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Curtly Ambrose, the West Indies bowling consultant, expects his team to defy expectations and compete hard in the Tests against Australia

Melinda Farrell08-Dec-20152:23

‘We are here to win’ – Ambrose

Look Sir Curtly Ambrose in the eye (you may need a ladder) and tell him the West Indies have no hope of beating Australia.Tell him this first Test in Hobart will be over in two days – three, if Jason Holder’s men are lucky – and that more humiliation will follow in Melbourne and Sydney.Tell him that David Warner and Steve Smith will feast on a modest bowling attack and that Australia’s greenest bowling line-up in years will embarrass the West Indies batsmen.Tell him any of this and you’ll be on the wrong end of the fearsome glare that terrorised many a champion batsman throughout his celebrated career as one of the game’s very best fast bowlers.”You as reporters have got to report what you see,” Ambrose said. “So I’ve learned over the years to, I won’t say ignore, but know what to take from the reports and what not to take. But we’re going to be focused. We’re not going to worry about what has been said about us not being a good team or not going to compete … At the end of the day when we perform and beat Australia, then the reporters will have to change their tune.”We played against Australia not so long ago in the Caribbean and even though we lost 2-0 there were moments or periods when we had them on the back foot and had their backs against the wall. And we never really finished them off. So we believe we can compete and not only compete but we believe we can beat them and that’s our focus to beat Australia. Not just to compete but to win and, being the underdogs, sometimes it’s good to be that way.”We have nothing to lose. As far as I’m concerned the Australians are the ones under pressure. They have to beat us because Australians and cricket in general expect them to steamroll us. So they’re the ones who are under pressure, not us. And we’re going to put up a good show.”They are fighting words and there are few who can deliver them with as much conviction as Ambrose, the giant quick who generally let the ball – and his eyes – do the talking on the field.It’s two decades since Ambrose and Steve Waugh conducted one the most famous stare-offs in cricket’s history, the flint-eyed Australian stoic in the face of a blistering spell from Ambrose in Trinidad during the third Test in the 1995 battle for the Frank Worrell Trophy.20 years may have passed since his man-of-the-match performance, but Ambrose’s gaze has lost none of its intensity. And now, as West Indies’ bowling consultant, he wants to use the predictions of impending doom to fire up his charges after an insipid showing in the tour match in Brisbane.”Well first of all we’re not going to be distracted by those comments,” said Ambrose. “We’re here to do a job and we’re going to make a good job of it.”Being here alone should be more than enough motivation for the players but having heard or read those comments should be added motivation for them to prove the critics [wrong], if you will. We are not really distracted. We’re focused and in light of what happened in the warm up game, we are confident that we can put up a good show against Australia.”On its own, the West Indies’ 10-wicket loss to an inexperienced Cricket Australia XI side ahead of the series was a heavy blow. That they avoided an innings defeat thanks only to a stubborn partnership between Holder and Kemar Roach has given former players and current commentators ample fodder to question how the West Indies could take any confidence into the first Test. However, Ambrose pointed to frank discussions in the wake of the match as a potential turning point for the tourists.”We had a meeting, we had a talk about it,” Ambrose said. “And I explained to the guys in no uncertain terms that that’s unacceptable and if we’re going to struggle against an Under-19 team how do we expect to compete against a strong Australian line-up?”But we had a good meeting. Coach Phil Simmons called a meeting and we talked about a lot of things and I expect that, going forward, what’s gone already cannot be changed. So we’ve got to stay focused and move forward. I believe strongly that we’re going to put up a better show against Australia.”Ambrose took up his consultancy role in February 2014 and admits it took time for his charges to “bind” to his concept for their approach to bowling. His status alone ensured the players listened – “Well, I am bigger than most of them so they have to,” he joked – and, while their lack of patience was initially the biggest stumbling block, Ambrose has witnessed an improvement in the control and consistency he believes is necessary to succeed in Australian conditions.West Indies will look to Jerome Taylor, whom Ambrose dubs “the leader of the pack”, to replicate his best spells from the second Test of Australia’s 2-0 series victory in the Caribbean earlier this year. Taylor’s impressive first-innings haul of 6 for 47 off 25 overs in Kingston offered a spark of hope for renewal in his side’s heavy defeat and Ambrose is confident a Taylor-led attack has the ammunition to take 20 wickets, particularly if they can account for Warner and Smith.”Of course they are in some good form at the moment,” said Ambrose. “They are two good batsmen as well, they are going to be key. If you can get them out pretty early for not too many runs and get into the middle as quick as possible, I believe the middle order for Australia is not that solid at the moment.”Once we get them out early that is going to give us some leeway to get into the middle and really test them.”Ambrose isn’t the only member of the 1995 side that defeated Australia in Port of Spain – but, ultimately, lost the series – trying to inspire the current crop of players. Richie Richardson, Courtney Walsh and Stuart Williams all have roles within the West Indies set-up.But whether or not their defiant words can inspire a Test side ranked above only Zimbabwe and Bangladesh to victory over Australia remains to be seen. It will certainly take more than a withering glare. If West Indies manage to pull off an unexpected victory, they will need all the self-belief and passion of their predecessors.”I’m going to do whatever I can, and the coaching staff of course, to put up a good show here,” said Ambrose. “And I believe, once the guys are focused, we’re going to do well.”We’re going to do much better than you think.”

