All posts by n8rngtd.top

Middlesex overcame a 153-run deficit on first innings, as well as a Craig Overton hat-trick, to secure a tense one-wicket win over MCC in Abu Dhabi.

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2017
ScorecardCraig Overton’s hat-trick couldn’t rescue MCC•Getty Images

Middlesex overcame a 153-run deficit on first innings, as well as a Craig Overton hat-trick, to secure a tense one-wicket win over MCC in Abu Dhabi. John Simpson’s unbeaten 89 provided the crucial plank in Middlesex’s chase of 305, as the wicketkeeper helped the last three wickets chisel out 64 runs after Overton had appeared to swing the match towards MCC.Harry Podmore and Tom Helm, who had shared six wickets to help skittle MCC for 151 in their second innings, kept Simpson company in partnerships of 36 and 22 respectively and, although Mason Crane removed both as part of a four-wicket haul, No. 11 Ravi Patel hung on to help complete victory.Simpson was the hero when Middlesex chase 302 eight down at Taunton last year, on the way to the club’s first title in 23 years. MCC’s Somerset trio of Overton, Lewis Gregory and Jack Leach did their best to undermine Middlesex again, taking 15 wickets between them, but the champions ultimately proved too strong.MCC saw their last two wickets fall on the third morning with only four added to the overnight score; Liam Plunkett was unable to bat after straining a calf earlier in the match. That still meant Middlesex needing to score considerably more than the 179 they managed in the first innings for victory.They were given a much stronger base by the top order second time around. Nick Gubbins and Nick Compton both struck half-centuries and they looked to be cruising to their target on 242 for 4 in the 54th over.Enter Overton, wicketless to that point. He pinned Steve Eskinazi lbw for 44, had Middlesex captain James Franklin caught behind first ball and then won another lbw decision against James Harris to change the complexion of the innings. Simpson, however, stayed calm and ticked off the runs with the lower order to ensure Middlesex would start their season with a win under lights.

Lancashire have pulled off a double Kolpak deal which sees Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dane Vilas shore up the batting ranks at Old Trafford

David Hopps27-Jan-2017Lancashire have become the latest county to raid South African cricket by signing Dane Vilas, the wicketkeeper-batsman, in a double Kolpak swoop which has also seen them shore up their batting strength by signing the veteran West Indian Shivnarine Chanderpaul.Vilas flew 600 miles to Johannesburg from Port Elizabeth as a late substitute in a Test against England at the start of 2016. Roughly a year later, at 31, he will fly around 5,000 miles to Manchester on a two-year Kolpak deal which realistically will bring his brief South Africa career to an end.He is the seventh South African player to take that option as expectations grow that Brexit might bring an end to the arrangement which exists under EU employment law.Kyle Abbott (Hampshire), Hardus Viljoen (Derbyshire), Simon Harmer (Essex), Rilee Rossouw (Hampshire) and David Wiese and Stiaan van Zyl (Sussex) have also signed Kolpak deals, although opening batsmen Dean Elgar and Stephen Cook have stayed loyal to South Africa by signing overseas player deals with Somerset and Durham respectively.Not many 42-year-olds would win a county cricket deal, even in a winter when Kolpak signings have again flooded into the game, but Chanderpaul retains an appetite for batting and has a pragmatic, safety-conscious style which might have been designed to offset the passage of time.Any burst of regional pride which met Glen Chapple’s progress through the ranks to become Lancashire’s head coach earlier this month will be tempered, for a while at least, by the decision to stock up with overseas reinforcements in an attempt to safeguard their future in Division One of the County Championship.Lancashire only became sure of safety on the final day of the season when results went their way after they had suffered a heavy defeat against Warwickshire.*Reeling from the enforced retirement of Tom Smith, they will plead that they have also had to contend with the loss in recent seasons of two further South African batsmen, Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince. Luis Reece has also been allowed to join Derbyshire.Their batting is likely to be further compromised by the loss of one of their homegrown products, Haseeb Hameed, to England for the second half of the summer. Hameed is the first England opening batsman produced by Lancashire since Michael Atherton but it is possible that, after only 23 first-class matches, any further benefits accrued at county level will be strictly limited.Ashley Giles, Lancashire’s former director of cricket, supervised a successful progression from the Old Trafford academy before returning to Warwickshire to take up a similar role. Four players made their first-class debut in 2016. Liam Livingstone and Rob Jones both went on to hit maiden first-class centuries, with Livingstone earning England Lions selection. The legspinner Matthew Parkinson took a five-for on debut against Warwickshire and England Under-19 fast bowler Saqib Mahmood made his first-class debut against Hampshire as well as breaking into the NatWest Blast side.Lancashire were at pains to point out that 19 players in the squad have come through the system. The Old Trafford academy, recently audited by the ECB, was ranked second, only to Durham, for producing young homegrown players who went on to make appearances for the club in the Championship in 2016.”This evidences the club’s ongoing commitment to developing young players to go on and play for England,” a Lancashire media release stated.Chanderpaul renews acquaintances with Lancashire after a spell at the county in 2010. Only Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis have played more Tests than Chanderpaul, who joins Lancashire on a one-year contract.Chapple said: “He knows what it takes to be successful and there is no doubt that he will have a positive effect on our squad. The talented squad at Lancashire is very young and Shivnarine will bring a healthy level of experience to help guide them.”Whilst Shivnarine will undoubtedly have an important role to play on the field, his role off the field will be of huge importance to our young players. He’s one of the most experienced international cricketers in the history of the game and it will be a fantastic opportunity for our players to learn from him, in all aspects of the game.”Vilas can be expected to make more of an impact in the limited-overs formats, with Chanderpaul unlikely to figure often in T20.Chapple said: “Signing a player of Dane’s undoubted calibre and experience is a great boost. His aggressive batting style will see him as an important part of our T20 and one-day sides in 2017, as well as in four-day cricket.”*January 27, 1600GMT: This story was corrected to amend Lancashire’s result

