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Sussex have announced that Zac Toumazi, the former Hampshire commercial director, will succeed Dave Brooks as chief executive in January

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2012Sussex have announced that Zac Toumazi, the former Hampshire commercial director, will succeed Dave Brooks as chief executive in January.Toumazi has extensive experience in the financial sector, working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, before switching to cricket firstly with Surrey for six years and then with Hampshire from 2011.He will attempt to continue to move Sussex forward and build on the work of Brooks whose four years at Sussex saw the club win a one-day double In 2009 and Division Two of the County Championship in 2010.Since announcing he was leaving Sussex at the end of the year, Brooks has been appointed to the Guernsey Cricket Board.His successor at Sussex, Toumazi, will take over a financially healthy club, largely thanks to inheritance from former club president Spen Cama, and a recently development ground.”We are very pleased to appoint Zac,” Jim May, Sussex chairman, said. “We believe his commercial experience, cultural fit and passion for cricket give him the credentials to ensure that Sussex continues to lead the way both on and off the pitch.”Dave Brooks leaves us in great shape this month after four outstanding years. We had a very strong group of candidates who applied to succeed him.Toumazi said, “I am very excited. I look forward to working with the entire team taking Sussex forward whilst preserving the values that make it so special.”

R Ashwin, the India offspinner, has been given the Dilip Sardesai award for being the best performer in the home Test series against West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2011R Ashwin, the India offspinner, will be given the Dilip Sardesai award for being the best performer in the home Test series against West Indies.Ashwin was the Man of the Series in his debut series, which India won 2-0, taking 22 wickets at an average of 22.90. He claimed nine wickets on debut in Delhi, won two Man-of-the-Match awards, and also scored 121 runs at an average of 40.33. He made his maiden century in the third Test in Mumbai, where he steered India to a tense draw in the fourth innings.He will be given the award at the BCCI awards ceremony in Chennai in December.The BCCI instituted the Dilip Sardesai Award in 2007 for the player who performs best in bilateral series between India and West Indies. Ishant Sharma was given the award for India’s tour of the Caribbean earlier this year.

Bloemfontein likes to claim Colin Ingram as its own. He was born in, schooled in and discovered cricket in the Eastern Cape but he actually became a cricketer in the City of Roses. Ingram moved up country to the Free State academy when he was starting uni

Firdose Moonda at Bloemfontein15-Oct-2010Bloemfontein likes to claim Colin Ingram as its own. He was born in, schooled in and discovered cricket in the Eastern Cape but he actually became a cricketer in the City of Roses. Ingram moved up country to the Free State academy when he was starting university, six years ago. He stayed in Bloemfontein to complete his studies and blossomed as a young cricketer.”It’s my second home,” said Ingram with a nostalgic smile. Many cricket-lovers in this part of the world were wishing he would make it his permanent home after the abundant promise he showcased in his academy days, but Ingram returned to his roots. After graduating, he went back to Port Elizabeth to play for the Warriors.He knew that there would always be the occasional trip back to the Free State. One of those visits was Ingram’s twenty-over debut. He was out for a third-ball duck. Subsequent journeys have been more successful, such as the 80 not out he hammered off 65 balls in the MTN40 in January this year. In fact, the whole of the 2009-10 season was a success for Ingram, who was the highest run-scorer in the MTN40 with 600 runs at 60.00 and the Standard Bank Pro20 with 282 at 47.16.Ingram is not a numbers man though and admits he “wasn’t aware of any of the statistics” involved in his performance in the opening ODI of the series against Zimbabwe. His eyes grew wider as he was told of the landmarks he had passed in this match. First, he surpassed Shaun Pollock’s 66 as the highest ODI score by a South African on debut, then, he became just the sixth player in history to score a century on ODI debut and the only South African.What he was concerned about was making an impression. “I haven’t does as well as I would have liked in the recent months, especially coming off the back of the Champions League,” he said. Ingram scored 122 runs in six matches in that competition. He started off trying to rectify that scratchily and only 16 runs came from his first 28 balls. “I was actually a bit nervous when I was on about 20 and started thinking that I should score quicker.”Who better than to help him get his confidence back than a man who is overflowing with it? “Batting with Hashim Amla was absolutely wonderful. He is one of the guys that I have basically grown my game around. He told me to just bat with him, get my feet moving and enjoy my time at the crease.” While following the instructions of a man who had raced to his third ODI century of the year, Ingram found that he got his groove back and was able to maintain it even after Amla departed.He shared a 76-run fifth-wicket stand with David Miller, a sign that the new-look South African middle order is developing into a formidable force and answering the captain’s calls for the younger team members to take on major roles. Graeme Smith said he hoped performances like these would allow the players to “answer the question themselves” about who will be picked in the next year’s World Cup squad.Ingram will face an enormous challenge for the No. 3 spot from Jacques Kallis but he is happy for it to remain that way for now. “I am still a relative junior and if the situation demands that Jacques comes straight back in, I am happy with that. I am here to learn, grow my game and take any opportunities I get with both hands.”In this match, he grabbed full hold of that opportunity and throttled it for all it was worth. “He remained calm and stuck to his game plan throughout, he had a good training week and a lot of belief in himself,” said Smith. There won’t be the luxury of that much time for preparation before Sunday’s match in Potchefstroom. But he’ll have happy memories of the place having made an unbeaten 125 in the MTN40 the last time he was there.

