapse in the first innings that saw them slump from 178 for 2 to 305 all out. It was a total that was deemed insufficient after Tamil Nadu won the toss on a good batting track and they were always going to play catchup after Mumbai secured a 101-run lead in response.”We should have scored 40-50 runs more,” Abhinav said after the match. “Someone should have had the maturity to take the innings through after DK’s [Dinesh Karthik’s] dismissal in the first innings. Maybe, if we had scored 350-360, they would have been under a lot of pressure, considering that they lost most of their top-order early. They were 180 for 4 and we let them build on. I thought that’s where we lost the game as their lower order showed more maturity than
 ours did.”Abhinav was comfortable with the declaration late on Wednesday to set Mumbai a target of 251, and said it was done with the intention of having a crack at the openers in the evening. He conceded, however, he didn’t foresee the 17-year-old Prithvi Shaw taking the game away from Tamil Nadu. “He played quite fearless cricket. It was a brilliant innings,” he said. “He played some rash shots too, but got away with. But he lived by his sword and credit to him.”At the end of the fourth day, B Indrajith had predicted that the spinners would come into play on a final-day pitch that had a few cracks and rough patches. Abhinav felt the pitch didn’t deteriorate as much as they expected.”It was not a minefield and was still a good batting pitch,” he said. “I thought hardly any balls [kept low] yesterday. Today there were about 10 or 12 balls that I counted, but none of them hit the stumps. We had to take a chance and give them a score that was iffy. We didn’t have a choice as they had a 100-run lead. If we had taken two or three wickets they would have been under pressure.”Abhinav also defended the decision to delay the introduction of Vijay Shankar and left-arm seamer T Natarajan in Mumbai’s chase. Shankar wasn’t introduced until the 18th over, while Natarajan was handed the ball for the last over before lunch. “They [Aswin Crist and K Vignesh] have been my 
two best bowlers this season. I wanted to back them,” he said. “Aswin Crist might look like he is not going to pick up wickets but suddenly he comes and picks up two for you.”That’s how he has been throughout the season. If you had seen Karnataka match, the first spell he bowled was like s**t. He came back the second spell and took six wickets. I trust him for that. I wanted to give one burst in the morning and see how it goes.”Apart from the three fast bowlers, who have contributed 96 wickets, Abhinav saw positives in how batsmen like Kaushik Gandhi and Indrajith have stepped up. “I don’t set numerical targets for myself or the team. I don’t know whether we overachieved or underachieved,” he said. “But all I can say is we found replacements for R Prasanna and L Balaji, and hopefully we will find one for M Vijay.”We have been having trouble with the opening slot. Hopefully, Ganga Sridhar Raju can do the job. Overall, it’s been a satisfying season with Kaushik Gandhi and Indrajith taking the mantle. We had six [four] batsmen scoring 600 runs and two bowlers taking 30-plus wickets. So I can keep naming the pluses. But we have to go further into the tournament. That’s why I am disappointed today. I genuinely thought this was the team who could do it.”He said there were a number of things his team could learn from Mumbai, not least the ability to collectively apply pressure on the opposition. “It’s really important to learn the small things. Like when a partnership is going, the entire team slows things down, the entire team looks to change the ball, or tries to do something different,” he said.”When a bowler is bowling well, they slow things down as a batting unit; they call for gloves before the end of the session. These are the things you only learn through experience, you can’t teach anyone these things. Some of these things come naturally to them [Mumbai], credit to them for it, but hopefully some of these [Tamil Nadu] boys have watched it and learnt from it.”These are the things I appreciate, but at the same time these are the things that can be learnt pretty easily. Hopefully, we will take back these sort of things as learnings and come back as a stronger unit next year.”

