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The month of June, however, is usually one of the wettest in Bangladesh. A June Test against India in 2015 was met with rain on most days

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2020The BCB has announced the dates for Australia’s tour of Bangladesh in June. The visitors will play the first Test from June 11 in Chattogram, while the second Test is from June 19 in Dhaka.The board, however, did not mention the exact arrival dates for Australia, or the four-day practice match but with Bangladesh only departing the UK – after their T20Is against Ireland – on May 30, it must be between June 1 and 8.June is one of the wettest months in Bangladesh, with the BCB having hosted one Test in 2015, a rainy draw against India in Fatullah. Considering the 120 points at stake – at 60 points for a win per Test match – the wet conditions put Bangladesh and Australia’s ability to earn maximum points at risk.This will be Australia’s third Test tour of Bangladesh, having played Tests here in 2006 and 2017. Bangladesh, however, have not played Test in Australia since 2003.

Former Australia captain feels opponents don’t go ‘hard’ at the Indians anymore

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2020Did Australia go “a lot softer” on India during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2018-19 at home? Michael Clarke believes so, and feels the IPL, where players from around the world earn big bucks, made Tim Paine’s men “too scared” to sledge Virat Kohli and Co in the series the visitors won 2-1.”Everybody knows how powerful India are in regards to the financial part of the game, whether that be internationally or domestically in regards to the IPL,” Clarke said on the radio programme. “So, I feel, Australian cricket, and probably every other team, over a little period went the opposite – actually sucked up to India. They were too scared to sledge Kohli or sledge the Indian players because they had to go and play with them in April.”And they wanted… if Kohli is the captain in the IPL, Rohit Sharma is the captain in the IPL, you know, name a list of ten players, they are bidding for these Australian players to get into their IPL team. So the players are like, ‘well, I’m not going to sledge Kohli, I want him to pick me for [Royal Challengers] Bangalore, so I can make, you know, a million US (dollars) for my six weeks’. And I sort of feel that was where Australia went through that little phase of our cricket, became a lot softer or not as hard as what we’re accustomed to seeing.”For India, the victory was historic as they became the first Asian side to ever win a Test series in Australia. For Australia, the loss came on the back of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal that forced Cricket Australia to ban Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, and carry out an internal review of their team culture. Consequently there was added pressure on Paine’s men to put up their best behaviour against India.According to Clarke, there was also a cricketing reason for Australia not “winding up” Kohli, who he rated has one of the top batsmen he had played with or against. “I feel some players think by winding him up, he might try and play that big shot early out of aggression or frustration,” Clarke said. “But yeah, I sort of feel Kohli is one of those players that you are better off saying nothing to and just allow him to hopefully be a little bit sleepy at the start of his innings and make a mistake.”Interestingly, what Clarke called a non-aggressive approach by the Australians keeping the IPL in mind, Kohli has said was down to respect, which the IPL had helped foster between players from different countries over the years.”IPL has done a lot in terms of respecting each other,” Kohli told Kevin Pietersen during an Instagram interaction last week when asked by the former England captain about on-field sledging. “I would never ever be able to do it [sledging] with AB [de Villiers]. There is a friendship that lasts much longer than all these things.”

Discussions on reciprocal tour in 2021 not on the table at the moment, says Wasim Khan

