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Lions management stressed that Jack Leach was left out to allow him more time to prove his remodelled action in the nets before testing it in a match situation

George Dobell17-Feb-2017Jack Leach, the Somerset left-arm spinner, has been left out of the England Lions team for the first unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A in Pallekele after struggling with his new bowling action.Leach, the second-highest wicket-taker in Division One of the County Championship in 2016 with 65 at 21.88, was thought by some to be unfortunate not to win selection in the England Test squad that toured Bangladesh and India. But his action was found to be illegal during routine tests at the national performance centre in Loughborough after the season and he was obliged to remodel it before departing on tour.While Leach initially thought the remedial work had gone well, the pressure of playing in a match situation and for a national side appears to have exposed some unfamiliarity with the new action. He conceded 68 in 14 wicketless overs in the second-innings of the warm-up match against the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI – the other specialist spinner, Ollie Rayner, took 3 for 55 from 22 overs by comparison – which led to the tour management going into the unofficial Test with Rayner as the only specialist spinner. Tom Westley and Liam Livingstone will provide spin back-up as required.The Lions management have stressed that there is no suggestion Leach has been left out due to any fears of illegality with his new action. It is, they say, to provide him more time to groove it in the nets before testing it under the pressure of a match situation. He has not been ruled out of the second match in Dambulla.While a period of readjustment was probably inevitable for Leach, it may be worth noting his county captain’s views towards the end of the season. Chris Rogers suggested Leach “emotionally… still has a bit of a way to go”, and suggested he may not quite be ready for international cricket where “the challenges… are a lot more difficult.”The ECB is also painfully aware of the case of another left-arm spinner, Simon Kerrigan, who endured a chastening Test debut at The Oval in 2013 and has never fully recovered. England are keen to ensure Leach has a more robust action and, as a consequence, a more robust sense of confidence, before he is thrust into relatively high-pressure situations.

Uncapped legspinner Mitchell Swepson has some experience of playing in the subcontinent and against Indian batsmen, and he hopes that will help him settle on the tour of India

Daniel Brettig15-Jan-2017Mitchell Swepson’s media minders avoided the temptation to have him pose for the cameras in front of the Shane Warne statue outside the MCG on Sunday. When the 23-year-old spoke of his inclusion in Australia’s squad to tour India next month this proved to be a wise move, for there is more to Swepson’s story than Warne’s giant shadow.While grateful for Warne’s advocacy over the past few weeks leading up to the selection panel’s decision to send him with Steven Smith’s team, Swepson is neither a pupil of Australia’s most prolific wicket-taker nor a clone of his bowling method. Instead Swepson has built and trusted his own technique through a brief career that has already taken him a long way in a shorter space of time than he expected.”I never really modelled my bowling on anyone,” Swepson said. “I have looked at footage from Shane Warne bowling but more as a fan. I love watching that sort of thing, I love watching videos of Brett Lee bowling 160kph”I see myself as a standard leggie who likes to rip the ball. I’ve always been taught since I was a youngster bowling legspin to give the ball a good rip. You’ll go for a few runs, you’ll bowl some pump, but if you give yourself a chance to spin the ball hard and get the ball to talk through the air that’s how you’ll get your wickets. That’s how I go about it. I know I’ll go for runs and bowl some poor balls, but if I get the wickets that’s what I’m looking for.”Other influential figures in Australian cricket have been watching Swepson closely for some time, helping accelerate his progression through the ranks in a manner reminiscent of the young Warne or, more recently, Nathan Lyon. The selection chairman and former legspinner Trevor Hohns hails from the same Brisbane grade club, doubtless helping to forge a familiarity that contributed to Swepson’s starts for Queensland, Brisbane Heat and last year Australia A.”When I first got picked for the Shield team I didn’t think I was ready, sort of got thrown in the deep end there,” Swepson said. “Same thing when I made my BBL debut I didn’t think I was ready.”But it’s part of the game, if you get the opportunity it’s about taking it. I wasn’t expecting to be in a Test squad touring India, but it’s gone well for me being thrown in the deep end so far in my short career, so I’m really looking forward to any opportunity I can get over there and hopefully grab it with two hands.”Time in India and Sri Lanka last year with the national performance squad has allowed Swepson to gain some appreciation for what to expect, and also earn the respect of the national captain Smith, among others. Strong displays at home against India A in the spring also offered him some insights into the ways of Indian batsmen. He is aware that the Australian way must be significantly reshaped in the subcontinent, and also that any spin bowler’s resilience will be sorely tested by players raised against the turning ball.”There’s a lot to the way you have to go about your bowling over there,” he said. “It’s a lot different to bowling here in Australia, you’ve got to have your wits about you, got to have variation, change of pace, you’ve got to do a lot of things differently. I feel like the fact I’ve been over there and tested the waters a bit will help me to hit the ground running.”I take it as a challenge as a legspinner. Any cricketer should want to challenge themselves against the best; looking ahead to India in India against players like Virat Kohli, the best players of spin in the world, what better challenge could you want? It’ll be awesome to go over there and test yourself against the toughest opponents.”That kind of attitude has been fostered by another man influential on Swepson’s young career: Brisbane Heat captain Brendon McCullum. “As a captain on the field he’s such a calming influence,” Swepson said. “It’s pretty easy to get soaked up in the BBL, the crowds and the pressure and all that, but to have someone like that standing at short cover next to you when you’re bowling is pretty cool.”He loves a joke, loves a laugh loves a punt, brings in the field when maybe you shouldn’t. He finds a way to make you relax as a bowler and that’s what he’s helped me with.”So as much as Warne’s voice has been loud in support, there have been plenty of others in Swepson’s corner. Should he prove a success, all will be due credit for helping him along the way.

