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ESPNcricinfo has learnt that some of the India players are unhappy with the revised pay structure, despite their annual retainer having been doubled

Arun Venugopal30-Mar-2017A week after the BCCI announced new annual contracts, it has emerged that some players are unhappy with the revised pay structure. Despite the annual retainer having been doubled, it is understood that the players’ response has stemmed from the revised contracts not meeting their demands. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the issue had been a concern for a while and that the players have made a concerted effort to address it in the last few months.”Things have gathered momentum over the last three months or so, through the New Zealand and England series,” an insider aware of the developments said. “Almost every player has been involved in the discussions.” The coach, Anil Kumble, who was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the central contracts system in 2003, is learnt to have pushed for a complete overhaul of the existing structure to ensure contracted players get a bigger slice of the whole revenue pie, and not just a percentage of a whittled-down portion.Earlier this month, Kumble had made a presentation on a revamped compensation structure on behalf of the players and support staff to the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) in Bengaluru. Although one source said the players are likely to meet the CoA in the forthcoming days to revisit the new contracts, a CoA official said no such meeting was on the cards.The CoA, though, believes Kumble’s proposals require an entirely new framework, which will require time to formulate. “Kumble is also aware that it cannot happen overnight,” the CoA official said. “That will be thought through and we will see what we can do on that. That is not something that can be done in 24 hours or 48 hours. It will take a lot of deliberation because it is a complete re-think of how the compensation model is thought through.”Last week, a few days after Kumble’s presentation, 32 players were handed new retainers, in which seven Grade A-contract holders – including Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane and R Ashwin – will be paid INR 2 crore (USD 300,000 approx) each per year. According to the new arrangement, those in Grade B and C will now earn INR 1 crore (USD 150,000 approx) and INR 50 lakh (USD 75,000) respectively. The match fees were also increased from INR 7 lakh to 15 lakh in Tests, 4 lakh to 6 lakh in ODIs and 2 lakh to 3 lakh in T20Is. This revision in the pay structure was the first since 2010.The assistant coaches – Sanjay Bangar (batting) and R Sridhar (fielding) – were also given a 50% hike in retainership fees; they will now earn 15 lakh each per month, barring the two-month IPL window, for which they are not paid.There were other financial rewards, too, with the BCCI announcing payments – INR 50 lakh per player, 25 lakh for Kumble and 15 lakh for each member of the support staff – for India becoming the No. 1-ranked Test side. The ICC also awarded the team USD 1 million for finishing the year as the top-ranked Test nation.Despite the windfall, some players believe the pay rise isn’t commensurate with the growth in BCCI profits. The BCCI’s total income in 2015-16 stood at INR 1365.35 crore. Out of this, the board paid a total of 56.35 crore to players. An amount of 46.31 crore was paid as “additional payment to players”, as per the board’s annual statement last year.The sticking point, though, is the income from the television rights, which is the board’s biggest revenue stream. The norm has been distribution of about 70% of the income – generated from rights – to the state associations. For perspective, when the contracts were introduced in 2003 by the BCCI, the board paid players – both international and domestic, including the junior categories – 26% of the overall revenues. Of this, half (13%) was assigned to the men’s international players, while 10.3% was distributed among the domestic players. The remaining 2.7% was allotted to a bracket featuring the junior players, although women were added to this category subsequently.What has further irked the players is that their annual retainer is comparatively lower than that of their English and Australian counterparts. Different sources have estimated Joe Root and Steven Smith’s annual retainers at between INR 8 crore and 12 crore. “When the ECB and CA compensate their players handsomely, why does the BCCI, the world’s richest board, not do enough?” the source asked. “In addition, the BCCI’s coffers have seen a huge increase since the introduction of the IPL, but the players don’t get a fair share of such revenues. It is ultimately the state associations that walk away with the lion’s share of the money.”Another source said the BCCI could not use the players’ IPL earnings as a pretext for not substantially increasing the annual retainers. “One player might get a contract worth 12 crore, another may be bought for 30 lakh, and there are players who don’t get any IPL contracts,” the source said. “Why should the board be concerned with the amount of money players make from the IPL? The values of both these properties are different, so why do they connect the two? The BCCI is the richest board and the money is meant to be spent on cricket and cricketers, not stadia.”The other cause of consternation has been the gulf in the pay structures between domestic and international cricketers. A veteran domestic player said there was very little financial incentive for someone to play only first-class cricket. “A player in the Test squad makes 7.5 lakh per game, even if he is not included in the playing XI,” he said. “If I play a whole season of first-class cricket – I get paid 40,000 per four-day game, along with a percentage of the board’s gross revenue – I will probably make a little more in a season than what a player on the bench makes per Test match.”He said that a contract system had to be put in place for domestic cricketers as well. “The absence of any concrete financial benefit is why people in first-class cricket are constantly looking to play only the IPL,” he said. “After all, not everyone can play for India. But, with a system like this, you are not producing people who would want to play Test cricket. The disparity is huge.”

