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The long list submitted to the eight franchises contains 1122 players and is set to be pruned further once the teams submit their wishlists to the IPL

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Jan-2018

Still waiting for his disciplinary or legal charges for the Bristol incident in September, Ben Stokes is among the 36 players who have listed their base price at the maximum of INR 2 crore (USD 315,000 approx) ahead of the IPL auction on January 27 and 28.The most notable names among the 13 Indian and 23 overseas players in the highest-price band were Mitchell Starc, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Brendon McCullum, Rashid Khan, Chris Gayle and Eoin Morgan.Players with top base prices

INR 2 crore (USD 315,000 approx.):
Indian players: R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, M Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Karn Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Robin Uthappa. Overseas players: Rashid Khan, Pat Cummins, James Faulkner, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Cameron White, Eoin Morgan, Liam Plunkett, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Corey Anderson, Brendon McCullum, Quinton de Kock, Colin Ingram, Angelo Mathews, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard.
INR 1.5 crore (USD 235,000 approx.): Aaron Finch, Amit Mishra, David Miller, Evin Lewis, Faf du Plessis, Harry Gurney, Hashim Amla, Jason Holder, Jason Roy, Jaydev Unadkat, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Kagiso Rabada, Kane Williamson, Kuldeep Yadav, Kyle Abbott, Lendl Simmons, Mark Wood, Michael Klinger, Moeen Ali, Mohit Sharma, Moises Henriques, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Nathan Lyon, Peter Handscomb, Ravi Bopara, Shaun Marsh, Steven Finn, Travis Head, Trent Boult, Washington Sundar.
INR 1 crore (USD 160,000 approx.): Adam Zampa, Alex Hales, Andrew Tye, Ben Cutting, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Jordan, Dale Steyn, Daniel Christian, Dwayne Smith, Jason Behrendorff, JP Duminy, Lasith Malinga, Manish Pandey, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Imran Tahir, Mustafizur Rahman, Parthiv Patel, Piyush Chawla, Sam Billings, Samuel Badree, Sanju Samson, Shakib Al Hasan, Shane Watson, Tim Southee, Tom Curran, Tymal Mills, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Wriddhiman Saha

On Friday, the IPL sent the long list of 1122 players to the eight franchises which includes 281 capped players and 838 uncapped players, including 778 Indians and three players from the Associate nations. A final auction pool would be prepared by the end of next week once the franchises submit their wishlists to the IPL.As the franchises get ready for the mega two-day auction, one name at the top of their wishlist would be Stokes. The allrounder became the most expensive overseas player bought at an IPL auction when Rising Pune Supergiant paid INR 14.5 crore (USD 2.16 million approx in 2017). Stokes lived up to the hype by helping Pune to the final, which they lost to Mumbai Indians, as he earned the Player-of-the-Tournament award in his maiden IPL.Stokes scored 316 runs at a strike rate of 142.98 including an unbeaten century while chasing down 162 against Gujarat Lions. He also picked 12 wickets with an economy rate of 7.18 from the 12 matches he played, missing the final because of national duties.Stokes has not played for England since his arrest on September 26 but represented Canterbury in three one-dayers and as many T20s in December, including a 47-ball 93 in a T20 against Otago. Last week, Stokes was named in the England squad for the two Tests in New Zealand starting in February, although his involvement is subject to any relevant legal or disciplinary developments.Fast bowler Tymal Mills listed his base price at INR 1 crore (USD 160,000 approx.). Last IPL auction, Mills not just set a new record price for a specialist bowler but was also the second-most expensive sale at the tenth auction when Royal Challengers Bangalore paid INR 12 crore (USD 1.8 million approx in 2017) for him. Mills’ returns were five wickets at an economy rate of 8.57 from five matches.Another international name that is likely to attract huge interest is Starc. Fresh after his Ashes heroics, Starc remains an attractive buy with his ability to deliver the ball at a fiery pace, dart in toe-crushing yorkers and also deceive batsmen with a change of pace. There was hardly any surprise when Royal Challengers paid INR 5 crore (USD 833,000) in 2014, although Starc could only play for them for two seasons; in 2016 he was injured while last year he parted ways with the franchise wanting to balance his workload.The most overseas entries in the auction came from Australia – 58 names. South Africa were close with 57, and Sri Lanka and West Indies had 39 each. There were 23 players from England and 13 from Afghanistan.Although most of the top names kept their base prices high, there were some exceptions. India fast bowler Ishant Sharma listed his base price at INR 75 lakhs (USD 118,000 approx). Incidentally, Ishant went unsold at the 2017 auction having listed his base price then at INR 2 crore. His disappointment was soon washed away after he replaced the injured M Vijay for Kings XI Punjab.Manish Pandey, one of the contenders to lead Kolkata Knight Riders, has pegged his base price at INR 1 crore. Pandey is likely to be retained by Knight Riders through the right-to-match card option at the auction.Mohammed Siraj, one of the success stories last IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad, listed his base price at INR 1 cr, too. Siraj, who has played two T20Is for India since last year’s IPL, was bought by Sunrisers for INR 2.6 cr last year (USD 3,88,000 then). Young Indian offspinner Washington Sundar, who also made his international debut recently, set his base price at INR 1.5 crore (USD 235,000 approx.). Sundar was one of the go-to bowlers for Pune last year and along with Rahul Tripathi, he was instrumental in the team ending as runners-up.In contrast to the high base prices of Siraj and Sundar, some of the uncapped top performers of last IPL set their price much lower. While Tripathi listed his base price at the minimum – INR 20 lakhs (USD 31,500 approx), Basil Thampi and Krunal Pandya listed theirs at INR 30 lakhs (USD 50,000) and 40 lakhs (USD 63,000) respectively. Thampi was bought by Gujarat Lions for INR 85 lakhs (USD 126,000) last year and was their second-highest wicket-taker in his maiden IPL with 11 wickets, but with an expensive economy rate of 9.49.Krunal superseded senior bowler Harbhajan Singh with his wickets tally for Mumbai Indians who won the IPL for a third time last year. Krunal scored 243 runs at 34.71 and struck them at 135.75 alongside his 10 wickets and an economy rate of under seven per over. Incidentally, Mumbai were keen on retaining Krunal, but eventually picked his younger brother Hardik. With two right-to-match cards in hand, Mumbai are likely to retain Krunal at the auction.Assam’s 16-year old batsman Riyan Parag was the youngest player on the auction list while Mumbai legspinner Pravin Tambe, 46, was the oldest.

