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Day-night Test could create 'T20 or one-day atmosphere' – Daniel Vettori

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The pink ball and day-night Tests are here to stay, according to Daniel Vettori, the former New Zealand captain who is now Bangladesh’s spin-bowling consultant. Vettori said the game in Eden Gardens could give a glimpse of how Test cricket could, in the future, be played in front of crowds similar to those that attend T20s and ODIs.”I think pink ball is a big part of Test cricket,” Vettori said. “I think you have to appreciate the fact that there’s going to be so many people here. You have to acknowledge that. If you can extend the Test match into the nighttime, it brings more and more people into the game. I think it has a big part of the future but has to be balanced with day games.”It could almost have a T20 or a one-day atmosphere. [Virat] Kohli or Rohit [Sharma] going out to bat is going to feel like a T20. I think there’s going to be an atmosphere no player has played in Test-match conditions. I think that brings another element to the game.”Vettori said the most positive aspect of the day-night Test, from a Bangladesh perspective, is how it has excited the team’s fast bowlers, who generally have a minor role in home Tests and have struggled abroad. With up to 6mm of grass expected to be left on the surface to help maintain the pink ball, Bangladesh are likely to play three quicks, with Mustafizur Rahman and Al-Amin Hossain likely to come into the XI.”The four fast bowlers are very excited,” Vettori said. “It is a nice thing. Bangladeshi fast bowlers don’t get to be excited a lot. I think they are coming to grips with a slightly different ball. It is the SG pink ball. I think most guys have limited experience with the Kookaburra one.”But I think there’s real optimism. There’s going to be a big crowd, so for the whole time it is a real joy to play in this first pink-ball Test.”The main challenge, Vettori indicated, would come during twilight, though the period doesn’t last for too long in the eastern part of India, where the light fades quickly and the sun sets early in the evening in winter.”Pink ball plays normal [during the afternoon],” he said. “I think the challenge will be when the Test is under lights. Sunset is quite early here. I think that’ll be the time when we see the pink ball come into play. The twilight hour, dusk, is when it seems to do a little bit more, but my experience is only from watching on TV.Mustafizur Rahman completes a delivery•AFP

“It will be the period of the Test match when tactically teams might do a few different things. The wicket will be pretty good and that last session will be very interesting with the pink ball.”Vettori said he had heard from the Bangladesh players that sighting the ball may be an issue from square of the wicket. “Visibility is fine, but the only anecdotal conversation I have heard is around being a little bit hard to pick up from point and square-leg.”It will be interesting to find out if slips, gully and umpire is picking it up well. They say there’s a small halo effect [around the ball]. We are excited to play rather than think about the negatives.”Bangladesh have had two sessions at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, where the local authorities gave them access to centre-wicket practice. They had one full session under lights there, but it is a different perspective in Kolkata where the light towers are different.”We have only had one session when it is slightly dark, so tomorrow will be our first full session under dark with lights on,” Vettori said. “So far so good. Because the pink ball plays well at this time of the day, it has generally been positive about the Test.”He also acknowledged the limited role for spinners, particularly against an Indian batting line-up that has been dominant against spin. Vettori said the best a spinner could hope for is to bowl economically in the first innings, without thinking too much about wickets. “In the last three or four years, overseas spinners have been put under a lot of pressure [in India],” he said. “It is because of the nature of wickets, expectations that spinners have to do a job, and the Indian batsmen’s skills.”We saw the pressure Mayank [Agarwal] and [Ajinkya] Rahane put our spinners under. There wasn’t a lot to do in the good wicket in Indore. It will probably be similar here. The overseas spinners can’t look to dominate here like they do back home. They should try to take 2-60 or 2-70 in the first innings, and then see what the second innings presents to you. It is the right way to go about it.”

