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.

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.

Dave Cameron has been re-elected as WICB president for the third successive term, after being the sole nomination for the post

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Mar-2017Dave Cameron has been re-elected for a third consecutive two-year term as WICB president. Cameron was the lone nominee for the position, and received 12 votes at the WICB Annual General Meeting on March 26 in Barbados. Emmanuel Nanthan, WICB’s vice-president for the last four years, was also set to be re-elected for a third consecutive stint in the position.Despite being an imposing figure within the WICB, Cameron has not been a popular administrator in the West Indies. Throughout his tenure, Cameron’s policies and decisions have been criticised by many former cricketers as well as by fans. The absence of any opposition on the WICB board has been the main reason Cameron has managed to continue as the head of the WICB.Nonetheless some on the WICB board remain sceptical of Cameron. One director, who has been part of the WICB board and observed Cameron closely, felt the Jamaican takes things “personally”, which does allow for constructive discussion.According to this director Cameron needs to focus on improving his relations with WICB board going forward. “He needs to temper himself. It seems to me he still does not have confidence in some directors. The trust is not there. It is also because if some people speak out at meetings, he will feel that those people are against him. But all those people want is the best of West Indies cricket. He takes everything personal, as if they are attacking him.”The director, who wished to remain anonymous, also felt that Cameron “favours” some territorial boards more than others. Asked why the board would elect him for a third successive term, the director said that those who oppose him “prefer to remain silent and go with the status quo”.With West Indies having already missed out on the 2017 Champions Trophy in England, the priority now is to make sure they receive direct entry for the 2019 ODI World Cup, instead of having to go through the qualifier. To achieve that goal, the WICB recently made fresh appointments, hiring former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams and former Australia batsman Stuart Law in important roles. Adams took over as director of cricket from Richard Pybus, while Law was named as West Indies’ coach after the sacking of Phil Simmons last September.It is also understood that Cameron, along with new WICB chief executive officer Johnny Grave, will travel to India to finalise the schedule for the limited-overs series scheduled in July.

Jason Holder and Shane Dowrich kept West Indies from disintegrating in the last hour of an engrossing but slow-moving day, finishing up at 218 for five, still trailing Pakistan by 158 runs

The Report by Danyal Rasool12-May-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:36

‘It’s a pitch where you can’t force the issue’ – Powell

Jason Holder and Shane Dowrich kept West Indies from disintegrating in the last hour of an engrossing but slow-moving day, finishing up at 218 for five, still trailing Pakistan by 158 runs. Things had looked bleak for Holder’s men when their best batsman Roston Chase walked off midway after being struck on the elbow by a Mohammad Amir bouncer, but the others pulled their weight stoically enough to ensure they could claim a share of the spoils.West Indies didn’t lose any of their grit with Hope’s dismissal at the stroke of tea. For little over an hour after the break, they frustrated Pakistan before Vishaul Singh, who has had a torrid first series, probably went a little too deep into his shell, especially against the faster bowlers. Even so, it was admirable to see the rookie fight it out on the pitch under considerable pressure although Misbah-ul-Haq was perhaps guilty of making it a little too easy for him, carrying on with the part-time of Azhar Ali from one end.With the hosts fighting so gamely, the moment that turned the session against them was an exceptionally cruel twist of fate. The new ball was just three overs old When Mohammad Amir hurried Roston Chase into a pull shot, the ball striking him flush on the elbow. After lengthy treatment on the field, the series’ highest run-scorer was forced to retire hurt.For a Pakistan team that had been unable to penetrate in the session up till then, it would have seemed like a wicket. Vishaul succumbed two overs later to – predictably enough – pace. Mohammad Abbas swung the new ball in sharply to trap him plumb in front. Suddenly the West Indies looked vulnerable again, trailing as they did by 200 runs.Fortunately for the West Indies, Holder and Dowrich showed the same determination to ensure they didn’t go in to stumps having suffered any other blows in the face of a masterclass in discipline from the Pakistan pacers. Amir, in particular, continued to carry menace with the sort of short delivery that had injured Chase, striking Holder in the chest area once, and cramping both batsmen with the bouncer time and again.Roston Chase fought through to make a half-century before retiring hurt•AFP

