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New Zealand, at no stage, showed any semblance of a fight. Not even when Guptill shellacked a breezy half-century.

Shashank Kishore21-Nov-20212:12

How important is this series win for Rohit and Dravid?

India won the toss, opted to bat to challenge themselves against dewy conditions later, and ended up defending quite comfortably. They also ticked a fair few boxes along the way.Their back-up opener Ishan Kishan came good. Their lower order contributed vital runs that gave them at least 20 extra to defend. Venkatesh Iyer delivered three frugal overs as a sixth-bowling option. Axar Patel showed why he’s an aggressive left-arm spin option. Comeback man Yuzvendra Chahal overcame a forgettable start by finishing strongly with the big wicket of Martin Guptill. Harshal Patel continued to take giant strides with his bag of slower variations in T20 cricket. Rishabh Pant displayed terrific agility and athleticism behind the stumps.

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India swept the series 3-0, New Zealand at no stage showing any semblance of a fight. Not even when Guptill shellacked a breezy half-century.The Mumbai Indians showPlayers who generally plot and plan together were up against each other. Rohit Sharma and Kishan, coming in for the rested KL Rahul, as openers. Trent Boult and Adam Milne as new-ball bowlers. And it was India who set the tone for dominance early on as the top two got them off the blocks briskly, with a pair of fours each in the first few overs.Rohit’s trademark pull and Kishan’s Jayasuriya-esque whip off his pads made an appearance. It was clear that India were mindful of heavy dew and wanted to set the tempo and sustain it through the innings. Lockie Ferguson, coming in for stand-in captain Tim Southee, struggled for rhythm – landing full tosses and short balls aplenty to concede 30 off his first 12 balls as India raced to 69 for 0 in six overs.Santner puts the brakes onMitchell Santner brought himself on before dew took effect and trapped Kishan two balls later when he beat the batter with the skid off the pitch to have him caught for 29. In walked Suryakumar Yadav, another true-blue Mumbai Indian, but he didn’t last long either, driving one uppishly to cover to give Santner a second wicket in the over. One quiet Ish Sodhi set later, Santner had a third when he made Pant miscue a slog sweep to mid-on. New Zealand had landed a counter-punch. India went without any boundaries between overs 6 and 10. The slowdown was well and truly on.Rohit Sharma goes aerial•Getty Images

The Iyers get going, before Harshal-Chahar finish stronglyRohit fell for a 28-ball 55, after toe-ending a drive back to Sodhi, but Venkatesh and Shreyas set about the rebuild by milking the singles. From overs 11.3 to 13.4 when Venkatesh broke the shackles by muscling a slog sweep over deep midwicket, the pair played out a lone dot ball.Venkatesh showed excellent footwork in getting to the pitch of the ball and hitting towards the short straight boundaries, while Shreyas picked off a bulk of his runs through cuts and dabs behind square. The pair had added 36 before they fell in the space of three deliveries.Venkatesh went first for 20 when he dragged a Trent Boult knuckleball to deep midwicket. Shreyas fell trying to clear long-on with Daryl Mitchell covering good ground and sliding to complete the catch. At that point, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster pegged India to get 172.That they got much 12 more was courtesy their batting depth. Harshal, who opens for his state side Haryana in T20s, and Deepak Chahar contributed 39 between them to force a strong finish. It included India getting 19 off the final over bowled by Ferguson, who went for 45 off his four overs.Axar’s triple rocks New ZealandA huge machine-mop took off as much dew as it could in the break, but it was only going to be a matter of time before it’d set in again to make it difficult for the spinners to grip the ball.Perhaps mindful of this, Rohit introduced Axar in the third over, and the move worked as he struck twice to stun the visitors upfront. Mitchell picked out extra cover and Mark Chapman ran down the pitch, only to be beaten by sharp turn on the inside edge to see Pant pull off a terrific stumping.Chahal came on from the other end and came in for some tap from the marauding Guptill, who batted with ferocity. Tossing the ball into his hitting arc, Chahal kept getting pinged between long-on and deep midwicket, but Axar at the other end wasn’t quite so obliging. Glenn Phillips became the left-armer’s third victim when he was bowled attempting a reverse sweep off a full delivery. At that stage, New Zealand were tottering at 30 for 3 in five overs.Iyer, Harshal carry forward momentumWith the top order blown away, and only Guptill standing in their way, Rohit took the opportunity to get a few overs out of Venkatesh and the medium pacer used his height and clever variation of lengths to keep batters honest. Harshal was equally hard to hit with his bouquet of slower balls tying New Zealand down.Chahal then returned after two expensive overs with a change in plan. After he went middle and leg only to be swung away, he corrected his line and tried to get batters hit against the turn, and it immediately worked as Guptill holed out to long-on after a quick fire half-century. At 70 for 4 in the 11th over, it was one-way traffic. Batter after batter came out swinging and missing and slipping and sliding as a hungry Indian bowling unit closed out the game clinically.

