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Player payments will also be reviewed in absence of any cricket due to Covid-19

Nagraj Gollapudi11-May-2020In the absence of any cricket due to Covid-19 and all available sources of funding drying up fast, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has decided to cut the salaries of the coaching staff by 25% in May. That number could jump to 50% in June if their tour to Zimbabwe in June is cancelled. Although the ACB has paid the dues for the first three months of 2020 to all the its contracted players, their salaries are likely to be reviewed in the near future if financial situation worsens.Among those impacted are Lance Klusener and HD Ackermann, the head coach and batting coach respectively along with former captain Nawroz Mangal, who is the assistant coach. Klusener and Ackerman, who joined in September 2019 and March 2020 respectively, have their contracts until the end of the year.”This is part of our cost saving strategy as we have been also impacted by the Covid-19 crisis,” ACB chief executive Lutfullah Stanikzai told ESPNcricinfo. “We have decided to cut 25% (of the salary for the coaches) for May, 50% for June if we are not able to resume international cricket. We will try and keep them for as long as our financial situation allows.”Although Afghanistan’s next official assignment is the Asia Cup, the ACB and Zimbabwe Cricket have agreed to play five T20Is in Zimbabwe, which isn’t part of the FTP. Stanikzai said the ACB was waiting for the country to resume overseas air travel, before taking the final call on the Zimbabwe tour. According to him, the ACB will also review as a next step whether to “cut” salaries of contracted players. Currently, 32 senior men cricketers and 55 domestic players have retainers from the board.AFP/Getty Images

‘We do not have any sponsor’

Stanikzai said the ACB, , like most of the sporting organistaions, have had to rework its revenues that have been thin for a long time. The ACB is bracing for the worse with doubts hovering over both the Asia Cup and the men’s T20 World Cup.”We are just trying to save costs wherever we can,” he said. “There has been loss of revenue for us – the government grant we receive is at risk because the government is spending that on dealing with the pandemic. We lost our clothing partner Tyka. We are not 100% sure Asia Cup will take place and the revenue we will receive from there. If there are problems with the T20 World Cup that will also impact us negatively going forward to next year and beyond.”Afghanistan were granted full membership in 2017, which entitled them to a distribution cost from the ICC for participating in global tournaments. As per the new finance model, they’d get around US$ 40 million for the 2016-23 commercial rights cycle for projected ICC revenues of $2.7 billion. However, with the ICC’s projected revenues coming down those costs have been adjusted to close to $4.8 million per year.Staninkzai confirmed that the ACB received 50% of its distribution costs for 2020 from the ICC, amounting roughly to US$ 2.4million in January. The ACB has been reeling financially after one of its major sponsors, Alokozay Group of Companies (AGC), cancelled its contract last year after differences with the ACB.Recently, after the pandemic forced the world to shutdown, Tyka, an India-based firm that signed up as a clothes sponsor with the ACB, terminated its two-year contract meant to run till the end of 2020. To compound the crisis the Afghanistan government is yet to give the annual grant to ACB, which contributes about 15% of the board’s revenue.Stanikzai sighed about the mounting challenge for Afghanistan, which remains war-torn and financially weak. Therefore, the ACB have had to look overseas, mainly towards Indian sponsors. “We do not have any sponsors. We just have to find them on an ad-hoc basis series by series.”The ICC wrote to all boards in the aftermath of the pandemic to check if they needed emergency financial support. The ACB decided against taking up the offer as they aren’t due to play much international cricket at the moment. As per the ICC’s FTP, other than the Asia Cup, Afghanistan are scheduled to participate in the T20 World Cup followed by a one-off Test against Australia in 2020.AFP

Stanikzai said getting the advance from distribution costs would not actually “help” the ACB. “It will have no impact on our revenue. It is just the eight-year cycle money allocated to the ACB.”Earlier this year the ACB had written to the ICC asking to “increase” its share of the distribution costs for the 2021-23 period.”Next year we have a lot of cricket. It is going to be a tough year for us. We have requested the ICC to increase our distribution costs, but we have not received a positive response yet. We were told we will get some of our distribution money in advance which will be decided in July (ICC annual conference)”.‘Getting same money as we did when we were Associates’

