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The ECB aims to ‘own the summer as England prepares to host the Champions Trophy and an Ashes series

George Dobell15-Apr-2013The ECB has unveiled a raft of measures it hopes will capitalise on a golden summer in which England hosts both the Champions Trophy and an Ashes series and inspire more people than ever before to play and watch the game.They are also mindful that, for once, there are relatively few high-profile rival sporting events – such as the Olympics or a major international football tournament. As Steve Elworthy, managing director of global events and marketing, put it, “We want cricket to own this summer.”Ashes tickets are selling as well as anticipated – 95% of tickets have sold for the first four days of all Ashes Tests, with some grounds having sold out of fifth-day tickets – though the Leeds Test against New Zealand was described as “needing some support.” The Champions Trophy is also meeting expectations, with anticipation at Edgbaston and The Oval particularly high.The initiative will include free tickets for -16s at 40 Yorkshire Bank 40 matches in August (a maximum of four U-16s will be permitted per paying adult) and free on-line highlights of every YB40, County Championship and home international match. The ECB are also investigating the possibility of live-streaming the women’s Ashes Test.

Touts warning reiterated

Gordon Hollins, ECB’s managing director of professional cricket, has repeated the ECB’s uncompromising warning that anyone buying a pre-sold ticket to this year’s international games face a high risk of wasting their money.
“Tickets are not transferable,” Hollins said. “We use various technical methods of tracking tickets that are re-sold and they will be void. People should not buy from unofficial sources.”
As well as opposing ticket resale websites, the ECB has also vowed to monitor ticket touts outside the grounds.

To encourage more people to play the game, the ECB will launch ‘The Ashes School Challenge’, a scheme which will offer free teaching and learning resources to primary schools using cricket to educate nine to 11-year-olds in the Key Stage 2 curriculum across all subjects. The ECB is also hoping to expand the ‘Last Man Stands’ format – an eight-a-side format lasting two-hours per game – which is designed to appeal to ‘lapsed’ cricketers who may not have the time or fitness to continue to play club cricket.As for the thorny topic of the absence of international games on free-to-view television, the ECB will offer cricket clubs around the country incentives to allow members and non-members the opportunity to watch games for free. Competitions will offer chances to watch the Ashes in Australia and for a team to play at an international venue.While the overall financial value of an Ashes series is now worth far less than a series against India – the value of overseas broadcast rights means the India series is estimated as at least 30% more lucrative – the power of the Ashes brand in England and Wales remains vast and the ECB hope that can utilise the profile of it to create a legacy to see the game through less obviously commercial seasons.While the next three years offer a raft of high-profile Test series (Australia are the principle tourists in 2013 and 2015, with India playing a five-Test series in 2014), there is some concern about the commercial value a few of the years immediately following that. Tickets for series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the tourists in 2016, have not always sold well.”Not every summer can be iconic,” Gordon Hollins, Managing Director of Professional Cricket at the ECB said. “But three years is a long time and we hope the plans we put in place now will help us if there are tougher years ahead.”

Rubel Hossain, the Bangladesh fast bowler, has been advised surgery on his injured right shoulder

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2012Rubel Hossain, the Bangladesh fast bowler, has been advised surgery on his injured right shoulder. The operation could keep Rubel out of cricket for up to six months. He had picked up the injury during the home Test series against Pakistan in December, and was forced off the field after bowling just two overs in the opening game of the Bangladesh Premier League.”We have done double MRIs and had to [crosscheck things], and that took some time,” Debashish Chowdhury, the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s physician, told the . “We have submitted the official report yesterday [Sunday]. We have suggested that he needs an operation and it should be done in South Africa. It is getting a little late regarding Rubel [he should have the surgery at the earliest], and the operation is [expected to be] very complicated. We have no first-hand experience of it.” The extent of the damage, and subsequently the degree of complication of the surgery, will be known only after Rubel consults with the doctor in South Africa.”After the operation, he will [most likely] need six months to recover. If he [only requires a simpler] surgery, he will need six weeks to come back. He needs the operation because he can’t throw or dive, though, he can still bowl.”Shafiul Islam, another of Bangladesh’s injured fast bowlers, has also been asked to consult with a specialist in Cape Town. He too is hampered by a shoulder problem – he had done his shoulder some damage during last month’s Asia Cup. Chowdhury said, however, it did not look as though Shafiul would require any surgery. “Shafiul can continue the conservative treatment that he is undertaking.”

