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Joe Root’s century puts him back in batting top five

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2019England’s 2-1 series defeat at the hands of West Indies has dropped them two places to fifth on the ICC Test team rankings. England, who play just one more Test – a four-day fixture against Ireland in July – before the Ashes, now sit one place below Australia, with India, South Africa and New Zealand making up the top three.England’s rankings slide was expected, following their loss in the second Test in Antigua at the start of February – handing West Indies the series with one to play – coupled with Australia’s 2-0 home win over Sri Lanka.In the individual rankings, Joe Root moved up three places back into the top five Test batsmen, sharing fifth spot with New Zealand’s Henry Nicholls. Root, who previously held the No. 1 ranking in 2015, bounced back from a tally of 55 runs in his first five innings of the series in the Caribbean to score 122 in St Lucia, his 16th Test century.Also moving up the batting list were Jos Buttler, whose scores of 67 and 56 in England’s third-Test victory lifted him eight places to 26th, and Ben Stokes who stepped up seven places to 34th with scores of 79 and 48 not out. Virat Kohli remains the rankings leader.Man of the Series, Kemar Roach, is on the cusp of breaking into the bowling top 10, moving up one place to 11th after claiming five wickets in the final Test. His 18 wickets at 13.88 for the series has lifted him 13 places in all.West Indies captain Jason Holder, who sat out the third Test after being suspended for his team’s slow over rate in the previous match in Antigua, held o nto top spot in the allrounder rankings, while Stokes moved up one place to No. 4.

The India fast bowler said the team hasn’t been provided with the pitches they wanted in preparation for the South Africa tour, but that they made for a good test of their fitness

Sidharth Monga in Delhi04-Dec-2017For long periods in the Delhi Test, it will have seemed India are not getting what they wanted from it – preparation for the South Africa tour – but there also would have been satisfaction that they could put in long spells in testing conditions and come back with rewards towards the end of the day.”The kind of wickets we wanted to prepare on before going to South Africa, we haven’t been provided with those kind of wickets,” Mohammed Shami, India’s big hope for away tours, said. “So it didn’t go as per our plans. But it’s a good thing that on these kind of tracks, you need to work hard as a bowler. These kind of tracks test your fitness as you get to bowl long spells. Overall as a bowling unit, all bowlers have together bowled more than 100 overs (130 overs). So you can see how much effort we are putting.”For Shami personally, it was a bigger physical test because he had a bit of a cold coming into the Test. However, he did acknowledge – unlike his bowling coach B Arun on day two – that the Delhi pollution can have a serious, adverse effect on those not used to these conditions.”I was a bit under the weather even before the match started,” Shami said. “I had a cold. Yes, pollution is an aspect that we seriously need to think about. But not to the extent that it was being portrayed. Also, it could be that we are more used to it and our ability. I think we need to check what are the reasons of pollution and try to minimise it. Look, we are used to suffering from all these problems.”Then there were dropped catches, all three at second slip, by Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. This will be a big concern for India before the big tour, because slip catching to fast bowlers is crucial in those parts. Shami said it does frustrate the bowlers but it was something they had to put behind them.”Fielders are not machines that they will grab anything that comes their way,” Shami said. “Yes, you might get angry when a catch is dropped but we are a team, and we play together all the year around for the country. You have to ignore and move on.”Asked if the bowlers get a say in deciding the cordon and possibly pick fielders they are confident of, he said it is best if bowlers are kept away from these decisions. “It’s after a long time this unit has dropped so many catches in a match,” Shami said. “You need to take it in your stride and move on. We need to work hard and improve.”

