It is little surprise that a team which pulled out of a major bilateral tour only four months ago, and against India of all opposition, continues to be the subject of murmurings of further discontent

Andrew McGlashan in Nelson16-Feb-20152:37

If we bowl like this, we won’t win many matches – Sammy

Before play in Nelson, Curtly Ambrose shook hands with Mike Atherton. Two adversaries who produced many a great battle in the 1990s. That was the decade which began with West Indies still a powerhouse in world cricket, but by the end the decline had set in. Since then it has become almost passé to refer to the downward spiral of West Indies cricket.However, the speed of the unravelling has been alarming of late. These are desperate times. The World T20 title in 2012 was hoped to mark the beginning of something better, instead it is appearing increasingly like the final glory of a once great cricket nation.Among the saddest aspects of West Indies’ display in Nelson, without for a moment diminishing another glorious World Cup day for Ireland, was that West Indies’ performance was entirely predictable. Being especially harsh, the fightback from 87 for 5 was the unexpected aspect. If Darren Sammy’s first ball edge had not eluded the left hand of Paul Stirling at slip, it could have been very one-sided. He and Lendl Simmons, at least with the bat, looked like two players who did care.Sammy went as far as to say that West Indies had taken Ireland “for granted” with their performance in the field. “The batting partnership should have been motivation enough to go out there and want to run into the Irish,” he said. “We were lackadaisical in the field and we just thought ‘yeah, we scored 300 and are supposed to win’.”It is little surprise that a team which pulled out of a major bilateral tour only four months ago, and against India of all opposition, continues to be the subject of murmurings of further discontent. Their public pronouncements of unity and ‘the team’ are sounding increasingly hollow. The encouragement in the field as Ireland hurtled to their target came from a few rather than plenty.The ‘laid-back’ attitude of some – notably Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels – is often mentioned and regularly dismissed with the same ‘it’s the way they play’ manner as when batsmen keep picking out deep fielders. You could not have had a more stark contrast to the hustle of Ireland’s fielders to the shuffle of West Indians.Sammy talked of helping Jason Holder, the raw 23-year-old captain, but in truth he should still be the captain himself. He certainly does more than his fair share of cajoling and field setting. However, these experiences are draining even for someone of his exuberant nature.”When things are not going your way it’s always difficult to motivate yourself, but as a group you have to keep believing and we need to find some inspiration somewhere – and we need to find it quickly. I will always try to be positive, help our young captain, and hopefully the rest of the team could follow.”Talking on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Point show, Michael Holding asked why Holder was being burdened by the captaincy. There were glimpses today of his significant potential as a bowler. He was the most economical pacemen in the match, only to watch his fellow quicks plundered.His speed was up a notch from the tour of South Africa, where he rarely nudged 140kph, but he has some major technical issues to work on. Better to allow him to do that without having to coax a rabble onto the park.Not all fault is on the players’ side in the various problems that are inflicting West Indies cricket but the fractious nature of both sides only goes to highlight the deep divides that have opened up.There are many decisions of late that do not make much sense in West Indies cricket. There are strange goings on back in the Caribbean, even leaving aside the debate around Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard missing this tournament. No satisfactory explanation of the situation regarding Kieran Powell, for example, the opening batsman who appears at odds with the board and management over his status following a period of absence from the game.Then there is Sunil Narine who decided two days after taking 6 for 9 in the Nagico50 final that he was not confident enough in his action to go to the World Cup. What a hole he leaves in the side. Sulieman Benn’s back twinge was unfortunate timing but West Indies significantly misread the pitch in not playing left-arm spinner Nikita Miller, although neither of them come close to matching Narine in limited-overs cricket, and were out-thought by Ireland who had a brace of specialists plus a handy part-timer.Their problems were exacerbated by Sammy’s own back issues. He battled through it with the bat, regularly flexing during his 89, but the three overs were less than comfortable: painful bowling, painful viewing.”It’s one game,” Sammy said, a glazed look in his eyes, “we still believe.” It was words he had to say, but it was hard to know if he really believed them. Where West Indies go from here is difficult to say, but it would take a brave person to suggest it is a quarter-final of this World Cup.

Gary Ballance is one of several admirable young members of England’s side, and it defies belief that there was talk of his position being in danger

