Pollard to captain MI squad that also features David and Brevis

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2023MI New York have announced a star-studded bowling group for the upcoming MLC 2023 competition with Rashid Khan, Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada all part of the squad. They have also signed up Nicholas Pooran, Tim David, Dewald Brevis and Jason Behrendorff for the three-week tournament in Dallas. To round off their overseas contingent, Kieron Pollard is the captain while David Wiese is the other allrounder.This will be the second team under the MI franchise for Rashid and Rabada, having previously represented MI Cape Town in the SA20. Pooran and Boult will also extend their relationship with the MI group, having previously played for MI Emirates in the ILT20 event in the UAE. For David and Brevis, this will be the third MI franchise (apart from the IPL and SA20).Former South Africa international Robin Peterson has been named head coach while former Mumbai Indians seamer Lasith Malinga will be bowling coach. J Arunkumar and James Pamment will be the batting and fielding coaches respectively.Related

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“It is an extraordinary line-up of youth, experience, and power,” Akash Ambani, owner of Mumbai Indians, said in a statement. “Further, we have exciting talent in the form of Tim David and Brevis, while Jason Behrendorff and David Wiese are proven performers. Combined with the exceptional skills of our local US players, we are confident that MI New York will raise the bar of competition in the cricket ecosystem of the US.”At a draft held in March, the New York franchise had selected current USA captain Monank Patel and former USA captain Steven Taylor. Also drafted in – among others – were allrounder Nosthush Kenjige, wicketkeeper Shayan Jahangir and fast bowler Kyle Phillip.The six-team MLC begins on July 13. On Tuesday, the LA Knight Riders announced Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Jason Roy and Lockie Ferguson as their marquee overseas players for the competition.

While Sri Lanka have played six of their last eight Tests in Galle, Pakistan’s form in the longest format will be their biggest concern

Danyal Rasool15-Jul-2023

Big picture: Sri Lanka start as favourites

On July 16, Sri Lanka played Pakistan in Galle in the first of two Test matches, with the second Test starting on the 24th. That statement is true for both 2022 and 2023.It’s not clear why this series has been set up to perfectly mirror Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka last year, but it provides the opportunity to evaluate each side’s progress in the interceding 12 months. Sri Lanka begin as obvious favourites despite mixed results in the past 12 months primarily because of their level of familiarity with conditions; six of the hosts’ last eight Test matches have come at this venue, and four of those games have resulted in wins for them. A relatively settled Test side who recognise their best red-ball squad, Sri Lanka went on to challenge New Zealand away in the only other Test series they played, going down by two wickets in the first before being overpowered in the second.They come off pitch-perfect recent form – albeit in another format. The ignominy of being forced to qualify for the World Cup in India was more than made up for by Sri Lanka vanquishing all before them in Zimbabwe, winning all eight games and the trophy to book their place at the tournament in style. They are bolstered by the likely return of Dimuth Karunaratne, who missed the final of that competition with a hamstring injury. With two centuries and four fifties in his last seven Test innings, the availability of arguably the world’s best opener of the past five years adds some welcome heft against an opening attack comprising Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.Related

• Returning Shaheen Shah Afridi is dreaming about his 100th Test wicket

• Madushanka eyes Test debut after being picked to play Pakistan

• Shaheen Afridi returns to Galle after year of misery and joy

Add to that the quality Sri Lanka have in their spinning ranks – a recent area of particular famine for Pakistan – and their impregnability is further cemented. Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis were Pakistan’s chief tormentors on a dramatic final day of the series last year, and should play key roles. Pakistan, meanwhile, have struggled to appropriately replace Yasir Shah, with Sajid Khan and Nauman Ali – the two they turned to most frequently – struggling to have a similar impact. This series will see Abrar Ahmed get another run after impressing against England, but Mohammad Nawaz and Salman Ali Agha are expected to have significant bowling duties should Galle’s surfaces live up to their gripping reputation.But Pakistan’s underdog status comes just as much from their own track record as anything Sri Lanka can throw at them. They haven’t won a single Test in the year since their win at Galle in the corresponding fixture 12 months ago, and that was their only win of 2022. Since the start of last year, Babar Azam’s side have triumphed just once in ten matches, losing five of the other nine. A shaky top order will be put to the test once more in Sri Lanka, and Sarfaraz Ahmed, who retains his place as wicketkeeper, will need to back up excellent recent batting performances with ability with the gloves on testing surfaces.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan DDLLLShaheen Shah Afridi is set to play his first Test since the first game in Galle last year•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Prabath Jayasuriya and Shaheen Afridi