BCB president Nazmul Hassan believes an increase in the board’s share of the revenue is a boost for cricket in the country, which has undergone a change as a market for the sport

Mohammad Isam28-Apr-2017The Bangladesh Cricket Board pursued a larger share of the ICC revenue on the basis of the team’s improved results on the field and the emergence of a stronger market for the game in the country, board president Nazmul Hassan has said. Under the new revenue model, approved by the ICC Board and to be ratified at the annual conference in June, the BCB will received US $132 million in the 2015-2023 rights cycle, compared to the $76 million they had received previously for the same period.Hassan, who attended the ICC Board meeting earlier this week, said the increased share of revenue is a boost to Bangladesh cricket, and he had persuaded the ICC Board to re-evaluate Bangladesh’s stature as a cricket market.”There used to be a notion that Bangladesh doesn’t generate any revenue, that the market here is weak,” Hassan said at a press briefing in Dhaka on Friday. “But I think Bangladesh generates more revenue than many nations. Bangladeshi companies are sponsoring our away tours. The market here has changed. I asked them to reevaluate our situation, because now there’s a new perspective about Bangladesh.”We used to get $76 million but now are going to get $132 million [during the eight-year cycle]. This means while we used to get $9.5 million per year, the amount will be $16.5 million per year. It is almost double, a big boon for Bangladesh.”Hassan said that during discussions over the new financial model, he had insisted Bangladesh should receive an amount larger than what had been decided in 2014. Hassan is also a member of the ICC board and was part of the working group that had proposed changes to the ICC’s constitution and financial models.”Bangladesh deserved to get more [revenue] than West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka whichever criteria is being considered,” Hassan said. “Performance is not the only factor. My first objective was to increase Bangladesh’s share. We agreed on the financial model that not just Bangladesh, everyone else should get more money.”When I am at the ICC, I have two roles. I am an ICC director so I have to consider everyone, I cannot leave out anyone. But because I was representing Bangladesh as the BCB president, I have to look at Bangladesh’s interest. So definitely, I feel this model is highly acceptable.”When asked why the BCB did not support the BCCI’s objections to the proposed revenue model, Hassan said he could not support his board getting less money. He was hopeful, however, of a new formula being worked out.”India’s concern is only with the finances. We support them for everything,” Hassan said. “I spoke to the BCCI, and assured them of our support in everything. But I cannot support Bangladesh getting less money. I personally believe that the BCCI is against this model. They have no problem with the amount we are getting, but they are trying to come up with a new formula.”There’s still time till June although it won’t go to the AGM since this is not part of the constitution. If they can give us an agreeable proposal by June, we will agree with it. If they can find a logical way to show that they should get more money, we would have no objections. I feel, that’s what they will do. They will come with a new formula, which we can all agree upon, and the issue will be solved.Hassan pointed out that the instability in the BCCI’s governance structure was also hampering the Indian board’s discussions with the ICC.”I think it is more of an ego issue. They have an interim board running at the moment,” Hassan said. “They have different people coming to the ICC meeting. We saw someone in the last meeting who was appointed by their Supreme Court, and this time we saw someone else, BCCI’s joint secretary. There’s no continuity, and it is hard to deal with a new person every few months. If someone comes to the ICC meeting and agrees with us, he will be blamed for agreeing to a lesser amount. So I don’t think anyone wants to take this responsibility. I am hopeful that soon, we will be able to come to an agreement.”Commenting on the BCB’s opposition to any changes in the ICC constitution that would compromise a board’s Full Membership, Hassan said the board had objected to such a change with the objective of saving Zimbabwe and any new Associate Member who may be granted Full Member status in the future.One part of the governance reforms was the proposal to look at membership as a fluid concept, with Full Members being regularly evaluated against set criteria. If the Full Member failed to meet certain requirements, it would be relegated to Associate status. The response from the BCB earlier this week, however, had suggested that such reclassification should apply only to Associates who were given Full Member status on a “temporary” or a “provisional” basis. Hassan’s letter had also stated that the Full Membership status of the ten Test nations should “not be compromised under any circumstances and should be made irrevocable.””Bangladesh isn’t going to be relegated in the foreseeable future but we raised the objection about relegation,” Hassan said on Saturday. “We could see that Zimbabwe was in danger of relegation, even though it wasn’t entirely connected to performance.”Associate Members who become Full Members, you can’t leave them out too. I considered all nations when I said that a Full Member can never be relegated.”