Lancashire and England seamer says it will be “weird” not playing for Manchester Originals

Matt Roller25-Mar-2023Kate Cross, the England seamer, has revealed her shock at being signed by Northern Superchargers in Thursday’s Hundred draft, having captained Manchester Originals in the competition’s first two seasons.Cross had spoken to the Originals ahead of the draft, who gave her a verbal guarantee that they would sign her for £25,000 with their second pick if she was still available. But the Superchargers gazumped them by using their first pick to sign her for £31,250.Related

• Hundred Draft 2023 – The picks as they happened

• The Hundred 2023 – Women's draft picks

Since the Originals had already used their first pick to sign South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, they were unable to use their Right-To-Match (RTM) card to bring Cross back – much to her surprise, as she watched on from her regional team Thunder’s pre-season tour to Mumbai.”I didn’t look at the money at all,” Cross said on , her BBC podcast with Alex Hartley. “I wasn’t bothered about that. But I knew I wasn’t playing for Manchester, and I’d been picked up by their rivals, the Superchargers, who are based in Yorkshire. For a Lancashire girl, it’s quite a big move…”Cross has spent her whole career playing for Lancashire or teams affiliated with them, like Thunder and the Originals. “It’s just such a big thing to get my head around, the fact that I won’t be playing in the environment that I’ve grown up playing in,” she said. “For a long time, all my cricket has been in one environment, one club, one place.”And then I’m just over the Pennines! It’s going to be weird playing against Manchester; it’s going to be so weird not playing Manchester.”Thursday’s draft was the first time that a recruitment process in the women’s Hundred has been broadcast publicly, and Cross said it had been difficult to deal with hearing about a surprise move at the same time as the rest of the world.”It’s so strange to find out information at the same time as everyone else,” she said. “Whenever we normally get this information, we find out two weeks before it goes out to the public: selections, all that kind of stuff.”It comes out in public and you’ve dealt with it, you’ve processed it, whereas we found out when everyone else found out, which is the thing I’m struggling with the most.”To watch yourself literally get sold live on TV, and for a price that someone values you at… I can’t even describe that feeling.”Each women’s team in the Hundred has eight confirmed players after Thursday’s draft. They will now fill their squads over the coming months, with their remaining contracts agreed mutually on the open market.

Nepal were dismissed for 230 before rain reduced India’s chase to 23 overs in Pallekele

