ECB says trial ‘intended as a live informational resource captain may choose to use or ignore’

Valkerie Baynes02-Dec-2020Lottery numbers, shoe sizes and dancing competition scorecards – England players and the ECB have been quick to make light of their use of coded signals sent from the dressing room to the field during their T20 series against South Africa.England team analyst Nathan Leamon could be seen placing cards on the dressing room balcony showing a combination of numbers and letters during the third T20I at Newlands on Tuesday. England won the match by nine wickets after Dawid Malan’s stunning 99 not out in a record 167-run partnership with Jos Buttler overhauled a huge target of 192.Buttler, who scored an unbeaten on 67, joked after the game that the cards showed lottery numbers, before making a more serious comparison with tactical time-outs in the IPL.”The lads were checking their Euromillions numbers,” Buttler told Sky Sports with a smile. “Eoin [Morgan] works closely with Nathan to work on the match-ups. In the IPL, you have two tactical time-outs for suggestions from analysts, but you have to be careful how you use it, there has to be an instinctive, intuitive side to the game.”ALSO READ: Malan reaches 915 points, the highest ever for batsmen in T20I rankingsThe ECB said the signalling system was being trialed and was “intended as a live informational resource that the captain may choose to use or ignore as he wishes”. It added: “They are not commands or instructions and all decision-making takes place on the field.”The practice drew mention of South Africa’s use of earpieces to relay messages from the dressing room to the field during their 1999 World Cup match against India. At the time, the ICC said using earpieces did not break any rules but deemed it unfair and subsequently banned the use of such devices.It’s not the first time that Leamon has used such methods to pass information from the boundary’s edge. After teaming up with Andy Flower at Multan Sultans for this year’s PSL, he set up a similar system with the on-field captain, Shan Masood – a practice which Flower later told ESPNcricinfo was about “maximising information”.”Match-ups over a shortened game are very important, and so is getting your field and your bowling tactics right,” Flower said. “That sort of information would be covered pre-game, but that’s a lot of information for a captain, and obviously he won’t retain it all. [Favourable match-ups] would be an example: a gentle reminder of the flow of the game, the resources you have left in the attack, and just putting the right chess pieces in place at the right time.”There is no suggestion England’s use of written codes breached any rules, although it did raise questions over whether it was ethical or in the spirit of the game. Mark Wood, the England quick, said the team had “cleared it with the match referee first”.”Maybe this is part of the new way of cricket,” Wood said. “We’re always looking for ways to improve so maybe this is it, the analyst gets a hold of a scorecard like [Strictly Come Dancing judge] Craig Revel Horwood and then we’ve got a got a new game show.”Speaking to the media via Zoom on Wednesday, Wood – who is hoping to feature in the three-match ODI series against South Africa starting at Newlands on Friday after being overlooked for the T20Is – played down the importance of the coded signals.”I thought shoe sizes at one point,” Wood said. “I think it wouldn’t honestly bother me. Until this morning, I honestly didn’t even know about it. That’s how much notice I took.”I think it’s good for the captain to have. Morgy’s a very instinctive captain anyway, so I’m not sure he needs that much but it’s great to have the information there. Nathan does a good job. So any little bit can help, but I’m not sure I’ll be taking that much notice of it, too busy worrying about other things.”

If the batting can back up the bowling, the visitors can make this a fabulously exciting series

Danyal Rasool25-Dec-2020

Big picture

This isn’t the Boxing Day Test that’ll fill the most column inches, generate the greatest number of app notifications or create the most viral hashtags on Twitter. Mount Maunganui, sadly, is no match for Melbourne as New Zealand and Pakistan don’t quite stack up against their giant neighbours, Australia and India, who also face each other on the same day. But for those interested in more niche contests, more arcane storylines, and arguably equally absorbing cricket, tuning into this Test instead of that one promises to leave you equally satiated.