The WICB will expose as many young players as possible to international limited-overs cricket over the next two years in order to create a deeper pool from which to choose a team for the 2014 World Twenty20 and the 2015 World Cup

Tariq Engineer15-Apr-2011The West Indies Cricket Board will give as many young players as possible exposure to international limited-overs cricket over the next two years in order to create a deeper pool from which to choose a team for the 2014 World Twenty20 and the 2015 World Cup, its chief executive Ernest Hilaire has said. He spoke to ESPNcricinfo a day after West Indies left out Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, their three senior-most players, from the squad for the first two ODIs of the five-match series against Pakistan that begins on April 21.Hilaire, though, insisted no one has been dropped permanently.”We recognise we need to support our senior players,” Hilaire told ESPNcricinfo. “We are also very clear that we need to have greater depth in the senior team. We cannot rely on one or two players. It is not a formula for success. I am convinced, and the board is convinced, that we need to start building a team that will win in 2015.”There is no indication that any player has been axed. The selectors will explain to every player how they fit into the plan. There is no inherent right for players to play every match.”West Indies had a disappointing World Cup campaign, exiting the tournament following a big defeat against Pakistan in the quarter-finals and Gayle, Chanderpaul and Sarwan were subsequently left out of the start of the Pakistan series.Hilaire added that Gayle was yet to undergo a fitness test after picking up an injury during the World Cup, though this was not mentioned when the team was first announced.The policy of blooding as many new players as possible will be limited to the ODI and Twenty20 teams, with the Test team bearing a more settled look, because there are definite dates for ICC tournaments. “The Test schedule is different. It is home tours and away tours so it is a different strategy for limited-overs and Tests,” Hilaire said.The policy was put in place in October 2010 and was in evidence during the 2011 World Cup, in which Darren Bravo, Andre Russell, Devendra Bishoo, Kemar Roach and Devon Thomas, all younger than 26, got the opportunity to display their skills under pressure, with promising results. Hilaire said he expects more like them will see action at the highest level so that in two years time West Indies will have a core group of battle-hardened players that will give them a chance of winning major trophies again.”We cannot keep seeking quick-fix solutions to West Indies cricket”, Hilaire said. “We need a structured approach. We are making a heavy investment in cricket development. Lots of investment in youth programs. You need long-term plans. You do not become world beaters overnight. You need to build a winning environment.”Hilaire conceded that there would be setbacks along the way and expected criticism of the board’s approach given the diversity in the region and the passion for cricket, but was adamant the board must do what it thinks is right.”There is a bigger picture and that is the success of West Indies cricket.”

Deccan Chargers continued to climb up the points table by beating Chennai Super Kings comprehensively by six wickets at their “home” venue in Nagpur to draw level with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders and the losing side

The Bulletin by Jamie Alter10-Apr-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outR Ashwin was the pick of the Chennai bowlers•Indian Premier League

