Category Uncategorized

West Indies’ breakaway Twenty20 players may have finally won themselves the place they have been seeking at the WICB negotiating table

Nagraj Gollapudi04-Apr-2016By claiming their second World Twenty20 title in dramatic circumstances, West Indies’ breakaway T20 players may have finally won themselves the place they have been seeking at the WICB negotiating table.Reacting to the strong criticism thrown at him and his board, the WICB president Dave Cameron announced that he would meet the players after the IPL at the annual review in June to find a “common ground” where the “best” players can represent the region in all formats.Cameron was reacting strongly to the critical remarks made by West Indies captain Darren Sammy immediately after becoming the first team to be crowned World T20 champions twice. In his acceptance speech Sammy said it was “very disappointing” to not hear from the WICB on the team’s triumph against England on Sunday evening in Kolkata.While expressing his disappointment at Sammy’s “inappropriate” comments, Cameron delivered his most conciliatory message to the players for some time. Previously, he has refused to speak with the group, insisting they must deal with the players association WIPA, whose president Wavell Hinds fell out with them when he agreed to a vastly inferior pay deal in 2014, leading to the disastrous walkout from that year’s ODI tour of India. Cameron has now changed his tune.”Coming up in May this year, the Board will host its annual review (retreat) with the players, WIPA, selectors and the technical team to review player, management and technical plans. We want to see how we can find common ground in ensuring that the best players in the region are available for selection for West Indies teams,” Cameron said in a statement delivered hours after Sammy and his men stunned England in a dazzling last-over finish.According to Cameron, the reason the meeting with the players, which would also involve selectors, team management and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), was planned in June was because many of the senior Caribbean players like Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Carlos Braithwaite would be busy with the IPL which will be played between April 9 and May 29.The board and selectors have omitted big names like Bravo, Sammy, Pollard from the ODI squads ever since West Indies abandoned the India tour. Bravo and Pollard were not considered for last year’s World Cup by the Clive Lloyd-led selection panel and have not played any ODI since October 2014. This January, when the WICB announced annual retainer contracts for 15 players, it said that the short list was arrived at by keeping only the Test players in mind.One of the major stumbling blocks for the players is WICB’s insistence that they play in the regional tournaments consistently in order to be eligible for the international engagements in all three formats. The WICB has said that the players who travel around the world playing in the T20 franchise-based tournaments, cannot expect to be picked solely on their experience and stature.Although Cameron has extended an olive branch, he highlighted that the WICB approach is hardly going to change going forward. “We are fully aware of the financial rewards on offer in the lucrative international T20 leagues, but we believe deeply in the importance of cricket to the people of the region and of West Indies cricket’s place in world cricket. It is therefore a priority to have all of our players competing and available for selection. We will also engage the ICC on this so that we protect not only the rich heritage and legacy of West Indies Cricket, but also its future. “Incidentally, the WICB release was titled ‘WICB President has high praises for World Twenty20 Organisers’. The only word of praise for Sammy and co came indirectly when Cameron described the WICB was “overjoyed” by the fact that two West Indies teams – women and men – had won the WT20 titles. But Cameron did not waste the opportunity to remind the players who was still in charge. Cameron “pledged” to address the issue of Sammy’s outspokenness and take any necessary action.”The President would like to however apologise for what could be deemed inappropriate, comments made by the West Indies’ male captain, Darren Sammy in a post-match interview and would like to apologize on behalf of the WICB, to the millions of fans who witnessed,” the statement said. “The President has pledged to enquire the reason and will have the matter addressed.”In an earlier media release the WICB had sent a thank you note to all the three teams – men, women and Under-19 – for emerging as the champions this year. “The men, women and Under-19 teams within the last three months have made the West Indies a region worthy of tremendous attention by being the best at the international level in World Cricket. We are indeed a proud set of people today and we want to thank ALL OF YOU for your tremendous support,” the release, titled ‘From the desks of the CEO (Micheal Muirhead) and President (Cameron)’, said.”The men’s team has been electric and exciting in their performances during the tournament and we are all PROUD. This is a defining moment for Cricket and we ought to thank each and every one of our Directors, Management, Staff and supporters for the support West Indies Cricket has received. This is a truly ecstatic moment and we are indeed proud of this momentous achievement.”The T20 format is a springboard to the other formats and we will use this as an opportunity to continue the development work we have to do to make the overall cricket product better. The men executed their comprehensive plan and we are pleased with the results. We salute the entire delegation on the hard work and commitment showed. We congratulate the team and management.”For the full coverage of the West Indies payment dispute, click HERE.