Rory Burns batted almost the entire day for a second Championship hundred in three matches

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Lord's02-May-2013
ScorecardRory Burns batted for most of the opening day, but said he did not feel in his best form•Getty Images

The idea that patience is rewarded was reinforced on the opening day at Lord’s. As Rory Burns batted almost the entire day for a second Championship hundred in three matches, those of the 2,000-odd crowd that hung on till stumps were treated to an entertaining cameo from Vikram Solanki and some neat touch-play from Steven Davies. But for those early deserters, their reasons could not be faulted.In an episode of “The Simpsons” Bart and Lisa, in the midst of an argument, decide that violence is the only answer. In an attempt to exonerate themselves from blame, they both decide to wave their arms (Bart) and kick their legs (Lisa), and inch toward the other in a bid to inflict pain yet no shoulder any of the blame. “If you get hit, it’s your own fault”.That scene came to mind watching the first two sessions; neither Middlesex nor Surrey could be blamed for the scoreboard lethargy but they were both aware that they’d reached an agreed impasse as the run-rate ambled along at under two an over up till tea. The collective hundred took 312 balls and only a fraction of those caused the Surrey batsmen any discomfort. One took a wicket – Graeme Smith nicking off to Tim Murtagh for a duck – but for a large proportion of the game that was Middlesex’s lot as their bowlers erred on the side of cautious attack.The majority of their good work came from Murtagh, whose opening spell from the Nursery End was good enough to suggest Smith’s decision to have first go on a sun-kissed Lord’s wouldn’t be a formality. Hindsight suggests nothing less, but Murtagh beat the outside edge of all three of Surrey’s southpaws at the top of their order with a consistent length and just enough seam movement. His was the only genuine threat in a first session that saw the home side use six bowlers, including the part-time offspin of Paul Stirling on Championship debut.

Luckily I didn’t get lost – Burns

A hundred in his maiden innings at the Home of Cricket, it wasn’t just the pitch that tested the nerve of Rory Burns.

“It was a bit weird walking through the Long Room and having people just roaming around. It’s definitely the longest walk from changing room to pitch; luckily I had Smithy with me so I didn’t get lost.”

“It wasn’t a wicket that I ever completely felt ‘in’ on – it was just a case of getting gritty and getting down to business. Just look at the amount of balls I took; the pitch was giving tennis-ball bounce and it was hard work, especially when the ball got soft.”

And, despite his start to the season, Burns did not feel great. “I don’t feel in form. I certainly feel like there have been other times when I’ve batted better and more fluently, but I think results wise I’d say I’m in good form.”