In five Test matches in Galle, Prabath Jayasuriya has taken 46 wickets, registering six five-fors and two match ten-wicket hauls. That included 17 wickets in two Test matches against Pakistan last year, famously skittling Pakistan out post-lunch on the final day of the series to level it up 1-1. Another world-class spinner of the Sri Lankan production line, the slow left armer was named the Player of the Series, and will be one of the key antagonists for the visitors this time around, too. Whether they’ve learned to cope with him any better might go a long way in determining the destination of the series trophy.You needn’t look past Shaheen Afridi for Pakistan, given all the baggage Galle at this time of year carries for him. Playing his first Test since a nasty injury in the corresponding Test last year, all eyes will be on his pace, rhythm and ability to withstand five days of a format he has had an extended break from. The surface is more likely to suit spin, and whether Afridi retains his bowling speed – something he has expressed recent scepticism about – could be a bellwether for his red-ball future. With Pakistan likely fielding just two fast bowlers, Babar’s workload management of Shaheen will also be under scrutiny, with in-game management an area the Pakistan captain has struggled with in the past.

Team news

If Karunaratne is available, he will lead the side as captain and opener, with Nishan Madushka likely to pip Pathum Nissanka to be his opening partner. Left-arm fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka is in line for a Test debut, while Sri Lanka are spoiled for spin choices.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Nishan Madhushka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), 8 Ramesh Mendis, 9 Prabath Jayasuriya, 10 Dilshan Madushanka, 11 Vishwa Fernando/Praveen JayawickramaPakistan are likely to go with the extra spin allrounder and sacrifice a seamer in the process, which brings Nawaz into the frame.Pakistan (probable): 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Shan Masood, 4 Babar Azam (capt), 5 Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), 6 Saud Shakeel, 7 Agha Salman, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Abrar Ahmed, 11 Shaheen Shah Afridi

Pitch and conditions

There are showers forecast for every day of the Test, though persistent wet weather is unlikely, and Sri Lanka’s world-beating groundstaff should ensure delays are kept to a minimum. The wickets are likely to be slow and conducive to spin.

Stats and trivia

• Shaheen Afridi is one wicket away from becoming the 19th Pakistan bowler to 100 Test wickets, and the first since Mohammad Amir in 2018.
• In the last five years, Dimuth Karunaratne has scored more runs as opener than anyone else in Test cricket. His 3256 runs have come at 50.87, with Tom Latham (2711) a distant second.

Quotes

“Injuries are part of an athlete’s life, but it is good to be back. I enjoy red-ball cricket a lot, and I am one wicket away from a century of Test wickets, which would be a big achievement for me ” Shaheen Afridi is raring to be back after a year out of red-ball cricket

The opener got there in 215 balls and put on a double-century stand with Rohit Sharma