While acknowledging the opportunity to shut out Pakistan had passed, fast bowler Chris Martin felt New Zealand’s 244-run lead was nearly enough

Cricinfo staff27-Nov-2009.Chris Martin said Peter Fulton was “unsure” whether he had hit the ball when he was given lbw•Getty Images

New Zealand’s plan at the start of the fourth day in Dunedin would have been to dismiss the tailenders as soon as possible, take a sizeable lead, and then bat Pakistan out of the Test. They achieved their first objective by capturing a 97-run advantage but their quest to accomplish the second was ambushed by Pakistan’s seamers and they limped to 147 for 8 before bad light ended play.However, while acknowledging the missed opportunity to shut out Pakistan, fast bowler Chris Martin felt New Zealand’s 244-run lead was nearly enough. “It wasn’t a direction we wanted the game to head in but the opportunity is there tomorrow,” Martin said. “We may have let an opportunity slip today by not batting them out of the game but, with the lead that we have and the runs that we’ve got now, the game is poised and is definitely there for us to take tomorrow.”Anything over 250 on a wearing wicket with variable bounce is going to be a big ask for them, especially if we do everything in a disciplined manner. In the past, our bowling has given us more opportunity to win games and I think that’s going to be the case tomorrow.”New Zealand’s troubles on Friday were caused by Pakistan’s fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer. They swung the ball conventionally, and reverse, cut it, seamed it and thoroughly examined the batsmen’s technique. And Martin said he and the other New Zealand bowlers had learnt “quite a lot” by watching the carnage from the dressing room.”They put us under pressure by bowling straight, making us make a lot of decisions and giving us very few opportunities to score,” Martin said. “They got some nip by hitting the wicket hard and got it to wobble around a bit to make it do a little. If we are a thoughtful side, our bowling line-up in particular, we’ll be able to take a lot from that and take it into tomorrow.”Martin also offered insight into a baffling moment during New Zealand’s innings. Peter Fulton, making his comeback to the Test team, appeared to get an inside edge on to his pad against Umar Gul but he was given out lbw, reducing New Zealand to 91 for 4. Curiously, he didn’t ask for a review and made his way off the University Oval.”He was unsure whether he’d hit the ball,” Martin explained. “It was a very fine edge and sometimes you think you hit your pad or your boot or the ground, it’s hard to know. It’s a new format and such a new part of the game that, like most things, it’s going to take a while to get used to it and to get better at it. I think next time if you’ve got a hunch you’ll pretty much go for it [the review].” New Zealand will want to make better use of the system on the final day.

The venue last hosted a 50-over match in March 2024 while India and Bangladesh last played an ODI there in 2018

Alagappan Muthu19-Feb-20251:35

Who makes it to India’s pace attack against Bangladesh?