George Dobell at North Sound17-Apr-2015There is an odd, febrile atmosphere in English cricket at present. It feels like the day after the revolution: the guilty are being rounded up and guillotined. And if a few innocents happen to be rounded up with them, so be it.How else could it be that Gary Ballance, after an outstanding start to his Test career, could feel under pressure going into the second innings of this Test? How else is it that some could be speculating that his position was in jeopardy?That is Gary Ballance who came into this game with a Test batting average of 60.75. Gary Ballance who scored three centuries in seven Tests last summer. Gary Ballance who filled the considerable hole left by Jonathan Trott and seems to have the temperament, the technique and the time – he is only 25 – to continue to fill it for much of the next decade.The problem for Ballance, and several others, is perception. The reputation of England cricket is currently so low that everything associated with it risks contamination.To some extent that is understandable. England cricket is still, probably incorrectly, judged on Ashes results and the last series was a humiliating whitewash. They were also wretched at the World Cup.Furthermore, some of the more visible members of the administration have behaved in an arrogant, high-handed way without demonstrating the competence to match: think of the “outside cricket” media release and the handling of the Kevin Pietersen affair as examples.But we need to take a step back and reflect on the difference between young players and the board that pays them; the difference between an England of Giles Clarke and Paul Downton and an England of Gary Ballance and James Tredwell. And the difference between limited-overs and Test cricket.Because somewhere, far below the headlines made by the Pietersen saga, far quieter than the cries for the head of Peter Moores or Alastair Cook, clouded by the debate about successors and leaks from Lord’s, an exciting new England Test team is emerging.It is a team containing Ben Stokes, arguably the most exciting young allrounder in the world; Joe Root, a prolific batsman who, at 24, has the world at his feet; Jos Buttler, an outrageous talent with the bat and, standing back at least, a vastly improved keeper; Moeen Ali, an allrounder whose batting you want to take for a weekend in Paris; and, right in the middle of it, Gary Ballance.Ballance lacks the glamour of some of the others. He is the Volvo to their Jaguar. Not quite as exciting, perhaps. But reliable. Sturdy. Guaranteed for 10 years and, actually, a bit quicker than you think. His ability to cut almost any delivery – at times it drove West Indies to the brink of despair – his hunger for runs, his love of batting. There is just a hint of Jacques Kallis about him. And praise comes little higher.There is a danger that this innings will be dismissed as it was “just” against West Indies. But when he came in, Jerome Taylor was in the midst of an outstanding spell of bowling and a Test was in the balance. He left the ball astutely, defended compactly and showed glimpses of his “other gear” when accelerating towards setting up the declaration. It was selfless, composed and reassuring. He earned the opportunity to bat against tired bowlers and an old ball by seeing off both when they were new.”Coming in when the seam bowlers have done well up front, swinging the ball at pace, is always tough,” he said. “So I had to fight hard yesterday. I probably looked a bit scratchy, but I was able to kick on and to get a hundred in the second innings is huge.”I would like to have thought after last summer I was settled in the number three spot but I guess that’s international sport. I didn’t come here thinking if I had a bad game I was going to get dropped. I came here trying to win games for England.”It’s obviously been a tough winter for myself and the team. I’ve found there is pressure playing international cricket, but four bad innings at the World Cup doesn’t make you a bad cricketer.”It is odd that Ballance felt under any pressure. He had, after all, experienced only one poor Test innings in his last nine. But the punch of the air and sustained celebration when he reached three-figures told their own story; clearly the run of low scores – albeit in a different format of the game – have been weighing heavy on him.Equally, England’s seven-month break from Test cricket, has resulted in some forgetting the fact that they have actually won their last three matches and that Ballance performed well in them. The World Cup debacle and administrative shambles have overshadowed everything, but actually their Test ranking – No.3 – remains respectable.Ballance was not given the best chance to succeed in the World Cup. Having not been included in the ODI squad for the Sri Lanka tour, he won a recall to the squad after Alastair Cook’s sacking but was unable to take part in the tri-series after sustaining a hand injury at the start of the tour. Then, thrown into the opening game of the World Cup despite little meaningful cricket before hand, he struggled. And as the struggle continued, so his confidence ebbed.”Getting an injury early on didn’t help because I went into the tour feeling very good,” he explained. “Then, in the first game, against Australia, we were chasing 350 so I had to get on with it and didn’t get a score. Then you don’t score again and you start to feel the pressure of the World Cup.”But whether Ballance turns out to be a successful ODI cricketer should have little bearing on his Test career. Indeed, given England’s exhausting schedule, the chance to focus on one format might extend his career.Whatever England’s problems – and whatever the anger towards the ECB – the likes of Ballance show a new, admirable Test side is emerging. As young players they will sometimes err and sometimes fail. But it would be folly to jettison them as a reaction to impatience with the board. They are the future. And they are a more entertaining, more likeable, more exciting future than many might have noticed amid the din.

The players enjoy each other’s success, back each other, protect each other both on and off the field. All these virtues have been evident in the team’s success over the last five years