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Set aside the financial might of Australia and India, and you’ll find New Zealand vs Pakistan stacks up well against it on cricketing merit. New Zealand, for one, don’t intend to play dark horses to anyone these days, as they look to clinch two further Test wins to complement their 2-0 series win against West Indies and get one foot in the World Test Championship final. Pakistan, though heavy underdogs, will be buoyed by an impressive performance against England despite losing the series 1-0; the scoreline doesn’t quite reflect how close they were to a memorable series win. If they can bring that same fight, and, more importantly, bowling quality, to these two Tests, New Zealand will find these Tests won’t be the cakewalk the ones against Jason Holder’s men ended up being.New Zealand, though, are a fearfully well-oiled machine who relentlessly stack up the series wins at home. Only South Africa and Australia have beaten New Zealand in a Test series at home since January 2011. For much of this time, the core of this side has contained arguably two batsmen and two bowlers who rank among the greatest ever New Zealand cricketers: Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tim Southee and Trent Boult. The presence of Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls and Neil Wagner ensures the home side is neither unbalanced nor overly reliant on a handful of individuals.Related

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Pakistan, meanwhile, have been left reeling by the absence of Babar Azam, who was due to make his debut as Test captain. It not only leaves a big hole in the heart of the batting line-up but also means Mohammad Rizwan needs to take on even greater responsibility – as stand-in captain, batsman and wicketkeeper, while the openers, who didn’t quite manage much against New Zealand A last week, will need to step up. The trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Abbas with the ball are by far Pakistan’s biggest hopes of discomfiting New Zealand over the next fortnight, with a helping hand from the batsmen carrying the potential to make this a fabulously exciting series.

Form guide

Pakistan DDLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WWWWLHenry Nicholls has fought his way to become one of New Zealand’s first-choice picks•Getty Images

In the spotlight

Henry Nicholls might have been thought of as a utility squad player when he made his Test debut four years ago, and didn’t look up to much when Pakistan last visited in 2016, managing just 69 runs all series. It was a different story in the UAE two years later, where he demonstrated the sort of unflashy grit that has made him a mainstay in the New Zealand middle order. Managing two steely fifties, and a history-making, series-winning hundred in the third Test, he was among the unsung heroes for New Zealand as Williamson swept the awards, and his value to this New Zealand Test side has only increased since. With an average on the right side of 40, and 174 in his last Test innings against West Indies, Nicholls is in the sort of form to set the record straight.Mohammad Abbas‘s eyes might light up at how green the New Zealand surface will invariably look, much as West Indies’ did when they opted to bowl after winning the toss twice. New Zealand first innings scores of 519 and 460, however, suggested the colour of the surface doesn’t mean a whole lot without quality bowlers. Abbas, who butters his bread thanks to his accuracy and seam movement, would do well to remember that. If he manages to keep his focus on what his strengths are: line, length and subtle seam movement, rather than getting greedy and throwing the ball up in search of unrealistic swing movement, he may well be unplayable.

Team news

New Zealand have a full-strength, well-rested squad available to them, with Williamson back, having missed the second Test against West Indies for the birth of his daughter. That could edge out Will Young, with the rest of the line-up likely unchangedNew Zealand (probable): 1 Tom Latham, 2 Tom Blundell, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Daryl Mitchell, 8 Kyle Jamieson, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultBalance is the problem for Pakistan, with the absence of a genuine allrounder in the squad. Shadab Khan might have been tasked with that job, but with him ruled out, Pakistan look set to play potentially a batsman light.Pakistan (probable): 1 Shan Masood, 2 Abid Ali, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Fawad Alam, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (capt & wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Yasir Shah/Sohail Khan, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Mohammad Abbas, 11 Naseem Shah

Pitch and conditions

Mount Maunganui has hosted only one Test till date – against England last year. It was something of a turgid surface, albeit one that led to a New Zealand innings victory. The toss, and early wickets with the new ball, will be vital. The weather is fine for four out of five days, with rain expected for much of Sunday.

Stats and trivia

• Before New Zealand commenced their current unbeaten home run against all sides barring Australia and South Africa, Pakistan were the last side to beat them in a series, 1-0 in 2010-11.
• New Zealand’s fast bowling attack is significantly more seasoned than their Pakistani counterparts. Pakistan’s entire fast bowling contingent in New Zealand – Abbas, Afridi, Shah, Sohail Khan, Ashraf – have a combined 169 Test wickets. Each of Southee (296), Boult (272) and Wagner (215) have more wickets on their own.

