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Windies spinner admits long-term finger injury would have been a liability during long spells in 50-over format

George Dobell24-Apr-2019Sunil Narine insists he is still desperate to return to international cricket despite being forced out of West Indies’ World Cup plans.Narine has not played an ODI since October 2016 – he has not played any international cricket since a T20I in September 2017 – but would have been included in West Indies’ provisional World Cup squad, alongside other notable returnees in Andre Russell and Evin Lewis, had injury not intervened.While he feels confident of getting through T20 matches – he is currently playing for KKR in the IPL – he feels he “wouldn’t be able to do myself or the team justice” in the longer format.Narine sustained a torn ligament in his right middle finger some months ago, limiting the amount of certain deliveries he can bowl in a spell. He has been advised to rest and rehabilitate once his involvement in the IPL ends and hasn’t ruled out the possibility of surgery on the finger in future years.He also accepts there is no realistic chance of playing Test cricket again; his last first-class game – also his last Test – was in December 2013.”I would have loved to play in the World Cup,” Narine told ESPNcricinfo. “I have missed international cricket and I’ve missed representing West Indies. It’s where my heart lies.”But I don’t feel my finger is quite ready for ODI cricket. I can get through a T20 where I bowl just four overs. But even that isn’t easy and I need help from the physio. It’s holding me back from playing international cricket. I wouldn’t be able to do myself or the team justice.”There is a possibility, however, that Narine could be available for the latter stages of the tournament should he be required as an injury replacement.”I can’t say for sure at the moment,” he says. “You never want anyone to suffer an injury, but if it did happen and I was able to give West Indies my all, I would love to be part of it.”But I don’t think it would be right to go into such a big tournament carrying an injury that won’t permit an increased workload and stress on the finger. The performances are fine, but I need to build up the required strength to go from four to 10 overs regularly.”He is, however, delighted to have been approached by the selectors in what would appear to be another sign of the improved relationship between players and the board since the election of Ricky Skerritt as president of Cricket West Indies.”I’m really happy that the selectors considered me,” he says. “It shows they have faith in me. I haven’t played international cricket in so long and this shows how much they want me to come back. It was good to have some conversations with them and I feel we’re all on the same page going forward.”While Narine’s career has been plagued by doubts about the legality of his action – he has been obliged to remodel it on several occasions – he is adamant that is not relevant to his current decision. He has previously employed Carl Crowe, the spin bowling consultant, on a retainer to provide on-going advice and analysis and feels he is now “comfortable and confident” with his action.”My action is as good and strong as it has ever been,” he says. “It has taken a while to get to the point where I could bowl at full pace with the new action, but I’m comfortable and confident with it now. The pace and the variations are there, I just need to recover from the finger issue, build up strength, and I will be available for West Indies in both T20 and ODI cricket.””We’re really happy with where he is at the moment and we have lots planned over the 12 to 18 months to ensure he keeps ahead of the batsmen,” Crowe said. “But we all recognise that moving to 10 overs will be pushing it too far at the moment due to his finger. Sadly, the World Cup is too much, too soon.””International cricket is where I want to be,” Narine says. “Once I’m able to give the team my all, I’d like to be back there helping West Indies win games.”

The New Zealand coach disagreed with his England counterpart Trevor Bayliss over how much T20 cricket should be played at international level

