Category Uncategorized

Fast bowler confirms his role will be promotional-only as he saves energies for red-ball

Matt Roller30-Jun-2021While the rest of the country were glued to TV screens on Tuesday night, watching England’s 2-0 win against Germany at Euro 2020, James Anderson was bowling in the middle with Jon Lewis and Marcus Trescothick – England’s bowling and batting coaches – at Chester-le-Street following commentary duties with the BBC on the first ODI against Sri Lanka.The timing was not ideal – “it was their idea,” he sighed ruefully – but it highlighted the commitment and dedication that has served Anderson so well in prolonging his Test career: at some stage in the five-Test series against India this summer, he will overtake Anil Kumble as the third-highest Test wicket-taker of all time, and will hope to take his 1000th first-class wicket in the next two weeks, when he plays for Lancashire in the County Championship.And Anderson expects those extra sessions will become a regular feature over the course of the next few weeks for England’s Test bowlers. Having had several Championship rounds in which to build up their workloads ahead of the New Zealand series earlier this summer, England players will head into the first Test against India on August 4 on the back of two weeks playing in the Hundred, bowling a maximum of 20 balls a night, and while there are two rounds of Championship games at the start of July, the majority of the month’s domestic schedule involves white-ball cricket.”They might have to juggle their practice sessions and get a bit of red-ball practice in,” Anderson said, speaking at the BBC’s media launch of the Hundred, where he will work as a pundit, “because obviously there are different skills that you use for red-ball and white-ball cricket.”Most of the bowlers that we’ve got in our squad are experienced and they’re international players who have to balance that – one-day cricket and red-ball cricket – throughout their careers anyway, [so] I think they’re pretty used to that.”The majority of players I know are cricket badgers and want to play all forms of the game. They want to give everything a try and be the best at that. When I played white-ball cricket I wanted to be the best I possibly could in one-day cricket but I’ve moved away from that and really honed my skills in red-ball cricket. My hope is that there are still people growing up watching Test cricket who want to be Test cricketers and there are still people who want to be white-ball cricketers as well.”Related

• Aaron Finch, Nicholas Pooran, Meg Lanning withdraw from the Hundred

• Timeless James Anderson targets 'mind-blowing' milestones as 1000 first-class wickets loom

• James Anderson: England players committed to 'improving ourselves' in wake of Ollie Robinson row

• James Anderson thought he 'wasn't good enough' on debut, as he closes in on England caps record

Anderson and Stuart Broad are the only two centrally-contracted players who will not take part in the Hundred in a playing capacity, and while they are loosely affiliated with Manchester Originals and Trent Rockets respectively in a promotional role, Anderson admitted that he had considered playing his first short-form game since 2014 by taking part in the competition as a player.”I did think about whether I should actually try and get a gig as a player,” he said, “but in the end I just felt it was probably for the younger guys to crack on with that. I didn’t want to affect my Test availability by getting injured throwing myself around in the Hundred – it might not have been the best idea.”I did explore it – I was interested, but I fell down on the side of prolonging my Test career. I didn’t want to jeopardise that too much so I’ll leave it to the young lads to throw themselves around in the field too much.”But despite those concerns for his own career, Anderson said that he does not expect the likes of Chris Woakes, Sam Curran and Ben Stokes to hold back when they play in the Hundred in an attempt to avoid injuries ahead of a gruelling schedule of five Tests against India at home and then five more away in Australia – as well as a T20 World Cup in October. He also echoed comments by Graham Thorpe, England’s assistant coach, suggesting that the Test team’s top-order batters would benefit from playing in the competition, which starts on July 21.”You can get injured at any point – that’s just the nature of the game,” Anderson said. “I don’t think people are going to be careful because of a Test series: you’ve got to throw yourself into it and try to play at 100% every time you get the chance. Hopefully nothing like that happens but there obviously is the chance because every time you go out on the field there is a chance of injury.”I think there’s definitely no harm in playing the Hundred and playing some white-ball cricket, having that freedom to go out there and try and hit the ball. Test cricket does have a way of trying to stifle you at times and you can get a bit uncertain about your technique or movements and things like that. All the Hundred will do is encourage positivity: positive moment of the feet, positive shots, and I think that can only be a good thing.”The Hundred will be on BBC Two, radio and online from Wednesday 21 July