Sourav Ganguly has said the matter of rescheduling the Ranji games was only put forward to the technical committee, but they did not make the decision

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2016

Sourav Ganguly, the chairman of BCCI’s technical committee, has said his committee didn’t make the decision to reschedule the two postponed Delhi fixtures. Ganguly’s claims contradict those of the BCCI, which had suggested the technical committee had taken the decision.”The Technical Committee of the BCCI recognised the extraordinary circumstances prevailing in Delhi and decided to reschedule the Ranji Trophy 2016-17 fifth round matches between Hyderabad-Tripura and Gujarat-Bengal after the first two days of play were lost due to smog conditions in New Delhi,” the BCCI had stated in its press release dated November 6.Ganguly, however, maintained the technical committee had little to do with the decision. “This was not decided by technical committee. This was put forward to the technical committee by BCCI,” he told ESPNcricinfo. However, when pointed out the BCCI couldn’t have made the decision had his committee not agreed to it, Ganguly said: “yes, true.”While ESPNcricinfo’s attempts to contact BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke didn’t yield a response, a board source said it was a collective decision to reschedule the matches and that due process was followed.The decision to reschedule the fixtures meant the Group A clash between Gujarat and Bengal and the Group C game between Hyderabad and Tripura would now be played four days after the completion of the final round, from December 15 to 18, in Visakhapatnam and Kolkata respectively. This move led to protests from the Mumbai Cricket Association and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association against the “unfair advantage” extended to the teams playing in the rescheduled games.TNCA secretary Kasi Viswanathan had said the matches in question shouldn’t be rescheduled, and that the points should be shared retrospectively. “In a league stage you cannot do this; it will be a disadvantage to the other teams. It is an act of God, and you should have only shared points,” he told ESPNcricinfo.Ganguly, however, defended the decision and said it was made before the permutations for the knockouts came into the picture. “The decision was done then only, at the start of the season, which was two or three matches old,” he said. “If you look at the start of the Ranji season there are some teams who started early, some teams who started late. I don’t know how it gives them unfair advantage; you still have to win a cricket match. Gujarat, in any case, will qualify because they have beaten everyone.”Mumbai currently lead the standings in Group A with 26 points, while Gujarat, with 21 points, are two points behind second-placed Tamil Nadu. In Group C, the top-three teams are separated by only three points. While table-topper Andhra and third-placed Haryana have two more matches remaining, Hyderabad has an extra game against Tripura, who are in the bottom half.The rescheduling of games has also forced BCCI to push back the knockout matches. The quarter-finals, initially scheduled to begin on December 17, will now be held from December 24 to 28. The semi-finals were moved from December 27 to January 3, while the final, originally set to be played from January 7, will now take place from January 12 to 16.