West Indies started the day in the sort of sedate fashion that has characterised much of this Test match, meandering along at a scoring rate well below two per over; only one boundary came in the first 25 overs. The day only came to life when Powell decided to take the attack to Yasir, but after shuffling across and sweeping him to the vacant square leg boundary once, he dragged a lofted hit to Azhar Ali at deep midwicket.Shimron Hetmyer came out with the same plan of not allowing Yasir to settle. He drove Yasir for a boundary in the first over he faced him, and soon after, dispatched a short delivery for six over deep midwicket. But the wily legspinner had the last laugh again, getting one to turn in sharply from the rough, kissing Hetmyer’s gloves with Sarfraz Ahmed taking a sharp catch. Pakistan may have not had the wicket had Sarfraz not confidently signalled for a review almost the moment umpire Bruce Oxenford adjudged not out.Even so, West Indies still looked for scoring opportunities off Yasir, who ended the day having conceded nearly half the runs of the entire innings. It wasn’t that he was bowling poorly – a lot of his balls were perfect legspinners with sharp turn – but his consistency deserted him, prompting a rare reprimand from Misbah. Yet, it didn’t seem like he was far away from a wicket either.That duly arrived in the last over before lunch when Brathwaite, who looked fairly comfortable up until then, jabbed at a delivery that spun away sharply to take the edge through to the wicketkeeper. The deadlock of the first hour was well and truly broken by then.As in the first session, it was impossible to ignore the feeling that that the game was moving on only while Yasir was bowling. Ironically, it was Azhar Ali who pulled things back for Pakistan during the afternoon, taking the only wicket in the session off its last ball, with Hope slicing to Misbah at short cover.It was a game that could have been snatched away from the West Indies in every session today. That they managed to hold Pakistan off and ensure they go in to day four still able to claim parity must feel like a small win in itself.

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.”

Luke Wright rediscovered his panache with the bat after abandoning the Sussex captaincy but Worcestershire produced an excellent response after conceding their second-highest total in matches between the pair

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2017
ScorecardWorcestershire produced an excellent response after conceding their second-highest total in matches against Sussex.Luke Wells followed his 258 in his last appearance at Hove with 155, Luke Wright made 87, his highest Championship score at Hove for nearly two years and David Wiese a rapid 66 before Sussex declared on 579 for 8.But Worcestershire openers Daryl Mitchell and Brett D’Oliveira prospered after negotiating the new ball to post an unbeaten century stand as they reached 139 for 0 from 44 overs at the close.Chris Nash, leading Sussex after Wright resigned as captain on Wednesday, was able to employ attacking fields but his five-strong pace attack found a slow pitch as unyielding as Worcestershire’s bowlers had.Mitchell survived one scare on 14 when he was put down at slip by Chris Jordan off the third ball after tea to make an unbeaten – his sixth half-century against Sussex.He has hit 15 fours and a six in his 85 not out and although D’Oliveira was more circumspect he gave his partner good support as Nash rotated his seam attack and regularly employed eight men in catching positions without being able to break through on a wicket which has so far shown little evidence of deteriorating.Just five wickets fell on the second day, three of them after lunch as Sussex pushed towards a declaration.Wells and Wright had employed a cautious approach at the start of the day and Sussex failed to claim maximum batting points. Wells, 139 overnight, added 16 runs in just over an hour before he came down the pitch in Nathan Lyons’ first over of the day and lost his leg stump to the Australian off-spinner. Wells batted for six hours, faced 288 balls and 22 fours.Luke Wright’s captaincy resignation paid dividends with the bat•Getty Images

Wright batted with the freedom which had been absent during much of his time as captain and looked on course for a hundred. He hit two sixes and two fours off four successive deliveries from Ed Barnard before upper-cutting the next ball to backward point for 87, his highest score at Hove for nearly two years, having added 86 in 16 overs with Michael Burgess.Burgess lost his off stump to Barnard after lunch for an enterprising 46 but Wiese and Jordan had licence to go for their shots. Jordan used the slog-sweep effectively to take three boundaries off Lyon in one over while Wiese employed the long handle to hit three sixes and eight fours in his 66 off 53 balls.Worcestershire skipper Joe Leach, the pick of their eight bowlers, had Jordan (37) caught at wide mid-off to end a stand of 91 in 14 overs for the seventh wicket before the declaration came when Wiese failed to clear long on.

