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Johan Botha has said he is enjoying having time to build an innings in his role as a top-order batsman for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL

Tariq Engineer04-May-2011Johan Botha was offered a rare gift two days before Rajasthan Royals’ opening game in the 2011 IPL – the gift of time. With Shane Watson in Bangladesh on international duty with Australia, there was a vacant spot in the top order and captain Shane Warne and coach Jeremy Snape thought Botha could be the man to fill the gap.The South Africa offspinner typically bats down the order for his country, where the need of the hour tends to be quick runs. But he has a reputation for being a resourceful and intelligent limited-overs cricketer, and some of his performances have hinted at more potential with the bat. It was this potential that Snape and Warne sought to unlock.”They both approached me at the same time and we had a general chat and they said ‘are you keen to do it?'” Botha told ESPNcricinfo. “Obviously, I was keen. I always watch guys bat. It is not great coming in with just a few balls to go.”Botha was confident he could handle the responsibility of coming in at No. 3, given his experience of doing it in four-day cricket in South Africa early in his career. That he would be doing it in Twenty20 in the subcontinent, which is always a good place to bat, only made the offer more tempting. But the biggest draw was the time to build an innings.”You have a few balls to have a look,” he said. “The field is up at the start too, so you can get off to a bit of a flier and have 10, 15, or 20 runs before the field is spread out, so that makes quite a difference. Normally, when you come in at the end, it is a few balls to go and one or two of the best bowlers on again, so that is not easy.”The move surprised many but so far Botha has looked like he has been batting up the order all his life. In Rajasthan’s opening game against Deccan Chargers, he made a fluent, unbeaten 67 from 47 balls to lead his team to a comfortable eight-wicket win. He backed that up with 39 from 32 balls, also unbeaten, against Delhi Daredevils as Rajasthan chased down 151.”I’ve really enjoyed it. Most of the time we have chased when I have batted at three and then the game dictates how you must play. It’s pretty simple.”He was also quick to praise his team-mates for making his job easier. “The guys I’ve batted with have been great also. Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson a few times, Ross Taylor … they can hit the ball out of the ground if they want to and that’s taken a little pressure of me.”Botha played in Rajasthan’s first loss to Kolkata Knight Riders but missed the next few games with a finger injury and Rajasthan went into a bit of a tailspin in his absence, despite the arrival of Watson. They lost two of three games in that spell, with the game against Bangalore rained out. Since Botha returned for the seventh game against Kochi, the team has promptly embarked on a three-game winning streak that has taken them into the top four.The streak includes a crucial win over then table-toppers Mumbai Indians on April 29. Botha masterminded his team’s chase of Mumbai’s total of 94, a target made tougher by a two-paced pitch, and his 45 was the highest score on either side by miles. More importantly, he blunted the threat posed by Mumbai’s human-yorker-machine, Lasith Malinga. Following the game against Pune, Botha’s average stands at a lofty 94.50 and his strike-rate is 121.93. Not too shabby for a makeshift top-order batsman.Botha’s unexpected success with the bat has overshadowed his day job, but he has been no mug with the ball either, as the confidence he has gained with the willow has trickled down to his bowling as well.”It has taken a bit of pressure off me. It does make me relax a little bit. To do something for the team is always good. It might not always be bowling. It is nice to contribute in a way. Hopefully, now I can keep doing both.”Warne has used him in every conceivable situation – to open the bowling, control the middle overs and bowl at the end of the innings. His best performance came against Mumbai, when he was introduced in the 16th over, a gamble which paid off spectacularly as Botha took the wickets of Mumbai’s twin towers, Kieron Pollard and Andrew Symonds, on his way to figures of 3 for 6. He has taken five wickets in all to this point in the tournament, and has an economy rate of 6.40, forming a potent spin combination with Warne that can take wickets while simultaneously keeping the run-rate down.Botha said he is happy to bowl whenever he is asked, though it is obviously easier to bowl once the field is spread out. “If you are bowling in the first six, you want to bowl early, in the first or second over because after that the batsmen get in and you are off for a hiding to nothing.”The key to opening the bowling, according to him, is to make sure you practise with the new ball, which is quite slippery when the shine is still on it, and to remember that there are only two guys outside the 30-yard circle in the first six overs. At the same time you want to be aggressive and try to take wickets “because that stops the other team from scoring”.”You are bowling to quality players so you might go for the odd boundary in the first few overs, but I think as long as you stay aggressive and want to take wickets, things will go your way more often than not.” Botha said he relies on changes of pace to keep the batsman guessing and while he may not be the biggest turner of the ball, he is very accurate, which makes it tougher for batsmen to get after him.His recent good run with bat and ball has him thinking perhaps there is an allrounder lurking somewhere inside that is ready to step out on the world stage, though it is still early days. “In the IPL, you can say that. In international cricket, I haven’t performed that well with the bat, or that consistently. I’ve had a good last few months. Yes, I would like to be [an allrounder].”There were many raised eyebrows when Rajasthan spent $950,000 on Botha in the January player auction, but it has already proved to be money well spent.

