“It does look sometimes like the top order doesn’t trust the middle order, but you can improve this”

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2022The top T20I teams are “one step ahead” of Pakistan in terms of their approach, particularly with the bat, according to chief selector Mohammad Wasim. He also feels that the top order, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam specifically, needs to “show more faith” in the middle order for the team to achieve the sort of big totals they need at the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup.”We often talk about the brand of cricket we play, and how we eventually have to play the modern form of T20 cricket,” Wasim told . “Obviously, the sort of cricket England and a few others are playing, they are one step ahead of us in terms of their approach. For us, it will take time to be fully converted into this brand of cricket, because for it you need certain players to be fully ready.Related

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“But if you talk about a winning formula, we need our middle-order complementing the top order. We did get success from it as well. Our [2021 T20] World Cup went well, our home series have been good, and our success rate has been up. At the moment, the best policy for us is to mix and match [the batting approach].”One of the issues that has been most under scrutiny is the method of Pakistan’s top order, specifically when setting a total. The top three of Rizwan, Babar and Fakhar Zaman have often anchored their way through an innings, batting deep and leaving fewer balls for the more free-scoring middle-order batters. While chasing, the approach often comes off. While setting targets, though, Pakistan have usually been just around par, if not below it.”It reflects in my selection, but whatever the final strategy is, it is down to the captain and coach,” Wasim said. “The vision about my selection is based on the thought that if the low-value wickets in the lower-middle order are used, then we can get better results. We did see some valuable contributions from Asif [Ali], Khushdil [Shah] and Iftikhar [Ahmed], but I think we need to have more consistency from them.”Khushdil Shah and Iftikhar Ahmed, two of Pakistan’s lower-middle-order hitters•AFP/Getty Images

In the final, deciding, T20I against England, which Pakistan lost by 67 runs after conceding 209, they were 33 for 3 when Shan Masood and Khushdil got together. They added 53 runs together, but took up 7.1 overs to score those, leaving a huge asking rate for the batters to follow.”I think maybe there isn’t a clear message, or there is a problem in the lower-middle order as they are valuing their wicket a bit more than they should, which is a problem,” Wasim said. “The partnership between Shan and Khushdil wasn’t impressive, it was going nowhere. The big advantage while chasing is that they know the target and it’s easier to set a pattern and plan accordingly.”If you want to play like this, or want to play this sort of cricket, then we don’t need better-equipped players to get in. You will get such resources anyway. It all comes down to what is your game plan.”One of the possible ways in which the problem can be bypassed is to have spin-bowling allrounders Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz bat higher, at four or five, on a more regular basis.”Every team has its stronger links and weaker ones, and ours is bowling; our batting does need to improve for us to win games. As coach [and not as selector], I would love to see Shadab and Nawaz bat higher, and I had this discussion with the management, and you will see it happening going forward.”It might give some shape to the middle order and it’s not for the sake of change, but based on the skillsets they bring. Both can play spin well, bat at a high strike rate, rotate the strike, and accelerate the score.”Pakistan are contemplating making better use of allrounders like Shadab Khan•AFP/Getty Images

Wasim was also asked about the dependency on the opening pair in particular, and whether that has affected trust with the middle order.”It does look sometimes like the top order doesn’t trust the middle order, but you can improve this,” Wasim said. “As a batter, you get disappointed, but at the same time, you have to look up to the other group as well. I am sure coaches have spoken and this isn’t a good message that the top-two wickets falling result in the entire team getting out. So there is a need to show more faith on the others.”The England games are over, and now Pakistan play a triangular series in New Zealand, with Bangladesh as the third team, and then go to the World Cup in Australia. But there are murmurs that there could be a few changes to the squad before the marquee event. Like in 2021.”Last year, changes were made mainly because of injuries and we have encountered similar issues again,” Wasim said. “We are constantly monitoring. I would say that this is the same squad [that will go to the World Cup], but in light of injuries, we will definitely consider replacements if needed.”You can’t say anything about changes during a series, and if there is a plan, we won’t talk about it in public. Because the situation is fluid around the injuries. At the same time, we have backed these boys for a year now and we will still back them. But we are looking into who is expected to be fit and who will be unavailable and who can be a replacement.”