Ben Duckett finally emerged from a thin season to show the talent that attracted England

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2017
ScorecardBen Duckett was back to his best [file picture]•Getty Images

Ben Duckett made a sparkling century for Northamptonshire and Dieter Klein took six wickets for Leicestershire on the opening day of the pink-ball Specsavers County Championship match at Wantage Road. Northants took the spoils, who, having made 261, reduced their visitors to 61 for 4 by the close.Duckett’s 89-ball century put Northants in a strong position, only for them to collapse from 211 for 3 – including four wickets for one run – as Klein took 6 for 80. But late wickets under the floodlights saw Northants regain the upper hand.Ben Sanderson and Rory Kleinveldt induced edges behind the wicket from both Leicestershire openers before Richard Gleeson, playing his first Championship match of the season, pinned Mark Cosgrove lbw and Azharullah bowled nightwatchman Rob Sayer second ball.It was still a very good one. It began with an extraordinary innings from Duckett, with the advantage of being one of only two players in the game to have previously played against the pink ball.And after he fell for 112, Northants were still in excellent shape through Max Holden’s third Championship half-century and a fifty stand with Rob Keogh. But a superb yorker from Klein took out Keogh’s off stump and it sparked a remarkable collapse.First Chesney Hughes was given out caught at slip having hooked at a bumper he clearly thought had not come off his glove. Then Josh Cobb pushed a ball towards mid-off, set off for a sharp single and was run out by Clint McKay’s direct hit. And when Kleinveldt pushed outside off stump and edged Klein to wicketkeeper Lewis Hill, Northants’ strong position had been sacrificed.Sanderson also edged a hook to be caught at the wicket but Azharullah helped Holden bring up a second batting point. Holden was eventually last man out for a measured 92.Northants were well set for far more after Duckett made a century in the opening session of the match. He has struggled for form so far this season having made just two half-centuries in the Championship but here was back to his best with an breezy ton that featured 20 boundaries.He initially feasted on some loose Leicestershire bowling on a wicket that appeared easy-paced and prompted the introduction of spin in just the 14th over of the day. An early Duckett drive spooned past extra-cover but he soon found his timing and drove Klein delightfully down the ground, cut McKay past point and lifted Sayer over long-on in reaching fifty in just 41 balls. He then twice paddle swept Neil Dexter to the fine leg boundary in going to a first century of the season.But he added only 12 more to his tea time score before sweeping Sayer off a top edge that was splendidly caught by McKay at short fine leg tumbling back. It ended a stand of 136 for the third wicket with Holden and a stand that recovered the innings from a difficult start after Klein had removed both Rob Newton and Alex Wakely lbw.

Jamaica Tallawahs were pushed into rebuild mode following the departure of several key senior players, and their coach Paul Nixon believes they will have to cope with it by being smarter in their approach and more energetic on the field

Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill04-Aug-20172:27

We’ve got to be smarter without big hitters – Nixon

A fresher and more energetic unit, rebuilt in the offseason to make up for the loss of several key senior players, will be vital to Jamaica Tallawahs’ chances of securing a third CPL title, according to their coach Paul Nixon.On the eve of the tournament’s opening weekend in Florida, Nixon believes that while some of the departures created challenges, the overall depth of the squad and younger legs in the field may help the defending champions in their bid to secure consecutive titles.”We’ve got a different brand of cricket now,” Nixon told ESPNcricinfo, before the team’s back-to-back matches against Barbados Tridents in Florida. “We had a lot more hitters then, now we have to be a lot smarter.”The three biggest names missing from the squad are Chris Gayle, Chadwick Walton, and 2016 CPL Player of the Tournament Andre Russell. Nixon was reconciled to Gayle and Walton’s departures – with the former’s skills in decline and the latter accepting a hefty pay rise from Guyana Amazon Warriors – but admitted that Russell’s absence as part of an anti-doping violation still stings. The team has acquired Lendl Simmons, fresh off a good IPL in which he scored two fifties in seven matches for Mumbai Indians.”For us, Andre Russell is a frustrating one,” Nixon said. “But we’ve got world-class players coming in. We’ve got Lendl Simmons, who had an outstanding IPL and for us to have his quality and his experience, I think he’s going to be one of the men of the tournament. We’ve got some other good young guys in the side as well.”Among the newer faces, Nixon picked 20-year-old Odean Smith, who has played for West Indies Under-19s. The coach is hopeful Smith can pick up some of the slack in Russell’s absence, while also lifting fielding standards, an area that was exposed as the team’s weakness towards the end of the regular season.”We’ve got Odean Smith, who is a really attacking batsman, bowls very high 80s, pushing 90 mph and is a really attacking fielder. He’s going to bring a massive amount of positivity. Some of the older guys, having Chris out of the field… Chris cost us a few runs in the field because he was an older guy who struggled a bit with his knee and his back. We’re an exciting fielding unit and now we’ve got to be a little bit smarter without the big hitters.”Paul Nixon believes the team can build their attack around Pakistan left-arm spinner Imad Wasim•CPL/Sportsfile

Nixon believes Pakistan’s left-arm spinning allrounder, Imad Wasim, is a player the team can build around. Imad, who was also a part of Pakistan’s Champions Trophy-winning squad earlier this year, was Man of the Match in the CPL 2016 final, taking 3 for 21 to dismiss Guyana Amazon Warriors for 93.”Immy is a guy who has had a massive amount of experience in the last 12 months,” Nixon said. “From being a star with the ball last year, one of the very best. We had Garey Mathurin and also Imad who were outstanding left-arm spinners last year. Responsibility with the ball is never an issue with those guys and Imad is very keen to bowl up front. He loves it when batsmen come after him.”But he didn’t have that many opportunities with the bat last year and hopefully he won’t this year if our top order can do the business but a perfect guy, a left-hander to come in 5, 6, 7, somewhere in there. It depends on the pitches and we’ll see how it goes but he’s not a guy that’s going to clear the ropes too many times. He’ll hit it in the gaps and works hard in those gaps and he’s a good accumulator. On the belting pitches, then he might have to come down the order but on the turning pitches, a bit more Pakistan-like pitches, there might be an opportunity to bring him up.”In terms of medium-pace allrounders, Rovman Powell and Timroy Allen have also been earmarked as options to take on the finishing role in the lower-middle order that Russell excelled in. Both are still raw in terms of experience but have shown flashes of their ability to clear the ropes. Nixon says the most important thing for them to do to develop further is to maintain consistency.”Rovman was a massively inexperienced cricketer with huge natural ability for striking the ball. He played a really nice innings in the preseason where he got in, knocked it around and then dominated. We all expect so much so soon. Rovman’s got the ability to change games, win matches and clear the ropes easily but you have to earn the right to do that in matches generally over a consistent period of time. He’s learning about his options to each bowler, the right areas to hit and every ball is not just a corker that he can smash out of the ground.”Timroy and Rovman are both similar characters. They can both hit the ball out of the ground consistently well. It’s just making sure that their role in the team is the right role. Timroy is the perfect guy for a coach to come in the team with eight or 10 balls left, go and strike it at 150 or 200. So if he can get 20 off 10 balls then that’s what we’re looking for. As a coach having those guys up your sleeve is really important.””He’s [Rovman Powell] learning about his options to each bowler, the right areas to hit.”•CPL/Sportsfile

After a week of training in Jamaica before coming to Lauderhill, Nixon is eager for their campaign to get underway. He’s also hoping that their fortunes in Florida change – the team lost their pair of games against St Lucia Zouks last year.”We knew that we’d organised to go through [the playoffs], so we probably took our foot off the gas a little bit, great lessons for us all. But Florida cricket, people over here, the passion for the game, the ground is looking fantastic, the wickets are always fantastic here. So we’re looking to setting off our campaign really well.”

