All posts by h716a5.icu

Gloucestershire were skittled for 156 and then lost a wicket following on after Daryl Mitchell’s 167 had taken the visitors to 395

Paul Edwards at Cheltenham College22-Jul-2014
ScorecardMitchell McClenaghan provided an immediate spark on his Worcestershire debut•AFP”Have we reversed the batting order?” It is one of the most scornful questions a side’s top order can hear. Yet as Craig Miles and Tom Smith added 54 runs for Gloucestershire’s ninth wicket in relatively untroubled fashion after tea on the second day of this game, one might conclude that the barbed enquiry had validity.The pair had come together with their team’s score on 68 for 8, replying to Worcestershire’s 395 and their unflustered response to the chaos placed the efforts of senior colleagues in a harsh light. And when Smith and Liam Norwell added a further 34 for the last wicket before Norwell skied Joe Leach to long leg Charlie Morris, the last two wickets had more than doubled their side’s score. Smith was unbeaten on 41 and may have been wondering whether No. 9 was his rightful position.If so, he soon had the chance to find out what life was like at No. 3. Gloucestershire’s late resistance had not come close to saving the follow-on and the home side lost captain Michael Klinger for the second time in four hours when he nicked the distinctly rapid Morris to Ben Cox. Smith and Will Tavaré survived to close of play but the day still ended with the batsmen surrounded by a choir of slips, their full-throated evensong of appeals echoing in the still air.Indeed, to focus exclusively on Gloucestershire’s limitations would deny the excellence of Daryl Mitchell’s attack as it began the post-Ajmal period of the season by claiming full bowling bonus points for the 24th match in succession. In particular, it would ignore the very different cutting edge supplied by the recruitment of the New Zealand fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan, who removed both openers, either side of lunch, and led the Worcestershire line with ferocious gusto.Bowling with pentecostal fire from the Chapel End, McClenaghan produced a savage lifter to Klinger which the opener edged high to first slip’s right, only for wicketkeeper Cox to leap across a take a stunning catch in one gauntlet. After the break, the fast bowler brought one back off the seam to burst through Tavaré’s defences.The following over, Alex Gidman played all across a full-length ball from Morris and Ian Cockbain drove the next delivery firmly back to the bowler, who deflected it on to the stumps, thus running out Hamish Marshall for nought without facing a ball. That left Gloucestershire on 15 for 4 in the tenth over; the wheels were rapidly coming off their innings.An hour or so later the back axle and the gear box had gone too: Cockbain and Will Gidman added 38 before Gidman obligingly turned Jack Shantry to Tom Fell at leg slip; then Cockbain, having batted soundly for 94 minutes and 25 runs, nicked Joe Leach to second slip. Cox’s stumping of Benny Howell off Shaaiq Choudhry, and Adam Rouse’s lbw to Morris completed the afternoon rout.All of which made it a grim day to be a Gloucestershire supporter and the decision to hold a members’ forum with the county’s hierarchy immediately after stumps seemed a particularly bad piece of scheduling. One rather expected the close of play public address announcement about the event to be accompanied with a reminder that the construction of gibbets was forbidden on the College Ground and that flammable materials could not be taken into the meeting.Yet this game has already provided plenty of evidence why Worcestershire deserve to lead Division Two and the morning session offered another example of Mitchell’s remarkable ability to bat precisely according to his side’s needs. Undefeated on 102 overnight, his runs earned over six hours and 228 balls, Mitchell added 65 to his score in a shade over 90 minutes early on the second day, taking three fours off a Will Gidman over and lifting the ball sublimely and safely into the vacant expanse on the leg side.Norwell and Miles suffered, too, the latter being hit for a six over square leg which scattered the refined crowd in front of the pavilion and maybe prompted the rapid abandonment of a few pre-lunch sharpeners. Invigorated by their captain’s example, the other Worcestershire batsmen offered stout support, no one more so than McClenaghan who helped him put on 61 for the ninth wicket. After the New Zealander had been stumped off Smith, Morris made an obdurate duck, batting for half an hour while Mitchell made a little hay at the other end.When Mitchell returned to the pavilion with 167 not out against his name, spectators in every stand, marquee and corporate junket stood to applaud. This was Mitchell’s third century on the College Ground, where his average is 115. His 167 not out makes him highest run-scorer in the country.Those who decry his achievement because his runs have been scored against second-tier attacks might do Mitchell the courtesy of watching him bat; they would see one of the most accomplished and well-organised batsmen in the country in the best form of his career. It really is not unknown for such cricketers to play in Test matches.

