Playing on uncovered pitches and incentivising wins by tweaking the Ranji Trophy points system were some of the ideas proposed at a BCCI conclave for domestic captains and coaches

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-2012Playing on uncovered pitches, incentivising wins by tweaking the Ranji Trophy points system, scheduling Ranji knockouts at neutral venues, increasing the number of rest days between games, increasing the number of bouncers allowed per over in first-class cricket; these were all ideas proposed at a BCCI conclave for domestic captains and coaches, in Mumbai.With team officials from nearly 27 states in attendance, the meeting was chaired by BCCI president N Srinivasan along with Sanjay Jagdale and Ratnakar Shetty, the board secretary and chief-administrative officer respectively. The conclave, a concept that had been discontinued a few years ago, made a resounding comeback according to some participants, who said there had been fruitful discussions.One of most important discussions in this year’s conclave concerned the revamping of the points system in the Ranji Trophy. WV Raman, the former India opener and current Bengal coach, suggested there was a need to encourage teams to win games outright. Under the current points system, once a team takes the first-innings lead they sit back, he said. “My suggestion was if a team gets a first-innings lead then give them the impetus to go for an outright win by allowing them to retain the three points even if they lose the game. The team that wins will get four points.”According to the existing rules, a team that takes a first-innings lead gets three points if the match ends in a draw, with the opponent getting one point. An outright win is worth five points with an additional bonus point available for an innings victory or ten-wicket win. According to Raman’s formula, a team would secure three points once they took a first-innings lead, regardless of the result, and would then chase a further four points for a win.”It will give the teams the drive to challenge the opponents and make sporting declarations,” Raman said.The other topic which saw animated discussion was that of uncovered pitches. Bishan Singh Bedi, the former India captain and current Jammu & Kashmir coach, said playing on uncovered pitches would toughen up domestic batsmen and simultaneously negate home advantage in matches. The idea met some opposition, particularly, according to Hyderabad coach Sunil Joshi, from the batsmen and coaches at the conclave.”In domestic cricket the quality of bowling is bad while the batsmen continue to bat on for days,” Bedi said. “The uncovered pitches will give the bowlers some encouragement.”According to Joshi, a better idea would be to use uncovered pitches at the Under-19 and Under-22 levels. “That would allow the youngsters to negotiate variable bounce, moisture, dew and a variety of other factors. It could be a good learning experience not only for the youngsters but also for the coaches,” Joshi said.During the BCCI’s technical committee meeting last month, Sourav Ganguly and his nine-member panel had struck down the suggestion of playing Ranji matches at neutral venues, an idea that had come out of the BCCI working committee meeting. The technical committee had recommended carrying on with the existing home-and-away format during the league phase.One advantage of neutral venues would be that sides like Tamil Nadu could avoid playing in Chennai, where several matches are affected by rain•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

During the conclave, many coaches and captains supported the idea of knockout matches being played at neutral grounds, saying it would guard against any bias a home-team curator might have while preparing a pitch. However, Raman pointed out that the home team lost in both semi-finals and the final this Ranji season. “So you can’t take it for granted that the home side will tweak things in their favour,” Raman said. Also, Raman said, the fact that BCCI grounds and pitches committee officials were present to overlook pitch preparations during the knockout phase was a good enough assurance that tracks would be fair to both sides.Raman also suggested at the conclave that fast bowlers be allowed to bowl three bouncers in an over in first-class cricket. “It would give the fast bowlers an added weapon and also help batsman counter short-pitch bowling,” Raman said. It was an extension, Raman said, of the technical committee’s decision to allow two bouncers in an over during domestic one-day tournaments.There was also a unanimous opinion among the captains and coaches that a four-day break between matches during the Ranji season was needed as opposed to the prevailing three-day breaks.Ganguly’s committee had suggested that Kookaburra balls continue being used during the Duleep Trophy. That idea did not find favour at the conclave, as members suggested playing with SG Test balls would be better. “What is the point of playing with a Kookaburra ball when the domestic players play the Ranji season with SG balls,” Joshi said. “Also, in the next 18 months India will be playing only at home so it would be much better to use SG during the Duleep Trophy too.”Kookaburra balls are used for the domestic 50-over and 20-over competitions, and it was recommended that teams be given more balls to practise with, well in advance of the tournaments. “Normally we are given a few Kookaburra balls two days before the tournament. How do you expect the bowlers to get used to it?” one of the coaches said. Another idea discussed was the introduction of a league phase in the Duleep and Deodhar Trophy.Joshi and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the captain of Rajasthan, winners of the last two Ranji Trophies, proposed the idea of having just one group in both Elite and Plate divisions, increasing the number of games each team would play in the league phase, and thus giving them more chances to qualify for the knockouts. “So you play about 14 matches in the Elite division, and 11 in Plate. Then you could have the top four or the top two from each group progress to the quarterfinals or the semi-finals,” Joshi said.That idea, though, was in contradiction to the agreed-upon notion that players needed more rest. “On the one hand people wanted the rest period increased, but at the same time they were requesting more cricket in an already packed calendar,” one of the captains who attended the meeting said.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill fired Derbyshire into a strong position at the end of the third day against Northamptonshire.