Having opened in the first three matches against India, he was dropped for the final two games in favour of Sam Konstas

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2024Nathan McSweeney has spoken of his heartbreak at being dropped from the Australia Test squad after three matches against India, and revealed trying to counter Jasprit Bumrah was a key to the selectors’ decision, but is determined to turn his mind towards pushing for a recall.McSweeney, who had never opened before playing for Australia A against India A in the game before the squad was selected for the first Test, was axed on Friday in favour of 19-year-old Sam Konstas who is now the favourite to open on Boxing day at the MCG.Related

• Konstas' MCG debut confirmed, Head faces a fitness test

• McSweeney seals thriller for Heat days after Test omission

• Konstas handed Boxing Day Test call-up as changes loom for Australia

• Will Konstas put an end to Australia's musical chairs at the top?

McSweeney made 72 runs in six innings in the face of challenging batting conditions but appears to have paid the price for the selectors wanting more impetus from the top order.”Yeah, I mean devastated, I get the dream come true and then didn’t quite work the way I wanted,” McSweeney told as he flew back to Brisbane from Adelaide. “But it’s all part of it and I’ll get my head down and get back in the nets and work really hard and hopefully be ready to go for the next opportunity.”While low on runs, McSweeney had been praised for his role in soaking up overs, especially the first innings under lights in Adelaide where he and Marnus Labuschagne made it through a crucial session on the first day, but his other five dismissals were between 0 and 10.”It’s the game we’re in,” he said. “If you don’t take an opportunity and you’re not performing as well as you want to, your position’s never safe. So I missed out a few times with the bat and unfortunately wasn’t able to take my opportunity but as I said I’ll work really to make sure that if the opportunity comes round again I’m definitely ready.”Speaking subsequently to on arrival in Brisbane, McSweeney detailed the challenges of Bumrah.”They had seen my results against Bumrah in the first three Tests and George said they wanted to try someone else who has a slightly different skill set and that suits the batting order,” he said. “I faced some balls and spent a bit of time out there so that helped my confidence but I did not get the scores that I wanted. As everyone was saying it probably does not get much harder.””But learning on the go is a different challenge. In Sheffield Shield cricket you face a good bowler and you might see him again after Christmas. It’s different and unique playing a five Test series and fronting up against him a week later so you are thinking on the run a lot.”McSweeney’s route back to Test cricket would now appear to be in the middle order although he will need to wait for a vacancy to open up. The return of Cameron Green from injury later in the year will create competition for those batting positions.Chair of selectors George Bailey admitted it had been a difficult message to relay to McSweeney.”[It was a] really hard decision for Nathan and one that we spent a lot of time deliberating over,” he said. “Particularly after a small sample size of three Tests… That’s never a great phone call, is it? Nathan was disappointed and really the message to him was much the same as at the start of the series, that we believe he has the ability and temperament to succeed at Test level.”Whether McSweeney is available for Brisbane Heat on Sunday, when they face Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba in the BBL, will be confirmed later on Saturday.

