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India spinners ran through England’s middle order and only a fighting 52 from captain Knight took the visitors to 126

Valkerie Baynes10-Dec-2023India’s new spin pair of Shreyanka Patil and Saika Ishaque and an improved batting performance led them to a consolation victory in the third and final T20I against England at the Wankhede Stadium.The things that had gone wrong as India slumped to a 2-0 deficit in the series came together as Renuka Singh finally found support with the ball and, despite Shafali Verma’s second failure in as many matches following her half-century in the series opener, India staged a key batting partnership with Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues adding 57, which helped chew through a modest target. With captain Harmanpreet Kaur delaying her entrance after appearing to twist her foot while fielding – she came in at No. 5 – she marshalled the remainder of the chase with Amanjot Kaur to seal victory with an over to spare.Patil and Ishaque built on Renuka’s good early deeds to run through England’s middle order as the visitors lost five wickets for nine runs in the space of 21 balls, lurching from 67 for 3 to 76 for 8 before Heather Knight’s half-century salvaged something from the innings. Knight, England’s captain, provided her side’s sole resistance, hitting down the ground as the majority of her countrywomen perished sweeping or cutting. Twin sixes over long-on in three Amanjot deliveries took Knight past fifty in the final over of the innings before she holed out on the penultimate ball, with Mahika Gaur giving Amanjot two wickets in as many balls when she was caught by Deepti Sharma at cover point with England all out for 126.With India needing 11 runs from the last two overs, Sophie Ecclestone bowled Richa Ghosh attempting to paddle and put some pressure back on India but Amanjot, who replaced Pooja Vastrakar in the side, pierced the covers for four next ball to ease the tension and another four levelled the scores before her reverse sweep took her to 13 not out in just four balls and India to victory.

Newcomers shine for India

Patil and Ishaque, who both made their T20I debuts in the first match of this series, were pivotal in England’s demise. Patil, the 21-year-old offspinner, held on at deep midwicket to remove Amy Jones for 25 off 21 and give Ishaque her second wicket, sparking the rot for England. Left-arm spinner Ishaque, a revelation as the inaugural WPL’s joint third-highest wicket-taker, had already had Alice Capsey taken by Rodrigues at extra cover and she then bowled Danielle Gibson for a duck attempting to cut.Bess Heath, making her T20I debut as England rang in the changes, did little better, giving Patil her first with an attempted reverse sweep which found Amanjot at short third. Patil then had Kemp lbw and Ecclestone bowled, on the cut and sweep respectively. Both India spinners overcame nervy debuts, Patil taking 2 for 44 from her four overs in the first match as Ishaque took 1 for 38, and reinforced India’s faith in a revamped side.Renuka Singh struck twice inside the powerplay, including dismissing Maia Bouchier for a first-ball blob•BCCI

Renuka reprises powerplay role

Just as she had in the first two matches, Renuka struck early, removing both England openers inside the first three overs. On this occasion, with Danni Wyatt, who scored 75 in the opening match, making way for Maia Bouchier in this dead rubber, Renuka struck with the third ball of the match, a slightly fuller one that nipped back a little and pierced Bouchier’s tentative prod, bowling her through the gate.Renuka also accounted for an out-of-sorts Sophia Dunkley for the third time in as many matches, throwing her hands at a ball outside off stump which was there to be hit but she just couldn’t clear Patil at backward point. Dunkley’s score of 11 was her highest of the series and came amid a lean stretch dating back to the Ashes in the middle of this year, where she managed just one half-century – in the first T20I – and has scored just one since – at the WBBL last month. Unlike in the opening two games, however, Renuka’s good work received ample support in the form of Patil and Ishaque.

Mandhana, Rodrigues step up

Scores of 159 for 6 in pursuit of 198, where Shafali lacked support from her team-mates, and 80 all-out raised worrying questions over India’s batting ahead of this match. But Mandhana and Rodrigues stepped up when required. Mandhana’s run-a-ball 48 included two glorious sixes over deep midwicket and long-off, and five fours while Rodrigues was particularly effective on the sweep on the way to her 29 off 33.Offspinner Charlie Dean had broken their stand with a full ball that rapped Rodrigues on the back thigh as she knelt to sweep, her call for DRS unable to save her as ball-tracking showed the ball on target. Soon after, Mandhana also fell, agonisingly short of her half-century when she drove tamely to Dunkley off Ecclestone. But the India duo had set their side up and gone some way to answering those batting questions while Amanjot’s cameo at the end gave her side more encouragement.England, meanwhile, missed Nat Sciver-Brunt, who was rested from the match but still named Player of the Series for her 93 runs and two wickets, her 77 in a 138-run stand with Wyatt in the opening game the standout performance. Sarah Glenn, who is not part of England’s squad for the Test starting on Thursday, missed the match with a thumb fracture picked up in the second T20I.