Alex Hales produced his most outstanding display in an in-and-out summer, his 94 the basis of a comfortable England victory in the second T20 international

The Report by David Hopps31-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlex Hales again fell short of registering England’s first Twenty20 hundred•AFP

Alex Hales cannot quite be termed an out-and-out Twenty20 specialist but it is possible that he is morphing into one. It is the short-form game that increasingly seems to consume him and it provided the stage for his most outstanding display in an in-and-out summer, his 94 the basis of a comfortable England victory in the second T20 international in Chester-le-Street.The prize of becoming England’s first batsman to record a Twenty20 hundred still eludes Hales, however, although this innings did take him to the top of the ICC T20 batsmen rankings. He fell for 94 to the final ball of the penultimate over, as he dragged a low full toss from James Faulkner to long-on where David Warner plunged forward for a good catch.Hales is one of only two England batsmen to have made 99 in a T20 international, against West Indies on his home ground of Trent Bridge last year, the other being Luke Wright against Afghanistan in the World Twenty20 in Colombo, also last year.
He might have missed out on a hundred again, but he left Australia a formidable total, one which never looked to be within their compass.The presence of Aaron Finch has stretched England’s batting to new heights in the past two days. They have made two of their three biggest totals in England: the first – 209 for 6 at the Ageas Bowl – was overshadowed by Finch’s world record score; this one grew in part from the awareness that he might just do it again. He did not, and the series was drawn 1-1.On this occasion, Finch reminded everybody that he is vulnerable as anybody in a game that does not just expose fallibility, it ensures it. He made only five before he tried to pull a shortish ball from Stuart Broad and looped it gently to Luke Wright at mid-on.Warner also had the capacity to cause mayhem and he took sixes off Steve Finn, Jade Dernbach and Danny Briggs in consecutive overs. When Finn failed to locate a swirling catch at long-on off Dernbach, Warner’s luck seemed in, but he fell to the next ball – 53 from 42 deliveries – as he sliced to deep cover.Dernbach, whose continued selection has not been universally acclaimed, had a second decent game in a row and two late wickets completed exemplary figures of 3 for 23.Watson had been run out early, turning ponderously after Warner sent him back and beaten by a direct hit from Eoin Morgan at backward point. Shaun Marsh, some murmur, is a Test batsman who has accidentally wandered into the wrong squad; George Bailey flared briefly but he was lbw on the slog-sweep to Briggs, who later bowled Matthew Wade.The daunting figure of Finch seemed to hang over the start of England’s innings. Finch had pulverised England at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday, smashing 156 from 63 balls with 14 sixes and 11 fours, a record score in T20 internationals. Only Richard Levi has reached a century faster, a ball fewer in 45 deliveries.With Finch’s innings so fresh in their memory, it was difficult for Hales and his county batting partner, Michael Lumb, to calculate what constituted a winning score: 160? 260? If he hit with the strong, blustery wind, twice that?Perhaps they were best advised to put Finch out of their minds completely and work on the assumption that somebody would knock him over for next to nothing. An opening stand of 111 in 11.2 overs indicates that they dealt with the problem rather well.There was a frenetic edge to their strokeplay in the early overs, Lumb setting the adventurous tone, Hales, who needed a little more time to bed in, following suit. But England’s start was a resounding one. By the time that Bailey, Australia’s captain, introduced spin in the form of Fawad Ahmed, England had 74 off seven.Hales had fifty within 34 balls, his timing coming together as he progressed. His strong leg-side play was a feature, encouraged by a couple of early offerings from Mitchell Johnson, and he had one or two fortunate moments against the short ball. In a different age, he would be a stately straight driver; in 2013, he stands tall and gives it a leg-side whack, Johnson reduced to an empty sledge on one occasion as he flew over long-on for six.Hales has had a mediocre overall season for Nottinghamshire, a season which began with being barred from seeking an IPL contract by his county, but T20 increasingly is the format which engages him.Lumb accompanied him well. He had seen only 40% of the strike when he gave Ahmed his first international wicket, trying to slog-sweep and skying a gentle catch to the wicketkeeper Wade.Wright, met by Glenn Maxwell’s offspin, needed time to settle and there was a definite sense that England’s innings was losing momentum when Wright himself addressed the issue by taking 18 from Maxwell’s second over. Finch’s misjudgment at midwicket might have contributed to one of the boundaries. Wright fell to Faulkner’s low full toss and an athletic off-side catch by Johnson.Ahmed, asked to bowl the last over, unravelled Jos Buttler, who stepped away to be bowled first ball by a slower, turning delivery. Morgan, after a leg-side six, also fell to a googly at long-on. It left Ahmed with 3 for 24 to go alongside the hype. We will no doubt discover more as England’s international summer culminates in a five-match one-day series.