Filling in as opener, Babar Azam had a good day with the bat but was left to ponder what could have been

Danyal Rasool06-Jan-2025Babar Azam found himself rooted to the crease in disgust. He couldn’t believe the shot he’d played after being set on a surface where there was limited threat from either the pitch or the bowlers. He must have thought he’d never make that mistake again, but two sessions later it happened.So, on a day where Babar scored two half-centuries, the bigger talking point surrounded his shot selection. Well set during Pakistan’s first innings in the opening session, Kwena Maphaka had bowled one well down leg side, and managed to coax Babar into tickling it through to the wicketkeeper. It has been a persistent issue with Babar – the strangle down leg. But then again, so is his manner of dismissal two sessions later when, in the dying throes of the day, he threw his hands at a wide delivery from Marco Jansen, and edged it straight to gully.Related

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Babar admitted the dismissals meant it was disappointment rather than relief that dominated his emotions. “I’m very disappointed with both innings. I started well, but didn’t finish well,” he said. “If you settle, you must go much bigger. That is why I was a bit upset. There were just 15 minutes left.”It was all the more frustrating because South Africa posed no danger of dismissing either him or Shan Masood, who scored an unbeaten hundred. Having sent down nearly a hundred overs across the two innings, their discipline over the last two sessions had been poor; they bowled 10 no-balls in 49 overs of the second innings. There was almost no swing or movement of the seam, and Pakistan’s openers appeared set to finish the day unbeaten, looking to salvage something after the disaster of the first.”The conditions here are different from Centurion,” Babar said. “When you come to South Africa, you don’t expect that [the pitch will be so flat]. With the new ball, it was a bit challenging, but once you settled down and built a partnership, it became easier. But there are some rough patches; you saw a couple of overs from Maharaj to Shan which got some turn and bounce. So the spinner is a bit of a challenge for the batter. But against the fast bowler, if you’re settled, just play your normal game.”There was, however, some relief for Babar. After about two years without a Test fifty, he had scored three on the trot, a run stretching back to the second innings in Centurion. However, all three dismissals were down to poor shot selection rather than bowlers working him out.”I should have capitalised during our partnership, but unfortunately it didn’t happen,” he said. “In the second innings, my partnership with Shan has helped us come back into the game a little. Tomorrow, we have to try and build a partnership, and the longer those partnerships are the more pressure there’ll be on South Africa.”But there is a bigger picture, one that his continued struggle of late has put him in a better position to appreciate. He is the highest run-scorer for Pakistan this series, and now has something every batter values: competitive time at the crease under his belt.”Things change in life all the time,” he said. “I learned a lot during this time [of poor form] when what I wanted to do I wasn’t able to do, and when I couldn’t do the things that people expected of me. I just kept telling myself to stay calm, and believe that my ability and hard work would be vindicated, and to try and enjoy myself. But what was really important was to spend some time on the pitch, and thankfully [that has happened this series].”

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.”

He expects to bat in the top four at the Hurricanes and also provides a wicketkeeping option

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2020Peter Handscomb has completed a move to the Hobart Hurricanes for the BBL, after he was not offered a new deal with the Melbourne Stars following nine seasons with the club, in what could be one of the higher profile moves ahead of the new season.In 51 matches for the Stars, who he has played for since the BBL launched, Handscomb scored 834 runs at 27.80 with a best of 103 not out – his career-best T20 score – against the Perth Scorchers in 2015.Handscomb has signed a two-year deal and will join a strong Hurricanes batting line-up which includes D’Arcy Short, Matthew Wade and Ben McDermott but has lost George Bailey from the middle order following his retirement and he expects to bat in the top four. He would also provide another wicketkeeping option if needed.ALSO READ: Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy and Dawid Malan in talks for BBL deals“I had a good chat with some of the boys I’d played with before, so I’m keen to get down there and play with those guys,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to potentially bat in the top four on a beautiful wicket at a nice ground, it’s exciting to be able to come to Hobart and show what I can do.”He has drifted out of the Australia set-up since a strong lead-up to the 2019 World Cup which he was then unfortunate to miss out on due to the returns of David Warner and Steven Smith. He was called into the squad as a late injury replacement and played in the semi-final against England. He then lost his CA contract earlier this year.”Pete has been a fantastic contributor and leader around the group for so many years,” the Stars head coach, David Hussey, said. “I’m lucky enough to have been able to both play alongside him and coach him and he’ll always be part of the broader group.”Scott Barnes, the Hurricanes general manager, said: “We’re thrilled to have Pete join the Hurricanes. There will be a number of first-time Hurricanes this season and we’re confident that the mix of youth and experience will see us through to the finals for another season.””His experience and tenacity at the crease is well known, and for him to be in purple this season provides another level of confidence to our batting line-up and overall team leadership.”England opener Jonny Bairstow is a target for the Stars to fill one of their overseas slots.