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2012New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill fired Derbyshire into a strong position at the end of the third day against Northamptonshire. With so little to choose between the two sides at the end of the first innings, Guptill set Derbyshire off to the perfect start in their second innings with an authoritative 131 not out as he and partner Paul Borrington put on an unbroken 213 for the first wicket.Northants did not help their own cause by dropping three catches off the pair and, at the close, Derbyshire had an overall lead of 235, having earlier bowled the visitors out for 264.
Borrington’s share of the opening stand was 66 not out in an admirably defiant effort. He has faced 226 balls so far and has hit six boundaries, content to allow Guptill to be the more free-flowing stroke-player but both players had to be exceptionally cautious at the beginning of their innings.With plenty of swing for the seamers in the overcast conditions, the first 20 overs from Northants allowed only 20 runs and the Derbyshire pair had to ride their luck at times as the ball regularly beat the outside edge.But the batsmen began to feel more comfortable shortly after lunch, with Guptill leading the way. He was given a life on 43 when Alex Wakely dropped him at first slip and the same fielder also later spilled another chance in the same position when Borrington was 42.
Guptill brought up his century with a steered single to third man off the last ball of the 51st over. It was his sixth in first-class cricket and his second for Derbyshire, coming off 135 balls with 11 fours and a six.On 108, Guptill was dropped again as substitute fielder Con de Lange put down a steepling chance at deep mid-wicket and, when bad light brought an early close with 15 overs to go, he was edging towards his highest score for the county, which is 143.Derbyshire earlier earned their first-innings lead of 22 when they claimed the last three Northants wickets for 23 runs in the first 10 overs of the morning. James Middlebrook added only five more to his overnight score of 40 when he attempted to force Mark Footitt away off the back foot and was caught by wicketkeeper Tom Poynton to make it 252 for 8 in the fifth over of the day.There were seven fours and a six in Middlebrook’s valuable innings and with him went Northants’ chance of nudging into a lead. Tony Palladino finished them off as Lee Daggett edged to second slip and Jack Brooks to first slip.

Chris Nash and Ed Joyce turned the clock back 12 months with an unbroken stand of 143 before the weather halted a Sussex charge against Worcestershire

18-May-2012Chris Nash and Ed Joyce turned the clock back 12 months with an unbroken stand of 143 before the weather halted a Sussex charge against Worcestershire in the Division One match at New Road.Their first century partnership in a year stretched their team’s lead to a commanding 199 but bad light and light rain wiped out the final session and put declaration plans on hold until the last day.It was a timely resurgence by a pair who lost some of their momentum after starting last season with five three-figure stands, culminating in a stand of 201 in a successful run chase against Somerset at Hove on May 19. Nash has not scored a century since reaching 120 in that match but the trip to Worcester for his 100th appearance in first-class cricket has been highly profitable so far with scores of 84 and 69 not out.Apart from a couple of sketchy shots, notably a top-edged cut parried by Michael Klinger at third slip, Nash played himself into a good rhythm. His driving was particularly impressive with 11 fours before the umpires took the players off at 3.00pm.In cruising to 70 from 118 balls, Joyce was a different player from the one who laboured for more than an hour over 6 runs in the first innings. His timing was spot-on from the outset, with nothing better than an effortless pull for six off David Lucas, and he also notched eight other boundaries.For Worcestershire, the third day, albeit cut short by 44 overs, became increasingly uncomfortable. Last year they stayed in Division One despite losing their first six matches. This year there has been an improvement, with three draws so far, but finding a way to win games will be key to their survival battle.Any hopes they had of matching Sussex’s first innings total of 315 evaporated on the third morning with their dismissal for 259 after losing their last three wickets for the addition of 28 runs. Jack Shantry managed to hold out with 22 not out in his first Championship knock of the season but there was nothing substantial from his partners.Ben Scott was leg-before to Jimmy Anyon, Lucas was run out by Nash’s quick reactions at short leg and Richard Jones scooped up a catch to mid-on as Monty Panesar completed a return of 3 for 65 in 23 overs. In terms of economy Steve Magoffin had the best figures after an immaculate performance in bowling 30 overs for his 2 for 35.