BCCI president Anurag Thakur has said that a rollback of the constitutional revamp that gave India, England and Australia greater administrative and financial power at the ICC is not a certainty

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-20165:19

Anurag Thakur: By 2020 India Women should be No. 1

The new BCCI president Anurag Thakur has said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo that a rollback of the constitutional revamp that gave India, England and Australia greater administrative and financial power at the ICC is not a certainty, despite his predecessor Shashank Manohar’s criticism of the “bullying” of the ICC by the “Big Three”. Manohar, who was recently elected as the first independent chairman of the ICC, heads a five-member steering group that is reviewing the constitutional reforms of 2014, with an aim of submitting recommendations at the ICC’s annual conference later this month.Manohar was particularly displeased with the revenue-sharing formula, saying it would make “the poor poorer and the rich richer”. “India generates money because the other countries come and play in India,” he had pointed out. “If you do not have a fierce competition, the broadcasters are not going to pay you and the sponsors are not going to sponsor your events.”Thakur, however, said the present revenue-sharing arrangement was not dismantled yet, but was still in the negotiations stage. “The [BCCI] authorised the president and secretary to negotiate and discuss the matter with the ICC,” Thakur said. “Yes [the final word has not been spoken on the matter]. It is just at the discussion stage.”He remained non-committal when asked if he and Manohar were not on the same page on the matter. “I simply said let the situation [play out], the power has been given to president and secretary,” he said. “As to whether we agree or disagree, Mr Manohar also hadn’t taken a decision at that time, so how do you say we disagree?”During his time as BCCI secretary Thakur had expressed reservations over Manohar’s views on the distribution of revenue, and said there was nothing wrong in India receiving a bigger share. “The [BCCI] president said this in his personal capacity. He made it very clear that it was his personal opinion,” Thakur had said.Speaking now, however, Thakur did back Manohar’s new role, which is independent of the BCCI. “I personally supported that [the ICC chairman being independent of his national board] when it was discussed at the ICC meetings,” Thakur said. “And I insisted that if there is only a single nomination, allow that person to take over as ICC chairman from that day only, otherwise for 15-20 days [more, while the election process played out] the BCCI representative would have been the ICC chairman.He also said the BCCI will roll out initiatives that will change the way people perceive the board. “I want to see the Indian team as No. 1 in all formats. We [the BCCI] want to be more transparent, accountable and bring in more professionalism. Apart from that, we want to look at green initiatives, support deaf & dumb cricket etc.”The board does a great job, organises 800-plus matches over a year. This is not easy. How many associations can manage to shift matches between venues in the space of seven days? We have created good infrastructure over the years, that is our asset. I have to take all the state units together and strengthen them, so that we can easily handle any situation the BCCI comes across.”

David Green, one of county cricket’s great entertainers, has died at the age of 76

David Hopps19-Mar-2016

David Green, one of county cricket’s great entertainers, whether on the field for Lancashire and Gloucestershire or in the press boxes on the county circuit after his retirement, has died at the age of 76. He had been suffering from respiratory problems and had spent the past fortnight in hospital near his Devon home.When made Green – “Bodger” to his chums, and there were many – one of their Five Cricketers of the Year in 1969 their judgment could hardly have been more apt. “David Green is undoubtedly the sort of player the game demands – aggressive, talented and entertaining,” was their verdict.Green was true to an era when drinking after a day’s play was considered almost : a man who could down a pint with the same sort of indecent haste that he could hit a half-century. Perhaps his conviction that professional cricket was about camaraderie as well as victory meant that he did not entirely achieve his potential, but the game – and many who followed it – was richer for his presence. He was a raconteur par excellence, a man capable of filling a day with laughter. As one journalist struck by his presence remarked: “I wish I had seen him play; I am very glad I heard him talk.”After his retirement, he would often jovially relate that there was nothing finer than a run-a-ball fifty and the completion of the crossword before lunch on the first day of a Championship match. It was a rebellious act, too, because this was largely an era of dour, defensive cricket on bowler-friendly pitches.He had an acerbic, intelligent wit – his career at Lancashire ended prematurely when he called the chairman a “prat” – “I could have called him much worse,” Green would later reflect – but there was a fairness and gentleness about him, too, that was always reflected in the way he wrote about and discussed cricket. He cared deeply about the standards of the game.Although Green was born in the Caernarvonshire village of Llanengan in 1939, he was raised in Timperley in Cheshire and learned his cricket in Lancashire. He was regarded as a teenage prodigy at Manchester Grammar School and won his cricket Blue at Oxford University, where he studied history, for three seasons from 1959, making his Lancashire debut in the first of those and passing 1000 runs for the first of seven times.Famously, as Lancashire’s vice-captain, he topped 2000 first-class runs in 1965 without hitting a century – a unique statistic – but in 1967 his season was limited by a leg injury, and he was released at the end of the summer. He was snapped up by Gloucestershire and repaid them immediately by scoring 2137 runs at 40.32 including a career-best 233, an achievement that earned him his accolade from . It was his most driven of seasons: Lancashire had been well and truly put in their place. He regarded batting with his opening partner, Arthur Milton, as “an education”.When limited-overs cricket was introduced to English cricket in the late ’60s, it might have been designed for him.He was also a talented rugby union player, turning out for Sale and Cheshire, and later for Bristol. After retiring he worked as a journalist, almost exclusively for the . His writing style was antithetical to his cricket. Given his county cricket wordage for the day, often less than he would hope, he would draw lines down his page, each box representing a single word. He would have caused hilarity for much of the day but his copy was shrewd and analytical.His first book, , published in 2013 and covering both his cricket and rugby lives, was part-autobiographical, part-anecdotal, part-cricket analysis and always irreverent. David Green was not easily compartmentalised.