Deivarayan Muthu04-Sep-20231:57

Uthappa: Rohit can afford to take time to get set in ODIs

Two days after the Pakistan-India game was washed out in Pallekele on Saturday, a similar rain threat hung over India’s first meeting against Nepal in international cricket at the same venue. But the rain wasn’t as persistent on Monday and relented by 9.30pm to cut India’s target to 145 in 23 overs. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill then sparkled with an unbroken 147-run opening partnership to crash Nepal’s party and put India in the Super Fours round. Pakistan have already qualified for the next stage from this group.Nepal’s fans, though, had plenty to cheer about in the afternoon, especially when Aasif Sheikh made a solid half-century. Aasif’s innings was bookended by some fluid strokeplay from Kushal Bhurtel in the powerplay and Sompal Kami’s muscular blows in the slog overs. When Aasif reached his half-century off 88 balls in the 28th over, he had the Nepali fans grooving in the stands. The Nepali beats that played at the ground added to the revelry, with Rohit Paudel’s team eventually posting a fairly competitive total of 230 on a two-paced pitch.It was short-lived, though, for Nepal as Rohit launched an opening salvo after a lengthy rain break. He scooped, slog-swept, and reverse-swept his way to a 39-ball half-century. Gill, who had belted Kami for three fours in an over before the rain break, largely rode in Rohit’s slipstream upon resumption. By the time Gill got to his own fifty, India were just 29 away from victory. Rohit and Gill finished it off with 17 balls and all ten wickets to spare.Related

• Nepal show they are worthy of more opportunities at this level

• Rain could force Asia Cup matches out of Colombo

• Jasprit Bumrah to miss Asia Cup game vs Nepal

• Sri Lanka look to seal Super Fours spot vs Afghanistan

India weren’t as dominant in the early exchanges. Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan dropped three catches in the first five overs, allowing Nepal’s batters to ease in.Nepal’s batters were more comfortable against pace, driving languidly in the ‘V’ and also ramping audaciously in the ‘V’ behind the wicket. Bhurtel, who was reprieved twice, punished India with his attacking intent and enterprise. He played arguably the shot of the day when he hooked Mohammed Siraj over square leg and out of the ground. Siraj kept digging the ball into the deck and kept leaking runs.Allrounder Shardul Thakur provided India the opening breakthrough in the last over of the powerplay, but he was also lacklustre during his short shift of four overs.1:11

Jaffer: India ‘need to pull their socks up’ in the Super Fours

Aasif displayed stickability, something Nepal’s batters lacked on their Asia Cup debut against Pakistan in Multan. Siraj then returned to the attack with the old ball to dismiss Aasif for 58 off 97 balls.The left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav worked in tandem to help India seize control. Jadeja proved difficult to get away with his turn – and lack thereof – claiming figures of 3 for 40 in his ten overs. It wasn’t until Jadeja’s eighth over that Nepal scored a boundary off him. Kuldeep wasn’t among the wickets on Monday, but he was almost as thrifty as Jadeja with his stock ball and wrong’un on a helpful surface.Dipendra Singh Airee and Kami then showed that they could also cut it against India’s superstars. Kami, in particular, lined up the short balls from Siraj and Hardik Pandya during his 48 off 56 balls while Airee contributed 29 off 25 balls.Playing his first ODI since March, and only playing because of Bumrah’s unavailability on Monday, Mohammed Shami combined with Siraj to bowl Nepal out for 230 in 48.2 overs.Gill’s calm and the Rohit storm then blew Nepal’s attack away in a truncated chase.

Four of the six provincial teams will have new coaches for the 2021-22 domestic season

Umar Farooq20-Aug-2021In a major shake-up in Pakistan’s domestic cricket, the PCB has juggled four head coaches ahead of the 2021-22 season. Abdul Razzaq, whose Khyber Pakhtunkhwa side won trophies in all three formats last season, will now coach Central Punjab.In turn, Shahid Anwar will move from Central Punjab to Southern Punjab, and Abdur Rehman from Southern Punjab – where he spent two seasons – to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The former WAPDA batter Rafatullah Mohmand will be Rehman’s assistant.Ijaz Ahmed Jnr, who was sacked last season despite winning the 2019-20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with Central Punjab, will now take over at Northern, who had been without a head coach since Mohammad Wasim became the men’s national team’s chief selector.Basit Ali and Faisal Iqbal are the only two head coaches who will remain with their old teams, Sindh and Balochistan respectively, for the new season.There has been a drastic tweak of coaching appointments in the Second XI circuit as well.The change is meant to aid the development of Pakistani coaches, allowing them to work in diverse environments and conditions, though the flip side could be that the rotation might have an adverse impact on player development. Razzaq, for example, will not be able to build on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa squad that won three trophies last season, and will instead have to start afresh with an entirely new set of players.”This will not only help us in boosting our pool of Pakistan coaching candidates, but also develop strong self-reliant players by learning from multiple coaches who are ready to take on different challenges from the early stages of their careers,” said Grant Bradburn, the PCB’s head of high-performance coaching. “In Pakistan, we get very few opportunities for our coaches to experience different assignments and learning opportunities. Particularly, in Covid-19 times, it has been difficult to provide outside learning experiences for our leading coaches.”Therefore, we are openly creating a variety of challenges for our coaches to grow. This gives the background to some of the changes and rotations you will see we have made this season. All of our domestic coaches and city coaches are supported and challenged with two clear tasks – put your team into contention to win, and develop players. Our job is also to challenge and develop our coaches and we do this in a number of ways: 360-degree reviews, individual coach profile, coach learning groups, in-season workshops, coaching courses, one-on-one mentoring, and international camp/tour assignments.”Grant Bradburn, the PCB’s head of high-performance coaching, says the shake-up will enable coaches to ‘experience different assignments and learning opportunities’•Peter Della Penna

