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Ben Stokes, the England allrounder, has put his name up for next month’s IPL auction in an attempt to use the experience of playing in overseas T20 leagues to expand his game. Should he land a deal, he will become the third player from the current English side, after captain Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler, to feature in the lucrative eight-team tournament.Stokes’ only tryst with a foreign league came in 2014-15, when he was left out of England’s World Cup squad following a prolonged slump in form, and was instead signed by Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash as a replacement for the injured Jesse Ryder. He made an immediate impact by smashing a 37-ball 77 in his opening match against Hobart Hurricanes, and finished the season as Renegades’ third-highest run-getter with 128 runs from four innings.Stokes’ stock in India soared during last year’s World T20, when he was one of the stars of England’s inspired run to the final (albeit he bore the brunt of Carlos Brathwaite’s unforgettable onslaught in the decisive over in Kolkata), and his aptitude in Asian conditions was again demonstrated before Christmas when he starred with bat and ball in the Tests and ODIs against Bangladesh, before carrying some of that form into an otherwise tough Test series against India.”This year’s IPL is a chance, not just for myself, but a few of the other English guys to go ahead and experience what it’s like. Get a different side of T20 cricket, rather than just play in England,” Stokes said in Pune, in the lead-up to the first ODI against India on Sunday. “I won’t say I am lucky, but in terms of the English summer, it is quite hard to get away and go and experience what it is like to play in these foreign T20 leagues.”Stokes’ enthusiasm for foreign leagues comes at a time when the ECB is keen to launch a high-profile T20 league of its own from 2020. An ECB delegation recently met with Big Bash authorities to study the successful BBL model and absorb the right lessons while, at a playing level, Trevor Bayliss’s tenure as coach has enhanced the sense that white-ball cricket is at last being treated as an equal priority.”It’s one of the things that we want to happen in England… to become like a franchise sort of thing,” Stokes said. “Many of the countries are doing it, so we’re looking forward to seeing if I get a chance to go and see what it’s all about.”Referring to the positive appraisals of players who have been part of the Big Bash or the IPL, Stokes said English players, and as an extension, the team would be better for the experience. “You end up playing against the best players in the world, albeit in T20 cricket. But, look at the guys who’ve gone away and played franchise cricket in Australia and India as well, they’ve all come back and said very, very good things – said it has massively helped their cricket,” he said.”The guys you get to work with as well, not just players but coaches as well. They’ve all come away with really good experience and they’ve all said they think they’ve become better players from doing that. The more chances that we get, I think that is going to do us a world of good.”England have a packed season of white-ball cricket leading up to the Champions Trophy, with three ODIs in the Caribbean in March, a two-match ODI series against Ireland in the first week of May, followed by three ODIs against South Africa. There is also a training camp planned in mid-May. In the event of Stokes securing an IPL contract, he said he was comfortable with being asked to cut short his league commitments to report for the ODIs.”I am an England player. So the decision will get made on what would happen then,” he said. “I’ll just go with whatever… if they feel that it is best for the English guys who go out there to stay over there, then we’ll follow that. And if they want us to come back to represent England, which is what our job is to do, then we’ll come back and have no complaints.”