Stanikzai feels Afghanistan’s income from the ICC hasn’t changed drastically from when they were an Associate. This has prompted them to seek a larger pie from the ICC, keeping in mind the volume of cricket they will play in 2021. They are scheduled to host Ireland and Zimbabwe and then play India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in limited overs series.”We are getting the same amount of money from the ICC when we were an Associate. The Full Member tag has (only) increased the expectations form among our fans and all other stakeholders, but we are not receiving any additional money to help us fulfil those expectations.”The pandemic is going to pose a bigger risk for the smaller countries like Afghanistan and Ireland, both of who rely on the ICC distribution money to run and administer their cricket. Recently Cricket Ireland cancelled the home series against Afghanistan due to financial difficulties.”For smaller cricketing nations like us and Ireland it is not easy to manage everything with the amount of money that we receive from ICC. Obviously our cricket does not have the viewership that other (Full Member) boards have.”We do not play India or England to help us generate the kind of revenue that we would want. We are mostly playing Ireland and Zimbabwe from where we cannot generate the kind of revenue that will help us to be financially stronger.”

The IPL Governing Council is going to chalk out the final details and approve the schedule

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Jul-2020The 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played between September 19 and November 10 in the UAE. Brijesh Patel, the IPL Governing Council chairman, told ESPNcricinfo that the final could be played on November 8 or 10, with a definitive decision expected soon.Even as the BCCI has set the ball rolling for relocating the IPL to the UAE, it still needs the nod of the Indian government. Earlier this week Patel had said that the permission “will come” and had confirmed Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah will be the three main venues for the tournament.Patel said the tournament dates had been “circulated” among the IPL Governing Council members but he did not confirm whether there is a Governing Council meeting scheduled which was speculated to take place this weekend. He further said that key points including the schedule along with the contours of what a biosecure bubble would comprise would be finalised and communicated to the franchises soon. It is understood the franchises were informed only about the tournament dates on Thursday and were told further details would emerge soon.One key advantage of having the tournament in the UAE is the quarantine period is less relaxed. Currently anyone travelling into the UAE needs to test negative before flying in, and also has to take a test upon landing. If both those tests are negative there is no quarantine required. But if a person lands without having done a test prior to flying in, then a quarantine period is mandatory.ALSO READ: Kane Williamson looks forward to IPL as he eases back into trainingThe IPL will comprise 60 matches and will be played over 51 days (in case final is on November 8). In the original schedule prepared in March for this year, the tournament days stretched to 50 to keep the double-headers minimal, a request of the franchises who did not want players to suffer during the peak Indian summer. It is likely the double-headers will remain minimal even in the UAE.It remains to be seen whether the IPL will stick to evening matches commencing at 8pm IST despite reservations from host broadcaster Star Sports, which was sceptical about games stretching past midnight. It is likely that the IPL will reconsider advancing the start time to 7.30 pm IST.With the final on November 8 or 10, the Indian players will also have enough time to quarantine for two weeks in Australia for the Test series scheduled to start on December 3 in Brisbane.