The pitch was flat but Steven Finn and Toby Roland-Jones’ line allowed opener Burns and Arun Harinath to leave comfortably; Harinath in particular benefitting from an hour-long period at the beginning of his innings which asked nothing of him but watchfulness. He brought up his fifty soon after Burns but was out carelessly flashing at a wide ball from Finn. The England quick has had better days on the field but his pace picked up as the hours went on, but the more cynical of Middlesex fans would say he was just going through the motions. Meanwhile it was a day of slog for Roland-Jones – after a profitable start to the season – as he went wicketless.The spoils of the day went, undoubtedly, to Burns for a second century in three Championship matches. He may be boyish in age and aesthetics but his reading of certain passages within each session spoke volumes about his batting nous. When Finn and Roland-Jones pushed him onto the back foot he went with it and did some of his best work from there; a thump through midwicket on his tip-toes a particularly pleasing riposte to a Roland-Jones bumper.He had a brace of reprieves – John Simpson put down a tough chance off the glove for a slack attempt at a hook and Sam Robson missed a fairly simple run-out from gully – but he didn’t dwell on them. Instead, he remained purposeful and calm.The presence of Solanki would have reassured Burns as he made his way through the nineties, not least because of the former’s strokeplay. Solanki hit seven fours, three of them coming in one Murtagh over, who was a shadow or his early-morning self. But he was rewarded for his earlier toil with a second wicket late in proceedings, as Burns played him onto his stumps trying to drive on the up, bringing to close a near six-hour display of serene toil.

Deccan Chargers coach Darren Lehmann has said he is confident that a better batting and fielding effort can help them end their winless run in this IPL season

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2012Deccan Chargers coach Darren Lehmann has said he is confident that a better batting and fielding effort can help them end their winless run in this IPL season. He was speaking after Chargers’ five-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday when they took the game to the last over despite defending 126.”I was really proud of the way we fought with the ball. The pleasing thing which I love from a young group of players is that we keep fighting, that’s four games in a row we’ve gone down to the last over,” Lehmann said. “We were about 15 short with the bat but they bowled well. We should have made about 145. I think we lost five for 40 in the last eight overs when we were two down. It was a tough wicket to play on, but we should have made 145.”Lehmann has criticised his side’s fielding in the past and did it again, after Anand Rajan dropped Debabrata Das with 17 needed off 14 deliveries. “You always like to take those catches,” he said. “We needed to take that catch and we’d have been in the game. For me it’s just about getting some facets of our game right. Ticking off the boxes in the middle order, holding our catches and bowling like we did tonight. If we do that, we’ll win games.”He was also critical of Knight Riders’ batsmen and their inability to handle the Chargers fast bowlers. “Manoj Tiwary and Das could not handle [Dale] Steyn or Veer [Pratap Singh]. He [Tiwary] won’t be playing for India much longer.”Tiwary and Steyn shared words in the 16th over, and the batsman was almost run out when he strayed from his crease during the exchange. Lehmann said, “The shorter you bowl to these players the more they struggle. Then they hit one down to long-on.”Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir said that his side did well in testing conditions. “It was a good game of cricket. You want to play such games to test yourself in such conditions. Low-scoring games are very important in the tournament. It should not always be a high-scoring game. There have to be wickets for the bowlers as well, because they also come to play a game of cricket.”He also defended allrounder Yusuf Pathan, who has struggled with the bat through the tournament. “For me he is the biggest match-winner [and] if we can win games without him then that shows the depth in our team. I’m sure he will end up winning two or three games single-handed for us,” Gambhir said. And if Lehmann voiced doubts over Tiwary’s international future, Gambhir backed Das to do well. “Das has a lot of quality. If he keeps playing like this, then he will play for India.”

The series is wrapped up after Pakistan overcame two mini collapses three days ago to complete a three-wicket victory

Preview by Andrew Miller04-May-2011

Match Facts

May 5, 2011, Providence
Start time 9.30am (1330GMT)Lendl Simmons set up West Indies’ win in the fourth ODI, but the series is out of reach•AFP

The Big Picture

The rot has been stopped by West Indies, though it was quite a scramble to get across the line. Thanks to Dwayne Bravo’s premeditated six over midwicket in the fourth ODI in Barbados, the Windies did just enough to sneak ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis calculations before the heavens opened two deliveries later. However, had the match gone the full 50-over distance, Pakistan would have been confident of defending their total of 248 for 9, the highest yet recorded in a low-scoring series.The scoreline now stands at 3-1 instead of 4-0, and though it’s not enough to get them back into the series, it is nonetheless a significant crumb of comfort for a team that had not beaten senior Test opposition for the best part of two years. Their eight-wicket victory at Kingston in June 2009 was the last such occasion, so the opportunity to claw the scoreline back to 3-2, with the two-Test series to follow, is not one that ought to be sniffed at.Pakistan, however, look for the moment to be an enviably settled unit – and given their recent history, that arguably says more about West Indies’ current turmoil than anything else, even if their chief selector Mohsin Khan is getting ready to rock their boat ahead of the Test series. The composure shown by Mohammad Hafeez in his second ODI hundred, and by Asad Shafiq in their 153-run stand for the second wicket, set the tone for what should have been a formidable total, until Devendra Bishoo’s wiles derailed the latter stages of the innings.There are clear signs of life in the West Indies squad, with Bishoo’s exuberance matched by Lendl Simmons’ early onslaught, in which he belted a 36-ball half-century to propel their rain-affected run-chase. But as the recall of Ramnaresh Sarwan demonstrated, not to mention the ongoing issues surrounding Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the changing of the guard in the Caribbean looks set to be a messy and protracted affair. Better times may lie ahead, but one dead-rubber victory can hardly be taken as proof of a new dawn.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies WLLLL