Samit Patel produced his second double-century in consecutive matches before James Pattinson ripped through Leicestershire’s batting with an explosive burst of genuinely fast bowling

ECB Reporters Network20-Jun-2017
ScorecardSamit Patel produced his second double-century in consecutive matches before James Pattinson ripped through Leicestershire’s batting with an explosive burst of genuinely fast bowling to put Nottinghamshire into a strong position at the halfway stage of their Specsavers County Championship match at Trent Bridge.The 32-year old Patel, who scored an unbeaten career-best 257 against Gloucestershire at Bristol last week, almost matched that effort before falling for 247 soon after lunch.Patel batted for over seven hours and faced 305 balls, hitting 29 fours and two sixes as he became the first Nottinghamshire player to score 200 in successive matches.Once Patel had been dismissed, Stuart Broad threw the bat to good effect and raced to 50 not out, at which point Chris Read declared the innings closed on 548 for 9. Dieter Klein returned the most successful figures for the Foxes, taking 6 for 142 from 31 overs.Leicestershire had no real answer to the pace of Pattinson, who returned figures of 5 for 33, and were dismissed for 134 in 49.5 overs, a deficit of 414. Read then enforced the follow-on with four overs remaining but bad light prevented the players from returning.The Leicestershire innings was plunged into early disarray with Pattinson removing both Harry Dearden and Mark Cosgrove in a slippery opening burst. Re-introduced after tea, he then had Mark Pettini caught at third slip before demolishing the stumps of Lewis Hill and Gavin Griffiths, each with searing yorkers.Luke Fletcher claimed the scalp of Colin Ackermann and then Jake Ball got in the act by dismissing both Ned Eckersley and the stubborn Paul Horton, who made 31.Steven Mullaney also chipped in with two wickets, including that of Ben Raine, who batted with a runner after incurring a side strain on the opening day.Earlier, Riki Wessels, after a fifth-wicket partnership of 113 with Patel, departed for 30 after nicking the left-arm quick to Paul Horton at first slip and then Read, playing his 300th first-class match, made just 7 before nicking behind. Maximum points already secured, Notts pushed on with Pattinson playing some delightful shots on his way to 33 before being caught sweeping the offspin of Ackermann.Fletcher was caught behind from his first ball, giving Klein his sixth victim. Broad, aware that a declaration was imminent, hit four fours and three sixes to reach his third 50 of the summer and prompt the declaration.

Will Rhodes will leave Yorkshire at the end of the season in search of regular cricket with Warwickshire

George Dobell27-Jun-2017Warwickshire have signed Yorkshire all-rounder Will Rhodes on a two-year contract. Rhodes, a former England U19 captain, will join Warwickshire at the end of the 2017 season.Rhodes’ opportunities at Yorkshire had been blocked by a surplus of fine players with the recent signing of Tom Kohler-Cadmore from Worcestershire pushing him even further back in the pecking order. Aged 22, he is understandably keen to be playing first-team cricket. It is understood he was recommended to Warwickshire by former Yorkshire coach, Jason Gillespie.Warwickshire, who have missed out on a couple of other potential signings in recent weeks (notably Kohler-Cadmore and Daniel
Bell-Drummond) see Rhodes as a potential opening batsman, a capable fourth or fifth seamer and a positive addition to the dressing room
with leadership potential.He also begins the process or rebalancing the age of the Warwickshire squad. Currently over reliant on several 30-something cricketers –
many of whom are out of contract at the end of the 2018 season – the management at Warwickshire are keen to supplement a mis-firing youth system with astute signings from elsewhere.While the immediate reaction of Warwickshire supporters might have been underwhelming, the club’s management hope they have identified an undervalued talent who will thrive given more opportunity. And it is true that Rhodes is highly-rated at Yorkshire who currently have an embarrassment of riches.”Will is a genuine all-rounder and very exciting cricketer, who has the versatility to bat anywhere from one to seven in the batting order
whilst also being a strong addition to our seam bowling attack,” Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of sport, said.”He is a great character with leadership experience, as a former captain of England U19s and Yorkshire Academy. At 22 he has a good
future ahead of him and we are delighted to welcome him to Warwickshire.””I’m very excited to sign for Warwickshire for the next two years and to take this next step in my career with a club that has also has such
a proud history and outstanding facilities,” Rhodes said. “I’ve had some great discussions with Ashley Giles and the coaching team at
Edgbaston and I look forward to joining up with the squad very soon.”I have thoroughly enjoyed my 12 years in the set-up at Yorkshire, particularly my last four years as a professional. My thanks go to all
players, coaches and staff for their support and I wish them the very best for the future.”

