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Odean Smith’s all-round showing was not enough for West Indies who fell short again

Associated Press10-Aug-2022A solid innings of 47 by returning captain Kane Williamson and a dashing 33 from 15 balls by Jimmy Neesham propelled New Zealand to a 13-run win over West Indies in the first of three T20Is in Jamaica.Neesham struck three fours from the last three balls and 23 runs from the last over of the innings as New Zealand made 185 for 5 after being sent in to bat at Sabina Park. Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner took 3 for 19 as New Zealand restricted West Indies to 172 for 7.”There was a lot of spin which was a big surprise,” said Santner, who was voted the Player of the Match. “I think the lengths are key against these guys. They can hit you pretty far, so back of a length worked today and as a unit we were able to pick up wickets which was pretty key.”New Zealand’s innings had two parts, separated by a lengthy rain break. Openers Martin Guptill and Devon Conway gave the tourists a strong start, putting on 62. But the pair fell to consecutive deliveries from Odean Smith, who went on to take career-best T20I figures of 3 for 32.Guptill fell to a brilliant one-handed catch by Shimron Hetmyer, who was backed up against the boundary at deep point, while Conway’s innings of 43 from 29 ended when he top-edged a catch to wicketkeeper Devon Thomas.The rain came in the 12th over with New Zealand on 95 for 2 and Williamson at the crease with Glenn Phillips. Players were off the field for almost two hours and when play resumed New Zealand immediately lost Phillips for 17.The New Zealand innings briefly lost momentum but Williamson re-established the impetus of the innings by taking 33 runs from his next 18 deliveries. He finally was out to another brilliant catch on the boundary, this time from Hayden Walsh who dashed from midwicket to pocket a comfortable catch at speed.Neesham struck a six from the second ball of an over in which he also was dropped by Romario Shepherd from the bowling of Jason Holder. West Indies paid the price with Neesham’s three fours from the last three balls.”We want to get better as a group but in saying that I was happy with the performances,” West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran said. “Santner bowled very well and Ish [Sodhi] got away with a few. Scores above 175-180 are tricky for us. Unfortunately losing is contagious and we’re a losing side at the moment.”Shamarh Brooks anchored the top of the West Indies innings with 42 at almost a run a ball. But there was a lack of consistent momentum afterward. Pooran with 15 from eight balls, Holder with 25 from 19 and Rovman Powell with 18 from 12 all threatened to take control of the game but couldn’t carry on.Finally, Shepherd and Smith shared a 50 partnership from 23 balls for the eighth wicket to fan West Indies’ hopes. Shepherd struck an unbeaten 31 from 16 balls and Smith 27 from 12. But West Indies came to the last over needing 26 runs and the task proved too much.

Shakib Al Hasan has said leading Bangladesh’s Test team should be easier now than it was in his first stint, given how settled the current group of players is

Mohammad Isam11-Dec-2017Shakib Al Hasan has said leading Bangladesh’s Test team should be easier now than it was in his first stint, given how settled the current group of players is. The BCB reappointed Shakib on Sunday to replace Mushfiqur Rahim following a difficult tour of South Africa.When Shakib was captain in all formats from 2009 to 2011, Bangladesh won 23 out of 60 international matches, but only won one Test, against a second-string West Indies side in 2009. Shakib was the second-highest run-scorer and highest wicket-taker during that phase of his captaincy. This time around, Shakib feels there are more performers in the team.”The job will be easier this time, definitely,” Shakib said. “Most of our cricketers are performing almost every time. The captain doesn’t have to do much when they are doing well. I hope everyone does well together, which will only do good to the team’s cause.”Notwithstanding the criticism he faced as captain, Mushfiqur is Bangladesh’s most successful Test captain with seven wins, and led them to notable victories over England, Sri Lanka and Australia. Shakib said he was looking forward to taking a developing team to the next level, and hoped to improve Bangladesh’s dismal record away from home.”It is a new responsibility,” Shakib said. “We have been doing well in Tests in the last few years, winning against England, Sri Lanka and Australia. I will try to improve upon this. It is hard to say how different this stint is going to be, but it will be important to get accustomed to the situation.”I think we feel slightly more comfortable playing at home and since we don’t have much success outside, maybe it becomes harder. But this is also an opportunity to do well. If we can start this, why not? Someone has to do it. Although it is not going to be easy. But a lot of things are possible with the way our team has shaped up.”Shakib said he would bank on the senior players, particularly the new vice-captain Mahmudullah whom he said has grown as a captain on his own stead.”We have a number of team leaders, who take a collective decision,” Shakib said. “It doesn’t matter who the captain is, when we go out in the middle. We help each other out.”[Mahmudullah] Riyad has been captaining quite well in the last few years in the BPL. He always had that leadership skill. I think it will be easier for me.”

