All posts by csb10.top

Mithali Raj is right. “Everybody”, as she puts it, was rooting for India. Even England, their opposition in the Women’s World Cup final, wanted to see Raj and her team at Lord’s.”India being in the final is the best result for women’s cricket,” Heather Knight, England’s captain, said. “There’s massive scope for growth and support from India. And with their team being in the final, BCCI will take note and support women’s cricket the way it should be.”The BCCI have already done exactly that. On the eve of the final, they announced a bonus of INR 50 lakh (approx US $ 77,500) for each member of the squad, irrespective of whether they return home with the trophy or not. It means that for reaching the final, Indian women will receive more than three times the amount of an annual Grade A contract, which is set at INR 15 Lakh (approx US $23,200). If they win, who knows how much richer they could become.Raj hoped the wealth won’t be measured only in numbers. “There might be a lot of changes back home if we go on to win the World Cup, and those changes will benefit the future generations,” she said. “Women’s cricket in India will have a brand of its own. It won’t require anything else to support it and promote it as a sport. This platform and this win will definitely give it that edge for young girls to take up sport back home and maybe a women’s IPL might be in the pipeline.”This is not the first time Raj has proposed a women’s IPL. Before last year’s World T20, Raj predicted that if India did well at the event, it would “give birth” to the women’s IPL. As things transpired, India only won one of their four group games and did not make the semi-finals. Now, things have changed. The team is on the up and Raj has reason to restate her request for an IPL.”It is time. Looking at the way the girls have been performing in the last couple of years. And we’ve seen how Smriti and Hamanpreet have benefitted from their exposure to WBBL,” she said. “I am sure if the other young girls in the squad are exposed to the culture of a T20 league, the domestic standard in Indian women’s cricket will also improve immensely.”Knight agreed that an IPL could become one of the showpiece events for the women’s game, and that the performance of the Indian team at this World Cup could be the catalyst for starting it. “A women’s IPL would be brilliant. The BBL and KSL have been really successful and they’ve been a part of pushing women’s cricket forward,” she said. “You’ve seen players involved in those competitions really develop and perform in this World Cup. All we can keep doing as cricketers is keep improving and keep pushing. The more cricket we play, the more competitive and close games, people will improve quicker.”England coach, Mark Robinson, however, was a little more sceptical about another T20 competition. Being a national coach, his reservations are understandable, especially because the women’s game is still trying to find its feet when it comes to regular bilateral fixtures. “I think we have to play more international cricket before we get into IPL. We don’t play enough international games. We haven’t played since November coming into this competition,” he said. “We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. England need to play New Zealand more, Australia more, South Africa more. We need to play more good games, home games from a selfish point of view. The IPL might improve cricket in India, but we want to play more international games.”Even in that regard, Raj aimed to please. Though T20 is foremost on her mind, she also wanted to see the game develop more traditionally. “I would also prefer women cricketers playing the longer format, because that is the ultimate challenge,” Raj, who has played 10 Tests, said. “T20 is a good way of promoting the sport and it gives more range for the batters to be more innovative and proactive in their shot selection. But if you want to see quality bowlers, it’s the longer version that you give them that space. We need to have bowlers also in the game and not just focus on batters.”But not at Lord’s tomorrow. Raj was hopeful of “plenty of runs” at the ground where she averages 153. She has only played at Lord’s twice, first in 2006, when she made 59 in a losing cause, and then in July 2012, when her unbeaten 94 helped India beat England. She remembers the first occasion because all she wanted to do back then, as a 24-year old first-time entrant at the venue, was “click pictures.” Now that she is back here to finish her World Cup career, she considers it “destiny.”Though Raj believes she can continue playing for India for a little longer, she has confirmed this is her last World Cup and she wants to give it everything because she does not know how great the rewards could be. “Unlike 2005, where I played with a lot of pressure, this time I want to enjoy being out there,” she said. “In all the years, there were a lot of occasions where I could have enjoyed the success of my team or a few of the innings I played, but it never occurred to me. Now, I will make sure I will not let the fear of what might go wrong cross me.”What about what might go right? “It’s a final and everybody will have their nerves. No matter how many finals we play, there’s always that fear of putting a wrong foot,” she said. “But this bunch of players is playing a final for the first time. I don’t see any fear in them now. It’s completely different to 2005 when we were all overwrought by the situation.”India’s calm comes from a place of certainty, because they know that everybody, at least everybody that matters to them, is rooting for them. “The whole world will be watching India play. Everybody is rooting for India back home,” Raj said. “We’ve been getting calls from various parts of the country to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of the team so far. Everybody is very happy with the way the team has performed through the tournament. One more game can change the fortunes for women’s cricket and Indian women’s cricket.”