After a six-for with the ball, Deepti scored 39* with the bat with India in choppy waters at that stage

Shashank Kishore27-Dec-2024Deepti Sharma turned in a superb all-round performance to help India seal the ODI series 3-0 in Vadodara. She first took 6 for 31 as West Indies folded for 162. Then with India in choppy waters, Deepti provided a calming influence with an unbeaten 39 to the team home by five wickets.While Deepti dug in for the hard grind, aided with luck when she was dropped by Hayley Matthews at slip on 21, Richa Ghosh lent the finishing touches. Having walked in to bat with India 129 for 5, Ghosh allayed fears of a collapse by hitting one four and three sixes in her brisk 11-ball 23. This included back-to-back sixes off legspinner Afy Fletcher to see off India’s chase.Under leaden skies, and on a surface that got progressively tougher to bat on with the odd ball keeping low and turning big, West Indies were left to rue another poor batting performance. Barring Chinelle Henry and Shemaine Campbelle, who put together 91 for the fourth wicket, there was little else of note from the batting unit.The collapse began in the very first over when Renuka Singh removed Qiana Joseph, with a faint tickle down leg, and the in-form Matthews with a superb in-ducker four balls later. When Deandra Dottin was bowled attempting a hack into the leg side to Renuka, the visitors were 9 for 3 in the fifth over. Renuka with finish with a four-for eventually, coming back later to clean up the lower order amid the Deepti show.Under the shadow of a collapse, Henry, playing her first ODI of the series, rebuilt the innings. She struggled to get bat to ball early on, pottering to 3 off 17. Then from nowhere, she brought out a release shot for six off debutant left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar to get going.Renuka Singh picked up four wickets•BCCI

During the course of her third half-century, Henry played some neat little cuts and glides. At the other end, Campbelle showed positivity against spin. She took the attack early to legspinner Priya Mishra, hitting her for three boundaries in her second over. After using her feet to launch into two stunning drives – one down the ground and the other through cover – she rocked back to pull Mishra for a third as she dropped short.This 91-run stand for the fourth wicket appeared to have revived the visitors as much as it frustrated India. This is when Deepti came into the game and made a telling contribution.Campbell was consumed by a rush of blood as she was lulled into the big shot by Deepti, only for Pratika Rawal to take a comfortable catch at long-on. In the following over, Zaida James was caught superbly at slip by Harmanpreet as Deepti had her driving from the rough.It could’ve been a triple-strike for India but for Renuka dropping the simplest of return catches via a leading edge to reprieve Aaliya Alleyne on 0. Alleyne would make only 21, though, falling to a tame chip to short midwicket. Alleyne’s wicket came hot on the heels of Henry’s dismissal for a third ODI half-century when she was out bowled by a straighter one. West Indies went on to lose their last 5 wickets for 21.India’s reply began in nervous fashion as they lost Smriti Mandhana and Harleen Deol early in the power play against the moving ball. Pratika Rawal too missed out on a great opportunity to build on a solid foundation from her first two ODIs when she holed out to mid-on in an attempt to hit out against Matthews’ offspin.India captain Harmanpreet then picked the pieces up and put together a fantastic exhibition of cover driving. Having begun with two fours off her first five deliveries, she went on to pierce a packed off-side ring to hit Dottin for three fours in the ninth over to quickly take to 23 off 13.Harmanpreet looked in rip-roaring form when she played back to be bowled by a skidder from Afy Fletcher. The wicket briefly galvanised the visitors, but India weren’t to be denied as Deepti, Jemimah Rodrigues and Ghosh all played neat hands to see them home.