Deccan Chargers continued to climb up the points table by beating Chennai Super Kings comprehensively by six wickets at their “home” venue in Nagpur to draw level with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders and the losing side. The win was set up by their bowlers, after MS Dhoni decided to bat on a scorching afternoon, who restricted Chennai to 138, allowing the batsmen to chase at a comfortable pace despite two early jolts and the sapping heat. Deccan struggled against spin initially, losing three wickets to the slow stuff, but rode on another fifty from T Suman and Andrew Symonds’ cool head to seal victory with five balls to spare.The only bit that really went right for Chennai was the toss, which Dhoni won and had little hesitation in choosing to bat. When Chennai accelerated from 21 after three overs to 55 for 1 from six it seemed a run-fest was on the cards. As it turned out, Chennai had little to celebrate thereafter. In the eighth over, M Vijay called for a suicidal second run and that momentary brain freeze changed the complexion of Chennai’s innings. It was another example of the schizophrenic series he’s had, with aborted starts amid some match-winning knocks, and from there Deccan never let the initiative slip.From 65 for 2 in eight overs, Chennai slowed down to reach the half-way stage at 74 for 2 with Symonds and Pragyan Ojha keeping a check with stump-to-stump bowling. Chennai’s predicament had been brought about by their batsmen’s urge to dominate and as wickets fell around him, Suresh Raina began to improvise cleverly. He moved to leg to clip the ball fine and walked down the pitch to upset the bowlers, but also reined in his attacking instincts, knocking the ball in the gaps during the middle overs.Gilchrist put down a tough chance when Raina was 27 and he broke a 38-ball period without a boundary by stepping out and launching Ojha for a straight six and repeated the shot to Symonds in the following over. Raina struggled to keep a partner at the other end, as Michael Hussey pulled Symonds to deep midwicket and S Badrinath fell for 6.When Raina fell for 52, Chennai only had 122 on the board with 16 deliveries to go and no recognised batsman to follow. Deccan never allowed matters to slip their grasp as Harmeet Singh stymied runs and Ryan Harris returned to pick up wickets in the last over. In a team which had more experienced names in their bowling line-up, the hero of the innings was Harmeet, who bowled with excellent control, changing his pace and offering the batsmen no width to score off. His dismissal of Matthew Hayden with his first ball, drawn into a drive, and final two frugal overs were a blow to Chennai’s hopes of getting a challenging total on the board.A target of 139 meant than Chennai had to strike early to have any chance of a successful defense. The very impressive R Ashwin’s dismissal of the Deccan openers in the fifth over, with lovely traditional offspin, gave Chennai a sniff but Suman emphasised how crucial his presence at No. 3 was with a sensible innings. Against Bangalore two nights ago, Suman had batted aggressively because Deccan where chasing 185 but today he focused on staying at the crease.He reined in the big shots and along with Symonds -after Rohit Sharma fell to another aerial shot outside off stump – he stablised the innings, allowing himself to gain confidence against spin. Suman chipped Shadab Jakati for four and swung Raina for six, Symonds launched Jakati down the ground for maximum to negate the pressure, and the equation came to 49 from 36 balls. Dhoni had to turn to Sudeep Tyagi for his first over, the 15th, and Suman greeted him with four and six to cross fifty, the striking point being the use of a straight bat and clean swing. He fell with 32 needed from 24, a task which Symonds made sure was accomplished without too many jitters.Deccan’s win means the match to follow tonight will break up the tie between Kolkata and Bangalore.

His comments come in the wake of the BCCI directive limiting families’ presence during India’s overseas assignments

Shashank Kishore15-Mar-2025Virat Kohli has advocated for the presence of families on tours, emphasising the balance he felt they bring to players who might be going through tough times on the field.”It’s very difficult to explain to people how grounding it is to just come back to your family every time you have something which is intense, which happens on the outside,” Kohli said during the RCB Innovational Lab Indian Sports Summit ahead of IPL 2025, when asked about the role his family had played on tough tours.”I don’t think people have an understanding of what value it brings to a large extent. And I feel quite disappointed about that because it’s like people who have no control over what’s going on are kind of brought into conversations and put out at the forefront that, ‘oh, maybe they need to be kept away.'”Related