MS Dhoni, the India captain, has said India have adapted to the change in nature of Sri Lankan pitches better than the hosts on this tour

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2012Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, has said he was “disappointed” with his team’s performance in the one-off Twenty20 game against India, that Sri Lanka lost by 39 runs. Sri Lanka’s bowlers managed to restrict India’s batsmen in the death overs to keep the target to a gettable 156, but their batsmen failed to capitalise.”It was very disappointing, the way we lost today,” Jayawardene said. “At the halfway mark, we had a chat. The plan was to consolidate in the middle overs and keep wickets in hand till the 15th or 16th overs. From there on, eight an over was not going to be tough on a good surface on which the ball came on to the bat nicely, so we could have accelerated had we had wickets in hand. But we didn’t execute our game plan well at all.”This loss capped off a poor limited-overs series against India: Sri Lanka lost the ODI series that preceded the Twenty20 game 1-4. However, Jayawardene said the scoreline did not reflect how the team had performed in the one-dayers. “I don’t think we were outplayed in the ODI series, I thought we played some good cricket,” he said. “We had our opportunities but unfortunately, we didn’t take them. Today, yes, we didn’t play to our potential and were well beaten, but while the scoreline will show 4-1 in the ODI series, I think the series was a lot closer than that.”Sri Lanka’s next assignment is the Sri Lanka Premier League that starts later this week. India play New Zealand before they return to Sri Lanka for the World Twenty20 in September and Jayawardene said there were no clear favourites for the tournament. “In Twenty20 cricket, anything can happen,” Jayawardene said. “It all depends on how you perform on the day. In the past, we have seen Ireland and Zimbabwe beat big teams in the World Cup. As far as I am concerned, all 12 teams are in a good position to win the tournament. It all depends on how well you start the tournament, and how well you can maintain the momentum.”The World Twenty20 begins on September 18, with Sri Lanka taking on Zimbabwe in Hambantota.

Ramesh Saxena, the former India batsman, has died of a brain haemorrhage, in Jamshedpur at the age of 66

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2011Ramesh Saxena, the former India batsman, has died of a brain haemorrhage, in Jamshedpur at the age of 66. Saxena, who played one Test for India, in 1967, was serving as the secretary of the Bihar Jharkhand Cricket Association.A teenage prodigy, Saxena began his first-class career with a century for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy at the age of just 16. He was a stalwart for Delhi for many years, and earned a call-up to the India side for the 1967 tour of England. He scored 238 runs on the tour but got scores of 16 and 9 in the only Test he played, at Headingley. He also toured Australia and New Zealand in 1967-68 but never played another Test.He played 149 first-class matches, scoring 8155 runs with 17 centuries.Former India cricketer Abbas Ali Baig described Saxena as an “an extremely elegant stroke player”. “He played only one Test,” Baig told the , “and that does not really reflect the quality of his batsmanship.”Bihar state-mate Daljit Singh said Saxena knew “almost instinctively when to step out and when to stay back in the crease”. “Players from smaller Ranji sides hardly got a look-in then,” Singh said. “If he had turned out for a bigger team, he might have played for at least 10 years for India.”