The allrounder has been fined 25% of his match fees and handed a demerit point as well

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2023Moeen Ali has been fined 25% of his match fee and handed a demerit point on his return to red-ball cricket after spraying “a drying agent on his bowling hand” on the second day of the first Ashes Test.Moeen admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft, the match referee. “In reaching his decision to sanction the player, the match referee was satisfied that Ali had used the spray only to dry his hands,” the ICC said.”The spray was not used as an artificial substance on the ball and consequently it had not changed the condition of the ball, which would have been in breach of clause 41.3 of the ICC playing conditions – Unfair Play – The Match Ball – Changing its Condition.”Related

• Moeen Ali feels the pain, but should the finger be pointed at England?

• Australia breathe fire in the Birmingham rain: 22 balls of drama in the dark

• England lose openers as Australia edge forward on rain-hit day

• Moeen views Ashes return as a 'free hit' after short-notice recall

• England in 'really positive' position after second day – Stuart Broad

Moeen is returning to Test cricket after an absence of nearly two years and bowled 29 overs on the second day, taking 2 for 124. He has not bowled in a red-ball match since September 2021 and ESPNcricinfo understands that he has a small blister on his spinning finger as a result of the increased workload.During the 89th over of Australia’s innings, Moeen was seen spraying a substance from an aerosol can on his bowling hand while fielding on the boundary, before bowling the following over. The ICC said he had defied “the umpires’ pre-series instruction about [players] not using anything on their hands without prior approval”.This being a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct, one demerit point was added to Moeen’s disciplinary record. It is his first demerit point in the last 24 months and he will not be suspended unless he accumulates three further points in the next two years.The charge had recent precedent. During India’s home series against Australia earlier this year, Ravindra Jadeja was penalised under the same article of the ICC’s Code of Conduct after applying a soothing cream to the index finger of his bowling hand.

Despite their struggles in South Africa, Dhananjaya de Silva has said Sri Lanka are well placed to challenge the hosts at one of the bounciest venues in the world

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Johannesburg10-Jan-2017There is something quietly magnetic about Dhananjaya de Silva, and here I am not referring to those velvet legside flicks, or the sleepy six to get his first Test runs, though all of that help. There is an understated confidence about him – the way he slouches at the crease, the lateness of his strokes against even screaming pace, the simplicity of his defence. This is not a man easily ruffled, you think. He doesn’t subscribe to the tattoos-and-hairdo school of millennial self-belief, for now, but the self-belief, nevertheless, is there.Maybe this is why – or maybe it’s plain old youthful naivety – but where others are sensing a whitewash, de Silva is smelling opportunity. Two days out, there is less grass on the Wanderers pitch than there had been at a similar stage at Newlands or St. George’s Park. This is one of the fastest, bounciest venues in the world, but so what? If there is less seam movement, it might actually suit Sri Lanka, de Silva thinks.”At Wanderers I think there’s extra pace and bounce, but as a subcontinent nation it’s the seam movement that makes things difficult for us,” he said. “I think we should be able to improve on the batting side, since the pitch doesn’t seam as much, from what we know. You can’t tell until you play, but I’m hopeful this will be more suited to us.”Though he does self-belief, Dhananjaya has so far resisted self-delusion, and while there is hope about the conditions, he is aware of the gaping batting flaws that require addressing. On the team front, six out of seven batsmen were out playing attacking strokes on a difficult track at Newlands. At training on Tuesday, most batsmen were seen practicing the defence or the leave.Dhananjaya de Silva was promoted to No. 4 at Newlands in a bid to find a decent No. 3•AFP