Rain and an unbeaten seventh-wicket stand of 85 runs between Rob Taylor and Jigar Naik put a dent in Surrey’s promotion ambitions as Leicestershire held out for a draw in their encounter at Grace Road

Press Association18-Aug-2014
ScorecardJigar Naik helped Leicestershire to safety•PA PhotosRain and an unbeaten seventh-wicket stand of 85 runs between Rob Taylor and Jigar Naik put a dent in Surrey’s promotion ambitions as Leicestershire held out for a draw in their encounter at Grace Road.Surrey declared their second innings on 279 for 5 after batting on and adding 62 runs in six overs at the start of the day.That left Leicestershire to chase a victory target of 387 in a minimum of 88 overs. But they lost four wickets for 99 runs and were 140 for four when a torrential downpour in mid-afternoon caused a two-hour stoppage and the loss of 32 overs.When play finally resumed Surrey needed to take six wickets in the remaining 22 overs to secure the victory they needed to keep their second-placed position.But they could manage only two, as Taylor and Naik joined forces in a unbeaten partnership that spanned 19 overs. Taylor finished on 40 off 51 balls with seven fours while Naik was 42 off 66 balls with seven boundaries when the sides shook hands on a draw with Leicestershire on 232 for 6.The draw earned Surrey 13 points but saw them slip behind Hampshire into third place. Hampshire and Essex have a game in hand on Surrey.Although they held an overnight lead of 324, Surrey decided to bat on and some big hitting from Jason Roy and Steven Davies saw them take the total to 279 for 5 before declaring with Roy unbeaten on 44.Leicestershire were soon losing wickets with Stuart Meaker uprooting Angus Robson’s leg stump, having Greg Smith caught behind and Matt Boyce taken at backward short leg fending off a bouncer.At the same time Meaker was expensive conceding 89 runs in 13 overs, with Dan Redfern in particular tucking into some short pitched deliveries.The introduction of Gareth Batty’s offspin brought Surrey their fourth wicket with Ned Eckersley popping up an easy bat-pad catch.Redfern reached his half century off 48 balls with 10 fours just before the rain arrived. He was out for 64 on the resumption, caught at mid-on off a mistimed pull against Meaker and Niall O’Brien was brilliantly caught at slip by Roy off Batty.At that point Surrey still looked favourites to win but Taylor and Naik kept them at bay. Meaker finished with figures of 4 for 146 in 21 overs.Disappointed Surrey captain Gary Wilson said: “It was frustrating the way the rain came in as it did, and now we must look to win our two remaining games and hope other results go in our favour.”

The PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has expressed disappointment with Shahid Afridi’s comments after the third ODI in Abu Dhabi