Joe Root has been named as England’s Test captain, succeeding Alastair Cook, who last week stepped down after four years in the job.Root, 26, had been the frontrunner to follow Cook in the Test role, having been made vice-captain in 2015. He met with Andrew Strauss, England’s director of cricket, last week and was offered the job over the weekend but will have to wait five months for his first outing as captain, when England host South Africa in July.There were few serious alternatives to Root, who has emerged as England’s star batsman since making his debut under Cook in 2012. Ben Stokes has been confirmed as Root’s new vice-captain. The appointments had been widely anticipated, with England leaving for a one-day series in the West Indies next week.”It is a huge honour to be given the England Test captaincy,” Root said. “I feel privileged, humbled and very excited.”We have a very good group of players and I’m looking forward to leading them out in the summer, building on Alastair’s achievements and making the most of our talents in the years ahead. The senior guys in the changing room play a very influential role and whilst there’s a natural progression for me it’s a huge support to know that they are there to help and advise.”Strauss chose to give Root more responsibility when taking over as director of cricket two summers ago and he was pleased that the Yorkshire batsman had immediately accepted the promotion to captain, described him as “the right man” to succeed Cook.Strauss said: “Joe has shown a number of admirable qualities in his Test career so far. Making his debut in 2012 at the age of 21 and going on to establish himself as one of the premier batsmen in all forms of the game in such a short period of time demonstrates his drive, determination, cricketing intelligence and an ability to learn that will serve him well in his new role.”He is universally respected by his team-mates, passionate about driving the Test team forward and extremely excited about the prospect of leading his country.”I’m also delighted that Ben Stokes will take over from Joe as vice-captain of the team. He has real presence and influence within the team environment that serve as a great source of support for Joe. I have no doubts that the responsibility will also help Ben to continue his rapid rise as a world class allrounder.”Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, called Root as the “perfect choice” to be England’s 80th Test captain. “When I spoke to him last night you could feel the excitement and sense the pride – he can’t wait to get started,” Graves said.”Joe is a fine player and a fine person who has the respect of the players, the selectors and all at the ECB. He also has a changing room with experienced players and leaders who will support him from the start.”The role of Test captain is an honour and a responsibility which he thoroughly deserves. Joe has maturity beyond his years and having seen him develop at Yorkshire over the last ten years I know his qualities well.”I offer my congratulations to Joe for becoming Test captain and, once again, my thanks to Alastair Cook for the way he has developed the team, the timing of his decision and the platform he has given his successor.”Root inherits a talented side from Cook but one that has, in its previous captain’s words, “stagnated” over recent months. England lost eight of the 17 Tests they played in 2016, including six of the most recent eight. Cook admitted a “new voice” was required in the dressing room.While Root has little captaincy experience – he has led for only four first-class games – he is respected by his peers as a senior player and had been the team’s vice-captain. It would have been a major surprise had he not been appointed. Stuart Broad, one potential candidate for the position, described Root as “ideal” for the role, while Stokes has previously suggested he harboured few captaincy aspirations. “You have to be boring like Cooky if you want to be captain,” he said when asked about the role on the recent tour of India.There may also be some concerns over Root’s workload. As a key batsman in all three formats of the game – and as a new father – the demands on his time and energy are already substantial. But he can point to the example of Virat Kohli, in particular, and argue that the increased responsibility may improve his individual performance.Root will have some time to settle into his new role. England do not play Test cricket again until July, with a four-match series against South Africa and three-match series against West Indies providing time for Root to shape his new team before an Ashes tour towards the end of the year.His relationship with the coach, Trevor Bayliss, may prove crucial. While Cook and Bayliss did not always appear to be in unison over England’s style of play, it is anticipated that Root will adopt a bolder, more aggressive approach that may be more to Bayliss’ liking.

Group BSpin got the better of Barbados in Bridgetown, consigning them to a 74-run loss against Jamaica. Offspinner John Campbell was wrecker-in-chief, taking four top and middle-order wickets as Barbados looked to chase 256. He was ably assisted by fellow offspinner Damani Sewell and left-arm spinner Nikita Miller; in all the three slow men accounted for nine wickets, as Barbados fell to 181 all out in 40.2 overs despite opener Kraigg Brathwaite and No. 3 Shai Hope getting fifties.Jamaica had chosen to bat and were off to a fine start courtesy their openers Chadwick Walton and Steven Taylor. The pair put on 99 in partnership, and though Barbados struck regularly after they were separated, the platform was enough to carry Jamaica past 250. For Barbados, too, spin was the biggest weapon, with offspinner Ashley Nurse claiming top honours with 3 for 38 in his 10.The loss ended Barbados’ six-match winning streak in the tournament, but they still lead the Group B points table with a five-point advantage over Jamaica. The five points Jamaica took from the game clinched a spot for them in the semi-finals, putting them five points clear of Guyana with a game in hand.Guyana romped to an eight-wicket win against ICC Americas, knocking off their target of 171 with eight wickets and 131 balls to spare. ICC Americas chose to bat and lost their openers within the first five overs. Three of their middle order got into the 30s, but none could kick on, as left-arm pacer Raymon Reifer and legspinner Devendra Bishoo picked up three apiece.Guyana’s openers Shimron Hetmyer and Assad Fudadin put the result beyond doubt with a 142-run stand in 22 overs. They fell in quick succession – Hetmyer six short of a maiden List-A ton – but Guyana got home without too much more bother in the 29th over.ICC Americas remain bottom of Group B, with just one win in six games. Guyana needed a Jamaica loss to remain alive for a chance at the semi-finals but instead end their tournament run in third place in Group B.