Amol Karhadkar13-Mar-2015Karnataka travelled to Mumbai for their Ranji Trophy final with a 16-member squad, besides the eight support staff. On the fourth evening, Mayank Agarwal, Ronit More, Kunal Kapoor and Abrar Kazi were brought over. The Karnataka team management and state association ensured everyone, except Stuart Binny who is at the World Cup, who had contributed to their dominant campaign was at the Wankhede Stadium to get their hands on the trophy.In today’s fiercely competitive domestic circuit, seldom do we see a group of cricketers playing for each other. Enjoying each other’s success. Backing each other. Protecting each other, both on and off the field. All these virtues have been evident in the Karnataka team over the last five years. And the results are showing now as they defended their title and barely let their guard down in the entire season.The seeds of team bonding were sown at a dinner in Robin Uthappa’s house midway through the last season. He had discussed the idea with batting coach J Arunkumar and the other seniors and the informal meeting was a success. The camaraderie between the players has increased not just on the field, but off it as well.”We all get together very well. Even when there is no match, we all get together at Robin’s or my house and have a good time. There is a sense of family in the team,” Arunkumar says. “We had to get certain things right. We had to start certain patterns of team bonding. We made a conscious effort to get some pattern into the team and slowly it became a habit. There is a way to make sure that people enjoy what we are doing also, so we added an element of fun.”The unity in the team has added another dimension to Karnataka. During their last league game in Mumbai, wicketkeeper CM Gautam was involved in a scuffle with Mumbai batsman Siddhesh Lad. For the remainder of the match, and during the sem-final as well, the Karnataka players kept sledging Lad.”We have each other’s backs,” Uthappa says. “You cannot say one thing to us – you will have 16-17 guys after your life if you say one thing to us. I think you got an example of that in the Mumbai game here, when Siddhesh threw the ball on CM Gautam, and we had 15 of us standing there and we said ‘you just come in and bat, we’re going to eat you up’. That’s the kind of unity we have in our side.”This is us and we care for our unit. We love our unit and we’ll protect it no matter what. Even if someone from inside is trying to do something funny, we set them right. We put them in place. We know what works for us and staying together is what makes this team really, really successful. We train hard together, we train really well. Our work ethics have been excellent in the last two-three years, and it’s a young bunch of boys, all of us want to play the next level and we’ve got all the ingredients to be a successful team.”Both of Karnataka’s successful triumphs were special in different ways. Their victory ended a 15-year title drought. This year they came in as favourites and that came with a lot of expectation. Karntaka simply welcomed it and showed champions thrive under any kind of pressure.’You will have 16-17 guys after your life if you say one thing to us’ – Robin Uthappa•PTI “It is many years of hard work I would say,” Vinay Kumar says after becoming the first Karnataka captain to two successive Ranji titles. “Last year we won the Ranji Trophy, we worked really hard as a group. When we lost to Mumbai in Mysore [in the 2009-10 final], that was a bunch which was growing as a team. Once the confidence level and maturity level increased, everything came good in the last season and we played Ranji trophy. Winning it last year really helped us to motivate ourselves to perform this year.”Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the last Ranji captain before Vinay to win back-to-back Ranji titles, agrees that Karnataka have been playing like “a champion team” for a while now.”Being confident, highly motivated and being tenacious are the primary requisites for a team to succeed. And Karnataka have been ticking all these boxes. The hallmark of a champion team is it doesn’t give up irrespective of the position of the game and the conditions it is playing in. That can only come if the whole team is committed and moving in one direction,” Kanitkar says.”Karnataka have been showing all these skills for the last four-five years. Even when we [Rajasthan] won the titles [in 2010-11 and 2011-12] or Mumbai won [in 2012-13], Karnataka was the team to beat since they made the opponents work for every single run, every single wicket. We knew we had to fight against them for every ball for four or five days. That’s setting them apart at this moment.”Karnataka began the league stages with an emphatic victory, were assured of a place in the knockouts halfway into the league stage and earned room for experimentation. They rested each of their three seamers – Vinay, Abhiamnyu Mithun and S Aravind – before the quarter-finals.The top-six batsmen hadn’t clicked in the first three games. So Arunkumar started his hunt for the best combination. Although Karnataka were made to struggle in a drawn game with Baroda and conceded the first innings lead to Mumbai later, they were not deterred. They knew they were setting themselves up for the knockouts, to field their best XI from the quarterfinals and there on.Assam found that out when they were buried under a huge first-innings total. Mumbai found that out when they were bundled out for 44. And Tamil Nadu found that out when they were left in Karun Nair’s slipstream.Uthappa and Vinay emerged as the Ranji Trophy’s leading run-getter and joint-highest wicket-taker respectively. Their contributions off the field have been just as important.”The best part about these guys is they are leading by example. I have seen a lot of seniors in other states also who set bad examples,” Arunkumar says. “They will just bowl their quota of overs, or bat and sit outside, so even the juniors see that and start doing the same when they become seniors,””But these guys are setting all the right examples. They know equality in the team is very important. If a Vinay goes out and sits in the dressing room for two hours, he knows it’s going to send a wrong vibe to the younger lot. That doesn’t happen. Vinay doesn’t do that. Robin doesn’t do that. They set very good examples. When the captain is motivated, the teams also gets motivated.”Vinay Kumar has been one of the pillars of Karnataka’s success, and his guidance of the younger players has been standout•PTI Uthappa admits he and Vinay revel in their roles as seniors. “For me, one of the most integral things is, as a senior, you want to make the juniors most comfortable. You want to make sure there is no gap between a senior and a junior. Everyone’s treated equally, taken care of, given a work ethic and helped. My job is to make sure that everyone is thinking and feeling right, that’s my responsibility in the side.”At the same time, the youngsters in the team should also be given some sense of responsibility and belonging and sensing their generation doesn’t like to be lectured too much, Arunkumar and head coach Mansur Ali Khan made them talk rather than talking to them.”We gave responsibility to all the boys to talk and take the lead. In our team meetings, we have one batsman and one bowler talk about the team in each of the meetings. He may not be playing in the XI in that match but he along with everyone gets a sense of belonging. That’s where the rest follow,” Arunkumar says.With all the ingredients in place, Karnataka look set to dominate the domestic scene for a long time. Vinay and Arunkumar feel they can continue their supremacy for the next five years, Uthappa raises the bar even more.”I think we’ve got that stuff now. This bunch of boys, we have it in us to win domestic tournaments for a good five-seven years,” Uthappa says. “We’re a very young lot, so easily the next five-seven years. I think Karnataka must protect this lot.””It’s something that we take pride in, our pride depends on being successful. So when we win tournaments, we feel like ‘Yes, we have accomplished this. We have done this, let’s move forward to the next one.’ So we know that we want to win the Irani Cup. No one’s ever won three tournaments – the domestic, the one-day and then the premier one-off. No team in the world has done it. And for us to do it twice in two years, I don’t think people will do it for a hundred years.”Kanitkar is of a similar opinion and sees the attitude that the old Mumbai teams – which he faced for well over a decade during his stint with Maharashtra – in the current Karnataka lot.”Experienced players are secure. Youngsters are hungry for success and also willing to learn to seniors, something that doesn’t necessarily happen everywhere these days. As a result, the team is playing only for a united goal. That is what the old Bombay teams used to be like earlier. And this Karnataka group is very similar to that.”