Cayman Islands completed a five-wicket win against Argentina on the reserve day in Pianoro

Cricinfo staff16-Aug-2010Cayman Islands completed a five-wicket win against Argentina in Pianoro on the reserve day, following an abandonment on Sunday because of rain.Lucas Paterlini was bowled by Marlon Bryan•International Cricket Council

Argentina’s batsmen struggled to get going after they were sent in and wickets fell at regular intervals. Opener Pablo Ferguson, who toiled for 121 balls for 37, was one of only two batsmen to pass 30. The other was Gary Savage, whose 33 was brisker, coming off 45 balls. The others failed to contribute substantially and Argentina were restricted to 160 for 8 in 50 overs. Conroy Wright and Ryan Bovell took two wickets each for Cayman Islands but it was Marlon Bryan who had best figures of 3 for 32.Cayman Islands’ chase of a modest target got off to a horrific start with both openers falling for first-ball ducks. The innings was floundering at 4 for 2 when Pearson Best launched a brazen counterattack, clobbering 55 off 32 balls, an innings that included three sixes and seven fours. By the time he fell, bowled by Diego Lord, Cayman Islands had scored 64 in ten overs and the chase was back on track. Two more wickets fell, reducing the innings to 95 for 5, but Bovell chipped in with the bat as well, scoring an unbeaten 53. He was supported by Ronald Ebanks, who made 30 not out, as Cayman Islands reached the target with 102 balls to spare.”It was great to secure our first win today and against a side we know well in the form of Argentina. We played them in the ICC Americas tournament in Bermuda recently and lost so it was good to be victorious on this occasion,” said Bovell. “I think we played good disciplined cricket and stayed focused on our game plan and ended up executing it well. We now need to maintain the momentum of today’s win into tomorrow’s fixture against the USA.”

Jake Lehmann’s 11th first-class century wasn’t enough to get New South Wales to bat again

AAP16-Nov-2024Former Test quick Jackson Bird has dismantled South Australia with 11 wickets to power New South Wales to a thumping Sheffield Shield win by an innings and one run.After claiming seven first-innings wickets to skittle the hosts for 110, Bird was a handful again with a four-wicket haul in the second innings at the Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide.Despite the best efforts of Jake Lehmann, who scored his 11th first-class century, South Australia were unable to do enough to make NSW bat again.Allrounder Jack Edwards (4-41) helped Bird clean up the tail as SA were dismissed for 283 in their second innings on Saturday. NSW only needed to take nine wickets, with South Australia quick Nathan McAndrew hurt and unable to bat a second time.It was the sixth 10-wicket match haul for Bird in a long and winding first-class career.Bird’s previous five-wicket haul before he rocked South Australia on Thursday was back in March 2021, when he bagged 7-18 against the Blues while playing for Tasmania.South Australia entered the match after beating NSW in the one-day cup match on Tuesday, and were previously undefeated in the Shield. But without Test keeper Alex Carey, who is preparing for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, SA suffered a major reality check in losing inside three days to a team on the rise.Former Test batter Kurtis Patterson struck 71 for NSW as they made 394 to claim a first-innings lead of 284.Dropped from NSW’s Sheffield Shield side for most of last summer and fearing his career could be over, Patterson made it three straight half-centuries.