Umar Farooq14-Oct-2014The PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has expressed disappointment with Shahid Afridi’s comments after the third ODI in Abu Dhabi.Afridi, in the post-match press conference, had mentioned that he came to know about his being named the stand-in captain through the media. And when asked if he would like to continue as the one-day captain until the World Cup, Afridi had said, “I think whoever is captain – Misbah or me – we should know about it. If I am to captain in the World Cup then I should know about it.”With Misbah-ul-Haq having said that he wasn’t a given to lead the side at the World Cup, Afridi’s statement had added to growing doubts about who would lead Pakistan in the World Cup, but Shaharyar dismissed them stating Misbah had the boards backing to lead Pakistan in the World Cup. The PCB in a release last month had stated that Misbah would lead Pakistan at the World Cup.”I want to tell you categorically that it’s incorrect (the uncertainty),” Shaharyar said. “The PCB has nominated Misbah as captain until the World Cup and there’s no change in it. Whether Misbah played the third ODI or not, the board recognises Misbah as the captain of Pakistan until the World Cup”I am disappointed that Shahid Afridi said few irresponsible things in his press conference. We are looking into it. Whether he breached code or not, the statement he gave had people in doubts and I see it as very unfortunate.””There are those who talk about Afridi as captain, but it’s the selectors who have to think if he deserves to be in the team in first place or not. I see an improvement in his bowling, but his batting… you know how it is.”Shaharyar was also unsure about Moin taking on dual responsibility. In addition to travelling with the team as its manager, Moin is also the chief selector. “I am against the two slots Moin is occupying, but I am not the one who will undo the previous decisions, we will follow corporate culture and after consulting with experts I will take decisions.”One thing you should keep in mind that when I came in I said continuity and stability are the two principles which I would follow.”Pakistan have been in a prolonged slump. They lost both the Test and ODI series in Sri Lanka and their batting was found wanting in the matches Australia, including them failing to score the requisite two runs to win off the final over in Abu Dhabi.Shaharyar noted that some of the players are unable to handle pressure and said it was the player’s responsibility to rectify that and not the coach’s.”Winning and losing are part of the game. We have lost the last two series. I know it’s not the right time to question the team’s performance and it won’t be beneficial,” he said. “We should have won two matches and in the last match we couldn’t score two runs in the last over. Irresponsible batting, irresponsible strokes.”They [Moin and company] select on their judgment, I don’t interfere in the selection, while selecting players you have to see the crisis management and I think few of the players are failing on it.”

USA opening batsman Sushil Nadkarni has secured the necessary visa to travel to Malaysia and join the USA squad for ICC WCL Division Three.

Peter Della Penna21-Oct-2014USA opening batsman Sushil Nadkarni has secured the necessary visa to travel to Malaysia and join the USA squad for ICC WCL Division Three. However, he is unlikely to be available for USA’s opening match of the tournament on Thursday against Bermuda.According to a USACA source, Nadkarni received his passport back from the Malaysian Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday and boarded a flight later in the day from Houston, Texas to begin the journey to Malaysia. He is not expected to land in Kuala Lumpur until Thursday morning.It means USA will need to find an alternative to join Steven Taylor at the top of the order for the curtain-raiser against Bermuda. USA lost to Bermuda by five wickets in the final match of the round-robin phase for the previous WCL Division Three tournament last year in Bermuda, a game which Nadkarni missed due to injury. It was USA’s first loss to Bermuda in ICC tournament play since 2005.

Shafiul Islam can stake a claim to some more bowling after his attacking intent in the Zimbabwe first innings fetched him two wickets