Shakib Al Hasan has said that a draw is the most realistic target for Bangladesh as they look to bat out the fifth day in Galle. He also said Bangladesh’s approach shouldn’t just be about defending balls, but also scoring runs to stay confident.Bangladesh have failed to survive the last day on two occasions since January already. In Wellington and Hyderabad, they made critical mistakes which enabled the opposition, New Zealand and India respectively, to dictate terms and win both Tests.They could also look at the previous Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Test for inspiration and direction. In that match, Bangladesh batted out 76.4 overs on the final day in Chittagong, thanks to four important partnerships including an unbroken 120-run stand between Shakib and Mominul Haque that sealed the draw.Shakib said that the batsmen should look at how Soumya Sarkar and Tamim Iqbal mixed caution with aggression in the 15 overs they batted on the fourth day in Galle, before bad light (and subsequent rain) ended play.”[The most realistic target is a] draw, since we still have 10 wickets,” Shakib said. “I think we need two or three partnerships, then a draw is possible. As I said, the first session is very important. The whole day will depend on how we play the first session.”Every batsman coming to the wicket has to try and bat long, and also score runs because that increases a batsman’s confidence and he becomes more comfortable. You cannot just defend or just attack. Everything has to be balanced, like the way Soumya batted today. He did not play any loose shots, but at the same time he had a good strike rate.”How Soumya Sarkar and Tamim Iqbal start the final day hold the key for Bangladesh•AFP

Shakib said that if the opening pair should continue in the same vein on the fifth morning, and stretch their unbroken 67-run partnership, then Bangladesh could look for a draw. Stressing on the importance of the first session on the final day, he said that playing each ball on merit will be the “normal” way to bat on a fifth-day pitch, but added that it would be hard work for every batsman that comes out to bat.”Tamim also batted very well. Maybe he did not get that many bad deliveries so he took a bit of time to score runs,” he said. “So we have a lot to learn from their [Tamim and Sarkar] batting. Hopefully they can repeat it tomorrow and those of us batting later can also repeat it, we can hope for a good result. The way the two are playing I don’t think they need to change. They will play according to the merit of the ball that is normal, they will try to follow the game plan we have.The whole team wants them [the opening pair] to bat as long as possible, then it becomes easier for the rest of the batsmen. Everyone will have to work very hard in this situation.”He said that they were also aware of the way the Galle pitch might behave on the final day, having seen the turn that was being generated from the scruffed up surface in the final session of the fourth day.”The fifth-day pitch may behave differently. The ball has started to turn a bit now so it may do more tomorrow. But I think our batsmen are capable and since we still have 10 wickets, we genuinely believe that if not a result, a draw is very possible.”