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2018New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has said that Eden Park, the ground at which Australia mounted a record T20 chase of 244, is a “great cricket venue” and that games held there were not just run-fests. He also emphasised the importance of the Auckland venue for New Zealand cricket, with Eden Park receiving one of the higher footfalls in the country.”I think you’ve just got to look at history haven’t you, and how many great games of cricket we’ve had at Eden Park,” Hesson said after New Zealand qualified for the final of the Trans-Tasman T20 tournament. “Not all of them have been 244 in a T20. We’ve had that many different games here – a couple of Chappell-Hadlee games in recent times, the World Cup where the Black Caps only just got home chasing 152 in a one-day international. Every game’s different. It’s a great cricket venue.”Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, had called for T20 internationals to be struck off, save for “maybe six months” before a World T20. “Look, I haven’t changed my opinion on it. I wouldn’t play T20 internationals,” Bayliss had told “I’d just let the franchises play. If we continue putting on so many games there’ll be a certain amount of blowout, not just players but coaches as well.”Hesson, however, disagreed with Bayliss, and said there was a “revenue-generation issue” that couldn’t be discounted in the context of New Zealand cricket. “In some countries that’s not as big a deal, but for New Zealand Cricket, to get 35,000 at Eden Park or whatever it was the other day, that’s huge for us, and huge for the game, and huge for the promotion of the game,” he said. “We certainly get great support for T20 internationals over here. Too right they are [meaningful]. Every international you play is incredibly meaningful. You’ve got guys who only play T20 and that’s their chance to play international cricket, so absolutely.”Looking ahead to the tri-series final at Eden Park on Wednesday, Hesson said Australia were favourites after winning all four of their league games. The match will be played on the same pitch on which Australia chased 244 against New Zealand on Friday.”Sometimes when you’re under pressure like that, you do end up chasing the game,” Hesson said. “A big part of T20 cricket is trying to be ahead of it, and that’s easier said than done when you’ve got such good ball strikers on a good surface. We’re going to come up with a couple of different things and see how that works.”

The two teams are set to play five ODIs in Harare starting from February 16

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2017Zimbabwe have successfully negotiated a five-match ODI series with Afghanistan to plug the gap in their cricket calendar. They last played internationals in November – a 50-over tri-series with West Indies and Sri Lanka – but were looking at a six-month hiatus before their next assignment – a tour of Sri Lanka. This has now changed with Afghanistan scheduled to reach Harare on February 13 before the first game on February 16.

Afghanistan in Zimbabwe 2017

• Feb 16 – 1st ODI, Harare

• Feb 19 – 2nd ODI, Harare
  Feb 21 – 3rd ODI, Harare

• Feb 24 – 4th ODI, Harare

• Feb 26 – 5th ODI, Harare

Both teams have done well in their most recent matches, although Zimbabwe’s were three months ago, when they beat West Indies to make the tri-series final but lost to Sri Lanka. Afghanistan, too, have not played ODI cricket since October but they have been active in the shortest format, winning the inaugural Desert T20 Challenge, which also featured Ireland, Scotland, Oman, Hong Kong, Namibia, Netherlands and UAE.Additionally the head-to-head record between the two countries favours Afghanistan, who have never lost a series to Zimbabwe since beating them in 2015 to register their first series win over a Full Member.Zimbabwe and Afghanistan’s A teams will also play a five-match one-day series in Harare between January 27 and February 5.

ESPNcricinfo previews the first Test cricket of 2016 as South Africa face England at Newlands

The Preview by David Hopps01-Jan-2016

Match facts

Saturday, January 2, 2015, Cape Town
Start time 1030 local (0830 GMT)

Big Picture

When St George’s cathedral chimed midnight more than a few South Africa cricketers will have wished goodbye and good riddance to 2015. It was a year in which their ranking as the No. 1 Test side in the world looked increasingly hollow. If a horrific tour of India could be partially explained by reference to the brazenly turning surfaces, defeat to England in Durban emphasised that their malaise runs deeper.It is a time for strong men, and South Africa have called up the strongest of them all. Graeme Smith retired from international cricket in Cape Town at the end of the Test against Australia nearly two years ago and things have rarely felt the same since. He returns as a batting consultant for the rest of the series, but it is hard to imagine that he will be concentrating on batting technique. Smith’s presence can be expected to stiffen the resolve of everybody in the South Africa camp – to address, indeed, the very frailties of morale that he identified a couple of days ago in his role as a TV pundit. That commentary role will continue, putting him in an awkward position. Such dual roles are far from ideal, even for those of high integrity and reputation.England, by contrast, will anticipate 2016 with relish. If they succeed in South Africa – and the signs so far is that it is well within their capabilities – they have seven Tests in England next summer against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, two sides that they can expect to dominate in their own conditions, especially as Sri Lanka are debilitated by the international retirements of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara and Pakistan are likely to face tensions arising from the reintegration of Mohammad Amir now that he has served his spot-fixing ban.For now, though, all thoughts are on Cape Town. Alex Hales’ task is to establish himself as a Test opener, James Anderson will want to dispel the creeping notion that with age he is becoming increasingly vulnerable to niggling injuries and if Joe Root made a cricket-based New Year’s resolution it was surely to turn all those fifties in a wonderfully consistent 2015 into something even more substantial.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa LLLDL