Agar hopeful of being fit for the second Test after side strain

AAP26-Jun-2022Steven Smith has dispelled doubts about his fitness ahead of Australia’s first Test against Sri Lanka, but Mitchell Starc but still faces a crucial lead-in to overcome a finger injury.The two stars of Australia’s last tour to Sri Lanka, Smith and Starc, headline a long injury list for the tourists ahead of the opening Test in Galle on Wednesday.Travis Head is also battling to play after a hamstring strain with Glenn Maxwell waiting in the wings, while Ashton Agar’s side strain has cost him a potential Test recall.Related

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But there is good news, at least for Smith and his quad injury after he missed the past three ODIs in the country where he scored a Test century during Australia’s most recent tour in 2016.”If we were still playing one-day cricket, I would be touch and go, but Test cricket, I will be fine,” Smith told AAP. “Test cricket is a bit easier [on the quad].”I field in the slips, won’t be doing a great deal of running around in the field. And then in these conditions, there’s not a lot of hard running.”They usually have a few sweepers, and it’s four or one quite often. So there’s not a heap of hard running.”Starc has not played since cutting his finger in the first T20I match more than two weeks ago. He has since had stitches removed and bowled at full pace in the nets with tape applied.He had planned to bowl for the first time without the strapping on Sunday afternoon, but instead had some minor taping on his left index finger as he ran in for about 20 minutes.Match officials have dictated that Starc cannot enter the game with his bowling hand taped up, unless he cuts it again during play.Even in that event Starc has found it difficult to grip the ball down the seam in training, meaning he will want to bowl without the taping before Wednesday.”We have tried to give it as long as we could, because it is in probably the worst spot,” he said. “It’s where the ball comes off last. It’s certainly not to my advantage [bowling with tape on], because it takes away from my grip. “Agar’s injury is also a spanner in the works for Australia. Fingerspin has traditionally been more effective than wristspin in Galle, with Australia opting to keep Jon Holland and Matthew Kuhnemann around as back-ups.Selectors had not ruled out using the legspin of Mitchell Swepson, but coach Andrew McDonald indicated Agar was in serious contention to play his first Test since 2017 before the injury.Agar remains in the squad and is hopeful of being fit for the second Test, also in Galle, starting on July 8.”A lot of the suggestions from around the traps is that finger spin tends to work better here than wrist spin,” McDonald said. “But it’s not to say wrist spin can’t work.”We’re not as clear if we were to go with a finger spinner [on who it would be] as we would have been with Ashton. We feel like Ash would have given us good control, and that would have been a positive for the team if he was selected.”

