Shane Bond, though, believes Ferguson could bring “intimidation factor” to New Zealand’s red-ball attack

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2020Six New Zealand players who were involved in the IPL and will also feature in the upcoming series against West Indies are currently training in a managed isolation facility in Lincoln. With them are Shane Bond and Brendon McCullum, who were part of the coaching staff at the Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders respectively, with New Zealand roping them in as guest coaches during the quarantine period.Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson is one of the players in this bubble, and he’s thrilled to spend time with Bond, whom he describes as “a hero of mine while growing up”.”We had a tour to the UAE with the New Zealand A side two years ago,” Ferguson said in a virtual media interaction. “He was the coach there and that’s the biggest stint I’ve had with him. [We have] similar ways of bowling – obviously he was super impressive. But we’ve had some great chats there. He was even asking [about] one of the plans, [which] was coming around the wicket so much and bowling short to guys. He asked me why I wasn’t doing it as much as I used to. So he remembers it as well. It’s been great to have him to bounce ideas off and get some notes on West Indies.”Ferguson will feature in the three-match T20I series against West Indies, but he isn’t part of the squad for the two Tests that follow. Ferguson is keen to make a return to the longest format, having had to endure a rough first stint in whites. Making his Test debut against Australia in Perth last year, a calf strain curtailed his bowling output to just 11 first-innings overs and ruled him out of the rest of the tour as well as the subsequent home Tests against India.While Ferguson was away, the towering Kyle Jamieson made his debut for New Zealand, picking up nine wickets across two Tests against India, including 5 for 45 in a Man-of-the-Match performance in Christchurch, while also contributing runs down the order. But Ferguson isn’t bothered by the competition, and is instead looking forward to “keep doing the work in the background”.”I think it’s a fantastic time to be playing for the Black Caps,” he said. “You see the depth – Kyle Jamieson, one of my good mates, coming through and taking his opportunity [and] playing very well. [This] puts pressure on all bowlers to perform well and he’s started the [domestic] season very well this year – he’s taken five-fors pretty much every game, so I think it’s great. For me, that means I’ll have to work hard to get an opportunity and have a chance in the side. And if that opportunity comes, I’ll do what I can to take with open arms.”… [Jamieson] certainly deserves a spot in that side. But having said that, the Test side is a tough team to make – there’s so much depth and obviously our big three (Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner) have been so successful for a long period of time. But you can only take it game by game – tough to look too far ahead.”Kyle Jamieson reacts after his five-for in Christchurch•AFP

Bond believes it won’t be long before Ferguson is back in the Test side despite having fallen behind in the queue.”He’s sitting in behind – you’d argue – three, maybe four or five [bowlers], with Matt Henry around as well,” Bond said. “I think everybody is more than aware of what he can do in terms of pace. He offers an intimidation factor, he’s just part of our wider Black Caps bowling squad. So when he gets his chance to play four-day cricket for Auckland, it’s just [about] continuing to bowl well and put in good performances. And either through retirements, injuries or his own performances, he’ll get his chance sometime in the future perhaps.”What Ferguson can bring to the Test attack, Bond says, is the “intimidation factor”, which can be especially useful against the lower order.”I think we’ve seen that in Australia over the past period of time, where they really do clean up the tail through using their fast bowlers and intimidating sort of from [number] eight down,” Bond said. “Because no one wants to face the sort of pace that Lockie bowls, particularly when he loves to bowl around the wicket as well, it’s pretty horrible.”Ferguson, Bond says, could be especially useful on the flatter pitches in New Zealand, particularly in the second innings.”Wickets in New Zealand are flat, they’re generally green at the start, they flatten out, they don’t turn, they become a sort of run fest in the second innings in particular, so if you use him in those short, sharp spells, then he can come on and create some chaos through the middle there, and particularly in the back end where people just don’t want to face that stuff, that can make life easier for the rest of the order. “Bond also credited the New Zealand management for investing in Jamieson.”I thought last season he was sensational,” Bond said. “He’s certainly taken his game to another level, and I think that’s a sign of the investment New Zealand Cricket have put in him – the value of those A tours, programs, what he’s learned about travelling and what’s required to be at the top.””And then the second part is the credit to Kyle himself for going away and continuing to improve on areas that he had to to be successful. So he’s a hugely exciting talent, obviously offers multi-skills, and just offers that point of difference with his height and his bounce as well.”Despite Jamieson yet to make his T20I debut, Bond already foresees an IPL opportunity for him and is looking forward to him playing T20 cricket.”I’m looking forward to see how he goes in T20, and there’s always opportunities in the T20 game as well,” he says. “With another IPL around the corner, who knows what can happen. Things in this game can change pretty quick, so looking forward to seeing what he can do.”While New Zealand’s IPL contingent have cleared two Covid-19 tests, they will need to take a third one before being allowed to join the rest of the squad ahead of the T20I series starting November 27.