England WLLDL

In the spotlight

Until an England opening batsman other than Alastair Cook begins to make runs in Test cricket, the spotlight remains unwavering. It fell upon Alex Hales in Durban and, after two low scores, it is not about to move. Hales is extolled as a fine T20 batsman – although, as yet, not highly enough by the IPL franchises – and he is regarded by the majority as a one-day cricketer, but in Test cricket views vary from one extreme to the other. Those who suspect his attributes for Test cricket will not have been changed their outlook after his two dismissals in Durban – a drive at a wideish one from Dale Steyn and a hit down the ground against the offspin of Dane Piedt. His technique and tempo will again come under scrutiny.How best to bring about transformation is a perpetual discussion in South African cricket but, irrespective of quotas, Kagiso Rabada has the raw talent to forge an outstanding international career. With Steyn confirmed as unfit, and South Africa emerging from a horrendous 2015, the raw threat of a truly fast bowler playing his first Test in South Africa might be precisely what they need to dispel the despondency. Rabada took 6 for 16 on his ODI debut against Bangladesh in July and bowled a fine final over to still India – and MS Dhoni – in Kanpur. His pace has regularly gone top side of 90mph (145kph), he hits the pitch hard and he has shown excellent control for one so inexperienced. India’s pitches defused him in his first three Tests, but he now has a chance to enjoy home comforts and, if he fares well on the Cape, quicker pitches lie in wait as the series progresses. There is reason for excitement at his inclusion.

Team news

James Anderson built up his workload successfully in the nets in Durban as he began his recovery from a calf strain, but England will make a final assessment on the morning of the match as to whether he should return with Chris Woakes the likely omission. Anderson bowled the equivalent of a six-over spell on the square on Wednesday morning. “My thought is you’d probably go with him, so fingers crossed he comes to us and says his body’s feeling good,” was the assessment of England’s coach Trevor Bayliss although Alastair Cook said they would need to be careful.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Nick Compton, 4 Joe Root, 5 James Taylor, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 8 Moeen Ali, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Steven Finn, 11 James Anderson/Chris WoakesAfter their defeat in Durban and the loss of Steyn because of injury, South Africa replenished their squad with Quinton de Kock, Chris Morris and latterly Hardus Viljoen. De Kock is expected to keep wicket, such is the resistance of AB de Villiers to fulfilling the role once more, although the details were still under discussion the day before the match. Morris’ involvement is less certain – he would need to edge out Kyle Abbott, who has a niggly hamstring, for the last seam-bowling place. Rabada’s home Test debut has been confirmed and the recent heat in Cape Town makes the presence of a specialist seamer in Piedt certain.South Africa (probable) 1 Stiaan van Zyl, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Faf du Plessis, 6 Temba Bavuma, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Kyle Abbott/Chris Morris, 9 Dane Piedt, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Kagiso Rabada

Pitch and conditions

Excessive heat in Cape Town over the last few weeks has seen the groundsman call for extra watering of the pitch. Despite that there’s not much green and the locals have described it as pretty flat: Moeen Ali has cause to wonder if a second successive surface might eventually fall in his favour. Newlands is usually hard and fast on day one, good for batting on days two and three and will take some turn towards the end. Five rain-free days are expected with hot sun on the first two and some clouds coming in mid-way through the match.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have lost four Tests in 28 in Cape Town since readmission to Test cricket – all of them against Australia. They have beaten England in three out of four meetings
• Aleem Dar will become only the third member of the ICC elite umpires panel to stand in 100 Tests, joining Steve Bucknor and Rudi Koertzen. He stood in his first Test in 2003 when Bangladesh hosted England in Dhaka.
• Morne Morkel will provide 232 Test wickets for South Africa; the other three likely frontline bowlers – Abbott, Rabada and Piedt – total only 41 between them.
• Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, re-established at Nos. 3 and 4 respectively, both have approaching landmarks. De Villiers needs 50 runs for 8000, Amla 93 for 7000.