Trent Boult had reduced hosts to 8 for 3, before Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran also joined the rescue act

Matt Roller10-Sep-2023Liam Livingstone’s 95 not out rescued England and set up a series-squaring victory over New Zealand at the Ageas Bowl. His highest ODI score enabled England to set New Zealand 227 to win in a match reduced to 34 overs a side by rain. And despite Daryl Mitchell’s 57, the visitors fell a long way short after a lower-order implosion.Trent Boult marked his return to New Zealand colours by taking three early wickets in eight balls in his 100th ODI to leave England 8 for 3 in helpful bowling conditions. And by the time Livingstone walked out at No. 7, they had further slipped to 55 for 5 and were facing a fourth consecutive white-ball defeat.But in partnerships with Moeen Ali and Sam Curran – worth 48 and 112, respectively – Livingstone dragged England up to a competitive total. He started steadily before isolating Tim Southee as the weak link in New Zealand’s attack: Livingstone carted him for six boundaries in 17 balls, and the only surprise was that he could not jump from 91 to three figures off the final two.”I haven’t had the greatest couple of months,” Livingstone reflected. “Unfortunately, there’s a reason why there’s not many lower-order hitters that have mastered the art of the game: it’s a pretty difficult role to do. If you get on a roll, it’s pretty nice, but if you get yourself in a bit of a rut, it’s quite hard to get out of. It’s probably the first time in my career where I’ve had two months of struggling so I’ve put in a lot of work behind the scenes to try and go back to knowing what I can do – and that’s win games for England.”Despite his patchy form this summer, Livingstone’s all-round ability and superb IPL record means there has never been any real doubt of his spot in England’s World Cup squad. With two contrasting half-centuries in three days, he has emphatically proved why. This was his longest innings in international cricket, and his highest in a win.New Zealand lost Finn Allen to the second ball of their chase, castled by David Willey, but looked on course at 111 for 3, with Mitchell in dominant mood. But Reece Topley took three wickets in eight balls in his second spell to finish with 3 for 27, as New Zealand imploded, losing their last seven wickets for 36.Sam Curran added 112 with Liam Livingstone•Getty Images

Boult, playing international cricket for the first time since last year’s T20 World Cup, did the early damage. His New Zealand career has been on hold since late last year after he negotiated a release from his central contract in order to maximise his availability for franchise leagues around the world, but New Zealand were always likely to welcome him back ahead of next month’s World Cup, and his new-ball spell demonstrated why.He struck with his seventh ball, as Jonny Bairstow’s leading edge spooned up towards cover where Mitchell Santner took a spectacular catch, nailing the timing of his leap. Joe Root lasted two balls, smashed on the knee roll by an inswinger, and Ben Stokes gave Boult the charge only to loft to mid-off.In the absence of Jason Roy (back spasm) and Dawid Malan (paternity leave), Harry Brook was again given the opportunity to open the batting, but he fell immediately after a shortened powerplay. Brook looked to swing Matt Henry over the infield, but his leading edge looped up to the back-pedalling mid-on fielder.Jos Buttler then led the counterpunch, flaying Boult down the ground for three boundaries in four balls, but fell for 30 off 25 when he chopped Santner’s drag-down onto his own stumps. As with Bairstow and Brook, Buttler’s dismissal hinted at a slowish surface, with several balls sticking in the pitch.When Livingstone walked out at No. 7 to join Moeen, England had more than 20 overs left to bat. The pair added 48 in 50 balls, starting watchfully before occasionally freeing their arms when New Zealand offered width. Moeen fell for 33 to a brilliant diving catch at point by Glenn Phillips, at which point Livingstone decided it was time to shift gears.Daryl Mitchell kept New Zealand ticking, before giving Moeen Ali his 100th ODI wicket•AFP/Getty Images