Gazi Group Cricketers took the top spot in the league with their sixth successive win, and handed Partex Sporting Club their sixth loss in six matches.After being invited to bat, Partex posted a competitive 270 for 9 on the back of half-centuries from opener Jatin Saxena and middle-order batsman Irfan Sukkur. Hossain Ali and Abu Hider picked up two wickets each for Gazi Group.They started the chase positively with openers Anamul Haque and Jahurul Islam adding 68 for the first wicket. Jahurul moved to 96, including 11 fours and a six, before retiring hurt. He did not return to bat, but a chain of cameos from the middle and lower order helped Gazi Group seal the chase with four wickets and six balls to spare. For Partex, Raijbul Islam and Jubair Ahmed took two wickets each.Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club ran up 309 for 7 and crushed Brothers Union by 92 runs in Fatullah. Their fourth successive victory took them to third place with 10 points.It was Prashant Chopra who laid the foundation for the win with his fourth List A century, which contained seven fours and three sixes. Legspinner Tanbir Hayder, who has played two ODIs for Bangladesh, then derailed the chase with his first five-wicket haul in List A cricket.Chopra was assisted by Fazle Mahmud, who made 78 off 75 balls, and Abdullah Al Mamun, who made 59 off 54 balls. Then they went from 277 for 2 to 300 for 7, but the late collapse did not cost them in the end.Brothers Union had a brisk start in their chase with openers Mizanur Rahman and Junaid Siddique adding 49 in seven overs. Farhad Hossain, the No. 3 batsman, sustained the momentum with his seventh List A fifty, but the middle order and the lower order crumbled. They were eventually bowled out for 217 in 43.5 overs.Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity picked up their second win of the season after thumping Victoria Sporting Club by 57 runs at the BKSP-3 ground in Savar. Victoria, winless in six matches, are on the verge of being relegated.After being sent in, Khelaghar piled on 303 for 7 with opener Robiul Islam Robi scoring his first List A century – 107 off 115 balls, including 15 fours and one six. He added 102 for the first wicket with Salauddin Pappu who hammered five sixes and as many fours in his 51-ball 60. Robi then added 64 for the fourth wicket with Nazimuddin before Masum Khan (31*) and Dolar Mahmud (25) made cameos to push the total past 300.Rubel Mia, who took three wickets with his offspin, then struck six fours in his 46 and gave Victoria a good start in their chase. The middle over, however, could not build on his work. Arafat Sunny later struck three sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 47 off 41 balls, but it only served to reduce the margin of defeat. Suraj Randiv took three wickets while Tanvir Islam picked up two wickets for Khelaghar.

Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma will miss India’s first Champions Trophy warm-up match, against New Zealand on Sunday. Yuvraj is down with viral fever, while Rohit will join the squad on Sunday. Both are expected to be ready for India’s second warm-up match, against Bangladesh on May 30.Yuvraj and Rohit were the only two players to miss the two training sessions India have had in the last two days: Friday, at Lord’s, and Saturday, at The Oval.The BCCI sent out a medical update on Yuvraj, stating he was making “steady progress” after he woke up feeling crook on Friday morning. After undergoing tests, Yuvraj was advised rest. “The BCCI Medical Team confirms that Indian allrounder Yuvraj Singh who is presently down with viral fever is making steady progress,” a media release said. “There are no major health concerns and he is recuperating well, to the satisfaction of the medical team.”Rohit had got permission from the team management to attend a family wedding on Saturday. He was booked on a late night flight to join the team the next day.After the two warm-ups, India will travel to Birmingham, where they play Pakistan in their first match on June 4.

Tour schedule

• First Test: July 26-30, Galle

• Second Test – August 3-7, SSC

• Third Test – August 12-16, Pallekele

• First ODI: August 20, Dambulla

• Second ODI: August 24, Pallekele

• Third ODI: August 27, Pallekele

• Fourth ODI: August 31, Khettarama

• Fifth ODI: September 3, Khettarama

• Only T20: September 6, Khettarama

India’s full tour of Sri Lanka, which features three Tests, five ODIs and a T20I, will begin in Galle on July 26, according to an SLC press release.No practice matches have been announced so far, but the internationals themselves go until September 6, when the T20I is scheduled to be played at Khettarama.After the first Test in Galle, the action moves to the SSC in Colombo, before the final Test is set for Pallekele – a venue that has never hosted an India Test. One ODI is scheduled for Dambulla, and two each for Pallekele and Khettarama. No matches are due to be played in Hambantota, which is presently hosting the last three Zimbabwe ODIs.Sri Lanka last hosted India in 2015, though that was only for a Test series, which India won 2-1. Sri Lanka have since slipped in the rankings, sliding to seventh in Tests, eighth in ODIs, and eighth in T20Is, where India are first, third and fourth respectively.