Gloucestershire collapse to 13 for 4 in reply to hosts’ 237

ECB Reporters Network22-Aug-2020George Bartlett’s fourth first-class century transformed Somerset’s fortunes on a dramatic opening day of the Bob Willis Trophy match against Gloucestershire at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.The 22-year-old former England Under-19 batsman ended unbeaten on 100 as his side were bowled out for 237, having been 89 for 5 and 176 for 9 after losing the toss.Bartlett’s valiant innings occupied 143 balls and featured 17 fours. David Payne claimed 4 for 44 and Ryan Higgins 4 for 72, but a last-wicket stand of 61 between Bartlett and Jack Brooks frustrated the bowlers.By the close, Gloucestershire had slumped to 13 for 4, Chris Dent and Graeme van Buuren falling to Craig Overton, and Ben Charlesworth and nightwatchman Josh Shaw to Josh Davey in the first seven overs.The start of the day had seen Somerset plunge into trouble after visiting skipper Dent had elected to field, with threatening clouds gathering.Left-arm seamer Payne, fresh from eight wickets in the previous game against Glamorgan, bowled Eddie Byrom for a duck with a fine delivery at the start of the third over.With the total on 29, Somerset captain Tom Abell edged Shaw through to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick, departing for 10, and at the end of a morning session interrupted for 40 minutes by a heavy shower, Somerset were 42 for 2.Higgins grabbed an important scalp soon after the interval, pinning James Hildreth lbw for 13 and it was 57 for four when opener Tom Lammonby was well caught low at third slip by Tom Lace off the same bowler, having made 24.Gloucestershire looked to be taking a firm grip when Steve Davies was caught down the leg-side by Roderick off Payne for 16 in the 35th over.But Bartlett looked in better form than his team-mates from the outset and by tea he had moved confidently to 43, off 89 balls, looking particularly strong off the back-foot through the off-side.Craig Overton provided support as batting began to look more comfortable under clearing skies and had contributed 32 to a stand of 75 when leg-before to Higgins with the total on 164 in the final session.A clatter of wickets followed, Roelof van der Merwe edging Payne to George Hankins at second slip, Jamie Overton caught behind aiming a mighty swing off the same bowler and Davey taken at first slip by Dent off Higgins, having been dropped by Hankins the previous ball.At 176 for 9, Somerset, whose top order batting had been fragile in previous games, looked in danger of ending their innings without a bonus point.But Bartlett, whose half-century had occupied 109 balls, began to cut loose and found a reliable partner in Brooks, not for the first time providing valuable runs at number 11.They should have been parted with the score on 195 when Hankins spilled another chance at second slip offered by Brooks off Matt Taylor.Gloucestershire’s fielding let them down as another chance offered by Brooks went begging and four overthrows contributed to the last-wicket stand.Bartlett continued to punish anything short through the covers and point. A richly-deserved hundred was reached with a single to third-man off Taylor and the young batsman leapt to punch the air in celebration.Brooks was caught at mid-off for 24 off the next delivery, but momentum was with Somerset and Craig Overton was quick to build on it by trapping Dent lbw for five in the third over of Gloucestershire’s reply.Charlesworth edged to second slip, van Buuren was caught behind and Shaw fell leg-before as the fiery Overton and accurate Davey threatened with virtually every ball.

Nottinghamshire progress on higher Powerplay score after securing dramatic tie off last ball

George Dobell01-Oct-2020Leicestershire let a golden opportunity slip through their grasp – literally as well as figuratively – to allow Nottinghamshire to book their place in a Vitality T20 Blast semi-final against Lancashire.With 17 runs required from the final seven balls, it seemed Leicestershire had held their nerve in a thrilling East Midlands derby. But then Arron Lilley, fielding at midwicket, made a fearsome mess of an apparently simple piece of ground fielding to concede four to Samit Patel when there should have been a single.Worse was to follow. After Patel had struck a six in the final over, two were required from the final ball to send Nottinghamshire through. When Imad Wasim could only mistime the ball to mid-on, it looked as if he would be limited to a single. But Dieter Klein failed to pick up the ball cleanly and allowed it to pass him by.With the scores finishing level, the winner was to be decided by the side who had lost fewer wickets. But when that, too, was equal, the qualifier was the score after the Powerplay overs. It meant Nottinghamshire qualified for Finals DayPerhaps those fielding errors were the result of pressure, perhaps they were the result of the ball having become slippery in the dew but for a Leicestershire side who had fought back from an awful start with the bat and had held their nerve admirably with the ball it was a bitterly disappointing way to let the game slip away.”We got away with that,” Dan Christian, the Nottinghamshire captain, admitted to Sky afterwards. It was hard to disagree.False startBy managing just 22 runs in the Powerplay, Leicestershire gave themselves a mountain to climb in the rest of the game. Perhaps surprised by a surface that offered impressive bounce and carry, they managed only one run from the first over and none at all from the third. It represented the fourth worst Powerplay performance by a team batting first in the competition this season.It wasn’t just the lack of runs, either. Leicestershire also lost two wickets in those first six overs and another from the first ball of the seventh. At 22 for 3, having only managed two boundaries, it looked as if this could be a one-sided encounter.They did stage something of a comeback. Harry Swindells and Colin Ackermann put on 66 in eight overs, including a spell where they hit 46 off four overs, and by taking 97 off the final 10 overs of the innings, they did give themselves a chance. But, bearing in mind the manner in which the result was decided, that slow start came back to haunt them.Hanging in thereLeicestershire’s bowlers didn’t deserve to be on the wrong side of this result. They were immaculate almost throughout. With seven bowlers used and only one of them – the unfortunate Lilley, who went for 14 from his only one – proving expensive, it might be harsh to pick out any of them in a performance that was characterised by its strength as a unit.But Gavin Griffiths, who was on a hat-trick after Ben Duckett lost his leg stump missing a heave across the line and Chris Nash was brilliantly caught after chipping to mid-on, and Will Davis, who came on for the 14th over and nailed his slower-balls nervelessly, were especially impressive among the seamers.Ackerman enjoyed a fine all-round performance, too. After contributing 43 with the bat, he claimed three wickets with his waspish offbreaks including the apparently key ones of Joe Clarke, who looked in sublime touch before mishitting one to long off, and Tom Moores, who looked as if he were taking his side to victory before he lost his off stump to one that gripped just enough to beat his stroke.But non one bowled better than left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson. Despite bowling his first three overs in the Powerplay, the spell only cost 17 runs. He then returned for the 15th over with Nottinghamshire desperate for quick runs and conceded just four more.More than that, though, he produced the ball of the night to account for Alex Hales. Pitching on leg stump, gripping and spinning past Hales’ bat, it hit middle stump and suggested that his brother Matt may not be the only international spinner in the family. It really was a lovely piece of bowling.Harry Swindells drives powerfully•Getty Images