Livingstone targeted Southee, hitting 17 runs off an over – including three boundaries in four balls; by the time he brought up a 47-ball half-century, his second in three days, he had already played his longest innings for England. At the far end, Curran, playing his first game since the Hundred final, belted both left-arm spinners – Santner and Rachin Ravindra – for sixes.The pair brought up a 100-run partnership at the end of the 32nd over when Livingstone swiped Henry’s slower ball into the stands for his first six. Curran fell shovelling Southee to short third, and after Mitchell trod on the boundary toblerone while attempting a catch off Willey at long-off, Livingstone could only heave the final two balls for a brace of twos.Allen, who will not feature in the provisional World Cup squad that New Zealand name tomorrow, survived an lbw review off the first ball of the chase but was castled on the second by Willey, even as Gus Atkinson bowled a bright first spell to keep England ahead of the game. He had Devon Conway caught behind, before Will Young was lazily run-out as Willey pounced at mid-off.Mitchell kept New Zealand ticking, adding 56 with Tom Latham, but Topley’s second spell changed the game. Latham chased a wide one before Phillips fell to a stunning caught-and-bowled, and Ravindra edged his second ball to slip. From 123 for 6, it was Mitchell or bust.Having hoisted Moeen over long-off for six, Mitchell miscued a full toss to mid-off to give Moeen his 100th ODI wicket; he soon had his 101st too, as Santner sliced to point. Willey mopped up the tail to finish with three wickets of his own, to leave England basking in the early-evening sunshine.

Record opening stand between James Vince and Ben McDermott sets platform for victory

ECB Reporters Network04-Jun-2022.James Vince and Ben McDermott captured a new club record as Hampshire Hawks beat Sussex Sharks by 22 runs to finally taste victory in this season’s Vitality Blast.Vince and McDermott, who smashed 65 and 60 respectively, put on 124 together to break Hawks’ best T20 opening stand and set up a mammoth total of 199 for 6. Tim Seifert hit a sublime 100 not out, and put on 69 with Delray Rawlins, in an otherwise slack Sharks chase as they never controlled the required rate.Hawks had lost their first four matches but jump off the bottom of the South Group, while Sussex remain fourth after three wins and three defeats.A switch appeared to have flicked with Hampshire after their poor start to the tournament, with aggression channeled into ground strikes rather than chasing sixes. Vince showcased this by beautifully caressing the first ball of the match through the covers, having been put in.It was just one of a range of classic Vince strokeplay which gave the hosts a rocket of a start. At the other end, McDermott got off the mark with a huge straight six with his more brutal style. That was the first of five maximums from the Australian, with a scoop the outlier from straight and midwicket hits.Vince, who moved up the order having batted at No. 3 previously in the Blast this year, reached his first half-century of the season off his 33rd delivery, before McDermott followed him four balls quicker.Their stand passed Hampshire’s previous best opening stand of 122 – set by Michael Carberry and Mitchell Stokes against Middlesex in 2006 – but two runs later it was ended when Henry Crocombe bowled Vince. It was the young fast bowler’s first of three wickets in an impressive outing.That started Sharks’ middle-order fightback as Hampshire lost four wickets for 23 runs. Sussex’s brilliant catching was a key reason for the momentum shift; a boundary juggle from Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Obed McCoy’s spectacular flying catch made up for some otherwise below-par ground fielding.Hampshire accelerated towards the end thanks to Toby Albert’s inventiveness and Liam Dawson’s late swinging to reach their highest Ageas Bowl total since they smashed 202 in 2013.Sussex’s chase never got going. Hawks were patient before they made their breakthrough in the fourth over when Luke Wright spliced to mid-on before Ali Orr skied to keeper McDermott in the following over.Hudson-Prentice laboured to eight from 14 balls before he top-edged James Fuller. As a point of comparison, Hampshire were 98 without loss at the 10 over stage, the Sharks were 59 for 3 and statistically given a 1% chance of winning.Ravi Bopara holed out but Seifert and Rawlins had fun with their 50-stand coming in 24 balls, with the New Zealander plundering a personal half-century in 36 deliveries. Rawlins was run out and Harrison Ward castled either side of a short rain delay. With the game already lost, Seifert plundered three straight sixes in the final over to collect his second T20 century off 55 balls.