The 20-year old fast bowler was helped by previous experience of bowling in T20 finals, but he was amazed at how his home crowd kept chanting his name as he picked up two wickets in an over

Firdose Moonda21-Jan-20172:06

I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be – Ngidi

When Lungi Ngidi was 18 years old and in his first season as a professional cricketer, he was part of a Titans’ T20 team that played in the final of the franchise competition. He only bowled one over in the match but removed the opposition’s most high-profile batsman: Kevin Pietersen, who top-edged a pull.At 19, with a bit more experience under his belt, Ngidi was in the franchise final again. He was considered good enough to bowl a full complement of four overs and, conceding just 27 runs, he got rid of the two best batsmen from the opposition: Colin Ingram and Colin Ackermann.It was with these experiences that Ngidi, now 20, took the new ball for South Africa in Friday’s T20 against Sri Lanka. “I’ve played in a few finals so I have been under pressure quite a few times already and that’s one of the things that gave me an advantage,” he explained afterwards.”Having been under pressure situations before, I knew opening the bowling for your country is not really a joke. It’s quite a serious matter. I tried to focus on the methods that’s worked for me and that’s just to stay in the moment. There’s nothing you can really do other than deliver the balls one at a time and from there see what happens. The first over, I wanted to get my line and length right and I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would have been.” Still, his first over cost nine runs and was taken out of the attack.Sri Lanka needed 40 off 18 balls with seven wickets in hand in a 10-over shootout when Ngidi was brought back, and having seen his team-mates making crucial incisions, he wanted to step up too.”After the first over I saw that there was a bit of bounce and it was skidding through. I tried to beat the batsmen for pace,” Ngidi said. “Coming back in the eighth over, I knew if I hit the deck hard at back of a length, I could try and nick the batsman off or get him caught.”Lungi Ngidi took two wickets in four balls in his first match of international cricket•Associated Press

The plan worked perfectly. Seekkuge Prasanna swung at a back of a length ball, got a top edge that wicketkeeper Mangaliso Mosehle gobbled up and Kusal Mendis pulled a short one to deep square leg, where Heino Kuhn took the catch and then, wary of how close he was to the rope, popped the ball over to Imran Tahir.”I thought Heino had taken the catch and was going to do a victory lap but then I saw him punt the ball up so my heart jumped because I didn’t know which way it was going,” Ngidi said. “But I was very happy. The skill levels are up there.”Ngidi finished with figures of 2-0-12-2. He was the only South African bowler with an economy rate under 11, for which he earned the Man-of-the-Match award on his home ground and more fans than he has ever had before. “I have never heard people scream my name. It really was amazing for me. I have been working hard to get where I am and for the fans to acknowledge and support me like that, it was unreal for me.”I actually got a bit emotional so I just had to take a moment to myself there and focus on the game again. It’s a bit overwhelming because I have never had that many people ask for my autograph or to take pictures. Usually it’s the odd one or two but now there’s even more”Titans’ coach Mark Boucher has identified Ngidi as Kagiso Rabada-like because of his pace – around 140 kph – his clever use of the bouncer and his cool head. South Africa’s selectors seem to have the same idea and for Ngidi, the dream is coming true.

He will return to action after taking a six-week break to recuperate from his injuries

Mohammad Isam07-Jul-2023Tamim Iqbal has withdrawn his retirement a day after announcing it in emotional circumstances in Chattogram, following an intervention by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Their meeting took place on Friday afternoon at her residence in Dhaka. Tamim, accompanied by his wife, met Hasina alongside former captain Mashrafe Mortaza and BCB president Nazmul Hassan.The turnaround ultimately came on Friday afternoon but ESPNcricinfo learned of the meeting as early as Thursday evening. It is understood that Mashrafe, a member of parliament, started the process around that time when he spoke to the prime minister to possibly intervene in this situation. Tamim had, until then, refused to discuss his retirement with Hassan.