Ravindra Jadeja’s nine wickets in Ranchi have pushed him to No. 1 in the ICC bowler’s rankings, while Cheteshwar Pujara became the highest ranked Indian batsman, at second place

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-20170:28

Jadeja makes the No.1 spot his own

Ravindra Jadeja has overtaken R Ashwin at the top of the ICC Test rankings for bowlers, after taking nine wickets against Australia in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Cheteshwar Pujara was also a major gainer as his 202 off 525 balls propelled him above Virat Kohli to become the top-ranked India batsman in Tests. He was at No. 2, behind Australia captain Steven Smith.Although the Ranchi Test was drawn, at the end of the fourth day, the hosts had seemed in quite a dominant position thanks to these two players. Pujara, by facing more balls than any other Indian (where data is available) in Tests, secured a whopping 152-run lead though Australia had put up 451. It was the third double-century of his career, second against Australia, and it helped him continue a rich vein of form in the 2016-17 home season – 1259 runs at 66.26 with four hundreds and seven fifties.The top bowlers in Test cricket•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Jadeja, meanwhile, has outbowled his closest competitor Ashwin in the first innings this season – a sign that he was becoming a threat even without the pitch helping him too much. In all, Jadeja has taken 67 wickets at 22.98 with four five-wicket hauls in 24 innings. The changes he has made to his bowling, namely the ability to draw batsmen forward with flighted deliveries, as opposed to his usual method of bowling darts to get bowleds and lbws have made a strong impact. Kohli, at the end of the Ranchi Test, singled out Jadeja as “standing apart” from the rest of his bowlers.The top batsmen in Test cricket•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Smith consolidated his place at the top of the rankings with scores of 178* and 21 in Ranchi. Smith has 941 rating points is now joint-fifth highest ever with Peter May. Only Don Bradman (961), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs and Ricky Ponting (942) have ever got more.India will hold on to their position at the top of the rankings at the April 1 deadline for a cash award of $1 million. Australia and South Africa, on the other hand, have a chance to take over the second position. If Smith’s men at least draw the upcoming Dharamsala Test, they will finish at No. 2. South Africa can take over if Australia lose, and they either draw or win the Hamilton Test against New Zealand. The team that finishes second will be awarded $500,000 and the third-placed team will get $200,000.

Faf du Plessis’ appeal against the conviction of ball-tampering has been rejected by judicial commissioner Michael Beloff