Pat Cummins will captain his first one-day series against England while Australia’s Test squad remains stable

Andrew McGlashan08-Nov-2022Travis Head has returned to Australia’s ODI squad for the series against England and Marcus Harris has been included as the spare batter for the Test matches against West Indies.Following the early exit from the T20 World Cup, a full-strength squad has been named for the three games against England in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne which will be Pat Cummins’ first series as ODI captain.Head fills the vacancy created by Aaron Finch’s one-day retirement having been unavailable for selection for the early-season series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand due to paternity leave. He has had an excellent 2022 in ODIs with 310 runs at 62 and a strike-rate of 112.72 when he faced Pakistan in Sri Lanka.In the Pakistan series, where he made 101 and 89 in consecutive matches, Head played in place of David Warner but now will open alongside him.Related

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“Our focus is to continue to build a squad with an eye to next year’s World Cup under Pat as the new ODI captain, so it’s an important series,” national selector George Bailey said.”Travis Head…has demonstrated flexibility in the types of roles he can play in our ODI line-up. Our next opportunity in the ODI format will be in India next year which will allow us to experience similar conditions as for the World Cup in October.”Sean Abbott misses out from earlier in the season despite a couple of impressive performances against New Zealand as does Josh Inglis. The multi-format quicks have all been included, along with Cameron Green, and they will then back up into the Test summer which begins in Perth on November 30.The squad for the two matches against West Indies is very stable with perhaps the only talking point the retention of Harris. After losing his place during the Ashes when Usman Khawaja’s prolific form led to a reshuffle of the order, Harris was the reserve batter in Pakistan then part of the Australia A squad in Sri Lanka either side of playing county cricket for Gloucestershire where he made 726 runs at 42.70.He has made a solid start to the domestic season with 287 runs in three Sheffield Shield matches although it is Victoria team-mate Peter Handscomb who is well ahead at the top with 518 runs.Scott Boland, who has not yet been able to add to his three Ashes Tests where he took 18 wickets at 9.55, is the extra quick in the squad behind Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. None of that trio will play Shield cricket before the Tests, but that is a preparation that Australia have become comfortable with in recent seasons. Green’s inclusion in the ODI squad means he is unlikely to feature in any Shield cricket this year with the India Test tour due to start in early February.Australia ODI squad vs England Pat Cummins (capt), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam ZampaAustralia Test squad vs West Indies Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

Match referee Andy Pycroft ruled that the surface provided “almost no assistance to any type of bowler”

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2022The Rawalpindi pitch has earned a “below average” rating for the second time in 2022. The latest rating follows the first Test between Pakistan and England earlier this month, in which England racked up a record 506 runs on day one to set up an eventual 74-run win.Though the match ended in a decisive result, there was little joy for the bowlers particularly in the first two innings, which produced seven centuries and totals of 657 and 579. England scored at well above a run a ball in both their innings.On day two of the Test match, PCB chairman Ramiz Raja had termed the pitch “embarrassing”, and suggested that the contest it produced was “not a good advert for Test cricket”.Related

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ICC match referee Andy Pycroft seemed to agree with him while handing out a “below average” rating and a demerit point on Tuesday.”It was a very flat pitch which gave almost no assistance to any type of bowler,” Pycroft said. “That was the main reason why batters scored very fast and both sides posted huge totals.”The pitch hardly deteriorated during the course of the match. Since there was very little in it for the bowlers, I found the pitch to be ‘below average’ as per the ICC guidelines.”In March, when Rawalpindi hosted the first Test of Australia’s tour of Pakistan, bat dominated ball to the extent that 1187 runs were scored for the loss of only 14 wickets over five days. That pitch had earned a “below average” rating too, with match referee Ranjan Madugalle noting that the Test match did not “represent an even contest between bat and ball”.Rawalpindi has now received demerit points in successive Test matches. Demerit points remain active for a five-year rolling period, and a venue stands to be suspended from hosting international cricket for a period of five years if it accumulates five demerit points. A “below average” rating earns a venue one demerit point, while “poor” and “unfit” ratings earn three and five demerit points, respectively.

