Sunrisers Hyderabad coach says the opener, who is returning from his ball-tampering ban, had spent time preparing “mentally more than technically” for his return

Sidharth Monga in Delhi03-Apr-20192:56

David Warner has ‘unquenchable thirst for the game’ – Tom Moody

It’s like he was never gone. The most consistent batsman of the IPL, David Warner, has returned to the tournament after serving his one-year ban for his role in the ball-tampering scandal like a man possessed. His first three innings back have been 85, 69 and an unbeaten 100 at an average strike rate of 176.22. In the process he has also strung together three consecutive 100-run stands with bitter Ashes rival Jonny Bairstow. His extremely emotional reaction after reaching the hundred against Royal Challengers Bangalore, in front of a doting home crowd, said a lot.Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody expected nothing less, especially when Warner had a point to prove. “[He has been] in a very good place [mentally],” Moody said. “He has come back full of enthusiasm, full of determination, and with a lot to prove. One thing David Warner – and I think all top players are the same – they have got an unquenchable thirst for the game and to have success in the game. That thirst certainly hasn’t been withdrawn by any means.”It seems the thirst has only grown in the time Warner has spent outside competitive cricket. “Yes he has had to sit out of top-flight cricket, international cricket for 12 months,” Moody said, “but David Warner has been preparing for six months for his comeback. He has played a couple of franchise tournaments over that 12-month period, he has obviously played club cricket in Sydney as well.”Okay it is not the same standard but he has been preparing more mentally more than technically. His game technically is relatively sound, so it is just a case of getting himself sorted mentally. He welcomed the start of the tournament and [a chance] for him to get back on the horse so to speak.”Moody said Warner has managed to stay positive, as always. “He has always had a very positive mindset,” he said. “He is a very determined and a resilient individual. To endure what he and [Steven] Smith and [Cameron] Bancroft have had to endure over 12 months, there has to be a lot of mental toughness, there has to be a lot of resilience, and having also a very positive mindset because you can very easily find yourself down for long periods of time.”Warner’s presence has also helped Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is leading the side in the absence of the injured Kane Williamson. “His leadership is always there and present,” Moody said. “Someone that has his experience and his knowledge around captaincy but more importantly around playing IPL cricket is invaluable.”Smith, Warner and Bancroft were banned – the first two for a year and Bancroft for nine months – for their roles in the infamous Newlands Test in March 2018, when Bancroft was caught on camera hiding yellow sandpaper in his pants. Though the ICC’s penalties were not harsh, Cricket Australia decided to take strict action and the players accepted their punishment without protest.While Smith and Bancroft have since done interviews – Smith has done an advertisement too – Warner has stayed away from public appearances. It appears he has spent the time preparing for his return.

The Mumbai Indians captain also said the team was open to resting Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya if needed, but the players preferred to keep playing