Karthik Krishnaswamy13-Jul-2023Yashasvi Jaiswal has become the 17th India batter to score a century on Test debut, and the first to do so outside Asia in more than 21 years. The 21-year-old reached the milestone on the second afternoon of the Dominica Test, bringing it up with a standing sweep for a single off the part-time bowling of fellow debutant Alick Athanaze.Jaiswal opened the batting alongside captain Rohit Sharma, with Shubman Gill moving down to the No. 3 spot vacated by Cheteshwar Pujara’s axing. When he reached his hundred, off 215 balls, India were 205 for no loss after they had bowled West Indies out for 150 on day one.”It was an emotional moment for me,” Jaiswal said after the day’s play. “I enjoyed it quite a bit. I am still batting so I will try to play for as long as possible. This is just the start of my career, so now it will be about how focused and disciplined I can be going forward.”My effort [on the third day] will just be on how I can give a good start to the team. I will just focus on my process and trust on what I have practiced. I just have to go and keep playing.”Jaiswal has shown a remarkable appetite for runs in every format he has played. When he was called up for this West Indies tour as part of an India side picked with an eye on the future, he had scored 1845 first-class runs at an average of 80.21, with nine hundreds in just 26 innings. His List A career of 32 games already includes a double-hundred. And he was the fifth highest run-getter in IPL 2023, with his 625 runs coming at a strike rate of 163.61. Jaiswal has now brought that appetite to Test cricket.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“I thinks it’s about how I prepare mentally,” Jaiswal said when asked about his preparations. “Of course, fitness is very important. I try to follow my diet and discipline and try to stay in good shape. And I practice the way I need to prepare. I keep trying to bat according to possible scenarios and how I can do well on the team. The effort is to just try and play match-winning knocks.”I spoke to Rohit quite a bit while batting. He kept telling me how we can play on this wicket and where the runs can come from. And even before the game, the way he told me ‘you have to do it, you are the only person’, I kept thinking about that and how I can get my runs.”West Indies tested both openers even as they struggled to separate them, on a slow pitch that offered the spinners both turn and bounce. Right through his innings, Jaiswal was happy to show the patience he required to earn his run-scoring opportunities. He took 16 balls to get off the mark on the first evening, and began the second morning by shouldering arms five times in a row to Jason Holder. By the time he reached his hundred, he had left or defended 56 of the 104 balls he faced from West Indies’ fast bowlers.At the same time, he was also prepared to exploit gaps in the field with unorthodox shots. He got off the mark in Test cricket with an uppercut for four, and he reverse-swept Jomel Warrican against the turn for a boundary in the last over of day one.When required to, Jaiswal was able to shift a gear down and see out difficult periods. Having hit seven fours while scoring his first 51 runs off 104 balls, he hit no boundaries and scored just 19 runs off his next 80 balls, a period during which spinners Rahkeem Cornwall and Jomel Warrican beat both openers multiple times with sharp turn.Having got through that testing spell, though, and with Cornwall off the field with a chest infection, Jaiswal opened up after lunch: he rushed from 70 to 100 in just 31 balls, hitting four fours in that period including a dancing, inside-out drive off Warrican.Of the 16 previous India batters to score centuries on Test debut, only two – Shikhar Dhawan in 2013 and Prithvi Shaw in 2018 – opened the batting. And only five scored their debut hundreds outside Asia, with Virender Sehwag the last to do so, in Bloemfontein back in November 2001.Jaiswal’s innings also extended a proud run for players representing his Ranji Trophy team: the last four Test-debut centurions for India have all been Mumbai batters, with Rohit, Shaw and Shreyas Iyer the three before Jaiswal.

Australian finishes unbeaten on 54 against former club Middlesex in rain-affected run chase