Quotes

“To get Graeme on board now, Graeme being the quality cricketer that he is, fits the role perfectly. Graeme has got a good know-how about Test cricket and that’s what Test cricket is about. It’s about know-how, having a feel for the game and we’ve got a lot of youngsters that can draw on that.”
“The word consistency has already come up. Can we do it again? We have to be careful we don’t get carried away. There were times when we didn’t quite get it right in Durban and we managed to drag it back with absolute hunger and skill.”

Australia would not turn to retired batsmen such as Ricky Ponting or Simon Katich even if captain Michael Clarke’s back problem continues to plague him during the Ashes, according to national selector John Inverarity

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2013Australia would not turn to retired batsmen such as Ricky Ponting or Simon Katich even if captain Michael Clarke’s back problem continues to plague him during this year’s Investec Ashes, according to national selector John Inverarity. Clarke has been out of action since arriving in England and could miss the whole of the Champions Trophy, while his readiness for the Ashes is also looming as a potential concern.Meanwhile, Ponting has made a strong start to his county stint with Surrey, scoring 192, 52 and 38 not out in his three first-class innings so far. Before his first match, Ponting said in an interview that if the Australians came calling during the Ashes he would consider coming out of retirement, although the next day he backtracked and said there was no possibility of him being part of the Ashes campaign.Katich has also enjoyed a solid start to the county season and although he is yet to make a century for Lancashire, he has posted three 80-plus scores and has 406 runs at 50.75. Katich played his last Test during the previous Ashes series, in Adelaide in December 2010, and departed from international cricket on sour terms with the selection panel, then headed by Andrew Hilditch, after he was dumped from the contract list in 2011.”I think they’ve both retired from international cricket,” Inverarity told AAP when asked about the possibility of Ponting or Katich featuring in the Ashes. “… The answer is no.”Australia’s selectors have already put together a list of standby players should injuries arise during the Ashes and it is likely to include Steven Smith, who performed well in India in March and is vice-captain of the Australia A squad currently touring the British Isles. George Bailey, the stand-in Champions Trophy captain in Clarke’s absence, could be another option, although his Sheffield Shield form last summer was disappointing.However, the main focus for the Australian camp in the lead-up to the Ashes is not on potential back-up batsmen, but on ensuring Clarke is fit for action for the first Test starting on July 10. Clarke has battled the back problem since he was a teenager and while he has only missed one Test due to the injury, the concern for Australia is that it was their last Test, in Delhi.”I’m confident he’ll be right for the Ashes,” Inverarity said. “I’m confident but one never knows. Nobody works harder than Michael. His preparation is extraordinary.”

Alviro Petersen hit 145 against his former county but Essex’s England batsmen Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara were less successfull

Alex Winter at Cardiff02-May-2012
ScorecardAlviro Petersen scored his first century for Essex against his old county•Getty Images