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In the aftermath of India’s recent 3-1 Test series loss in Australia, the BCCI issued a directive that limited the time players spent with their families on tours. It ruled that players’ immediate families – partner and children – can join them only after the first two weeks on tours of over 45 days, while staying for no longer than 14 days. On shorter tours, families can accompany players for up to a week.”If you ask any player, do you want your family to be around you all the time? You’ll be like, yes. I don’t want to go to my room and just sit alone and sulk,” Kohli said. “I want to be able to be normal. And then you can really treat your game as something that is a responsibility. You finish that responsibility, and you come back to life.”Like, there could be different situations happening in your life all the time. And that allows you to be absolutely normal. Not in a vague sense, but in a very real way that you finish your commitment, your responsibility, and then you come back to your house, you’re with family, and there’s absolutely normalcy in your house and normal family life goes on. So, for me, that is absolutely a day of immense pleasure. And I won’t miss any opportunities to go out and spend time with my family whenever I can.”‘I want this all to be an event that helps my team win. That’s why you see the celebration that I have when we pick up a wicket in a tight situation’•Getty Images

How challenging is it for Kohli to strike a balance between two different personas – the family man who strives for balance on tours, and the ultra-aggressive on-field presence who can occasionally get caught up in the heat of a battle, like in Melbourne when he shoulder-charged debutant Sam Konstas?”It’s naturally kind of getting tapered down again,” Kohli said when asked about his on-field persona. “People are not happy about that either. I don’t know what to do, to be honest. Earlier, my aggression was a problem, now my calmness is a problem. It’s like, I have no idea what needs to be done, that’s why I don’t focus on it much.”The kind of person I am, the kind of personality I have, yes, I do have tendencies to kind of go overboard. And I’ve never shied away from that. But the starting point is, okay, sometimes it might not have gone out with the right intent, but more often than not, the starting point has been of care. I want this all to be an event that helps my team win. That’s why you see the celebration that I have when we pick up a wicket in a tight situation. Because I’m like, yes, this is exactly what needs to happen. And I represent it like that.”For a lot of people, it might not have been something that they’re able to process. But for me, it always comes from the right place. While batting, of course, it puts me in a different place. Because I don’t have small, regular events to get excited about. I mean, the end goal is finishing the game. And then, yes, I can represent it the way I used to in the past. Again, things are happening naturally with me. It’s getting tapered down naturally.”My competitiveness has not gone down. So, I think for a lot of people, it’s very difficult to process how is the competitiveness going to be at the same level if the aggression is not. You can still be aggressive in your mind, but you don’t necessarily need to express it out there every now and then out of frustration, which I have – I mean, in the recent past as well, which is not a great thing, to be honest, I don’t feel great about those things myself.”

Dooley suffered a stroke while on holiday and had emergency surgery in Honolulu before being airlifted to Brisbane where she remains in hospital

Alex Malcolm20-May-2024Melbourne Renegades and South Australia wicketkeeper-batter Josie Dooley is in hospital in Brisbane after suffering a stroke while on holiday to Hawaii which left her in intensive care for more than two weeks.Dooley, 24, was on vacation on the Hawaiian island of Kauai in April when she suffered a stroke. The South Australia Cricket Association released a statement on Monday detailing Dooley’s condition.”On 15 April Josie was on the Hawaiian island of Kauai when she suffered a stroke as a result of hydrocephalus and was required to be air lifted to Honolulu to receive urgent neurosurgical treatment,” the statement said.”Following surgery, Josie remained in the neurosciences ICU of the Queen’s Hospital in Honolulu for 18 days before progressing to a neurosurgical ward where she remained for a further 12 days.”Once she was fit to fly, Josie was medically evacuated to her hometown of Brisbane where she was readmitted to hospital.”Hydrocephalus is a neurological disorder caused by an abnormal build-up of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles (cavities) deep within the brain.”Josie is making progress in her recovery and would like to thank her family, friends and teammates for their love and support over this challenging time,” the statement continued. “The Dooley family request privacy at this time.”Her WBBL club, Renegades, added: “Like many in the Australian cricket community, the Melbourne Renegades are thinking of our beloved team member, Josie Dooley, as she faces her current health battle.”Josie is a much-loved member of our playing group and a favorite with our fans. We see her strength, dedication and spirit during the WBBL and we know this will guide her through this challenge.”Dooley plays for South Australia in the WNCL competition and for Renegades having started her WBBL career in her hometown with Brisbane Heat in 2018-19 where she played nine matches. She has gone on to play 65 matches for Renegades in the WBBL.She also started her WNCL career with Queensland in 2018 as a teenager before moving to South Australia ahead of the 2020-21 season. Dooley has represented Australia at Under-16 and Under-19 level and played Australia A. She also played for the Governer-General’s XI against England in 2017.