Samit’s upThis must have been a frustrating season for Patel. Despite having represented England in all three formats of the game, he currently finds himself struggling to maintain a place in Nottinghamshire’s top seven and had faced only seven balls (and made a top score of 4 not out) in the competition before this game.But, aged 35 and a veteran of 287 games in this format, he showed his composure and his class here. Yes, he had some fortune with the fielding, for sure. But the six he hit from the fourth ball of the final over – a glorious drive that flew over long-off – must have been partially responsible for ratcheting up the pressure that resulted in Klein’s misfield.Even before that final over, there had been three fours and a sense that Patel knew that if he could take the game deep enough, if he could put some pressure back on Leicestershire, he would be giving his team a chance. Ultimately, he held his nerve and they didn’t.Giant-scaringWith no side having won this tournament as many times as Leicestershire, it probably sounds incongruous to suggest they were on the verge of a giant killing. But the last of their three victories, in 2011, came the last time they reached Finals Day. Only once since, in 2017, had they reached a quarter-final before this. They have a young side with only three internationals including Klein, who has represented Germany twice.Nottinghamshire, meanwhile, had six internationals in their side including two overseas players. It’s only a partially unfair joke to suggest their youth system has its base at Leicestershire Grace Road; it’s far from unusual for them to utilise their superior spending power to lure the best players away from Leicestershire: Stuart Broad, James Taylor and Harry Gurney among them.But though it is Notts who progress, and although you suspect this result will sting long into the winter, Leicestershire may feel they made their point rather eloquently in this game. They might not have any money, they might not have many big names and they might not have an especially lovely recent record. But with a fine team spirit, with some clever plans put in place by their enterprising coach, Paul Nixon, they showed once again that they are a team to be respected in this format, at least.

Domestic cricket could resume behind closed doors but the MSL could be in serious doubt