Deivarayan Muthu in Hyderabad12-May-2019With the World Cup starting on May 30, 18 days after the IPL final, workload management has been a major talking point throughout the season. Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma reckons that the demands of the IPL will help players build towards the showpiece event in England and Wales, rather than lead to burnout.Rohit cited the example of India winning the Champions Trophy in June 2013, which started about ten days after the end of the IPL that year. Rohit was in top form across both tournaments, following up his 538 runs in 19 innings for Mumbai Indians in their maiden run to the IPL title with 177 runs in five innings in the UK, helping India secure that title as well.”Once the IPL started, we knew this was the window – March and April or April and May – because of the elections,” Rohit said. “In 2013, we played the IPL and went on to play the Champions Trophy and in fact we went on to win the Champions Trophy. I feel the guys who play IPL and go play big tournaments right after that, they’re very much in touch with their game.”Rohit also said that Mumbai were open to resting key India players – fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and allrounder Hardik Pandya, who had just recovered from a back injury ahead of the IPL – at various points during the league, but the players opted against it and were instead keen to keep playing.Bumrah and Hardik are among six players to have featured in all of Mumbai’s 15 games so far this season. While Bumrah is their leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 6.84, Hardik found form – both with bat and ball – after being sidelined from the India side with multiple injuries and off-field troubles earlier this year.Hardik had missed India’s most recent ODI series against Australia, but hit the ground running this IPL. He has been Mumbai’s premier power-hitter, making 386 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 193. And he has smashed 28 sixes – only Kolkata Knight Riders’ Andre Russell (52) and Kings XI Punjab’s Chris Gayle (34) have hit more sixes this season. He has elevated his batting to an all-new plane, so much so that he can now hit yorkers – or near-yorkers – for sixes by deploying the helicopter shot.Hardik has also been at it with the ball and in the field, claiming 14 wickets and taking 11 catches.”We spoke at the start of the tournament that we will assess each one of players, see where they are at and what they feel about their bodies,” Rohit said. “It’s more an individual thing than [what] we decide for them.”In the case of Jasprit, he’s someone who likes to play games to make sure he’s in good rhythm. At the start of the tournament, we spoke that at any given stage if he feels he needs to rest, we were open to that. But our physios and trainers have monitored him quite well and there was constant feedback from Jasprit as well about he’s feeling. So far, we haven’t had issues with Jasprit and Hardik, so we continued to play them.”Before the IPL if they weren’t in great form, this is the time they can get back to form. Hardik is the best example. Before the IPL, he didn’t have a good time, was injured, and missed a few games as well. But he has been tremendous for us – both in batting and bowling. So, yeah it’s [IPL’s] a big tournament and you can judge yourself where you’re at before a big tournament like the World Cup.”

If the rain stays away, two of the best bowling units may be able to coax the ground away from its high-scoring ways

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu12-Jun-20195:04

Agarkar: Vijay should slot in at No. 4

Big Picture

Well, we won’t be seeing a repeat of that warm-up game. For one, the weather’s being a pest. The UK Met Office predicts at least 50% chance of rain in Nottingham on Thursday.But just for a moment, let’s dare to dream. We know Trent Bridge no longer entertains outlandish notions like an even contest between bat and ball. So maybe it’s a good thing that the forecast is for grey skies. It’ll add even more spectacle to what Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah can already do. This World Cup has offered some tasty cricket, especially when conditions are tilted in favour of the bowlers. And both these teams have batsmen capable of standing up to such a test.ALSO READ: Mitchell Santner – the X factor is in his instinct and his braveryIndia’s top order has been an immense strength for them but it’s been in a bit of flux heading into this game with Shikhar Dhawan injured and KL Rahul expected to take his place.That’s no big advantage to New Zealand because their opening partnership has been among the least productive since the 2015 World Cup. They rely on their middle order for most of their runs, but even there India have them beat because they have the better quality hitters. Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni are perfect to build on the typically good starts that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli give them.So, to even things out, let’s have a grey, gloomy, non-rainy, bowler-friendly day and watch who can rise above.Shikhar Dhawan and Trent Boult are in high spirits•IDI via Getty Images

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: WWLLL
New Zealand: WWWWW

In the spotlight

KL Rahul has started to become an all-purpose fix-it kind of player. At Kings XI Punjab this IPL, he was given the role of anchor. For the same team in the previous IPL, he was asked to forget about everything and just go berserk. For India, he’s the back-up opener, but then showed he has the game to be their No. 4 bat. That really is the thing here. Rahul has the game – when he’s switched on he can even find a way through those nasty inswingers that keep getting him out and that’s why he’s able to adapt to all the roles given to him. Just a question of staying switched on.ALSO READ: Aakash Chopra on what India need to do to beat New ZealandTom Latham might understand those sentiments. He too is an opener by trade but has had to take up a middle order position because New Zealand needed stability there and he’s got the skills to tackle the kind of bowling most No. 5s usually face – spin, spin and more spin. Plus, he’s taken on wicketkeeping duties as well and has become a very safe presence behind the stumps.