Firdose Moonda21-Dec-20164:31

‘I wasn’t trying to cheat, I was shining the ball’ – du Plessis

Faf du Plessis’ appeal against his ICC conviction of ball-tampering has been rejected by judicial commissioner Michael Beloff. The newly confirmed South African Test captain remained guilty of breaching Law 42.3 and the sanction initially imposed on him by match referee Andy Pycroft – 100% of his match fee from the Hobart Test and three demerit points – stood. Du Plessis escaped the more serious sanction of a match ban.Du Plessis was originally found guilty of altering the condition of the ball on November 22, during South Africa’s tour of Australia, after video footage revealed he used his saliva to shine it while also sucking on a mint. He announced his intention to appeal immediately.The hearing was held on Monday in Dubai, with du Plessis participating via video link. It lasted two-and-a-half hours and Beloff, chair of the ICC’s Code of Conduct commission, reserved judgement until Wednesday afternoon.In a 14-page judgement, which outlined the arguments made by du Plessis’s legal counsel and the ICC, Beloff found that du Plessis had “applied the substance to the match ball and did so intentionally” and he “endorsed” the guilty verdict. Beloff found no need to alter the sanction. He took into consideration du Plessis’ 14 years of experience as a first-class cricketer, that he was a role model and that he had already suffered damage to his reputation when considering whether to amend the punishment.Beloff did not buy the argument that there was uncertainty over the ball-tampering law itself. CSA had asked the ICC to clarify the words “artificial substance” and several South African players pointed out that they take the field with various things – from energy drinks to biltong – in their mouths and would therefore be applying residue from that to the ball throughout the match.Although Beloff acknowledged that the law itself does not define the word artificial, he cited a dictionary definition of it, which du Plessis accepted. “As to what is an artificial substance, neither Code, Law nor Guidance define it. The adjective ‘artificial’ is ordinarily used as the opposite of natural. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as ‘made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally’ which the Appellant was prepared to accept. There is nothing in the regulatory context to require, in my view, any alternative or different definition.”Beloff concluded du Plessis had applied an artificial substance to the ball because his saliva had come into contact with a mint. “The saliva/mint or the combination thereof was an ‘artificial substance’ (although the saliva per se is not). If the drinking of gin is prohibited it is not a defence to say that it was mixed with tonic.”Beloff also did not distinguish between ball-shining and ball-tampering, as du Plessis had suggested, and ruled any artificial substance applied to the ball changed its condition. Since du Plessis did so “intentionally”, he was found guilty.”The consequence of his [du Plessis’s] action was to alter the condition of the ball (or was likely to do) in the relevant sense, that is to say, it altered the status quo ante of the match ball (i.e. its condition prior to the polishing). Whether that can be described as maintenance (i.e. restoring the ball to its pristine condition) or enhancement, (i.e. improving its condition from what it was prior to shining), matters not,” Beloff wrote.The ICC welcomed the decision after CEO David Richardson earlier expressed his “disappointment” that du Plessis had decided to appeal. Richardson laid the initial charge against du Plessis when video evidence emerged after the window for the umpires to report any wrongdoing had passed.”It is the duty of the ICC to ensure fair play on the cricket field,” Richardson said. “Although it was not picked up by the umpires at the time, when the incident came to our attention subsequently, we felt it was our responsibility to lay a charge in this case because the ICC can’t let such an obvious breach of this Law pass without taking any action. We are pleased that both the Match Referee and Mr Beloff QC have agreed with our interpretation of the Laws and hope that this serves as a deterrent to all players not to engage in this sort of unfair practice in the future.”Richardson was open to a discussion on whether more guidelines were necessary to define ball-tampering but stressed the law was clear in its current form. “It goes without saying that we will be reviewing the outcome to determine if any additional guidelines are needed to provide further clarity to the players and umpires around this type of offence. However we are satisfied that the Law is clear and is implemented consistently.”The outcome has left Du Plessis one demerit point away from missing a match. Any Level 2 offence – ranging from dissent to public criticism of a match-related incident – could lead to him facing suspension.Despite CSA’s vocal backing of du Plessis, they accepted Beloff’s ruling even as they continued to call for a review of the laws.”We are satisfied with the matter being given due consideration by a person independent of the ICC. Both CSA and Faf believed that this appeal was imperative considering the important principles at stake. In our view, the fact that Mr Beloff deliberated for some time after hearing complex legal arguments from both sides demonstrates that this matter does indeed require further consideration and clarification from the ICC and the MCC,” Haroon Lorgat, CSA chief executive said.”Notwithstanding the outcome of the appeal and Mr Beloff’s helpful rulings on the matter, we hope that further reviews of the Code of Conduct and the laws of the game takes place as players will no doubt continue to seek clarification as to what is or is not permissible in the light of this case.”

اعترف أسامة إدريسي، لاعب فريق باتشوكا، بأنهم لم يتوقعوا مثل تلك المباراة الصعبة التي خاضها أمام الأهلي، من أجل الوصول إلى نهائي كأس إنتركونتيننتال.

ويلتقي باتشوكا المكسيكي مع ريال مدريد، مساء الغد على ملعب “لوسيل” في قطر، في نهائي كأس إنتركونتيننتال، نسخة 2024.