Mohammad Isam24-Apr-2015The Bangladesh selectors face the challenge of picking a Test squad that allows the team management to play three quicks against Pakistan, a combination that has worked in ODIs over the last six months. However, there isn’t enough depth in the pace stocks to provide long-term firepower in Test cricket.The squad could be announced during the T20 international in Mirpur on Friday, because the team leaves Dhaka for Khulna on Saturday to prepare for the first Test, which begins on April 28.Likely Bangladesh squad

Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Taijul Islam, Jubair Ahmed, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Anamul Haque, Mohammad Shahid

Among the fast bowlers, only Rubel Hossain has a confirmed spot in the squad, after he was rested for the T20 international. Rubel has reignited his international career since the World Cup with more pace and movement, but his 16-wicket aggregate in ODIs over the last six months is second to Mashrafe Mortaza’s 19. Taskin Ahmed, third in this list, hasn’t played long-form cricket since February 2013.Rubel’s automatic selection is not entirely because of his Test performance. His bowling average of 73.34 is still the worst in Test cricket for anyone who has bowled at least 3600 deliveries.The options are thin for the selectors.Shafiul Islam’s seven wickets were the most for a Bangladesh quick in Tests last year, but he didn’t play a World Cup match and picked up a hand injury recently. The selectors did not choose Al-Amin Hossain for the Pakistan ODIs, so unless he and Shafiul did something dramatic in the nets, they are doubtful selections.Chief selector Faruque Ahmed has been interested in the left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahman for the last 12 months. After his stint with the Under-19 team, the young bowler from Satkhira was a surprise inclusion in the Bangladesh A side for their West Indies tour last year. Rahman has been the country’s leading wicket-taker among pace bowlers in this first-class season.Apart from Rahman, the selectors mentioned Mohammad Shahid a few times, though he has only made it to the second string sides. Shahadat Hossain, who played one Test against Zimbabwe last year, took only 13 first-class wickets this season but he has remained on the selectors’ radar by bowling regularly in the Bangladesh nets.Robiul Islam, Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker among quicks in the last three years, is low on the list of contenders after a series of injuries this season. He played just three first-class and two List-A matches since the Test against West Indies last year.Selecting the spinners will not be as much of a problem. Shakib Al Hasan should have left-arm spinner Taijul Islam and legspinner Jubair Hossain for company. They finished just behind Shakib in the list of most wickets for Bangladesh last year.Taijul holds the Bangladesh record for best bowling figures in an innings while Jubair took a five-wicket haul against Zimbabwe. Coach Chandika Hathurusingha has made it clear that he wants Jubair around. Left-arm spinners Abdur Razzak and Elias Sunny are the only bowlers with more than 40 first-class wickets this season but it is doubtful whether the selectors will pick either of them. Offspinner Sohag Gazi could be ahead of them if an extra spinner is needed, after he was cleared to bowl by the ICC in February and has been doing well with bat and ball since.The other area of discussion might be Tamim Iqbal’s opening partner, though Soumya Sarkar could have settled that with his unbeaten 127 in the third ODI against Pakistan. He has been in the Bangladesh team since the fifth ODI against Zimbabwe last December. He opened with Tamim against Pakistan and looked at ease despite two low scores. They added 145 runs in the third game, the first time in ten innings the Bangladesh opening pair had added 50-plus.If Sarkar is picked he will replace Imrul Kayes, who made two Test hundreds in six innings last year. He also added more runs in two stands with Tamim than what Shamsur Rahman managed in 12. But Imrul made just 14 runs in four ODIs since the Zimbabwe Tests, and was poor in the World Cup.Anamul Haque is likely to be picked too, though not as first-choice opener; he has not been a Test regular since his debut in 2013. He made a striking return to competitive cricket with 94 and 111 for Prime Bank South Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League first-class match against BCB North Zone that ended on Friday. He was the regular opener in ODIs with Tamim until his shoulder injury midway through the World Cup. Anamul’s performance will push Rony Talukdar and Litton Das down the pecking order.Nasir Hossain could make the No 7 spot after a reasonable comeback in the World Cup. He got to bat just once against Pakistan but his bowling was handy. Shuvagata Hom had replaced Hossain against Zimbabwe but averaged only 23.40 in six innings and did not take wickets.