Allrounder asked for a break from Test cricket after being dropped following the first Ashes Test

George Dobell16-Jan-2020Moeen Ali has claimed he is “refreshed and ready to go” after taking a break from international cricket, but says he has yet to make a decision on whether he will return to Test cricket for England’s tour of Sri Lanka in March.Moeen, who asked for a break from Test cricket after being dropped following the first Ashes Test, has now admitted he was suffering from “burn-out” and felt he had become “one of the first guys to get the blame” when England lost.And while he says “no timeframe” has been put on a possible Test return, he has said that “when I’m ready, I’ll be back for sure”.”I felt burnt out,” Moeen told the BBC Cricket Social. “I felt tired mentally and physically. I needed this break to recharge my batteries and work on a few things on my game. And to just find that hunger and love for the game again.”It’s not something people would normally do. Especially after you’ve just won the World Cup and the Ashes are playing. I was doing quite well before that. It was tough. But I knew it was the right thing to do.”A lot of people could see I probably needed a break. It’s easy to just carry on, keep going and almost dig a deeper hole at times. But I just wanted to step back from it. I started reading about my faith a bit more. And I started taking interest in other things rather than focusing on cricket 24/7.”I love being away and travelling and playing cricket. But it was almost too much and it needed to take a bit of a back seat. I can put my cricket to one side. It’s not my be-all and end-all. I’ve more than cricket in my life and I wanted to spend time being normal in the winters.”A lot of the time if we lose I feel I am one of the first guys to get the blame for it. Yes, there have been days when I have not had good games but I feel sometimes it is easy to point the finger at me. It did get to me and that was one of the reasons why I needed to step back from Test cricket. I felt like I was drained from it all. But I have got to become a stronger person for that as well. It is difficult, but I will be fine.”Moeen will join up with the England limited-overs squad in South Africa in the next couple of weeks, and he says he will “probably” come to a conclusion about the Sri Lanka tour after talks with the England management in South Africa.”I’m not sure yet [about going to Sri Lanka],” he said. “I’m going to go to South Africa now for the one-day stuff and I will probably decide there. I’ll speak to a few people.ALSO READ: Broken rib was ‘most pain on a cricket field’ – James Anderson“I’ll definitely come back when I feel ready. England – the ECB – have been amazing in terms of support and they fully understand where I’m coming from. Playing all forms of the game is not the easiest thing at the moment as we play so much cricket.”There’s no time frame. When I’m ready I’ll come back for sure. But I know I’ve got to fight for and earn my spot again. Which I’m looking forward to. I’ve missed being around the guys and being on tour. I missed the banter with the boys. But I know, in the long run of my career, I needed this break.”While Moeen insisted he still “definitely” saw Test cricket as “the pinnacle” of the sport, he suggested that playing franchise cricket had helped him improve his game and recover his confidence after losing the Test part of his ECB central contract.”When that contract was taken I had a few approaches from franchise cricket which is great because you feel valued,” he said. “It was just the intensity of Test cricket was too much at the time. I have still got to earn some money, even though it is not all about the money. You want to play a good standard of cricket. I felt valued when all the leagues came in for me.”For me it is enjoying my cricket. I bat up the order [and] bat low down for England and I want to improve my batting and bowling before I come back and I want to come back a better player I was.”

Speculation has been rife on the topic, and the Bangladesh captain kept his cards close to his chest