Firdose Moonda18-Sep-2020South Africa’s borders will open for limited international travel on October 1, as the country further eases its lockdown regulations, but no international sport will be permitted just yet. Travel to and from other countries in Africa, for business or leisure, will be allowed but similar trips outside of the continent will be restricted. A yet-to-be-determined list of high-risk countries will be established by the government and travel to those countries will remain off limits.The move to Level 1 (of five levels, with Level 5 being the strictest) comes six months after the country closed down in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19. Non-contact sport was allowed to resume under Level 3, and contact sport under Level 2, but spectators will not be allowed into stadiums even at Level 1.This means that neither South Africa’s men’s nor women’s national teams will be able to host other teams or travel abroad, but domestic cricket could resume behind closed doors. However, the Mzansi Super League (MSL), the franchise T20 tournament that is going into its third season, could be in serious doubt because Cricket South Africa (CSA) had hoped to be able to stage it with fans in attendance.A decision on whether the MSL would be played in its November-December slot was due to be taken mid-August but CSA has yet to secure broadcasting rights or a sponsorship deal and has been dealing with an administrative crisis. As yet, there is no indication of whether the tournament will take place. Similarly, CSA has not released any domestic fixtures although ESPNcricinfo understands it hopes to get the franchise competition underway in November. Typically, the South African domestic season aims to mirror the formats of international cricket (so if the national team is preparing for Tests, the franchise competitions will be red-ball focused) but with the international calendar unclear, that may not be the case this summer.South Africa were hoping to host England for white-ball cricket before Christmas – and that could happen if restrictions are eased further – but the rest of their FTP is in limbo. Earlier this month, CSA confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that it is in talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for a possible men’s tour in early 2021 but for that to take place, the national team will need to be allowed to travel as a group. While individual players have permission to leave the country for work purposes (11 South African players are at the IPL, a handful have traveled for county stints, and seven are due to play in the Women’s Big Bash League), permission for a team to travel has yet to be given the green light. The national women’s team was denied a request to play a series in England this month.There has been no competitive cricket in South Africa since March, when the country went into lockdown, apart from an exhibition three-team match in July. The men’s team returned home early from an ODI tour of India, had a white-ball tour to Sri Lanka and a two-Test-five-T20I tour of the West Indies postponed, and were also due to host India for three T20Is in August. The last of those was hoped to be a boon to CSA’s coffers but has since been removed from the organisation’s budget, suggesting the matches may not happen this season.The national women’s team has also had its calendar affected with a home series against Australia and a tour of the West Indies both called off, along with the false dawn of going to England, which did not happen.South Africa has been among the worst affected countries in the coronavirus pandemic and has, to date, recorded the eighth-most infections in the world at 655,572 cases. The death rate remains relatively low at 2.4%. It has also had one of the strictest global lockdowns with a complete stay-at-home phase for five weeks from March 27 to May 1 followed by a gradual easing of restrictions. Outdoor exercise was permitted from May 1 and non-contact sports were permitted from June 1. As a result, domestic cricketers have been in training for several months and now await news on when they will return to play.

The first mid-week of the WBBL fixtures saw four teams in action

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2020The Hurricanes earned themselves a first win of the WBBL season with a trouncing of fellow strugglers the Renegades who were skittled for 81 – their second-lowest total in the tournament’s history – in a dismal batting display. On a slow Blacktown surface, the ground hosting its first matches of the competition, the Renegades laboured to time the ball from the start when Sophie Molineux was caught at backward point off her first ball. They had struggled to 1 for 30 after eight overs when 15-year-old spinner Amy Smith had Lizelle Lee lbw with her first delivery and in the 11th over Hayley Matthews removed Courtney Webb and Amy Satterthwaite in consecutive deliveries. When Nicola Carey bowled the in-form Georgia Wareham the hopes of a strong finish went with her and the entire innings contained just three boundaries. Rachel Priest struck six herself in an opening stand of 56 that ensured the chase was a formality and they had more than seven overs to spare.

“It has been harder than I thought spending so much time in the hubs and bubbles, it wasn’t doing me much good”