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong15-Nov-2014Given the bruised and battered state of pitch at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, only a brave soul would predict that the Bangladeshi pace bowlers will have a say on the final day of the third Test.Despite the overhead conditions and playing surface in this game, the two sets of pace bowlers have actually given a decent account of themselves. Tinashe Panyangara is the third highest wicket-taker in the series and the top among pace bowlers while Shafiul Islam was steady in the first innings here.Only Shahadat Hossain has had some success at this venue, taking 22 Test wickets, second only to Shakib Al Hasan’s 40 wickets. In first-class cricket, it is Chittagong’s Tareq Aziz who has taken most first-class wickets at this venue which is a huge credit for a pace bowler.Among Bangladesh’s current attack, Shafiul has taken six wickets previously while Rubel Hossain has five in six first-class games. So both pace bowlers will likely be having less focus on them on the fifth day, as it is certain that Mushfiqur Rahim’s prime concern would be to take the maximum out of Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam and Jubair Hossain in the remaining 90 overs.Shafiul can however stake a claim to some more bowling after his attacking intent in the Zimbabwe first innings fetched him two wickets. His figures of 2 for 50 from 18 overs broke two partnerships. He first removed Hamilton Masakadza when the second wicket stand had risen to 160 runs on the third morning and later picked up Regis Chakabva’s wicket when his 113-run sixth wicket partnership with Elton Chigumbura was looking threatening. Shafiul used a straight line and a lot of patience to pick up the two wickets.”My goal was to make him [Masakadza] play straight,” Shafiul said. “I set a field with five on the on-side so if I bowled on the fourth stump, he would have found boundaries quite easily. So I tried to bowl it as straight as possible and I got the wicket. It was the same with the second wicket. I tried to keep him playing straight and waited for the mistake.”Wearing pitch has Mominul hoping

Mominul Haque said that the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury pitch has broken up considerably, which will encourage the Bangladesh spinners. The last time a side had batted here on the fifth day, they lost only three wickets and saved the Test.
“I think it might be challenging but at the same time, we have to give importance to the first session and particularly the first two hours. There are a lot of rough areas on the fourth and fifth-day pitch, as there usually are, it is the same here.
Mominul said that Taijul Islam has started off well in the fourth innings, though the only wicket to fall on the fourth evening was Brian Chari, to Rubel Hossain.
“Taijul Islam has started bowling well, he has found good areas so hopefully if our bowlers can continue that, we can have a positive result. It is not the same wicket [as the one against Sri Lanka in February]. There was less turn on that surface.”

“I tried to bowl stump to stump. As simple as that. I wanted the batsmen to make the mistakes, by continuing to bowl at the stumps. If they make one mistake, I would have a chance. Fortunately, I took two wickets and on both occasions the umpires gave the decision.”But given the conditions, Shafiul had to have a surviving mentality, so that the captain wouldn’t take him out of the attack and hand the ball to a spinner. He said that his confidence is now much better than the time immediately after recovering from injury earlier this year.”I started off by trying to cut off the runs. I wanted to give them as few as possible,” Shafiul said. “If I gave away too many runs, then I would be taken out of the attack. I just had to be patient. That’s the key in this pitch. If you are patient, you will be rewarded.”I had lost all my confidence through the ankle and shoulder injuries,” he said. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to bowl with the same pace or energy. But I slowly came back. First it was the rehab and then the first-class matches. I made a comeback in the West Indies, and I retained my place here.”Panyangara has been the standout pace bowler in the series. He has taken at least one wicket in each of the six innings in Dhaka, Khulna and Chittagong, with his best performance being the 5 for 59 in the first innings of the first Test.But he was not prepared to rate any of his performances because of his team’s dire state. He said bowling in Chittagong was quite tricky as it gave the bowler with very little margin for error. “So far all of them are on the same level because we haven’t won yet,” Panyangara said. “Whenever we win and if I have done well, I will put that on top. Since I haven’t done well, nothing is on top.”I think it was a bit tricky to bowl on this. Sometimes the ball was going through a bit and then other times it wasn’t going through as much,” he said. “It is a very good batting wicket, as a bowler you have to be very disciplined which is not the easiest of things against the Bangladeshi batting line-up. It is a challenge at the same time.”If there is a pace bowling picking up wickets, be assured that he will have to bowl with utmost discipline, particularly in the span of 90 overs.