Umar Farooq11-May-2020A watchful PCB is ready to do what it can – health and safety permitting – to ensure that its summer tour to England goes ahead. A panel of the board’s executives and directors as well as head coach Misbah-ul-Haq will meet its ECB counterparts on May 15 over a video link to take the discussion forward.The PCB is likely to seek a number of assurances from England around the situation in that country with regards to the Covid-19 pandemic. The UK has been one of the hardest-hit countries in the world in terms of infections and deaths, and has been in lockdown since the end of March. But, on Sunday evening, prime minister Boris Johnson announced a series of slow, gradual stages through which the lockdown will be eased.There have been suggestions that Pakistan touring this summer could have a favourable impact on England’s next scheduled tour to Pakistan, in 2021 – the PCB is keen to push harder on touring teams visiting the country now for home series rather than travelling the UAE. But Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive, said the summer tour wouldn’t be seen through that lens.”It’s a tough situation for everyone right now, and I don’t think it’s fair to take advantage of the situation,” Khan told reporters in Lahore. “The most important thing for us is to revive the game for all countries. If we don’t, we will be facing a lot of problems going forward.”The next 12 months will be tough for cricket financially… thankfully, the PCB is fine for the next 12 months but thereafter, in 18 months’ time, we will also have problems. Hopefully, by then, cricket will resume and I don’t think we are going to take our discussion with the ECB (with the reciprocal tour in mind), but we will definitely talk about it when we tour them. Look, the MCC toured Pakistan, an Australia delegation came as well, so there is no reason why England and Australia shouldn’t be here in 2021 and 2022.”As such, from the point of view of the PCB, the May 15 meeting will largely be about understanding the ECB’s plans about the resumption of cricket, and it is also expecting an update following ECB’s meeting with UK government departments vis-à-vis medical safety arrangements, logistics and the SOPs within the ground.Pakistan were not the only scheduled visitors this summer to England – West Indies were supposed to play a three-Test series in June-July. Reports have suggested that planning is underway within the ECB to set up a bio-secure environment in which six Tests can be played in July and August.Pakistan plans of a European summer has already been affected, with the series of three ODIs in the Netherlands postponed indefinitely with the Dutch government banning all sporting and cultural events till September 1. The tour of Ireland is also unlikely to go ahead, with Pakistan’s first Test against England slotted for a July 30 start at Lord’s, followed by fixtures at Old Trafford and Trent Bridge. If the tour does take place, it will run till September 2, with the last of a three-match T20I series.”Health and safety is paramount for our players and officials and we are not going to compromise on it,” Khan stressed. “The situation in England is poor right now, and we will ask them about their plans. We are not making any decisions, but we will assess and decide in next three to four weeks.”This isn’t an easy situation, and it isn’t an easy decision to make, because things are changing every day in England. There are so many things to be considered – flights, hotels and they are talking about bio-security stadiums… so if people ask me, I will tell them to wait and be patient.”The longer they stay there, the more our players will be exposed. So there is speculation that the tour might be extended, but I can confirm that this is presently not on the table. The West Indies tour to England is also uncertain, and we don’t know what to expect. So we are looking forward to the May 15 meeting and will see what are the options.”

Kiran Carlson and Billy Root lead Glamorgan reply after triple-century partnership

ECB Reporters Network09-Aug-2020Kiran Carlson and Billy Root led a powerful Glamorgan fightback after centurions Jake Libby and Brett D’Oliveira had earlier rewritten the record books for Worcestershire in the Bob Willis Trophy encounter at Blackfinch New Road.Libby and D’Oliveira set a new partnership record for Worcestershire for any wicket against their Welsh opponents of 318 out of a total of 455 for 8 from their 120 overs and then Ed Barnard dismissed Glamorgan openers Nick Selman and Charlie Hemphrey. But Carlson and Root batted with plenty of fluency in the final session in each completing half-centuries and their unbroken stand was worth 137 in 44 overs by the close when the Glamorgan total stood on 181 for 2.Carlson ended on 76 off 147 balls with 12 fours and Root faced 134 deliveries with six boundaries and at the close was unbeaten on 53. It was an encouraging contrast for Glamorgan to last week’s opening BWT encounter at Taunton when they were bowled out for 131 and 166 in suffering a 289-run defeat to Somerset.The Libby-D’Oliveira stand surpassed the previous Worcestershire best of 287 by Graeme Hick and Tim Curtis for the second wicket at Neath 34 years ago.Libby also achieved his career best score, beating his 144 for Nottinghamshire versus Durham four years ago, and went onto make 184. He batted for more than seven hours, faced 319 balls and struck one six and 18 fours to take his run tally to 286 in three knocks since a winter move from Nottinghamshire.D’Oliveira advanced to 174 before he was dismissed and clearly enjoys facing the Glamorgan bowlers. The 28-year-old scored a double-century against them in 2016 at Cardiff and another hundred batting at No. 9 at the same venue last season – in addition to nine wickets. He faced 262 deliveries hit one six and 21 boundaries.Worcestershire resumed on 309 for 3 and Libby and D’Oliveira were initially watchful against the second new ball attack of Michael Hogan, who picked up three wickets on day one, and Timm van der Gugten.The scoring rate gradually quickened and Libby went past his previous highest score when he clipped van der Gugten through midwicket for two. He completed his 150 with a cover drive for three off Hogan.The new partnership record was achieved with a chop for two off spinner Kieran Bull by D’Oliveira who then reached his 150 with a single off the same bowler. After such dominance by bat over ball, it came out of the blue when Libby gave Bull the charge and was stumped at 388 for 4.Worcestershire secured their fifth batting point with seven balls to spare of the 110 overs before late wickets were sacrificed in the chase for runs. Riki Wessels was caught and bowled by Graham Wagg and D’Oliveira’s splendid knock ended when he tried to steer Wagg down to third man and departed to a fine low catch by keeper Chris Cooke.Wagg (3 for 66) claimed a third scalp as Ed Barnard holed out to Hogan at long-off. Worcestershire Club captain Joe Leach swatted Bull over the midwicket boundary for six before he was caught in the deep attempting a similar hit to the next delivery.When Glamorgan launched their reply, Selman and Hemphrey looked secure in advancing the total to 39 but the situation changed after Barnard’s introduction to the attack.The last ball of his first over accounted for Selman, who nicked a delivery which moved away from him through to keeper Ben Cox. It became 44-2 when Hemphrey was leg before to the England Lions allrounder in his third over.But that was the last success of the day for Worcestershire as Carlson and Root joined forces and batted impressively. Root cut Barnard for two fours in an over and Carlson completed his half-century with a boundary off Charlie Morris and in the process also brought up the 100 partnership in 29 overs.