Stokes and England management 'behind Root 100%'

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Joe Root “has the backing of everybody” in the England dressing room, according to Ben Stokes.Root has endured a tough few days. After experiencing perhaps his worst Test as captain – England suffered an innings defeat and he recorded his lowest return in any Test as leader where he has batted twice – questions about his position as captain have resurfaced. In particular, there are concerns over whether the leadership is compromising his ability to contribute with the bat. He now averages under 40 as captain and under 30 in 2019.But it is clear he retains the full support of his teammates. Certainly Stokes, who might be considered one of the few viable alternatives for the position and is now, at No. 9, two places above Root in the Test batting rankings, is unequivocal in his support. He believes that it is unfair to pin the failures of the whole team on one man and that there is “no one else to do” the job.”Joe knows that he’s got the backing of everybody in the changing room: players, backroom staff and management,” Stokes said. “That’s the main thing that counts for us as players in a very tightknit group. He knows that everybody in that changing room 100 percent backs him, as I do.”The pressures of being England Test captain is huge. It can be one of the most criticised jobs in England at times. And sometimes that criticism is unfair, I would say. There are 11 guys that contribute to a win or loss. It doesn’t all fall on the captain.”We put our hands up as players when we don’t perform. But unfortunately Joe cops most of that [criticsm]. But as a playing group, we stick together and we hold our hands up together as well.”He’s fine. He’s Joe Root. He is England captain and there’s no one else to do it.”There is unanimity within the England squad about where they went wrong in Mount Maunganui. Having squandered first use of the pitch, they then found themselves bowling on it at its best and were given a batting masterclass by BJ Watling. So, despite the scorecard, they know it was the batsmen, rather than the bowlers, who were most responsible for the defeat.”We fought as hard as we possibly could with the ball,” Stokes said. “I’m not quite sure what else we could have done. We spent 201 overs in the field and we left nothing out there. Scoring 350 in our first innings didn’t quite cut it. On a wicket like that, you have to get five or six hundred if you bat first. We knew we were under-par when we got bowled out.”Stokes was as disgusted as anyone by the comments directed at Jofra Archer towards the end of the first Test. As a man proud of his New Zealand and Maori heritage, he was at pains to point out how unrepresentative the incident was of the welcome England’s players – and supporters – receive in the country.”I’m obviously very proud of my heritage and where I’m from,” Stokes said. “I’ll always respect that. The tattoo on my arm just signifies where the family comes from.”Coming back to New Zealand, it’s not just a cricket tour for me. It’s also a great time to be able to catch up with family that I don’t get to see that often. I came out a week before the Test guys to stay with my mum and dad, which was awesome. I got to see brothers, sisters, cousins and everything like that. Every time I manage to come back it’s really good.”It wasn’t a nice way to end the Test match and it’s a shame because that doesn’t represent New Zealand is about as a country whatsoever. New Zealand is more accurately represented by how much support Jofra has had, not just from the New Zealand cricket team, but New Zealand in general after that incident.”That’s the main things for us now: making Jofra aware that we’ve got his back. It was a pretty horrific incident and something that shouldn’t happen in sport or in the world in general in 2019.”Archer was among the England seamers to return to training on Monday. While he didn’t have a long bowl, he appeared in no discomfort after his exertions in Mount Maunganui and is expected to play in the second Test. Indeed, England may well be unchanged.All the bowlers involved in the first Test bowled without issue on Wednesday though Matt Parkinson, the reserve spinner, took one ferocious blow to the thigh when Root thrashed one back at him. Parkinson will have a terrific bruise, but he was fine.Some of the fringe players have impressed, though. Saqib Mahmood continues to bowl well, while Zak Crawley is catching swallows in training and would appear to be a rare example of a county player reaching the England set-up with fitness levels to rival the very best in the squad.The 21-year-old scored a century in his only innings on the trip and is making a good case for his retention in the squad to tour South Africa despite the anticipated recall of Jonny Bairstow.

Highly-rated Kavisha Dilhari and Hasini Perera return to Sri Lanka's squad for Women's T20 World Cup

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Sri Lanka made four changes to the squad that was whitewashed in Australia last year as they attempt to put on a better show at the Women’s T20I World Cup in Australia starting on February 15. Chamari Atapattu will lead the side, while Harshitha Madavi continues as her deputy.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Sri Lanka Cricket announced the 15-member squad on Monday. Of the changes, four players are under the age of 25, including the uncapped 20 year-old Sathya Sandeepani, while there are returns to the national set-up for the 18 year-old Umesha Thimashini, 19 year-old Kavisha Dilhari and 24 year-old Hasini Perera. Dilhari has long been identified by Sri Lanka’s coaching staff as a future star, as such her inclusion despite modest recent form is unsurprising. The same goes for Perera.Both Thimashini and Sandeepani, however, make the cut by virtue of their form with the Sri Lanka’s Emerging Women’s side, where their all-round efforts have proved integral to the team’s chances of success.Making way are the veteran quartet of Yasoda Mendis, Inoka Ranaweera, Oshadhi Ranasinghe and Inoshi Priyadharshani, all of whom are over 30. Their exclusions are unsurprising with all four having struggled to make a mark in Sri Lanka’s tour down under towards the end of 2019.