An eventful 78 hours

Tuesday, 12pm: In a pre-match press conference, Tamim says he’s not fully fit and wants to test his fitness by playing 1st ODI
Wednesday, 9am: publishes an interview of Nazmul Hassan, where he calls Tamim unprofessional for the statement on his fitness
Wednesday, 10.30pm: Bangladesh lose the first ODI against Afghanistan
Thursday, 1.30am: Tamim informs media he will address a press conference on Thursday afternoon.Thursday, 1.30pm: Tamim announces his retirement from international cricket
Thursday, 8pm: ESPNcricinfo learns a meeting between Tamim and Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is being arranged
Friday, 6pm: Tamim announces he has reversed his decision to retire following the PM’s intervention.

Tamim made the retirement announcement on Thursday afternoon. In a live TV broadcast, he broke down several times while delivering a 13-minute monologue about his decision. It captured the airwaves and social media for the rest of the day.A different Tamim spoke to the media on Friday evening outside the Prime Minister’s residence. He revealed that he had been given a break of six weeks to recuperate from his injuries.”The honourable Prime Minister invited me to her residence this afternoon,” Tamim said. “We had a long discussion after which she instructed me to return to cricket. I am withdrawing my retirement.Related

• Tamim Iqbal announces retirement from international cricket

• Shakib among contenders for Bangladesh's ODI captaincy

• Tamim to travel to Dubai and UK to get back injury checked

• Tamim Iqbal retires three months before World Cup

• Did Nazmul Hassan's comments precipitate Tamim Iqbal's retirement?

“I can say no to anyone but it is impossible to say no to the most important person in the country. Mashrafe called me while Papon [Hassan] was here. They were big factors [in the reversal]. The Prime Minister has also given me a break of a month and a half. I will complete my treatment and return to playing cricket.”BCB chief Hassan said he knew a solution was around the corner, and was relieved to have been able to sit with Tamim and convince him to reverse his decision. “Having seen his press conference [on Thursday], I knew that he was being emotional about his decision,” Hassan said. “I knew that if we could sit face-to-face, I could find a solution.”We sat with him through the Prime Minister, and he just told you that he is withdrawing the retirement letter. He is not retired. He has taken a break of six weeks when he will undergo rehab and get ready physically and mentally. He will return to cricket soon.”Asked if he is relieved, Hassan said: “Of course we are relieved. How can we play without our captain?”Tamim, who made his retirement announcement a day after leading Bangladesh in the first ODI against Afghanistan, will not feature in the rest of the series. Litton Das has been appointed captain for the remaining matches on July 8 and 11.

Eoin Morgan, England’s ODI captain, that the out-of-form Jason Roy will be backed to the hilt in the forthcoming Champions Trophy

Andrew Miller at The Oval31-May-2017Jonny Bairstow’s relentless pursuit of a Champions Trophy starting berth has fallen, officially, on deaf ears, after it was confirmed by Eoin Morgan, England’s ODI captain, that the out-of-form Jason Roy will be backed to the hilt in the forthcoming Champions Trophy – even if his barren run of form continues in Thursday’s tournament opener against Bangladesh at The Oval.Roy, whose career-best 162 against Sri Lanka came on his Surrey home ground in June 2016, has misplaced his mojo in recent months. He is in the midst of a run of four single-figure scores in his last five ODI innings, and has a top score of 44 in all competitions this season, including a short-lived stint with Gujarat Lions in the IPL.Bairstow, by contrast, has been in ragingly belligerent form for both Yorkshire and England, on the rare occasions he’s been able to muscle his way into the starting XI. He started his season with a career-best 174 against Durham in the Royal London Cup, and has made three fifties in his last four England innings, including a turbo-charged 72 from 44 balls against Ireland, and a pride-salvaging 51 against South Africa at Lord’s earlier this week after the top order had slumped to 20 for 6.Morgan, however, will not be swayed on the subject, arguing with some justification that England’s opening partnership of Roy and Alex Hales has been one of the central planks of their white-ball renaissance since the 2015 World Cup, and that to disrupt that now would send precisely the wrong message to an otherwise settled, confident and in-form unit.”The decision remains the same throughout the tournament,” Morgan told reporters at The Oval, on the eve of the tournament opener against Bangladesh. “Jason Roy is part of our strong opening partnership with Alex Hales. He’ll definitely play.”If we want our players to play cagily or without freedom, yes, we would change things and probably half of us wouldn’t be here. So backing it up with selection and the way that we want to play, you know, Jason really epitomises the way that we play; the aggression in which he plays, he always plays for the team, and he plays in a manner that is dictated by that. He’s a very important part of our side.”Jonny will miss out unfortunately. It’s been the case like that for the last couple of years. He’s been very good when he’s come in, but each and every one of us within the batting department has had ups and downs over the years. And one of the strongest parts of reinforcing the way that we play, and the freedom in which we play with, is backing that up with selection.”Off to a flyer: Jason Roy is charged with giving England a fast start with the bat•AFP