Big picture: Those boring middle overs

It can feel like the middle phase of an ODI don’t matter all that much. Mahela Jayawardene came in to bat at exactly this point in the final of an ODI World Cup and made a hundred. But that is not that match, or even he, is remembered for. Often enough, the overs between 11 and 40 are like the unwanted filling in a sandwich that would’ve otherwise been delicious, because there is always anticipation at the start of every innings and intrigue to see how it comes to a close.India – especially this 15-member squad – are in Dubai to challenge this notion. In their most recent ODI series, they showed that their batters could score quick runs without inviting undue risk and their bowlers showed that they could provoke a mistake, over and over and over again. It wasn’t just a dry run for how they hope to win this Champions Trophy. It was a dry run for how to win without their best player. Jasprit Bumrah, whose skills render him capable of shaping every phase of the game, seem to actually come at a price and his body is currently paying it.Related

• What can India expect from Dubai's Champions Trophy pitches?

• How Varun became India's Champions Trophy wildcard

• In the Gambhir era, it's all about middle-overs mastery for India

• Rana is at the bleeding edge of Bangladesh's seam-bowling tradition

Bangladesh are, potentially, better placed to cope with a trial by spin than England were. Most of their batters are coming out of a high-scoring BPL season, which may be a sign that the players’ concerns about pitches at home being too spin-friendly and not doing enough to prepare them for flatter conditions abroad have been taken on board. Potentially following on from that, it’s allowed the development of other kinds of bowlers, leading to a more rounded attack that is no longer reliant on people taking pace off the ball.The only hitch is that Bangladesh played their last ODI in December 2024, which was part of a series they lost 3-0 to West Indies, a team that didn’t make the cut-off for this Champions Trophy. And, the last time they faced India, they gave up 285 runs in 34.4 overs in a Test match and 297 runs in way less than that in a T20I.

Recent form

India: WWWLL(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh: LLLLWShreyas Iyer played the short ball well against England•BCCI

In the spotlight: Shreyas Iyer and Nahid Rana

As he hooked Mark Wood in the air and watched the ball sail into the crowd, Shreyas Iyer took a moment to punch the air with both fists. He wasn’t celebrating a personal landmark or his team’s victory. In some ways, the moment was a little more precious than that. Early on in his career, Iyer was marked as a player who was uncomfortable against the short ball at high pace. That one was coming for his head at 145 kph and he hit it well enough to get six runs. He will see it as vindication. Others will see it as growth which works in his favour too.It was in Pakistan that Nahid Rana truly showcased just what he was capable of and while he won’t be kicking off his Champions Trophy on those shores, he will still take heart from the kind of chaos he was able to inspire off of two lifeless Rawalpindi pitches just three months ago. The trip to India that followed wasn’t great for him, but now he has another chance and the payoff this time is even bigger. Bangladesh have never had the kind of firepower he brings to the pitch and they will be eager to make full use of it.Nahid Rana’s extra pace could be key for Bangladesh•Randy Brooks

Team news: Plenty of pace for Bangladesh

There was some concern around Rishabh Pant after he was hit in the knee at training, but he doesn’t make India’s strongest ODI XI with KL Rahul the preferred wicketkeeper batter. Mohammed Shami has worked his way back up to fitness, although his pace seems a bit off from its usual peaks. Arshdeep Singh will likely take the second seamer’s spot ahead of Harshit Rana.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Arshdeep SinghA few familiar faces are not part of this Bangladesh squad, notably Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das. But other old pros like Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah remain crucial to the cause. Tanzid Hasan at the top of the order has good recent form to carry him, having finished the second-highest scorer at the BPL.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Nahid Rana, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions: Something in it for the bowlers

Dubai, which will host all of India’s matches in the Champions Trophy, is not a regular venue for ODI cricket between top-tier teams. Even otherwise, the last 50-over game here took place in March 2024, between Scotland and Canada. There have only been four totals of 300 or more in 58 matches held there. The weather is set fair and both teams are expecting a pitch on the slightly drier side of the spectrum.Najmul Hossain Shanto takes a break during practice•ICC via Getty Images