وتأهل باتشوكا إلى تلك المباراة بعدما فاز على الأهلي المصري، بركلات الترجيح، يوم السبت الماضي، بعد انتهاء الوقت الأصلي والشوطين الإضافيين بالتعادل السلبي.

وقال أسامة إدريسي، في تصريحات للموقع الرسمي لـ فيفا: “التواجد في هذه المباراة النهائية أمر كبير للغاية بالنسبة للاعبين والمجلس والنادي والجماهير”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مدرب باتشوكا قبل مباراة ريال مدريد: التاريخ لن يلعب دورًا في نهائي إنتركونتيننتال.. ولن نمنح أنشيلوتي ما يريد

وأضاف: “من المثير للاهتمام دائمًا أن ترى أين أنت كلاعب كرة قدم، وأين أنت كفريق، وأن تتنافس ضد أحد أفضل الفرق في العالم، وأكبر نادٍ في العالم”.

وواصل: “أن تتنافس ضدهم هو أمر رائع لك كلاعب كرة قدم، وأن تحاول إظهار أفضل نسخة من نفسك، بكل تأكيد يمتلك ريال مدريد تاريخًا كبيرًا، ولاعبين يتمتعون بالكثير من الجودة والخبرة”.

وأردف: “كانت المباراة الأخيرة (ضد الأهلي) أثقل مما اعتدنا عليه، كانت هذه هي المرة الأولى هذا العام التي نلعب فيها 120 دقيقة، بالإضافة إلى ركلات الترجيح، لذلك كان لذلك تأثير كبير على التعافي”.

واستمر: “كنا سعداء حقًا بالحصول على يوم آخر للتعافي، لنكون جاهزين مرة أخرى للمباراة، كانت هذه أولويتنا القصوى، بالطبع نقوم بتحليل الخصم، وسنقوم بإجراء آخر جلسة تدريبية”.

وتابع: “اعتاد ريال مدريد على لعب مثل تلك المباريات، نحن نعلم أن كل لاعب في فريقنا يحتاج إلى تقديم 10 من 10 في أدائه الخاص، وكفريق نحتاج إلى تقديم أفضل أداء لدينا للحصول على نتيجة”.

واختتم: “لن تكون المهمة سهلة، لكن كرة القدم ممتعة، لا تعرف أبدًا ما قد يحدث، ولهذا السبب سنتنافس ونحاول الحصول على نتيجة”.

Just like previous seasons, Royal Challengers Bangalore look to have a very balanced squad, even though they have failed to win a single edition

Shashank Kishore07-Apr-20165:07

Agarkar: RCB still trying to address their bowling

2015 formRoyal Challengers Bangalore were ousted in the second Qualifier by Chennai Super Kings in a last-over finish in Ranchi.Big PictureHow a team with all the T20 riches in the world doesn’t have a single IPL trophy after eight seasons can perhaps make for a good case study. While it underlines the unpredictability of the shortest format, Royal Challengers haven’t helped their cause by being over-reliant on Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to cover for the vacuum in the middle.RCB squad

Virat Kohli (capt), AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, David Wiese, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, S Aravind, Varun Aaron, Shane Watson, Adam Milne, Stuart Binny, Travis Head, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sachin Baby, Iqbal Abdulla, Praveen Dubey, Akshay Karnewar, Kane Richardson, Abu Nechim, Harshal Patel, Kedar Jadhav, Samuel Badree, Vikramjeet Malik, Vikas Tokas, KL Rahul, Parvez Rasool