Andrew McGlashan05-Dec-2020England batsman Tom Banton has withdrawn from his BBL deal with the Brisbane Heat due to the demands of the ongoing biosecure bubbles he has been part of in recent months.Banton is currently with the England squad in South Africa as a reserve player which came on the back of his IPL stint with Kolkata Knight riders in the UAE. That in turn followed the home season where he was part of England’s limited-overs bubbles against Ireland, Pakistan and Australia.He was due to head to Australia straight from South Africa and then serve his mandatory 14-day quarantine before being available for the Heat after Christmas.”It has been harder than I thought spending so much time in the hubs and bubbles and I came to the realization that it wasn’t doing me much good,” Banton said. “I know the Heat looked after me really well during the BBL last year and I was confident that they would understand when I spoke to Boof [Darren Lehmann] and Lynny [Chris Lynn] about going home to regroup.”I’d like to thank the fans and members who are getting ready to support the Heat during the tournament and pass on my regrets to them that I won’t be there.”The Heat’s head coach Darren Lehman said Banton had the full support of the club although he conceded it was a blow to the team’s planning so close to the tournament starting. It adds to the Heat’s difficulties in the lead-up to season after Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the Afghanistan spinner, tested positive for Covid-19 while in hotel quarantine in Queensland and was moved to a hospital.”Look firstly Tom is a terrific young man. He’s an impressive person and someone who we know would not have made a decision like this lightly and not without a great deal of soul-searching,” Lehmann said.”After speaking with him at length, the best option for him is to head home to his family and loved ones and give himself every chance to recover. We’ve always been strong as a club that your family comes first and so we back his decision 100 percent and hope he is feeling restored and mended very soon.”It is a very challenging time for many people and cricket is no exception. There is no normality or work life balance which is so important, especially in elite sport. The well-being of the players is paramount and I am sure everyone – fans, coaches, administrators, sponsors – recognizes that.”We shouldn’t be critical of individuals making tough decisions so the best thing to do is to support them and back them. It’s a setback for us, but we know there are people in our group, or those coming into our squad, who can rise to the occasion.”The Heat also have batsman Dan Lawrence signed for a five-game stint at the start of the tournament and it remains to be seen whether that could be extended in light of Banton’s withdrawal. Lewis Gregory, the England allrounder, is their other overseas player and Lehmann said they would be scouting for cover.The Heat’s opening match is on December 11 against the Melbourne Stars in Canberra.

Daniel Bell-Drummond’s 70 in vain for Colombo Kings

Madushka Balasuriya13-Dec-2020How the game played outThree wins, six losses, LPL finalists. The Galle Gladiators are the first team to qualify for the final of the Lanka Premier League, coming out victors in a semi-final that at points seemingly neither side wanted to win.Indeed, a two wicket win with one ball remaining barely begins to tell the story of a game that was largely dominated by the ball, but will undoubtedly be remembered for some incredibly sloppy moments in the field from both sides. The Gladiators to be sure will know they have got away with one.In a truly Jekyll and Hyde performance, the Gladiators were exemplary with the ball; the pace trio of Mohammed Amir, Nuwan Thushara and Dhananjaya Lakshan, gave away just 80 runs in their 12 overs, picking up four wickets, which allowed Lakshan Sandakan to scalp the critical wickets of Angelo Mathews, Andre Russell, and Ashan Priyanjan.At no point in the Kings’ innings were the batsmen allowed a breather – except for Daniel Bell-Drummond, who was dropped thrice and survived a run out scare on the way to a 53-ball 70 – as they were held to a sub-par 150 for 9.But with the bat, the Gladiators showed the Kings more than enough opportunities to steal the win, all of which they somehow managed to squander. That the Kings got there without the bowling chops of Russell (who slipped in the dressing room and didn’t take the field) and Mathews (who pulled a hamstring midway through his spell), illustrates how difficult the Gladiators made life for themselves.Add to this Isuru Udana bowling his final two overs virtually on one leg. Not that this in any way took away from the drama. So engrossing was it that the rain which had hovered menacingly overhead for half the chase ultimately decided the contest was too engaging to interrupt. Perhaps the rain gods too were caught up in the game of who would falter next.In the end it came down to the final over, with the Colombo Kings, after having stretched the game to that point – perhaps through sheer will power – now, quite preposterously, marginal favourites.Let’s set the scene for a moment. The Gladiators need 15 off 6 with two wickets in hand. A one-legged Udana is bowling – having previously been prevented by the umpires from bowling the penultimate over as he was off the field for too long when receiving treatment. Lakshan, whose 2 for 27 with the ball had played a key role in curtailing the Kings’ batsmen earlier in the day, is the last recognised batsman at the crease. With him is Sandakan, whose 3 for 32 was arguably the pivotal spell of the game.Cue Lakshan slicing a high full toss on off-stump straight to Qais Ahmad, only for him to spill the chance – the umpteenth drop of the game. To make matters worse the batsmen would gamble for two, with Qais missing the stumps when a direct hit would’ve seen the batsman well short.In a game littered with mistakes in the field, Lakshan would make sure that was the last as he would hit a six high over long-off two balls later, and two balls after that Sandakan would smack a half-volley for four to seal a hard-fought win.It really shouldn’t have come to that though, had the Gladiators’ batsmen shown a modicum of composure. Even the ever-reliable Danushka Gunathilaka – who had not scored fewer than 30 so far in the tournament – wasn’t immune to the rampant strain of poor decision-making that would proceed to run through the Gladiators’ batting lineup, as he would fall for 13, after an ill-advised sweep only managed to find the man at deep midwicket.Either side of a 23-ball 40-run third wicket stand between Azam Khan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa, the Gladiators would lose wickets cheaply, courtesy of a combination of poor shot selection and even poorer running. One of which would account for the wicket of Shehan Jayasuriya, who had looked to be steering the Gladiators to the win before being run out for 22.All this on another day should’ve been enough to lose the game, but on the balance of play the better team on the day – just about – probably won.Stars of the dayThe entire Gladiators’s bowling contingent. Having sleepwalked through the first half of the tournament, replete with bowling and fielding performances lacking in both energy and penetration, the Gladiators – either by design or desperation – have stumbled upon a combination that has become among the most effective in the LPL.While in Amir they always possessed a world-class talent, the more recent additions of Lasith Malinga, Thushara and the swing and variations of Lakshan have transformed their attack. More importantly, the control provided by those three has granted the Gladiatiors the luxury of utilising Sandakan in a purely attacking role.Turning pointThe injury losses of Russell, Mathews and Udana (effectively), which crippled the Kings’ ability to contain an unusually generous Gladiators line-up.The big missIt could’ve been any number of dropped catches really. But Qais’ drop of Lakshan in the final over was ultimately the final nail in the coffin of the Kings.