No details given on how much Dream11 has paid to secure the rights

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Aug-2020The appointment of Dream11 as the title sponsor for the 2020 season of the Indian Premier League became official on Tuesday following the formal approval from the IPL governing council.Though the official media release from the BCCI didn’t specify the winning bid, Brijesh Patel, the chairman of the governing council, had placed the sum at INR 222 crore (USD 29.7 million approx) when the bids were opened yesterday.It could not be confirmed whether the BCCI had sought bids solely for the 2020 season or until 2022, when the Vivo contract was originally meant to end. Patel insisted that the Dream11 contract was limited to the 2020 season only. When asked what would happen if Vivo was unable to resume its partnership for the next season, Patel told ESPNcricinfo, “Then we will see.”MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma are among Dream11’s brand ambassadors•BCCI

The last-minute tender for the title rights for the IPL was necessitated by the withdrawal by mutual consent of Vivo, the Chinese cellphone manufacturer, following an armed border conflict between India and China in March this year.Dream11, a fantasy gaming platform, is part of Dream Sports, a sports technology company started in 2008 by Indians Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth. It has been associated with the BCCI earlier, having been an official partner for the IPL since 2018 and Indian cricket since last October.Both the BCCI and Jain, the chief executive officer of Dream Sports, made it a point to emphasise that Dream11 was an Indian company after questions arose about the company’s Chinese connections. Tencent, the Chinese media conglomerate, invested USD 100 million in the business in 2018 and is listed as an investor on the company website.BCCI said, “Dream11 (Sports Technologies Pvt. Ltd) is an Indian company” based in Mumbai. The release also mentioned Dream11 was “partnering” 19 sports leagues and six IPL franchises.Jain said it was the “launch” of the IPL in 2008 that planted the seed of Dream11, which he called a “purely homegrown” Indian brand. “The launch of IPL in 2008 gave birth to the idea of Dream11,” the BCCI release quoted Jain as saying. “As avid sports fans, we wanted to offer fantasy cricket to IPL fans to help them further engage with the sport they love and showcase their sports knowledge and skill.”Being a proud homegrown Indian brand that is made in India, by Indians and exclusively for Indian sports fans, we would like to thank the BCCI for giving us an opportunity to become the Title Sponsor of IPL, which in our opinion is the world’s greatest sports property.”