If there is a lesson in how to not run a marathon, Royal Challengers offer the best example. They’ve often begun like it is a 100 meter dash, only to lose momentum before making a desperate bid for the qualifiers. The end result: runners-up in 2009 and 2011, and vast stretches of inconsistency in between.They head into the new season, like they do most times, with a well-balanced team. They will welcome into their ranks the recently-retired Shane Watson and Stuart Binny, who offer the all-round depth they have often missed in the middle, although the bowling unit isn’t entirely settled. They will miss Mitchell Starc, the team’s second-highest wicket-taker last season, because of a foot injury, while there is an injury cloud over Samuel Badree, who hurt his shoulder in the World T20 final.That means the bowling will largely depend on their local talent – the pace duo of Varun Aaron, S Aravind and legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Starc’s absence could give the injury-prone Adam Milne an opportunity to build on his gains from the World T20 – where he picked up three wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 7.43. Should the surfaces aid slow bowlers, they could consider including David Wiese, the South Africa allrounder who offers batting muscle lower down along with his handy medium-pace and offcutters.There has been some turmoil off the field, with Vijay Mallya – chairman of the franchise until recently – no longer part of the management. But it is unlikely those matters would affect on-field performances. Now to prove the team is not just about their ‘Big Three.’Burning questionsWhile batting is their stronger suit, an abundance of riches has left them with more questions. With Dinesh Karthik released before the auction, the team needs to decide if they go back to de Villiers. If he is freed of the responsibility, do they turn to KL Rahul, Travis Head or Kedar Jadhav?Rahul’s IPL numbers aren’t impressive. While he is best suited in the top three, would the team risk having him open with Gayle or prefer the lower-order hitting ability of Jadhav?Where does that leave Shane Watson? Do they slot him in the middle to shore up the batting or have him as a floater? And how will they manage Mandeep Singh and Sarfaraz Khan, who delivered last year at crunch moments, in a robust batting line-up?The go-to menKohli’s appetite for runs continues to get bigger. He scored 273 in five matches at the World T20, and was adjudged Player of the Tournament. He single-handedly carried India’s batting hopes, and would be expected to do more of the same, even though Gayle, de Villiers and Watson offer him some support in what is largely a blink-and-miss format. Kohli contributes more than just as a batsman. His fitness and freshness will go a long way in dictating Royal Challengers’ campaign.Bargain buyTravis Head, who set himself a base price of INR 30 lakhs, was bought for INR 50 lakhs. The Adelaide Strikers batsman, who was released by Delhi Daredevils, has since made his Australia debut in the home series against India. His form in the BBL, where he finished as the fifth-highest run-scorer with 299 runs at a strike rate of 155, makes him a like-for-like replacement for Gayle, who has been plagued with a number of injuries in the recent past.AvailabilityThe team is yet to announce a replacement for Starc, while they are waiting for a medical update from Badree, who has flown back to Trinidad to see a shoulder specialist.CoachesHead coach – Daniel Vettori, assistant coach – B Arun, batting coach – Trent Woodhill, bowling coach – Allan Donald, physiotherapist – Evan Speechley, strength and conditioning coach – Shankar BasuQuotes”We will miss Starc. It’s difficult bowling at the Chinnaswamy and so whenever we had him in the team we knew we had those four overs up our sleeve. That’s a loss but it’s an opportunity for the likes of Adam Milne and Kane Richardson to step up and fill in that slot. We are also hoping Badree recovers from his shoulder injury and gets back to the team as soon as possible.”

Worcestershire have never reached Finals Day in the Vitality Blast and they are putting their faith this season in bolstering their batting strength

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2018

Worcestershire have signed Martin Guptill and Callum Ferguson as overseas players for the Blast T20 competition.Worcestershire, who have never reached Finals Day and finished eighth in the North Group in 2017, have already signed Australian Travis Head as their primary overseas player in the 2018 season. The addition of Guptill, who will be available to play in all formats from June 20 to July 29 (Head is expected to be absent on international duty) and Ferguson, who will take over in the Blast once Guptill departs, provides further batting strength to a team that will also include the England Lion Joe Clarke and six-hit specialist Ross Whiteley.Add the by no means unrealistic prospect that Moeen Ali might not hold his place in the England side, and so be available for at least some of the Blast season, and Worcestershire’s top order could be among the most dangerous in the competitionGuptill, the New Zealand opening batsman, is currently No. 5 in the ICC’s T20 rankings and has been (in 2012) as high as No. 2. He has made two international T20 centuries and, in 2015, plundered an unbeaten 237 against West Indies in an ODI. It is the second highest ODI score of all time.A vastly experienced international player – he has played 47 Tests, 159 ODIs and 75 T20Is – he has also had previous spells in county cricket with Derbyshire and Lancashire. He is expected to be available for eight Blast games before departing for the Caribbean Premier League.While less experienced at international level, Ferguson is a veteran of Australian domestic cricket. If the T20 record – he averages 22.34 and has a strike-rate of 119.43 – looks modest, it should be remembered he bats in the middle-order.”Martin is a world class player,” Worcestershire’s new head coach, Kevin Sharp, said. “With Martin and Travis and the rest of our batting line-up, it will be quite a scary prospect for some opposition sides to think what might happen.”It is exciting for us to sign someone of his quality and I’m sure he is someone all the Rapids supporters will look forward to watching. In white ball, he is a destructive batsman – and his record proves that – and for him to be available for the first eight T20 games is excellent. But he also has a good record in red ball cricket and will also be able to play the two Championship matches in June when Travis is on international duty.”