ECB Reporters Network18-Aug-2023Leicestershire Foxes clinched their place in the knock-out stages of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup with a 23-run victory over Middlesex in a rain-affected contest at the Uptonsteel County Ground.In a day-night match reduced to 47 overs per side after the start was delayed, further rain caused the contest to be abandoned after 40 overs of Leicestershire’s innings, at which point the Foxes were 173 for 5 chasing 192 for victory, 23 runs ahead of the Duckworth Lewis Stern calculation for where they needed to be at that point.Australian international Peter Handscomb led them home with an unbeaten 54 after opener Rishi Patel’s 44, sharing an unbroken 51-run partnership with Sam Evans to secure a sixth victory from seven in the competition.The result guarantees Leicestershire can finish no lower than second in Group A, which would bring a home quarter-final. Only Hampshire, who have two matches left to the Foxes’ one, can deny them top spot, which would take them straight into a home semi-final.Middlesex, put in by Leicestershire, were bowled out for 191 in 40.1 overs. Sam Robson made 58 and John Simpson 33 but no other batter topped 21 for Middlesex, who lost their last six wickets for 55 with Tom Scriven taking 3 for 33 and Matt Salisbury, on his List A debut for Leicestershire, 3 for 41.Ethan Bamber was outstanding with the ball for Middlesex, bowling his full 10 overs in one spell at the start of Leicestershire’s innings for figures of 3 for 27, but even without Colin Ackermann, recruited by Southern Brave for the remainder of The Hundred, Leicestershire have a deep batting line-up that always made them favourites.The Middlesex innings had started promisingly. After a sublimely-timed chip over the leg side had brought Mark Stoneman a six off the first ball of the match, four boundaries by Joe Cracknell, all attractively executed bar a streaky inside edge, saw them set off at six an over but Leicestershire responded well.Wiaan Mulder straightened one enough to beat Cracknell’s defence before Salisbury struck in each of his first two overs, uprooting Stonemen’s middle stump before Jack Davies, driving, nicked behind. Middlesex, just out of powerplay one, were 53 for 3.They lost a fourth wicket when Ryan Higgins, driving loosely at a widish ball from Josh Hull, was caught at cover and from 70 for 4, it was vital that Robson and Simpson brought their experience to bear if Middlesex were to give their bowlers a defendable total.Yet after advancing the total to 136 without further loss, Robson anchoring reliably, Simpson putting away some lovely straight drives, the latter looked to be trapped in a moment of indecision as he was bowled by Scriven and a collapse followed,Scriven had Martin Andersson caught behind off a somewhat airy drive, Robson followed a ball angled across him by the returning Hull that found a faint edge before Salisbury, also starting a new spell, bowled Josh De Caires with a beauty. Luke Hollman, forced to play at one that came back, gave Handscomb a fourth catch against the team he used to captain and Mulder a second wicket, before Scriven ended Ethan Bamber’s late cameo with his third.The Foxes raced to 68 for 1 in powerplay one, 39 of them to Patel, who looked in fine touch from the outset, exposing the inexperience of 21-year-old Ishaan Kaushal with three fours in the youngster’s opening over, which also yielded five wides, before handing some early punishment to Ryan Higgins with a pick-up for six and a cover driven four.The only casualty was Sol Budinger, fresh from his maiden century earlier in the week, who lofted one soaring six off Higgins but was beaten and trapped in front by Bamber, whose five powerplay overs cost only 15 runs.Despite losing skipper Lewis Hill cheaply, bowled by one that cut back from Bamber, a couple of early boundaries for Handscomb kept Leicestershire ahead of the game but their progress was checked with two wickets in the space of 19 balls.Andersson replaced Higgins and promptly removed Patel, disappointingly out to a somewhat tame return catch. Bamber continued and added a third wicket to a superb spell with the dismissal of Mulder for three thanks to a brilliant one-handed catch by Robson at slip.With 99 needed from 30 overs and four of their top five gone, Leicestershire were under pressure for the first time in the match. Louis Kimber’s 22 off 21 balls brought the target down to 70 off 142 balls before he fell caught and bowled by leg-spinner Luke Hollman off a leading edge.It left Handscomb carrying a weight of responsibility, alongside a new partner in Sam Evans making his first competitive appearance of the season at first-team level in place of Ackermann.Yet with only three runs per over required, the Australian knew the sixth-wicket pair could be risk-averse and still finish the job.A shower sent the players off the field with 36 needed off 11.1 overs but the stoppage was brief enough for no more overs to be lost and Handscomb soon completed a 69-ball half-century with a nicely-timed cut for four off Andersson before the rain returned with seven overs still to go.