Lancashire have bolstered their ranks for this season’s Friends Life t20 campaign with the recruitment of Pakistan all-rounder Yasir Arafat

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2012Lancashire have bolstered their ranks for this season’s Friends Life t20 campaign with the recruitment of Pakistan allrounder Yasir Arafat.Arafat, 30, will join his compatriot Junaid Khan as Lancashire’s second overseas player for the 20-over tournament. Lancashire will be Arafat’s fourth county after spells at Surrey, Sussex and Kent. He has played three Tests for Pakistan as well as 11 ODIs and seven T20Is.Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s director of cricket, said: “The addition of Yasir to our squad emphasises our determination to progress in the Friends Life t20 tournament and we are delighted to have him on board. Our squad doesn’t have the depth that we have been accustomed to and Yasir brings experience and skill to fulfil this important role.”Peter Moores, the head coach, said: “Yasir has a wealth of experience of playing in this country. He is a very experienced one day bowler and a big hitter of the ball down the order.”Arafat, who last played for Pakistan two years ago, told PakPassion.net that his aim was a place in World Twenty20.”I’ve been out of favour with the national side for more than two years and all I can do is to try and perform well and to attempt to impress the selection committee,” he said. “I would dearly love to play in the Twenty20 World Cup later this year.”

Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain who was convicted of spot-fixing, has returned home after serving seven months in prison

Umar Farooq22-Jun-2012Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain who was convicted of spot-fixing, has returned home after serving seven months in prison. He arrived in Lahore at around 2.30 on Friday morning, exited from the airport lobby and spoke to reporters. He said he was not involved in any spot-fixing but claimed his mistake was not to report to the ICC when an offer was made.Butt, wearing a green polo shirt and jeans, was surrounded by a crowd as he made his way out of the airport after being cleared by Pakistan’s immigration authorities, and had to shout for walking space. “I have no links with spot-fixing nor I have never entertained any offer, nothing ever practically happened in a match that was linked to any offer,” he told reporters. “Of spot-fixing or any fixing, I never asked anyone to do anything or bowl any no-balls, I am not associated with it.”I apologised to the ICC for this, I did not report the events (in advance) between these two to three months because I knew the person. To the people of Pakistan, all the cricketers, those who support us and make us stars, I apologise – but for failure to report.”Butt was jailed in November for his part in the delivery of deliberate no-balls in a Test match at Lord’s in 2010. Originally sentenced for 30 months, he was released seven months into his sentence under the UK government’s early-release scheme for foreign nationals. However, it means he has been formally deported from the UK and cannot return to the country for 10 years.”I am happy and relieved,” Butt said upon his arrival. “No place like Pakistan. I want two to three days with my family and once I [have] that, I will hold a detailed press conference to answer all questions to clear my name from spot-fixing.”I am thankful to all those who helped me in difficult times and I hope my tough days are over. I am desperate to see my second son, whom I’ve not seen since his birth.” Butt’s second son was born on November 3, the day he was sentenced.Fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were also found guilty of corruption and accepting corrupt payments. Asif was released in May after serving six months of his 12-month prison term but he is still in the UK, planning his appeal against a seven-year ban from cricket. Amir served three months in the young offenders’ institute and is currently undergoing rehabilitation with a psychologist in Lahore.While Amir has decided not to appeal against the ICC ban, Butt said he was planning to. “I am consulting my legal advisers and will decide on when to appeal against the ICC ban.” When asked what he wanted to do next, Butt said he wanted to make a comeback as a “good person, a good Pakistani and a good cricketer.”Mazhar Majeed, the agent who was accused of setting up the deal that was uncovered by a sting operation, was imprisoned for 32 months. He is the only one among the conspirators still in prison.