The captain reflects on his multi-layered role in the Test team after Australia dashed hopes of a historic series win for Bangladesh in the second Test

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong07-Sep-2017For a little over two hours, Mushfiqur Rahim fought hard to keep Bangladesh afloat. With each over, the job got harder; particularly after they had slipped to 43 for five inside 20 overs. He managed to stave off every effort from Nathan Lyon to sneak between his bat and pad, as it had happened in the first innings, or get him to pop a catch to one of the close-in fielders.Just as Mushfiqur was getting the hang of a prickly situation in the middle of the second session, Pat Cummins got him to feel for a delivery that was tailing away. Matthew Wade took the edge and Cummins celebrated with a double fist-pump. Mushfiqur, the big-hearted performer, who has battled through several difficult segments of play over the last nine months, started to walk even before the umpire had raised his finger.Mushfiqur kept his head down after his dismissal, as Lyon ran in from the covers to give him one last send-off. The pair had had a go at each other in the over before lunch after Lyon had said something to him. The Bangladesh captain had to be pulled away by umpire Ian Gould, who told Mushfiqur that he had heard what Lyon had said.Mushfiqur kept walking to the pavilion, slowly, telling the approaching Mominul Haque something about the pitch. ‘Look out for that spot’, he seemed to say. But he knew the fight was over with only the tail and Mominul left to fend off a strong Australian attack.He took his time in the post-match conference to explain what goes wrong with Bangladesh when they approach a defensive period of play to save a match. The last time they had done a satisfactory job of it was against Pakistan in Khulna two years ago, when Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes notched up a second-innings world-record stand of 312 for the opening wicket, before Shakib Al Hasan shepherded them to safety in the evening. Since then, an effort to enforce a draw hasn’t happened – neither at home nor abroad. They have won in Colombo, though, chasing a challenging total with Mushfiqur in the middle till the end.But for someone who oversaw the missed chances of drawing Tests in Wellington, Hyderabad and Galle, the Chittagong failure is, perhaps, their most heartbreaking. They had Australia on the mat in the Dhaka Test, spinning them out twice within three days, but couldn’t finish off the job on a familiar pitch at a ground where they have usually found ways to draw games in the recent past – against New Zealand and Sri Lanka in 2013 and 2014.Mushfiqur Rahim takes a moment to reflect after reaching his half-century•AFP

The failure to set up shop in the first session in Chittagong also brought into question Mushfiqur’s role in the team – not that he lacks one but, perhaps, he has way too many. He was possibly the most well-equipped batsman to tackle Lyon by going up to No. 4 but said that he couldn’t be expected to do the job after having kept wickets for 119.5 overs. “It is a difficult question for me. It was a tactical move on our part but if you are talking about me, I would say it was not my sole responsibility to bat at No. 4 after keeping for 120 overs,” Mushfiqur said. “I can’t go out to bat at No. 4 when we are batting first and then move to No. 6 if we are batting second. It doesn’t happen anywhere. You can take this risk once or twice and it might not even click in those occasions.”Instead, Bangladesh sent in an unsure Nasir Hossain, who didn’t get the counter-attack on or could hold up one end; essentially, they made No. 4 a hole by sending Mominul all the way down to No. 8, while Shakib, Mushfiqur, and Sabbir went in at positions that they would be comfortable in.Mushfiqur said that he doesn’t decide where he wants to bat or whether he has to be the wicketkeeper. It is the decision of those above him, he added.”It is not up to me. It was not my decision not to keep wickets in Sri Lanka. I don’t have any problem keeping wickets. I want to contribute to the team in any way possible for as long as I play. It doesn’t matter if I am not the captain or the keeper. I will give my all if I am told to be the 12th man. I will do as the team management says. You better ask this question to the higher authorities.” he said. “It would also make things clear for me.”There is little doubt that Mushfiqur is a passionate character who has given it all for Bangladesh’s cause. He will be questioned as a captain for his reactive outlook and his fickle wicket-keeping. It is definite, though, that his batting must take precedence over those two commitments as has been pointed out several times in the last three years.To see him walk off the ground, head bowed, was similar to seeing a battered boxer being told he had lost a knockout. Mushfiqur, however, was a boxer tasked with beating his opponent on three fronts, an unrealistic expectation. Thursday afternoon in Chittagong was stark proof of that.