Australia’s players face a ban from this summer’s Ashes series should they take part in any kind of “disapproved cricket” in the event of an extended pay dispute beyond the July 1 expiry of the current MOU between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association.The warning to all players, whether they are in or out of contract after the MOU expiry, was issued by CA’s team performance manager Pat Howard on Wednesday night via state associations and also sent to the ACA, though it was not directly relayed to the Australia women’s team currently taking part in the World Cup in England. Potential for the staging of exhibition games has been discussed among the players in recent weeks, while the prospect of many taking part in overseas Twenty20 tournaments is also in the wind.However Howard wrote in his email, seen by ESPNcricinfo, to remind players that ICC regulations dictate bans of at least six months on any players taking part in matches not staged under the auspices of national boards. Equally, CA would also deliberate on whether players would be given No Objection Certificates to play in overseas T20 competitions on a case-by-case basis.”Players (including uncontracted players) cannot play in ICC approved cricket (e.g. domestic T20 competitions operated by overseas cricket boards) without approval from Cricket Australia,” Howard wrote. “Players who participate in disapproved cricket (e.g. exhibition matches) are not permitted to participate in ICC approved cricket for a minimum of six months thereafter.”With the Ashes due to start in November and conclude in the first week of January, such a ban would rule anyone playing exhibition matches out of contention for the England series. These words provided a stark reminder of the cliff edge Australian cricket has reached, two days out from the expiry of the MOU with neither party showing any sign of changing position on the fundamental of their disagreement – CA’s determination to end the fixed-revenue-percentage model, and the ACA’s resolve to retain it.Players falling out of contract on July 1, including all CA-contracted players such as the national captain Steven Smith and his deputy David Warner, were likewise warned against entering into commercial arrangements with sponsors in conflict with CA’s commercial partners. They were also told that any delay in reaching an MOU agreement beyond July 14 – the date when current contract offers expire without the signing of a new deal – would not be addressed with any back pay.”If your contract expires on 30 June, you will not be an employee of CA, a State Association or a W/BBL Team from 1 July,” Howard wrote. “This means that you are not required to play, train, perform player appearances or media commitments, and you will not be paid a retainer until such time as a MOU is agreed and a player contract is agreed with you in writing.”If a MOU is agreed on or by 14 July, your playing contract would only commence from the date the MOU is agreed. CA does not intend that retainers would be back paid to cover any elapsed period between your current contract expiring and the execution of a new contract when a new MOU is agreed.”3:46

What exactly is the Cricket Australia-ACA pay dispute?

The commercial warning was particularly pointed given the ACA’s foundation of the Cricketers Brand, a new commercial wing of the association devised to take control of the players’ intellectual property after July 1. “All players will be provided with a list of protected sponsors for 2017/18,” Howard wrote. “Any player entering into unapproved endorsements during any uncontracted period puts at risk future endorsement arrangements with CA, State and W/BBL partners and puts you at risk of not being able to enter into a contract for the upcoming season with CA, the State or W/BBL Team.”Howard’s communique featured other interim advice for all players, stating that none would be locked out of training facilities beyond July 1 whether contracted or not, though players not on multi-year deals “are not required to train”. Also included were interim arrangements for medical expenses and accident and health insurance, including a promise to work operationally with the ACA on insurance rollovers beyond the expiry of the MOU.The ACA has called on CA’s chief executive James Sutherland to enter negotiations directly with his counterpart Alistair Nicholson, with the association planning on a meeting of its executive – the president Greg Dyer, Aaron Finch, Moises Henriques, Neil Maxwell, Lisa Sthalekar, Janet Torney and Shane Watson – on Sunday if no agreement has been reached.