Fast bowler wants to set an example to kids from varying backgrounds

Barny Read03-Feb-2021England bowler Chris Jordan says he hopes that by being a positive presence at the highest level the game can serve as inspiration for young people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.Cricket, especially in England, is increasingly under-fire for its lack of diversity, with former England batsman Michael Carberry saying last summer that “cricket is rife with racism” and that “the people running the game don’t care about black people”.Carberry’s comments forced the ECB to admit that “barriers to enjoying our sport exists”, while Azeem Rafiq’s litigation against Yorkshire over claims of discrimination and racial abuse led to the club issuing a statement that lifetime bans for anyone involved in “vile” threats on social media aimed at Rafiq, his family and his legal team.Under-representation is a major aspect of cricket’s issues in dealing with and precenting discrimination, and Jordan wants both his performances and professionalism to be something that leads the way for others to follow.”So many different eyes are on you but the kind of eyes that I’m more concerned about are especially those younger kids from different backgrounds and varying backgrounds that might be looking up to me, who knows, for some inspiration. You try to set an example as much as possible,” Jordan told ESPNcricinfo.”Bearing that in mind, when I do step onto the field and you do find yourself in certain settings, you know that some of your actions and everything that you do, those kids might be looking towards you for that inspiration. So if they see me trying to continue to improve my game and continue to reach new heights and doing all these things and that inspires them then that’s good enough for me.”The England bowler is so often the go-to guy for teammates looking for advice; the man able to not only lead his team but also unite it. Tom Banton this week explained how he would ask Jordan for an introduction to Nicholas Pooran, while Qalandars captain Sohail Akhtar described him as his team’s “leader”.”[He’s an] excellent human being, very supportive character,” said Sohail after Jordan’s 1-11 – including a wicket and just two runs from the ninth over of Bangla Tigers’ chase that came up seven runs short – ensured the Qalandars maintained their perfect T10 League record in Abu Dhabi.Speaking prior to that decisive performance with the ball for Qalandars, Jordan explained that the mentoring role is something he relishes and could be an avenue he explores whenever he hangs up his spikes.”I do enjoy really working with younger players, I do enjoy encouraging them,” Jordan said. “I’m always willing to share, I’m always trying to help just because I’m trying to live good with people in general and any bit of knowledge I can share or impart on anyone then I’m more than willing to do that.”If that allows me to transition into a coaching role or mentorship role eventually then when that time comes, I think that I’ll have enough information to make that decision but I stay in the movement as much as possible. I’m enjoying playing my cricket, I’m enjoying continuing to travel the world and continue to improve my skills as well so I’m putting all my energy into that.”

Finger and calf problems have disrupted his home season but he was still named T20I player of the year

Andrew McGlashan07-Feb-2021Ashton Agar is hoping to make up for lost time on the T20I tour of New Zealand having seen the majority of his home season wiped out by injury.Agar injured a finger and calf in the ODI series against India, which meant he missed the T20Is, and the latter problem ruled him out of the whole of the BBL with Perth Scorchers who finished runners-up after defeat in the final against Sydney Sixers. He has been preparing for this tour back in Western Australia were his build-up was briefly hit by the Covid-19 lockdown of Perth last week.Despite missing the matches against India, Agar was named the T20I player of the year at the Cricket Australia awards. Now, with the T20 World Cup to work towards in October, Agar is looking forward to getting some time in the middle in New Zealand once the players complete their two weeks managed isolation in Christchurch.Related

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“It has been frustrating, there has been so much cricket on,” he said at Sydney airport. “All I’ve been doing is watching cricket, I’m itching to get out there and that’s a nice feeling to have when you come back after a while to really want to get out there and play.”Lucky I’ve got that opportunity coming up. The injury is coming along nicely. My finger is all healed up and my calf is going really so hopefully fit for game while.”Taking the T20I award and having built an impressive record the ball that reads 30 wickets at 20.86 and an economy of 6.87 has enabled Agar to feel “a bit more settled” in his position but he takes nothing for granted. “You can never get too comfortable because international cricket is a brutal game,” he said.He knows as well that conditions could be a challenge. New Zealand is a tough place for spinners in T20: in the last two years the economy-rate of 8.56 is the joint highest among the top-ranked T20 nations.It’s not certain that Australia will field two frontline spinners in the XI given they will also have Glenn Maxwell’s offspin in the team and perhaps D’Arcy Short’s left-arm wristspin.”That is always the biggest challenge, the smaller grounds,” he said. “I remember going to Eden Park the first time I went to New Zealand and I was like ‘this is a joke, it has to be the wrong ground’ because of how small it was. But it actually brings you into the game as a spinner. They are going to try and hit you for sixes and you’ll get hit for some but you have the opportunity to take a few wickets.”The established pair of Agar and Adam Zampa are joined on this tour by 19-year-old Tanveer Sangha who was the leading spinner in this season’s BBL.”I saw lots of it and was so impressed,” Agar said. “I was just having a chat to him before and have spent a bit of time with him, he’s such a nice level-headed guy. He was able to hold his nerve in his first Big Bash, so his maturity was probably what was most impressive and his skills, I think he’ll be a very fine bowler if he’s not already.”For the new faces – Sangha is one of three uncapped players along with Josh Philippe and Riley Meredith – and the fringe players the tour is a chance to make their claim for a spot at the World Cup. “When you speak about World Cups it takes a whole squad to win one,” Agar said. “We don’t have all the Test stars at the moment but we still have a really good team who I think can beat anyone on their day. Hopefully a few guys can get an opportunity this tour and get a taste.”