Praises Pant, Ashwin, and Vihari for chipping in ‘for the team’s cause’ amid raft of injury concerns

Sidharth Monga11-Jan-2021To Ajinkya Rahane, who remains unbeaten as India’s Test captain thanks to the amazing rearguard to bat out 131 overs in the fourth innings of the SCG Test, the draw is as good as a win. India had to fight great odds as they started with an already depleted side but then Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin sustained injuries during the Test.”For me this is as good as winning a Test match,” Rahane said. “When you come abroad and play a match like this, it was really special. Credit to [Hanuma] Vihari, [R] Ashwin, the way he batted, [Cheteshwar] Pujara, Rohit [Sharma] at the start and also Rishabh [Pant]. I think everyone chipped in for the team’s cause but credit to those two guys who batted almost two-and-a-half house till the end.”In the end, with five wickets still in hand, the match might not have reached the thrilling crescendo some of the great Tests do, but Rahane said the afterglow of this draw will be bright. “I am extremely proud of the way we played and I think the whole nation would be proud of us with the way we have played after Adelaide,” Rahane said. “Melbourne and today, these were different games, we made a good
comeback with a win.”If we have to talk about today, Australia was dominating in the first innings but from 200 for 2, they were all out for 330. Credit goes to our bowling unit for taking the last eight wickets in 130-odd runs. Obviously they batted well in the second innings but I think today will end up being one of the most memorable days in Indian cricket. Perhaps we cannot get the magnitude of today’s achievement right away but possibly after the series we will realise it.Rahane: ‘Perhaps we cannot get the magnitude of today’s achievement right away but possibly after the series we will realise it’•Getty Images

“It was a special day for me as a captain. I believe that we cannot really control the result but it’s imperative to fight till the end. That’s the main thing I’ve learnt in cricket, to keep fighting till the end. This Test match was almost similar. That’s why the result is as good as a win for us. When we play overseas and save such a match, it’s a special feeling and I am proud of everyone, the players and the management.”One of the moves Rahane made as captain was to promote Pant ahead of Vihari to partner with Pujara. Rahane said it put a right-left combination and also split two batsmen who rely more on defence. “About Rishabh’s batting number, we discussed and had that strategy and that paid off but credit to him,” Rahane said. “Going out there at No. 5 – the captain or the team management can make strategies – but in the end it’s up to that individual to actually go out there and deliver for your team and Rishabh did that for us. The way he counter-attacked, the way he actually managed his innings throughout the day was really good to see.”About his character, we know that he can actually win games for us from any situation. We have that belief in any him. I think he is improving day by day as a cricketer, which is a very good sign.”Vihari, who batted at No. 6 because of the move, ended up injuring his hamstring but batted out 161 balls to see India through to safety. “We knew Vihari was batting well throughout the last three Test matches,” Rahane said. “Unfortunately he couldn’t get those big scores. Today, we all saw a special knock. I thought his knock was more special than his hundred. The way he batted after getting injured, to show that motivation, that hunger, to hang in there for your team was really good and that’s what we want from each and every individual.”To show that character on the field, because it’s all about what the team wants. Credit to him, the way he handled himself. There was pressure, yes, but the way he managed his batting, his injury, it was really special to see.”