Shafali Verma, Sophie Ecclestone top T20I rankings

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Shafali Verma’s sparkling batting at the top of the order for India has seen her vault 19 places to be the No.1 ranked batter in the world in T20Is. India have marched into the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup, progressing unbeaten through Group A, with Shafali playing a central role.Only 16 years old, Verma has dethroned Suzie Bates from the top spot, with the New Zealand batter having been ranked No. 1 since October 2018. She is only the second Indian women, after Mithali Raj, to top the T20I rankings.She has hit 29 off 15 against Australia, 39 off 17 against Bangladesh, 46 off 34 against New Zealand, and 47 off 34 against Sri Lanka. She is the third highest run-getter in the tournament ahead of the knockouts, and has by far the highest strike rate of any batter (minimum 10 runs).Sophie Ecclestone meanwhile, has jumped to the top of the bowlers’ rankings, having gained two spots through her consistent showing in the T20 World Cup for England. Ecclestone is the second-highest wicket-taker so far, with eight wickets in four matches, but her average of 6.12 and economy rate of 3.23 mark the left-arm spinner out as the best bowler in the tournament so far.Ecclestone is the first England bowler to be No. 1 since Anya Shrubsole in April 2016, and the first England spinner at the top since Danielle Hazell in August 2015.England too have made it to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, along with India, Australia and South Africa. Ecclestone and Verma will go up against each other in the first semi-final on March 5.

Stuart Broad relishes return to bowling

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Stuart Broad has described thoroughly enjoying his return to bowling for the first time in more than two months, despite pulling up weary afterwards.England seamer Broad was one of 18 bowlers to return to individual training programmes at venues around the country last Thursday and Friday amid a slight easing of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. He also said he saw no problem playing in a match where his father, Chris Broad, was referee, as might be the case this summer with limits on travel and social contact set to remain in place even if the international season goes ahead.Broad trained at Trent Bridge under the guidance of Nottinghamshire physio James Pipe and adhering to strict infection control protocols. Broad had to record his temperature before heading to the ground, where he had his own parking space and toilet and bowled with a new set of Dukes balls, which he will keep and continue to use throughout the individual training period.”I was only bowling at an empty net, and yet, when I left Trent Bridge on both Thursday and Friday there was a real ‘wow’ feeling,” Broad wrote in his column for the . “It felt really good to be back out in the middle again.”It was the first time I’d bowled properly since we returned from the tour of Sri Lanka 10 weeks ago. To be fair, although I’ve only bowled 12 overs so far, the action feels pretty solid.”ALSO READ: Prospect of Chris Broad officiating over son Stuart raises concernsBroad also described undergoing aerobic training excercises in the form of shuttle runs, known at Nottinghamshire as stag runs and borrowed from the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team in Australia.”I have done quite a bit of long distance running at a slower pace during these last couple of months but the good thing about the stag run is that it is done at about run-up pace,” Broad explained. “It incorporates turning too, which gets the body into similar scenarios that you would encounter on the field – like changing direction to chase the ball.”Although I felt great, on the second morning I woke up at half past six to discover muscles I’d forgotten existed. That’s what bowling does to you. Even bending down to touch my toes caused me to grimace a little. I could feel my sides too. I wouldn’t call it pain. I was just very aware that my body had been doing something different again.”Stuart Broad looks on in training•Getty Images