The coaches for all six associations have been appointed by the high-performance unit, ranging from youth (U-13 to U-19) to the senior level. The National T20 Cup set to begin on September 25, kicking off a 266-match domestic season.This is the third season in a row with the same domestic structure, which was put in place by the Ehsan Mani-led board that dismantled the earlier mix of departmental and regional cricket and adopted a provincial-team model at the insistence of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is the PCB’s patron. The new model is solely controlled and regulated by the PCB even though each of the six associations has an independent board.The change in domestic structure sparked a country-wide outrage with the new system costing several players, especially those employed by departmental teams, their livelihoods. Eventually, the PCB created jobs for the veteran cricketers at the association level, inviting them to take up positions in various fields such as coaching, administration and umpiring. The new appointment saw dozens of retired players making their way into the coaching profession. Notable names from the circuit, including Shoaib Khan, Humayun Farhat, Aamir Sajjad, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Bin Nasir, Mansoor Amjad have been given roles in various team managements as assistant coaches. Other than the national setup, the PCB has also appointed coaches for the 93 city cricket associations.”Our primary objective is to develop coaches who are capable of providing the support for our players and teams to be the best in the world,” said Bradburn. “Ideally, we would prefer our national coaches of the future to come from a strong pool of Pakistan coaches who have proven coach performance at the highest level. Together we have set some ambitious goals over the next five years to be in the top three in all formats. We are working hard with our coaches and players to clarify that pathway, what is needed in every aspect of achieving those ambitions.”

India captain says the fast bowler “had a swelling in his knee”, which put him back in his recovery and bid to return to action

Ashish Pant15-Oct-20241:41

Will Shami be fit in time for the Australia Test series?

India captain Rohit Sharma confirmed that senior quick Mohammed Shami’s return to the international fold might get further delayed after he suffered another “recent setback”. Shami, who underwent surgery on his right Achilles tendon in February this year, has now developed a swelling on his knee which has “put him back a little bit in his recovery”, according to Rohit.”Right now, it is pretty difficult for us to make a call on whether he will be fit for this series or the Australia series,” Rohit said on the eve of India’s first Test against New Zealand, in Bengaluru. “He recently had a setback – he had a swelling on his knee, which was quite unusual.”He was in the process of getting fit – getting close to 100% – and he had a swelling in his knee. That put him back a little bit in his recovery, so he had to start again fresh.”Related