Bairstow’s mood was not improved during England’s morning training session, when he took a painful blow to the hand during a catching drill and was forced to leave the field for an ice pack. Thankfully there was no lasting damage, but even if there had been, it would have had insultingly little impact on England’s plans for the Bangladesh encounter, with Morgan also confirming that Ben Stokes is set to play as a batsman only if his dodgy left knee is unable to withstand the rigours of bowling.”Ben Stokes has had a little bowl today. We will see how he pulls up tomorrow to see how much he will bowl. But I certainly see him bowling,” Morgan said. “It’s a very strange injury in that it’s only in his delivery stride that he feels the pain. So if given he couldn’t bowl, I still think he’d make great contributions with the bat and in the field.”Morgan’s determination to show faith in his first-choice XI was arguably reinforced by the events in their most recent ODI performance – when a batting side that had been piling up 300-plus scores for fun was shredded by South Africa’s seamers on a lively but not unplayable Lord’s surface. After slumping to six down in the space of five overs, Morgan admitted that a pre-tournament reality check wasn’t necessarily a terrible thing.”If you’re looking for positives out of it, absolutely. It certainly was a wake-up call in the fact that you need to be able to adapt in different circumstances,” he said. “When you play against one of the better sides in the world, you can be susceptible to things like that happening in given conditions.”Thursday’s opponents are not used to being clumped among the “better sides” in the world. And yet, there is no danger of England being anything less than on their guard for the visit of a Bangladesh team who got the better of them at both the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, when their stunning victory at Adelaide delivered the coup de grace to the most miserable campaign yet in England’s sorry history of ICC failure.”Probably, since then, we’ve been on a huge upward curve,” said Morgan, “and we’ve been tremendously lucky in the fact that we’ve had a group of players that have bought into a way of playing and enjoyed it, and executed extremely well.”We need to bring our ‘A Game’ if we’re going to win this trophy. If at the end of it, we are holding the trophy, I think we’ll have played really well.”

Devine’s fifty, Tahuhu’s three-for in vain; New Zealand to compete with England for bronze

Valkerie Baynes06-Aug-2022Megan Schutt’s three wickets and another steadfast display from their batters saw Australia to victory against New Zealand in the second semi-final of the Commonwealth Games.New Zealand were left to rue several missed chances after taking the contest to the reigning T20I and ODI world champions. But, after Schutt made early inroads, Australia’s batting depth withstood the pressure through a fifty stand from Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath and a signature cool-headed knock from Ashleigh Gardner to win by five wickets.Australia will play India, who defeated England by four runs in Saturday’s earlier semi-final, for the gold and silver-medal places while New Zealand will play for bronze against the host nation.Schutt-ing star(t)Schutt made an immediate impact when she had Suzie Bates, second behind only India’s Smriti Mandhana on the tournament’s run-scoring list, out for a first-ball duck playing onto her stumps.Georgia Plimmer, 18 years of age and making her international debut, came in at No. 3 ahead of Amelia Kerr and managed to overturn an lbw decision off Schutt’s next ball, full and darting in from outside off to rap the front pad, when replays showed it was missing leg stump.Plimmer managed to add 17 runs before Schutt struck again with a brilliant legcutter which enticed her forward then clattered into off stump. At the end of the powerplay, New Zealand were 39 for 2 and, after 10 overs, they had stretched that to 63 for 2. Schutt later had Brooke Halliday caught at deep midwicket by Mooney – who also ran out Maddy Green with a blistering direct hit from mid-off on the last ball of the New Zealand innings – to end with 3 for 20 from her four overs.Simply DevineShortly after the halfway point, Sophie Devine survived an Australia review for lbw on umpire’s call on impact when McGrath beat her attempt to slog. Devine batted well for her 48-ball 53, passing a half-century with back-to-back pulls for four and a thunderous six. Devine’s business-like, brief raising of her bat in acknowledgement of the Edgbaston crowd’s applause suggested there was more work to do.It would have to be done by someone else though after she fell two balls later, attempting a similar shot but, without the same power behind it, Mooney swallowed the catch at deep backward square. Kerr reached 40 from 36 balls before she became the first of McGrath’s two wickets, skying a catch to Darcie Brown at backward point. McGrath also bowled Lea Tahuhu with an excellent yorker to help contain New Zealand to what looked like a below-par 144 for 7.Lea Tahuhu bowled with vigour, returning three wickets•Associated Press