He missed Rishabh Pant’s record by five balls but powered Kerala to their first-ever win over Mumbai in any format

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2021Kerala’s Mohammed Azharuddeen smashed the second-fastest century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic T20 tournament, as he reached the landmark in 37 balls against a Mumbai attack led by Dhawal Kulkarni at the Wankhede Stadium. Azharuddeen missed Rishabh Pant’s record by five balls but it was still the joint-third-fastest T20 century by an Indian. It was also the first hundred by a Kerala batsman in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and sealed their highest-ever chase in the tournament as they beat Mumbai for the first time in any format.Kerala were chasing 197 after 40s from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Aditya Tare and handy cameos from Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube. Azharuddeen started the innings with Robin Uthappa, who was sedate only in comparison, and the two put on 129 runs in 9.3 overs before Uthappa a 23-ball 33. Soon after, Azharuddeen got to his century off left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar. Pant’s record of 32 balls, which came for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh in 2017-18, though was never really under threat.After being on 89 in 31 balls, Azharuddeen slowed down, scoring 1, 1, 0 and 1 to get to 92 in 35 balls before a six off Mulani and a two took him to the landmark. He remained unbeaten on 137 off 54 balls, with nine fours and 11 sixes, as Kerala cantered to victory by eight wickets in 15.5 overs.Azharuddeen, the 26-year-old, got off the mark off the third ball of the innings – his first – with a boundary off Kulkarni, and took a special liking to Tushar Deshpande, the other new-ball bowler. In the second over of the innings, bowled by Deshpande, Azharuddeen hit one six and two fours as 20 runs were scored. Deshpande went off the attack but returned in the sixth, and Azharuddeen hit him for two fours and two sixes as the over went for 23, taking his score to 65 at the end of the powerplay.The most noteworthy aspect of Azharuddeen’s innings was his pull shots, but he did play more than a few pleasing drives too, and found his runs off Ankolekar and Shams Mulani primarily in the V, even as he slapped the experienced Kulkarni over his head for two sixes, both off the back foot.The record for the quickest T20 century is in the name of Chris Gayle – he got to the mark off just 30 balls when he hit 175 not out off 66 balls for the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Pune Warriors India in IPL 2013. Then comes Pant’s effort. Rohit Sharma’s 35-ball ton against Sri Lanka in a T20I ranks second among Indians, while Azharuddeen has pulled level with Yusuf Pathan, who hit a 37-ball century for the Rajasthan Royals against the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2010.Azharuddeen has never featured in the IPL before, but this century is a timely step in that direction, given the IPL 2021 auction is scheduled for February.

“Washington has been doing really well for us, so you can’t have two players of the same discipline playing in one squad”

Deivarayan Muthu11-Mar-2021There is no room for R Ashwin in India’s T20I squad unless the incumbent offspin-bowling allrounder Washington Sundar has a “drastically horrible season,” according to captain Virat Kohli.Ashwin last played white-ball cricket for India in July 2017, with the team management veering towards the wristspin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav following the defeat against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final. Sundar, who made his T20 debut in the IPL that year, has now grown into India’s first-choice offspinner in T20Is.Related

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With Ashwin and Sundar offering largely similar skills-sets, Kohli said that India can’t fit both of them in the squad as they plan for the T20 World Cup slated to be held in India later this year.”Washington has been doing really well for us, so you can’t have two players of the same discipline playing in one squad,” Kohli said at a virtual media conference, a day out of the T20I series opener against England in Ahmedabad. “Unless, Washi has a drastically horrible season and things go south for him….the question has to be asked with some kind of logic as well. You suggest where you would add Ash and play him in the team when someone like Washington already does that job for the team. So, it’s easy to ask the question but you should have a logical explanation to it yourself.”Earlier in February, former India opener Gautam Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo that he was surprised at Ashwin’s continued omission from India’s white-ball sides.Since IPL 2017, Ashwin has picked up 48 wickets in 52 T20s at an economy rate of 7.59 to add to 277 runs with the bat at a strike rate of just under 126•BCCI