ScorecardAlex Hughes ended a lean run with his first century of the season to give Derbyshire the edge on the third day of the Division Two match against Durham at Chesterfield. Hughes had scored only one fifty in the County Championship this summer but he found form at the right time as his 108 out of 214 set Durham 282 for victory.Paul Coughlin had made an unbeaten 73 in Durham’s first innings 301 before he and Chris Rushworth blew away Derbyshire’s top order but Hughes led a recovery and at the close, the visitors were 36 without loss with an intriguing final day in prospect.Durham had started day three needing to limit Derbyshire’s lead as much as possible and Coughlin and Barry McCarthy took their ninth-wicket stand to 90 in 26 overs before Gurjit Sandhu wrapped up the innings with the second new ball by trapping McCarthy and Rushworth lbw in consecutive overs.But a lead of 67 was still a handy one on a pitch where the bounce was likely to become increasingly variable although it was Durham who threatened to take control when Rushworth and Coughlin reduced the hosts to 31 for 3. Rushworth struck with the third ball of the innings by having Ben Slater caught at first slip and Coughlin found some late inswing to pluck out Billy Godleman’s off stump.When Wayne Madsen edged Rushworth behind, Durham sensed the door was opening but Hughes, first with Luis Reece and then with Matt Critchley, closed it again. Derbyshire’s lead was past 150 when Reece was caught on the crease by Coughlin and Durham’s inability to build sustained pressure allowed Hughes and Critchley to add 52 in 16 overs.Hughes has struggled for runs this season but he found the right combination of watchfulness and aggression to ensure Durham’s target would be a testing one.To their credit, Durham’s inexperienced attack plugged away and they had another opportunity when three wickets fell in eight balls, one to a fine low catch at first slip by Paul Collingwood who, at 41, remains an outstanding fielder. But just as he had in the first innings, Sandhu frustrated his former colleagues as another 47 runs were added and Hughes deservedly completed the third century of his career with his 15th four before he failed to dispatch Ryan Pringle into the trees.Time was not a factor for Durham but the 17 overs before the close was potentially a defining passage in the game and Michael Richardson and Cameron Steel came through unscathed to reduce the target to 246.

Match facts

June 14, 2017
Start time 1430 local (1830 GMT)

Big Picture

If there ever was a time to rally round the West Indies, it is now. They are ranked No. 9 – one spot below the bar for direct entry into the 2019 World Cup – and even if they win this series against Afghanistan, they will finish with fewer points (78) than they had prior to its start (79).West Indies have 11 more ODIs before the cut-off date of September 30, but 10 of them are against India and England – both front-runners to win the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy. Considering their inconsistency, it ‘s looking increasingly likely that West Indies, the former two-time world champions, might have to enter a qualification round to even have a chance at winning another title.But before all that, they have to find a way past Afghanistan, or perhaps simply their legspinner Rashid Khan. In the first match, he took 7 for 18 to defend 212, followed by 3 for 26 in the second ODI to keep his side in the game for close to 40 overs, even though the target was only 136.A battery of the hosts’ easy-on-the-eye batsmen can do a lot better. After all, Evin Lewis cleaves the air itself when he cuts the ball, Roston Chase is so good he made Viv Richards chant his name and the first line on Jason Mohammed’s resume is “I led West Indies’ highest successful chase in ODIs”.The irony, though, is that every time the Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai steps up to speak, he says his bowling contingent can defend 200-odd. If West Indies had half of that belief in their strengths, they’d be alright.