Sidath Wettimuny outlines his plans to restructure the domestic game, and talks of how the board can cut costs and boost player salaries

Interview by Andrew Fidel Fernando15-May-2015You came in with a mandate to clean cricket up. What are the pressing needs in Sri Lankan cricket at the moment?
I’m not sure my job is to look at the past. Instead it’s to look at how we can put processes in place to improve things, particularly on the cricket side of things. We’ve already started the process of putting indoor nets at Khettarama Stadium (R Premadasa Stadium), and we’re working on increasing domestic player salaries. Those are things I think are desperately needed. We’re also looking at our domestic structure carefully, and have a few proposals to make some changes.Can you talk us through some of the changes you’ve begun putting in place?
We heard a presentation from Mahela Jayawardene about domestic cricket, and in it he said that we have a lot of quantity, but we’re sacrificing on quality. We feel that at each level of the game there must be a substantial jump. You must have a situation where a Sara Trophy (second division) player, aspires to play Premier League, and a Premier player aspires to play provincial cricket, and a provincial player, aspires to play Test cricket. We need to show the difference in quality of cricket, and also via remuneration. Earlier we had LKR 2500 per day (approx. USD 19) paid for players in Sara Trophy and Premier players. We’ve made a proposal to raise the Premier player’s payment to Rs 7500 (approx $56) a day. I would said Rs 10,000 but we have to be cautious because of the finances. If you play for the provincial tournament, we will award a central contract to those players who don’t have one.If a player is playing in the Premier and the provincial tournament, he could make about Rs 1-1.2 million a year, until you aspire to play Test cricket. That’s a decent amount. But the thing we’re saying is that it’s performance and participation-based as well.

“I’m trying to see if we can give an incentive to the curators to create better wickets. Whoever prepares good, fast, even wickets would be eligible for a reward”

That’s a big increase in player payments. How will you bear the cost of the new salary levels?
Very easily. There are 108 central contracts at the moment. We’re going to reduce that to 40. When we look at how that’s done, we’re spending more or less the same amount at the end of the day – but we’ve re-engineered it to reward playing and performing. We’ve also cut budgets by asking all the managers to look at areas where we can save. I asked for a 25% budget cut. They’ve come back with a smaller budget cut, but it’s around Rs 44 million. We’re also hoping to cut tournament costs.There is no provincial tournament currently – setting this up seems like a priority for the board…
I’m of the same opinion as Mahela is, and Aravinda de Silva is, that we should decentralise Sri Lanka’s cricket. Almost everyone who has played at a high level feels that we should have a system where there are clusters of cricket around the country. We are trying to go to the stakeholders and the clubs and say: “This is how it needs to be done. If we don’t do this, one day we are going to collapse.” Other boards have a simplified system, where we have a system where everything is run from Maitland Crescent (the Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters). You can’t do that. The truth is I have no idea what’s happening in Nuwara Eliya, I don’t know what’s happening in Badulla. We are kidding ourselves if we think we are being of service to cricketers in those regions, or getting the best available talent from those areas. This is something we have to understand, because otherwise we are going to lose out. It’s a shame that we’re already losing out. That is the biggest challenge – to convince our stakeholders that they must really rethink the way we’re going to take our cricket forward.The domestic system relies on many of the clubs around Colombo. How will you get them on board to begin a provincial tournament, where they would not feature?
I think that club cricket is the backbone of our cricket. Without club cricket, nothing works. I’m not saying we must devalue the clubs at all. I’m saying we must promote and foster the clubs – especially the clubs that have grounds. Once these World Cup funds come, I’m going to propose that we provide some funds to these clubs, depending on what they need to do to develop their facilities. We must pump money in there. I don’t see anything wrong in giving Premier clubs who have grounds Rs 10 million to develop cricket. I think that’s essential.”A team would go to Pallekele, play the four-dayer, then play the one-dayer and finish. By doing that you save money”•SLCHow will you accommodate a long club season and a provincial season in the schedule?
We’ve done a calendar now, and what we’ve said is that everything finishes by April 10. The last thing to be played will be the T20 provincial tournament. The four-day tournament will be concurrently played with the 50-over tournament. So, for example, a team would go to Pallekele, play the four-dayer, then play the one-dayer and finish. By doing that you save money. Before the provincial matches start, you play the Premier and the Sara and the club tournaments. We’re not going to change anything up to that January period, but then the provincial games will finish the season’s cricket.Where would these provincial teams be based?
We would base the teams in Dambulla, Pallekele, Galle, Hambantota and Colombo – where we have grounds and facilities already.There won’t be any changes to the club tournaments?
Not this year. There is a view that the Premier tournament should be cut down from 14 teams to 12 or 10. I don’t want to even think that far. I won’t be there that long to make that decision. The guys who come in will have to study what happens in the next tournament and figure it out. What I think, the Premier teams should have is a second XI. That would allow the players not getting a match at the Premier level to play cricket and get back into form without having to look for another club.One of the objections to setting up provincial bases around the country is that those bases are susceptible to local political influences, and Maitland Crescent loses control of cricket there…
I think that’s a myth. We actually have no close connection with all those districts and provinces at all now. It’s only by name. The only connection we have is when the time comes to bid for their vote, you then try and woo them. There is no proper micro-management at that level.