Tahuhu good to leave outAustralia’s run-chase was off to a shaky start when Tahuhu had Alyssa Healy caught down the leg side by young wicketkeeper Isabella Gaze for just 14, continuing a lean run with the bat dating back to her ODI World Cup-winning knock in April. Tahuhu then bowled Meg Lanning with a full, slower ball that ricocheted off the front pad and onto the stumps in the perfect riposte to being clubbed over the deep midwicket rope, not to mention seeing Lanning dropped by Kerr at backward point off the first ball she faced.McGrath and Mooney – the latter dropped on 6 by Gaze off Tahuhu’s bowling – steadied Australia. The pair had lifted their side with an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 141 after a similarly precarious start in their final group game against Pakistan, and this time put on 56 together. McGrath received a second life on 14 when Hannah Rowe put down an easy catch at mid-off from the bowling of Kerr, and when she was run-out by an excellent throw from Kerr at backward point to Gaze, Australia needed 61 off 56 balls.When Mooney holed out to Rowe at deep cover, Tahuhu had her third wicket. Having been left off New Zealand’s central contracts list and only called up to the Commonwealth Games squad after Jess Kerr and Lauren Down pulled for injury and wellbeing reasons respectively, the 31-year-old Tahuhu showed she still has plenty to offer.Tried and trueAustralia’s considerable batting depth came to the fore once more to see them home. With five overs remaining, they needed 34 runs and when Devine had Rachael Haynes brilliantly caught by a diving Bates at long-on it went down to Gardner and Grace Harris to see them home.Gardner, whose only previous knock at the Games had been an unbeaten 52 against India, and Harris, who struck an impressive 37 off 20 from No. 7 in the same match, finished unbeaten on 19 and 8 respectively to reach the target with three balls to spare.

The tour includes games tacked on to compensate for New Zealand pulling out of their 2021 tour of Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Apr-2023Tom Latham will captain New Zealand’s ODI squad on their tour of Pakistan in April.The 15-member squad is significantly depleted from New Zealand’s full strength squad, with Tim Southee, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell and Lockie Ferguson all given clearance to participate in the ongoing IPL. Kane Williamson was also part of the IPL, but has been ruled out with a knee injury.”We’ve enjoyed a number of exciting matches against Pakistan across both white ball formats in the last season home and way,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. “They are a tough team no matter where you take them on.”The successful ODI Series earlier this year in Pakistan provided big learning opportunities for the players and having more ODI match experience is fantastic in a World Cup year.”New Zealand are likely to have intimate information about the current Pakistan team thanks to a recent addition to their coaching staff. Saqlain Mushtaq, who until February was head coach of the Pakistan national side, has joined New Zealand as assistant coach.”Having someone with Saqlain’s experience is a big boost for the group,” Stead said. “We are looking forward to the insights he can offer us to aid our preparations for local conditions, and in particular the assistance he can provide to our spin bowling group.”McConchie•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The squad is similar to the one that recently hosted Sri Lanka for a three-match ODI series, which New Zealand won 2-0. It includes Cole McConchie and Benjamin Lister, yet to make their ODI debuts, with McConchie the second highest scorer across formats in New Zealand’s domestic competitions this season.”Cole has been a leader for Canterbury and at New Zealand A level for a number of seasons but his contributions to winning games across formats really stood out this summer,” Stead said. “His skill set with bat and ball is a valuable one, especially in the conditions we are likely to face on this tour.”New Zealand arrive in Pakistan to play five T20Is, followed by five ODIs. The ODIs begin in Rawalpindi on April 26, with the remaining four in Karachi. The final game takes place on May 7.The tour includes extra games tacked on to the tour as compensation for New Zealand pulling out of their tour to Pakistan on the day of the first game of their tour in September 2021, citing security concerns. In May 2022, New Zealand paid Pakistan an undisclosed sum of money and agreed to play the extra games, which will be realised now.New Zealand ODI squad: Tom Latham (capt),Tom Blundell, Chad Bowes, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Cole McConchie, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Will Young.

‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle promises to put on a show as ODI career draws to a close

George Dobell17-Feb-20194:56

I will retire after the World Cup – Gayle

However Chris Gayle fares in the ODI series against England – and the World Cup that follows – it is unlikely to be a lack of confidence that holds him back.”You’re looking at a great man,” he said when asked whether he was satisfied with his career. “I’m the greatest player in the world. Of course I’m still the Universe Boss. That will never change. I’ll take that to the grave.”But it is a career that, at ODI level at least, is about to end. The next couple of weeks will see him play his final ODIs in the Caribbean, with retirement to come when West Indies’ World Cup campaign ends. Aged 39 and on the brink of becoming the 14th man – and second from the Caribbean – to score 10,000 ODI runs (he requires 273 more), he has decided to call it a day. It will, presuming he is selected, be his fifth World Cup.”Yes, I’m looking to draw the line after the World Cup,” he said. “Or should I say cut the string? Definitely, in 50-over cricket, the World Cup is the end for me. I’ll let the youngsters have some fun and I can sit back in the party stand and watch them have some fun.”Winning the World Cup would be a fairy-tale finish. The youngsters owe it to me to win. They have to do that for me and try and get me the
trophy. I’ll be looking to put my input in as well.”But Gayle hopes it is not the end of his career. Quite apart from his various T20 commitments in domestic leagues, he has not ruled out appearing in the World T20 in Australia in late 2020 – though he will be 41 by then – and hopes to appear in the ECB’s inaugural season of
The 100 ahead of it.”If I don’t start it, it won’t be a tournament,” he says. “I guess England should invite me over. Then I’ll explode the tournament and say ‘thank you guys; bring in a youngster now.’ I’ll set the trend like I did in all tournaments around the world.”I’m in good condition. The body is feeling good and I’m pleased with that. I’ve lost a bit of weight and I don’t want to get too big. I’m still working on my six pack. I’m trying to keep up with the youngsters in the field who are like cats the way they chase the ball. I still have it in me and I’m still enjoying it.”While Gayle may be remembered as one of the first players to embrace the world of T20 leagues, he is, he says, as enthusiastic about international cricket – and Test cricket, in particular – as ever. Watching West Indies defeat England in the recent Test series was, he
said, “one of the greatest things to happen in 10 years.””It was a great Test series,” he said. “It was fantastic to watch from the sidelines and I think it was one of the greatest things to happen in ten years.”I was the captain for the last home series win against England and to see Jason Holder lifting that trophy ten years later was fantastic, so hopefully as a unit we can get the better of England again in the ODI series.”Yes, I’m positive about the future of Test cricket. It’s always been the ultimate. I know the youngsters coming up are all looking at T20 cricket, but I would urge them to try to play Test cricket. It will give them a chance to challenge themselves. Definitely they should try.”Chris Gayle carts one through the off side•AFP