• Latham hopes cloudy Bengaluru brings NZ's seamers to life

• Shami not ready for New Zealand Tests; Bumrah named vice-captain

• 'If you play only one way, you don't grow' – Gambhir

• India's training session on eve of Bengaluru Test washed out

Shami’s previous game for India came in the final of the World Cup last November. He was India’s highest wicket-taker with 24 wickets in seven matches at an average of 10.70 and strike rate of 12.20 at the tournament. He played through pain during the World Cup, taking injections to treat his ankle.Shami then underwent surgery in London earlier this year and would have been in contention for the five-match Australia series which starts next month, but the latest blow has set him back further. While Shami is at the NCA working with the physios as things stand, Rohit also said India didn’t want to risk taking him to Australia when he isn’t fully fit.”Right now, he is at NCA – he is working with the physios, [and] the doctors at NCA,” Rohit said. “We are keeping our fingers crossed. We want him to be fit; we want him to be 100%. More than anything else, we don’t want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia. That is not going to be the right decision for us.”Having not played international cricket for nearly a year, Rohit also suggested that it would be tough for Shami to get right back into the thick of things.”He has not played any cricket for over a year. It is quite tough for a fast bowler to have missed so much of cricket and then suddenly to come out and be at his best,” Rohit said. “It is not ideal. We will want to give him enough time to recover, and be 100% fit.”The physios, the trainers, [and] the doctors have set a roadmap for him. He is supposed to play a couple of games before he plays international cricket. We will see where he is at after this New Zealand series, and then take a call at what stage of Australia [series] he will be fit for us.”India have eight Tests left in the current WTC cycle. They play a three-match series against New Zealand after which they will travel to Australia for five Tests starting November 22.

“The only way these Associate Nations are going to get better is by playing against the Full Member nations more often”

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-2022After a gap 25 years, New Zealand will face Netherlands in an ODI and eight years after last competing against them in international cricket, when the two teams clash in a one-off T20I and three ODIs in New Zealand, starting March 25.The visitors are placed at the bottom of the ODI World Cup Super League table, but New Zealand’s Martin Guptill doesn’t want to “take them lightly” since a few of the Netherlands players have had the experience of playing in New Zealand in the past and are aware of the conditions.Related

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“Geez, it was quite a while ago,” Guptill said of the last meeting with the Netherlands. “I think it was years ago that we last played against the Netherlands. The last time we played in the [2014] T20 World Cup, it was a close game. We know a few guys from their side. [Logan] van Beek played for Wellington [Firebirds], Max O’Dowd played for Otago [Volts] and Fred Klaasen as well, he played club cricket here last year, and I was able to face a bit of them in the nets during the Super Smash last summer.”We can’t take them lightly. They have been here now, played a couple of warm-up games and are well acclimatised here. So, once we get a couple of training sessions under the belt, we will be able to get out and [we are] raring to go.”New Zealand are second from bottom in the table, but they have played only three ODIs so far in the Super League, and have won all three. Given the team’s limited experience with ODIs following the 2019 World Cup – they have played a total of seven matches in the two-year period, where they won six and lost one – Guptill sees the home series as an opportunity to build to the 2023 World Cup.”It’s going to be funny because we have played like seven ODIs since the 2019 World Cup,” he said. “It’s definitely three years. So, there’s been a little bit of a lack of ODI cricket but once we get to the first one, we will be ready to go and reacquaint ourselves with the one-day format and keep going.”Guptill also feels that it’s a “massive” opportunity for the Netherlands to get a full tour against the No.1 ODI team. The likes of the Netherlands usually play against Full Members only in the World Cups as bilateral series outside of it are limited. However, the Super League guarantees 24 ODIs against eight Full Members, with half the fixtures at home and half away.”The only way these Associate Nations are going to get better is by playing against the Full Member nations more often,” Guptill said. “This is the start for the Netherlands and hopefully, they can continue on. You know, we get to play them during the winter and looking forward to both the series.”The hosts will be missing 12 players, including their regular captain Kane Williamson, who will be taking part in the IPL, which will commence on March 23. However, the spotlight will be on Ross Taylor with the series set to be his international swansong after he retired from Test cricket last December. Guptill, who has played with Taylor for more than a decade, is hopeful of finishing the tour on a high.”It’s going to be pretty sad for us, it’s an emotional day. Hopefully, we can send him off with a good series and good night celebrating that.”