“I don’t think the interest in the game has waned. Our climate is so warm, maybe you’re more comfortable under a fan at home rather than at the ground”

The lack of quality pitches in first-class cricket has also been an issue. How can you improve that?
I’m trying to see if we can give an incentive to the curators to create better wickets. Whoever prepares good, fast, even wickets would be eligible for a reward. In India, they’re saying they’re leaving a bit of grass, so we need to look into our own methods. Here, after the first over, sometimes there are spinners bowling. How can you blood fast bowlers when you’re doing that? Part of the reason we have so many breakdowns is that our fast bowlers are barely getting through ten overs in a day. A top quick should be able to bowl 20. I was speaking to Stephen Mount, the Sri Lanka team physio, and he was saying that our players are not doing enough bowling and batting at the Premier league.What will you do to improve cricket in the north and east, where there is a lot of passion for cricket but meagre infrastructure after the war?
Two years ago, when I was in a cricket committee, I suggested we play a combined north and east team in the Sara Trophy. It never happened. So we’re trying to begin that again. Maybe for the first four years we say: “Points don’t matter to you – you just play. You don’t get knocked up or down a division. You just play.”The national team is heading into a period of transition. What can be done at a policy level to ensure results don’t dip?
The gap between our first-class level and international level is pretty large. We don’t have the batsmen and bowlers who are used to the long haul. To compensate for this, we need to give A team players time to settle in. If at all I can find fault with the last set of selectors, they were trying too many things, with the best of intentions. If you’re selected to play in a three-match series programme with the A team, you feel you have to score runs in the first match, otherwise you’re going to get dropped in the second and be history by the third. Then nothing’s going to work. You’ve got to be told: “You are there, so settle in.” We’ve already seen results. Kusal Perera was talked to a lot and told we were going to play him through the series. The man is on fire. You’ve got to give them enough exposure for long enough.The previous board repeatedly clashed with national players on the issue of payment. Are the top cricketers being paid too much? Are they not being paid enough?
When you talk about too much or too little, it’s always a comparison with the same professionals in other countries. If you look at it from that point of view, you could say maybe we are not paying them anywhere near the best. But if you look at how much they are paid compared to other employment in the country, you would say they’re paid huge amounts. The key is to get a balance. As long as they are happy with their pay and they know that’s what the board can afford, then I think both sides are happy. I think the current system is okay.Kusal Perera was told he would be persisted with in the A team, and that security has helped him rediscover his form•AFPTest match attendance in Sri Lanka is very poor. Why is that, and what can be done to change this?
It’s a combination of a lot of things. I don’t think I have a ready-made answer for that. One is the marketing side, which must also come from developing these provincial bases and giving people ownership of those bases and getting them interested. I don’t think the interest in the game has waned by any means – I think everybody watches it on television. Our climate is so warm, maybe you’re more comfortable under a fan at home rather than at the ground.One thing we could do is, maybe each provincial school cricket team can be given a ticket to watch the match in that stadium. That will then stimulate the interest. [The kid] might bring his friends or his parents, and then you get affiliation to a province. After a good day’s cricket, maybe one spectator is born. We need to do things like that at the base level. We’re seeking some consultation on the marketing side as well.What’s the latest with the interim committee’s relationship with the ICC?
The latest is that we had a very cordial meeting with the ICC. Their concerns stem from some stakeholders writing in and saying there was chaos and so on. The ICC had legitimate concerns. The minister explained why he had to appoint an interim committee. He said it was for a short time, and now he has said that our committee will be dissolved by January, after which he will go in for elections. The ICC have agreed to release the funds on a certain basis, which is fine.There is absolutely no doubt about our Full Member status. That’s not in question. The only thing is, as an interim committee, because their [the ICC] constitution has changed, they think that we’ll need to come in as just an observer. We told them that that is not in their constitution to do that. There is a dialogue going on. There is nothing drastically out of order. They said they do not want to jeopardise Sri Lanka Cricket in any way. They just wanted to find out what was going on. They wanted to find out what our financial requirements are.

On the occasion of his 100th Test, test how well you know the Pakistan batsman

25-Jun-2015

Mustafizur Rahman said he had varied the use of his stock ball, the offcutter, during his first day in Test cricket, when he took 4 for 37 against South Africa