Tim Paine said scratching a guard is something Smith did regularly with no intention of removing another player’s mark

Daniel Brettig12-Jan-2021Australia have closed ranks around Steven Smith and his habit of shadow batting and re-marking guard during matches, after stump camera footage that showed him doing so during Rishabh Pant’s SCG innings raised suspicions of sharp practice.In an episode not a million miles away from when Justin Langer once tapped the bails off during a Test in Sri Lanka in 2004, an extension of his habit of touching them regularly when walking past as a fielder, Smith was seen shadow batting at Pant’s end as if left-handed and then scraping his spikes down the line of middle.While he apologised for his own behaviour during a Test match that Australia would most likely have won without him dropping three critical catches on the final day, Paine was adamant that Smith had meant nothing sinister or annoying to Pant by what he had done on the crease line. Even so, Paine conceded that Smith would need to reconsider venturing into those areas in future “because of the perception of it”.”I’m glad you asked that, because I have spoken to Steve about this. And I know he’s really disappointed with the way it’s come across. If you’ve watched Steve Smith play Test cricket, that’s something he does every single game, five or six times a day,” Paine said. “He’s always standing in the batting crease, shadow batting. We know he’s got those many Steve Smith quirks and one of them is he’s always marking centre.Related

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• Paine: My leadership wasn't good enough'

“He was certainly not changing guard and I’d imagine if he was then the Indian players would have kicked up a bit of a stink at the time. When he’s in the field, he likes to walk up to where he bats and visualizes how he’s going to play. Yesterday you could see him up there, playing a couple of shots as a left-hander – as if [working out] where he wanted Lyno to pitch the ball.”And one of his mannerisms – he does it a lot – was marking centre, he wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination trying to change guard or do anything like that.”Smith, winner of the match award for his scores of 131 and 81 – his first century on Australian soil since the Newlands scandal in April 2018 – was “quite upset” in Paine’s words to be facing further questions of his character around re-marking the crease.”Steve’s quite upset about it. It’s something we always have a laugh about because he just loves batting so much and even when he’s out on the field he’s shadow batting and marking centre,” Paine said.Rishabh Pant put plenty of pressure on Australia during the final day•Getty Images