“He is such a great bowler that people don’t talk about his batting,” Gambhir said of Ashwin.” And it amazes me that he doesn’t play white-ball cricket. So how much is he doing to surprise all of us? It’s actually a shame that he hasn’t played white-ball cricket for the last two years after winning what nine Man-of-the-Series awards [in Test cricket].”People have made comebacks into Test cricket with white-ball performances, which is probably not the right way because white-ball cricket is different to red-ball cricket. But, a bowler who has done phenomenally well in red-ball cricket has not made a comeback in the last two years in white-ball cricket. And he does perform in the IPL as well – he bowls with the new ball, he bowls with the old ball, he bowls at the death. He bowls at every stage of the game.”Since IPL 2017, Ashwin has picked up 48 wickets in 52 T20s at an economy rate of 7.59 to add to 277 runs with the bat at a strike rate of just under 126. In comparison, since his IPL debut in 2017, Sundar has had the benefit of playing more T20s, taking 67 wickets in 87 games at an economy rate of 6.61.During this period, Sundar also emerged as a powerplay spinner for Rising Pune Supergiant and more recently Royal Challengers Bangalore. And in T20I cricket since his debut in December 2017, Sundar has grabbed 13 wickets in the powerplay in 21 matches at an economy rate of 6.64. Only six other bowlers, among Full-Member nations, have more wickets than Sundar in the first six overs during this phase, with New Zealand’s Tim Southee leading the list with 21 strikes in 38 matches.With the bat, Sundar is a bit of an unproven talent in the IPL and T20Is although he has made some match-winning contributions for his state team Tamil Nadu and his TNPL sides. Sundar recently showed his batting chops in Test cricket, twice coming close to a century in the home Test series against England and even impressing his coach Ravi Shastri.As for the upcoming T20I series against England, the Indian team management may have to make an immediate choice between Sundar and Axar Patel – the two fingerspin-bowling allrounders in the squad. It remains to be seen whether the presence of a long list of left-handers in England’s potential XI – Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran – works in Sundar’s favour.

The South Africa board now runs the risk of ministerial intervention

Firdose Moonda20-Mar-2021Cricket South Africa runs the risk of ministerial intervention after its Members’ Council – the decision-making arm of the organisation, which is made up of provincial presidents – rejected the interim board’s proposal for a majority independent board.At a meeting on Saturday, the members’ council advised the interim board that eight of its 14 participants voted against an independent board. This means the interim board is unable to complete one its most pressing tasks as directed by the country’s sports minister Nathi Mthethwa: to lay the framework for a new board in line with the 2012 Nicholson Commission. The interim board and minister are expected to address the public on further steps in the coming days.The reluctance of the Members’ Council to implement an independent board dates back to the time that the Nicholson report was presented to them. Part of the reason the Members’ Council continue to appoint non-independent directors is to please the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), the umbrella body under which all sports federation in this country operate – SASCOC does not approve of a majority of independent directors. That means cricket’s is mostly run by people who are involved in the domestic structures and not outsiders from the corporate world or elsewhere.Under the non-independent board, CSA has been steeped in administrative chaos that has seen several senior staff suspended for alleged misconduct and resulted in severe financial losses. Currently, CSA is still working to avoid debt that could run into hundreds of millions of Rands as a result of the failure to secure broadcasting rights for a domestic franchise T20 tournament, the Mzansi Super League, among other things. The South African Cricketers Association has previously called the situation CSA is in “an existential crisis”, something the sports minister has recognised and acted on.It was on Mthethwa’s insistence that the interim board was put in place after he threatened to step in at CSA following 18 months of headline-making over questionable governance, which led to the suspension and eventual sacking of CEO Thabang Moroe. CSA is still without a permanent CEO, and is on its third acting head, and is also without a board or a framework for how to appoint one, which essentially puts it back where it was six months go – on the cusp of government intervention.Mthethwa can act according to the country’s National Sport and Recreation Act, which gives him the power to intervene “in any dispute, alleged mismanagement or other related matter that is likely to bring a sport into disrepute”. He can also take away funding from CSA and may no longer recognise it as a national federation.

Recent heavy rain had left the outfield at Ian Healy Oval saturated

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2021The Sheffield Shield match between Queensland and South Australia at Ian Healy Oval in Brisbane was abandoned without a ball bowled.Although the weather for the last couple of days had been fine, previous heavy rain had left the outfield saturated and it had not dried enough to allow any play.It would have been the first first-class match held at the ground, the match shifted back there from Allan Border Field due to the improved drainage following redevelopment.The last six days of Sheffield Shield cricket in Brisbane have been abandoned after there was no play on the last two days of Queensland’s previous match against Victoria. Between the two four-day fixtures, a Marsh Cup game was also called off.The abandonment means Queensland stay top of the table with one game remaining – against New South Wales over Easter – as they aim to secure hosting rights for next month’s final.

Eoin Morgan’s men are missing aggression at the top, while KL Rahul and Co are just a step away from nailing their best XI

Hemant Brar25-Apr-20217:30

Can KKR arrest their powerplay issues? Do Punjab Kings need another specialist bowler?