The opening of the bids for the IPL rights is set to be delayed after the Lodha Committee told Anurag Thakur to submit a letter stating the BCCI will comply with the Supreme Court order

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Oct-2016The opening of the bids for the IPL broadcast rights has been delayed* after the Lodha Committee told BCCI president Anurag Thakur to submit a letter stating that the board will “unreservedly comply” with the Supreme Court order of October 21. The Committee, on Monday, said the letter would be necessary before it issues directives to the BCCI to take the tender process forward.The bids for television and digital rights were set to be opened and finalised on Tuesday in Mumbai. A senior BCCI official confirmed receipt of the committee’s email.Last week, the Supreme Court passed an order that limited the financial freedom of the BCCI until the board and its state associations comply with the Lodha Committee’s recommendations. One of the directives in the order was that the Lodha Committee would set a “threshold value” for various contracts the BCCI enters into, and all contracts in excess of that amount would need the Committee’s approval. The Committee was also asked to appoint an independent auditor to oversee contracts from the tender stage.Soon after the court passed the order on October 21, the BCCI contacted the Lodha Committee on Friday seeking clarification regarding the bidding for the IPL’s rights. When there was no response, the BCCI sent another email on Saturday checking whether its first email had been received, and then another email on Monday requesting a response because the board had to communicate to the bidders for the rights. The Lodha Committee responded to the BCCI later on Monday.”The Committee is in receipt of your email and letter dated 21.10.2016 which refers to the Order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of the same date,” the Lodha Committee’s email to BCCI on Monday said. “1. Before the Committee proceeds to issue any directions, it would need to satisfy itself that the BCCI administration is willing to comply with the Order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court dated 21.10.2016. As you can understand, this would be necessary in view of the BCCI’s stand concerning the earlier order of 18.7.2016. In this regard, the Committee requires a letter of compliance from the President BCCI duly undertaking on behalf of the BCCI to unreservedly comply with the Order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court dated 21.10.2016.”The court had also ordered the BCCI not to distribute funds to its state associations until they submit affidavits stating compliance with the recommendations to the court and the Lodha Committee in two weeks from October 21. In addition, Thakur and BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke were asked to submit an “affidavit of compliance” in the court by December 3, elaborating on the recommendations the BCCI said it had already implemented, and what it had done to persuade the state associations to adopt the recommendations.Following its email to the Lodha Committee, the BCCI also sent an email to the 18 prospective bidders on Sunday, saying it was awaiting directions from the Committee. In the note, the board informed the bidders that all the Invitation To Tender documentation related to the process had been sent to the Committee. The bidders were also told that the BCCI would update them of the “future course of action” based on the “advice” received from the committee.The Lodha Committee had questions for the BCCI in its email, regarding the end date of the current cycle of IPL rights and the start date for the next one.”In your letter dated 21.10.2016, the first paragraph reads as follows: ‘1) The BCCI has already declared the process of a global tender for the IPL rights, where the previous ten-year rights contract ended with the end of IPL season May 2016, as it was mandated to do so by the expiring contract.'”The Committee has 2 specific questions in this regard: a. When did the previous ten-year rights period come to an end? b. When does the next ten-year rights period commence?”The rights in the current cycle are held by Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) and will expire after IPL 2017. In September, the BCCI had announced that the next cycle of IPL rights would be sold via an open tender process. Eighteen companies eventually bought the Invitation To Tender document for television and digital rights.In 2008, the Singapore-based World Sports Group bagged the IPL television rights for a ten-year period with a $918 million bid. It simultaneously signed a deal with Multi Screen Media Pvt. Ltd. (MSM) that Sony would be the official broadcaster. The contract was recast before IPL 2009, with MSM agreeing to pay $1.63 billion for nine years until 2017.*The story was changed after the BCCI issued a release at 1633 GMT on October 24

Sri Lanka-based International College of Business and Technology beat pre-competition favourites Assupol TUKS, by a narrow two-wicket margin, in their Group B opener played at the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy, Dehradun on Monday