Vishmi Gunaratne sidelined due to a stress fracture on her back while Ama Kanchana and Udeshika Prabodhani have been dropped

Madushka Balasuriya21-Sep-2022Sri Lanka have made three changes to the side that travelled to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games in July-August, as they named their 15-member squad for next month’s Asia Cup.Wicketkeeper-batter Kaushani Nuthyangana, left-arm seamer Tharika Sewwandi and allrounder Madushika Methtananda come in for the veteran pairing of Ama Kanchana and Udeshika Prabodhani, and 17-year-old Vishmi Gunaratne.Twenty-year-old Nuthyangana, who will deputise for Anushka Sanjeewani behind the stumps, has been earmarked as a talent for the future, as has 21-year-old Sewwandi who will take up the left-arm seamer spot vacated by Prabodhani. Methtananda, meanwhile, is in line to make just her second appearance for Sri Lanka, having made her first back in 2019.Of the changes, the only enforced one is that of the highly-rated allrounder Gunaratne, who is suffering from a suspected stress fracture on her back. Sri Lanka Cricket would have ideally liked to have included her, but a recent MRI had highlighted the injury; SLC decided rather than risk aggravating the injury, to instead focus on having her fit for the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in January in South Africa.Both Kanchana and Prabodhani meanwhile have been omitted as a result of poor recent form, though the latter’s game time is also understood to being managed with her having turned 37 just this month.The rest of the side remains unchanged, with Chamari Athapaththu leading a squad consisting of batters Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama, and allrounders Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Malsha Shehani and Methtananda, as well as Sanjeewani and Nuthyangana.Sewwandi will be the lone frontline seamer in the squad, with the likes of Achini Kulasuriya, Methtananda, Nilakshi and Shehani able to chip in with their medium pace.It’s on the spin-bowling front though that Sri Lanka are relatively well covered, as they will be able to call on veteran left-arm spinners Inoka Ranaweera and Sugandika Kumari, as well as all-round options in the form of Athapaththu, Dilhari and Ranasinghe. There is also Rashmi Silva, an exciting 21-year-old right-arm leg spinner, who is in line to make her T20I debut during the tour.The Women’s T20 Asia Cup will take place from October 1 to 15 in Bangladesh, with Sri Lanka set to take on India on the opening day.Sri Lanka squad: Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kaveesha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Kaushani Nuthyangana, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Malsha Shehani, Madushika Meththananda, Inoka Ranaweera, Rashmi Silva, Sugandika Kumari, Achini Kulasuriya, Tharika Sewwandi.

Bowler suffering from “impingement” of joint but England hope for return against India

George Dobell20-May-2021Jofra Archer is set to miss a significant portion of the English season after a decision to operate on his troublesome right elbow.Having seen a specialist on Wednesday, the decision was taken for Archer to undergo surgery on Friday. Although the ECB is reluctant to put any timeframe on his return – or go into any detail about the exact nature of the operation – it is understood England have not given up hope of him playing some part in the Test series against India, which is scheduled to be played in August and September.Related

• Archer a mere bystander as Kent leave Sussex frustrated

• Archer ruled out of New Zealand Tests due to elbow concerns

• Stokes to make comeback from injury for Durham in Vitality Blast

The England management hope that by dealing with the issue now, Archer will be free to play a full part in the T20 World Cup and the Ashes, both of which are scheduled to be played at the end of the year.”At the moment, he has a bit of an impingement in his elbow,” England’s bowling coach, Jon Lewis, told the . “A lot of fast bowlers get it in their ankle, so it’s comparable but a different part of the body. Put a lot of pressure and flexion through any joint, it will take a bashing. But bowlers come through ankle impingements. I don’t foresee it being a long term major issue.”From what I understand, either short-term or long term, his elbow will recover. I would expect him to play a lot more international cricket for England. This is just a small blip on his journey.”The issue with Archer’s elbow first came to prominence when he was forced to pull out of the New Year Test in Cape Town at the start of 2020 and was subsequently diagnosed with a stress fracture. Since then, he has managed six Tests in which he has claimed 12 wickets at a cost of 40.16 apiece. He was also obliged to withdraw from the recent IPL season.Jofra Archer experienced discomfort in his elbow while playing for Sussex•Getty Images