Big picture

After the Kolkata Knight Riders’ latest defeat – against the Rajasthan Royals on Saturday – their captain Eoin Morgan urged his batters to show intent throughout the innings, saying that they were behind the eight-ball from the get-go. That approach has worked well for Morgan and his England teams but is yet to produce the desired results for the Knight Riders, who are languishing at the bottom of the points table with four defeats in five games so far in IPL 2021.One reason behind it could be that such an approach doesn’t bode well with the natural styles of the Knight Riders openers; both Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana are more anchors than aggressors. In the IPL, Gill has a strike rate of 120.10 in the powerplay, while Rana scores at 114.39 in that phase. What the Knight Riders can do instead is open with Gill and Rahul Tripathi, who has a powerplay strike rate of 141.43, and have Rana at No. 3.If the top three can provide a solid platform, Morgan, Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik possess enough firepower to build a skyscraper. But, for that to happen, the Knight Riders must ensure the trio faces enough balls to make a difference.After three successive defeats, the Punjab Kings put their campaign back on track with a nine-wicket win over the Mumbai Indians. While Nicholas Pooran has got three ducks in four innings so far in the tournament, it should not be a concern at the moment. In fact, the Kings have got the top six slots in the batting line-up almost sealed. With Ravi Bishnoi doing well after coming in for M Ashwin, they are now one step closer to finding their ideal bowling combination too.One thing the Kings would expect from their captain KL Rahul is to bat more freely, especially with the Chennai leg now over; and unlike Gill and Rana, he has got the gears to do that.

Likely XIs

Punjab Kings: 1 KL Rahul (capt & wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Moises Henriques, 8 Jhye Richardson/Chris Jordan, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Arshdeep SinghKolkata Knight Riders: 1 Nitish Rana, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Andre Russell, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Sunil Narine, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Shivam Mavi, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Varun ChakravarthyCan Shubman Gill provide the start the Knight Riders want?•BCCI/IPL

Strategy punt

• Against right-handers in T20 cricket, Varun Chakravarthy has 14 wickets at an average of 30.92 and a strike rate of 25.5. Against left-handers, he has ten wickets at 11.60, striking every 9.4 balls. Therefore, the Knight Riders could consider saving Chakravarthy’s overs for Chris Gayle and Pooran instead of giving him the new ball against Rahul and Mayank Agarwal.
• In the recent India-England T20I series in Ahmedabad, fast bowlers were more effective than spinners. Considering that, and with Deepak Hooda showing he can bowl a few overs of spin, the Kings may consider bringing in Chris Jordan or Jhye Richardson in place of left-arm spinner Fabian Allen.

Stats that matter

• This IPL, Pat Cummins has gone for 9.6 runs an over while bowling in the first ten overs of a match. Moreover, he is yet to pick up a wicket in that phase. In the last ten overs of a game, however, he has conceded 8.74 an over while picking up four wickets.
• Last season, Bishnoi dismissed Morgan twice in two games, both times with googlies.
• Since IPL 2019, the Knight Riders have never won when they have scored 160 or fewer while batting first.

All the updates, news and stats from day five of the first Test at Lord’s

Alan Gardner06-Jun-2021*Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local

7.10pm: All over

Rory Burns survives as the ball doesn’t carry to Tom Latham at second slip•AFP/Getty Images

There are often many different ways to end up at the same destination. The first Lord’s Test in two years had seemed destined for a draw after losing the entire third day to rain, and drawn it surely was as the teams shook hands at just gone 7pm on the final evening.But there was peril and intrigue along the route, as New Zealand sprung a declaration on England after a brief shower brought about an early lunch. The carrot of chasing 273 in 75 overs had been dangled, though England were clearly wary of the offer. The home side looked outmatched for much of this first Test and the nerves were palpable when they fell to 56 for 2 shortly before tea, a wicket away from their youthful middle order being exposed.In the end, there was not enough life in the pitch nor sand in the hourglass for New Zealand to make a concerted victory push. Dom Sibley batted more than four hours for a barnacle-encrusted half-century, as he and England’s captain, Joe Root, ensured against jitters with an 80-run stand that stretched into the evening session.

6.40pm: Chants would be are a fine thing