Pakistan LWWWL

Watch out for…

One of the few positives of West Indies’ disappointing World Cup campaign was the emergence of Devendra Bishoo as a genuine wicket-taking legspinner. While he does not give the ball the biggest rip of all time, his composure under fire is matched by an impressive mastery of flight, and his three wickets in the closing stages of Pakistan’s innings at Bridgetown were due reward for his aggressive intent. In particular his dismissal of the centurion Mohammad Hafeez was eye-catching – late dip, appreciable turn and the pleasing sight of the middle stump being pegged back.Mohammad Hafeez waited eight years to record his maiden ODI century, and now two have come along in the space of six months. His classy accumulation and eye for a run-scoring opportunity belie an average that remains stuck in the mid-20s, but at the age of 30, his time -it would appear – has come. When you factor in his invaluable second string as an offspinner, he is a player upon whom Pakistan can rely, especially given the range of mavericks and matchwinners who feature lower down the batting card.

Team news

West Indies took a gamble in the fourth match by reducing their bowling options to include the specialist keeper Carlton Baugh at the expense of the allrounder Andre Russell. However, seeing as they got the result they wanted, there seems little reason to veer away from the winning formula. Sarwan, who also returned for that match, will be a major drawcard for his Guyanese home support.West Indies (possible) 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Kirk Edwards, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Carlton Baugh (wk), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Devendra Bishoo.Pakistan chopped and changed their options with the series in the bag, and offered ODI debuts to Usman Salahuddin, who was run out for 5 before he could show his full repertoire, and Tanvir Ahmed, who nabbed a maiden wicket in between being tonked by Simmons and Bravo. Both men are worthy of another look, with Umar Akmal and Wahab Riaz having little to prove ahead of the Test series.Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Hammad Azam, 6 Shahid Afridi (capt), 7 Usman Salahuddin, 8 Mohammad Salman (wk), 8 Tanvir Ahmed, 9 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Junaid Khan.

Pitch and conditions

After a relatively brisk deck in Barbados, the Providence wicket promises to be slower and lower, which may tempt both teams to bulk out their spin options. Matches in Guyana rarely pass without some interference from the weather, so the Duckworth-Lewis charts will be close at hand once again.

Stats and trivia

• Misbah-ul-Haq finally has a series average after being dismissed for 5 at Barbados. Prior to that he had made scores of 73 not out, 43 not out, and 62 not out, for an overall tally of 183 runs in four innings.
• This will be the 11th ODI at the Providence stadium, although West Indies have only featured in five of the previous ten, and won just twice, against England in 2009 and Zimbabwe in 2010.
• Pakistan have never won more than three matches in a one-day series against West Indies

Quotes

“We needed this win. It’s been a while.”
Darren Sammy acknowledges the recent scarcity of West Indian victories.”The way Mohammad Hafeez played on a difficult pitch, and Asad Shafiq, I think we should have got 270-275. We missed that chance, and didn’t bat that well in the end.”

Shahid Afridi rues the missed opportunities in Pakistan’s innings.