Mohammad Isam in Sylhet14-Dec-2018At the end of the 49th over of West Indies’ innings, Mashrafe Mortaza walked towards the bowling crease, teasing keen observers into believing he might hand over his cap to the umpire to bowl the last over – perhaps his last over for Bangladesh at home.Speculation about the Bangladesh-West Indies ODI series being Mashrafe’s last at home has been rife, and here’s why. Mashrafe, who has decided to step into politics, had said that he hoped to finish his career with the 2019 World Cup after Bangladesh’s participation was confirmed last year. If the 2019 World Cup is expected to be his swansong, then this is the last ODI series Bangladesh play at home before that.ALSO READ: Mashrafe to contest parliamentary electionGiven his age and fitness – and impending political career – Mashrafe is unlikely to stretch his career beyond the World Cup. Even if he does, given as of now Bangladesh have little lined up at home post the showpiece event – series against Sri Lanka in December 2019 and against Ireland in June 2020 – he has scant opportunity for even a farewell ODI at home. So, did he, at any point on Friday, feel that this would be his last home game?”Since 2011, I have always felt this way before a game, that what if I get another knee injury, then this will be my last game,” Mashrafe said. “I used to get knee injuries from nowhere in my early days. To be honest, I have never deeply thought about [this being my last game]. I want to be more prepared to face the challenges ahead.”He would reveal no more, instead telling us to wait and watch. “What I want to do after the World Cup, I will decide after the last match in the World Cup. I will come home and tell you if I am no longer playing, and if I want to review my situation, I will still let you know. So don’t be puzzled. Just relax.”Mashrafe had announced his T20I retirement during the toss of the first T20I against Sri Lanka last year, when the presenter asked him if the rumours were true. He had informed the team’s senior players first, and then the rest of the team. However, it came as a surprise for a few BCB officials who were present at the R Premadasa Stadium.He was asked about his ODI plans after the second game of this series in Mirpur, too. “If I don’t feel like playing any longer, I will leave the game,” he had said then. “I am a person who runs on my gut feeling, which makes it hard for me to answer your question.”

The allrounder picked up four awards at the ceremony, while Rangana Herath and Chamari Atapattu were named the men’s and women’s cricketers of the year

Madushka Balasuriya01-Nov-2017

SLC awards for 2016-17

Cricketer of the Year Rangana Herath
Women’s Cricketer of the Year Chamari Atapattu
Test Batsman of the Year Dhananjaya de Silva
Test Bowler of the Year Rangana Herath
Test Allrounder of the Year Dilruwan Perera
ODI Batsman of the Year Kusal Mendis
ODI Bowler of the Year Suranga Lakmal
ODI Allrounder of the Year Asela Gunaratne
T20I Batsman of the Year Asela Gunaratne
T20I Bowler of the Year Lasith Malinga
T20I Allrounder of the Year Asela Gunaratne
T20I Batswoman of the Year Chamari Atapattu
T20I Women’s Bowler of the Year Sugandika Kumari
ODI Batswoman of the Year Chamari Atapattu
ODI Women’s Bowler of the Year Inoka Ranaweera
Emerging Cricketer of the Year Niroshan Dickwella
Best Batsman (domestic) Sadeera Samarawickrama
Best Bowler (domestic) Malinda Pushpakumara
Most Promising Cricketer Asela Gunaratne
Emerging Cricketer of the Year (domestic) Ron Chandragupta
Most Promising Cricketer (domestic) Wanindu Hasaranga

Asela Gunaratne’s haul of four trophies at SLC’s Annual Cricket Awards provided a timely reminder of the calibre of talent that has been sidelined by injury in recent months, while Rangana Herath took home the night’s biggest award when he was feted as cricketer of the year.The 39-year-old left-arm spinner was also – unsurprisingly – named Test bowler of the year. The period under consideration, from June 2016 to June 2017, saw Herath play 11 Tests and pick up 73 wickets at an average of 18.68. Herath’s spin partner Dilruwan Perera was named Test allrounder of the year, after taking 31 wickets at 27.19 and scoring 319 runs at 24.53 during the same period.It was Gunaratne, though, who scooped up most of the limited-overs prizes, as he was named the best batsman in T20Is as well as the best allrounder in both T20Is and ODIs. He also claimed the country’s most promising cricketer award.Between February 2016, when he made his international debut, and July 2017, when he sustained a thumb fracture, Gunaratne had been one of Sri Lanka’s most in-form batsmen: scoring 455 runs in Tests at an average of 56.87, 472 runs at 36.30 in ODIs, and 181 runs 30.83 in T20Is. His slow-medium bowling – especially in white-ball cricket, where he has picked up 23 wickets in 30 matches – also brought considerable balance to the side.Meanwhile. wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella, who has fast become a mainstay in the national side, was named the Emerging Cricketer of the Year after scoring 1603 runs in 37 international matches in 2017, with two hundreds and 11 fifties.In ODIs, pace spearhead Suranga Lakmal was named bowler of the year, while Kusal Mendis capped off a fine freshman year with the award for best batsman. Mendis, who debuted during last year’s tour of England, has been part of an inconsistent batting unit but has nevertheless managed to amass 1156 runs at 32.11 in 39 ODIs.The awards night also threw up some forgotten faces, with Dhananjaya de Silva picking up the award for best Test batsman and Lasith Malinga being named best T20I bowler.De Silva had debuted and top-scored in Sri Lanka’s series win last year over Australia before underwhelming series against South Africa and Bangladesh saw him dropped from the one-off Test against Zimbabwe. He was drafted back in for Sri Lanka’s second Test against India, but was then quickly shifted to the A team, where he has since impressed. De Silva’s brief but fruitful Test career has seen him score 726 runs at 38.21, including two hundreds and two fifties, in 10 Tests.Malinga, meanwhile, was dropped ahead of the start of the ODI series against Pakistan due to a lack of form, but a look at his T20I performances since returning from injury earlier this year – 12 wickets in six matches at 16.50 apiece – indicates that, while he may not be as consistent as before, he can still be an asset in the shortest format.ICC