Dutch international Sterre Kalis hits 87 in vain as Diamonds suffer first loss

ECB Reporters Network13-Sep-2020Central Sparks 218 for 4 (Jones 77) beat Northern Diamonds 217 (Kalis 87, Russell 4-28, Baker 3-26) by six wicketsCaptain Eve Jones hit a composed 77 to lead a successful Central Sparks chase of 218 as they inflicted a first defeat in five Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy games upon North Group leaders Northern Diamonds at Emerald Headingley.The six-wicket victory, secured with 3.2 overs to spare, keeps the race for a final spot at Edgbaston (September 27) alive going into next weekend’s last round of matches. A third win in five games for the Sparks cuts the gap from nine points to five at the top.That means to have any chance of qualifying for the final, the Sparks need to beat Lightning at Grace Road on Saturday with a bonus point (achieved by scoring at a run-rate 25% higher than your opponent) and hope the Diamonds lose against North West Thunder at Headingley. Then it would come down to net run-rate.Opener Jones helped her side recover from 0 for 1 in the first over of the reply under a sunny Leeds sky, sharing 123 inside 26 overs with second-wicket partner Marie Kelly, who made 49.Left-handed Jones played a calm hand and was strong on both sides of the wicket, a similar knock to the 87 from home No. 3 Sterre Kalis.Netherlands international Kalis had bounced back from three successive ducks to underpin the Diamonds 217 all out.For the Sparks, new ball seamer Liz Russell was excellent with 4 for 28 from nine overs, while legspinner Hannah Baker claimed 3 for 26 from 10.Having elected to bat, the momentum swung back and forth during the Diamonds innings. At 113 for 1 in the 27th over, with 21-year-old Kalis set at the crease on a good pitch offering only the odd sign of uneven bounce, they were looking at a total in the region of 250.However, they later slipped to 185 for 8 in the 45th, with three wickets apiece at that stage for Russell and Baker. Kalis played the anchor role expertly, calmly picking the gaps and putting away the bad ball in her 115-ball knock.She was supported by opener Rachel Hopkins, who made 35 – the pair sharing 85 inside 20 overs for the second wicket to advance from 28 for 1 in the seventh. Later, Beth Langston added an important 26 down the order to boost the target.The Sparks fightback was started by three quick wickets for Baker, who removed Hopkins, Ami Campbell and Alex MacDonald as the score slipped from 113 for 1 in the 27th over to 120 for 4 in the 29th. The Diamonds lost two wickets in an over on three separate occasions, the first of those being when Baker had Campbell caught at mid-on and MacDonald lbw sweeping two balls later.Another legspinner, Anisha Patel later did the same, getting Jenny Gunn and Bess Heath, before Russell returned at the death to get Kalis caught at mid-off and Phoebe Graham to leave the Diamonds 185 for 8 in the 45th.After an early Langston wicket with the new ball, the Sparks controlled the chase through Jones, who hit nine fours in 114 balls, and Kelly.There was a brief wobble when Jones chipped a return catch to legspinner Katie Levick and Langston trapped Millie Home lbw two balls later, leaving the score at 172 for 4 in the 40th over.But Poppy Davies (31 not out) and Chloe Hill calmed nerves with an unbroken 46. Hill finished with an unbeaten 23 and hit the winning runs.

Undergoes concussion test after blow to head in the nets from member of Australia support staff

George Dobell11-Sep-2020Steven Smith remains an injury doubt for the second ODI against England after sustaining a blow to the head in training.Smith, the world’s No. 1-ranked batsman in Test cricket, was ruled out of the first ODI at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday after he was hit in the nets on Thursday. He is understood to have subsequently undergone a concussion test and was omitted from the side “as a precautionary measure” in the words of Australian captain, Aaron Finch.A spokesperson for the Australia team confirmed Smith would undergo a further assessment on Saturday before any decision is made about his availability for the second ODI on Sunday afternoon.Smith is understood to have been facing throw-downs from one of the Australia coaching staff at the time the incident took place.Smith suffered a concussion injury on Australia’s previous visit to England. Despite leaving the field for medical tests after he was hit on the neck by a 92mph delivery from Jofra Archer during the Lord’s Test last year, Smith resumed his innings less than an hour later but then reported symptoms of concussion overnight and was ruled out of the remainder of the game. He subsequently missed the following Test at Leeds, too.”He got a knock on the head yesterday in practice,” Finch said at the toss for the first ODI. “It’s a precautionary measure to leave him out.”There is also a doubt over whether Mitchell Starc will be available for the second match of the series having experienced some groin pain on Friday. He managed to complete his 10 overs but will be assessed over the next 24 hours. “He’s a little bit sore but we’ll see how he pulls up and go from there,” Josh Hazlewood said.Kane Richardson, who impressed during the T20 series, would probably be the favourite to replace Starc if needed although there are plenty of other options in the squad included the uncapped quick Riley Meredith.