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2015Sri Lanka-based International College of Business and Technology beat pre-competition favourites Assupol TUKS, by a narrow two-wicket margin, in their Group B opener played at the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy, Dehradun on Monday.The South African side won the toss and elected to bat first, but the decision back fired, as they were reduced to 15 for five in four overs.Malshan Mendis troubled TUKS batsmen with a disciplined spell that yielded five wickets for just 22 runs in four overs.Murray Coetzee helped rebuild TUKS’ innings with a 19-ball 28. His fourth-wicket forty-run stand with Matome Modiba helped TUKS recover from their early set back.Ruben Classen then added 39 runs with Corbin Bosch to help their side post a respectable 134 in their 20 overs.ICBT, in reply, refused to hand TUKS the early advantage. Their top-five batsmen found runs and took their team close-in on a win.It was down to nine needed off four balls. Uralakalasi de Silva smacked a four and a six off consecutive deliveries thereafter to pull off a narrow win.In the first Group A encounter, Delhi-based Shraddhanand College thrashed European University of Bangladesh by seven wickets.Fast bowler Abhishek Vats made the most of a lively surface and pegged the team from Mirpur on the back-foot early, with two quick wickets.They failed to recover from the early set back and were at one stage reeling at six for 27 in eleven overs. Vats added another wicket to his tally, as the opponents managed just 46 in their innings.Shraddhanand College lost just three wickets in the chase and reached the target in just seven overs.In the last match of the day, Loughborough MCCU out classed University of Technology Sydney by a convincing six wickets.The side from Australia scored at a brisk seven-runs per over and managed 140 in their innings. Harry Dalton top-scored with a quick fire 41 off just 30 balls.Loughborough were reduced to three for 43 in six overs, but a 90-run fourth-wicket stand between Michael Burgess and Timothy le Breton helped their side reach the total in just 15 overs.

A collective bowling effort from India led them to a 58-run victory over Bangladesh and completed a series whitewash

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2013
ScorecardIndia completed a series whitewash over Bangladesh in Ahmedabad after winning the final ODI of the series by 58 runs. India chose to bat first and the openers put up 37 runs for the first wicket. But Panna Ghosh struck twice in as many overs to lead a stirring fight back from the Bangladesh bowlers. India continued to lose wickets at regular intervals as the Bangladesh bowlers, led by Rumana Ahmed (4-20), ensured that India did not get away with a substantial total. Contributions from Smriti Mandhana (23), Harmanpreet Kaur (29) and Swagatika Rath (30) pushed India’s total to 154 before they were dismissed in the 49th over.Bangladesh, facing a middling total to chase, faltered early and were reduced to 36 for 3 by the 14th over. thanks to some incisive bowling from India’s seamers. Bangladesh continued to lose wickets as almost all of India’s bowlers reaped benefits from the track. Only Salma Khatun crossed the 20-run mark as Poonam Yadav spell of 3 for 15, along with Ekta Bisht’s 2 for 19 and Rath’s 2 for 15, ensured that they kept a lid on Bangladesh’s scoring. Bangladesh were dismissed for 96 in the 42nd over ending the tour in which they lost all three T20Is and all three ODIs.

Misbah-ul-Haq has become the latest captain under threat of a one-match suspension for maintaining a slow over-rate, after Pakistan fell two overs short of their target in the opening game of the Asia Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2012Misbah-ul-Haq has become the latest captain under threat of a one-match suspension for maintaining a slow over-rate, after Pakistan fell two overs short of their target in the opening game of the Asia Cup, against Bangladesh in Mirpur. Misbah was fined 40% of his match-fee for the offence while the rest of the players were docked 20%, but Misbah will face a suspension if his side have another over-rate transgression in an ODI in the next 12 months.Since the ICC made the rules regarding over-rates stricter, after their annual conference in Hong Kong in June last year, India’s captain MS Dhoni has been suspended for both a Test and an ODI, while Shane Watson is also in danger of a suspension after Australia failed to complete their overs in time in the third final of the Commonwealth Bank series.David Boon was the match-referee for Pakistan’s game against Bangladesh and ruled that Pakistan were too slow in completing their overs, after taking delays into consideration. Pakistan fell behind the rate despite just 18.1 of the 48.1 overs being bowled by fast bowlers, and will have to be careful over the next 12 months to avoid losing their captain for a match.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