Stats and trivia: Mehidy and Kuldeep bring huge value

• Since his debut in June 2017, Kuldeep Yadav has been the most potent bowler in the middle overs of ODI cricket with139 wickets at an average of 27.8 and an economy rate of 4.88
• In 12 ODIs since the end of the last ODI World Cup, Bangladesh have maintained a scoring rate of 4.93 through the middle overs, the lowest among the teams competing in the Champions Trophy.
• Since March 2022, among 56 batters to score 1000 runs or more, Shubman Gill has the highest average – 63.4.
• Bangladesh are without Shakib at a major tournament for the first time since 2004. Mehidy Hasan Miraz will have to shoulder that burden and he’s done so before, most famously when he rescued his team from 69 for 6 to win the series against India in 2022
• Both India and Bangladesh last played an ODI in Dubai in 2018

Quotes

“He doesn’t bowl too many variations to us in the nets. He bowls just one type of delivery. Maybe, he doesn’t want to show his variations to us, even. But that is a good thing. He has got certain weapons which he wants to just put out there when it actually matters. I am more than happy if he wants to do that.”
“I think we always struggle with our seam attack, but last couple of years we have got some quality fast bowlers. We have some fast bowlers, but now we have got Nahid Rana, Taskin the way they are bowling. I think it helps a lot. As a captain, we love to see bowling fast and bowl for the team.”

Richa Ghosh starred with a 96 but India paid for poor catching and slowing down with the bat as they went on to lose by three runs

Himanshu Agrawal30-Dec-2023A total of 11 catches were dropped in Mumbai. First, India put down seven and as if to return the favour a bit, Australia spilled four. But Phoebe Litchfield took a stunner for the visitors when it mattered most, ending a crucial 88-run stand for India when they needed another 100 with 17 overs and eight wickets remaining. That went a long way in Australia scraping through by three runs in the second ODI, and with that, winning the series.The batter to be dismissed was Jemimah Rodrigues for 44, as Litchfield dived full stretch across to her right at short extra cover. Richa Ghosh, with whom Rodrigues had that stand, later made up for lost time to hit 96 from 117 balls after being 54 off 84 at one stage. But with the game still in the balance, and India requiring 41 more from 38 deliveries with six wickets in hand, even Ghosh’s catch was well intercepted by Litchfield while moving to her left in a packed off-side ring.That pretty much decided the outcome, as India paid for poor catching and slowing down with the bat. Although Ghosh sped up despite cramping, Georgia Wareham, who had dismissed Rodrigues, struck soon after to have Harmanpreet Kaur tickle behind to Alyssa Healy for 5. Ghosh tried to counterattack in a 47-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Deepti Sharma, but Australia kept striking at regular intervals, thus putting Deepti’s second ODI five-for in vain.Related

• Ball-by-ball: The seven catches that India dropped

• Harleen Deol named concussion replacement for Sneh Rana

India had a chance until as late as 47 overs into their chase, after which they were only 22 away. But Annabel Sutherland, who had already got Ghosh, held her nerve to concede just three singles and also remove Pooja Vastrakar, who was coming off a 47-ball 62 from 47 in the first ODI. India never got back on track after that, eventually leaving them wondering what would have been had all those catches gone to hand.For a few tense moments, that thought must have crossed Australia’s minds too, who had given Ghosh a life each on 0 and 36. The first one came from Litchfield herself, putting one down at first slip in the eighth over. Next, it was Sutherland who dropped one in the 27th. That allowed Ghosh to keep ticking steadily, as she avoided risks in a patient start to her innings where she hit just two boundaries from her first 52 deliveries.Even Rodrigues didn’t entirely seem busy at the other end, as the required run rate kept ticking over. But with the game well under India’s control, Litchfield struck like lightning and halted India’s calmly moving train. That, after she had hit 63 with the bat. Litchfield was the beneficiary on three of India’s seven drops, getting a life on 0, 9 and 15. Although she consumed 98 deliveries, it was a challenging pitch to bat on at the Wankhede Stadium, where the ball turned and gripped aplenty for Deepti.Richa Ghosh fell four short of her maiden ODI ton•BCCI