Zaheer Khan has not been considered for Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy opener against Jammu & Kashmir, to be played at the Wankhede stadium from December 7

Amol Karhadkar29-Nov-2014Zaheer Khan has not been considered for Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy opener against Jammu & Kashmir, to be played at the Wankhede stadium from December 7.It is understood that Zaheer is yet to report to the Mumbai Cricket Association physiotherapist and have a fitness test. Zaheer had resumed bowling in the nets, but is believed to be far from ready for competitive cricket. Zaheer has been out of action for more than six months after suffering a tendon injury on his bowling arm during IPL 2014.The Mumbai selectors have, meanwhile, appointed a young captain in Suryakumar Yadav, who will become the team’s fourth captain in 10 games. Last year, Abhishek Nayar, Rohit Sharma and Zaheer had led Mumbai during their Ranji campaign that ended with a quarter-final loss against Maharashtra. The selectors had approached veteran batsman Wasim Jaffer to take over the reins, but Jaffer declined and preferred to help groom a young captain.With Zaheer unfit, and Rohit and Ajinkya Rahane away on India duty, the selectors then had to choose between Suryakumar and Nayar for the captaincy. With Nayar having received flak for his lackluster captaincy against Jharkhand last year, the selectors handed over the charge to Suryakumar, who has previously led Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.Mumbai squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Nayar (vice-capt), Wasim Jaffer, Dhawal Kulkarni, Aditya Tare, Bravish Shetty, Kaustubh Pawar, Shreyas Iyer, Iqbal Abdulla, Vishal Dabholkar, Shardul Thakur, Javed Khan, Badre Alam, Kevin Almeida, Akshay Girap.

ESPNcricinfo previews the sixth ODI in Pallekele as England look to level the series and take it to a decider

Preview by Andrew McGlashan12-Dec-2014Match factsSaturday December 13, 2014
Start time 10.00am local (4.30am GMT)Big PictureEach time this series has threatened to slip away from England they have pulled their fortunes around with two excellent chases. The first ramped up to a bit of a thriller, finished off by Jos Buttler, but the second in Pallekelle was as clinical and controlled as many England have been on the receiving end of.The star on Thursday, on the second day of the two-day one-day international, was Joe Root, who continued to cement his position as the fulcrum of the ODI order at No. 4. His three hundreds have all come this year – in North Sound (with a broken thumb), at Headingley and now in Pallekele – and each of them has brought an England victory. Alastair Cook so often preaches the importance of one of the top four batting through an innings for three figures and though the captain is struggling to make it to the 20-over mark, Root is taking up some of the slack.The huge motivation for England is to make it back-to-back wins in Pallekele which would leave the series with a decider at the Premadasa on Tuesday, although England have not managed to win the capital yet on the trip (except for the warm-up match).Sri Lanka have not travelled well in this series, but a tightly-fought contest serves more worth with the World Cup closing in, when it comes to assessing character of fringe players. They will see the first Pallekele outing as missed opportunity as they were handed a bare, dry pitch which, due to the fact that the game went into a second day, was further baked under the sun. However, their spinners did not find a great amount of turn – certainly nothing greater than produced by James Tredwell or Moeen Ali.Form guide(last five matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka LWLWW
England WLWLLIn the spotlightThe beam is back on Alastair Cook – not that it was every really turned away. But slowly and surely during this series most of the England players have shown some sort of development, some minor but some hugely significant. Cook has just been treading water. On Thursday he cut his first ball for four, then prodded his way to 20 before missing a straight ball from Sachithra Senanayake.And talking of Sachithra Senanayake, he produced a superbly controlled and single-minded display on his return to the international scene since remodelling his action. He will have been especially grateful for the wild charge from Moeen Ali which handed him his first comeback wicket and through his 10 overs the control was miserly, conceding just one boundary. Apart from Moeen, none of the England batsman tried to really attack him, so it will be interesting to see how his action holds under an onslaught. But the signs are promising.Teams news*Sri Lanka have dropped Kusal Perera and Ajantha Mendis, with Dimuth Karunaratne, the Test match left-handed opener with just six ODI caps, brought into the squad. Angelo Mathews has hinted that Suranga Lakmal and Lakshan Sandakan could get their chance.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wkt), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Suranga Lakmal 11 Lakshan SandakanThere seems little reason for England to change their successful combination. The bowling attack has a good balance to it, although the lack of overs for Ravi Bopara remains a mystery.England (probable): 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Moeen Ali, 3 James Taylor, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Jos Buttler (wkt), 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Steven FinnPitch and conditionsIf conditions are similar to the first match England will not be overly concerned about the prospect of spin given how they handled the chase, although setting targets in such conditions has often provided very problematic. This is a day game, so hopefully there will be enough time to play enough overs before any thunderstorms arrive although there is another reserve day.Stats and trivia Joe Root has scored three ODI hundreds this calendar year – the record for an England player is four, by David Gower Root was only the third non-Sri Lankan to score a hundred at this stadium after Ross Taylor and Hashim AmlaSachithra Senanayake’s 2 for 35 on his comeback was his second-most economical 10-over spell in ODIsQuotes”He’s very snappy between the wickets. He reminds me of Scrappy from Scooby-Doo … he’s always nagging at your heels. We have good fun out in the middle, have a nice laugh and a joke.”
“The opening spots are still open. With the middle order, we are set. It’s just the spinners and fast bowlers we need to look at.”
*5.50pm: This story was update to reflect Sri Lanka’s confirmed squad