The unexpected 2-3 home series loss to Zimbabwe is “one of the lowest points” of Angelo Mathews’ career, and may in fact prompt the re-evaluation of his captaincy. Two days ago, Mathews hinted he may not be Sri Lanka’s captain during the 2019 World Cup, but an unexpected series loss to the 11th-ranked ODI side has his leadership draw particular scrutiny.”It’s one of the lowest points in my career, and a hard one to swallow,” Mathews said. “Everything went against us, from the toss to misreading the wicket. But there are no excuses. At the end of the day we were not good enough to beat them. They played better cricket.”Under Mathews, Sri Lanka have won an away Test series against England, and a home Test series against Australia – two of Sri Lanka’s greatest triumphs in the format – but they have been largely poor in ODI cricket since the last World Cup. They have defeated Ireland and West Indies under Mathews, but have lost home series against Pakistan, Australia and now Zimbabwe. Mathews said he would seek consultation before making a firm decision on his captaincy future.”Still haven’t thought about stepping down,” he said. “There’s time. I’ll give it a bit more thought and talk to the selectors. I haven’t decided anything yet.”Though they have won T20 series against depleted South Africa and Australia squads, Sri Lanka have not won an ODI or Test series this year. Their performances on the South Africa tour and the group-stage exit at the Champions Trophy came under particular fire.”We have not been consistent,” Mathews said. “The pressure is on all of us. The more we lose, the more pressure we are under. There is no solution for that and the only solution is winning. We try to win games, but we commit too many mistakes.”On Monday, Mathews largely dwelt on a substandard batting effort after Sri Lanka scored only 203 in the series decider and ended up losing by three wickets. Danushka Gunathilaka hit a pained fifty, and Asela Gunaratne scored a smart 59 not out – much of it in the company of the tail. However, the top order had failed to break the shackles Zimbabwe’s spinners had imposed on them and were bailed out, to an extent, by the 50-run ninth-wicket stand between Gunaratne and Dushmantha Chameera.”We did well with the bat in the last four games, but this game we were awful with the bat. If we could have got to 235, we could have done well. It was a flop today. There was some turn for the spinners in the beginning, but our eventual score wasn’t enough. We have a lot of improvements to make.”Despite the dispiriting defeat, Sri Lanka have little time to lick their wounds. The one-off Test against Zimbabwe begins on Friday, before a full tour against India kicks off on July 26.”We have an India series coming up, but before that, we have the Test against Zimbabwe to talk about. The Indian series will be even tougher. In a small period we have to fix our problems. As a team we did do the training, but nothing is working in the middle.”

Lalit Modi, the former IPL commissioner, has announced his decision to quit all cricket administration “for now”, and has stepped aside from the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) by resigning as president of the Nagaur District Association.In his letter to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri, Modi wrote that the system was bigger than the individual and requested the board to release the funds due to the RCA. Modi, 53, was expelled from the BCCI in 2013 and has been in exile owing to money laundering charges by the Enforcement Directorate of India.The RCA, on the other hand, has remained suspended by the BCCI since the election of Modi as the state body’s president in 2014. The board had warned that the RCA’s suspension would continue until Modi was removed from the post and also from the primary bodies of the state association. The suspension meant that RCA could no longer access BCCI’s funds. Cricket in the state suffered subsequently, with an ad-hoc committee of the BCCI running the show.However, while Modi continued to head the Nagaur District Association, his son, Ruchir Modi, contested and lost the elections for the RCA’s presidency to veteran politician CP Joshi. Eventually, Modi decided that it was time to move on and posted a copy of his letter on Twitter, late on August 11.”As I hand over the baton, I want to thank everyone in my team over the past two decades at Rajasthan and the BCCI,” Modi wrote in his letter to Johri. “We had some great times sculpting and putting together the future of Indian cricket. Now that the future is here, let’s hope BCCI and RCA set higher goals. But for Rajasthan to aim higher, we need funds from the BCCI which is our rightful share.”I have done my part for the betterment of Rajasthan cricket, and now it is your turn to honor your part of the promise. I repose my faith in you and the BCCI to do the right thing. I would, therefore, request you to release the funds due to RCA as soon as possible. I believe it was blocked precisely because of my presence. With my exit from all forms of cricket, at all levels, for ever, I think RCA deserves to reclaim their share and presence on the Indian cricket map. I hope the BCCI under your stewardship lives up to that promise.”Ahead of the 2017-18 domestic season, Modi’s exit has offered a glimmer of hope to the RCA, which seeks a return to the mainstream. While a BCCI official agreed that “it paves the way for it”, he said that there was a process in place that needed to be adhered to. “First, all the things for the revocation of suspension are to be done,” he told ESPNcricinfo.