Allrounder declares himself ready to play his first Test in 18 months after waiting ‘long enough’

Valkerie Baynes30-Jan-2021Eighteen months since playing his last Test, Moeen Ali feels he has so much more to achieve, including passing the 200-wicket milestone.Back in Chennai, where he scored the last of his five Test centuries with 146 in England’s innings defeat as India won their series 4-0 in 2016, Moeen said that a sense of unfinished business with the red ball was now a driving force.”That is my biggest motivation really,” said Moeen, who has 181 Test wickets. “I still feel I’ve got wickets and runs in me and match-winning performances within me. I have little targets I want to achieve first. I am not too far away from getting 200 wickets. I know people say they don’t look at these things but it would be something I would look at. Then I would set another target after that.”Related

• Moeen Ali urges people to take Covid-19 vaccine

• Moeen Ali tests positive for Covid-19 as England arrive in Sri Lanka

• Moeen Ali returns to England bubble after release from quarantine

• Moeen Ali, Ollie Pope in line for India Test recalls, says head coach Chris Silverwood

• Jos Buttler: Wicketkeeping fun in spinning conditions

So much has happened since Moeen was dropped after one Test in the 2019 Ashes. Some of it he would have imagined when it sparked his decision to take an extended break from the long-form game, some of it he never would have seen coming, like becoming infected with Covid-19 and spending 13 days in isolation in Sri Lanka, watching England win both Tests from the sidelines.But perhaps what he did envisage, if opting out was to have the desired effect, was returning with no regrets and a renewed appetite for Test cricket.”At the time I felt I needed it,” Moeen said via Zoom. “I wanted to see if I missed it and if I yearned to play it again. At the time I was playing so much cricket – and I’d been dropped – I thought it was a chance to take a step back. And I enjoyed it, played a few leagues around the world – but ultimately it was Test cricket that I missed and I felt like I could still do quite well in.”The one thing I did learn is that when you’re playing Test cricket, you’re on top of your game in terms of your batting and bowling, your technique. I don’t think it’s great when you’re just playing white-ball, red-ball is very important for staying on top of your game.”Moeen emerged from isolation midway through England’s first Test in Sri Lanka and, after an initial period of easing back into physical activity under close monitoring, he has returned to full training. According to Chris Silverwood, England’s head coach, he is under consideration to earn a recall for the first Test against India, starting on Friday.Dom Bess and Jack Leach, England’s spinners in Sri Lanka, both claimed five-wicket hauls in the first Test without bowling at their best and took four wickets apiece in the second Test after going wicketless in the first innings. Moeen believed he would have completed a three-pronged spin attack in Sri Lanka had he not fallen ill and he has declared himself ready to go if called upon in India.”I think I’m fine,” said Moeen. “Whether or not I get picked is another matter. Bessy and Leachy I thought did quite well in Sri Lanka and are coming off some good performances. In terms of being ready to play, I think I’ll be fine to play, I’ll be ready. I’ve waited long enough.”During his long wait, Moeen has spent time on his batting and, having scored another century on that 2016 tour of India with a Player-of-the-Match performance in the drawn first Test, he has some fond memories to reprise.”I’ve been working hard with the guys in Sri Lanka and prior to that I was training quite a bit to improve my batting and tweak a few things technically,” he said. “It is usually a good wicket to bat and bowl on, even though they got 700 last time. I feel quite good and I’m just ready to go out and perform.”Returning for India will be Virat Kohli, their captain and Moeen’s IPL team-mate at Royal Challengers Bangalore, who missed the last three Tests of India’s triumphant tour of Australia.”How do we get him out? He’s obviously an amazing player, world class, he’s very motivated to do well and I’m sure he’ll be even more motivated after they did well in Australia and he had to leave for the birth of his child,” Moeen said. “I don’t know how we’re going to get him out [specifically] because I don’t think he has any sort of weakness but we have a good bowling attack, some pace in the line-up.”He’s a great guy and a good friend of mine – we don’t talk too much about cricket. We do a little bit but not too much.”Moeen would have been scheduled to be rested for part of the India series under the ECB’s policy of resting multi-format players over the winter. Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes missed the Sri Lanka leg of their Asian tour and Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood and Sam Curran will miss the first two India Tests, with Jos Buttler heading home after the first Test. Talks are ongoing between Moeen and team management about whether he will be rested at some stage during the India tour, given the length of time he will have spent away from home and the fact that he missed the Sri Lanka series through illness.” I’ve been speaking to the selectors and the coaches,” Moeen said. “They’ve picked the squad for the first two games and it all depends where I’m at really. I think I’m due to go home at some stage during the 3rd and 4th (Tests) but we’re not 100 percent sure yet. If I’m playing and doing well, then things could change.”It has felt like a long tour already so far but once you start playing and things gets better and you’re in a better frame of mind then we’ll see. At the moment I’m here for the first two games and depending on how things go, there’s a chance I’ll be going home after that.”Archer, Stokes and Rory Burns arrived in India while England were still in Sri Lanka and so were the first to complete their stints in quarantine, training outdoors together for the first time on Saturday.