“I don’t think we need to make huge changes to the way we bat or bowl, but we do need to adjust to the situation better – we need to limit our shots,” de Silva said. “We can’t hit shots all around the ground like in Sri Lanka, or even Zimbabwe. We’ve got to set limits for ourselves about where we are not going to score and which balls we aren’t going to go after.”We do all have that confidence with the bat, but we need to fine-tune our approach. If someone starts getting a big innings, we all need to rally around him. We need to get a big enough total to give our bowlers something to defend. But I think we can give them a fight.”De Silva must be foremost among those switching to a more survivalist mentality, because seven Tests into his career, he has a new role that demands of him patience and responsibility. Although he averaged 60.60 at positions 5, 6 and 7 – where he had batted in most of his first six Tests – he was shunted up to no. 4 at Newlands thanks to a top-order reshuffle aimed at finding a decent no. 3.”When I batted seven, a lot of the time, my job was to bat with the tail,” he said. “I often try to score quick runs because the tail is vulnerable, and we need to get as many as possible for the team. When I go second drop, sometimes I can’t play my strokes, because I’m trying to play a long innings. I have to stay at the wicket to get runs. I think I prefer no. 7, but this is my role.”

He takes over from Nicholas Pooran, who has moved to Trinbago Knight Riders

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2022Big-hitting middle-order batter Shimron Hetmyer will take over as Guyana Amazon Warriors’ captain this CPL season. He takes over from Nicholas Pooran, who was signed up by Trinbago Knight Riders at the CPL draft in July.Related

• CPL 2022 – Patriots, Knight Riders the teams to beat; new-look Royals hope for turnaround

• CPL 2022 draft: Hope moves to Warriors; Cornwall joins Royals

Hetmyer, who has been with Amazon Warriors since 2016 and became a regular in the XI from 2018, has played 47 games for them, scoring 1149 runs at a strike rate of 131.76 including one hundred and eight fifties.Chairman of the Amazon Warriors franchise Bobby Ramroop said: “We are pleased to appoint our first Guyanese captain since the 2013 season. Hetmyer has been a main part of our setup over the years and we believe the time is right to have him lead the team.”Hetmyer said of his appointment, “I’m excited to lead this group of men. I can’t wait for the CPL to begin.”In CPL 2021, under Pooran, Amazon Warriors went out at the semi-final stage of the tournament. This year, they kick off their campaign on September 3 against Jamaica Tallawahs in Basseterre.The CPL runs from August 31 to September 30 this year. In what will be a boost for Amazon Warriors should they make the playoffs, all four of these games – two qualifiers, the eliminator and the final – are scheduled to be played on their home ground in Providence, Guyana.Guyana Amazon Warriors squad: Imran Tahir, Shimron Hetmyer (capt), Tabraiz Shamsi, Odean Smith, Romario Shepherd, Colin Ingram, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shai Hope, Paul Stirling, Heinrich Klaasen, Keemo Paul, Jermaine Blackwood, Gudakesh Motie, Veerasammy Permaul, Ronsford Beaton, Matthew Nandu, Junior Sinclair.

Keemo Paul three-for helps limit UAE, who were led by teenager Ali Naseer’s debut fifty

Srinidhi Ramanujam04-Jun-2023A classy 112 from Brandon King and a three wicket-haul from Keemo Paul powered West Indies to a resounding victory as they chased down 203 with 88 balls to spare against UAE, in the first of the three-match ODIs in sultry Sharjah on Sunday. While Paul was playing an ODI after almost a year, King marked his promotion to vice-captaincy with a match-winning performance.Kicking off a new era for West Indies under new captain Shai Hope and new head coach Daren Sammy, the visitors looked untroubled chasing in testing conditions, on a pitch offering turn and uneven bounce. The win comes as a boost to West Indies as they prepare for the ODI World Cup Qualifier later this month in Zimbabwe.King’s maiden ODI hundred came off 107 deliveries and he also stitched a crucial 91-run match-defining stand for the second wicket with Shamarh Brooks to crush UAE. Highlights of his innings included his three clean sixes against legspinner Karthik Meiyyappan in the 34th over of the innings. Overall, he hit 12 fours and four sixes.West Indies started the chase on a brisk note with five runs an over and maintained the run rate throughout their innings. Though it was not a difficult target on paper, West Indies had to play on a tough pitch in humid conditions. After losing Johnson Charles early for 24, Brooks played a supporting role with his 44 off 58 deliveries. Left-arm spinner Aayan Khan was able to keep West Indies at bay for some time, but it wasn’t enough to stop King. With Keacy Carty, he put on 54 runs with 47 of those runs coming off his bat.Hope hit two consecutive sixes off Meiyappan in the 36th over to seal the deal for his side.