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong21-Jul-2015Mustafizur Rahman’s eyes sparkled when asked, for the fourth time, how he felt after taking three wickets in four balls in the first innings of his debut Test. His spell of 4 for 37 had broken South Africa and the visitors had fallen for 248 in Chittagong.”Do I even have to tell you? Three wickets!” he said, with a clap and a big smile. That is also how he celebrates his wickets. Some have compared it to a happy baby, and there was even a mention of him resembling a flapping seal.It was hard to get a proper word out of Mustafizur. Out in the middle at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, he had been in his element, but in front of cameras and reporters in an air-conditioned room he was not at ease. But he tried.After Bangladesh’s poor start in the first session, Mustafizur said the idea had been to string dot balls together and form a bowling partnership that squeezed the South African batsmen. “In ODIs, you sometimes just have to keep the ball in certain areas. Batsmen try to go after the bowlers and end up giving away wickets,” Mustafizur said. “It is not easy to take wickets in Tests. Batsmen leave good balls alone. You have to earn your wicket in Tests.”I wasn’t bowling well in the first spell. I kept trying to take wickets and build a partnership together with the bowler at the other end. I was trying to bowl dot balls, even if I wasn’t taking wickets. We knew that if we could put pressure from both sides, wickets would come.”Mustafizur said he deliberately varied the usage of his offcutter, a delivery that had brought him most of his wickets in the ODI format. “I think I try the variation twice or thrice per over in an ODI. I was trying them once every two or three overs. Batsmen are not in a hurry to score runs in Tests so I didn’t try it much.”He said he was particularly pleased to claim Hashim Amla as his first Test wicket – to go with Shahid Afridi in T20Is and Rohit Sharma in ODIs. “Hashim Amla’s wicket gave me most pleasure,” Mustafizur said. “I am thrilled to have taken the wicket of a batsman of such caliber. I tried to take the hat-trick. I bowled exactly what I wanted to bowl, but the batsman played it well and I didn’t get the wicket. I was happy when I saw the stump flying. I am supposed to feel that way.”It is great to take wickets like this. There is no fun in fielding for two days,” he said when asked how much effort he put in on a slow pitch.Despite taking four wickets, Mustafizur enjoyed his signature celebration of clapping only once – when he dismissed Quinton de Kock with an inswinger, his third wicket four balls. He then tried to make eye contact with the batsman.The story is in Mustafizur’s eyes. It tells the tale of a 19-year old boy from a village living his big dream.

Having sealed T20 series wins in Bangladesh and now India, South Africa can look ahead to next year’s World T20 with increased confidence and self-belief

Firdose Moonda07-Oct-2015The confidence game is as much a part of professional sport as the technical game because even the best sportspeople in one country or team need reassurance that they are better than the best sportspeople in another country or team. South African cricketers have had that reassurance to some extent in the five-day game – they are the holders of the Test mace and their record in the format is enviable – but they have not had it for any sustained period of time in the shorter formats. Their major tournament record has not helped but now they are starting to build some conviction ahead of the next one.”Momentum and confidence is a big thing in international games,” David Miller said, ahead of the third T20 in Kolkata. “We came here with a lot of expectation to doing well and put a lot of pressure on ourselves to perform. India are an amazing T20 side, they have got some huge players and this [performance in the T20 series] gives us a lot of confidence moving forward coming close to the World T20. We need to take confidence from this and it has been a huge confidence booster.”South Africa have won the first two T20s, giving them a second successive series win in this format in the subcontinent. Given that the World T20 will take place in these conditions, their performances in Bangladesh and India serves as a sign that they are on the right track.Crucially, South Africa have been able to adapt both departments of their game. Their batsmen have learnt how to deal with slow, low pitches and understood that patience is not the only way. Strike rotation and partnership building have helped them post impressive totals. Their seamers have not allowed the conditions to trip them up but have continued to bang the ball in hard, have moved away from an over-reliance on the short ball, and can execute clever changes of pace. They also have a selection of spinners to choose from.On this tour so far, they have even managed to bring their fielding back to its usual high standards after it slipped a touch during the home series against New Zealand, where numerous high catches were put down. “Our fielding in the last couple of weeks or months has not been up to standard as a team so leading up to this series we have really been working hard in the field in practicing and the last two games have been outstanding,” Miller said.Miller himself has not stood out. He has not scored an international half-century in 16 innings since the World Cup and there seems to be waning confidence from the team management in his ability to finish an innings. In the last two matches, Farhaan Behardien has been promoted above Miller, who could risk losing his place once Rilee Rossouw recovers from injury, and knows there is pressure on him to perform.While Miller can’t force more crease time if the opportunity does not present itself, he can take some inspiration from a team-mate who has found himself in a similar situation in the past, Albie Morkel. The allrounder was once touted as South Africa’s answer in major tournaments but then fell off the radar and thought his international career was over until a surprise recall for this series.Morkel worked his way back through the domestic set-up, where Miller will spend time for the Dolphins franchise once the ODIs are over and if he is diligent about it, he could find some of his own confidence coming back. “I’ve put in a lot of hard work over the winter but without any visions of playing for South Africa,” Morkel said. “I certainly won’t sit here and make statements that I should be playing, I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”Morkel seized what could be his final chance to play in a major tournament for South Africa with a career-best 3 for 12 on comeback. If anyone has reason to be confident, it’s him, but he chose to play it down instead. “I understand cricket. Sometimes it’s tough on the field; tonight was my night. Next game will be someone else’s chance. It is, I suppose, fortunate that on my comeback I got a man of the match. That’s something I’ll remember forever. But I’ll certainly not make any statements that I should be a permanent member.”