England are expected to name an international training group of up to 45 players, including red- and white-ball squads, this week in hopes of playing a condensed interntional schedule behind closed doors at venues deemed ‘bio-secure’, possibly starting with the first of three Tests against West Indies on July 8.Plans to play in bio-secure environments with players, officials and staff required to isolate before, during and after series, have also raised the prospect of Chris Broad, the only English representative on the ICC’s elite panel of seven match referees, officiating in England’s home Test series.While no one is questioning Broad Snr’s impartiality as an official, the scenario is understood to have raised some eyebrows in the Caribbean. But Broad Jnr rejected any suggestion that it could pose problems.”Sure, if he was an umpire I could understand that because he could have a subconscious influence on decisions that are made on the field,” Broad said. “No offence to him here but he sits in an office and if I, or anyone else, breaks the code of conduct he simply looks up the regulations in a handbook and determines the appropriate sanction from the relevant section.”There is no emotion in a match referee’s job. And there is likely to be no contact between us … there’s no haggling over the punishment. It’s not as if I can go into a room and barter to only pay 12 per cent of a 15 per cent match fee fine.”From experience, and I’ve played 138 Tests, you only see a match ref if you’re in trouble. Often they are sat in a different building. You only tend to meet at breakfast in the hotel or on the outfield before the start of play. From a selfish point of view, I’d love the chance to be able to have a coffee and catch-up with dad in a bio-secure environment.”

Virat Kohli: MS Dhoni played a big role in my becoming captain

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Virat Kohli has credited MS Dhoni with playing a significant role in anointing him as his successor as India captain.Kohli took over as the full-time Test captain when Dhoni retired from the format midway through India’s tour of Australia in 2014-15, and later became captain across formats when Dhoni quit his limited-overs post in early 2017.Kohli said the process was a gradual one of “earning trust” over several years.”I was always inclined towards taking responsibility,” Kohli said of his early days in the India dressing room, while speaking to his team-mate R Ashwin on his Instagram Live show . “After that it was all about just wanting to play, wanting to be in the XI regularly. I didn’t play all the games, but I wanted to be discussed, that ‘whether this guy is good enough to play or not.’ That is a transition that slowly happens.”Then with your interest in the game you start talking to the captain regularly. I was always in MS’s ear, standing next to him, saying, ‘We can do this, we can do that.’ He would deny a lot of things but he would discuss a lot of things as well. I think he got a lot of confidence that I can do this after him.”A large portion of me becoming captain was also to do with him observing me for a long period of time. It can’t just happen that he goes and the selectors say, ‘Okay you become captain.’ Obviously the guy who is there takes responsibility and says, ‘Okay I think this is the next guy. I will tell you how it is going.’ And then slowly that transition is formed. He played a big role in that, and that trust you have to build over six-seven years. It doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a process.”Kohli was first appointed vice-captain for the 2012 Asia Cup, which followed India’s tour of Australia for a Test series and a tri-series in 2011-12. In a tour that otherwise went poorly for India, who were blanked 4-0 in the Tests and failed to reach the tri-series final, Kohli emerged with distinction. He scored his maiden Test century in the fourth match in Adelaide, becoming the only India batsman to reach three figures in that series. In the ODIs, he made his then highest score in the format , smashing 133* off just 86 balls as India chased down a target of 321 in 36.4 overs to keep their hopes of making the final alive.The relationship between Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni solidified over time•Associated Press

Kohli said that tour helped him become aware of his game and hone it significantly. “I remember that whole season,” he said. “It was from that Test hundred in Adelaide to continuously stringing scores. That was a phase of six to eight months where I really realised a lot about my own game and came into my own as far as my skills were concerned.”I was very competitive but I wasn’t very sure or in control of what I wanted to do before. When you come in new, you’re still figuring out how to go about it. At the international stage you want to be feared, you want to be respected. You don’t want to walk in and hear, ‘He’s one of the youngsters, we’ll just knock him over.’ We all play for that. That was a phase where I started to realise this.”In the Asia Cup that followed, Kohli made 183 in another tall chase, against Pakistan. He revealed that during this knock, he had negated the threat posed by Saeed Ajmal by treating the offspinner as if he were a legspinner.”I told myself I’m going to start playing him like a legspinner,” Kohli said. “Because his was quite difficult to face and his offspinner was not that lethal. So I said I’m going to try and hit him over cover consistently, and it just paid off. As soon as I negated his , the potency of his threat became lesser and lesser.”In that game I scored most of my runs against him through the off side [29 runs on the off side and 7 on the leg side]. My only aim was I’m going to make him unsettled with his . He should fear bowling the doosra to me, then I’m on top of my game.”