India’s spinners applied the brakes in the middle overs, as Australia stumbled from 117 for 1 in the 24th over to 180 for 6 in the 40th. The slowdown happened once India bowled spin from both ends, although Deepti’s 5 for 38 stood in contrast to debutant Shreyanka Patil and Sneh Rana, who combined figures of 2 for 102 from their 20 overs.But while the spinners kept Australia quiet, Ellyse Perry kept the pace up. She had flicked and flashed her way to 28 from her first 23 balls. Perry eventually fell for 50 from 47, with Deepti ending her animated stay at the crease in the 24th over. That wicket started Australia’s slide, as Deepti then trapped Beth Mooney, who missed an attempted sweep off a quicker delivery.Patil too got into the wickets in the 34th over, when Litchfield got the toe end of the bat behind to Richa in an attempt to sweep. Rana also struck to get Ashleigh Gardner for 2, after which came Deepti’s best of the lot. She tossed one up enticingly at Tahlia McGrath in the 40th over. The ball dipped and landed just outside the off stump, turning in enough to smash into the stumps with McGrath unsure of whether to come forward or go back.At 180 for 6, Wareham and Sutherland briefly steadied Australia with a 36-run partnership, before Wareham chipped one off Deepti to Smriti Mandhana – who had dropped two catches earlier – at midwicket to start the 46th over.Four balls later, Deepti completed her five-for with a return catch of Sutherland. Australia were 219 for 8 with another 25 balls remaining, and Alana King made full use of that. She swung three sixes – and with that, the momentum – in an unbeaten 28 from 17 balls which helped Australia to 258.
Thus, King’s knock, Litchfield and Perry’s fifties, and a lot of help from India took Australia to victory, with India yet to beat them in a bilateral ODI series.

A medal is something that will inspire people back home, the captain said after a batting collapse cost them the gold

Shashank Kishore08-Aug-20221:06

Harmanpreet: ‘The silver medal will inspire people back home’

As she stood on the podium to receive her silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Harmanpreet Kaur’s body language told you of the hurt of having missed another golden opportunity to beat Australia in a final.Minutes later, as she gathered her thoughts to speak to the media, Harmanpreet was a lot more accepting of the result and spoke of the effect it could have on a young generation of Indian women who want to play the sport.”I’m happy and satisfied with the way we played throughout,” Harmanpreet said after India fell short of the gold medal by nine runs. “I know we were close to winning gold, but all around our performance was great. This is the first time we got to play in this tournament and we’re happy to have won a silver medal.”A medal is something people back home will get inspired by, and they could start playing cricket. As a team, we want to inspire young girls. Doing well on this platform will motivate a lot of people back home.”Related

• Mooney, Gardner and Schutt lead Australia to gold in pulsating final

• Tahlia McGrath plays CWG final despite testing positive for Covid-19

Even as the gold medal slipped out of their reach, India won plenty of admirers with their actions even before a ball was bowled in the final. Australian allrounder Tahlia McGrath testing positive for Covid-19 cast a shadow over her participation, even as the CWG rules deemed her fit enough to play.The toss had to be delayed in the wake of this development, but Harmanpreet later explained the sequence of events that led to McGrath’s inclusion in Australia’s XI.”They informed us before the toss,” Harmanpreet said. “That was something not in our control. The CWG had to take a decision and we were okay with it since she [Tahlia McGrath] wasn’t very ill, so we decided to play. We had to show sportsman spirit. I’m happy we didn’t say no to Tahlia, it [missing the final] would have been very hard-hitting for her.”Once they took the field, India played aggressively, like they had all tournament. They attacked with the bat to score 150-plus in four of their five matches, and in the absence of veterans like Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey, a young bowling attack showed India’s future is in skilled hands.Renuka Singh, in particular, was menacing with her late inswing. Offspinner Sneh Rana handled high-pressure situations with maturity, while Deepti Sharma and Meghna Singh were also impressive in patches.In the grand finale, India’s fielding was top notch. Radha Yadav pulled off a superb run-out at the bowler’s end – back-flicking the ball between her legs during her follow through – to dismiss the dangerous Meg Lanning, and then took a diving catch at point to dismiss McGrath. There was also a one-handed stunner from Deepti and a catch running back by Meghna, all of which contributed to India restricting Australia to 161 for 8.2:23