Birmingham boosted their hopes of qualifying for the NatWest T20 Blast knockout stages with a 30-run win over Leicestershire at Grace Road

ECB Reporters Network26-Jul-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Sam Hain’s half-century provided the platform for Birmingham•Getty Images

Birmingham boosted their hopes of qualifying for the NatWest T20 Blast knockout stages with a 30-run win over Leicestershire at Grace Road.Sam Hain struck 57 off 35 balls as the Bears recovered from a shaky start to post 187 for 7 after they were stuck in. Boyd Rankin and Aaron Thomason then each took three wickets and Jeetan Patel was at his economical best to restrict the Foxes to 157 for eight.The win moved Birmingham level on eight points with Leicestershire, who slipped to their second consecutive defeat, in the North Group.Young opener Ed Pollock, who had hit 66 off 40 balls on debut against Derbyshire in the previous game, was stumped by Luke Ronchi for 5 from a clever piece of bowling by left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson. Then Ian Bell, having lofted one straight four, tried to repeat the shot against Clint Mckay and skied high to Tom Wells at mid-off.But having been struggling on 23 for 2 off four overs, Hain and Will Porterfield took 29 off the last two overs of the Powerplay, with the latter hitting the offspin of Colin Ackermann for two sixes.Hain was fortunate to survive on 21, when Gavin Griffiths dropped a straightforward caught-and-bowled opportunity, and it was to prove an expensive miss by the Foxes.Porterfield was also caught by Wells, at long-on off Parkinson, having added 63 with Hain off just 39 balls, but Hain went on to a half-century from just 28 deliveries. His presence enabled Colin de Grandhomme and Grant Elliott to hit out to good, if brief, effect.Mat Pillans, expensive in his early overs, came back well to pick up the wickets of Thomason and then Hain, but Keith Barker and Alex Mellor compiled an unbroken partnership of 43 for the eighth wicket to ensure the visitors went into the break having maintained the initiative.On a flat pitch, a run-rate of 9.3 looked attainable, and 32 came off Keith Barker’s opening two overs. But Leicestershire’s top order found Rankin harder to get away, and Cameron Delport could not clear mid-on.Mark Cosgrove looked in wonderful touch before wastefully carving Thomason’s gentle medium-pace to Birmingham captain Bell at extra cover to go for 22. Patel bowled Ackermann and the writing was on the wall when Thomason bowled Ronchi for 27.Wells and Pillans added 53 for the seventh wicket, but it was a case of steering the Foxes’ score towards respectability as Patel conceded just 17 from his four overs.

Not once could Sri Lanka push a Test match to the fifth day and the new captain Dinesh Chandimal felt quite badly about that