PCB: Saleem Malik's response unsatisfactory and irrelevant

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Saleem Malik’s ongoing quest to be reintegrated into Pakistan cricket has been pushed back once again by the PCB. The board believes Malik hasn’t again responded satisfactorily to the contents of a conversation 20 years ago in which he talked about fixing cricket matches.While Malik insists he had submitted a response last month to the board regarding a sting operation by an English tabloid 20 years ago, the PCB does not believe his response appropriately addresses the matter.After the Qayyum report was released in 2000 – in which Malik was banned for life – the now-defunct newspaper released a video in which Malik was allegedly caught offering to potentially corrupt players and games in exchange for money.The reporter involved in the sting – Mazher Mahmood – was the same as the one that carried out the 2010 Lord’s spot-fixing operation. The revelations and allegations arising from the sting were not part of the Justice Qayyum inquiry; that inquiry took place in the year before this story and the report had been made public days before the sting.While Malik remained out of the fold for a number of years, he has recently begun to appeal to the PCB to reintegrate him, and made himself available for coaching or mentoring roles. The PCB, however, remain adamant that will not be possible until Malik has substantively dealt with the questions that the sting raised.Malik submitted his response in June, but the PCB’s statement on Friday makes clear they are not satisfied with its contents. ESPNcricinfo understands the board believes the response to be irrelevant to the issue at hand. “In the backdrop of the above, the PCB will be unable to proceed any further until such time you respond on the said matter,” the statement said.Malik’s cricketing career was ultimately sullied by match-fixing scandals. In a judicial inquiry that began in 1998 and continued for 13 months, he was found guilty of bribing Australian cricketers Shane Warne and Mark Waugh to lose the 1994-95 Karachi Test. Malik was fined Rs 1 million and banned for life in 2000, but eight years later his sentence was overturned by a Lahore sessions court, allowing him theoretically to return to the fold. However, today’s statement from the PCB makes clear little progress has been made between the two parties since Malik began his latest attempt to completely rehabilitate himself.Danish Kaneria after his meeting with the PCB integrity committee•AFP

The PCB accused the former captain of “denial and avoidance” with respect to the transcripts, and referred to an apology he had made in 2014 in which he appeared to “accept my wrongdoing, apologise to the fans and start my rehabilitation process”.The PCB also addressed Danish Kaneria’s recent appeals for rehabilitation. The legspinner was banned for life in 2012 by the ECB after a disciplinary panel found him guilty of corruption after a stint in county cricket in the UK, implicated during fellow player Mervyn Westfield’s criminal trial. The board told the player he was appealing to the wrong party, and was advised to approach the ECB, the board that had banned him in the first place.”You were banned for life by the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission after it was established that you had ‘knowingly induced or encouraged Mervyn Westfield not to perform on his merits in the Durham match'” the statement said. “You subsequently challenged the decision before the Appeal Panel of the Cricket Disciplinary Commission, which was upheld. Then, you appealed before a commercial bench of the High Court in London, which was dismissed. Then, you appealed before the Court of Appeal (Civil Division), which was rejected. The PCB’s rehabilitation programme is offered to players upon conclusion of the respective periods of ineligibility and not for players who are serving life bans.”

Mohammad Yousuf, Mohammad Zahid appointed to High Performance centre as batting, bowling coaches