Can Sri Lanka’s experienced players in the squad make it count on the big stage? Will their impressive record in ICC tournaments continue?

05-Feb-2015Sri Lanka stunned the world by winning the World Cup in 1996, a mere 14 years after becoming a Test nation. Since then, they have come close on a couple of occasions, finishing runners-up in the last two editions. In this episode of Contenders, former India captain Rahul Dravid and former South Africa captain Graeme Smith analyse Sri Lanka’s chances of clinching a second title. Can the experienced players in the squad make it count on the big stage? Will their impressive record in ICC tournaments continue?What they said about…Impressive record in big tournaments
Smith: The thing about Sri Lanka is that they never get spoken about as favourites. Nobody ever goes into a tournament talking Sri Lanka up but they always find a way to be in contention and they’ve proven that over the years.
Dravid: The last two World Cups have been in the West Indies and India, so the conditions have suited them a little bit more. I think this could be their big challenge, the conditions and how they cope with it.Experience in the squad
Smith: Their high-performing cricketers are their experienced cricketers, who have been around for a really long time. You look around at Jayawardene, Dilshan, Sangakkara on the batting front, they still dominate the performances and that really gives the freedom to the younger generation.
Dravid: They are generally a very close-knit, good unit and very, very clear about what their roles are. They understand each others’ games really well, they understand each others’ strengths and weaknesses, and I think that makes a big difference.Malinga’s battle with injury
Dravid: He’s so critical to their side because one of the areas where Sri Lanka would struggle would be in bowling at the death. If you remove Malinga from that line-up and you look around, you don’t really see anyone else [who can bowl at the death].Mathews as captain
Smith: He’s put in performances to help Sri Lanka win games and I think as a captain, he’s [gaining more and more] respect around the world and certainly within his team now. He’s become a high-performing player, which will really help his leadership.Sangakkara’s impressive form
Smith: I think he doesn’t quite get the kudos [that] a lot of the other top players have achieved. Just an incredible cricketer and to watch, how he’s churned out the runs in the last year and a half is amazing.
Dravid: At this stage in his career to just keep churning out the runs, game after game, whichever format of the game you put him in [is incredible]. He seems to have hit a purple patch. So that’s brilliant from Sri Lanka’s point of view, they’ve got their best batsman in the best form of his life.Jayawardene’s role
Dravid: He has been phenomenal and his record in all forms of the game has been incredible, and more than that, just the leadership he has provided to Sri Lankan cricket over the last 16-17 years has been terrific.Senanayake’s comeback after remodelling his action
Smith: He must have a really good understanding of his action [now]. Obviously he has got a good head on him. He understands how he bowls, how he wants to bowl and he has come back and fought back beautifully to be in the World Cup.
Dravid: It’s a big plus, if he is able to bowl in the same way that he has bowled [before reworking his action] with the same level of effectiveness.