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele14-Aug-20172:49

Can’t give excuses for defeat inside three days – Chandimal

In a year of woe for Sri Lanka, another captain has labeled another series loss the worst of his career. Dinesh Chandimal, in only his second series at the helm, lamented the 0-3 beating at India’s hands. Barely a month ago, Angelo Mathews had said the ODI series loss to Zimbabwe had been “one of the lowest points” of his own career, and not long after he ended up stepping down.Chandimal’s despair is understandable, because never before have Sri Lanka lost 0-3 at home to India. Two of India’s victories came by an innings, and the other – in Galle – was their biggest victory in terms of runs. And where India tallied a whopping 1949 across four innings at an average of 60.90 per wicket, Sri Lanka managed 1421 in six innings at an average of 24.92. All four of the highest wicket-takers, and three of the top four run-scorers, were also from the visiting side. It was, in short, an almighty hiding.”This was the toughest series in eight years playing international cricket, no doubt,” Chandimal said. “The reason is that we were not able to take the games to five days. The previous two were four-day Tests, and this was a three-day Test. Since I’ve been in this team, this is the worst series loss I’ve experienced.”The series has seen paltry crowds, especially in Galle and Colombo, perhaps due to the one-sided nature of the contest. Attendance was slightly better in Pallekele, but the ground was still mostly empty.Where fan support and satisfaction had been extremely high at the end of the 3-0 Test victory over Australia last year, it has diminished alarmingly over the past eight months, in which Sri Lanka were defeated badly in South Africa, lost a Test to Bangladesh, and crashed out of the Champions Trophy. Chandimal apologised for the team’s performance this series.”I want to convey our disappointment to all of our fans,” he said. “To all Sri Lankan fans here and away from home, we are very disappointed about our performance. As captain, I would like to take the responsibility. The fans have always supported us. They encourage us always. Today we saw that although we were losing, people were still applauding us. That is what the team needs now. We cannot let the players be mentally down. We are getting the process right. We might not get results soon, but we are confident that the future looks good.”Chandimal did, however, cite injuries as a possible reason for the defeat. Sri Lanka lost batting allrounder Asela Gunaratne in the first session of the series, then had seamer Nuwan Pradeep break down towards the end of the first day at the SSC. Suranga Lakmal was ruled out from the second Test onwards, and Rangana Herath sat out the dead rubber with a stiff back.”I would say what has especially gone wrong is injuries,” Chandimal said. “When we played the Australia series didn’t have any injuries. Everyone did their best. When we came to this series there are so many injuries – Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath. They played some really good cricket in the last six months. That’s the main issue. You can’t give excuses. As youngsters you have to stand up and perform.”Sri Lanka’s pace attack had, in fact, been laid low by injury during that Australia series too. Lakmal had been ruled out before the first Test, and Pradeep only played one game, and Dushmantha Chameera – who was the third seamer in line at the time – was also out of contention with a stress fracture.Elsewhere, another worrying sign for Sri Lanka, was the failure of their senior batsmen. Upul Tharanga and Angelo Mathews hit only one half-century apiece across six innings – both of those on the flattest track of the series. Chandimal himself managed only a high score of 48 and an average of 24 in four innings (though in mitigation, he had suffered from pneumonia the week before the SSC Test).”Consistency has been a huge issue this series,” Chandimal said. “Some players cannot perform well in every series. As seniors, you have to do well, and then the youngsters will follow.”Angelo and I couldn’t get amidst the runs, and we take a lot of blame for that. But we were trying very hard in the middle – even today – and we’ve been training very hard. I have lot of faith the seniors will come back strongly when we take on Pakistan.”

By the close on another rain-swept, shortened day, West Indies had wiped out the deficit for the loss of three wickets

The Report by Alan Gardner08-Sep-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:29

West Indies their worst enemies again

While Ben Stokes has made the strongest impression on this match so far, it was given an indelible mark on the second evening as James Anderson became the first Englishman to reach 500 Test wickets. Stokes’ six-for had upstaged his team-mate in West Indies’ first innings and he continued to shape events around him as England gained a 71-run first-innings lead – but Anderson was immediately to the fore as the tourists batted again.By the close on another rain-swept, shortened day, West Indies had wiped out the deficit for the loss of three wickets. Kieran Powell, who seemed set to capitalise on the latest drop in a series of fallible catching, was the third to fall as Anderson returned for a second spell and produced an unplayable bail-trimmer to end a 48-run partnership with Shai Hope. With the pitch continuing to offer assistance to the seamers, the deciding Investec Test was tantalisingly poised.Anderson’s big moment came in his second over with the new ball, a vintage inswinger that cut a path inside Kraigg Brathwaite’s defensive push to knock back middle stump. As Lord’s rose, the trademark Anderson grimace of effort blossomed into a smile, before he gestured with the ball to each side of the ground in acknowledgement of the landmark.

Lord’s low

• 317 – Runs scored by both teams in their first innings, West Indies 123 and England 194, the lowest in Lord’s Tests in last 50 years, and the fifth-lowest overall.

• 3 – England players to achieve the double of scoring fifty-plus and taking five-for in the same Test at Lord’s: Ian Botham (four times), Moeen Ali against South Africa earlier this season and Ben Stokes in this match. It’s the first time Stokes has done this all-round double in his Test career.

• 2 – Instances of West Indies fast bowlers picking all 10 wickets in an innings this year – against Pakistan in Bridgetown and this match. They had not done this even once before this year since 2011. The last time they achieve this in an away Test was in Napier in 2008-09.

• 6.83 – Kyle Hope’s average this series – the worst by a West Indies player batting five or more innings in a series in top-six batting positions. His scores have been: 25, 12, 3, 0, 0, 1.