Archer was heavily bowled in the first few months of his international career. He played a huge part in England’s World Cup win – he was their highest wicket-taker in the campaign, bowled the most overs and required a pain-killing injection before delivering the Super Over in the final – and, only weeks before the stress fracture was diagnosed, had bowled 42 overs in an innings in a Test in Mount Maunganui. Little more than a week later, he bowled 40 more in the Hamilton Test.This will be the second bout of surgery Archer has undergone within a few weeks. He had a fragment of glass removed from a tendon in his hand in March sustained in an accident while attempting to clean a fish tank.England had hoped that rest and cortisone injections would avoid the need for surgery on his elbow, but when he experienced a recurrence of pain during his first game back for Sussex, it became apparent a different approach was required.

The Pakistan legspinner has dismissed the Australian batsman seven times and made sure everybody at the Gabba knew it

Daniel Brettig26-Nov-2019Yasir Shah may have just “woken up the beast.” This is the general sense in the Australian camp after his haughty celebration following Steven Smith’s dismissal for the seventh time in last week’s first Test in Brisbane.It’s fair to say that Smith was perhaps not at his most focused when he entered the fray, after David Warner, Joe Burns and Marnus Labuschagne had already taken Australia well past Pakistan’s first innings.But he will be very much more so in Adelaide, admitting that Yasir’s gesture had undoubtedly raised his competitive ire. The Australians flew into Adelaide on Tuesday and were followed a couple hours later by the visitors, who must win in Australia for the first time since 1995 if they wish to square the series.”I am motivated, particularly after he put his fingers up … that he got me seven times,” Smith said in Adelaide. “A couple of the boys were in the sheds just after that and said ‘he’s just woken up the beast’ or something like that. We’re in for a battle next week. I’m not going to be giving away my wicket very easily this time.”I actually didn’t even know that he’d gotten me out [seven times]. I thought that he’d gotten me out once or twice. Seven times? There you go. Pakistan [UAE] 2014, he got me twice at least there, actually three times.”Though the record looks impressive for Yasir, several of these dismissals came in scenarios when quick runs were sought to further Australia’s advantage. “A few of those times I was slogging to set up a game or second innings he got me out slogging trying to do something once or twice too,” Smith said. “A couple of I guess you’d call them cheap wickets in a way, but he’s got me a couple of conventional times as well.”I thought he bowled really well at the Gabba last week. He got good drift and a little bit of spin when it was on offer. I’m not overly worried about him but playing with a bit more discipline this week and hopefully will score some runs.”I spoke to JL in the morning [before batting] and I was like ‘how should I go about this, should I just take it on’. He said ‘just go out and entertain them, do what you want’,” Smith said. “It was probably a bit more casual than if I’d come in at 2 for 20. I probably would have been a bit more cautious and got into my innings a bit more rather than playing a somewhat reckless shot. But we live and we learn and we go again.”The scoreboard was in a pretty good place. I wasn’t too disappointed. I usually do get pretty disappointed when I get out but the position we were in, we were in a pretty good one so it didn’t faze me too much and it seemed to make him pretty happy, that’s for sure.”Yasir had less success against Labuschagne, who contributed the sort of big, spinal first innings hundred that Smith has made into his trademark. Comparisons have been made as to the quirky nature of both Smith and his eager pupil, though the older man was not shy to draw a distinction.”He’s way stranger than I am,” Smith said. “I thought he played beautifully. I’ve been really impressed with the way he went about things in England, the way he prepared, we talked a lot about batting. He’s got a good understanding of what he’s trying to do, what he’s trying to achieve.”He’s been getting a lot of starts since sort of getting into the side. He’s got a lot of 60s and 70s. The challenge for him is to turn them into 180 like he did last week. If he’s doing that consistently, he’s going to be a very, very good player in all forms of the game.”