Former India captain Anil Kumble has said that he is reminded of himself when he sees R Ashwin play, and has called for the offspinner to be given more chances to play away from home

Abhishek Purohit in Melbourne21-Feb-2015Former India captain Anil Kumble has said that he is reminded of himself when he sees R Ashwin play, and has called for the offspinner to be given more chances to play away from home.”As far as attitude on the field (goes), I sometimes see Ashwin and see myself in him sometimes, when he’s bowling, batting,” Kumble said in Melbourne a day before India’s World Cup match against South Africa, during which he will be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.”He’s a better batsman than me, that’s for sure. But I can see that grit, I can see the determination, I can see that he wants to just hang around and then do it for the team, so I see a lot of me in Ashwin.”Ashwin has had to compete with Ravindra Jadeja for the sole spinner’s spot in the XI on India’s recent overseas tours, all of which have been outside Asia. Jadeja was preferred after Ashwin failed to pick a wicket in the Johannesburg Test against South Africa in December 2013. The left-arm spinner picked up six wickets in the second Test in Durban, and played both following Tests in New Zealand ahead of Ashwin. Jadeja also figured in four of the five Tests in England last year, against Ashwin’s two. Jadeja missed the Australia Tests with a shoulder injury, and Ashwin was chosen for three of them, but not before legspinner Karn Sharma was given a debut ahead of him in the first Test in Adelaide.Ashwin has a superb record at home, averaging 24.12 for 95 wickets from 15 Tests. His away record is poor, though, with his 24 wickets from nine Tests coming at 56.58. Kumble said that unless Ashwin played more overseas Tests, there was no way he could improve his skills outside India.”I think he’s a fantastic cricketer, (and) has achieved a lot in a short span. Of course there have been some question marks, like how I had question marks when I played outside India. Same thing is there with Ashwin as well. But he can only get better if he starts playing outside of India. If he doesn’t play outside India, he’ll never get better. So I certainly see Ashwin as someone who I believe has everything to be a fantastic cricketer for India.”Kumble said that India should pick adaptable bowlers who were successful in India if they wanted to bowl out the opposition twice overseas. “I feel that we have good spinners, like I said they need to be given opportunities. When we travel all we get to hear is that we do not have spinners, we do not have bowlers. If you want to take 20 wickets, play the same guys who get you 20 wickets in India. Only if they play will you find out whether they will take 20 wickets or not.”You should pick your four best bowlers if you want to play four. When you pick batsmen you do not choose on the basis that he cannot play outside India, or he cannot play on a fast wicket, or on a turning track. You pick on the belief that they can adjust. You do not choose a batsman according to the wicket. You should not do that for a bowler as well. You should choose someone who will adapt. And that will give him confidence. It is all about confidence in this game.”

Former Sri Lanka fast bowler Kapila Wijegunawardene was named the new chairman of cricket selectors replacing Sanath Jayasuriya

Sa'adi Thawfeeq08-Apr-2015Former Sri Lanka fast bowler Kapila Wijegunawardene has been named the chairman of Sri Lanka’s new four-member selection committee, replacing Sanath Jayasuriya.Two former wicket-keepers Amal Silva and Brendon Kuruppu, and middle-order batsman Hemantha Wickremaratne were the other members.The new committee replaced the five-member panel headed by Jayasuriya that resigned last Friday after serving for two years.Following Sri Lanka’s quarter-final exit from the 2015 World Cup, Sports Minister Navin Dissanayake dissolved the Sri Lanka Cricket administration and appointed an interim committee headed by former Sri Lanka Test batsman Sidath Wettimuny for an indefinite period.At a media conference held soon afterwards both the Minister and Wettimuny had expressed the view that fresh thinking was needed in selections which led to Jayasuriya and his committee tending their resignation.