Glamorgan allrounder will serve until February 2025, having succeeded Daryl Mitchell in 2021

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2023James Harris, the Glamorgan allrounder, has been re-elected for a second term as chair of the Professional Cricketers’ Association.Harris, 32, took over from the previous incumbent Daryl Mitchell in 2021, and will remain in the post until February 2025 – the maximum four-year stint permitted by the PCA’s constitution.”Being re-elected is a huge honour,” Harris said. “I’ve really enjoyed the first two years. Having an extra two years will be brilliant and I’m really looking forward to pushing through some meaningful change in my second term.”Harris’ first term coincided with the sport’s recovery from the Covid pandemic, and in addition to representing the organisation in Parliament, at the DCMS Select Committee hearings, he has also overseen the PCA’s increased commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.iAs a Director of the Professional Cricketers’ Trust, he also helped raise funds for the PCA’s charitable arm by cycling over 1,000km to and from Cardiff, via Headingley and Lord’s.”The PCA has a huge role to play in the evolution of the game worldwide, we need to make sure that we’re moving forward with the game, keeping pace with the game, because there’s so many opportunities to play around the world in different tournaments which wasn’t available 10 years ago,” Harris said.”I think with the opportunity for players to travel and improve their game around the world, there really is no better time to be a professional cricketer than right now and I can only see that trending in one direction as we move forward.”PCA Chief Executive, Rob Lynch, said: “I’m really pleased that James has been elected by his peers to take on a second term as Chair of the Association.”A lot has happened in the world of cricket in the last two years and James has been as been at the forefront of the change in England and Wales.”I’m looking forward to continuing our strong working relationship and strategic planning for the next two years is already under way in this crucial point in the history of our game. With key priorities assessed to ensure we continue to champion the interests of professional cricketers in this country, we will be updating our members in the coming weeks through the AGM, Rookie Camp and pre-season meetings with all 26 domestic squads.”

He has made a mark in T20s in leagues around the world but does not possess first-class experience yet

Firdose Moonda16-Jan-2023Hard-hitting opener batter Dewald Brevis can expect a David Warner-like transition to international cricket as South Africa look to deepen their player pool under a new coaching structure.Former under-19 coach Shukri Conrad, who was in charge of the age-group team at the 2022 World Cup, where Brevis was the top-scorer, and former Central Stags coach Rob Walter, were announced as South Africa’s new red and white-ball coaches respectively and both are keen to fast-track young talent with Brevis top of mind. He has become the most-talked-about batter in South Africa, more so when he struck 162 runs off 57 balls in a domestic T20 match in October, a week before the national men’s side failed to chase 159 in a must-win T20 World Cup match against Netherlands and calls for his immediate promotion grew. Enoch Nkwe, South Africa’s Director Cricket, has heard them and has a plan to get Brevis into the senior set-up soon.Related