The England batter had been taken at gold in the draft earlier this month

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2023England batter Danni Wyatt has withdrawn from the WBBL, where she was set to play for Perth Scorchers, due to fatigue.Wyatt was a gold pick by Scorchers in the draft earlier this month after they had retained Sophie Devine at platinum. She was recently rested from England’s ODI series against Sri Lanka.Scorchers then signed Amy Jones via the direct nomination route to complete their trio of overseas but will now have to find a replacement for Wyatt.Related

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“We’re rapt to be able to have someone of Danni’s quality in orange,” Scorchers head coach Becky Grundy had said after the draft. “She’s shown in international cricket her ability to float up and down the order so there’s flexibility there.”Scorchers had set out with the aim to stock their top order during the draft with a belief their local players, alongside Devine, could carrying the bowling.The schedule in the women’s game continues to be increasingly busy with recent examples of players starting to pick and choose their tournaments. Smriti Mandhana and Nat Sciver-Brunt did not put their names into the WBBL draft.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo recently, Australia pace bowler Megan Schutt said more players were starting to have conversations about how much cricket they play.”Our schedule as a whole is pretty intimidating to be honest,” Schutt said. “But just having the choice is probably the ultimate opportunity in itself. There’s so many leagues now that if someone does want to do the T20 circuit, that’s bloody awesome.”If they have the body and desire to keep doing that then that’s cool. But it’s definitely daunting and something we’ve discussed with our coaches about how we are going to manage ourselves.”Meanwhile, Brisbane Heat have signed England legspinner Sarah Glenn as cover for New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr who will miss the start of the WBBL. Heat knew that Kerr would be unavailable early in the tournament but were always going to take her as their platinum pick.

Australia looks set to welcome back Travis Head from injury while the Netherlands need some runs from their top-order

Alex Malcolm24-Oct-20232:12

Would Netherlands rather beat India or Australia at the World Cup? We asked Scott Edwards

Big picture: The shared history of Australia and Netherlands

There has long been a connection between Netherlands and Australian cricket. It is perhaps not quite as strong as South Africa’s connection to the current Dutch team. But their captain Scott Edwards is an Australian citizen, having grown up in Melbourne and played second XI cricket for Victoria. He has introduced a Netherlands team song that is a shameless rebrand of the song of his favourite Australian Football League club Richmond. From Edwards to former Dutch coach Ryan Campbell, to Tom Cooper, Timm van der Gugten, Michael Swart and Dirk Nannes, among others, plenty of Australian domestic players have had an impact on Netherlands cricket.But there will be no love lost in Delhi on Wednesday. Netherlands are gunning for another big scalp, having already taken down South Africa and potentially missed an opportunity against Sri Lanka. Australia are looking to continue their momentum. They will not be taking the Netherlands lightly, but they would love a statement win having been tested at times against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.For all the links between to the two nations as far as players and coaches are concerned, Australia and Netherlands have only met twice in ODI cricket. Both matches were at World Cups, in 2003 and 2007, and Australia were ruthless, claiming big wins while tinkering with their line-up. In fact, nobody could beat them in either of those tournaments.These two sides did meet in a rain-affected warm-up game in Thiruvananthapuram prior to this World Cup. Mitchell Starc claimed a hat-trick in a game Australia did not take seriously at all. Steven Smith and Josh Inglis opened the batting with Alex Carey at three and Mitchell Marsh did not bat but instead opened the bowling while Marnus Labuschagne also bowled four overs and picked up the wicket of Edwards.Australia won’t take this game as lightly with coach Andrew McDonald confirming on Monday that they would not be resting any of their players. They know the Dutch will be well planned and the dual spin threat of Aryan Dutt in the powerplay against possibly two left-handed openers in David Warner and Travis Head if he is passed fit, plus Roelof van der Merwe against Australia’s vulnerable middle-order could certainly cause problems. Netherlands’ biggest challenge will be getting top-order runs. But Australia’s new-ball bowlers have not taken a powerplay wicket in the last three games, and Delhi has been an excellent batting strip.

Form guide

Australia WWLLW (last five ODIs, most recent first)Netherlands LWLLL1:48

Does Smith have a weakness against the ball coming in?