The Bangladesh allrounder said there was no point playing “for the sake of match fees and salary” when he couldn’t handle the expectations of international cricket

Mohammad Isam12-Sep-20172:51

Five times Shakib saved Bangladesh

Shakib Al Hasan felt he deserved a break from the expectations of performing consistently in Tests for the last ten years. He said he had informed his family last month about his plans of asking the BCB for a six-month break after the home series against Australia.The BCB granted him a shorter break, during which he will miss the two Tests against South Africa later this month, Bangladesh’s first in the country since 2008. Akram Khan, the BCB’s cricket operations chairman, said Shakib had the option of playing the second Test “if he wants”.”I have been thinking about taking the break for quite some time now,” Shakib said. “I have spoken to my family and friends ahead of this series about this break. I think this will help me. Since I play a lot, I can’t focus on my fitness or even try to be mentally fresh. I have been playing for 10-11 years, so I think I deserve a break.”In Test cricket, my role is such that I have to contribute in all four innings. If I am contributing half the time, I won’t be able to meet the team’s expectations. I think it is best to play when I know I can give my best in all four innings. It is not important to me to just play for the sake of match fees and salary. This is my job, for sure, but I started playing out of interest, passion and love for the game. If that’s not there, I don’t see the point in playing.”Shakib said he was surprised by the criticism that came in the wake of his request.”I don’t react to those [criticisms]. I know how much my body goes through. I am surprised when people question why I am not resting from limited-overs matches or other T20s. There are really no pressures when playing those T20 matches. It seems like a holiday to me, with a bit of experience and of course, it is financially important too.”Shakib said it wasn’t too hard convincing the BCB to grant him the break since they realised that it was going to help him in the future. “I will be taking a break of around a month if I go [to South Africa] after the two Tests. I haven’t had such a break in the last three or four years.”I thank the BCB for understanding how big a deal this is for me. They said it was a good idea after hearing me out. At the end of the day, I know my body better than anyone. I have to manage it. I didn’t ask for anything unethical. I think that’s why they accepted it and it wasn’t a lot of hard work to convince them.”Shakib also urged other members of the Bangladesh team to speak up about taking breaks if they felt they couldn’t handle the expectations of international cricket. Currently, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim are just behind Shakib in terms of days spent in the field in the last ten years.”If anyone feels that he or she needs a break after having played too much cricket, they should be open about it. It will be better for their career.”

The batsman said the decision was taken so that he could focus on his limited-overs career

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2018Ambati Rayudu has called time on his first-class career in order to focus on limited-overs cricket. Rayudu, who recently made a comeback into the Indian ODI side, communicated the decision to the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) on Saturday.Rayudu will continue to play international and domestic matches in the shorter versions. He had a successful outing in India’s recently concluded five-match ODI series against West Indies, hitting a century in the fourth ODI to cement his claim to what had been a fairly long search to fill the No. 4 spot in the Indian team.The 33-year-old Rayudu had begun his career with the HCA, making his first-class debut as a teenager in 2001. He played only the one game that season, but the next year he made an immediate impact with 210 and 159 not out against Andhra in just his third match. However, Rayudu had a rocky ride at Hyderabad with reports of differences with Arjun Yadav, and he soon moved to Andhra – one of the four teams he would eventually represent in domestic cricket.Yadav, son of former India player Shivlal Yadav, is the current Hyderabad coach.His stint with Andhra was also short, and he came back to Hyderabad before joining the now-defunct Indian Cricket League, thus being banned from participating in any BCCI-sanctioned tournaments. When the ICL dissolved and its players returned, Rayudu also returned to Hyderabad, but moved out a season later to Baroda. In 2016-17, he signed up with Vidarabha, although injuries prevented him from playing a single first-class match for the team though he did turn out in a few domestic limited-overs matches.Rayudu returned to Hyderabad before the 2017-18 season, but since making his debut for India in 2013, Rayudu has not played in a full Ranji season. Last year, he played only three matches for Hyderabad, scoring 278 runs at an average of 69.50 with a century and two fifties.He ends his first-class career with 6151 runs in 97 matches, at an average of 45.56 with 16 centuries. The 210 he scored in his third first-class match remains his highest score.