Nottinghamshire took advantage of Hampshire’s lack of killer instinct to shrug off a dangerous situation and close in on their opponents’ first innings total on the second day of the Championship Division One match at The Rose Bowl

05-May-2010

ScorecardSteven Mullaney propped up Nottinghamshire’s innings with a important fifty•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire took advantage of Hampshire’s lack of killer instinct to shrug off a dangerous situation and close in on their opponents’ first innings total on the second day of the Championship Division One match at The Rose Bowl.Beginning the day at on three for no wicket in pursuit of Hampshire’s 300, Notts were left reeling by a devastating opening spell from former England bowler Kabir Ali, who reduced Notts to 33 for 4 and finished the day with figures of 3 for 70.The visitors were struggling again at 122 for 6, but Alistair Brown and the Steven Mullaney hauled Notts back into the game as the visitors closed on 273 for 7, 17 behind with three first-innings wickets in hand.Under a leaden sky which aided swing, Kabir produced a stunning opening burst of three wickets in 18 deliveries for just two runs to leave Notts all at sea. Kabir produced a snorting, lifting delivery which Bilal Shafayat could only edge behind to Nic Pothas and he followed that up with the removal of Neil Edwards, who was judged to have nudged an inside edge on to his pad to loop a catch up to James Vince at point.Former Worcestershire seamer Kabir, who has a solitary England Test cap to his name, had reduced Notts to 17 for 3 when Mark Wagh played over the top of a straight delivery. Notts were staring down the barrel and Hampshire’s modest first-innings total of 300 looked a long way off as Sean Irvine struck with his first delivery to remove the in-form Hashim Amla, albeit with a large amount of thanks to Pothas’ superbly athletic leg-side catch as the South African Test batsman looked to glance the Zimbabwean.Brown began to piece together Notts’ reply, initially with the aid of Samit Patel, as the pair added 69 in 17 overs either side of lunch. Brown reached his 50 off 70 balls including five boundaries. But Patel fell soon after the interval, slicing an attempted drive to Dominic Cork at mid-off to give Rangana Herath his first Hampshire wicket on his championship debut.And when Cork uprooted Chris Read’s off stump to leave Notts on 122 for 6, Hampshire looked well on course for a first-innings lead. But Brown has proved a thorn in Hampshire’s flesh in the past with Surrey and he and Mullaney frustrated Hampshire’s bowlers during an afternoon session firmly won by Notts, who added 102 runs for the loss of Patel and Read.The partnership was approaching dangerous proportions for Hampshire when the pint-sized Herath struck to remove Brown, aided by a sharp catch at mid-wicket by Cork. Brown’s 81 came off 144 balls and including just seven fours, but his partnership of 111 in 31 overs with Mullaney had pulled Notts out of danger.Mullaney picked up the threads left by Brown and, with Paul Franks, inched Notts towards Hampshire’s first-innings total, and when the umpires took the players off for bad light with 11 overs remaining the pair had added 40 untroubled runs. Mullaney was unbeaten on 72.

“We have been talking about what we want to get better at, and that, for me, is the shining light for the way the boys have bowled”

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-20244:04

McClenaghan: RCB’s whole bowling unit made contributions

Faf du Plessis was buoyed by the new-found aggression in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s approach that helped them beat Delhi Capitals by 47 runs to stay in the race for the playoffs in IPL 2024.”We want to play that style of cricket – RCB talks about playing bold,” du Plessis said, “and just proud that we can actually do that now, putting our performance together.”RCB came into the game with the knowledge that a loss would knock them out of the tournament. They even lost their du Plessis and Virat Kohli cheaply after being sent in. But that didn’t stop Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar from putting on a counter-attacking 88-run stand for the third wicket. In the end, they finished on 187 for 9.”It’s just confidence, isn’t it?” du Plessis said of the batting performance. “First half of the season, we were really fighting for it, didn’t quite come together for us; you just need a couple of guys to find their form in the tournament, and it’s happened.”From a batting perspective, we’ve been around that 200 mark six-seven games in a row now [five in their last seven], so boys are batting really well. And then the bowling obviously – I think the first five or six games, we almost couldn’t get wickets at all, and now, this is the third time [in a row] we have bowled a team out. So that’s a good effort. Especially today’s game, with the extra guy batting.”RCB took control in the chase by reducing Capitals to 30 for 4 inside four overs. Swapnil Singh, the left-arm fingerspinner, dismissed David Warner in the first over before Mohammed Siraj and Yash Dayal settled in with testing lines and lengths. Lockie Ferguson’s 2 for 23 helped them keep a leash on the scoring in the middle overs even as Axar Patel fought back with a half-century.”A lot of work has gone in behind the scenes,” du Plessis said. “I think that’s for me the most obvious thing where the change has happened. I feel that behind closed doors, we are getting it right in our processes – we have been talking about what we want to achieve and what we want to get better at. And that, for me, is the shining light for the way the boys have bowled.”Also, as a captain, I feel we have a lot of variety in our bowling attack. Six or seven options, all very different. So you assess the conditions on the night and you can just pull the best options almost out. But since Siraj has come back, obviously wanting to prove a point, has bowled beautifully. Yash has been exceptional right through the tournament. And Lockie the last few games has been brilliant.”