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“There’s a lot of noise around Brevis. We know how good he is. He has shown it in SA20, he has played some good cricket and he has been pretty consistent in T20 cricket,” Nkwe said. “In terms of youngsters, the reality moving forward, we might have to do a David-Warner type of approach where there is going to be the transition phase from under-19 cricket into professional cricket through T20 and then ODI and then Test cricket. That’s something we foresee happening in the future.”Warner, who played his 100th Test against South Africa at the MCG, had just 20 domestic white-ball caps to his name before making his international debut in a T20I against South Africa and played in only 11 first-class matches before his Test debut. Brevis already has more experience than that in shorter formats. He has played in 37 T20s including at the IPL, CPL and SA20, and six List A matches but has yet to play a first-class match. As part of a strong Titans’ squad, who are third in the four-day domestic competition, and boasts names like Test captain Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Theunis de Bruyn, and Heinrich Klaasen, it has been difficult for Brevis to get a look-in but playing him in longer formats is top of Nkwe’s mind.”We understand someone like Brevis has a lot of cricket to play and now we have to see how we get him to that longer format? We know that he can offer a lot to South African cricket,” Nkwe said.Asked specifically whether Conrad and Walter have been involved in discussions about Brevis, Nkwe would not be drawn into anything more than reiterating their commitment to development. “Both coaches are big believers in looking after the younger generation but also not just throwing them in the deep end,” he said. “It’s about having a very clear detailed plan of every individual who has been identified and how they are going to form part of the Proteas set-up.”Ultimately, the decision of whether Brevis plays for South Africa will not lie with Conrad and Walter alone. Selection convener Victor Mpitsang and Patrick Moroney are the other two people involved in picking players and, though the coaching set-up has changed, both are contracted until the end of the year. They will be in charge of naming the group of players who will take on England in three World Cup Super League ODIs later this month. Given Brevis’ form – he struck an unbeaten 70 off 41 balls in the SA20 opener and 42 off 34 balls in the third game – he could be a wildcard pick for what are crucial matches for South Africa. They need to win at least one of the ODIs to remain in contention for automatic qualification for this year’s 50-over World Cup and with Nkwe saying the T20 and ODI formats are “close to each other,” it may be time for Brevis to graduate to the big time.The squad is expected to be announced later this week but Walter will not be in charge of it just yet. The new coaches begin work next month and an interim appointment will be made for the England series.

ECB counsel returns focus to historic tweets in case against former England captain

Osman Samiuddin07-Mar-2023Michael Vaughan’s lawyer has said “due process” was denied to his client, and “sent on holiday” in the ECB’s investigations into charges that he made racist comments to four Asian and British-Asian players in 2009. Christopher Stoner KC, representing Vaughan, called the investigation “wholly and woefully inadequate” on the final day of the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) hearings in London, where closing submissions were being heard by a three-person panel.Jane Mulcahy, the ECB’s lead counsel, brought the case to a close by focusing again on a series of historic tweets made by Vaughan, at least one of which was from around the time he is alleged to have made the remarks. Arguing that they were “central to the case” Mulcahy said, “If a person has a tendency to make racist comments, they have a tendency to make racist comments.”Related