Form guide

West Indies WLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Afghanistan LWWLL

In the spotlight

A month ago, on a pitch with spiteful variations in bounce, Shai Hope had scored a match-winning, second-innings 90 for West Indies in Test cricket. Then, too, he had to deal with a legspinner, one whose variations are more threatening than his stock ball. But unlike Yasir Shah, Rashid bowls a lot faster and his action is different: somehow, even his legbreaks seem to come from the back of the hand. There’s trouble coming. But West Indies have Hope.Evin Lewis, at the top of the order, with his power-hitting ability, can break games open•WICB Media/Brooks LaTouche Photography Ltd

Afghanistan’s plan, it seems, is to bat first, put up a par score, bowl nice and tight in the early part of the chase and then befuddle the opposition with spin once the run-rate soars high enough. For the tourists to apply that scoreboard pressure on West Indies, Mohammad Nabi will be a key figure in the middle order. An experienced batsman, capable of batting through an innings, he will want to show it takes more than banging the ball halfway into the pitch to rattle his team.

Team news

Having won the last match by taking the insurance of an extra batsman, West Indies would’ve liked to stick with the same XI, but Shannon Gabriel is out of the final ODI courtesy a side strain he suffered during the second ODI. Kesrick Williams has replaced him in the squad. Williams is yet to make his ODI debut.West Indies (probable): 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Jason Mohammed, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Jonathan Carter, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Rovman Powell, 9 Ashley Nurse, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Kesrick WilliamsAfghanistan bat till No. 9, but they’d want to front up better against the short ball, which claimed nearly all their wickets in their previous game.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Noor Ali Zadran, 2 Javed Ahmadi, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Asghar Stanikzai (capt), 5 Samiullah Shenwari, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Afsar Zazai (wk), 8 Gulbadin Naib, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Amir Hamza, 11 Dawlat Zadran

Pitch and conditions

This will be the third match of the series at the Darren Sammy stadium in less than a week so there is a likelihood that a used pitch might be furnished. Hitting through the line might, again, not be fun. Weather wise, there is a chance of rain but it shouldn’t linger.

Stats and trivia

• Rashid’s performance in the series – 10 wickets at an average of 4.40, strike-rate of 11.2 and economy rate of 2.35 – has vaulted him 18 places to No. 7 on the ICC rankings for ODI bowlers
• West Indies’ opening partnership has been awful since the 2015 World Cup. They have used six players to average 24.24 – the worst out of 16 teams

Match facts

May 5, 2017
Start time 1100 local (1000 GMT)3:41

‘If I bowl to him, it’s another wicket’

Big picture

A decade has already elapsed since Ireland’s stunning awakening at the 2007 World Cup. Their elimination of Pakistan, and qualification for the competition’s Super Eights, counts among the greatest upsets in sporting history, while their encore against England at Bangalore four years later was arguably an even more complete team performance.And now, some 11 years since their accession to full ODI status, an occasion that was marked by an inaugural encounter with England at Belfast in 2006, they have finally been invited over for a reciprocal tour.Leaving aside, for a moment, the fact that this weekend’s twin ODIs against England at Bristol and Lord’s are a cause for celebration, it does make you wonder why Ireland’s nearest neighbours have taken quite this long to wake up to the fact of their existence.There have been fundamental points of political difference over the years – perhaps best exemplified by the heritage of England’s current captain, Eoin Morgan, not to mention other current Ireland players who have just happened to make their England debuts against the country of their birth down the years (oh, okay then, Ed Joyce in 2006, and the absent Boyd Rankin seven years later).Instead, rather than risk a dilution of their own status and support, previous ECB regimes have chosen to treat Ireland as a feeder nation, and cherry-pick the best of their assets, when a more enlightened set of leaders might have nurtured their ambitions for the greater good of the sport.But all of that is in the past now. The curtain-raiser to the English season in Bristol is a special occasion that stands as testimony to Ireland’s determination to be seen as equals, both in terms of their professional attitude at boardroom level and their reputation for over-achievement on the field of play.That said, these two matches couldn’t really have come at a more awkward juncture for a team undergoing a painful first transition. Most of the players who carried them to this level are on the wane or already retired, while the new generation has not yet bedded in at the levels now expected of one of the flagship Associate nations.In addition, they are about to go toe to toe with an England outfit that has never treated white-ball cricket with such seriousness, bordering on reverence. The 2019 World Cup is the ultimate goal for Morgan’s men, but next month’s Champions Trophy is a vital staging post and a very real opportunity to secure that elusive maiden 50-over global title.Even in the absence of several first-choice players, England will expect to win both games at a canter – not through the habitual arrogance that has tended to creep into such fixtures in the past, but through the necessity of living up to their tag as Champions Trophy favourites. It’s a situation that Ireland might well savour – the lower the expectations, the higher the incentive to land that giant-killing blow. But England are an impressive 50-over team with a serious game-face right now. Defeat in either of these contests would be a shock to rival any that Ireland have amassed down the years.Ed Joyce is one of several Ireland players to have also represented England•Getty Images