Unbroken 98-minute last-wicket stand defies Worcestershire after Josh Baker takes four

ECB Reporters Network10-Apr-2022A century of heroic defiance by Leicestershire opener Hassan Azad and a last-wicket stand spanning an hour and 38 minutes denied Worcestershire victory after a tense finish to their LV= County Championship match at the Uptonsteel County Ground.The 28-year-old left-hander batted throughout the final day for 104 not out as Leicestershire, who had been set 370 to win after Worcestershire declared on their overnight score, finished on 218 for 9 after last man Beuran Hendricks kept out 60 deliveries at the other end.Worcestershire had looked odds-on to open their Division Two season with a win after reducing their hosts to 82 for 5 at lunch and then 122 for 7 midway through the afternoon session after teenaged spin bowler Josh Baker produced a career-best 4 for 51.To compound their frustration, they missed a chance to remove Azad on 75 at 153 for 8 when wicketkeeper Ben Cox spilled a leg-side catch off seamer Ed Barnard. Azad’s vigil had lasted six hours and 17 minutes when the last ball was bowled.Ed Pollock’s debut century on Saturday had given Worcestershire the opportunity to set the terms for the last day and after 18-year-old orthodox left-armer Baker took three wickets in the space of 18 balls to send them to lunch on 82 for 5, Leicestershire faced a long battle to save the game that for most of the last two sessions looked likely to prove too much.Josh Baker claimed career-best figures•Getty Images

Leicestershire suffered a first setback only four overs into their second innings when Charlie Morris found enough movement to have opener Sam Evans caught behind. George Rhodes avoided a pair but was undone by a ball from Dillon Pennington that flew to point off a high part of the bat, Ed Barnard taking a fine low catch.Baker did not find too much turn but bowled with impressive control and struck in consecutive overs before lunch. He removed Colin Ackermann via another fine catch by Barnard, this time at slip, albeit off a loose shot by the Leicestershire skipper, then trapped Lewis Hill leg before and bowled Harry Swindells off an inside edge.Ben Mike stayed with Azad for a dozen overs after lunch but was then drawn into playing a ball from Pennington that left him enough to take the edge, Pollock taking a straightforward catch at first slip.Baker picked up a fourth victim in the shape of Ed Barnes when he pushed one through to have the Leicestershire man leg before on the back pad.Azad at last found a steady ally in left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson and it was beginning to look as though the second new ball might by key as the pair dug in for almost an hour.Then, in an inspired bowling change, Worcestershire skipper Brett D’Oliveira turned for the first time in the match to the legbreaks of Azhar Ali and was immediately rewarded as the Pakistan international tempted Parkinson into a drive for four and had him fishing enough at the next ball to be caught behind.Leicestershire hoped the Azad drop would prove unimportant after Pennington’s appeal for leg-before against Chris Wright was upheld, leaving the home side nine down for 173 with more than 25 overs still to play. Yet the South African international Hendricks, making his debut for the Foxes, defied all attempts to get him out, with an assuredness that only grew as the overs ticked by.

The Punjab government wants remuneration over cost of providing security, but PCB says this is not the norm