Batsman’s 56 from 33 balls was not the most substantial knock in Sri Lanka’s innings, but it was the most eye-catching

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo23-Oct-2018He had gone 24 innings without a fifty, His four most recent innings featured three ducks and a score of 5. But it was the intensity that Kusal Mendis brought to his fielding that tipped the team management off that a good innings might be around the corner. That was the reason why they refused to drop him for the fifth ODI.This was what captain Dinesh Chandimal revealed following Sri Lanka’s 219-run DLS victory over England in Colombo. Sri Lanka could have brought the experienced Upul Tharanga back into the side, after Mendis had registered scores of 0 and 5 in his other two outings of the series – never looking like the kind of player the likes of Kumar Sangakkara had predicted would go on to score 10,000 runs in ODIs and Tests.But suddenly, in this match, a fire reignited in Mendis’ game. His 56 from 33 balls was not the most substantial knock in Sri Lanka’s innings, but it was the most eye-catching. He struck at a run-rate of 170 and hit six sweet sixes, the most attractive of them an imperious lofted off-drive off Tom Curan, in the 38th over.”We looked at Mendis’ fielding, and that was the No. 1 reason we trusted him,” Chandimal said of giving Mendis another opportunity despite the lean run of scores. “His attitude on the field was great. We know that when you have a player like that, he can get into form very quickly. We know how good a batsman he is. Kusal Mendis is our future. He took that responsibility on and played well for the team.”Fielding, in general, has been something Chandimal has emphasised since taking the captaincy from Angelo Mathews, and in this series, Sri Lanka have seemed to raise their game on that front. Where in previous months, including in September’s Asia Cup, Sri Lanka were perhaps the worst fielding side on show in any trophy they happened to be playing for, they arguably out-fielded England through the course of this series. At the very least, Sri Lanka were the more proficient side in Tuesday’s game.”The main thing for us is fielding,” Chandimal said. “If you can keep that energy and good attitude when you are fielding, other things fall into place. That’s what we did as a team.”Much as Sri Lanka would have loved Mendis to hit this kind of form earlier in the series, that he has done so with the Tests on the horizon will be an especial fillip to the hosts, who often look to him for top-order runs on turning tracks. Two other key Test batsmen were also among the runs in this game. Chandimal himself struck 80 off 73 balls – the first occasion since 2016 in which he scored more than fifty at better than a run-a-ball. Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella, who opens the innings in ODIs, and bats in the lower middle order in Tests, made the highest score of the series, hitting 95 off 97 deliveries.”We had lost the series when we got here, but we were intent on regaining form ahead of the T20 and Tests,” Chandimal said. “I’m glad three of our Test batsmen made runs today. We’re hopeful we can take that confidence in to those next two series.”

Players will have to maintain minimum fitness standards set by the team management if they are to be considered going forward, says Pakistan coach

Umar Farooq03-Aug-2017Mickey Arthur has urged the Pakistan players to return to training from August 22, ahead of a full series against Sri Lanka in October. Pakistan have not played any cricket since the Champions Trophy, which they won in June, but Arthur believes four months without top-level cricket will not affect the side as they prepare for the new season. Since their return from the Champions Trophy, a few players have been on holiday while others, like captain Sarfraz Ahmed, are in the middle of county stints.”I’ve sent emails out to the players. They deserved everything they got after the Champions Trophy,” Arthur said. “It was a phenomenal achievement by all of them and I’m so proud of the way they fought back, their commitment, their work ethic – everything was outstanding, but it’s finished now, it’s gone, that’s done. We come back here for the camp from August 22.”Arthur made it clear that players will have to meet a “minimum standard” of fitness to be considered for selection. “There’s no comfort zone for anybody,” he said “The celebrations are now over, it’s now time to get back to work, get back to the hard work. We have had eight guys here over the last couple of days working extremely hard. We’re under no illusion that the Champions Trophy was just the start of the journey, we’ve got to keep pushing to keep getting better and better, and that we’ll only do with real hard work. There’s not going to be any hangover from the Champions Trophy, I can assure you that.”According to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, Pakistan were scheduled to tour Bangladesh in August, but the tour was called off after talks between both boards failed. To counter the dry spell, the Pakistan Cricket Board has organised a conditioning camp, not just to enhance fitness levels of players but also help the team management identify players who can fill the void left by the retirements of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq.Arthur believes competition for places should spur the contenders. “We can keep Azhar Ali opening the batting or we can move him to three. If we do that, we are looking for two opening batsmen,” he said. “Shan Masood started the last Test, Ahmed Shehzad was in the West indies but didn’t play in the last Test. Sami Aslam is playing particularly well at the moment, so there’s good competition for the opening spots.”If Azhar Ali bats at three, we’ve got Asad Shafiq and Babar Azam. We took Usman Salahuddin with us to the West Indies, he impressed with the way he worked and the way he trained. His technique was good. Haris Sohail has come back really well, he offers us left-arm spin, so we are looking for a fifth bowler and he becomes an option. Basically, we’ve got strength and depth. We’ve started moving into a position where we can play players and give them extended runs because we’ve got enough pushing through in order to keep our standards high, in order to do the job that’s required.”Arthur was also forthcoming on the controversy surrounding Umar Akmal. Umar had been axed from the Champions Trophy squad after failing two fitness Tests and was also omitted from the list of central contracts. “Umar Akmal failed several fitness tests, what do you want us to do?” he asked. “I would have thought if you’ve failed one or two you would never put yourself in that position again. Well he’s had several opportunities and hasn’t passed one, so that’s up to him.”We’ve got enough in order to move on without any player that doesn’t fit into our standards and requirements. All the balls are in his court (now), I can’t stand here and say anybody is excluded from playing for Pakistan, it’s up to him. What I do know is anybody coming into the team needs to have minimum standards.”