There were several sub-plots to the first day’s play in Cardiff. The first was the seasonal return of Alastair Cook for Essex. The second, the performance of England’s No. 6-in-waiting Ravi Bopara. And the third, Alviro Petersen lining up against his former county.The first two tales got no further than the opening lines. But Petersen played an innings which demanded more attention. It was an innings that should have gained him renewed respect in these parts – respect that was lost during the will-he-won’t-he affair over the winter when Petersen reneged on his agreement with Glamorgan and returned instead to international cricket, then took up a short-term overseas role with Essex.Petersen is an invaluable asset to Essex, who have a dearth of opening batsman. They were able to call on Cook to open here but his participation in Essex’s first-class season will be over after next week’s match against Kent. That Petersen is able to play the opening set of county matches finds a solution – albeit temporarily – to their troubles at the top of the order.But so far he has been not much more than a name to put on the team sheet, his contributions in the opening three games light. Here, the bit was between his teeth and he made a chanceless hundred that was fervently, but not offensively, celebrated by a packed Essex balcony. As for the spectators, most of whom had applauded him on to the field, there was no repeat of the booing that greeted Tom Maynard’s return last season.Petersen is not a memorably attractive player but his driving was a delight. A good stride down the pitch and a firm punch with a check drive bringing boundaries to the short straight fences and through extra cover on occasions too. But little did he come out to the ball on the front foot outside off stump. And only when well set did he cut – lashing a ball over point shortly before Bopara was lbw for a third-ball duck. He knew to be careful and left well.”We’ve had stop start games so it’s nice to get a full day in and I’m happy with my batting,” Petersen said. “It was a dampish wicket which did a lot, especially with the new ball and it was difficult for batters to score. We would have bowled first too.”Petersen may have endorsed Mark Wallace’s decision to insert Essex but there was nothing throughout most of the morning to suggest Wallace was correct. It took Dean Cosker’s 500th first-class wicket, finding a thin edge from Billy Godleman, and Bopara playing across the line for the scoreboard to resemble something the hosts would have been pleased with at lunch.The wicket was quite slow – a given in Cardiff and all the more so after heavy rain in days before this match – and it took the application demonstrated by Petersen and Godleman, who has a hundred to his name already this season, to make runs. The scenario was well set for Cook but he paid the penalty for pushing forward at one outside of off stump.Petersen played straight for the most part of his innings, unless he was given the chance to pull, which he did to two successive balls to take him into the 90s. A drive through the covers brought him to 99 and a quick single – another feature of his earnest innings – brought up his third century in county cricket, his first of the season, from 147 balls.He had defended Cosker – a dangerously experienced operator – playing with very light hands and worked him around, not risking sweeping. But the coup de grace of the knock was a big six into the Cathedral Road stand.He partnership with Mark Pettini, who was educated in these parts, consumed most of the afternoon session during which Wallace might have been ruing the fact he took the soft option of bowling first. But Pettini gave Waters his second wicket of three and his new-ball partner Graham Wagg – about whose work during the winter Matthew Mott, Glamorgan’s head of elite development, was complimentary – ended Petersen’s 185 minute vigil.Wagg took advantage of the second new ball after tea to rattle away the lower order – a collapse of 5 for 13. Essex declared nine down but could make no inroads in the three overs they had time to send down.

Cosmetic surgery? Moisturiser? Who cares? Shane Warne is still ripping them legbreaks

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga24-Apr-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
After 4-0-50-1 came 4-0-16-3•AFP