Kevin Pietersen has opened the door for an England comeback in limited-overs international cricket, admitting he would “love to play for another three or four years in all forms of cricket”

George Dobell13-Jul-2012Kevin Pietersen has sensationally opened the door for an England comeback in limited-overs international cricket, admitting he would “love to play for another three or four years in all forms of cricket.”It is understood that Pietersen’s representative privately met ECB officials to discuss a return on Thursday night. Pietersen is also thought to have met Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, earlier in the week.Asked whether negotiations into his England return in all three forms of the game were ongoing, Pietersen replied: “I think so.”Pietersen did not disguise his discontent with the way he has been managed by England, matters that would surely have to be resolved if he was to make a smooth return into the England side.He complained that he had “never been looked after” by the England management and insisted that his schedule would have to be eased before he consented to a return.Pietersen, speaking moments after he finished the third day of Surrey’s Championship match at Guildford unbeaten on 234, reiterated his desire to be included in England’s World Twenty20 squad in Sri Lanka in September.The selectors meet this weekend to pick a 30-man preliminary squad for the tournament and must submit it to the ICC on July 18. England enter the tournament as defending champions.Pietersen retired from limited-overs international cricket at the end of May. While he wanted only to retire from the 50-over game and to continue to play T20 cricket, the terms of England central contracts state that for a player to be considered for either format of limited-overs cricket, they must be available for both.”I’ve always said I want to play in the T20,” Pietersen said. “But I needed to get away from the schedule. I cannot keep playing every single day’s cricket. I’ve never been looked after. I cannot keep playing every warm-up game, I cannot keep practising every single day. There comes a time when I know what I need to do to be successful. I’ve got a young family and I cannot be on the treadmill all day every day.”I’ve said before that, if the schedule was right, if they could sort my schedule out, I would love to play for another three or four years in all forms of cricket. But the schedule at the moment is a nightmare.”Morris was an influential figure when Pietersen lost his job as England captain more than three years ago after a breakdown in his relationship with England’s coach at the time, Peter Moores, broke down. Moores was also sacked.England’s unease will be all the greater because Andy Flower, England’s director of cricket, has referred to similar tensions in balancing his professional and personal life because of the proliferation of international cricket.

Ricky Ponting has said he is motivated every day by the memories of losing the past two Ashes series in England and he hopes to retain his place long enough to have another chance to win the urn away from home

Brydon Coverdale13-Aug-2012Ricky Ponting has said he is motivated every day by the memories of losing the past two Ashes series in England and he hopes to retain his place long enough to have another chance to win the urn away from home. Ponting will be 38 when Australia tour England next year and having had his ODI career ended by the national selectors earlier this year, he knows that he will not make the trip unless his form over the coming 12 months justifies it.As a Test-only player, Ponting now has plenty of down-time to ponder his goals, and while his colleagues fly out for a limited-overs tour of the UAE this month he will remain at home, working on his game. And visions of Michael Vaughan, Andrew Strauss and their team-mates raising the urn in triumph at The Oval will not disappear.”It’s one of the biggest motivators I have right now. Every morning I get up and go to the gym and I’m pounding away on the bike or the treadmill, it’s with some of the memories of The Oval still in my mind from the last couple of tours,” Ponting told ABC Radio on Monday. “They’re things that don’t go away quickly.”We’ve been very close over there on the last couple of tours, haven’t quite been good enough and we were nowhere good enough when England were in Australia last time. I think all Australian Test players have a point to prove to England and probably more of a point to prove in England.”But while thoughts of an Ashes redemption are in Ponting’s mind, he knows that he cannot afford to overlook the many contests looming before that trip. His next engagement for Australia will be the Test series against South Africa starting in early November, before three Tests against Sri Lanka, and then a tour of India before the Ashes.There is also the prospect of playing in two more Ashes battles, for back-to-back series have been scheduled for next year, with England to tour Australia barely six months after the series in England. By then Ponting will be 39, and while reaching that point while remaining in the baggy green might seem like a best-case scenario for him, it is not a goal he thinks is out of reach.”It might be easier to sustain now that I’m only playing one form of the game,” Ponting said of the desire to keep playing. “The amount of cricket that I’ve played over the last 15 years is pretty immense, 160-odd Tests and 370 one-dayers… that’s a lot of cricket. Now that I’m not playing that one-day side of things I’m playing a few [Sheffield] Shield games this year, a few Ryobi Cup games, I’ll get a few more Hurricanes games this year, but as far as where do I end, that all depends on how my hunger is and how I’m playing and how my form is.”We’ve got 18 months of some of the most competitive Test cricket that we’ve had in a long time: South Africa in Australia, India in India and then the Ashes, back-to-back series pretty much. It doesn’t get any bigger or better than that for an Australian cricketer. If I can make it through to the end of that, that would be great. If I can play well enough to have an impact on some wins through that period that would be great as well. Really for me all I can focus on now is being right for the start of November.”In Ponting’s favour is the fact that few middle-order batsmen are knocking the door down at domestic level. The national selector John Inverarity has spoken of George Bailey, Peter Forrest and David Hussey potentially being the next men in line for Test cricket but none have dominated in the Shield over the past few years to the extent that their case is irresistible. Ponting said he would accept it if he lost his place to someone more deserving.”If there’s someone out there better than me that is breathing down my neck and pushing me out the side, that’s international sport,” he said. “If there’s someone better than Michael Hussey or David Warner that’s the way it is. You have to be picking the best team to win every game you play. I honestly think if we play the way these guys can play and we just do things that little bit better … they’ll find it hard to beat us – I don’t care who we play.”