Quickly, a chorus of “Oh, Jimmy Jimmy” struck up around the ground on which he claimed his first wicket – Mark Vermeulen, bowled – 14 years ago, as well as several other milestones along the way. With the sun out and conditions at their most hospitable for batsmen (and spectators) in the match, England had an immediate opening – though they spurned the chance to remove Powell, on 2, in the following over, when Stokes dropped a thick edge at fourth slip off Stuart Broad.West Indies did lose their second wicket soon after, Broad in no doubt that his delivery was hitting the stumps before Kyle Hope’s pads intervened. Hope backed name with deed in an optimistic review but was soon on his way after completing a difficult maiden Test series in which he scored 41 runs across six innings.With the clock ticking past 7pm, England’s eagerness began to get the better of them, with both of their reviews wasted attempting to overturn lbw decisions against Hope and Roston Chase. Anderson was also given a second warning – and a talking to from Marais Erasmus – for running on the pitch.England’s advantage had been built during the afternoon on a bristling half-century from Stokes, facing down a five-wicket haul from Kemar Roach, before two lower-order partnerships added to West Indies’ frustrations. They were again left to rue mistakes in the field, as Stokes was dropped on 24. He then combined with Jonny Bairstow to lift England towards parity, although when Stokes fell, Shannon Gabriel hitting his stumps for the second time in an over (the first coming off a no-ball), England were only five runs ahead.That lead was stretched beyond expectations as the last two wickets added a further 60 runs, with Broad’s 38 – including sixes launched into the Tavern and Mound Stands – becoming the second-highest contribution of the innings.Jason Holder eventually put down the tail-end insurrection with his third and fourth wickets to finish an extended middle session and, in bright sunshine, there were plenty of overs remaining in the day. Not since the 2005 Ashes Test had both sides been dismissed at Lord’s for less than 200 in the first innings (the same match, coincidentally, in which Glenn McGrath reached 500 Test wickets).Earlier, in stubbornly overcast conditions, batting was seldom straightforward – even if Stokes’ powerful stroke-making sometimes made it look so – but West Indies once again gave England another potentially crucial let-off. With Holder having just removed one of his three slips, Gabriel drew a thick edge from Stokes that flew towards the freshly created gap and although Kyle Hope flung himself across for a one-handed catch he couldn’t hold on.Holder immediately reinforced the cordon but the chance had gone. If Stokes had fallen, England would have been 65 for 6; instead the sixth-wicket pair put on 56, the joint-highest partnership of the match.With rain interrupting the morning session, play did not get back underway until 2.15pm. Stokes was dropped from the second ball after the resumption and then proceeded to rub it in on his way to a sixth 50-plus score of a summer that has confirmed his maturation as a Test batsman.Stokes and Bairstow have been England’s most prolific pairing since the start of 2016 and they took England into three figures. Stokes’ check-drive to move to 49 was the shot of a man in form and his next delivery was cut powerfully to the cover sweeper to bring up his fifty, which followed on from career-best figures with the ball on the first day.Bairstow had looked less comfortable, his outside edge beaten several times by Roach, who then went wide on the crease to arrow the ball in and win an lbw decision – Bairstow reviewed in vain, Hawk-Eye showing it to be hitting leg stump flush.Things threatened to go maddeningly wrong for West Indies a few overs later, when Gabriel brought a beast of a delivery back in from round the wicket to hit Stokes’ off stump, only for replays to confirm he had overstepped. Gabriel puffed out his cheeks, lugged his sizeable frame back to the top of his mark… and two balls later sent a near-90mph ball straight through Stokes’ defences again, ending any thoughts the allrounder might get on the batting honours board (for a second time) as well.England had, by that stage, crept into the lead and although Moeen Ali did not last long, wafting Roach to gully to complete the bowler’s five-for, the ninth-wicket stand pushed the advantage from ‘slender’ towards ‘handy’. Shane Dowrich dropped Roland-Jones on 11, a poor effort moving to his right, although he only lasted four more balls before edging Holder. Broad and Anderson then made merry to add another 31.Only 4.2 overs were possible during the morning skirmish, although that was enough time for West Indies to take the wicket of Dawid Malan. Roach produced another demanding ball from the Nursery End – similar to that which did for Alastair Cook on the first evening – holding its line up the slope to take the outside edge. While Malan managed only 20, it did at least mean he had doubled the first-innings contribution of England’s top five.

Ahead of the second T20I against Australia, Kuldeep Yadav acknowledged the role Australian wristspinners Shane Warne and Brad Hogg had in shaping his young career