Prithvi Shaw is back in the T20I squad, while KS Bharat gets a maiden call-up to the ODI squad

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2023India have left Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli out of their T20I squad for the upcoming home series against New Zealand. KL Rahul is also not in the squad, and while the BCCI put his absence – and that of Axar Patel, from both the ODI and T20I legs of the series – down to family commitments, it gave no specific reason for Rohit, India’s regular all-format captain, and Kohli missing the series.As a result, India’s first-choice top three from their last two T20 World Cups are now missing successive T20I series.This may not yet have a major bearing on India’s long-term future in the format, however. Ahead of the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka, Rohit said the selectors and team management had made it clear to a number of senior players that they would not be able to play all three formats over the next few months for workload-management reasons, with India building up towards the 50-overs World Cup later this year.Related

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Hardik Pandya, who captained India in the three T20Is against Sri Lanka earlier this month, will continue to lead the side in the T20I series, which will be played in Ranchi, Lucknow and Ahmedabad from January 27 to February 1, with Suryakumar Yadav as his deputy.Rohit and Kohli are part of the squad for the ODI series that will take place before the T20Is, from January 18 to 24 in Hyderabad, Raipur and Indore.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Prithvi Shaw in, Harshal Patel out

The T20I squad is also notable for the return of opener Prithvi Shaw, who last played for India in July 2021, and whose absence from subsequent squads – particularly in the T20 format – has been a constant source of debate, given his rare ability to provide rapid starts in the powerplay. Shaw forced himself into the reckoning earlier this week by scoring 379 off 383 balls – the second-highest first-class score by an Indian batter – for Mumbai against Assam in the Ranji Trophy.Left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, who took a Player-of-the-Match-winning 3 for 51 in the second ODI against Sri Lanka on Thursday, is also back in the T20I squad, having last featured for India in that format in August 2022. He is one of two wristspinners in the squad along with Yuzvendra Chahal.Sanju Samson, who was ruled out midway through the T20I series against Sri Lanka with a knee injury, remains out of the squad – the BCCI release did not provide an update on his fitness. Jitesh Sharma, who replaced him, remains in the squad as one of two wicketkeeping options alongside Ishan Kishan.Fast bowler Harshal Patel, who played only the first T20I against Sri Lanka, has been left out of the squad.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

KS Bharat called up to ODI squad

With Rahul sitting out the ODIs, India have called up the uncapped KS Bharat as a second wicketkeeper alongside Kishan. Bharat is also part of India’s squad for the first two Tests against Australia in February – he is expected to contest the lead wicketkeeper role with Kishan in the absence of regular keeper Rishabh Pant, who has undergone knee ligament surgery after suffering a serious car crash in late December.In Axar’s absence, meanwhile, the selectors have called on a like-for-like replacement in Shahbaz Ahmed – both are allrounders who bat left-handed and bowl left-arm spin. Shahbaz has been part of the white-ball mix in recent months, and has played three ODIs, most recently in December on the tour of Bangladesh.Also back in the squad is fast-bowling allrounder Shardul Thakur, who was left out of the series against Sri Lanka. Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh, who was part of the ODI squad against Sri Lanka but didn’t get a chance in the starting XI, misses out – he remains part of the T20I squad, however.Jasprit Bumrah, who was initially named in the ODI squad against Sri Lanka before pulling out before the start of the series – he is on the road to recovery from a long-term back injury – is not part of either white-ball squad or the squad for the first two Tests against Australia.