Russell Domingo will have to reapply for his position of South Africa coach if he wants to continue after the England tour in May-August 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2017Russell Domingo will have to reapply for his position of South Africa coach if he wants to continue after the England tour in May-August 2017. Cricket South Africa (CSA) have confirmed they will begin a recruitment process to appoint a head coach after the England tour and through to the 2019 World Cup.”The Board of Directors also resolved to commence the recruitment process for the appointment of the Proteas Head Coach to take charge after the tour to the UK until after the 2019 edition of the ICC World Cup,” CSA said at the end of a release about a review into domestic cricket.Domingo, who took over in May 2013, has twice had his contract extended. It was originally set to run until the 2015 World Cup, before CSA took a unanimous decision to extend it till April 2016. Then, last October, it was decided to extend it till the end of the England tour.Until then, Domingo’s position had seemed less than secure, after a string of below-par performances including the loss of two major Test series in 2015-16 – in India and against England at home – an early exit from the 2016 World T20, and a bottom-place finish in an ODI triangular series in the West Indies. A four-person independent panel assigned to review South Africa’s performances over that period was expected to put Domingo’s position under scrutiny, but the cancellation of the review process gave him some breathing room.Since then, South Africa have bounced back, winning Test series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka at home either side of beating Australia 5-0 in a home ODI series and 2-1 in an away Test series.In a press conference at the end of the Sri Lanka Tests, Domingo had outlined his vision of how he would like South Africa to play under him, but refused to look too far beyond his current contract.”I could go tomorrow,” he had said. “Nothing is certain. I by no means look too far ahead in my coaching career. I take it one series at a time. You never know what’s around the corner in coaching. I’ve always felt that the support that I’ve got from the players is the most important thing. If you’ve still got the support of the players, that’s all that matters. I’ve always felt I had that. It’s out of my control, what happens happens.”

Imran Haider, the legspinner, took four wickets in his second ODI to help United Arab Emirates record a six-wicket win over Hong Kong in their tri-series fixture in Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2017
Scorecard
Shaiman Anwar steered UAE home with his seventh ODI half-century•Peter Della Penna

Imran Haider, the legspinner, took four wickets in his second ODI to help United Arab Emirates record a six-wicket win over Hong Kong in their tri-series fixture in Dubai on Thursday. UAE got to their target of 175 in 38.1 overs to finish the series on top of the points table.Hong Kong were put in to bat and lost wickets in clumps, tottering at one stage at 85 for 5. Nizakat Khan, the No. 4 batsman, held the lower order together in making a 111-ball 93 including seven fours and three sixes. Nizakat’s 67-run stand for the eighth wicket with Ehsan Nawaz, who made 11, was the highest of the innings which folded in the penultimate over.Haider removed Babar Hayat, the Hong Kong captain, and Shahid Wasif for ducks. At one stage, he had three wickets in as many overs; he eventually finished with 4 for 25 off his 10 overs to take his wickets tally to seven in two matches.UAE started solidly courtesy a 76-run opening stand between Rohan Mustafa and Mohammed Qasim, before losing three quick wickets – two of which were picked up by Ehsan Khan, the offspinner. Shaiman Anwar then took charge to make a half-century to take UAE to within 27 runs of victory before giving Ehsan his third wicket. Muhammad Usman (20 not out) and Mohammad Naveed (9 not out) then saw the chase through.

The Mumbai batsman has been asked to appear before the MCA’s managing committee on Tuesday and has also been asked to give a written explanation for his actions

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2017Suryakumar Yadav has been asked by the Mumbai Cricket Association to show cause for retweeting a post on Twitter that questioned his omission from the team for the Inter-state T20 tournament. The Mumbai batsman has also been asked to appear before the MCA’s managing committee on Tuesday. As a result, Suryakumar’s selection in the Mumbai squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy inter-state one-day tournament has been withheld pending the committee’s decision”Players are not allowed to comment on selection on social media,” MCA joint-secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar told ESPNcricinfo. “We have a managing committee meeting tomorrow where we will discuss what to do. We have called him [to appear before the committee] and have also sought a written explanation. Yesterday, I told him to give the written explanation within 24 hours so he can do that today. The committee will review his written explanation and then we will think what is to be done.”Khanvilkar pointed out that Suryakumar, 26, was let off with a verbal warning last year when he had tweeted expressing his displeasure at opener Jay Bista being dropped for Mumbai’s semi-final game against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. “There are only 14 players we have picked [so far],” Khanvilkar said. “Cricket-wise, there is no problem. He is a good player. Just because of the disciplinary issue, we have withheld his selection, so whatever decision is taken in the managing committee, accordingly we will choose the 15.”Suryakumar has been involved in a few controversies over the last few years. He quit as Mumbai captain midway through an underwhelming 2014-15 season. He was also at that point reprimanded by MCA officials after some players complained against him for using abusive language on the field and in the dressing room.