The former India captain “can resume his regular daily activity soon,” hospital says in statement

Press Trust of India25-Oct-2020Kapil Dev, India’s first World Cup-winning captain, was discharged from a city hospital on Sunday, two days after undergoing angioplasty following complaints of chest pain and uneasiness.The Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, where he had been admitted, said in a statement, “He’s doing fine and can resume his regular daily activity soon. He’ll be under regular follow-up consultation with Dr Atul Mathur.”Dr Mathur, director of the cardiology department at the hospital, conducted the procedure – an emergency coronary angioplasty, to open blocked arteries and restore normal blood flow to the heart – on Dev after he had been admitted and evaluated. Dev, who played 131 Tests and 225 ODIs from 1978 to 1994, is widely hailed as one of the finest allrounders to have played the game. With 5248 runs at 31.05 and 434 wickets at 29.64, he remains the only cricketer to have achieved the double of 5000 Test runs and 400 wickets, and one of only two, alongside Ian Botham, to have completed the 5000-300 double.An outswing bowler of great accuracy and skill, Dev broke Richard Hadlee’s record for most Test wickets (431) in 1994, and his mark of 434 stood until 2000, when Courtney Walsh went past it. Muttiah Muralitharan now holds the record for most Test wickets (800) while James Anderson – who currently has 600 – has the most Test wickets by a fast bowler.

Opener admits to finding life in the bubble strange, as January arrival clashes with likely dates

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2020Rory Burns has indicated he may choose to miss England’s tour of Sri Lanka in January, so that he can attend the birth of his first child.Although the dates of the Sri Lanka tour are not yet known (the ECB was due to confirm them this week but had to postpone the announcement) the two-Test series is likely to begin in the middle of the month, with the team set to depart on January 2.And given the expectation of strict Covid-19 protocols in Sri Lanka and India, where England are also due to tour in the new year, it is unclear whether Burns would be able either to leave the tour early or arrive in the country late.”I’m not too sure at the minute,” Burns told London’s Evening Standard. “I’m waiting to see what the dates are. I don’t know them yet, so it’s a judgment call closer to the time.”I’m not sure [whether he would miss a Test]. I’d like to be there for the birth, especially with it being the first one. I will need to decide a bit closer to the time, when there’s a little bit more knowledge of what’s going on.”Burns had also been due to miss England’s postponed tour of Sri Lanka in March, after damaging ankle ligaments while playing football during the preceding South Africa series.However, he played a full part in all six of England’s summer Tests against West Indies and Pakistan, albeit with mixed success, as he followed a haul of 234 runs at 46.80 in the former series with 20 runs at 5.00 in the latter. In the same interview, he conceded that the strictures of England’s bio-secure environment may have played a part in that downturn in form.”The summer was short and sharp and it just got away from me at times,” he said. “It was great to win both series. [Against] West Indies I played quite nicely, Pakistan I think I got some good balls. Suddenly, the summer’s done.ALSO READ: England concerned about bio-secure integrity, says SA team doctor“Bubble life was different. It’s not something I personally enjoyed that much. I like getting out and about a bit more, to do different things. It seems rugby has learned from that, they’ve been getting in and out of the bubble. That’s quite important.”When I have played my best, it’s when cricket’s not been the be-all and end-all,” he added. “I found that you couldn’t get away from cricket. You walk from one end of the ground to the other.”I like to go for a coffee, see a mate or my missus; refreshing yourself by not thinking cricket — and that’s a lot harder to do in the bubble setting. That was the main challenge for me. It sounds quite trivial, but everyone’s experiencing this period differently.”Should Burns decide not to join the Sri Lanka tour, the England management are sure to take a sympathetic view of the situation – the captain, Joe Root, missed the first Test of last summer to attend the birth of his second child, with Ben Stokes taking over as captain.However, he would be inviting pressure for his place at the top of the order, with Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley having demonstrated their aptitude for the role in the past 12 months, and with Keaton Jennings also a possibility for selection, having enjoyed previous success as an opener in Asian conditions.Jonny Bairstow, who last played a Test in South Africa 12 months ago, is also expected to earn a recall for the Sri Lanka trip, having pulled out of his Big Bash deal with Melbourne Stars, while Jofra Archer – a mainstay of England’s Test bubble in the summer – is likely to be rested ahead of an arduous 12 months across formats.”I’m not sure what’s happening in Sri Lanka, but I know at least I’ll be home for Christmas,” Archer told Sky Sports, prior to his departure from England’s current South Africa tour. “And whatever happens I should be well refreshed to take on whatever is going on in the new year.”The guys here have given us their full backing. If anyone is saying they want to get out of the bubble, they will try their best to accommodate it. We have a T20 World Cup coming up, and an Ashes, so I think we’ll prioritise the tournaments coming up.”

Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill stroke fifties as Indians stretch lead to 472

Sidharth Monga12-Dec-2020India’s batsmen capped off their preparations for the Adelaide Test with a sedate hundred for Hanuma Vihari and a swashbuckling one for Rishabh Pant. Also featuring were fifties for Mayank Agarwal and Shubhman Gill, which took the Indians’ lead to 472 at the end of the second day of their last tour match. Significantly, parts of Vihari and Pant’s innings were played in the night session, which is traditionally the most difficult time to bat in day-night Tests in Australia. However, a considerable chunk of this time was spent waiting for the new ball, facing harmless spin, which is understandable given how Australia are seemingly losing one bowler a day to injury.The reason the Indians kept batting into the final session had to be to stretch both their batsmen and bowlers. Not only did it mean the batsmen got a bit of a test under lights, but also that their bowlers will have to work harder – at least in theory – than they had to when they bowled Australia A out in just 32.2 overs in the night session on day one.Before that, though, Indians began the day looking for some signs of form from their top order. Prithvi Shaw might have failed again trying to hit on the up and away from the body, but Gill showed continued improvement and Agarwal applied himself to turn a hesitant start into a half-century.In two of his three previous innings on tour, Gill had shown good striking form, but this half-century was more about getting more into long-form mode. It is hard to tell if it was a higher bat speed or hard hands in his earlier knocks, but he looked more in control in this innings. The cover-drive and the pulls were present in earlier innings too, but this one had more in-control shots. Eventually, he fell to what seemed a rough call for a catch at the wicket, but these matches can’t have DRS.With his 65 off 78, Gill, who plays as an opener in domestic cricket, presented a case to partner Agarwal in the first Test. It may well happen given Shaw’s lack of runs unless the team management has designs on using Gill as Kohli’s replacement once the India captain goes on paternity leave after the first Test. The other lock for the opener role, Agarwal, got valuable time out in the middle after he nicked off early in the first innings. Agarwal maintained a nice even temp in the innings, but he will be unhappy with the break in concentration that brought about his dismissal on 61. He played an absent-minded aerial square drive straight to deep point, just the kind of mental error you’d hate during a Test match.The Indians had enough on the board by then, but they wanted to have a bat under the lights not having played too much pink-ball cricket. And the tradition held with even the old ball starting to wobble in the final innings, which resulted in the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane, who will be displeased with a second nibble away from the body in this match.Vihari negotiated the conditions well. He has had starts in each of his innings, which all included his picture-perfect on-drive, but he converted this one into three figures. Pant showed how dominant he can be given a front-runner’s position, hitting boundaries with even seven men out on the fence. His last long-form outing brought Pant a hundred, and for some time it seemed he might fall tantalisingly short of another one here. He began the last over on 81 not out, and was hit in the midriff first ball. However, he followed it with 4, 4, 6, 4, 4 to end up with an unbeaten 103 off 73 balls.