In the spotlight: Smith and O’Dowd

Steven Smith was considered vital to Australia’s chances in this World Cup given his experience in India and his prowess against spin. But Australia’s long-time No. 3, who is set to play his 150th ODI against Netherlands, is battling for form in ODI cricket this year and now may well find himself pushed to No.4 with the return of Head. Smith is averaging just 23.22 in ODIs this year from nine innings, including three ducks, and striking at just 81.64. His move to No. 4 may not help his search to find some form. He has only batted there once since the 2019 World Cup and that was against Pakistan in the last match, having slid one spot due to the promotion of Glenn Maxwell because of the game situation. He has batted No. 3 in his previous 29 ODI innings. He averages just 34.31 across 24 career innings at No. 4 compared to 52.60 at No. 3. His strike-rate is slightly higher at No. 4, but nonetheless, it is not his favoured spot.In a World Cup where the openers have dominated across the board to this point, Netherlands’ top two have simply not got going. Max O’Dowd has really struggled, making just 55 runs in four innings at a strike-rate of just 57.89. He has battled to get off strike facing 72 dot balls out of 95 in total, with 38 of his 55 runs coming in boundaries and just 11 singles. He did not play any List A cricket between the World Cup qualifiers in July and the World Cup itself, with his only match practice coming in Netherlands club cricket, some of which was played on artificial pitches. It is a huge ask to jump from that to facing some of the incredible new ball pairings he has so far this tournament and the task only gets tougher against Starc and Josh Hazlewood on Wednesday. But the Netherlands need some runs from their openers if they are to put pressure on Australia.

Team news: Will Head play?

Head arrived in Delhi on Saturday having been at home in Adelaide for Australia’s first four matches of the tournament, nursing his broken hand. He was optimistic he could play on Wednesday after a net session on Saturday. He faced bowlers for the first time on Monday and got through the session. If he plays he is set to open alongside Warner which will break up the in-form Warner-Marsh pairing. Labuschagne would be the likely batter to make way.Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Adam ZampaTravis Head is back with the Australia squad•Getty Images

The Netherlands look set to stick with the same combination that beat South Africa and tested Sri Lanka.Netherlands (probable): 1 Vikramjit Singh, 2 Max O’Dowd, 3 Colin Ackermann, 4 Bas de Leede, 5 Teja Nidamanuru, 6 Scott Edwards (capt & wk), 7 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 8 Roelof van der Merwe, 9 Logan van Beek, 10 Aryan Dutt, 11 Paul van Meekeren

Pitch and conditions: Another sweltering day

The three games in Delhi thus far in this World Cup have produced two very different results, although the common thread is that the side batting first has won easily. South Africa piled up 428 against Sri Lanka and won although Sri Lanka made 326 in reply. India galloped to their 273-run against Afghanistan, who then defended 286 easily against England on the back of a masterful bowling performance by their spinners. It will be warm in Delhi and the air quality will be poor.

Stats and trivia: Starc on the prowl

• Starc (55) needs two wickets to go past Lasith Malinga (56) to third all-time on the ODI World Cup wicket-takers list. Glenn McGrath leads with 71 and Muttiah Muralidaran is second with 68.
• Australia are the only team to have gone wicketless three times in the first powerplay in this World Cup.
• Only Bangladesh (38.90%) have had a higher percentage of runs scored by Nos. 5,6 and 7 in this World Cup than the Netherlands (35.82%)