Steve Tikolo, the Kenya batsman, has said the respect Pakistan have for his team should motivate it to bounce back in its next game on Wednesday

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Hambantota22-Feb-2011Steve Tikolo, the Kenya batsman, has said the respect Pakistan have for his team should motivate it to bounce back in its next game on Wednesday. Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, had warned Pakistan against taking Kenya lightly, saying the team would have to be at full strength for its opening World Cup encounter.”It’s good to hear that the opposing captain has respect for the Kenyan team,” Tikolo told reporters in Hambantota. “I’ll pass that message to the boys so obviously tomorrow the guys will be pumped up. We are here for look to play good cricket and be competitive.”Kenya suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of New Zealand in Ahmedabad in their first game of the World Cup, capitulating for 69 before being thrashed by 10 wickets. Tikolo, while admitting there were a number of inexperienced players in the side, was confident of his team’s ability to spark a revival.”We have a good side a mixture of experience and youth. We have quite a number of young players who have not played in a World Cup before, but very talented.”The teams that we had in the previous World Cups were teams that had played together since 1996 to 2003 and had gelled well. But if you look at this team we’ve been together for a short while but it’s a talented side,” he said.Kenya was one of the strongest Associate members of the ICC, but since 2003 they’ve experienced a decline. “We did well in the 2003 World Cup, qualifying for the semi-finals, but we had our own internal problems. Obviously things could have been handled better management wise but right now I don’t really want to dwell into that. I just want to look at this World Cup and move forward from there.”Tikolo, last year, had indicated he would not play international cricket again after a dispute with the board but was back in the frame for a place in the national team in August. “What brought me back is the pride of playing for my country,” said Tikolo. “I’ve been around this team for long and playing for this team gives me a lot of pride.”This is Tikolo’s fifth World Cup and the highlight so far for him was Kenya’s defeat of West Indies in 1996 in Pune. “It’s special to win against any Test team but for me what stands out is the 1996 win against the West Indies simply because it was our first time at the international scene and most of us growing up had looked at West Indies as our role models.”Just to be on the same ground with them was something special and to beat them was extra special.”When asked about the ICC’s plan for a ten-team World Cup in 2015, Tikolo said the best way for Associate teams to improve was to play cricket at the highest level on a more regular basis “We don’t want to dwell on that right now. Tomorrow we just need to go out and believe in ourselves and our skills and play positive cricket.”Sri Lanka weren’t a top side in the world but once they got opportunities you can see what Sri Lanka is today. Bangladesh they were not a strong side but once they got Test status you see what cricket they are playing right now. It’s about playing more games at the top level and playing against better opposition that makes you better.”Tikolo filled in for Kenya captain Jimmy Kamande at the press conference. Kamande was unable to speak to reporters after being hit on the face during throwdowns at practice. However, he’s been ruled fit for Wednesday’s fixture.”Jimmy had swelling on his right cheek and he was unable to talk and did not attend the media conference,” Kenya’s team manager Arjun Vidyarthi said. “Jimmy is being treated with ice and the injury is not all that serious. He will be fit to lead Kenya in their match tomorrow.”