Umar Farooq24-Feb-2023The PCB and the caretaker Punjab government have hit a roadblock in a financial dispute over the cost of security for the PSL games in Lahore and Rawalpindi. The PCB has set a deadline of Saturday to decide the fate of the remaining PSL games in Punjab province, and if the deadlock remains intact, the board will move the league to Karachi – in the province of Sindh – from February 28.The government is understood to have generated an invoice of PKR 450 million for security arrangements made by the administration. The original cost according to the government was Rs. 900 million but the government had revised it, sharing fifty percent of the cost and asking PCB to pay the other half. The PCB is adamant against paying, insisting that the prerogative to provide security lies with the provincial government.A delegation representing the Punjab government met PCB chairman Najam Sethi at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday, but the meeting ended without a resolution. Both sides refused to back down from their stance, and the PCB has now set the Saturday deadline, so that the board can reschedule the tournament starting Tuesday. The PCB cannot afford to move the league instantly as both Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi have already arrived in Lahore and the TV production kit is being installed at Gaddafi Stadium. In PCB’s worst-case scenario, if the Punjab government withdraws from hosting PSL over a cost dispute, the board has a contingency plan to play two games in Lahore on Sunday and Monday before moving to Karachi.ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB has informed the government that it has paid approximately PKR 700 million provincial tax to the government exclusively, due to PSL matches being held in Punjab. The PCB has said that governments usually “pay fees to host sports events due to the positive economic activity generated as a result.”The government’s demand is understood to be unprecedented as there have been no such requests for additional payments in the past. When it comes to games in Karachi, the Sindh government does not require the PCB to pay a share of the security costs, though only requires remuneration for the security personnel’s catering. That cost is understood to be in the region of PKR 30 million and in Punjab the cost is roughly PKR 50 million, which the PCB has already sent across.In an emergency governing council meeting on Friday afternoon, the PCB took all PSL franchise owners into confidence before meeting the government. It was unanimously agreed upon that no additional payments are to be made, and in adverse circumstances, the league shall be moved to another province where the board does not have to pay and create a precedence. Historically, since cricket has returned to the country, the security for international cricket and PSL has been unprecedented with over 6000 security personnel usually deployed for cricket-related activities.ESPNcricinfo also understands that Shahbaz Sharif, the Pakistan prime minister and also PCB’s patron-in-chief could possibly intervene to break the deadlock. But the prime minister has not yet been approached by the board, left as a last-resort option.The first 12 matches of the PSL have taken place in Karachi and Multan. A total of 11 matches are scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi and Lahore currently has nine matches scheduled. The Multan leg of the event is over.There are also three women’s “festival games” slotted midway into the PSL – in Rawalpindi on March 8, 10 and 11 – involving local and overseas players, in what will be a case of the PCB testing the idea ahead of a full-fledged women’s T20 league in the future.The first match in Lahore is currently scheduled to be held on February 26 after which the Rawalpindi leg starts on March 1. The playoffs and final – on March 19 – are currently scheduled for Lahore.

The confidence boost Sri Lanka gained from their T20 series victory did not carry over into the start of the one-day internationals as they were trounced by eight wickets in Port Elizabeth

The Report by Andrew McGlashan28-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsImran Tahir sliced through Sri Lanka’s middle order•Gallo Images/Getty Images

The confidence boost Sri Lanka gained from their T20 series victory did not carry over into the start of the one-day internationals as they were trounced by eight wickets in Port Elizabeth. A masterclass of limited-overs legspin by Imran Tahir snuffed out the middle order as they limped to 181, which proved a scant challenge for South Africa’s full-strength top order.Tahir finished with 3 for 26, including the scalp of top-scorer Kusal Mendis for 62, and did not concede a boundary in his 10 overs to ensure South Africa always held control after choosing to bowl first. Wayne Parnell had made swift work of the openers, before a stand of 72 for the third wicket between Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal steadied the innings, although it was laborious progress against probing bowling from South Africa’s quartet of seamers. It meant that when Tahir made his inroads, with three wickets in 15 balls, Sri Lanka had little to show for the consolidation and the innings frittered away.An opening stand of 71 in 13 overs between Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla, two of the senior South Africa players rested from the T20 series, broke the back of the chase and the target was knocked off with more than 15 overs to spare.For the eight teams taking part, all one-day internationals at the moment lead towards the Champions Trophy in June. While Sri Lanka appear to have many questions to answer, South Africa’s squad for this series is probably not far from what they will take to the tournament, but some players are still in need of performances to cement their positions.

Smart Stats

• 94 Balls remaining in South Africa’s victory. This is their fifth quickest win against Sri Lanka. Four of these wins have come at home.

• 2 Number of lower scores for Sri Lanka against South Africa in South Africa while batting first than the 181 they scored. Previously they scored 128 at the Wanderers in 2002 and 105 at Bloemfontein in 1998.

• 8 Number of half-centuries for Kusal Mendis from 17 innings. He is yet to convert these scores to a century. He has scored more than fifty in his last three ODI innings.