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Former Pakistan internationals Mohammad Yousuf and Mohammad Zahid have been appointed to the High Performance centre as batting and bowling coaches respectively.Yousuf had a successful playing career for Pakistan, making 9720 runs in ODIs and 7530 runs in Tests, and now his shift to coaching has become a major talking point in the country. This will be his first coaching assignment after he had retired from international cricket in 2010.”My ambitions in making a career in coaching are an open secret but it was all about the timing and a proper roadmap for our future cricket in which I could contribute effectively,” he said. “I believe this is the right time for me to start my second innings as I can sense the intent and optimism in the approach. I am delighted to have been offered this opportunity and I firmly believe I can help young cricketers by transferring my knowledge and experience, which I have acquired after being part of one of the brightest and formidable eras of Pakistan cricket.”The PCB also made substantial changes to the domestic set-up, with as many as 16 coaches losing their jobs, including Azam Khan, Arshad Khan, Ijaz Ahmed Jnr, and Kabir Khan.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Abdul Razzaq will replace Kabir at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while Basit Ali, the former SNGPL coach, takes over the reins from Azam at Sindh. Faisal Iqbal will coach Balochistan while Shahid Anwar will be in charge of Central Punjab. Both Abdur Rehman (Southern Punjab) and Mohammad Wasim (Northern) were retained. All six domestic coaches will also act as national selection committee members to assist Pakistan coach-cum-chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq.”I want to thank all the outgoing coaches for their contributions and urge them to remain involved with this great game as the PCB is optimistic there will be future opportunities in the game, both as coaches and consultants,” Nadeem Khan, PCB’s director of High Performance, said in a statement.”When the PCB had launched the revamped domestic structure last year on 29th August, it had announced it was an evolving process and changes will be made to further strengthen the structure. Due to paucity of time last season, the coaches couldn’t be appointed through a review, analysis and recruitment process, which we have corrected this year.”Razzaq’s appointment, in particular, has raised a few eyebrows as the only coaching experience the former allrounder has is a short stint with Quetta Gladiators in the PSL a few seasons ago. Iqbal, the new Balochistan coach, has had two stints with Karachi Kings in the PSL. Atiq-uz-Zaman, who had been rejected by the PCB less than a year ago for an Under-19 role, has now been appointed fielding and wicketkeeping coach at the High Performance centre.Atiq will assist Yousuf and Zahid and Mushtaq Ahmed, who is currently on tour in the UK with the national team as their spin-bowling coach, at the High Performance centre. Abdul Majeed and Mansoor Rana, who had been part of the High Performance centre, are now the fielding coach and team manager respectively of the Pakistan national side.The new changes will be effective from the upcoming season as the PCB made a decision in principle last month to start domestic cricket this year in a biosecure environment, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The season is likely to start next month with the national T20 Cup. Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the premier domestic tournament, is likely to played entirely in Karachi. There will be a 40-man squad for each of the six association teams this year due to concerns around the pandemic. All teams for each association will be re-selected by the newly appointed coaches through a draft process later this month.

Cricket Australia juggles flight and quarantine challenges to get Mitchell Marsh home

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Cricket Australia is working with the IPL to organise how they will get injured allrounder Mitchell Marsh back home where he will then have to quarantine for two weeks as he begins his rehabilitation from the ankle problem that curtailed his tournament after just one match.Under normal circumstances the logistics would be simple with Marsh getting a flight back to Western Australia as soon as possible, but in the Covid-19 landscape there is significantly reduced commercial air travel and government-enforced restrictions on getting back to Australia. When the players travelled from the UK after the limited-overs tour they shared a private chartered flight with the England cohort.ALSO READ: Injury, illness, selection: the ups and downs of Mitchell MarshIf Marsh is to return directly to Perth he will have to get exemption from the Western Australian government then quarantine for two weeks. The other option is he could fly to Adelaide and be based at the hotel at the ground where the members of the Australia squad who came straight back from the UK are currently doing their quarantine period.However, under the latter arrangement Marsh would then have to do a further two weeks isolation in Perth when he returns home as Western Australia currently has a hard border to all other states.Marsh injured his ankle in his opening over of the IPL playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challenges Bangalore in Dubai. He could only send down four deliveries and though he hobbled out to bat at No. 10 subsequent scans confirmed the fears expressed by the Sunrisers’ captain David Warner that his tournament was over.A CA spokesman said at this early stage the aim was for Marsh to play in the Sheffield Shield which will start early next month. There will be four rounds of the tournament played in an Adelaide-based hub at three grounds in the city ahead of the start of the international summer.That is set to begin with white-ball matches against India in late November – which are expected to be in Brisbane – before the first of four Tests starting around December 17 with the opening game of the series also slated for Adelaide. The India schedule is awaiting final sign-offs at government level.The Sheffield Shield programme will give up to seven members of Australia’s likely Test starting XI – Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Wade, Travis Head, Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon – a chance to tune up their red-ball skills.

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