Ryan Harris and Brent Arnel couldn’t have wished for better conditions to begin their Test careers than the green-top at the Basin Reserve

Brydon Coverdale in Wellington18-Mar-2010Ryan Harris and Brent Arnel couldn’t have wished for better conditions to begin their Test careers than the green-top at the Basin Reserve, where both men have a strong chance of making their debuts on Friday. Harris will become the 413th Australian Test cricketer, provided he has no problems recovering from a minor side injury, while the grassy surface has pushed Arnel in to strong contention to bump the spinner Jeetan Patel out of New Zealand’s line-up.Pace and bounce have been the features of warm-up sessions in Wellington and Ricky Ponting said facing up on the practice pitches was “like we were batting at the WACA”, compared to the slower one-day surfaces used recently. That will encourage Harris, whose excellent ODI form over the past two months – 28 wickets at 14.14 in 11 games – has pushed him ahead of Clint McKay in the Test reckoning.”He is a guy who can genuinely swing the ball at brisk pace,” Ponting said. “You are always looking for someone who can use the new ball really well. We unearthed a couple last year who could do that in Ben Hilfenhaus and Dougie Bollinger.”With Hilfenhaus not being here and Siddle not being here, someone who can use that new ball, I think Ryan fits all those things really well. In the one-day games, I think it was three or four games in a row back in Australia he got a wicket in the first over of the game swinging the new ball. So hopefully he can have the same sort of effect if he comes up for this Test match.”It is remarkable that Harris could be in line for a Test debut in a season when he has played only one Sheffield Shield match due to an injury at the start of the summer and his one-day commitments. But it now seems the only thing that can keep him out is the side problem that prompted Australia to fly the South Australian fast man Peter George in to join the squad as cover.Harris bowled in the indoor nets at Westpac Stadium on Wednesday while rain scuppered his chances of having a run outdoors. The Australians were being extra cautious by bringing in George, with the expectation that Harris would continue to recover well with a lengthy session at the Basin Reserve on match eve.”He bowled about five overs yesterday indoors which probably wasn’t ideal for us or for him,” Ponting said. “He’ll do a lot more bowling today for us to get a bit more of a feel on where he’s at. But everything he has done in the last couple of days with his bowling has been good. Things at the moment are pretty positive with him. Ryan will play if he gets through as well as we want him to today and we’ll wait and see how he wakes up in the morning.”New Zealand have seen plenty of Harris through the one-day series but Australia know little about Arnel, the Northern Districts bowler who is likely to play his first Test. Daniel Vettori would not commit to Arnel over Patel with a day’s preparation remaining, but he said the conditions made it more likely than not that Arnel would have the edge.At 31, he has enjoyed the first-class scene after being a late starter, not making his first appearance until 27. This summer Arnel has taken 29 Plunket Shield wickets at 19.58 and Vettori said he was confident that Arnel could make the step up to Test level.”He’s been waiting in the wings a little while and has been involved in a few squads,” Vettori said. “Hopefully if he does get the nod then he is ready. He’s been bowling really well and that’s the main thing. He’s pretty consistent, he puts it in the right areas the majority of the time and on a wicket that’s got a little bit of something in it, that’s pretty crucial.”

“Hopefully, it doesn’t get to that. But he had some throwdowns in here at one point, and he’s ready if needed”

Matt Roller03-Aug-20253:37

Root: ‘Amazing spectacle to look forward to’ on fifth day

Chris Woakes is available to bat on the final morning at The Oval despite a suspected shoulder dislocation. Woakes was initially ruled out of the remainder of the fifth Test against India after sustaining the injury while fielding on the first day, and had his left arm in a sling in the dressing room on Sunday, but is prepared to “put his body on the line” if England need him.Woakes practiced batting one-handed in the indoor school on Sunday, and changed into his whites during the evening session, readying himself to bat at No. 11 if required. England need a further 35 runs to win with four wickets in hand to clinch a 3-1 series win on the fifth day, and Joe Root said that Woakes’ willingness to bat showed his commitment to the cause.”He’s all-in, like the rest of us,” Root, whose 105 set up England’s run chase, said. “It’s been that kind of series, where guys have had to put bodies on the line. Hopefully, it doesn’t get to that. But he had some throwdowns in here (the indoor school) at one point, and he’s ready if needed… He’s desperate to do what it takes.”Related