Chief among those is Parnell, and he made the perfect start when he trapped Niroshan Dickwella lbw first ball. He soon followed that with the wicket of debutant Sandun Weerakkody, who had only arrived in the country yesterday after a delayed flight, when he had a waft outside off which smacked of jetlag.Sri Lanka knew they had to avoid further early losses, so caution was the watch-word for Chandimal, although Mendis showed greater inclination to attack, twice taking two boundaries in an over off Parnell and Andile Phehlukwayo. Mendis was given lbw on 48, but the decision by Richard Kettleborough was overturned when replays showed an edge off his sweep, and he reached his fifty from 74 balls.But it wasn’t long before Tahir started to unpick the innings. Chandimal, who had taken 47 balls to find the boundary, was beautifully set up by a series of leg-breaks, before Tahir tossed a googly wide which spun back between bat and pad. Two overs later, he removed Mendis, lbw, playing back to a delivery that spun enough to beat the outside edge, and this time the review brought no reprieve.Upul Tharanga, captaining this side in Angelo Mathews’ absence, continued in the middle-order role he had in last year’s tri-series in Zimbabwe despite his 13 hundreds coming as an opener. He could not lift his side, however, when he drove limply to cover, although Tahir deserved credit for switching his line to around the wicket.Sri Lanka’s problems were compounded by a mix-up between Dhananjaya de Silva and Asela Gunaratne, which saw the latter run out after a relay throw from the deep via Quinton de Kock to Parnell at the bowling end.Nuwan Kulasekara clubbed a couple of lusty shots, including the one six of the innings, before edging Kagiso Rabada. With nine overs remaining, there was little choice but to try and see out the innings. They failed by nine deliveries as Parnell and Chris Morris removed the final three wickets. From the start of the 43rd over, they had not scored more than one run off a delivery.South Africa’s top order is daunting with all the big-guns back, and it would have taken a remarkable effort from Sri Lanka to defend the total. Suranga Lakmal’s first ball took de Kock’s outside edge, but the ball fell short of the slips. De Kock could have been run-out from mid-off on 21. However, the way the openers imposed themselves on Sri Lanka’s wrist spinners – Jeffrey Vandersay and Lakshan Sandakan – showed their intent for a ruthless performance.Sandakan, who had claimed 4 for 23 in the second T20, was taken for 10 in his first over, and Vandersay, a late call-up to the one-day squad, 14 off his first. Although Sandakan struck against the run of play, when de Kock drove to cover, boundaries came regularly. Amla barely broke sweat in bringing up his fifty off 56 deliveries, and Faf du Plessis was able to enjoy an extended net after his brief down time following the Test series.While Amla’s slightly soft dismissal, as he lobbed a return catch to Gunaratne, was a disappointment for him, it gave the crowd what they wanted – AB de Villiers at the crease. To chants of “AB, AB”, he played within himself but did loft one over the boundary. Back as captain, in his first one-day international since last June, the day could not really have gone any better.

Kuldeep Yadav has said bowling to MS Dhoni was challenging but he was not scared to be hit for a boundary