He will join the squad in time to be available for selection for their final Group A clash against Zimbabwe on Thursday

Peter Della Penna13-Jul-2022D Siva Kumar, who was part of India’s Under-19 World
Cup-winning squad in Malaysia in 2008, has been drafted into the USA squad to replace the injured Ali Khan at ongoing T20 World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. Ali was ruled out of the rest of the tournament after he suffered a broken forearm on the opening day of the tournament.Siva Kumar, 32, recently became eligible to represent his adopted home country under the ICC’s residency guidelines. which require a player to be a resident for a minimum of three years in order to qualify for selection. His last List A match for Andhra Pradesh in Indian domestic cricket came in October 2018.Related

• Ali Khan out of T20 World Cup Qualifier with a fractured forearm

• USA Cricket stepping up foreign recruitment to live up to ODI status

The medium-pace allrounder has been representing the Morrisville, North Carolina franchise for the last two seasons in USA’s Minor League Cricket T20 franchise tournament, which is serving as the precursor to Major League Cricket that is due to launch in 2023. He took 15 wickets at an average of 16.13 and an economy rate of 5.76 in the 2021 regular season and scored scored 93 runs in eight innings at an average of 13.29. In the 2022 campaign, he has four wickets in two matches.According to a press release from USA cricket, he is due to arrive in Zimbabwe on Wednesday night and will join the squad in time to be available for selection for their final Group A clash against Zimbabwe on Thursday. Both teams have already clinched semi-final berths but the winner will have the top seed heading into the crossover playoff matches with the Group B set on Friday.

He believes he has the experience to take over the leadership and become a voice for smaller members and Associates

Nagraj Gollapudi and Tristan Lavalette04-Nov-2022Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani is potentially set to go head to head with the incumbent Greg Barclay in the ICC chairman election scheduled for next weekend. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Mukuhlani, who has been on the ICC board for a long time as the ZC representative, has declared his intention to enter the contest – subject to his getting enough support from the smaller Full Member countries as well as the Associates.ESPNcricinfo recently reported that Imran Khwaja, the ICC deputy chair, was going to stand, but he is believed to have withdrawn. Khwaja suffered a fractious defeat in the 2020 elections against Barclay. Back then, Barclay secured influential support from the BCCI which paved the way for the New Zealander to win by 11 votes to five, in what turned out to be a two-round contest.In July this year, after the ICC annual general meeting, Barclay declared he was ready to contest for a second two-year term. Barclay is believed to be bullish about his prospects, especially as election rules have been tweaked with the winner to be decided on the basis of a simple majority. In 2020 the winning candidate needed a two-third majority from the 16-strong ballot. The 16 votes are from the ICC board of 12 Full Members, one independent director (Indra Nooyi) and three Associate directors which includes Khwaja.Khwaja had received six votes in the first round two years ago, but Cricket South Africa’s vote in the second round tipped the contest in Barclay’s direction. Once beaten, twice shy, Khwaja, one of the most experienced directors on the board, weighed his options and eventually decided not to contest this time, despite having got the mandatory one vote to get nominated.While it could not be confirmed on October 20, the nomination deadline day, Mukuhlani, too, had been proposed by one of the ICC directors. And now he has the second vote, enough to support a nomination. While he is keen to fight the elections, Mukuhlani will likely take a final call in the next week once he senses the kind of support he could expect.Greg Barclay is the current ICC chairman and is looking for another term•Kai Schwoerer/ICC/Getty Images

Mukuhlani is part of the ICC’s Audit Committee and chair of the Membership Committee. He is also part of the global body’s Olympics working group, which is tasked with pushing for cricket’s entry in the Summer Games. Popularly known as ‘Doc’ in ICC circles, Mukuhlani believes he has the experience to take over the leadership and become a voice for smaller members and Associates. He is hedging his chances mainly on getting support from a majority of Asian countries except for the BCCI. At the moment, it is believed that the BCCI vote is leaning towards Barclay, but options remain open till election date. The election is planned to take place during the ICC meetings, scheduled on November 12-13 in Melbourne.Mukuhlani’s manifesto revolves around striving for equity among members and advocating for governance changes. It aligns with the vision Khwaja has had for several years and was to an extent able to put into effect during the four years Shashank Manohar was ICC chairman (2016-20). Both men worked closely to dismantle the Big Three power structure and put in place a fresh financial model where smaller countries received an enhanced share from the ICC revenue pool.That pot has now grown much bigger after Disney Star* bought ICC broadcast rights for men’s and women’s events between 2024-27. The deal, to broadcast in the India market only, is reportedly worth over US$3 billion, considerably more than what the ICC got in the previous rights cycle (which was for eight years, and globally). Barclay, too, is drumming up support and is believed to have put a re-look at the financial distribution model as well as modifying the governance model at the forefront of his strategic plan for a second term. Other than looking at enhancing individual countries’ share of the pie, Barclay wants to invest money in strategic funds as well has promotion of women’s cricket.