Pakistan engineered themselves a position of considerable strength by tea on the second day at Edgbaston as Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali added an unbroken 154 for the second wicket to take them to within 143 of England’s total

The Report by Andrew McGlashan04-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPakistan’s Old Trafford drubbing is already feeling a long time ago. On the second day at Edgbaston, Azhar Ali’s tenth Test century, and a second-wicket stand of 181 with Sami Aslam, carried Pakistan to a strong position as they closed on 257 for 3, just 40 short of England’s total, only for the gloss to be taken off slightly when Azhar fell to the final ball.Yet it was still an outstanding innings. Azhar had made just 39 runs in four innings during the first two Tests but here showed the determination and fight that Pakistan needed from one of their senior batsmen. He reached his century when he gloved his tenth boundary down to fine leg during the final session, celebrating extravagantly and following the lead of his captain at Lord’s with a set of press-ups.England paid the price for dropping him twice. On 38 Joe Root moved late for an edge at second slip and the on 69 Moeen Ali could not hold a stinging return catch. Those moments were part of a day of increasing frustration for England. James Anderson was warned twice in an over by Bruce Oxenford for running on the danger area on a day when his grumpy side was on full display. It would not be surprising if some of his actions gained the interest of the match referee, although after play he said he had apologised to both umpires, Oxenford and Joel Wilson.In many ways, however, the story of the day belonged to 20-year-old Aslam who made a wonderfully composed 82 having been recalled to replace Shan Masood. He was closing in on becoming the youngest opener to make a century in England when, having run superbly between the wickets with Azhar during their 62-over stand, he was sold short by his team-mate when he chanced a single to point. James Vince provided the spark England desperately needed when he swooped and hit direct with a fierce shy.But the breakthrough did not bring immediate further success. Younis Khan was unconvincing, repeatedly being beaten as he continued to move around the crease, but survived to reach the close with 21 off 68 balls and Azhar was one delivery away from walking off unbeaten with him only to jab at Chris Woakes’ final ball and send the edge to Alastair Cook at first slip.England’s day had started promisingly when Mohammad Hafeez, playing in his 50th Test, cut the fourth ball of the innings low to point: it ended up being their high point as the bowlers did not take a wicket for the next 89.1 overs with the Pakistan line-up, led by their second-wicket pair, putting England’s 297 into context.After the first day’s play, Gary Ballance, the top-scorer, suggested they were content with the total in what he said were tough conditions. Twenty-four hours later, though, not only did Misbah-ul-Haq’s decision to bowl look even more well-informed, but Aslam and Azhar had given an exemplary display of what a bit of graft – not a word often associated with this England batting order, except for Cook – can bring. England will consider that they did not make the most of the first new ball, bowling a fraction short and wide, and will have to follow-up Woakes’ late strike with further inroads on the third morning to even the contest.Both Aslam and Azhar were content to bide their time: 72 runs came in the first session and 82 in the second. They left well, backing themselves to soak up the pressure when maidens were strung together, pushing England’s bowlers deep into the day. Even with a five-man attack, if wickets are hard to come by the strain will be felt.To add to the quality of Aslam’s innings was the fact that he had not had a first-class knock since last December. His smart leaving meant the bowlers were drawn into being straighter, when he would either knock them into the off-side gaps or work them off his pads, and neither was he unsettled when he ducked into a short ball from Woakes that struck the back of his helmet. He rarely looked hurried into his shots and only attacked when it was a low-risk option.He also showed that trait of all Pakistan batsmen: the desire to target Moeen. Either side of tea he pressed his accelerator against the spinner, reaching his fifty with a paddle sweep then providing a repeat before twice biffing Moeen over mid-on, the second of them clearing the boundary. His strike rate against Moeen was 108, the best against the seamers was 50 against Steven FinnHis departure was unfortunate, but what Pakistan could ill-afford was for it to knock Azhar off his stride and give England an opening to claw their way back. He did not linger long in the 90s, reaching his second century against England, and then kicked on ahead of the second new-ball being due. He then began setting himself again, adding just another 10 runs off 40 balls, before his concentration let him down at the last moment. However, he has given his team a platform from which to dominate. The full context of this innings will emerge over the next few days, but it has the potential to achieve something very significant for Pakistan.