Debutant Ali Naseer’s fifty steers UAE to 202

A fighting fifty from teen debutant Ali Naseer helped UAE put 202 on board after a collapse in the middle order.Winning the toss and opting to bat, UAE lost both openers inside the first three overs. Paul struck in his second ball when he bowled the home captain Muhammad Waseem for a duck. Left-arm pace bowler Dominic Drakes, who made his West Indies debut alongside spin allrounder Kavem Hodge on Sunday, then picked up his first ODI wicket by breaking through the defence of Aryansh Sharma in his second over.Vriitya Aravind took his time but stabilised the innings with a 70-ball 40, assembling a partnership of 31 off 54 with Rameez Shahzad for the third wicket. The stand was broken when Rameez had to retire hurt in the 12th over following a blow on his helmet off Odean Smith’s bowling. Aravind hit a few elegant cover drives and put on 44 runs with Asif Khan for the fourth wicket before being dismissed by legspinner Yannic Cariah when he nicked the ball to the wicketkeeper. He also became UAE’s highest run-getter in ODIs with this knock.From 100 for 2, UAE suffered a collapse of four wickets for 29 runs. This included the wicket of Rameez, who returned to bat after retiring hurt. Cariah was tough to score off in the middle overs and conceded just 26 runs in his seven overs. UAE, though, bounced back in the final phase of the innings, courtesy of Naseer.Coming in at No. 7, the left-hand batter provided the late push needed to cross the 200-mark. Naseer, 19, showed determination with little support from the other end and went after the left-arm spinner Hodge, hammering two sixes in the 41st over, one over midwicket and another – a slog sweep over wide long-on en route his half-century. Smith, Drakes and Hodge then kept him quiet for a few overs before Naseer holed out to long-off – Paul’s slow offcutter from outside off stump doing the trick. His 52-ball 58 knock consisted of five fours and two sixes.For West Indies, Drakes, Smith, and Cariah ended with two each and Roston Chase took one.

Tasmania’s top three and Ben McDermott put up a solid display of attritional batting in the face of a 476-run target

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2019Faced with an immense 476-run target, Tasmania dug in and ground their way to a draw against Victoria on the fourth day of the Sheffield Shield match in Melbourne.Tasmania began the day from an overnight score of 0 for 27, and the opening pair of Alex Doolan and Jordan Silk put up a century stand, taking the side to lunch without the loss of a wicket. Silk fell to Scott Boland in the first over after lunch, for 41 off 116 balls, after which the quick wickets of Doolan (88 off 204 balls) and Matthew Wade (1 off 6 balls), raised Victoria’s hopes of inciting a collapse.Those hopes, however, were thwarted by Ben McDermott who played 98 balls for his unbeaten 5, negating an attack that had dismissed the side for 286 in the first innings. McDermott was the common factor in three partnerships that held firm after Wade’s dismissal: McDermott added 22 off 18 overs with Charlie Wakim, who himself scored 36 off 125 balls at No. 3, followed by a six-run fifth-wicket partnership with Jake Doran off 44 balls and a sixth-wicket partnership with the 18-year-old Jarrod Freeman yielded 8 runs off 51 balls.A win against Tasmania would have placed Victoria closer to a spot in the Sheffield Shield final, but with two rounds to go, Victoria are leading the table with 43.31 points. Tasmania, on the other hand, are third with a lead of just one point over fourth-placed Western Australia.

After winning back-to-back games, Kings have managed just one more win in four – and they are set to be without the experience of Kagiso Rabada once again

Hemant Brar21-Apr-20234:37

Tait backs Arjun Tendulkar to deliver at the death

Big picture: Two teams on different trajectories

There’s a popular meme template: how it started and how it’s going. Mumbai Indians’ journey so far in IPL 2023 fits that perfectly. They began the season with two crushing defeats before bouncing back with three wins on the trot.Even before those two defeats, their batting had looked solid on paper. But the lack of runs from Cameron Green and Suryakumar Yadav threw a spanner in the works. With both coming into their own over the last two games, Mumbai look a much stronger unit.For Punjab Kings, Mumbai’s opponents on Saturday, things have gone the other way round. After winning back-to-back games – something they failed to do last year – they managed just one more win in their next four outings.Kings’ plan with bat was that their captain Shikhar Dhawan plays the anchor’s role and others hit around him. But Dhawan’s shoulder injury caught them without a back-up plan.And now they have the added worry of Kagiso Rabada having picked up a niggle – he missed their last game due to this, and ESPNcricinfo understands he will sit out the game against Mumbai too.*Injury issues aside, Kings need to figure out their best combination of overseas players. Sikandar Raza was the Player of the Match against Lucknow Super Giants but was left out for the RCB game. Kings may have to revisit that decision.