Team news

The only question around the Indian team is who will come in at No. 4. Vijay Shankar was the first batsman to hit the nets. Is that enough of a hint that he’ll make his World Cup debut?India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Dinesh Karthik/Vijay Shankar, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit BumrahHardik Pandya plays a drive•Getty Images

Colin Munro was worked out the last time these team teams played against each other, so there may be a case of having Henry Nicholls back as opener. Plus, seeing as Tim Southee is fit, he could make a return to the XI, if only because of his record against Kohli: 188 runs, 179 balls and five dismissals.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro/ Henry Nicholls, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 James Neesham, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Colin de Grandhomme, 9 Tim Southee/Matt Henry, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

This game will be played on a fresh strip, one that is more centrally located and therefore helping even out the boundary distances. They’ll still be short though and that’s why most teams prefer chasing here. But if you truly do prefer setting a total, just know that, since July 8 2015, the average first innings score that’s resulted in a win is 390. #GoooooodLuck

Strategy punt

• Hardik goes at a strike rate of 114 in his first 20 balls. Out of all the batsmen that have scored at least 500 runs since the last World Cup, that is the absolute best and that is why he is so dangerous. He hits from from ball one; hits any kind of bowling from ball one. But New Zealand might just have a way to get the better of him. His head-to-head with Trent Boult reads 32 runs in 35 balls and three dismissals.
• Attack Kane Williamson with spin. He’s got a very modest record against all the options India might consider throwing at him: 53 runs in 69 balls and two dismissals against Yuzvendra Chahal, 18 runs in 25 balls and two dismissals against Kuldeep Yadav and 64 runs in 81 balls and two dismissals against…. drumroll please… Kedar Jadhav.

Stats and Trivia

• Kohli needs 57 runs to complete 11,000 in ODIs. And considering he’ll only be playing his 222nd innings, he will be the quickest to the mark, beating Sachin Tendulkar who took 276 innings to get there.
• Ross Taylor has been New Zealand’s best ODI player for the past couple of years – average 79 – and he’ll be ultra-crucial against India because of his record against spin: 87 runs in 101 balls and one dismissal against Chahal, 42 runs in 47 balls and no dismissals against Kuldeep

The restricted version of the DRS, however, will not comprise Hawk-Eye and UltraEdge, the two key elements of the system used in international cricket

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Jul-2019To reduce umpiring errors, the BCCI has decided to utilise what it calls “limited DRS” during the Ranji Trophy knockout matches from this season. This restricted version of the DRS will not comprise Hawk-Eye and UltraEdge, the two key elements of the system used in international cricket.Saba Karim, BCCI’s general manager of cricket, confirmed the development saying several captains and coaches had complained to the board about the “howlers” committed by the on-field umpires that could be avoided. “Last year, in some of the knockout matches, there was some flak on umpires because there were some terrible howlers,” Karim told ESPNcricinfo. “So we want to avoid all that and use whatever help we can get. For the knockouts in Ranji Trophy matches, we will utilise all the technology available to us as a means to apply the limited DRS to help the on-field umpires make the correct decision.”The decision to implement this limited version of the DRS was approved by the Committee of Administrators, the supervisory authority of the BCCI, in June. The CoA was told that “grievances” were raised over the umpiring standards in domestic cricket at the Captains and Coaches Conclave recently and it was felt that the limited DRS could “reduce the occurrences” of bad decision-making.One example of such controversial decision-making occurred during the last Ranji Trophy semi-final between Karnataka and Saurashtra in Bengaluru when Cheteshwar Pujara got reprieved twice – once in each innings – and that eventually cost the hosts a spot in the final.Karim said he would have a “brainstorming session” with the match officials, including umpires and referees, along with the board’s broadcasting team to understand the “extent” to which the available technology can be used.According to Karim, 18-20 cameras are used during the broadcast of a match on TV or on the digital platform, and these would be utilised wherever possible to help the match officials adjudicate on debatable on-field umpiring calls.”We are just trying to use it as an experiment just to see how much it can be useful to domestic cricket,” Karim said. “We will use whatever cameras we can use to come to the right decision.”