Rodrigues: ‘This team has a lot of potential and will do wonders’

“If you want to beat this Australian team, you have to field well,” Harmanpreet said. “If you give them easy runs, they can easily take the game away. We discussed it in the team meeting and Radha set the example for us.”The effort we put up today is something we wanted to do. I know the last 2-3 overs [in the chase] were not in our favour but throughout the game, the way we played was outstanding to watch. We’ve been working on our fielding for a long time. I’m happy with the way we fielded today.”During the chase, India lost two early wickets but Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues added 96 to revive India’s gold-medal hopes, before they lost their last eight wickets for 34 runs.”After losing two crucial wickets, the way Jemi and I batted was much needed at that time,” Harmanpreet said. “You need to hold your nerves. We were nearly there. Maybe if Pooja [Vastrakar] or I were around, we could’ve won the game. But that is part of the game; sometimes, some things you can’t control. It is great learning for us.”I am someone who is always looking for one more batter in the side. Unfortunately, we’re working on that. Once we get that, this thing [collapsing] will go away. Every time in big finals, we make the same mistakes again and again [with the bat], that is something we have to improve. We don’t do these mistakes in the league phase or in bilateral. That is blocking our mind somewhere.”When asked to sum up where they are as a team, Harmanpreet echoed Lanning’s thoughts that India weren’t far away from becoming a dominant force.”Yes definitely, I know we could’ve easily won gold, but something is better than nothing, at least we got silver,” Harmanpreet said. “We deserved it for so much hard work. If not gold, we’re satisfied with what we got today.”[As a team] we are on the right track, we just need to keep working hard. As Lanning said, we’re not far from dominating across formats.”

Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis hit brisk half-centuries before the tail added crucial runs

Andrew McGlashan08-Apr-2021Defending champions Western Australia surged into the Marsh Cup final, where they will face New South Wales, on the back of a 159-run victory against Tasmania which secured them two bonus points to jump ahead of Queensland into second place.Having been put into bat the home side knew they needed to big total to give them enough of a target to defend to secure at least the single bonus-point win they needed, but a positive display – including brisk half-centuries for Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis – looked like falling short at 8 for 245 until the last two wickets added a crucial 62 runs.Both teams were still able to reach the final at the start of the day and after the first innings the scenario came down to Western Australia having to restrict Tasmania to 245 or less while the visitors needed to knock off 308 in 40 overs to secure their own bonus point.Jason Behrendorff, playing his first match for Western Australia since October 2018, produced a starring role with a career-best 35 before taking three top-order wickets in his first spell.He blew the Tasmania top order away, removing the dangerous Ben McDermott first ball before having Matthew Wade drag on and Caleb Jewell caught behind to leave them 3 for 39 in the seventh over.With the target quickly becoming out of reach, the only question became if Western Australia could achieve their aim. Jordan Silk was superbly caught by Liam Guthrie running back from short fine-leg and Tasmania aided in their demise with two gifted run outs.Western Australia had lost early wickets when both Josh Philippe and D’Arcy Short were caught in the slips off Jackson Bird but had little choice other than to continue to push on aggressively.Marsh sped to a 29-ball half-century while Sam Whiteman played a little more of an anchor role. The innings stumbled as Tom Andrews removed both batsmen and then Cameron Green was caught behind off Tom Rogers.Inglis, with 60 off 48 balls, and Ashton Turner stablised things with a sixth-wicket stand of 45 in seven overs but when that was followed by the loss of 3 for 14, Western Australia were eight down with 10 overs remaining.Behrendorff, Guthrie and Lance Morris proceeded to club precious runs – mixed with a little bit of fortune – and in the end it proved more than enough.