The 16-year-old is one of the most highly-rated young players in Australia. She showed why on the WBBL’s opening night

Andrew McGlashan19-Oct-2019The past, present and most definitely the future of the Australian cricket team was on display at North Sydney Oval on Friday.Alex Blackwell, who was capped 251 times by her country, padded up for another WBBL season and struck 56 off 38 balls. Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy, two stars of the current world-beating Australia side, did what they often do and sent the ball to all parts.And then there was a 16-year-old on debut who will, probably sooner rather than later, be part of that Australia team.Phoebe Litchfield only lasted 22 balls, but played out in front of a worldwide TV audience the innings went to reinforce why she has been talked about as one of the most talented players of the next generation.Earlier this year, a video posted on Twitter by New South Wales of Litchfield batting the nets went around the world. “I sort of didn’t know at the time,” Litchfield told ESPNcricinfo. “I thought they were just videoing our whole squad and then my friend was like ‘nice video’ and I was confused at the start, but it’s got a lot of views which puts on a bit of pressure on.”There was only a few days to get her head around a WBBL contract. “The nerves sort of climbed from there to the first ball,” she said.Pressure, and expectation, it appears are things Litchfield is able to take in her stride. On Friday, against a star-studded Sydney Sixers side, and walking in with her team 3 for 25, key internationals Rachel Priest and Rachael Haynes dismissed, she showed her range of strokes with a flick over midwicket followed by a deft scoop over fine leg. “I guess I go where there’s no fielders. It was on, so I went for it,” was her matter-of-fact response.It was an attempt at a repeat that saw her go lbw, but even the dismissal was significant as the wicket-taker was fellow 16-year-old Hayley Silver-Holmes.”To see such class from a 16-year-old is really impressive,” Alyssa Healy said. “That’s what’s so great about this competition, these young girls are getting opportunities.”Litchfield has already had plenty of representative honours, selected for a Governer’s General XI, touring with Australia U-19s, and a few weeks ago playing for a Cricket Australia XI against the Sri Lankans. Her WBBL debut, on a landmark night for the competition, was another milestone.”I aspired to be in the Big Bash and now I’m playing in it, so it’s a great experienced and I’m just happy to be here,” she said. “It was crazy and felt like a dream. It was a great experience, having [Alex Blackwell] out there made me a bit more calm which was nice. It’s a very good spot to watch, at the other end, Alex go at it.”There is both excitement and a degree of caution within the Thunder camp – not wanting to overwhelm Litchfield early in her career – but also an acknowledgement that her maturity stands her in good stead.There are more shots in the locker, too, with Litchfield having a 360-degree game with parts of hockey, the other sport she plays at representative level, playing a part.”I have to play hockey right-handed so it took me a while to get good at that. I didn’t do a reverse sweep today, but the reverse comes out and that’s sort of a hockey shot,” she said.She is part of the Australia Under-16 hockey side and at the moment is pleased to be able to split her focus between two sports. She knows a decision looms at some point in the future but it is not something that has been discussed yet and the Thunder coach Trevor Griffin sees it as strength that Litchfield has another focus in her life to retain a balance.”I like having the off-season to get my head off cricket, it’s a nice fitness booster and I think if played cricket all year I’d probably get sick of it, so it’s nice to switch over,” Litchfield said. “Most likely [I will have to choose] because the season is getting bigger and bigger and there’s lots of competitions around the world, but I’m not thinking about that soon. If cricket asks me to stop, I’ll stop, but for now I’ll keep playing both.”