Imran Tahir has a wide repertoire of variations but has to blend that with consistency. To do so, he might also require delicate management

Firdose Moonda08-Nov-20151:21

Manjrekar: Tahir dismissed top batsmen while they were defending

It happened. Imran Tahir celebrate a wicket. Really.A smile barely bubbled on the face of South Africa’s effervescent legspinner when he nailed Umesh Yadav’s middle stump with a classic googly. Three balls later, the same delivery brought the same result against Varun Aaron but the champagne stayed corked.Those scalps were the last rites in an Indian innings that had already been dismantled by Dean Elgar and Tahir knew his contribution would only be an afterthought. That was not something to get excited about. He accepted the high-fives and back-pats with polite resignation.Tahir’s Test career to date has been a story of anti-climax. He made his debut in the same match as Vernon Philander, in November 2011, in the 47 all out Test. Understandably, Tahir was not a talking point that day.In the Tests that followed, he continued in the shadows of South Africa’s pace pack which had become complete with the addition of Philander. Previously Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel had lacked a third prong, someone who mastered the more subtle art of seam movement to complement their speed, swing, and bounce.There was no space for an attacking spinner in the South African set up then. By the time Tahir could sink his teeth into the opposition line-up, only the scraps were left. In his desperation to gobble them up, Tahir tried everything. He would send down all the deliveries in his repertoire. A liquroice allsorts package of inconsistency.Eventually, South Africa could no longer afford the novelty Tahir offered and returned to their comfort zone with a containing spinner even though Tahir never really disappeared from their thoughts. He kept himself in the mix with impressive performances in shorter formats. His ability to control the middle overs of an ODI innings begged the question of why he could not replicate that in Tests.Some theories suggested Tahir could adapt easier to the limitations of only bowling 10 overs (or four in the case of T20s) and that kept him from trying too many things. He concentrated on effective use of his stock ball – the legbreak – and intermittently unfurled the googly and the flipper. He showed tact in Mohali, something he displayed only once at Test level before.In Dubai two years ago, Tahir took what is to date his only five-for running through Pakistan on the first morning to dismiss them for 99. Some of those wickets, though, were results of rash shots from the batsmen – Shan Masood went out to drive a full, wide delivery and played on, Asad Shafiq was bowled after missing a slog – but others, like Misbah-ul-Haq, who was trapped lbw by a googly, were part of a plan. Tahir picked up eight wickets in the match but his stay in the team was shortlived.He was rotated in and out of the side as South Africa went back to Robin Peterson and then tried to go forward with young offspinners Dane Piedt and Simon Harmer. South Africa would probably have stuck to those two if the schedule did not send them to India just months after Piedt and Harmer had been blooded. They needed a spinner with experience in India and Tahir was the most viable option.In the days leading up to the match, it became evident Tahir would make a comeback. The news was met with nervousness by South Africa’s supporters who wondered whether he was being given a chance too many but hoped that a different captain – Hashim Amla – would find new ways to manage him.In the first innings, Amla’s method seemed to be to shield Tahir for as long as possible. He only brought him on in the 44th over, after the other specialist spinner Simon Harmer and part-timer Elgar had bowled. Tahir’s first spell was just three overs long, he seemed anxious to make an impact. He tossed it up, he bowled short, he threw in a few googlies, he rushed, he slowed down – all in the space of 18 balls. That was exactly what had undone him in the past and Amla did the right thing by taking him off and calming him down.Tahir was much more controlled in his second spell. He maintained a fuller and used flight. Best of all he showed patience. The two wickets which came at the end may not have been the ones he wanted – on a spinner-friendly surface Tahir would want to be snaffling the big names – but he had something to show for his efforts.He would have known he had to build on that to justify his recall and he did. In the second innings, with South Africa needing something special from the spinners, Tahir delivered.Amla used Tahir only in short bursts of three of four overs and in that time, he showed the control that had been lacking in previous displays. He used variation as a strength and mixed up his pace on a pitch where batsmen were already uncertain. He was rewarded with the two biggest scalps of the day.M Vijay was befuddled by the bounce of the googly and offered a catch to short leg and then Chesteshwar Pujara, half going forward, half hanging back, edged a tossed-up delivery that turned from outside off and Amla took a low catch at slip. And then, it really happened. Tahir could not control his enthusiasm.He was so pumped he seemed ready to run all the way to the country of his birth. He had to be reined in before he got to the third-man boundary by team-mates who were also keen for Tahir to keep catching India’s batsmen off guard and not the train to Pakistan.Tahir was consistent and attacking for the rest of the innings. He used the legbreak to surprise as well as he used the googly and picked up two more wickets to finish the match with a six-for and claimed his best average in a Test to date.Those efforts did not result in a South African win but they did their bit to ensure the team was in a position to push for victory at one point. It also told South Africa they probably made the right decision by recalling Tahir, but that they need to be careful with when and how they use him.In conditions and circumstances which suit him, Tahir can be a handful. That means he should not just be used on slow on turning pitches but also at times in the match when he is neither under too much pressure to perform nor when there is nothing left to get pumped about. He needs to be managed delicately, but don’t all legspinners? And if he is, South Africa may have a reason to celebrate again on this tour.

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2015Angelo Mathews showed why the P Sara Oval was one of his favourite grounds as he started to settle in•AFPMilinda Siriwardana added 67 for the fifth wicket with Mathews to stabilise the Sri Lankan innings, but was dismissed by Kraigg Brathwaite in the 56th over•AFPBrathwaite started to get more out of the pitch and quickly ran through Sri Lanka’s middle order and tail, completing his first Test five-wicket haul•AFPBlackwood took his fifth catch of the innings and Brathwaite his sixth wicket when Nuwan Pradeep was dismissed for a first-ball duck. It set West Indies a target of 244 to level the series•AFPDhammika Prasad struck early to send Brathwaite back in the ninth over before rain forced an early end to the day•AFP