Even though he declared himself unavailable for West Indies’ tours of India and Bangladesh in recent months, he has now described representing West Indies as “the most important thing.” And, while he is excited by the pace in the West Indies attack, he does warn his own bowlers that he will “destroy them” if they take him on in the nets.”Being back in West Indies colours is the most important thing,” he said. “I’m actually looking to go forward with the Windies. I’ll be bringing some experience to play and sharing that with the youngsters and I hope to enjoy the next couple of months with the West Indies cricket team.”I’m always looking to put on a show. England fans love to see the universe boss exploding and entertaining you guys as much as possible here in the Caribbean and in the UK as well. I’ve set the trend for a long time, so hopefully I can continue in that same vein and play the
game in the true spirit it should be played in.”This series against England might be the last time people get to see the Universe Boss on local soil. The last game I played in Barbados for Jamaica I got a hundred and it would be nice to continue where I left off and entertain the home fans as much as possible. At the end of the day everybody should be happy and enjoy the game.”I don’t know who is opening the bowling for England, but any bowler is going to beware of Chris Gayle. That doesn’t change because he is 39 now, they are going to be saying ‘yes, he’s got some grey hairs in his beard, let’s get him now, this is the perfect time to get the universe boss now he is 39.'”Oshane Thomas bowls a heavy ball. He’s got a bright future; he’s very explosive with the ball. Him and Shannon Gabriel: they’re youngsters, man. But I will destroy them anyway.”So, what does the future hold for him: media work, perhaps?”Definitely not me,” he says. “I’m not a talker. Maybe I’ll make an appearance here and there, but I’m not into the talking thing. I’m not really into the coaching thing either. I’ll figure it out. You’ll see me around.”But not, for much longer, on the pitch. Spectators in the Caribbean, Ireland and England and Wales should catch him while they can.

Pawan Negi, after playing only eight of the 14 matches and bowling only nine overs for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2016, felt he was underused

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-2016Pawan Negi had a phenomenal start to 2016, only most of his success came off the field. The 23-year old left-arm spinner was a wildcard pick in the Indian squad for the World T20 but he couldn’t break into the XI. Still, his elevation up the ranks had come in time for the IPL auction, where he was bought for INR 8.5 crores by Delhi Daredevils, who had made a conscious decision to recruit younger players this year. Negi had fit the profile, but after a dismal season – he played only eight of the team’s 14 matches and bowled a mere nine overs in the entire tournament – he felt he was underused.”I kept wondering why wasn’t I given more opportunities,” Negi told the . “And the team management didn’t tell me the reason either. When I was with CSK [Chennai Super Kings], Mahi bhai [MS Dhoni] backed my abilities. Maybe, I feel Delhi didn’t back my skills with bat and ball. Maybe, it was a rotation policy, because I was never told that I was dropped.”The hardest part was, before every match, I had no clue whether I would play or not. People kept asking me why I didn’t play much. I didn’t have a proper answer.”Sitting on the bench was hard to digest as I never expected to watch the action from the sidelines. I was mentally down, but I didn’t lose hope. After the season, TA Sekhar and our manager Sunil Valson pepped me up saying that I didn’t get enough opportunities to showcase my abilities.”In the chances he did get, however, Negi was unable to make an impact. He was often used as a pinch hitter in the batting order but a strike-rate of 96.61 indicated his lack of form. On the bowling front, with Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan and Chris Morris taking 36 of the team’s 63 wickets in 2016 and establishing themselves as the frontline options, Negi was rarely needed. He picked up one wicket.A mixture of injury and strategy contributed to Daredevils making 35 changes in 14 matches – an average of 2.5 changes per match – which also contributed to Negi spending time in the sidelines.”I was told that it was sort of a combination [of poor form and tactics],” Negi said. “Though I’m a very positive person, I would say this IPL ended on a negative note for me. I wasn’t surprised a bit that I didn’t make the cut for the Zimbabwe series because I didn’t perform well in the IPL. Now, I will practice hard for the upcoming Ranji season.”Negi has played one match for India – a dead rubber against UAE in the Asia Cup in March – but at the time of the auction in February, he was still uncapped and the INR 8.5 crores he fetched was the record for an uncapped player in the IPL.When asked if the money had played on his mind, he said “it was never about money. The team management said not to get weighed down by the price tag and the pressure that comes with it. Coach Rahul Dravid told me to stick to my natural instincts. He wanted me to perform like I was doing in the Chennai colours for the last two years. I was excited to play for Delhi, my home.”