Arun Venugopal in Guwahati09-Oct-20172:29

Why wristspinners are dominating in limited-overs formats

Right from the time Kuldeep Yadav switched from pace bowling to wristspin as a young boy, he has idolised Shane Warne. Every time he feels something is wrong with his bowling, he revisits footage of Warne bowling in the 2005 Ashes. Because there were so few left-arm wristspinners when he started, Kuldeep would attempt to study Warne’s action closely.As Kuldeep climbed the rungs of professional cricket, he found fellow left-arm wristspinner Brad Hogg, a Kolkata Knight Riders team-mate who became a friend and guide. In fact Hogg, now 46, has asked Kuldeep, only 22, to get in touch on Skype if he wants to discuss something.Warne recently posted a couple of tweets that’s certain to have thrilled Kuldeep. He mentioned how enjoyable it was to watch Kuldeep “cause confusion, even against Oz [Australia]”, and also that Kuldeep could challenge Yasir Shah as the best legspinner in the world if he remained patient.”They are very important to me,” Kuldeep said of Warne and Hogg’s role in his development. “Warne is my idol and I have always followed him from childhood. If I become 50% of what he is, my life is successful. I keep talking to him. I’ve been with Brad Hogg for two years at KKR. Even now I keep talking to him.”[It is] very important to keep talking to such senior players. They’re legends in their field. If you gain even some experience from them, then your career will benefit.”Apart from learning the mental side of the job, Kuldeep also picked up a few technical tips from the Australian spinners. “Obviously, from Warne, his wrist work, his flight and drift to deceive whichever batsmen … it is very important,” he said. “If I become a little successful in doing that, it’s great for me. From Hogg, because I’m a chinaman [bowler] and he is one too, you can learn a lot. He has the flipper or wrong’un. I think he’s 46 now, so a 23-year-old long career. So it feels good to learn a lot from that kind of experience. This is just the start of my career, the small things I can pick up will be very useful.”Kuldeep Yadav celebrates after dismissing Aaron Finch•Associated Press

Among contemporaries, Kuldeep has forged a booming partnership with legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal. They are two of India’s most recent success stories, and together they accounted for 13 wickets in the ODI series against Australia. Kuldeep and Chahal were also responsible for throwing Australia off course in the first T20I in Ranchi, as India restricted them to 118. Having known each other for five years, Kuldeep and Chahal are invariably always on the same page.”Actually, we have quite a good partnership,” Kuldeep said. “Chahal and I have played together. It’s very easy to understand what his plans are, what my plans are. It’s easy on the ground, we talk about how the wicket is and how it behaves. Even in the games, we bowl in partnerships, you can see its impact.”So, what kind of conversation does the pair have? “It depends on the wickets. I talk a lot about wickets [the surface],” Kuldeep said. “Even with Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] bhai. I ask Chahal also what is happening on the wicket – If the wicket is turning, or if it’s skidding through while bowling. These discussions keep happening. We keep thinking about batsmen, how they are playing and what their plans may be. These discussions are useful for me and the team.”With wristspinners being the flavour of the season, Kuldeep was asked if he and Chahal had taken over from R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja as the team’s lead spinners. “I don’t think so much [about replacing Ashwin and Jadeja],” he said. ” and have done very well for India in Tests and ODIs. They’ve been doing so. We are very young and have plenty of cricket to play.”While still young – Kuldeep has played only one Test, 11 ODIs and three T20Is – his early success has caught attention. Even Virat Kohli reckoned that Kuldeep was difficult to pick. Kuldeep was pragmatic about how teams might read his bowling better over the years, but said that as long as his fundamentals were sound he would always be among the wickets.”Look, for me, it doesn’t matter if someone is trying to look at you and pick you,” he said. “If you bowl in the good areas and your variations are good, you can bowl in a spot. And if you can beat someone in the air, you can see as many videos as you want. I am no mystery bowler that I’m doing tricks with the hand. Obviously, it becomes easy after two-three years. Then they’ll pick you after playing you a while.”As long as your basics are fine, your alignment and accuracy is good, it is easier [to take wickets]. In T20s, you can always take wickets. If you keep bowling in good areas, the batsmen are obviously trying to hit you. So, it is easy to pick up wickets. But at the same time, your basics need to be good and you should not worry about what the batsmen are planning.”

It was Evin Lewis, though, who laid a platform for Dhaka Dynamites’ big win, with 64 off 38 at the top of the order