Players in USA, Canada and Bermuda will have a rare opportunity of an open casting call this September in Indianapolis to see if they are good enough to take on West Indies stars in a combined ICC Americas regional team to play in the 2016 Nagico Super50

Peter Della Penna22-Jun-2015Players in USA, Canada and Bermuda will have a rare opportunity of an open casting call this September in Indianapolis to see if they are good enough to take on West Indies stars in a combined ICC Americas regional team to play in the 2016 Nagico Super50 tournament. Top performing players for the Americas team in the West Indies domestic 50-over tournament may subsequently be offered tryouts or contracts to play in the 2016 Caribbean Premier League.The announcement was delivered by the ICC during the Associate and Affiliate Members meeting on day one of the ICC Annual Conference in Barbados. The ICC head of global development Tim Anderson hopes it will result in finding some hidden gems to lift up cricket in the region.”We came up with the idea of having a selection camp to pick the team but before that let’s have an open trial to find some talent within the wider region,” Anderson told ESPNcricinfo on Monday from Barbados. “Let’s have an open application process and see if we can find some rough diamonds and get them into the system. Particularly in the USA and Canada with large geographies and challenging environments regarding talent identification, we want to see whether there are some people out there that we haven’t identified or that haven’t been involved in a system that has been able to identify them yet, that might be good enough to play at this level.”Rather than having players apply through their home cricket boards where there are often accusations of favouritism and internal politics at play regarding selection and promotion of players by the respective administrations, Anderson said the ICC Americas office will be overseeing the entire application and evaluation process. Players aged 16 to 30 who are eligible to play for an Associate or Affiliate member in the Americas region can submit bio information and links to their club or league stats as well as videos of match footage or training sessions to give evaluators a better sense of their skill sets.The online application process will be open until July 17. Depending on the volume of applications and skilled candidates that apply, Anderson says that probably between 50 and 100 players will be invited to Indianapolis to take part in phase one of the trial at World Sports Park from September 18 to 21.”We had a really good experience at the facility in Indianapolis a couple of months ago [at ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 and obviously wanting the facilities to continue to be used as well as the fact that Indianapolis as a sports city provides more than just a cricket ground,” Anderson said. “Dave Cameron was there as well so he was a part of the conversation from the start. Mayor Ballard was a part of the conversation. We talked to him about it and he liked the idea a lot too. So over the last month or so we’ve been developing the concept and here we are.”Obviously there needs to be a cap on participation numbers given that effectively we only have a long weekend to establish the best of those that apply and get selected in that first phase. We feel that 100 people might be the maximum to sort through over that period of time in terms of fitness testing, skills testing, match awareness and game related testing as well.”After phase one is complete, a select number of players will be invited back to Indianapolis for phase two of the combined trial from September 24 to 27 during which the newly-identified players will be joined by other regional players who have been tagged as star performers from the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in May and the ICC World T20 Qualifier in July. From there, a final squad will be picked to play for an ICC Americas team at the West Indies domestic 50-over tournament early in 2016.Although a coaching staff has not been announced, several high profile names from within the West Indies are understood to be in consideration. Another name that may be on the radar for his expertise is Mike Young. The American most recently was part of Australia’s coaching staff as a consultant during their World Cup triumph in March and has an extensive background in baseball. An American coaching background is something Anderson is keen on integrating into the whole evaluation process in partnership with the ICC and WICB’s established mechanisms.”The process will be coordinated by ICC Americas but there will be some involvement from the WICB in support as well,” Anderson said. “We are also looking at some initial conversations with some of the big sports franchises in Indianapolis and the interlinking skills with baseball are obvious. So we might try to get some baseball coaches as part of this. It’s a bit of an open process for us to try to combine the best of the region in terms of players, coaching staff, support and also get the best of American sports analysis and assessment involved in the system as well.”