AB de Villiers, who missed the IPL 2017 season opener with a back injury, is a doubtful starter for Royal Challengers’ second match as well

Deivarayan Muthu in Bengaluru06-Apr-2017AB de Villiers, who missed the IPL 2017 season opener with a back injury, is a doubtful starter for Royal Challengers Bangalore’s second match against Delhi Daredevils in Bengaluru on Saturday as well. De Villiers said the franchise will take a call on his fitness after a training session on Thursday. He also confirmed that he will not keep wicket this season.De Villiers was initially set to captain RCB while full-time captain Virat Kohli recovers from a shoulder injury, but then he had to pull out of the final of the Momentum Cup, South Africa’s premier domestic one-day tournament, last Friday.”Even though I’m very very keen to get on the field, I’ll make sure that I’m 100% fit,” de Villiers said on Thursday. “Because, if you go on the park and you’re 90%, you might be out for longer anyway. It doesn’t make sense. I am going to test it [the back] out this afternoon. We’ve got a nets session. I’ll hit a couple of balls, see what it feels like, and then we’ll make a call.”RCB are also missing their regular wicketkeeper KL Rahul due to injury. Maharashtra’s part-time wicketkeeper Kedhar Jadhav – he has kept in 24 matches out of 263 across formats – took the gloves against Sunrisers Hyderabad, but did not look comfortable against either spin or pace. Before the tournament, RCB coach Daniel Vettori had said they might consider de Villiers for the role, but the batsman has said no.”I will definitely not consider wicketkeeping,” de Villiers said. “I’ll miss the next five years if I start keeping again. My back won’t allow that. My back is sore because of all those years of keeping.”Given the number of first-choice players RCB were missing through injury, de Villiers said the team was always going to find the opening game tough. They ended up losing the match by 35 runs, their worst loss in terms of runs since April 2013.”Last night’s game was always going to be difficult,” de Villiers said. “It is the first game of the season. The [Royal Challengers] team that played the final last year and the team that played last night, I think there were about five or six changes. So, it was always going to be difficult to hit the ground running without Virat [Kohli], myself, and KL Rahul, all leaders in their own right. But I have never doubted the skill and the talent of the team. I have no doubt in my mind that we will come back strong from this.”Kohli, like Rahul, was missing due to injuries picked up in the preceding Test series against Australia. De Villiers said he had initially doubted Kohli’s leadership skills, given his public displays of emotion, but was happy with what he saw during India’s extended home Test season.”I think it has been an amazing journey to watch him grow as a leader. I think, at the start, when the people mentioned to me he has leadership qualities and might become a captain one day, I doubted it. I thought he was emotional with his reactions. [Now] I think he has found a way to deal with it. He has showed he has skills with his captaincy and he has taken all the doubters and showed them he can conquer anything.”He did not have the best of series with bat in hand in the last series [against Australia] but what stood out for me was his leadership. He led from the front and that showed. I think that’s the greatest test for a captain – when you don’t do well personally and how you come through as a captain. He came through with flying colours.”

Mustafizur Rahman sliced through Ireland’s middle order to pick up four wickets and set up Bangladesh’s eight-wicket win

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMustafizur Rahman sliced through Ireland’s middle order•AFP

Mustafizur Rahman’s spell accounted for the cream of Ireland’s batting and helped Bangladesh cruise to their first win in the tri-nation series.Ireland, sent in to bat, were bowled out for 181 in 46.3 overs with Mustafizur taking 4 for 23 off nine overs. Soumya Sarkar then struck his second successive half-century as Bangladesh cruised to victory by eight wickets in the 28th over.Ireland’s inability to convert starts – three batsmen made 25 or more but no one got to 50 – resulted in them losing wickets in clumps. They lost Paul Stirling in the first over, but recovered briefly: they were 60 for 2 in 14 overs when Andy Balbirne played all around a Shakib Al Hasan delivery and was lbw. In a nine-over spell courtesy spin, Ireland managed just 31.The only resistance came when Ed Joyce, who top scored with 46, and Niall O’Brien put together 55 for the fourth wicket. Mustafizur returned to dismiss O’Brien to expose the lower-middle order with 22.3 overs still to play.George Dockrell’s 50-ball 25 lifted Ireland to 181 before Mashrafe Mortaza, the captain, brought the innings to a close. Mashrafe and Sunzamul Islam, the debutant left-arm spinner, finished with two wickets apiece.Bangladesh’s openers – Tamim Iqbal and Sarkar – started steadily, before they went into overdrive in the ninth over when Sarkar blasted Barry McCarthy for two fours and a six. Tamim, generally the aggressor, built gradually to make 47 before the O’Brien brothers combined to break a 95-run stand. Tamim, looking to run the ball down, could only get a faint nick through to the wicketkeeper.Sabbir Rahman found his groove quickly, making an enterprising 35 that included three fours and a six, before falling with Bangladesh 10 short of victory. Sarkar was unbeaten on 87 at the finish.