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Much of the final day was consumed by closing submissions for the Vaughan charge, serving to highlight how the five-day hearing had boiled down to Azeem Rafiq’s allegation and Vaughan’s defence of it. The ECB presented charges against Rich Pyrah and Andrew Gale in the morning, but they – like four other players as well as Yorkshire CCC – had already chosen not to appear.As signposted in his cross-examination of Meena Botros, the ECB’s director for legal and integrity, last week, Stoner criticised the ECB’s investigation process, in particular the testimony given by Ajmal Shahzad. Shahzad was one of the four players Vaughan is alleged to have directed his comment to that day, but he told the ECB he did not recall the comment being made and also that he thought Vaughan “wasn’t that way inclined” [to making racist comments].Stoner argued that was important “counter evidence” to the historical tweets by Vaughan that the ECB was relying on in its case. “The investigation was wholly inadequate,” Stoner said. “Due process matters and is the cornerstone of law. In our submission it was sent on holiday by the ECB. It raises a real question of fairness [of this investigation]. Mr Vaughan has not been accorded fairness.”Vaughan’s defence also submitted a 22-page storyboard of Sky’s footage of the pre-game huddle from that day, footage they argue is the only “contemporaneous evidence” of the incident. In it, they dissect a two-minute clip which begins with Vaughan addressing the team before they disperse on to the field. Stoner argued that it is “inherently improbable that such serious and unacceptable words were spoken to team-mates just as a game was starting, in the presence of a cameraman and almost certainly a microphone.”He also criticised what he called “half-hearted efforts” to reach out to more players and potential witnesses from the day, including the umpires and the cameraman.Mulcahy had begun her closing earlier, placing Vaughan’s historical tweets at the front and centre of the ECB’s argument. Mulcahy said that two of the three tweets – brought up last week in her cross-examination of Vaughan – were made in 2010. “Although Michael Vaughan now purports to be a changed character, Vaughan in 2009 was the same person who shortly afterwards (in 2010) sent two tweets complaining about foreigners… [he] still held the same ‘unacceptable’ views seven years later when he sent further tweets concerning Muslims and potential terrorism… the supposedly lighthearted but offensive expression in the tweets is very similar in tone to the comment made on 22 June 2009.”She argued these showed it was “quite the opposite” that it was, as the defence argued, “inherently improbable” that Vaughan said what he is alleged to have said. She said it made no difference, as Vaughan’s defence argued, that the tweets were non-cricketing in context. “If a person has a tendency to make racist comments, they have a tendency to make racist comments”. Vaughan’s tweets, she said, were there for “all to see”, including those he played with.In support, Mulcahy also pointed to the fact that Yorkshire had admitted to the charge of systemic racism at the club, spanning a period from 2004 to 2021. During it, Hoggard and Gary Ballance had admitted to making racist or discriminatory comments.Mulcahy also launched a robust defence of the ECB’s investigations, calling out an “extraordinary amount of bitter and inaccurate correspondence” from Vaughan’s legal team about the disciplinary process. She said the allegations about the Sky cameraman not being interviewed illustrated “the ridiculous length” to which Vaughan is prepared to go to “unfairly throw mud at the ECB”.She ended her arguments by saying that the charging was “properly based on Adil Rashid and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan corroborating the testimony of Azeem Rafiq” and that it is “frankly objectionable and wrong” of Vaughan’s closing submissions to suggest the ECB singled out Vaughan.Pyrah and Gale have both denied charges that they used racist and/or discriminatory language, including “Rafa the K***”, “P***”, “you lot” and “fit P***” between 2008 and 2014. Closing submissions against both – as well as the other absentees, Hoggard, Tim Bresnan and John Blain – were submitted by the ECB in the form of written statements to the panel.The three-person panel, of Tim O’Gorman (Chair), Mark Milliken-Smith KC and Dr Seema Patel, said they hoped to publish a verdict by the end of March.

He has led Delhi in 12 T20s in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament, and has been with KKR since 2018

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2023Nitish Rana has been appointed interim captain by Kolkata Knight Riders, while their regular leader Shreyas Iyer recovers from a back injury that is likely to sideline him for at least the first half of IPL 2023.Rana was one of two candidates for the interim captaincy along with Sunil Narine, who joined the franchise in 2012 and has been with them ever since. Narine had recently led Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the inaugural edition of the International League T20, where they finished last among six teams with one win and eight losses.Rana has led his state team Delhi in 12 T20s in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with eight wins and four defeats. A 29-year old middle-order batter, he was bought by KKR ahead of the 2018 season and has been retained by the franchise ever since. He’s played 74 matches for them, scoring 1744 runs at a strike rate of 135.61.”While we are hopeful that Shreyas will recover and participate at some stage in the IPL 2023 edition, we feel fortunate that Nitish, with the captaincy experience of having led his state side in white-ball cricket and the IPL experience he has had with KKR since 2018, will do a great job,” KKR said in a statement. “We are also confident that under head coach Chandrakant Pandit and the support staff, he will get all the support needed off the field, and the highly experienced leaders in the squad will provide all support that Nitish may need on the field. We wish him the best in his new role and Shreyas a full and speedy recovery.”Rana was KKR’s second highest run-scorer last season, behind Shreyas, with 361 runs at a strike rate of 143.82. It was a disappointing year for the team, as they finished seventh in the league with six wins and eight losses.With Rana taking over as captain, KKR will be under whole new leadership this season, with Chandrakant Pandit replacing Brendon McCullum as head coach and Bharat Arun appointed bowling coach.