“It is not yet finalised in which area he will work in, whether it is the High Performance, Under-19s or the senior team,” Nazmul Hassan said of Siddons

Mohammad Isam24-Dec-2021The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has brought back former Australia batter Jamie Siddons to Bangladesh cricket – this time as batting consultant – over ten years after he served as the senior men’s team’s head coach from 2007 to 2011. It is unclear though which part of the system he will join when he takes up his role early next year.”We have appointed him as the batting consultant,” BCB president Nazmul Hassan said following a board meeting in Dhaka on Friday. “It is not yet finalised in which area he will work in, whether it is the High Performance, Under-19s or the senior team. We are hopeful that he will join in February 2022.”

Bangladesh women cricketers get pay hike

The BCB has raised the salary of the contracted female cricketers by “around 33%” for the calendar year 2022. The increase was due to their good performance on the recent tour of Zimbabwe and their qualification for the 2022 ODI World Cup, according to BCB president Nazmul Hassan. The women players’ salary structure will be divided into two or three categories, according to their experience, performances and quality of each player.

Ashwell Prince, the former South Africa captain, is currently the batting coach of the senior team. He is contracted till the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, having being roped in earlier this year, pipping Siddons to the position.Siddons was Bangladesh’s head coach from October 2007 to April 2011. He is credited for bringing a culture of professionalism in the team and developing Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, notably, as batters. He was in charge when Bangladesh beat New Zealand 4-0 in the 2010-11 ODI series, marked as the first top-tier team Bangladesh beat in a full series.Among other new appointments in the BCB’s standing committees for the 2021 elected body, the board named Jalal Yunus as chairman of the cricket operations committee after Akram Khan announced last week that he no longer wanted to stay in the post.New director Tanvir Ahmed replaced Yunus as the media and communications manager. The veteran Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby has been given charge of the tournament committee, while Akram was made chairman of the facilities management committee. Kazi Inam Ahmed was named chairman of the Bangla Tigers committee.

Spin coach backs legspinners to shine in fourth innings as Pakistan secure precious lead

Danyal Rasool07-Aug-2020After squandering much of the advantage following five sessions of gritty batsmanship, breathtaking pace, sublime swing and tricky spin bowling, you could have excused Pakistan’s spin-bowling coach for being somewhat miffed at what transpired in the final session. Mushtaq Ahmed, though, ever a ray of sunshine, insisted there was no cause for irritation, adding that the scorecard, and the first-innings lead, meant he was “very confident” about the direction of the game.”We’re not frustrated,” he said at the video press conference. “It’s been awhile since we played Test cricket. But the guys are now getting back into the swing of things. We are very confident. We’ve got a 244-run lead, and if we get another 20-30 runs, it’ll be a very good score on this pitch. If we bowl and field well, I think this will be a very good Test match.”A scoreline of 137 for 8 may not make for pretty reading, but Pakistan’s overnight lead already means England will have to pull off the second-highest chase in the venue’s history to take a series lead here. And while that should assuage any Pakistani nerves, they will doubtless be ruing some of the unforced errors that allowed England a look-in once more. Shan Masood, a picture of resolute steel for much of Pakistan’s first innings, tickled Stuart Broad down the legside, for a catch so straightforward even the beleaguered Buttler couldn’t fail to hold on to. By his currently stratospheric standards, it was a soft dismissal.Pakistan would give away a few more wickets to poor decision-making, from low-percentage slogs they didn’t need to go for, (a la Abid Ali), to unnecessarily risky singles (in the mould that saw Asad Shafiq run out). With Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah and Yasir Shah the only survivors from the innings overnight, there is little confidence Pakistan can add too much to the overnight tally, but Mushtaq dismissed suggestions complacency had played any role in some of the mistakes the visitors made.ALSO READ: Chris Woakes hails ‘miracle-worker’ Stokes in sparking fightback“I don’t think we were complacent,” he said. “The boys are very focused. But whenever we were about to put up a partnership, we lost a wicket. The Asad dismissal was a bit painful because the scoreboard had started tickling along and both batsmen were set. Like I said, the boys are playing cricket after a while so you need to understand the ebbs and flows of the game and that sometimes takes time.”But there isn’t need to worry too much,” he added. “The way Yasir and Shadab bowled, they understand the pitch and the pace you have to bowl to each specific batsman and the field positioning you need to have. I think they’re very confident in the way they bowl. Yasir began with nerves but you can understand that. Both spinners bowled very well in the middle session, and that gives me hope they can play a crucial role as long as they have a decent target to defend.”For all of Mushtaq’s diplomacy, however, there’s little doubt Pakistan will be privately seething at the opportunities they handed England
during a final session that they may yet look back upon with remorse. If the bowling performance in that fourth innings is half as decent as it was in the second, though, then Pakistan supporters, like the implacable Mushtaq Ahmed, may indeed have little to worry about.