On the women’s side Chamari Atapattu cemented a record-breaking year as she was named women’s cricketer of the year, and also took home the award for best batswoman in both ODIs and T20Is. Atapattu provided one of the highlights of the Women’s World Cup this year when she smashed an unbeaten 143-ball 178 not out against Australia, which eventually led to her becoming the first Sri Lankan woman to sign with a franchise T20 league. Women’s ODI Captain Inoka Ranaweera, meanwhile, was named women’s bowler of the year, while Sugandika Kumari took home the award for T20Is.In the domestic awards, recent national team debutants Malinda Pushpakumara, of Chilaw Marians CC, and Sadeera Samarawickrama, of Colts CC, were named best bowler and batsman respectively. Slow left-arm spinner Pushpakumara picked up 77 wickets in nine first-class matches at 13.79 in the 2016/2017 season, while right-hand bat Samarawickrama scored 1016 runs at 59.76 in the same period.Sri Lanka Ports Authority’s Wanindu Hasaranga, who made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe earlier this year, was rewarded for a blistering start to his first-class career as he was named the most promising domestic cricketer. The fiery 20-year-old has played just 15 first-class matches but has already scored 877 runs at 41.76, while his legspin has scalped 16 wickets at 26.00. The Colombo Cricket Club’s Ron Chandraguptha, who scored 837 runs at 59.79 and has also impressed with the Sri Lanka A team, was named the emerging domestic player of the year. NCC’s Chathuranga de Silva, who recently earned a national recall for the T20I series against Pakistan, was named best allrounder.The guest of honour at the ceremony was former Indian World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev, while several other former cricketers were also in attendance to hand out awards.

The series returns to London with England on a high and Pakistan in a corner. A win for the hosts will crown them No. 1 in Tests

The Preview by Alan Gardner10-Aug-2016

Match facts

August 11-15, 2016
Start time 11am (1000 GMT)3:46

‘England’s depth gives them edge’

Big Picture

Less than four weeks have passed since Pakistan wrapped up a rousing victory at Lord’s in the first Test, capped by a military-inspired set of press-ups in front of the pavilion, but they return to London with very little of that inspirational vim remaining. Trips to Manchester and Birmingham have resulted in two strength-sapping defeats and it is now England who are flexing their muscles ahead of the Oval encounter.From entering the series ranked fourth in the world, and thanks to Australia’s unexpected capitulation in Sri Lanka, England can suddenly see a shortcut to No. 1. That would require victory in the final Test and a 3-1 series scoreline (as well as West Indies to hold off India in one of their two remaining matches) but they are moving in the right direction regardless. In contrast to their tightly drilled ascent to No. 1 five years ago, England seem a little surprised to have found themselves wandering around the summit so soon – and Alastair Cook is sticking to his line that they have plenty to learn, whatever the rankings say.An improvement on their record in the final Test of a series is clearly the next matter to address. A draw at The Oval will be enough to give England all nine series trophies but a win would underline the sense of progress rather more emphatically. In recent times, England have finished off Test tours with defeats in Centurion, Sharjah and Barbados, while last summer they were beaten at The Oval and Headingley. Such flakiness is unbecoming of a side with aspirations to be the best in the world.Another reason to guard against complacency is Pakistan’s good record at The Oval. Putting aside the memory of their forfeiture in 2006 (a game in which they were well placed), Pakistan have secured several memorable wins in south London, including Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis reverse-swinging their way through England in 1992 and victory on their most recent visit, six years ago. By contrast, since England clinched the 2009 Ashes on this ground, they have only beaten India (in 2011 and 2014), while suffering three defeats and a draw.Pakistan will always have Lord’s and this tour will be remembered for Misbah-ul-Haq’s hundred, the heroics of Yasir Shah and the return of Mohammad Amir. But they have a chance to leave with even better memories if they can pull it all together again back in the capital – not to mention an outside shot of reaching No. 1 themselves with a drawn series. The drill sergeants of Abbottabad, just like everyone else, will be watching keenly.