“If I bat in the top order, I will get more chances to score runs and more chances to face balls,” Shakib Al Hasan has said

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-2012Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal have long been mainstays of Bangladesh’s batting, but Tamim has usually been in charge of providing the momentum at the top with Shakib finishing things from No. 5.In the T20s, though, with Shakib having been bumped up to No. 3, the pair will be in charge of providing a good start. While the move potentially gives two of Bangladesh’s best batsmen more time in the middle, the team will have plenty to worry about if they are both dismissed early. That, though, has happened only once in seven matches in the last three months – against Ireland.Shakib has so far batted at his new position in six T20Is and once during the unofficial matches in Port-of-Spain, and said on Friday that he’s comfortable in the new role. “If I bat in the top order, I will get more chances to score runs and more chances to face balls. I am looking forward to batting at No. 3,” he said in Colombo.Though his average is 17.71 in the seven innings batting at No. 3, he has just about done the job expected of him in several of those games – either by batting past the halfway stage to leave the team in a decent position or by staying till the end in chases.Shakib said one of the keys to Bangladesh’s success will be temperament. “There’ll be some tough situations but we know how to handle it,” he said. “The boys have been playing cricket constantly for a year so they’ll understand how to handle the pressure and if we can do this, we’ll win the matches.”Bangladesh have a mediocre record in World Twenty20s so far, but will be boosted by Tamim’s resurgence as a Twenty20 opener, which has come about after he began properly understanding what his role is. A good run of recent form has seen him make his three highest Twenty20 scores in his previous four innings.”I have been playing quite a few T20s recently, around 15-20 in the last month or so,” Tamim said. “I think I am in very good shape, I understand the game better than before. I hope I can carry it into the World T20 and perform well.”Earlier I was struggling to pace my innings. I used to attack from ball one. Now I think I am batting more cleverly – attacking as well as picking up the singles. That’s how you should bat in T20s.”Bangladesh step up their preparations with a practice match against Zimbabwe on Saturday and are expected to play their best XI leading up to their first match in the tournament proper against New Zealand on September 21.

Pakistan began their warm-up for the ICC World Twenty20 with a comprehensive win over Australia in Dubai, where their spinners flummoxed Australia’s long batting line-up

The Report by Brydon Coverdale05-Sep-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Raza Hasan picked up two wickets on debut•AFP

Pakistan began their warm-up for the ICC World Twenty20 with a comprehensive win over Australia in Dubai, where their spinners flummoxed Australia’s long batting line-up. Not since the second T20 international ever played had Australia scored as few in an innings as the 89 for which they were dismissed in this match, and although Pakistan lost three wickets in the chase they were never in danger of losing. They cruised to the target with 31 balls to spare.Statistics don’t always mean much in T20 but the story of this match could be summed up with a few numbers. It was the first time since another loss to Pakistan in Dubai in May 2009 that Australia failed to hit a six in a T20 innings. They struck only three fours in the 19.3 overs they faced; Pakistan had that many within four overs. The only time Australia scored fewer in a completed T20 innings was 79 against England in Southampton in 2005, back when the IPL was not even a glimmer in Lalit Modi’s eye. Never before had a team beaten Australia with so many balls to spare.But the figures don’t tell how Pakistan managed such a one-sided result. Sohail Tanvir finished with 3 for 13 but it was the work of the spinners, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal and the debutant Raza Hasan that kept Australia from posting a competitive score. They picked up two wickets each and the regular breakthroughs and large boundaries starved the Australians.Again they found Ajmal difficult to pick, while Hasan’s clever variations showed that he can be a force at international level, while Hafeez was typically tidy. Pakistan also held their catches, which they had not always done during the ODIs, and only three Australians reached double figures, making it irrelevant that they had entered the game with eight batsmen.David Warner top scored with 22 from 25 balls, an innings that at the time looked scratchy but was solid when compared with the rest of the performances. Warner was the third man to fall when he pushed a catch back to the bowler Hafeez, after the innings had started shakily when Shane Watson was trapped in front by Umar Gul for 8.