“I’m sure if people are happy to look back at the footage you’ll see it happens probably more than once a Test match with Steve. There’s no way in the world he was trying to change Rishabh Pant’s guard or anything like that. Now that it’s come up as it has it’s something he might have to look at because of the perception of it.”The close examination of all actions and words on the field, whether through the many camera angles or the now ubiquitous recording of conversations around the stumps, did not reflect well on Australia on the final day of the Test, something Paine was more than happy to acknowledge during his unscheduled media appearance. But he also defended some of the mindless chatter being offered by the likes of Matthew Wade and Marnus Labuschagne as they fielded in close to the bat for long periods as Nathan Lyon tried to bowl India out.”We fully understand that they are on all the time,” Paine said of the stump microphones. “Was it the stump mics that took away from the Test or me? It was probably my behaviour. I know – for some silly reason you forget at times they’re on. But I need to be better than that. I know they’re on. We’ve seen plenty of instances in the past when you can get stuck into the batsman and do it in a way that’s a lot better than the way I did it yesterday. We understand that.”I love the way Wadey goes about it. He and all of us need to understand that sometimes how things can look are not how they are in the middle. That’s something we need to be aware of. Yesterday wasn’t our finest day as a team, and it’s something we’ll address this morning. I certainly don’t want to change the way Wadey goes about it or anyone in our team goes about it.”

“I realise now that if I work hard enough, I can establish myself as an allrounder” says Miraz

Mohammad Isam04-Feb-2021Tamim Iqbal told him to mind the short ball, Mushfiqur Rahim told him to leave the ones outside off stump and Shakib Al Hasan tweaked his sweep shot.When Mehidy Hasan Miraz returns to the team hotel tonight, these three senior players must be looking for at least a dinner treat from the maiden Test centurion. He has already acknowledged their contributions, saying their advice had helped him his self-confidence as a batsman.”It is a big moment for me,” Miraz said. “I wasn’t too confident but now I realised that if I work hard enough, I can establish myself as an allrounder. I have to take every opportunity to do well. I wasn’t a good batsman at the start of my career but I slowly improved myself. I think my hard work has paid off finally.”Miraz said that a few days before the Chattogram Test against West Indies, Tamim explained to him how to handle fast, short deliveries directed at his body. Mushfiqur, often seen training with Miraz, also had some last-minute words of encouragement when he was going out to bat today.”When I was batting in the nets the other day, Tamim was telling me about how to play deliveries to the body. He told me to keep my bat straight, and not slant the bat. I applied it against Shannon Gabriel today, by either leaving the ball or keeping my bat as straight as possibleTest centurions from the No. 8 position for Bangladesh•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Even Mushfiq used to give me tips. We often batted together in the nets, so he told me to play straight and not poke at the ball outside off stump. Just before I was going out to bat today, Mushfiq told me that this wicket has a lot of opportunities. I can be 60-70 not out. When senior players are so encouraging, us juniors feel a lot more confident,” he said.There was more technical help awaiting Miraz when he was batting in the middle. When Shakib saw him trying an extravagant shot, he told Miraz to try something slightly different.”I was a little nervous when I came to bat. Shakib told me to play normal cricket and play my shots confidently. To shake off my nerves I tried a slog sweep, but Shakib gave me the information that I would be better off playing a paddle sweep on this wicket. It turned out to be a risk-free shot,” he said.It wasn’t just the three senior cricketers. Miraz also shared an anecdote about the No. 11 Mustafizur Rahman, who arrived at the crease with Miraz on 92. “Mustafiz told me, ‘, I am worried that what if I got out with you in the nineties’. But I told him that it is not in our hands. If Allah wants, I will score a hundred. I told him to try to stay at the crease. It wasn’t as if I to get a hundred; I left it to my fate,” he said.Miraz said that his childhood coach, Al Mahmud, had actually called him the day before the first Test for some good wishes, and ended up predicting the century.”My first coach, Al Mahmud, called from Khulna, to tell me that he wants me to score a hundred in this Test. I couldn’t believe it. How would it be possible to get a hundred from No. 8? But he has always encouraged me and maybe that’s what he was doing,” Miraz said.