While Edulji wants Ramesh Powar to continue, Rai appoints ad-hoc committee to shortlist new coach

Sidharth Monga and Nagraj Gollapudi 11-Dec-2018The question of the coach for the India women’s team, itself a highly divisive matter within the side, has become the latest flashpoint in the two-member Committee of Administrators (CoA), with Diana Edulji taking strong exception to the “unilateral” decision taken by Vinod Rai over the process of appointing a new coach.The war of words between the two surviving members of the CoA, which has been reduced from four following the resignations of two other original members, also reopened the role played by Virat Kohli in the controversial departure of Anil Kumble as the head coach of the India men’s team last year.

Powar reapplies for India women coach role

Ramesh Powar, whose tenure as the interim coach of the India women’s team ended on November 30, has reapplied for the position.
“I can’t let the girls down, especially Harman, Smriti for showing the support for the hard work we put together for three months,” Powar told ESPNcricinfo. “Whatever happens next is not in my control. Their backing gives you that much satisfaction that they recognise your hard work, their own hard work, the hard work we put together to qualify [for the World T20 semi-finals] after eight years, winning 14 games in a row, no matter whether it was beating Australia A or beating Australia. I thought about it for a week, discussed it with my friends and family. I felt I should do what’s in my control – to reapply – especially to respect their support and the hard work we put in together in such a short time which took us to the semis.”