Dilara Akter, Disha Biswas, Marufa Akter and Shorna Akter have all made the cut for next month’s tournament

Mohammad Isam21-Jan-2023Bangladesh’s squad for next month’s Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in South Africa includes four players from their ongoing Under-19 Women’s World Cup, also taking place in South Africa.Wicketkeeper-batter Dilara Akter, seam bowling allrounder Disha Biswas, seamer Marufa Akter and legspinner Shorna Akter are part of the Youth team that has progressed into the Super Six stage of the tournament. Their good work has now been rewarded with a senior team call-up, alongside Shamima Sultana and Sobhana Mostary as well.Related

• How Bangladesh women upped their power game to beat Australia at the U-19 World Cup

• U-19 World Cup round-up: An unlikely hat-tricker, a keeper-commentator

Shamima, 34, is a wicketkeeper-batter who has played 47 T20Is. Sobhana is a 20-year old batter with 15 T20Is under her belt. Both were in the Bangladesh side during the Asia Cup last year. There was no place for Sharmin Akter, Fargana Hoque, Sanjida Akter, Fariha Trisna and Rabeya Khatun, who were all part of Bangladesh’s last tour, to New Zealand in December.”While making the squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup, we considered the format and the conditions. We are playing in South Africa. We are already playing in the Under-19 World Cup, so we tried to pick a mix of young and experienced players,” Bangladesh women’s team selector, Manjurul Islam, said.”Shorna, Disha, Marufa and Dilara are playing really well in the (Under-19 World Cup) tournament. They also toured New Zealand in our senior team’s last tour. We also have a number of experienced players like Jahanara [Alam] and Salma [Khatun],” Manjurul said.Bangladesh play their first match of the Women’s T20 World Cup on February 12 against Sri Lanka in Cape Town.Bangladesh Women’s T20 World Cup Squad: Nigar Sultana (capt & wk), Marufa Akter, Dilara Akter, Fahima Khatun, Salma Khatun, Jahanara Alam, Shamima Sultana, Rumana Ahmed, Lata Mondol, Shorna Akter, Nahida Akter, Murshida Khatun, Ritu Moni, Disha Biswas, Sobhana Mostary

Full text of de Villiers’ retirement video

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-20214:53

Vettori: de Villiers is one of the greatest players cricket has seen

Today, I’m going to be making a big announcement, a very emotional announcement: that I’m finished with all formats and all cricket, all around. I do have a smile on my face because I feel I am making the right decision, but obviously deep in my heart I’m incredibly sad.There are lots of emotions and thoughts going through my mind, of all the years of playing cricket. There are lots of mixed emotions. Things happened very quickly in the last month or so. It’s been on my mind for a quite a bit. I finally just made the decision that it’s time for me to really, truthfully priortise family time and to be just really the best version of myself as much as I can at home.To all the people in Bangalore, all the people around the world who have followed me, who have supported my RCB team, and any other team that I represented over the years: thank you very much for that. I mean, it’s difficult to put into words what the fans around the world and supporters of cricket, and of my cricket specifically, have meant to me – it has been life-changing. And to each and every person, whether you have criticised me or just loved everything that I have done throughout my career – thank you very much.AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli have been the bedrock of RCB over the years•BCCI

No, I’m not going to go anywhere and I am going to be an RCB-ian for life. Every single person in the RCB set-up has become family to me. I mean we all have spent a lot of time together, some people come and some go, but that RCB franchise and the spirit and the love that we have for each other will always remain.I have an incredible time over there. I know we haven’t won a trophy, but I truly believe there are plenty more to come in the future. Hopefully I have played my role with Virat and some of the other players who have played a huge role in getting our culture set for the future –  may be that has played its role for us to win many trophies in the future. And hopefully I will be part of some of that, we’ll see what happens.But, yes, RCB has changed my life. I think I have become half Indian over the years and I am very proud of that. I absolutely have loved every single second of my journey and I have fallen in love with India as well. That’s never going to change – the day I’m not here on the earth anymore I will be half-Indian, half-South African.