Sri Lanka’s selectors now strongly considering handing the ODI reins to Karunaratne for the World Cup

Andrew Fidel Fernando18-Mar-2019Dimuth Karunaratne’s forthcoming stint with the Hampshire county side may be cancelled, with Sri Lanka’s selectors now strongly considering handing the ODI reins to Karunaratne for the World Cup.Hampshire had signed Karunaratne as their overseas player in February, but Karunaratne has now been asked to remain in Sri Lanka through April, in order to play the provincial one-day tournament, during which the selectors will assess his suitability for the Sri Lanka one-day side.Karunaratne has not played an ODI since the last World Cup, and has been pigeon-holed as a Test batsman, partly owing to poor returns in the one-day format – his average is 15.83 after 17 matches.But as Lasith Malinga’s one-day captaincy is yet to yield a victory for Sri Lanka in nine matches, the selectors are considering a left-field move.”The selectors haven’t confirmed anything, but they’ve told me to keep in mind there’s a possibility I could become one-day captain,” Karunaratne told ESPNcricinfo. “They’ve asked me to stay back for the provincial tournament. If I get picked for the World Cup squad, there will be camps and training after that as well, so I might not be able to go to Hampshire in those months.”Although Karunaratne does not generally score as quickly as your standard ODI batsman, there is now a hope he will be able to hold Sri Lanka’s innings together. In recent years, Sri Lanka has frequently lost early wickets. They were unable to last the full fifty overs in any of the four full ODIs they just played in South Africa.The selectors have also been impressed with Karunaratne’s ability to band the team together in tough situations. Sri Lanka’s recent historic upset against South Africa in Tests was partly credited to the manner in which Karunaratne was able to coax the best from a group of inexperienced players. Several of the stars of that series have since paid tribute to Karunaratne’s leadership.In an interview with , chief selector Ashantha de Mel said his committee wants “to see what Dimuth did for the Test team, with the ODI team”. Angelo Mathews, de Mel said, was also in the frame for the captaincy, because Mathews was “someone who has been accepted by everyone in the team”.”But we are also looking at Dimuth,” he said.Through all this, it is still not clear if Malinga will lose his job – the selectors have not ruled out his captaincy for the World Cup either. Essentially, at present, there are three possible choices for captaincy, each with its drawbacks. Karunaratne is not thought of as a one-day player; Mathews is often injured, and although Malinga is both an automatic choice in the one-day XI, and has been fit over the past few months, the selectors do not believe he has the full support of the dressing room.In any case, Karunaratne has not done his chances any harm by hitting 109 off 115 balls for Sinhalese Sports Club in the semi-final of the Premier Limited Over tournament on Sunday.