An SLC security delegation to Lahore and Karachi has returned ‘very positive’ feedback, opening up the possibility of Test cricket returning to Pakistan after a decade

Umar Farooq17-Aug-2019Test cricket might just return to Pakistan later this year. Sri Lanka could be open to playing at least one Test in the country, after a security delegation visited Lahore and Karachi, and gave SLC “very positive feedback”. If everything goes to plan, Pakistan could host its first Test match since the Lahore attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus in March 2009.The series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan’s first of the World Test Championship, was originally supposed to be played at a neutral venue, but the PCB made SLC an offer to play in Pakistan. With the offer in mind, SLC sent a security delegation headed by Mohan de Silva to assess security arrangements.The security report, ESPNcricinfo understands, was tabled on Friday in Colombo. “The feedback we got from the security team was very positive,” SLC CEO Ashley de Silva said. “We’ll be talking to the PCB about some alternatives before we arrive at a decision. The government will be consulted as well.”The biggest concern is understood to be obtaining the players’ consent to tour Pakistan. A Sri Lanka team played one T20I in Lahore in October 2017, but did so without a number of its prominent names. Sri Lanka’s then T20I captain, Upul Tharanga, pulled out, along with Lasith Malinga, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal and Akila Dananjaya. The team was captained by Thisara Perera, and the then SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala and sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekara accompanied the side to Lahore. The brief tour was successful, and was a major stepping stone that paved the way for PCB to convince teams to play more international cricket in Pakistan.If Sri Lanka do play Test cricket in Pakistan, it will be a reciprocal gesture of sorts. The PCB was the first board to send a team to Sri Lanka following the April 21 bombings in Sri Lanka this year, a Pakistan Under-19 team touring the island a month after the attacks.A fleet of brightly decorated autorickhaws ferried the World XI players inside the GaddafI Stadium•AFP

There was no top-rung international cricket in Pakistan for six years, following the 2009 Lahore attack, but since 2015, the country has hosted limited-overs games featuring Zimbabwe (2015), World XI (2017), Sri Lanka (2017) and West Indies (2018) apart from a number of Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches. A number of high-profile players have been part of these tours; the World XI side, for instance, was coached by Andy Flower and included five players from South Africa – including Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla – three from Australia, two from West Indies and one player each from England, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.These matches have made some headway towards changing the perception of Pakistan among potential visiting teams, and recently the PCB managing director Wasim Khan presented the country’s case before the MCC World Cricket Committee. He emphasised the importance of bringing international cricket back to Pakistan, and invited the MCC to visit.”It was a very positive meeting with the MCC,” Wasim said. “Shane Warne, Kumar Sangakkara and Mike Gatting, the chair of the committee, were present there. They wanted to me to present on the current security in the country, along with what impact playing no international cricket here has had, and what can be done to restore it.”I am very, very confident that we will have an MCC team touring us in the near future. But, there are some matters related to security that need to be covered before they send their team. We will work very closely with the MCC to make sure that the tour happens.”The MCC World Cricket Committee, headed by Gatting, expressed its support to see the resumption of tours to the nation after 10 years, and said the MCC would be interested in sending a touring team of its own by way of re-opening the door – final security checks pending as ever.

Gavaskar felt Pant must work on his shot selection, but said the young player should not let outside opinions affect him too much

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2019Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes India could send Rishabh Pant in at No. 5 in limited-overs cricket to allow the wicketkeeper-batsman to play his aggressive, natural game. Pant was the subject of a debate last week, after India’s newly appointed batting coach Vikram Rathour said the wicketkeeper-batsman was among a set of young players who needed to be more disciplined in their game plan. Rathour pointed out that “there is a fine line between fearless cricket and careless cricket”.The day after Rathour’s comments, Pant’s discipline and shot selection were in the spotlight again, in the second T20I against South Africa in Mohali, where he deposited a leg-stump short-of-a-length ball into the hands of short fine leg.