Club were docked points for ‘poor’ pitch in title decider against Essex

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2020Somerset’s 12-point deduction for preparing a ‘poor’ pitch for their County Championship decider against Essex last season has been rolled over to 2021, the ECB has confirmed.A Cricket Disciplinary Commission (CDC) panel decided to push the 12-point penalty back a year, with a one-off first-class competition – the Bob Willis Trophy – being staged instead of the Championship this season.ALSO READ: Bob Willis Trophy explainerIn a rain-affected game that Somerset had to win in order to overtake Essex, 21 wickets fell in 148 overs, of which 17 were to spin, as the match ended in a draw. A CDC panel ruled that the pitch demonstrated “excessive unevenness of bounce” after meeting at Lord’s in November, thus giving it a ‘poor’ rating under the ECB’s pitch regulations.Somerset accepted the charge at the time, but contested the suggestion that the pitch was not the best they could have produced. “The club are very disappointed with the panel’s decision but has concluded that it is in the best interest of all parties to move forward,” a club statement said last year.A further 12 points were suspended for two years in the initial decision, which remain in place for the next two Championship seasons.Somerset did not contest the proposal to push the penalty back by 12 months, and did not comment publicly.

The allrounder admitted recent controversy has made him take a long look at himself

Nagraj Gollapudi03-Apr-2019On Wednesday evening Hardik Pandya was his normal self. He was prancing and dancing around Wankhede stadium. And why not. It was Pandya’s thundering cameo at the death that put Mumbai Indians in a winning position, which he sealed with a three-wicket bowling spell that broke Chennai Super Kings’ back.Pandya’s eight-ball 25 was equal to 39 Smart runs, his Smart Strike rate was a whopping 487.50, while his Smart economy was 1.75. The performance allowed Pandya his first Man-of-the-Match award in T20s in 16 matches (including IPL and internationals). Importantly, it gave Pandya a reason to smile. A reason to believe in himself having endured a difficult past seven months.ALSO READ: Superstats – Hardik Pandya aces it with bat and ballPandya aborted the Asia Cup last September after suffering a back injury. That forced him to miss selection for the T20 and Test series in Australia. The selectors did pick him eventually for the fourth Test, but Pandya just carried the drinks. Then on the eve of ODI series in Australia, in January, Pandya, along with friend and team-mate KL Rahul were suspended by the BCCI for their offensive remarks on a television chat show, which were condemned in public as well as the India dressing room.Although the ban was provisionally lifted on January 24, both players are yet to be cleared. Pandya has been asked by the BCCI ombudsman to be present for an in-person hearing on April 9.Evidently, then, Pandya was thrilled at having been the catalyst in Mumbai’s victory. “It feels pretty good to having helped the team to win and contributed. It is a fantastic feeling,” Pandya told Sanjay Manjrekar in the post-match presentation.Even without the gentle prod from Manjrekar, Pandya was willing to pour out his emotions of the most difficult phase of his career so far. “It has been seven months that I have hardly played games. I’ve just batted and batted and batted, and touch wood the game is getting improved. I am someone who wants to improve day by day. That is something I was focusing all that time I was out. Touch wood it is helping me. It is a fantastic feeling when you hit the ball like that and make your team win.”During the suspension period Pandya had opted not to come out of his house. After his match-winning role he disclosed partially his feelings during that time. “I was out for an injury and then some other controversy happened. This Man-of-the-Match I really like to dedicate to my family and my friends who were there for me during my toughest time. Because these seven months have not been easy. I was out and then I didn’t know what to do.”It also allowed Pandya to carry out a “reality check”. And now he has one motive. “That kind of made me feel that I should have a reality check on my life [about] what I am doing and which is helping me. Now my only focus is to play IPL and make sure India wins the World Cup. That is my sole purpose. That’s why I am practising the way I am doing right now.”Kieron Pollard, whose late cameo in tandem with Pandya allowed Mumbai to plunder 45 off the final two overs, was modest enough to admit his team-mate had him “covered”. “He is phenomenal,” Pollard said immediately after the victory. “He is one that goes out and just plays his game. He doesn’t think about much because there is a lot of analysis goes around the way you bat and the striking zones and whatever. But he just has a clear mind and he is hitting the ball pretty far. And that’s what you get with youthful exuberance.”