Despite Edulji’s insistence on retaining Ramesh Powar, who had been India women’s interim coach till the World T20, Rai had signed a BCCI media release, which stated that an ad-hoc committee was formed to shortlist and finalise the new coach. The panel, comprising Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shanta Rangaswamy, will conduct interviews on December 20.Rai said he was “constrained” to give the final instructions to appoint the ad-hoc committee in the “best interests” of women’s cricket. “We can’t extend uncertainty,” Rai said in an email sent to Edulji and the BCCI hierarchy, including the three office bearers.Edulji, who was disappointed with Rai’s decision, told ESPNcricinfo that “this committee has not been approved by me”. She strongly disagreed with Rai, saying he could not take “unilateral” decisions, considering the Supreme Court had given her equal authority.”As chairman he can’t take any unilateral decisions as there is no casting vote for chairman,” she said. “It is strange that in a democratic set-up of the CoA only views of one person are considered and the views expressed by other member who was also appointed by the Supreme Court along with you don’t matter.”The divide between the two CoA members surfaced as soon as the BCCI opted against renewing Powar’s contract, which had expired on November 30. Powar was appointed as the interim coach from September 1, replacing Tushar Arothe, who had to resign after senior players had told the BCCI that they did not agree with his coaching style.In a long trail of emails exchanged with Rai, which have been accessed by ESPNcricinfo, Edulji stressed that Powar should “continue” as coach because India’s T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana had requested he do so.Edulji reminded Rai that the precedent of listening to the player’s view had already been set last year during the controversial resignation of Kumble, who was told by the BCCI that Kohli had differences with his style of coaching. Edulji told Rai that he had accepted Kohli’s word despite Kumble having the backing of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), the three-member selection panel that had appointed him as coach.”The captain [Harmanpreet] and vice-captain [Mandhana] have requested their choice, so why can’t we respect their choice for this tour till we get clarity on the committee,” Edulji said in an email on Tuesday. “We can go ahead and continue with the same coach. The views of the two senior players must not be ignored.”Virat did not accede to Kumble continuing inspite of CAC saying so, then why not these two players get what they feel is best for the team.”Rehab mates: Harmanpreet and Mandhana, captain and vice-captain of India’s T20I team, spent quality time with each other while recovering from injuries at NCA•Annesha Ghosh/Annesha Ghosh/ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In response, Rai argued that although Kumble had “stepped back” due to the “differences” with Kohli, players had not sent emails to CoA or the BCCI. Rai told Edulji that a head coach could not be picked by asking for the players’ votes. “Yes- there were differences between Virat and Kumble,” Rai said. “As a consequence of that Kumble stepped back. More importantly, the team did not send emails. The team must realise that that coaches are not decided on team votes.”Edulji responded saying there was “nothing wrong” with Harmanpreet and Mandhana recording their opinions about the coach saga in emails because “they were truthful in expressing their views.” Despite earning the backing of a majority of the Indian players, Powar could not earn similar respect from the team’s senior-most player and ODI captain Mithali Raj.Raj was included in only three out of the five matches India played in the World T20 and was dropped for the semi-finals against England. In a scathing email to the BCCI management, Raj said Powar wanted to “destroy” her career. In response, Powar said Raj threatened to walk out of the WT20 and retire if she was not allowed to open.Edulji also accused Rai of keeping her away from discussions when he met Raj and Harmanpreet in Delhi recently to resolve the differences between the pair and seek their views on the appointment of coach. The next day, Powar received a shot in the arm after Harmanpreet and Mandhana had sent out separate emails urging the CoA and the BCCI to continue with Powar, who they said had a positive impact on the players. As for the differences between Powar and Raj, both players insisted these could be sorted amicably. “In my absence, you had a meeting with the two women cricket captains and when I enquired on the same; you replied saying they wanted to meet you, so you met them. Once again, you have failed to understand that I have an equal say in all matters of BCCI as CoA with equal rights not less not more.”Edulji also wanted the CAC comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman to conduct the interviews and shortlist the names for the women’s coach. The CAC members had informed the BCCI that they were not available to be present at such short notice, but given a “defined role” and adequate time they would be happy to help. Edulji suggested India could travel with Powar continuing as the interim coach for their tour of New Zealand in January, allowing CAC to do their job.However, Rai was in no mood to oblige. “We cannot now withdraw and say that we will continue with our ad-hoc coach of three months – who has been the reason for such bad blood in the team. This chapter has to be closed and the earlier the better.”Rai said that he could not understand why Edulji and the senior players were against hiring a new, experienced head coach, who could possibly help them crossover the “plateau” they keep hitting in big-ticket tournaments like the World Cup.Rai asked Edulji to instead “persuade” the Indian women players to “grow out of micro issues” and see the “macro” picture.” “What I cannot understand is why some members of the team, or any other person advising them, is against having an internationally acclaimed coach. Don’t we seek to upgrade the team from the plateau that they keep hitting in international games?

The protective headgear – part helmet, part face mask – is designed to protect Warren Barnes from a possible injury due to his unique follow-through

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2017Batsmen and wicketkeepers have worn helmets for decades now, and with the evolution of power-hitting, especially in the T20 format, a few umpires and bowlers are also exploring the option of protective headgear to guard against injury. In Hamilton on Saturday, it was the turn of 25-year-old Otago fast bowler Warren Barnes to trial protective headgear while bowling against Northern Districts in a Super Smash T20 match.The headgear – part helmet and part face-mask – has been designed by Barnes and Otago coach Rob Walter, to protect the bowler from injury due to his unique follow-through. Barnes’ head goes down in his follow through, meaning his eyes are off the ball after release, which makes him vulnerable to straight drives hit back by the batsman. The headgear partially covers Barnes’ face but protects the crown of his head.Barnes is looking to avoid the kind of injury that Nottinghamshire bowler Luke Fletcher suffered during a Natwest t20 Blast match earlier this year. Fletcher was struck on the head in his follow-through, by a ferocious straight hit from Birmingham batsman Sam Hain. He was concussed, but did not lose consciousness and was attended to by para-medics in the dressing room before being taken to a Nottinghamshire hospital for further examination. Fletcher was ruled out for the remainder of the season and earlier this month was cleared to resume full training.