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In Mohali, Pant came in at No. 4, a position the Indian team management placed him at even during the World Cup. In the semi-final against New Zealand, Pant heaved the ball to cow corner just as he was in the middle of building a partnership with Hardik Pandya after India’s top-order slump.Gavaskar believed playing Pant at No. 5 could release the pressure on the young batsman. “Giving him a bit of breathing space by slotting him at No. 5 could also help, for at that number he will invariably come in to bat where his aggressive batting is needed from the start rather than when he has to build his and the team’s innings,” Gavaskar wrote in . “Just like a little tweak in the grip can make a world of difference to a player as a bowler or as batsman, so also a little tweak in the batting order could change the fortunes of a player.”Like Rathour, Gavaskar felt Pant had to work on his shot selection, but said the young player should not let outside opinions affect him too much. “In Pant’s case, it’s more of a case of wrong shot selection than anything else. People talk about him getting out to the first ball in Trinidad [in India’s previous series] but those same people were [praising] his audacity in hitting the second ball he faced for a six in his debut innings [in Tests]. So the young man has to bear in mind the fickle nature of the Indian fans and play the way he knows.”With experience he will be better at shot selection and will be more consistent but right now he needs a hand around his shoulders rather than a public dressing down. The most important thing for the young man to understand is that he has to play according to the situation and not according to the expectations of the public.”Former India opener Gautam Gambhir echoed Gavaskar’s thoughts in his column for the . All the debate over his batting will just leave Pant insecure, Gambhir, who was Pant’s captain at Delhi in domestic cricket, cautioned. “It is disappointing to see the team-management using words like ‘from fearless to careless,'” he wrote. “This is no way to handle a young human resource.”What I do know is that the boy is now playing for survival rather than scoring runs. From the outside it seems that his mindset is all over the place. Someone needs to put an arm around his shoulder and tell him that he is wanted in the team.”According to Gavaskar, Pant is experiencing “second-season blues”, much like a mystery spinner whose wizardry has become predictable over time. “The talented young man is going through the second-season blues which most players go through. In the first season there’s not that much information about the player and so he can sail through without much difficulty but by the time the second season starts, there is more data and info available not just through the recorded matches but also through the cricketing grapevine. So the opposition is better primed.”

The former union minister was the president of DDCA from 1999 to 2013, and also served on the IPL governing council

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2019Arun Jaitley, the former union minister who also served as a vice-president of the BCCI, has died aged 66 following an illness.Jaitley’s involvement in Indian cricket began in earnest in the late 1990s, when he became a member of the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association, the governing body of cricket in the national capital. In 1999, soon after becoming a union minister, Jaitley took charge as the DDCA president, a post he held till 2013, the same year he became vice-president of the BCCI for a brief period before resigning in the wake of the IPL spot-fixing scandal.”A remarkable statesman, Mr Jaitley was a passionate cricket follower and will always be remembered as one of the most able and respected cricket administrators,” the BCCI said in a statement. “During his long tenure as the President of the Delhi & District Cricket Association, he brought about a tremendous change in the cricketing infrastructure.”A close friend of the cricketers, he always stood by them, encouraged them and supported them in their quest for excellence.”Jaitley was also a member of the IPL governing council. Following news of his death on Saturday, a number of Delhi-based cricketers, as well as some others, expressed their condolences on Twitter.

Josh Cobb and Jack Taylor both hope to be picked as ‘wildcards’ next summer

Matt Roller22-Oct-2019Leading county players have been left frustrated after missing out in Sunday’s inaugural draft for the Hundred, amid concerns that their case for selection may have been weakened because they do not play for a county based at one of the host venues for the new competition.Josh Cobb, one of the T20 Blast’s more consistent performers over the past few seasons, told ESPNcricinfo that the draft was “a tough watch” and “very disappointing”, but said he remained hopeful of finding a route into the tournament before it starts in July next year.Each of the eight teams will pick a ‘wildcard’ player after the conclusion of the Blast group stages next summer, while players can also put themselves forward to be replacement players in the event of an injury or an international call-up.ALSO READ: The Hundred – full squad listsOther high-profile omissions at the draft included Jordan Clark, Samit Patel, Steven Finn, Olly Stone and Steven Croft, while several players with limited T20 experience were picked up based on potential as much as due to consistency of performance.