Batsman Colin Munro, allrounders Jimmy Neesham and Corey Anderson, and fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan have been named in New Zealand’s one-day squad for the South Africa series

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2012Batsman Colin Munro, allrounders Jimmy Neesham and Corey Anderson, and fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan have been named in New Zealand’s one-day squad for the South Africa series. These four players were the new faces to take the field for New Zealand in the Twenty20 series that preceded the ODIs; they have not played any other international games apart from those three T20s.McClenaghan being picked comes as no surprise as, earlier this week, he had also been added to New Zealand’s Test squad for the series starting on January 2, in place of the injured Tim Southee.Left-arm spinner Ronnie Hira, who is yet to debut in ODIs, was also picked. Batsman Kane Williamson, keeper BJ Watling, and quicks Kyle Mills and Adam Milne have been called-up for the one-day leg of the limited-overs series.Fast bowler Doug Bracewell missed out in the 15-man squad. The decision to leave him out, coach Mike Hesson said, was in view with ‘managing his workload’. “[It] is in-line with our policy to sensibly manage player workloads,” Hesson said. “He has a big role to play in the Test series against South Africa and will benefit from the opportunity to freshen up ahead of the home series [in February-March] against England.”Eleven out of the 15 from the Twenty20 squad were retained to give the limited-overs squad stability, national selection manager, Kim Littlejohn, said: “We’re keen to show consistency in selection for our short-form side and retain the nucleus of the squad who competed in the T20 series, along with four players from the last ODI series against Sri Lanka.”There is healthy competition for places in our starting line-up at present and we are working on developing a larger group of players who can compete at international level.”New Zealand will play three ODIs against South Africa, between January 19 and 25.

Zaheer Khan’s selection in India’s squad for the Test series in Australia will be “provisional”, ESPNcricinfo has learned

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Nov-2011Zaheer Khan’s selection in India’s squad for the Test series in Australia will be “provisional” and subject to him proving his fitness during Mumbai’s next two matches in the Ranji Trophy, ESPNcricinfo has learned. The squad will be picked on November 26 in Mumbai, a day after the national selectors announce the squad for the five-match one-day series against West Indies.A BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo that Zaheer would need to prove he is match-fit before flying to Australia. “It would definitely be provisional,” the source said of the prospects of Zaheer being included in the squad. Zaheer is likely to play for Mumbai against Orissa in Cuttack from November 29 and against Saurashtra in Rajkot from December 6.Zaheer injured his right hamstring on the first day of the Lord’s Test during the tour of England in July. Though he recovered from that injury, a recurring ankle injury re-surfaced during the practice match against Northampton ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston, forcing Zaheer to abort the series that India eventually lost 4-0.He underwent ankle surgery and is on the road to peak fitness. In the last month, in addition to his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, Zaheer has been involved in light bowling sessions ahead of Mumbai’s home matches against Rajasthan and Karnataka.Speaking informally to the media he indicated that he did not want to expedite his return. “I am monitoring my fitness on a day-by-day basis. It is looking good but I don’t want to say much,” Zaheer said. Zaheer pulled out of both India’s last two tours to Australia after playing just one Test – with a left heel injury in 2007-08 and with hamstring problems in 2003-04.For the moment, according to the Mumbai Cricket Association officials, it is certain that Zaheer will play in Cuttack. As for the Rajkot game, Zaheer is likely to take a call based on how he feels against Orissa.He was seen bowling without any visible difficulty during India’s nets at the Wankhede stadium today. He delivered close to five overs against the specialist batsmen in a light training session ahead of the third Test against West Indies.The India squad is scheduled to depart for Australia in the second week of December. Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron made up the fast-bowling department for the home series against West Indies. Those three are likely to retain their places along with Zaheer, if he is declared fit, with another seamer expected to bolster the pace department.