Sandy Dharamsala outfield rated “average” for four out of five World Cup games

Shashank Kishore08-Dec-2023The ICC has given the Ahmedabad pitch used for the 2023 World Cup final between India and Australia an “average” rating. The ICC updated its list of pitch and outfield ratings this week, and surfaces for as many as eight World Cup matches across five Indian venues were rated average overall. This included five games involving hosts India.The World Cup final on November 19 was played on the same pitch that hosted the India-Pakistan fixture five weeks earlier, on the recommendation of the ICC’s pitch consultant Andy Atkinson, and the track received an average rating for both games. The surface at Eden Gardens used for the second semi-final between Australia and South Africa was also rated average. Eden Gardens received the most average ratings – five in all.The surface for the first semi-final, between India and New Zealand at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, was rated “good”. The track was in focus after the pitch was changed in the lead-up to the match from a fresh surface to a used track, but fears that it would be slow did not play out with the teams aggregating 724 runs, three centuries across both innings included, with just the lone wicket falling to spin.The ICC rates pitches, and separately outfields, for all international games as one of six ratings: very good, good, average, below average, poor, unfit.During the tournament, India head coach Rahul Dravid had expressed his disagreement with two “average” pitch ratings handed out for India’s league matches in Chennai (vs Australia) and Ahmedabad (vs Pakistan). At the time, he called for greater diversity in the kinds of surfaces that are considered “good” or “very good”.

Games for which the pitch was rated “average”

• India v Australia, Chennai, Oct 8

• India v Pakistan, Ahmedabad, Oct 14

• India v England, Lucknow, Oct 29

• Pakistan v Bangladesh, Kolkata, Oct 31

• India v South Africa, Kolkata, Nov 5

• Australia v Bangladesh, Pune, Nov 11

• Australia v South Africa, Kolkata, 2nd semi-final, Nov 15

• India v Australia, Ahmedabad, final, Nov 19

“If you want to only see 350-run matches and rate only those pitches as good, then I disagree with that,” Dravid had said before India’s game against New Zealand in Dharamsala on October 22. “You have to see different skills on display as well. If you wanted to only see fours and sixes being hit, then we have T20 for that. Why do we need anything else?”There are skills on display on 350 wickets also. That’s fine on that particular day. But in the first few games when it spins a little bit or something happens that brings the bowlers into the game, and you start rating pitches as average, where does it leave the bowlers? Why are they coming then? Play two T20 matches then. We need to have a better way of deciding what is good or average.”

Dharamsala outfield rated “average”

The ICC was largely satisfied with the nature of outfields, except the one in Dharamsala which was rated “average” for four out of the five games it hosted. During the tournament, a number of players had criticised the outfield. The main issue centred around the venue’s patchy grass and sandy base, which prevented players from diving freely, posing an injury threat if they did attempt it.Earlier in the year, an India vs Australia Test match was moved out of Dharamsala at short notice owing to the outfield’s condition.The outfield for the last of Dharamsala’s five World Cup games, between Australia and New Zealand on October 28, received a “very good” rating.The only other venue to receive an “average” outfield rating was the MCA Stadium in Pune, for the India vs Bangladesh fixture on October 19.

Butt’s appointment, his first position at the PCB since being banned for spot-fixing, came in for heavy criticism

Danyal Rasool02-Dec-2023Salman Butt has withdrawn as the consultant to chief selector Wahab Riaz a day after he was appointed to the position. Pakistan chief selector Wahab called a press conference to say Butt’s name was being withdrawn from the consultancy panel with immediate effect.Wahab accused the media of looking to besmirch the PCB’s name following Butt’s nomination to the advisory panel. He said he had been accused of giving Butt, known to be a close friend of Wahab, preferential treatment, and that he wanted to shield himself against those allegations. Saying his top priority was maintaining the reputation of the PCB and his own integrity, he confirmed Butt would now not be involved with team selection “in any capacity”.On Friday, Butt was appointed as a consultant member alongside Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar Anjum “with immediate effect”, and they would be advising Wahab in selecting Pakistan’s team for the five-match series against New Zealand. The selection came in for heavy criticism for a number of reasons, including the provincial composition of the panel. All three members are from Punjab, historically the most influential and dominant region in Pakistan cricket. With Wahab also currently holding a government ministry in the Punjab government, the board instantly came in for allegations of favouritism.But it was Butt’s appointment that caused the greatest uproar. It was the first time Butt was handed a position at the PCB in any capacity since being banned for spot-fixing in 2010. He played domestic cricket and the PSL after returning from his ban, and has taken up a role as an analyst for various media outlets.Related

• Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar to assist chief selector Wahab Riaz

But ESPNcricinfo understands Butt’s appointment was met with fierce internal resistance within the PCB too, with at least one employee said to be uncomfortable with it to the extent they threatened to resign. With criticism mounting across the board, Wahab convened a hastily arranged press conference on Saturday evening, withdrawing Butt’s name from the panel.Wahab said a replacement would be announced shortly, pointedly saying he would be from Karachi. Wahab also said Asad Shafiq is likely to be appointed to that position in due course.While Butt was the most high-profile appointment, he was not the only member of that panel to be wholly free from controversy. While Butt was banned and has served time for his role in the 2010 scandal, both Wahab and Akmal were questioned in and around that same episode. Akmal was sent a notice by the ICC after the T20 World Cup in 2010 – much before the spot-fixing incident broke out that year – though he was later cleared to be selected by Pakistan. Akmal did not play another Test after the episode at Lord’s, though he did feature in Pakistan’s white-ball sides.Wahab was also questioned by Scotland Yard in the immediate aftermath of the Lord’s Test that year, but was never charged with any offence. He was appointed the new chief selector of the senior men’s team two weeks back after Inzamam-ul-Haq had stepped down from his position in the wake of conflict-of-interest allegations.

The BCCI has tentatively pencilled in a window between February 22 and March 17

Shashank Kishore and Nagraj Gollapudi12-Jan-2024The BCCI has shortlisted Bengaluru and Delhi as venues to host the 2024 Women’s Premier League (WPL). The BCCI has also tentatively pencilled in a window between February 22 and March 17 for the second season of the tournament.ESPNcricinfo has learned the first part of WPL 2024 will be played in Bengaluru while Delhi will host the second leg, including the knockouts. Splitting the five-team tournament, comprising 22 matches, across two venues will allow pitches at both venues to stay fresh for the 2024 IPL which is set to begin from March 22.The inaugural WPL was launched in 2023 and was played only in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. BCCI secretary Jay Shah had recently said the BCCI would want to host the second season of the WPL also in one state to offset the logistical challenges of conducting the tournament across venues within a small window.However, the BCCI decided that two venues was the better option. But with just one big venue in Bengaluru (M Chinnaswamy Stadium) and Delhi (Arun Jaitley Stadium), there will be matches over 10 consecutive days at each ground. So far neither the IPL nor the WPL has had consecutive matches at the same venue for more than two days.Mumbai Indians are the defending champions, having beaten Delhi Capitals in the final of the inaugural season last year.

Madhya Pradesh lost their remaining four wickets in 11.3 overs on day five

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2024Vidarhba’s bowlers made short work of Madhya Pradesh’s tail to confirm their spot in the final of the Ranji Trophy. Aditya Thakare and Yash Thakur started with a bang as Vidarbha took the four remaining wickets in 11.3 overs on the fifth morning in Nagpur to complete a 62-run win and join Mumbai as the finalists.MP started the day in strife, having already lost Yash Dubey, who top-scored with 94, before stumps last evening. They needed another 94 runs when Dubey departed, with Saransh Jain the last recognised batter.But Thakare’s double-strike dented MP’s hopes. He knocked over Kumar Kartikeya and Anubhav Agarwal in his first two overs of the day. Yash Thakur then landed the decisive blow by castling Jain.Avesh Khan and Kulwant Khejroliya, MP’s Nos. 10 and 11, showed some resistance with an 18-run stand, but Thakur completed the game by uprooting Khejroliya’s stumps.While Thakare helped take out the tail, Aditya Sarwate had dismissed both openers on the fourth day, and Akshay Wakhare ran through the middle order in the final innings to set up the victory.This will be Vidarbha’s third appearance in the Ranji final. They had reached their first final in the 2017-18 edition, which they went on to win, before also successfully defending their title in 2018-19.In this season’s final, Vidarbha will take on Mumbai, who trounced Tamil Nadu in a home semi-final in under three days. The match begins on March 10, and will be hosted by Mumbai.