Allrounder is back to bowling in the nets after recovering from the side strain he suffered in the BBL

Alex Malcolm13-Feb-2021Australia allrounder Mitchell Marsh is hoping to be fit to bowl if selected for the opening T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch, as he bids to make yet another return to international cricket.Marsh injured his side while bowling for the Perth Scorchers in a match against against the Hobart Hurricanes in early January. It was only the fifth game he had bowled in after recovering from a serious ankle injury that he suffered during the IPL.He played as a batsman only in the last six BBL matches of the season. In the games he did bowl in for the Scorchers, he was very effective, taking four wickets at an economy rate of just 6.52, and the Scorchers won all those five matches.Related

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Marsh has returned to bowling in the nets at training in the last couple of days and is hopeful he would be available to bowl if selected in the first game on February 22. “Yeah, hoping that I’ll available to bowl in the first couple of games if all goes to plan,” he said. “I pushed back, sort of, almost to the full run two days ago. So I’ll progress over the next week and hopefully in the first few games to bowl. I think it’s great that we’ve got so many options with the ball so I’m not under a whole heap of pressure to get back for the first game.”Marsh made his T20I debut in 2011, but has played just 15 games in the format for his country in that time, while he has played 32 Tests and 60 ODIs. He played in the 2016 T20 World Cup but managed just two games in the next four years before returning to the side on the tour of South Africa last year where he played all three matches.He was not selected for the first two T20Is on the following tour of England but returned for the third and was Player of the Match in Southampton.But he suffered a serious ankle injury in his first game in last year’s IPL for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and was ruled out of the tournament. He also missed Australia’s ODI and T20I series against India.An excellent BBL campaign, where he made 315 runs, including three half-centuries, at a strike rate of 147.88 has put him back in the frame for Australian selection. He is one of the players in the mix to fill the vital middle-order role that would be critical to Australia’s success both against New Zealand and in the T20 World Cup later in the year.”Five and six is somewhere that I’ve batted for basically all of my career,” Marsh said. “I absolutely love that role and I really enjoyed playing it for the Scorchers, the way we lined up this year, and with the Power Surge, it was great for our team with a stacked top order. If I’m playing at five or six for Australia I’ll be really looking forward to playing alongside Stoin (Marcus Stoinis) and Maxy (Glenn Maxwell) and those guys and hopefully forming some good partnerships.”Marsh’s power-hitting is a trademark but Australia’s stand-in coach Andrew McDonald made particular mention of Marsh’s improved hitting against wide yorkers and wide-line bowling. Marsh made just 44 runs from 38 balls on the three-match tour of South Africa where the bowlers tied him down with wide bowling, with Marsh scoring just 21 runs from 25 balls including 12 dots and just one boundary against deliveries aimed wide of off stump.”It probably stems from the tour to South Africa where they bowled really wide to me,” Marsh said. “It’s not something that I’ve struggled with in the past but I did on that tour. So it was noted for me to go away and make sure I got better at that. I worked really hard over the winter to make sure that I added that to my game and added that to my power game. It was really nice to see that come to fruition in the Big Bash. I’m feeling really comfortable with that part of my game now. It just adds another string to my bow and hopefully, I can keep doing the same over here.”Probably the only thing that has changed is not trying to hit the ball for six every ball. Picking my balls and making sure I’m trying to manipulate the field to the best of my ability, certainly through the off side.”