Cosmetic surgery? Moisturiser? Who cares? Shane Warne is still ripping them legbreaks. He is still getting vicious dip and drift. He is still producing key wickets – tonight those of Brad Hodge and the top-scorers Parthiv Patel and Ravindra Jadeja – to keep Rajasthan Royals alive in the tournament. On a pitch where the bounce varied from shoulder to shin-high off similar lengths, Kochi Tuskers Kerala threatened to convert their ordinary start into a decent total, but Warne came back to remove both Parthiv and Jadeja off successive deliveries to end the 48-run fourth-wicket partnership. The resultant target was sub-par even on the slightly two-paced pitch, and Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson ensured there were no hiccups in the chase, with a 71-run opening stand.Rajasthan were right at home in conditions that their two spinners and predominantly slower-ball bowlers enjoy. They also had the injured Johan Botha back, who removed Mahela Jayawardene with the first ball he bowled. It all started inauspiciously for Kochi, with Brendon McCullum missing out because of a bad shoulder. His replacement, VVS Laxman, ran himself out. Botha came on and turned one across Jayawardene, and with some help from the protruding thigh pad, the ball found a way into the stumps. Warne did Brad Hodge in with one that kept low. As a consequence of those big wickets, once Kochi’s run-rate fell below six in the fifth over, it never crossed that mark.Rajasthan’s international bowlers – Warne, Botha and Watson – went for 58 in 12 overs between them. Warne even found time to settle a personal score. He welcomed Ravindra Jadeja, who had tried to move away from his franchise last year and was banned in the process, with a bouncer at 110kph. Jadeja and Parthiv, though, kept their heads and put Kochi on their way to what could have been a defendable target. They picked their battles wisely, taking risks against the domestic bowlers, running hard, not looking for ambitious shots.At 88 for 3 after 15 overs, though, they decided they needed to push for more runs, especially considering it was the expected dew that had made Rajasthan field first on this pitch. Jadeja came down to Warne, who bowled the straighter one and got a thick edge along the ground. Two balls later Jadeja tried the slog sweep, but this one bounced at him, taking the top edge. Back-pedalling, Warne completed the catch around mid-on. Parthiv lost his head next ball, trying the reverse-sweep, and was stumped off a slider.After that Kochi lost their way with new batsman struggling to time the ball on the slow track. In all, seven wickets fell for 21 runs. The momentum continued into the second innings as Watson smashed the first ball to the cover boundary. Dravid took over from there, playing proper cricketing shots to counter the tricky pitch. He also hit the first six of the match shortly before running himself out, going for an ambitious second run. At 71 for 1, only formalities remained, but Watson pushed the rate up, ensuring the target was achieved with 5.5 overs to spare, giving Rajasthan’s net run-rate a boost.

On a day when individual performances from both sides stood out, West Indies A finished with 230 for 7 as honours were shared on the first day of the second unofficial Test in Savar

Cricinfo staff23-May-2010
ScorecardOn a day when individual performances from both sides stood out, West Indies A finished with 230 for 7 as honours were shared on the first day of the second unofficial Test in Savar.Syed Rasel’s early heroics left the visitors wondering whether they had erred in deciding to bat first, as both openers perished cheaply in the seamer’s first spell. Kirk Edwards and Travis Dowlin came together to repair the situation before Suhrawadi Shuvo got into the act.The 21-year old left-arm spinner had starred with bat and ball in the first game, and continued to make a strong statement in the second outing. He prised out both batsmen striking them in front of the stumps, to push the visitors to 74 for 4. Then began the best passage of play for West Indies A, as Brendon Nash and Chadwick Walton added a sublime 106 runs for the fifth wicket.Walton was the aggressive half in the association, striking three sixes and seven fours in his 95-ball 70. Nash dropped anchor as is his vaunt, blunting the attack with a patient 169-ball 74. Shuvo had more tricks up his sleeve, getting Walton to offer a catch to Raqibul Hasan, before prising out Imran Khan cheaply. Nash continued his resurgence, with Shane Shillingford for company, raising 37 for the seventh wicket before Rasel removed the latter in his final spell of the day. Nash holds the key for the visitors as they seek to push to a strong finish to their first innings on day 2.

“That’s why you pay big money to big-game players,” Tom Moody says of Starc’s second-ball wicket of Travis Head

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-20241:33

‘That’s why you pay big money for big-game players’

Mitchell Starc has had a patchy IPL 2024, but he brought his experience and nous of playing in “some big games and big occasions” when it mattered by running through the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) top order in Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad.Starc bowled three overs in the powerplay and sent back Travis Head off the second ball of the game, and Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed, the last two off consecutive balls in the fifth over.”I guess I have played a fair bit of cricket so I have been fortunate enough to play in some big games and some big occasions,” Starc said between innings on the official broadcast after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had stopped SRH for 159. “Nine months ago [in the ODI World Cup final] we were here in front of a full stadium. It was nice to get the team off to a good start that we needed [today].Related