ESPNCricinfo previews the first T20I between India and England in Pune

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria19-Dec-2012

Match facts

India would hope for change in fortunes with the change in format•Getty Images

December 20, 2012
Start time 1900 (1330 GMT)

Big Picture

Only three days ago, the two teams were part of a draining battle in the Test series in which things went from bad to worse for India while England rose in confidence and three days later, they are ready to take on each other for a couple of Twenty20s. Of the two, India need a win, any win.For India, it is a strange situation. First, they fell in their own trap in the Tests and now they need to find the motivation to come out of the slump and play positive cricket. It doesn’t help that the nucleus of their T20 squad is still the same as the Test side. MS Dhoni, whose leadership has been under fire, needs to arrest the slide and switch gears for a format, which appears, suited to the Indian team – hard-hitting batsmen, restrictive bowlers and a wait-and-watch style of captaincy. The reality, though, is that India haven’t really dominated on the international level even in T20s.Unlike India, England’s T20 side bears a completely different look. The architects of the series win are already back in England for Christmas, but they have left a scarred Indian team for their T20 generation to feast upon. Most in the side, captained by Eoin Morgan, have been in India for some time now and would have spent time getting used to the spinning conditions. So on paper, England have again been methodical in their preparations. That doesn’t directly translate to success – if pitches take spin, the young side could again appear like rabbit in headlights. But it points to one clear difference between the two sides – one fighting their demons, the other ignoring theirs.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
India WWLWW
England LWLLW

In the spotlight

Yuvraj Singh may have flopped in the Tests, but he remains a dangerous limited-overs player. His inclusion in the T20 squad three months back appeared driven by emotions, but since then, Yuvraj has spent a considerable amount of time in the middle. He has scored a couple of hundreds at the first-class level and although he appeared inept in the Tests, he would prefer England’s new-look bowling attack to stamp his authority.Eoin Morgan has been a regular in England’s limited-overs sides and in Stuart Broad’s absence, he has been awarded with the captaincy. Morgan, one of England’s best players against spin, will not only be the lynchpin in the middle order, he will have the responsibility of mentoring the inexperienced players. His IPL experience will come in handy for England to draw up plans against the Indian players.

Team news

Ten of the 15 players in India’s squad also took part in the Test series. Ambati Rayudu, who replaced the injured Manoj Tiwary, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are the two new additions apart from the regulars but could find it hard to make it to the XI. Parwinder Awana could make his international debut after L Balaji and Vinay Kumar were withdrawn from the squad due to injuries.India: (likely) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (capt), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Ashok Dinda, 11 Parwinder AwanaEngland lost Stuart Broad to a heel injury and was replaced by the Middlesex seamer James Harris. However, he is unlikely to make it to the XI with Tim Bresnan, Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker ahead of him. Joe Root, who was not part of the original T20 squad, could find a place after his impressive showing in the Nagpur Test.England (likely) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Michael Lumb/Joe Root, 3 Luke Wright, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Jos Buttler, 6 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Jade Dernbach, 11 Stuart Meaker

Stats and trivia

• This will be the first international match at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium in Pune.
• England have played 53 T20Is to India’s 41. Their win-loss record is 27-23, which is similar to India’s 22-17.
• The two teams have met each other only five times, with England winning three. MS Dhoni is the only player to have played in all five matches.
• Of the players in the two teams, Jade Dernbach has the most wickets in T20Is – 18.

Quotes

“It’s a completely different format. I don’t think there is anything carrying forward from the Test series.”

India have come out as major beneficiaries of the new Future Tours Programme, which was ratified by the ICC board at its annual conference in Hong Kong

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2011India have come out as major beneficiaries of the new Future Tours Programme, which was ratified by the ICC board at its annual conference in Hong Kong. As reported first by
ESPNcricinfo on June 25, India, England and Australia will feature in most Tests among the Full Members, and India will play the top teams more frequently than they have in recent years. Also, the Champions League Twenty20 has an official annual window in September, while the IPL seems to have an unofficial one, with few international series scheduled in April and May, allowing most players to participate in it.India, currently No. 1 in the ICC Tests rankings, will play 102 Tests between now and April 2020, including the current Test in Bridgetown. One-fifth of those matches (21) will be against England. In fact, India will travel to England twice to play a five-match series in 2014 and 2018. Apart from the Ashes, no other Test series involves five matches. In the next eight years, India will play Australia twice at home and twice away – all four-match Test series – and South Africa in four three-Test series.Another significant detail in the FTP is that Pakistan are scheduled to tour India for three Tests and five ODIs in March-April 2012. If the tour goes ahead, it will be the first Test series between the two countries since 2007, after which political relations between the two countries were strained in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.The FTP has accounted for the Test championship play-offs to be played in England summers in 2013 and then in 2017.In what is likely to come as respite for some, there are far fewer match-ups between India and Sri Lanka. The two subcontinent neighbours played each other in nine Tests, 30 ODIs and four Twenty20s between July 2008 and the 2011 World Cup final, which was deemed monotonous by critics. India will play just 12 Tests against Sri Lanka in the next nine years, and there will be only two bilateral ODI series between the two teams. As reported earlier, India will not host both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe for either Test or ODIs, though they will tour Bangladesh twice, in 2014 and again in 2015, and Zimbabwe twice, in 2013 and 2016.England and Australia will play 109 and 107 Tests respectively between now and April 2020, with five Ashes series planned – three in England and two in Australia. South Africa will play just 82 Tests and have long winter-breaks. New Zealand will contest in 80, Sri Lanka 88 and West Indies 84. Pakistan, who have had to play their home series at neutral venues in recent times due to security concerns in their own country, will host Bangladesh and Australia in 2012, and South Africa in 2013. They will play 88 Tests in total till April 2020.