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It remains to be seen whether Woakes would attempt to bat right-handed – like Malcolm Marshall in 1984 – or switch to left-handed on account of his injury, as Pakistan’s Saleem Malik once did.”I’m not sure,” Root said. “I’ve not seen him practice yet. You might get a better indication tomorrow if he has some throwdowns in the morning.”England have not yet confirmed the specifics of Woakes’ injury, and he will go for further scans after this match for a full diagnosis. But he is considered highly unlikely to play again this summer, and is already a major doubt for the first Ashes Test in Perth starting November 21, and potentially the rest of that series.”Clearly, he’s in a huge amount of pain having done what he’s done,” Root said. “It just shows, as we’ve seen from other guys in this series – [Rishabh] Pant batting with a broken foot, guys taking all sorts of blows here and there – but it means a huge amount to him.”It just shows the character and the person that he’s willing to put his body on the line like that for England, and hopefully – well, hopefully he doesn’t have to, but if it does come to that – get us across the line and win us an incredible series.”1:44

Bangar: India could have bowled straighter to Root

Root’s century has taken England close enough to their target of 374 that Woakes may not be required, and he celebrated the milestone with a tribute to the late Graham Thorpe, his long-time mentor. Root wore one of Thorpe’s trademark white headbands – which have been sold for charity this week – and pointed to the skies on reaching his hundred.”It’s been amazing that Surrey, as a club, and the ECB, have recognised everything that he’s done for English cricket as a player, as a coach, as a mentor, as a friend, to the dressing room, to the game of cricket,” Root said of Thorpe. “That [celebration] was on behalf of our team, really, and everything that he’s given and sacrificed for English cricket.”It is just really great to see the amount of love that there is for him and for his family as well… He’s someone that’s impacted my career, personally, a huge amount. This week, the amount of love and support there’s been for him and his family, and all the good that’s come from it and the amount of money that’s been raised [over £150,000] is amazing.”It’s special that sport can provide that. More than anything, it was just a ‘thank you’ for everything that he’s given the game of cricket and given English cricket, on and off the field.”

The batter will play for MI Emirates, owned by the same group as Mumbai Indians and MI New York, his IPL and MLC teams

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jan-2024Tim David has joined MI Emirates in the ILT20 but may be required to leave the tournament early if selected in Australia’s squad for the T20I series against West Indies next month.David’s BBL season is complete after Hobart Hurricanes failed to make the finals, so he has a window to play in the UAE and has been brought in under the tournament’s wildcard system, which allows teams to sign two additional players beyond the original limit of 22.David plays for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and MI New York in the MLC, all owned by the same group.Related

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The ILT20, which starts on Friday, runs until February 18, with Australia’s three T20Is against West Indies taking place between February 9 and 13 in Hobart, Adelaide and Perth. The squad is expected to be named next week.David had a poor BBL with just 112 runs at 16.00 and a strike rate of 134.93 in nine innings but will likely remain in the selectors’ plans ahead of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA in June. In 19 T20Is for Australia, he averages 24.21 with a strike rate of 157.57David Warner, who has arrived in the UAE for his stint with Dubai Capitals, will definitely have to cut short his time at the league, with chair of selectors George Bailey confirming earlier this month that he would be selected to face West Indies.David has previously missed Australia T20I duty during 2022 to play in a franchise league, but he now holds a central contract having earned an upgrade last year by playing enough games.”I think that’s the same with all our Australian contracted players. If they’re going to be selected in a squad then they’re available,” Bailey said earlier this month regarding Warner. “If they’re not then it depends on what sort of domestic cricket responsibilities they have.”Marcus Stoinis, meanwhile, has gone to South Africa to play for Durban’s Super Giants in the SA20, but will also return to face West Indies.Australia then have another three T20Is in New Zealand later in February, their last before the T20 World Cup in June. However, a number of key players, including Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, have IPL deals, which the selectors view as an ideal build-up.England batter Dan Lawrence is another wildcard signing for the ILT20 having joined Desert Vipers.