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“We know the powerplay wickets are very important. The way Sunrisers take on the powerplay, they have sort of matched us throughout the season in terms of getting off to good starts. It was great to get powerplay wickets and I think our bowling group was fantastic throughout.”Starc got the ball to seam from the outset and struck with his second ball, castling his Australia team-mate Head with one that shaped back in sharply. Vaibhav Arora then sent back Abhishek Sharma for 3 as SRH lost their big-hitting openers inside two overs. Starc bowled his third over inside the powerplay and first removed Reddy with a short-of-a-length ball that the batter skied with an attempted pull, and then hit Shahbaz’s middle pole off the inside edge.But Head’s wicket was one that Starc enjoyed the most, and one he wants to keep in his “back pocket”.”I might keep that one in the back pocket for when he starts to give me some niggle and I have to pull it out on him,” Starc said. “He’s been phenomenal through the tournament. But we knew he was going to be a big wicket.”Obviously Abhishek for them at the top as well. That partnership has been key for them, so to get both of them pretty cheap was great and we got set on our way today.”After the match, and after Starc had won the Player-of-the-Match award, Ravi Shastri brought up the fact that Starc had pulled his length back a bit in the early overs. “Yeah, spot on. Particularly with the way Trav and Abhishek have been playing throughout the series, they like the width [and to] free their arms,” Starc said. “So if we can get that ball swinging and keep it in line with the stumps and bowl a really hard length, which we really did in the powerplay, and that really got into their middle order…”Starc’s delivery to remove Head left Tom Moody impressed as well. “Class from Starc. We know that he has had a difficult three-quarters of the tournament, but that’s why you pay big money to big-game players,” he said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show.On asked about the conditions, Starc conceded there was dew, which started to appear about halfway through the SRH innings. He said he expected the surface to get better to bat on in the second innings.”There is certainly dew now. It started to pick up through probably halfway through our innings. The wicket has got a bit skiddier. There is some swing. Our spinners found a way to be effective and take wickets,” Starc said. “The wicket is going to get a little bit better just with the dew and the bit of skid but in turn, it is also going to swing a little bit.”

The update means that Lamichhane will be able to play the CWC League 2 tri-series matches against Namibia and Scotland this month

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2023The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has revoked the suspension on Sandeep Lamichhane, paving the way for him to play in Nepal’s upcoming Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series at home against Namibia and Scotland.Britant Khanal, the CAN general manager, told ESPNcricinfo that the decision to remove the suspension and allow Lamichhane to play in the tri-series was with the condition that he would “respect the limitation prescribed” by the court that granted him bail in January this year. And if Nepal were to go on tour, Lamichhane’s participation would depend on whether the court gave him permission for it or not.Lamichhane, who was suspended in September last year after an arrest warrant was issued against him in Kathmandu over an alleged case of coercion of another person. He was granted bail for the equivalent of around USD 15,300 but was barred from leaving the country until the final verdict.The news of Lamichhane’s arrest warrant was made public on September 8, when he was in the West Indies as part of the Jamaica Tallawahs squad at the CPL. He returned to Nepal after that saying he would face the “baseless allegations” and was taken into custody by police in Kathmandu on October 6.A statement from CAN acting secretary Prashant Vikram Malla said at the time that the suspension would remain in place pending a complete investigation. For his part, Lamichhane had said he would “fully cooperate in all stages of the investigation and will fight a legal battle to prove my innocence”.Lamichhane, 22, is by far Nepal’s most high-profile cricketer, and the only one to have played in T20 leagues in most parts of the world, including in the IPL, the BBL, the PSL, the BPL, and the CPL.He is also the world’s second-fastest bowler to 50 ODI wickets and third-fastest to 50 T20I wickets, and last played international cricket in August 2022, in the T20I series against Kenya. He was also Nepal’s captain at the time of the arrest warrant, a position he lost following his suspension.

Monty Desai joins Nepal as head coach

Monty Desai, until recently the assistant coach with the West Indies men’s team, is set to take charge as Nepal head coach. Khanal said that CAN had recommended Desai’s name to the Nepal Sports Council, whose ratification is mandatory for all such appointments.Nepal’s next assignment is the ODI tri-series, to be played in Kirtipur from February 14 to 21.