The Report by Mohammad Isam18-Nov-2017
BCB

Dhaka Dynamites went to the top of the points with a crushing 68-run win over Rajshahi Kings in Mirpur. Evin Lewis was adjudged Player of the Match for setting up their big score but there were also meaningful contributions from Kieron Pollard, Shahid Afridi and Abu Hider.Dhaka racked up 201 for 7 in 20 overs after being put in to bat, the first 200-plus score in the Dhaka-leg of the tournament this year. Rajshahi in reply were bowled out for 133 runs in 18.2 overs, sinking to fifth place following their fourth loss in six outings.Lewis quickly off the blocks
The first wicket partnership lasted just 4.1 overs but Afridi and Lewis added 53 runs in that short time. Afridi made 15 off eight balls and then Jahurul Islam, promoted to No. 3 after his heroics in the previous match, struck a four and a six in his six-ball 13. But it was Lewis who kept up the scoring rate soaring with his 38-ball 65 that had ten fours and a six. He fell in the tenth over and at 99 for 3, Dhaka were set for a big score.Pollard finishes in style
Rajshahi took some wickets in the middle but their fielding let them down. They dropped four catches in total, Nadif Chowdhury and Pollard being the beneficiary twice each. While Nadif didn’t capitalise, Pollard did, big time. Two of his sixes went high over long-on and the third over midwicket, which gave him his 500th six in T20s. He also struck five fours in his 25-ball 52 and shared a crucial 62-run sixth wicket stand with Kumar Sangakkara, who contributed 28 off 22 balls.Afridi and Hider trip up Rajshahi
There was no respite for Rajshahi even when they batted. Left-arm pacer Hider removed Rony Talukdar and Samit Patel early, and while Zakir Hasan and Mominul Haque looked to get the chase back on track, Afridi stepped in; he ended a 49-run third-wicket stand for his first scalp of the afternoon – Mominul. Zakir, who top scored with 36 off 23 balls, was Afridi’s second wicket before he also added Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz to his haul to complete his second four-for in the tournament in three games. Shakib Al Hasan took two wickets and Mohammad Saddam had one before Hider came back to finish off Rajshahi.

The two bowlers claimed five wickets between them to derail Dhaka Dynamites’ chase of 168

The Report by Mohammad Isam29-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRaton Gomes/BCB

Excellent end-overs bowling from Dwayne Bravo and Mohammad Saifuddin ensured Comilla Victorians jumped back to the top of the table with a 12-run win over Dhaka Dynamites in the last match of the season in Chittagong.Saifuddin, who had conceded more than 30 runs in an over twice in the last four weeks, held this nerve this time to defend 20 off the final over.Earlier in the evening, Comilla enjoyed a rapid start but Kevon Cooper’s strikes limited them to 167 for 6. Cameos from Kieron Pollard, Mosaddek Hossain, and Jahurul Islam brought Dhaka close but not close enough.The opening salvo
Tamim Iqbal led the way for Comilla again, taking regular trips down the pitch to hit the new ball over the top. He was particularly severe on Abu Hider, taking 16 runs in seven balls. Tamim added 60 for the opening stand with Liton Das before falling 13 short of his third successive fifty in the league.Liton kept the scorecard ticking as well, before he was stumped off Shakib Al Hasan in the 12th over. He had made 34 off 30 balls with three fours.The slowdown
Imrul Kayes struck two fours – both off Mosaddek Hossain in the 11th over – and followed it with a six off Sunil Narine. However, just as he looked to move into a higher gear, he fell for 26, caught at long-on, as he tried to loft Cooper. Marlon Samuels then tried to lift the run-rate, hitting two straight sixes and five fours, but it wasn’t enough.Cooper removed both Samuels and Jos Buttler off successive balls in the 19th over to peg back Comilla.Denly’s one-man show
Evin Lewis fell in the second over of the chase for six – his third single-digit score in this season’s BPL. In the absence of Shahid Afridi, Dhaka were in danger of slowing down in the Powerplay, but Denly provided the thrust. He struck Mahedi for a six in the first over before finding two fours in the fifth over off Hasan Ali. Denly then struck Al-Amin Hossain for fours through cover and straight down the ground but Bravo derailed the chase by dismissing both Shakib Al Hasan and Sunil Narine in the next over.Things got worse for Dhaka when Saifuddin bowled a charging Denly in the 13th over to leave them at 83 for 5.Bravo v Pollard
With the required run-rate soaring, Pollard slammed Al-Amin over his head for a six, leaving his side needing 60 off the last five overs. But Bravo conceded only eight runs in the 16th over and then Pollard and Mosaddek had a horrible mix-up in the following over, resulting in Mosaddek getting stranded in the middle of the pitch.Then Bravo got Pollard to swing one off the hip, but the substitute fielder Solomon Mire took the catch at deep square leg.The Cooper-Bravo collision
Cooper and Bravo collided near the middle of the pitch in the 18th over with Bravo collapsing and Cooper unable to reach the non-striker’s end and getting run out. Tamim, the Comilla captain, immediately asked Cooper to continue batting, to which he initially said no. Tamim asked him again but Cooper denied him a second time.When he stood by the edge of the boundary, the Dhaka coach Khaled Mahmud instructed Cooper to continue, after which he came back to bat. Tamim didn’t have a problem, and told the same to the on-field umpires.Late scare for Comilla
Cooper came back and slammed the last ball of the over for a six over extra cover. In the next over, Jahurul scooped, pulled and square drove Hasan Ali for three fours in a row to bring down the equation to 22 off nine balls. Hasan then gave just one run off the remaining three balls to set things up for Saifuddin to seal victory.