Form guide

England WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland LWWLL

In the spotlight

The bench-strength of England’s batting is among the biggest reasons why they are being touted as Champions Trophy favourites, with a host of players competing for a limited number of berths, and disappointment inevitable for an unlucky few. And to read the runes of England’s squad announcement, Jonny Bairstow has more ground to make up than many, with Sam Billings earmarked to keep wicket in the absence of Jos Buttler, in spite of Bairstow’s solidity as the Test No.1. If that development has made him a bit grumpy, maybe it’s a tactic that will pay off. A blistering innings of 174 from 113 balls for Yorkshire against Durham on Wednesday was a timely reminder of his talents, to say the least.Tim Murtagh has not been a fixture for Middlesex in their Royal London campaign to date, but his intimate knowledge of, and skill in, English conditions will be an invaluable asset, both with the new ball and as a mentor to an otherwise young Irish attack. At the age of 35, he’s as long in the tooth as many of the veterans who remain from the earliest days of Ireland’s ODI status, but having qualified for the country through his grandparents in 2012, he has plugged a vital gap in their ranks, following the retirement of Trent Johnston, and the absence of Rankin, initially with England and latterly with injury.

Team news

With Buttler, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes missing from these matches due to their IPL commitments, there is a limited opportunity for the selectors to experiment, with Billings and Bairstow the obvious beneficiaries in the middle order. However, it has been Eoin Morgan’s stated policy since the turn of the year to pick the side that is as close as possible to his Champions Trophy starting XI, so it would be a surprise to see many liberties taken in the line-up. The absence of a seam-bowling allrounder may tempt them to go in with one spinner, especially as a host of their quicks are on the comeback trail and need game-time, but the top four is set in stone.England: (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Sam Billings, 7 Moeen Ali/Adil Rashid, 8 David Willey, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Jake Ball, 11 Mark WoodKevin O’Brien’s return from a hamstring injury is a welcome boost for an Ireland team who will need their veterans to rise to one of their biggest occasions in recent times. That said, his brother, Niall, could conceivably give way to Andy Balbirnie, with Gary Wilson taking the gloves. Murtagh will lead the line with his intelligent swing bowling.Ireland: (probable) 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Gary Wilson, 5 Niall O’Brien (wk), 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Stuart Thompson, 8 George Dockrell, 9 Tim Murtagh, 10 Barry McCarthy, 11 Craig Young

Pitch and conditions

Morgan felt that the pitch had a touch less grass on it than he might otherwise have imagined but, with the weather set to be overcast, England’s most full-throttle batting may not come immediately to the fore.

Stats and trivia

• Bristol is set to host its 14th ODI, and 16th international fixture all told, following two T20Is in 2006 and 2011.
• Of those, England have featured in 10 of the last 11 ODIs, dating back to 2001, but their record is inauspicious. The last of their three victories came against West Indies in 2009. The following year they lost to Bangladesh for the first time in their history.
• England’s last two fixtures at Bristol have failed to be completed. The match against India was abandoned in 2014, while there was no result against Sri Lanka last year.

Quotes

“We’re not at the level we were. We’ve been hit by four or five big retirements and that’s made life very difficult for us.”
“No, that’s very cheeky. No chance, no chance.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:27