Form guide

England: WWLDW (last five completed matches, most recent first)


Pakistan: LLWWW

In the spotlight

Having struggled against Pakistan’s left-armers, Alex Hales finally produced a substantial contribution with the bat in the second innings at Edgbaston, putting on a vital century stand to help erase England’s deficit. However, he is still waiting for the defining, three-figure innings that will secure his tenure as Test opener for the near future. The final Test of the English summer is often the occasion for auditions but Hales – who has put faith in his technique – is hoping to shut the door on prospective top-order newcomers.As the tour has gone on, confidence in Pakistan’s batting has steadily eroded. The fortunes of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have been divergent but they have common cause to try and finish the series with heads and bats held high. Misbah has coped admirably with the conditions on his first Test experience of England but another defeat would doubtless trigger talk about his age and the captaincy; Younis, though four years younger, is also unlikely to be back again and, 15 years after his first tour here, is in need of an innings to stave of similar talk of retirement.

Team news

Alastair Cook said England were “hoping” to play the same team, which would mean Adil Rashid and Jake Ball missing out again. James Vince has recovered from a finger injury sustained attempting to take a catch at Edgbaston but won’t field in the slips.England (possible) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 James Vince, 5 Gary Ballance, 6 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Steven Finn, 11 James AndersonMickey Arthur hinted at various options for Pakistan’s selection, with the need for a fifth bowler even more pressing in the second of back-to-back Tests. If Iftikhar Ahmed – who “bowls offspin and decently,” according to Arthur – wins a Test debut, he would likely come into the side at Mohammad Hafeez’s expense but bat in the middle order, with Azhar Ali asked to open. A rare four-Test series has increased the workload on Pakistan’s pace bowlers and there may also be changes to the attack.Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez/Iftikhar Ahmed, 2 Sami Aslam, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Yasir Shah, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Sohail Khan, 11 Rahat Ali/Wahab Riaz

Pitch and conditions

As before the Ashes Test at The Oval last year, a distinctly green-tinged pitch was on show (although that didn’t stop Australia from racking up 481 in an innings win) and Cook suggested it would be “suited to pace bowling”, with some turn later on. In Surrey’s last Championship match here, in June, spinners Zafar Ansari and Gareth Batty took 12 wickets between them. The forecast is for a warm finish to the week, which could facilitate the surface breaking up.

Stats and trivia

• A 3-1 series win for England will send them top of the rankings, at least until the completion of India’s tour of the West Indies
• Aside from forfeiting the 2006 Test at The Oval, Pakistan have not lost at the ground since 1967
• Chris Woakes needs one more wicket to break James Anderson’s record of 23 for an England bowler in a Test series against Pakistan
• Joe Root is 60 runs short of 4000 in Tests; if he gets there in his next innings, he will go level with Kevin Pietersen as 14th fastest overall

Quotes

“It would be a great achievement. We’ve just got to focus on playing good cricket, we’ve been consistent the last two games, up against it at times but played some consistent cricket – can we have that same hunger and determination in this game? If we can do that, we’ve got a good chance of winning.”
“In the third Test match, I believe it was some of our mistakes that let England come back into that game. After doing so much well, we were really in the game until the fourth day – even on the last day, until lunch, it was looking like a draw. So the team can do it but we need to combine those performances.”