Middlesex had challenged the decision on the grounds of the extraordinary events that led to their match against Surrey being called off after a crossbow bolt was fired into The Oval

George Dobell17-Oct-2017Middlesex’s appeal against an over-rate penalty has been denied, confirming their relegation from Division One in the County Championship.Middlesex, who were penalised two points for a slow over-rate following their match against Surrey at The Oval in August, had appealed the decision on the grounds of the extraordinary events that led to the early finish of that game. The match was called off a couple of hours early on the instructions of police after a crossbow bolt was fired on to the playing surface from outside the stadium.Middlesex, who were batting at the time of the incident, claimed the abandonment denied them the opportunity to declare their second innings and catch up on their overrate in the dying moments of the match. They also claimed that, at the time of the abandonment, they were assured by match officials they would face no such sanction.Had the appeal proved successful, Middlesex would have moved above Somerset in the Division One table (only a point separated them) with Somerset falling into the relegation positions as a consequence. Somerset had previously stated they would take legal action against the ECB should they suffer relegation in such fashion.But the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) dismissed Middlesex’s arguments and upheld the two-point deduction. As a result, the relegation of Middlesex – the 2016 County Champions – is confirmed and Somerset will play Division One cricket in 2018.”It is in the interests of the whole game that arrangements are put in place to prevent slow over rates, and it is noted that the requirement of 16 overs per hour is a minimum rate,” Tim O’Gorman, the CDC Chairman, said”The rules relating to over rates are clear and understood by all teams, coaches, players, and captains. Although it may be common practice that teams will seek to make up time later in a match, even in the second innings, if they seek to do this they must also be aware that approaching their over rate in such a way carries with it an inherent risk. If, for any reason, they are unable to make the time up, the appropriate sanction will be imposed.”Middlesex have sought to argue that it was only because of the abandonment of the game that they did not make up their overs but that cannot be entirely correct. There was no guarantee that, if the game had run its normal course those overs could ever have been made up.”I do not accept that Middlesex only agreed to the abandonment of the match on condition that their slow over rate in the first innings would be overlooked. It is not within the power or gift of either the umpires or the players to make deals like that. The match was abandoned for safety reasons. Play ended accordingly and the points earned or deducted should stand with effect from that time.”The ECB also acknowledged that over-rate penalties – applied under Playing Condition 16.4 – are automatically applied and come with no right of appeal. They accepted, however, that such was the unusual context of this decision that Middlesex (and the ECB) should be able to send submissions to O’Gorman. He concluded that it was not a matter that should be referred to a CDC panel hearing.Richard Goatley, the Middlesex chief executive, said: “Whilst we still believe the imposition of the penalty was unjust, we accept the decision of the Chairman of the CDC and will move on. We do not believe that any further action is in the interests of Middlesex or the wider game. We will now focus on regaining a place in the First Division at the earliest opportunity.”The affair may leave an unsavoury taste in the mouth, however. Not only is it far from ideal to confirm such matters almost three-weeks after the season’s end, but the matter has highlighted a loophole in the playing regulations. It is not unusual for teams to attempt to catch-up their overrate in something approaching farcical circumstances. If the penalties were applied by the innings, or even by the session, rather than by the match, they might prove more effective.The comments of Lee Cooper, the Somerset chief executive, also raised questions about the integrity of the ECB disciplinary process. He claimed he had been given some sort of “reassurances” that the appeal took place only so the ECB could be “seen to be going through a process” and was assured Somerset had “nothing to worry about.”The ECB declined to comment on Cooper’s words.