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-20171:20

‘Wasn’t afraid of bowling to Dhoni’ – Kuldeep

Kuldeep Yadav could feel the pressure of bowling to MS Dhoni on Wednesday evening. Despite being a spinner, Kuldeep was picked by Gautam Gambhir to bowl the 18th over of Rising Pune Supergiant’s innings with Dhoni and Steven Smith in a partnership of 35 runs from 21 balls. One batsman had regained his touch of smashing sixes in the end overs and the other has not gone out of form since landing in India for the Test series.”If you are a spinner there’s always pressure on you,” Kuldeep said after the match. “As a spinner, I believe that you can put the opposition under pressure by picking wickets. Like in the last over I took two wickets and they were under pressure. Bowling the 18th over is always tough; the captain needs to believe in you for that.”Kuldeep’s first ball to Dhoni in the match, in the 16th over, had been pulled for a flat six over midwicket. In the 18th over, Kuldeep deceived Dhoni with a googly. Dhoni stepped out to get to the pitch of the ball, but it turned away, beat his bat and was stumped.”Bowling to Dhoni is always challenging and I could feel the pressure,” Kuldeep recalled. “But I wasn’t scared that he would hit me for a six or a four. I flighted the ball and I was focused on getting him out.”Three balls later, Kuldeep had Manoj Tiwary on strike, Rising Pune’s best batsman this season in terms of strike rate (with at least five innings). Kuldeep had conceded only three runs in four balls until then in the over and he had Tiwary stumped even though the batsman did not step out to hit him. Kuldeep bowled another googly, Tiwary leaned forward to tuck the ball to the leg side with the spin but the ball went the other way and Tiwary’s back foot was outside the crease.Kuldeep, however, said the conventional legspinner was still his stock delivery as he used the wrong’un and the flipper mainly to get wickets.”It (googly) is only a variation and you can use it in T20s to confuse a batsman when he is attacking,” he said. “But I really believe in my chinaman bowling rather than the wrong’un and flipper. I back my stock ball more and I’m mainly a chinaman bowler; the wrong’un is a variation you use to pick wickets or stop the runs. But my main delivery is chinaman delivery. Obviously, the wrong’un gets you wickets and the batsmen keep wondering if the ball will come in or go out, they find it difficult to pick, especially the overseas batsmen. So if you dismiss Indian batsmen like that, it’s a big boost for confidence.”Kuldeep has so far gone wicketless in just one match this IPL and has collected eight wickets, joint with team-mates Nathan Coulter-Nile and Umesh Yadav, who have had the advantage of a pacer-friendly relaid pitch at Eden Gardens.Kuldeep has had an impressive run since the beginning of the domestic season. He was the highest wicket-taker and the leading run-scorer for Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy; he topped the wicket-takers charts in the Duleep Trophy too, with 17 wickets in three matches, and he shone on his Test debut with 4 for 68 against Australia in Dharamsala.”If you play the entire season and you’re highest run-getter or the highest wicket-taker, it becomes easier to play on the next level because of the momentum you are carrying,” Kuldeep said. “If you aren’t playing domestic cricket you might lack in some places. I’ve played Duleep Trophy, one-dayers, T20s, India A, so this season has been really helpful for me which is why I have a lot of confidence.”Knight Riders will play their next match against Delhi Daredevils on Friday.

Former England captain withdraws from Test Match Special following internal criticism

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2022Michael Vaughan has made the decision “step back from work with the BBC”, almost two weeks after being charged over the Yorkshire racism scandal, and will not be part of the Test Match Special commentary team for next week’s delayed fifth Test against India.Vaughan was dropped from last winter’s Ashes coverage after being implicated in Azeem Rafiq’s testimony about the culture of institutional racism at Yorkshire, but was restored to broadcasting duties for the recent three-Test series against New Zealand.That move, however, has caused disquiet for the BBC Sport’s Black, Asian and minority ethnic group, which last week sent an internal email criticising the “totally inexcusable” decision to re-employ Vaughan, whom Rafiq claims told a group of Asian players in 2009 that there were “too many of you lot, we need to do something about it”.That alleged comment led to Vaughan becoming one of seven Yorkshire players to be charged by the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission with bringing the game into disrepute.On Tuesday evening, Vaughan responded to the criticism by releasing a statement on Twitter.”On numerous occasions, I have put on record my views on the issues concerning YCCC,” Vaughan wrote. “It is always regrettable when commentary on matters off the field take the focus away from what’s happening on the field. In view of the ongoing dialogue on the subject, I have taken the decision to step back from my work with the BBC for the time being.”The key driver for this is my concern for the wellbeing of my family members and my wish to protect their family life. Stepping back temporarily is also in the interests of the game and I hope that it will minimise any difficulties for my work colleagues.”The BBC responded in a statement: “Following conversations with Michael Vaughan we have accepted his decision to step away from our cricket coverage. This is a decision we respect and understand. Michael remains under contract to the BBC.”