The series was scheduled to take place before the WTC’s introduction had been confirmed

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2019″The main thing now is every Test counts,” said Tim Paine, after his Australia side secured 60 World Test Championship (WTC) points by thrashing Pakistan at the Gabba last week. “Unless it’s England and New Zealand.”Paine was right: while New Zealand’s series against England counts towards the ICC’s Test rankings, and gives the hosts the opportunity to close the huge gap India have opened up, it is not part of the WTC.The reason behind that is little more than a scheduling anomaly. The WTC was created after this series was confirmed to be taking place, and to make the Championship even, each team will only play six series (three home, three away) that count towards the first cycle (August 2019-June 2021).This is the only series in that period that won’t count towards the Championship – with the exception of Tests involving Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, who are not part of the inaugural WTC.The lack of WTC points up for grabs has had no obvious impact on the cricket, with New Zealand securing an innings win in the first Test last week. “It’s still a Test match in the players’ eyes,” their coach, Gary Stead, told , “but it just doesn’t carry the weighting of points.”

The fast bowler had left the squad following the death of his grandmother and will only make it back midway through the opening game

Alagappan Muthu in Rajkot02-Oct-2018Kemar Roach has been ruled out of the first Test against India in Rajkot starting Thursday. The 30-year old fast bowler had left the West Indies squad following the death of his grandmother and will only make it back from Barbados midway through the Rajkot game.The head coach Stuart Law accepted that losing a new-ball bowler for the opening Test of a series against the No. 1 side in the world was tough, but he was confident the rest of the attack could thrive in subcontinent conditions. And he talked up a couple of new faces in the squad: Keemo Paul, the vice-captain of the Under-19 World-Cup winning team in 2016, and Sherman Lewis, who picked up eight wickets against India A in a four-dayer in July.”Missing Kemar is a big hole but we’ve got some bright talent coming through as well – fast-bowling talent. We’ve unearthed a couple of young kids which you’ll hopefully see through the ODI and T20I series as well. And we’ve got two more here, Keemo Paul, who’s played a big part in our recent successes and a young kid called Sherman Lewis. They’ve got some pace, they swing the ball, they’re young, they’re keen to learn. Sometimes better the unknown; going in with the unknown, the opposition don’t really understand what they’re about and hopefully they can come in, nick a few out early, put India under pressure and we can bat well.”Paul has 57 first-class wickets at an average of 17.47, and can also be a handy batsman in the lower order – his highest score is 107. In June, he was named Cricket West Indies’ emerging player of the year. In July, he was representing them in a Test match. Lewis, who is much less experienced, was brought in as a like-for-like replacement for the injured Alzarri Joseph and the 22-year old made an immediate impression in the tour game that ended on Sunday, giving away only 13 runs in 10 overs while picking up the wicket of Hanuma Vihari, who is part of India’s Test squad.Getty Images

While they may not have faced a batting line-up like India’s just yet, Law felt the two young quicks – along with the whole team – were “looking forward to the challenge.” West Indies had trained in Dubai before arriving in India to prepare for the conditions they’d face here; conditions they seem to like. “We’d rather be in the hot than the cold, put it that way,” Law said and then talked about their resources in the spin department.”Moeen Ali really took it to India bowling into a foothole,” he said. “Roston Chase is a bit taller than Moeen Ali, bowls at a similar pace, gets good bounce and can spin it. Along with [Devendra] Bishoo and [Jomel] Warrican, you’ve got some really good control as well.”Law’s tenure as head coach of West Indies will come to an end after this trip to the subcontinent – they play in Bangladesh next month – and although he admitted a few more wins would have been nicer, he was content with how everything has turned out.”It’s been a fantastic two years. Working with the players has made it what it is,” he said. “They’re a great bunch of guys. They really work hard. I consider them my sons if you like. They don’t shy away from hard work which we’ve been trying to instill in them. Obviously, we would have liked far more positive results (West Indies won six out of 15 Tests under Law and are ranked No. 8 by the ICC) but I think the result that I’m seeing is that each game we’re preparing better, we’re understanding what we need to do to perform at this level and we’re going out and we’re actually executing our plans than what we did at the start.”