Form guide

Mumbai Indians WWWLL
Punjab Kings LWLLW

Team news: Archer-watch

Kings will once again be without Dhawan and Rabada. On Thursday, their fielding coach Trevor Gonsalves said Dhawan would take “at least another two to three days” to be fully fit. Mumbai will be optimistic about Jofra Archer as he has shown vast improvement since he felt the discomfort in his right elbow post the first match. He even bowled full tilt during the practice session on Thursday, and Jason Behrendorff, too, said on Friday that Archer was “not too far away”.

Impact Player strategy

Mumbai Indians: If Archer is available, he could come in for Riley Meredith. Else Mumbai could field an unchanged side with Tilak Varma and Meredith as their Impact Player pair.Probable XII: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Cameron Green, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 , 6 Tim David, 7 Nehal Wadhera, 8 Jofra Archer/, 9 Arjun Tendulkar, 10 Hrithik Shokeen, 11 Piyush Chawla, 12 Jason BehrendorffPunjab Kings have lost three of their previous four games•Associated Press

Punjab Kings: Nathan Ellis will continue in Rabada’s stead. Prabhsimran Singh and Rahul Chahar could once again be their Impact pair.Probable XII: 1 Atharva Taide, 2 , 3 Liam Livingstone, 4 Harpreet Singh, 5 Sikandar Raza, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 M Shahrukh Khan, 8 Sam Curran (capt), 9 Harpreet Brar, 10 Nathan Ellis, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12

Stats that matter

• Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan have given Mumbai flying starts in IPL 2023. Among those pairs who have opened at least three times this season, Rohit and Kishan’s scoring rate of 9.61 is second only to Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 9.75.
• So far in this season, Kings have lost three or more wickets inside the powerplay on three occasions, the joint-most for a team along with Kolkata Knight Riders.

Pitch and conditions: Win toss, bowl first

The Wankhede is a chasing ground. Since the start of 2021, the teams batting second have won 22 out of the 32 night T20s played at this venue. Spinners have been more successful here this IPL; they have 13 wickets at an economy of 7.64, while fast bowlers have nine at 10.17.*

Pakistan’s new coach Mickey Arthur has said he will not compromise on discipline, fitness and fielding standards during his stint with the side

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-20161:08

Can Arthur fix Pakistan’s problems?

Pakistan’s new coach Mickey Arthur has said he will not compromise on discipline, fitness and fielding standards during his time with the side. Arthur was appointed Pakistan’s coach last week, filling the position vacated by Waqar Younis in April.The assignment with Pakistan is Arthur’s third with an international side, after South Africa and Australia. While he had considerable success with South Africa, his tenure with Australia was marked by an uneasy relationship with players that culminated in the infamous homeworkgate episode on the tour of India in 2013, when four players were axed for ignoring team orders. Arthur, who is expected to take over by the end of the month, stressed that discipline would bring better results for Pakistan.”I will be tough on discipline and that’s the way we can get better and better results,” he said. “I want everybody to start playing for the team and I don’t want any selfish players around.”Our bowling is good, but we need to lift our batting massively. I will also be tough on fielding and fitness, and need players who can play long term, and these issues are non-negotiable. I also want players who aren’t prepared to be bullied.”Discipline and fitness have been problem areas for Pakistan, who have slipped down the ICC rankings in limited-overs cricket. Earlier this month, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal were left out of the training camp for the England tour on disciplinary grounds. Waqar’s report following Pakistan’s early exit from the World T20 had also highlighted concerns around Shehzad and Akmal’s attitudes, and the former coach had suggested the pair should be made to re-earn their place in the national squad with performances in domestic cricket.Ranked No. 9 in ODIs after the ICC’s annual update, Pakistan have won only three bilateral series in the format since December 2013, of which two were against Zimbabwe. They were quarter-finalists in the 2015 World Cup but suffered early exits in the 2016 World T20 and the Asia Cup in February this year. They are currently ranked No. 7 in T20Is.Pakistan will travel to England and Ireland in July and September, where they are scheduled to play four Tests, five ODIs and one T20I against England, and two one-day matches against Ireland. Arthur admitted the conditions would challenge the Pakistan players.”For Pakistan players, those conditions are trying, but I want the team to be up for the challenge. Without a doubt we will go to win … If the players show improvement, then I know I am doing my job.”