ECB escalate delay to BCCI and Indian government with 20-year-old stuck in UAE

Vithushan Ehantharajah22-Jan-2024England began their Test preparations in Hyderabad without Shoaib Bashir after visa issues left him stranded in the UAE.England arrived in India on Sunday ahead of Thursday’s opening Test following a training camp in Abu Dhabi, where Bashir remains after a delay in his paperwork left him unable to travel with the rest of the squad. The Somerset offspinner, whose parents are of Pakistani heritage, is being accompanied by Stuart Hooper, who recently joined the ECB as their new managing director of cricket operations.Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, said that the ECB has escalated the matter with the relevant authorities, including the Indian government, and expects positive news in the next 24 hours. England are optimistic about a quick resolution and also expect to welcome Dan Lawrence on Monday evening.Related

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Lawrence was drafted into the 16-man squad after Harry Brook returned home following a family emergency. Brook flew back to the UK on Sunday, though Lawrence remained in the UAE to turn out for Desert Vipers in the ILT20 in their defeat to Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.Though Bashir is likely to miss two days of preparation – England will train on Tuesday morning at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium – McCullum insisted he will still be available for selection for the opening Test. Bashir, 20, was a bolter for the squad, selected on promise rather than performances, having taken just 10 first-class wickets at 67.Shoaib Bashir was a shock call-up for England’s tour to India•Getty Images

But he impressed on Lions duty and in the UAE with the full squad, where he has continued to make a strong impression with his high release point and ability to spin the ball sharply, which England regard as vital for the surfaces they expect to encounter in this series.”Bash will join us hopefully tomorrow as well,” McCullum said. “He’s got a couple of issues with his visa coming through. We’re confident on the back of the help from the BCCI and the Indian government that will sort itself out pretty quickly as well.”Things take time, don’t they? Everyone is doing what they can. It’s a process we need to go through. We’re pretty confident that we’re close. The time that Bash had with the squad over in Abu Dhabi, where he fitted in seamlessly, will serve him greatly.”We’ve also got a little bit of support out there for him so he’s not on his own. We’re hoping the news will come through today that his visa has been approved, then we’ll get him to sink his teeth into this series.”

Ashwin played only one of the first three Tests of the ongoing series in Australia, taking 1 for 53 in the day-night fixture in Adelaide

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-20241:59

‘Truly an emotional moment’ – Ashwin retires from international cricket

R Ashwin has retired from international cricket with immediate effect, announcing his decision at the end of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Brisbane. He will be leaving for India on Thursday.”This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level,” Ashwin said after the Brisbane Test at a press conference. “I do feel there’s a bit of punch left in me as a cricketer, but I would like to express that and probably showcase that in club-level cricket, but this will be the last day [for India].”I’ve had a lot of fun. I must say I have created a lot of memories alongside Rohit [Sharma] and several of my other team-mates, even though I have lost some of them [from the India team] over the last few years. We’re the last bunch of OGs, if we can say that, left out in the dressing room, and I will be marking this as my date of having played at this level.”Obviously there are a lot of people to thank, but I would be failing in my duties if I didn’t thank the BCCI and the fellow team-mates. Several of them. I want to name a few of them. All the coaches who have been part of the journey. Most importantly, Rohit, Virat [Kohli], Ajinkya [Rahane], [Cheteshwar] Pujara, who have taken those splendid catches around the bat to give me the number of wickets I’ve managed to get over the years.