The whole tournament will take place in Karachi, with bio-security outsourced to a UK-based company

Umar Farooq18-Mar-2021The window for the unfinished 2021 edition of the Pakistan Super League is likely to begin on May 23, with at least seven days of quarantine to start. The PCB had chalked out two options, with one involving double-headers every day from June 6 and a final on June 20. But ESPNcricinfo understands that the franchises preferred the other option, to have mostly one game per night from June 2, with a final on June 20.The first option had eight straight double-headers with 16 matches scheduled in 10 days followed by three playoffs in two days with the final on Sunday. The second option covers 16 group matches in 13 days. There was a minor disagreement on the timing and the number of days of quarantine, which is still being worked out, with the final decision to be taken by the PSL management in due course.The year’s edition was suspended only after 14 matches, following a spate of Covid-19 cases among players and support staff. It has been decided to resume the season in Karachi in two and a half months’ time with the PCB offering two windows after revamping their coronavirus protocols, which have come under severe fire in the wake of the season stalling in very abrupt fashion. The PCB decided to recruit the services of a UK-based safety and technology company to establish a bio-secure environment this time around.Related

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After the postponement, the PCB constituted a two-member independent committee consisting of infectious disease specialists who will both help the PCB get to the bottom of how an outbreak occurred inside a bio-secure bubble and advise the board on stricter safety measures so that it doesn’t happen again. The head of the PCB medical department Dr Sohail Saleem has already handed in his notice in the fallout.The new window will not clash with the Indian Premier League but the English season will coincide with it. It is understood that several English players are likely to miss out due to a clash with the County Championship and the T20 Blast. The PSL will have a round of replacement drafts closer to the event to allow franchises to have new players on their roster.In June, Pakistan doesn’t host much cricket because of the intense heat. There was one exception though, in 2008, when they hosted their first-ever Asia Cup between June 25 and July 6. Karachi has been chosen as the venue because the weather there is considered to be milder during the summer months.

Fiery outing for Sussex shows progress in recovery from elbow and finger injuries

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2021Jofra Archer demonstrated that his return to fitness is firmly on track following a fiery performance for Sussex on the opening day of their LV= County Championship clash with Kent at Hove, and confirmed he would be ready to step back into the England bubble if selected for the two-Test series against New Zealand, at Lord’s and Edgbaston next month.Archer claimed 2 for 29 in 13 well-grooved overs, with both of his scalps coming in his opening four-over spell, including his England team-mate Zak Crawley, who was caught behind for 7. Kent were rolled aside for 145 inside 55 overs, with Archer’s fellow England prospect, Ollie Robinson, also starring with 3 for 29 in 18 overs.It was Archer’s first Championship appearance for Sussex since September 2018, and potentially his last of the season too, given that the county has no fixture in next week’s round of games – the last that England’s Test players will be able to play ahead of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, beginning on June 2.But, after a low-key outing for Sussex’s second XI against Surrey last week, he assuaged many concerns about his recovery from both a long-term elbow injury, and an operation to remove a shard of glass from the middle finger of his right hand.”It’s great to play again with the [Sussex] lads who I’ve played with nearly all of my career,” Archer told the ECB Reporters’ Network afterwards.”My fitness is fine, I thought I bowled okay. I played in the second team last week and it’s good to get some confidence and I felt fine. I bowled in short spells for protection in case we had a long day but it was overcast, which helped a bit. There was a bit of management, but it all worked out.Related

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“With the [elbow] injury I have tried not to get too frustrated,” he added. “If I’m fit, I guess I will play in the Test series and I feel alright. I would ideally have another game next week but we’re off and then we play Northamptonshire. I don’t know what the plan is but I’d be happy to play again before the Test series. I’d be happy to go into the bubble again.”Archer is sure to be joined in the bubble by Crawley, who made a career-best 267 against Pakistan in last season’s England campaign, but he’s looking forward to heading to Lord’s with the bragging rights after getting the better of their short-lived duel.”I bowl to Zak Crawley in the [England] nets and I have done that quite a bit,” Archer said. “Obviously, you’re never out in the nets so it was good to get him out here, with umpires.”It remains to be seen whether Robinson, too, has done enough to earn a Test debut, but after claiming 28 wickets at 13.35 – and with England indicating that they will offer chances to some new faces – the signs are so far promising.”Hopefully Ollie Robinson will get his [England] chance this summer,” Archer said. “We all know what he can do, he’s a talented bowler and his stats prove that.”