Harshal’s unbeaten 36, including a 26-run final over off Dwayne Bravo, proved to be the game-changer, with CSK not yet assured of a top-two spot

The Report by Shashank Kishore18-May-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:13

Is it time for CSK to replace Bravo as their go-to death bowler?

Sandeep Lamichhane was born in the same year Amit Mishra made his first-class debut. Eighteen years on, both legspinners with immeasurable skills and sky-high confidence levels were at the forefront of a superb Delhi Daredevils win that meant Chennai Super Kings are not yet assured of a top-two finish. The pair finished with 3 for 41 off eight overs to tie CSK down after Ambati Rayudu’s 29-ball 50 put them ahead at the halfway mark of the chase.The reply boiled down to MS Dhoni, with CSK needing 58 off 24. On a sluggish surface, this proved a little too steep. Earlier in the evening, Harshal Patel clubbed four sixes and took 26 off Dwayne Bravo’s final over and that gave Delhi Daredevils 162. That proved to be pivotal.Shaw runs out of luck
Prithvi Shaw isn’t a biffer, but can take the attack to the bowlers by trusting his instincts and hitting through the line. On a Feroz Shah Kotla deck with more bounce than usual, he was denied this luxury early on by Deepak Chahar and Lungi Ndigi. So, he became a little adventurous, and the move backfired.Shaw’s innings included a leading edge on the bounce to third man, two miscued slog sweeps that just eluded the backtracking midwicket fielder and a reprieve at mid-on by Shardul Thakur, all in Ravindra Jadeja’s first over, the fourth of the innings. But Chahar triumphed eventually when he had Shaw toe-ending a cross-batted heave to Shardul Thakur at long-on. Daredevils: 24 for 1 in the fifth over.Ngidi gets Pant, again
Twice this season, Rishabh Pant has sold the dummy to his captain. Here, he was nearly undone by Shreyas Iyer, but for Chahar’s underarm throw from mid-on missing the stumps at the bowler’s end in the fifth over. All this played out even as Iyer struggled for timing: his control percentage against three of the five bowlers he faced was less than 66.To offset Iyer’s struggle, Pant launched into Harbhajan Singh in the ninth over, hitting two sixes and a slashed cut for four as Daredevils pocketed 17 to move to 77 for 1 in 10 overs. The platform was set, only for it to come crashing down as Ndigi’s double-strike set them back in the 11th over.Iyer fell first, bowled backing away to cut a delivery that cramped him for room. Off the next ball, Pant’s ugly across-the-line hoick to one he was forced to reach out for resulted in a slice to third man. When Glenn Maxwell was out bowled, attempting a reverse sweep to a full Jadeja dart, Daredevils were in trouble at 94 for 4.Bravo’s death execution comes apart
Vijay Shankar and Harshal Patel at No. 5 and No. 7 respectively may have been a tad too high. They chose to disprove that notion with a stunning late assault that yielded 65 off just 32 balls. The destroyer was Harshal – no more than a pinch-hitter in domestic cricket – who used the depth of the crease superbly to muscle four sixes – three peppering the sightscreen. Dwayne Bravo got his execution wrong, the dipping slower deliveries gave way to full tosses and the last over was taken for 26. Harshal finished 36 not out off 16 deliveries with Bravo’s figures reading a dismal 4-0-52-0 as Daredevils finished with 162.An unusually slow CSK start
Shane Watson struggled for timing and ploughed his way to 13 off 20 as CSK crawled to 22 without loss in five overs. Rayudu then got stuck into Avesh Khan, pulling him for three sixes and a flat-batted slap for four in the sixth over to break the shackles. Then there was a bit of drama.Mishra first had Watson miscuing to long-off and then bamboozled Suresh Raina first ball with a googly that took the edge, only for Pant to fluff the chance. This proved to be the trigger for Rayudu to continue his sustained attack to bring up a 28-ball half-century. But he fell off the next ball to a hoick that was well held by Glenn Maxwell to leave CSK at 70 for 2 in 10 overs.Game-changer Harshal steps up
CSK’s veterans had the platform, but also knew manufacturing strokes off length balls on a sluggish surface wouldn’t be easy. This resulted in desperation. Raina’s heave to a Lamichhane googly was caught at deep midwicket. Sam Billings’ dismissal soon after left Dhoni having to do the bulk of the hitting with CSK needing 58 of 24.Enter Harshal, with the confidence of a cameo behind him. His third over went for for just three and Daredevils tightened the noose from there on. By the time he bowled out, with figures of 4-0-23-1, CSK needed 39 off the final over.