“It’s not working.”That’s a line captains wish never to say, but Steven Smith had little choice when asked how he felt sitting in the dressing room watching Australia slide to defeat at Eden Gardens by 50 runs.A wrist-spinner picked up a hat-trick, the openers fell cheaply, there was only one partnership that crossed fifty and this after they had restricted India to 252 in the blazing heat of Kolkata.Australia lost five wickets for 42 runs in 10 overs between the 23rd and 33rd. And it took Smith back to previous collapses, in the Dhaka Test when they were 158 for 2 and then 244 all out, falling 20 runs short. In the Hobart Test, when they were knocked over for 85 and 161. During the Sri Lanka tour, when they crumbled for 161 in Pallekele, 106 and 183 in Galle, and, finally, even after two top-order batsmen made centuries in Colombo, they fell from 316 for 4 to 379 all out.”It’s happening bit too often for my liking, to be honest with you, in all forms of cricket,” Smith said. “We’ve had a lot of collapses we need to stop. It’s just easy to just sit here and say it needs to stay but when you get out in the middle, you’ve to change what you’re doing because it’s not working.”So … watching the ball closer. Maybe the guys are trying to watch the ball too closely and forgetting about just playing the game. It’s a hard one to put my finger on. But whatever it is, it needs to change and we need to make better decisions and start playing properly because we’re having too many collapses and it’s not good enough.”

Hardik run-out incident ‘no problem’

Steven Smith was front and centre as a dramatic episode unfolded in the 48th over of India’s innings. Hardik Pandya had skied a full toss to the Australian captain, who caught it, but anticipating the prospect of it being called a waist-high no-ball, and seeing that India were in the process of taking a single, he threw the ball to the bowler’s end in hopes of effecting a run-out.
However, since the umpires hadn’t ruled it a no-ball on the field, Hardik thought he was out caught and therefore was walking off the field, and as such became protected under Law 27.7.
“We thought… it was just play on,” Smith said when asked about his thoughts on the incident. “Didn’t realise it was dead ball if he didn’t choose to run. I think Bhuvi was running, he knew what was going on but Hardik turned around and went the other way. So we just thought the ball was still in play. They’ve said the rules that if they think it’s out, they go off and it’s a dead ball. It’s fine. No problem.”

Smith would not have wanted to be in a position where he had to admit such shortcomings, especially not in his 100th ODI. He produced an excellent half-century, weathering Bhuvneshwar Kumar in top form and even keeping Kuldeep Yadav at bay. He strung a partnership of 76 runs with Travis Head for the third wicket but when that was broken – off a full toss – Australia started to sink. That they managed to get to 202 after being 148 for 8 was down to Marcus Stoinis adding another lone hand to his Eden Park epic.”We should be getting the target of 253 on that wicket. We made many poor decisions again. Under pressure, we are not executing our skills well enough. We are losing wickets in clumps which we can’t afford to do.”One of our top four has to go on and make a big score. Heady and I were the two guys who got in and we weren’t able to do so. A lot of the blame falls on us. We got a good little partnership there. We turn 70 into a 140 then the game’s closed. We just weren’t able to do it.”Kuldeep had fun against a batting line-up going through such turmoil, dismissing Matthew Wade, Ashton Agar and Pat Cummins to complete a hat-trick. When asked if Australia are struggling to read the left-arm wrist-spinner, Smith said, “I’m not sure. I think we played him reasonably well at times today. Just the last few overs our tail-enders probably couldn’t play him as well as the batters. I felt quite comfortable against him today. We just weren’t able to go on and close the game out.”The guys have trained and trained really well. It’s now about getting in the middle and executing those when you are under pressure. Not panicking as such. I think we panicked last game a little bit. This game we just couldn’t get the partnerships, we are just making silly errors. We can’t allow to do so under a quality line-up like India. Stoinis played very well, didn’t panic, was nice and calm and played good cricket shots. Was nice and positive with his intent. We just needed someone in the top four to go on and if we do that the result could have different.”