On an opening day full of twists and turns, it was fitting that Railways’ choice of opener – Murali Kartik – caused much surprise

Abhishek Purohit24-Dec-2010On an opening day full of twists and turns, it was fitting that Railways’ choice of opener caused much surprise. Baroda, who had chosen to field, were startled to see India left-arm spinner Murali Kartik walk out with Shreyas Khanolkar, in place of regular opener Faiz Fazal.”We had planned this move, it’s not that we went ahead with it just like that. We wanted to have a left-handed opener in the absence of Fazal (who opted out for his sister’s wedding), and Kartik has done the job before as well. I have used him as an opener in my time as captain, and he played some beautiful shots today,” Abhay Sharma, the Railways coach, told ESPNcricinfo. And the plan was executed ably by Kartik, who hammered nine fours and two sixes in making 57, his 17th first-class half-century.Munaf Patel had got the big wicket of Railways captain Sanjay Bangar for 2, but to Baroda’s consternation, Kartik consolidated in the company of young Prashant Awasthi to take the score past 100 from 25 for 2. “I thought they put Kartik in to negate Munaf, who nevertheless beat him on numerous occasions. But yeah, he did the job for his side,” Mukesh Narula, the Baroda coach, said.Yusuf Pathan and Munaf struck right back, taking five wickets for 16 runs as Railways plummeted to 125 for 7. But the visitors refused to give in, and a recalled Yere Goud, playing in place of Fazal, led a recovery along with JP Yadav and Nileshkumar Chauhan as Railways finished on 241 for 8.Abhay admitted they were around 50 runs short of a good total on a wicket where the ball is coming on to the bat. “Around 300 would be a decent score. The wicket looks like it might spin, and there is also some bounce.” Railways are certainly expecting turn, having gone in with three spinners, contrary to expectations.”After the first session when it was nipping around, the wicket seems to have settled down. It should be good for batting tomorrow,” Narula said. “I think 350 would be a par total. I doubt it will spin a lot, even if it does, the turn should be slow.” Narula thinks Baroda have the game under control. “I believe we have the upper hand now, despite their late recovery.”

Round-up of the second day of the semi-final round of the Ranji Trophy Plate League

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2010Madhya Pradesh took the crucial first-innings lead against Andhra at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, and are now favourites to make it to the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals. Andhra’s 230 had started to look a lot bigger when they reduced MP to 19 for 3. But captain Devendra Bundela and Harpreet Singh got the hosts out of trouble with a 178-run partnership for the fourth wicket. After Bundela was caught behind off seamer P Vijaykumar for 48, the 19-year-old Harpreet got his maiden first-class century. MP ended the day at 299 for 7, 69 ahead. Andhra’s opening bowlers had given them some hope in the morning. Vijaykumar dismissed Jalaj Saxena for a duck in the second over, and then Doddapaneni Kalyankrishna took two quick wickets. But Bundela and Harpreet took the game away from Andhra who will need to effect a turnaround and look for a win to qualify for the quarter-finals.
A double-century by Aakash Chopra took Rajasthan to a huge total against Maharashtra at the Golf Club Ground in Nasik. The visitors finished the second day at 551 for 6 with Chopra still unbeaten on 262 – his highest first-class score. Rajasthan had set the base on the first day, getting to 293 for 2 with Chopra batting on 145. They continued to torment Maharashtra on Thursday. Robin Bist got to 81, which was surprisingly only Rajasthan’s second half-century after Chopra’s massive score. Maharashtra’s bowlers had only themselves to blame as they gave away 74 runs in extras – 25 of those coming from no-balls. With a first-innings lead good enough to take either side in to the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals, Rajasthan may not be in a hurry to declare on Friday.