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Chris Gayle will only be considered for selection for West Indies if he retracts statements he has made about the West Indies board and its officers

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2011Chris Gayle will only be considered for selection for West Indies if he retracts statements he has made about the West Indies board and its officers, the WICB has said in a statement. The board will appoint a facilitator to assist Gayle in complying with their requirements. The decision comes after the last meeting between Gayle and WICB chief Ernest Hilaire, on August 25, had more positive results then previous interactions between the parties.Relations between Gayle and the board had broken down after he gave an interview in April to a radio station during which he was scathing about both the board and coach Ottis Gibson. After attempts at reconciliation failed, and Gayle was left out of the squad for the whole of the home series against India, he released a long and emotional public statement, in which he traced the evolution of the dispute back to 2009, when, he said, Hilaire had cast doubts on his ability to captain the team.The board has now said it recognises that Gayle can “contribute meaningfully” to the West Indies team, but will only select him if he withdraws his criticisms. The WICB said they had told Gayle of their decision and were waiting for his response.Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain and now WICB director, said it was important to get a senior player like Gayle back in the West Indies setup and that it would be wise for Gayle to comply with the board’s requirements.”First of all it is disappointing that the matter has gone on for as long as it has,” Lloyd said in the board statement. “What we need now is closure and, to be fair, anyone of whom those comments were made would have a right to take umbrage.’Withdrawing the comments would be the intelligent thing to do to get the issue resolved and have everyone move on. We need senior players to be in the setup to drive the progress forward and any team would love to entertain Gayle, but under the right circumstances.”Gayle has not played for West Indies since the 2011 World Cup. Since then, he has been an integral part of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s squad in their IPL and Champions League Twenty20 campaigns, finishing as the leading run-getter in the IPL.His saga with the board had escalated to a level where the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) heads of government had become involved. West Indies are currently touring Bangladesh, after which they will go to India to play three Tests and five ODIs.

Christopher Martin-Jenkins, the former Times cricket correspondent and veteran commentator on the BBC’s Test Match Special, will begin his one-year tenure as President of Marylebone Cricket Club on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2010Christopher Martin-Jenkins, the former Times cricket correspondent and veteran commentator on the BBC’s Test Match Special, will begin his one-year tenure as President of Marylebone Cricket Club on Friday, October 1, as the successor to John Barclay.”I feel excited to find myself, for one privileged year, president of the great club that I joined as a playing member in 1967,” said Martin-Jenkins. “Playing the game – in both senses – is still MCC’s greatest priority and it will be fascinating, having written and talked about cricket since that same summer, to have some small input from the inside. I am grateful to my predecessor John Barclay, who has been a conscientious, ebullient and diplomatic leader, for offering me this honour.”Having previously played 67 times for MCC in matches against schools and clubs, Martin-Jenkins was elected to the MCC Committee in 2009; he also sits on the Arts & Library sub-committee. In 2007 he became the first career journalist and broadcaster to be invited to speak at the annual MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture – previous lecturers had all been former international cricketers.”The game always has issues and I shall try to help to resolve current ones, including the need to market Test matches better in some countries and to find a proper balance of fixtures that will ensure all international matches are special occasions,” he said. “Those at Lord’s surely always will be: it is the ground on which every young cricketer of any nationality hopes to play one day. Doing so in a Test match is the stuff of dreams and becoming MCC president feels a bit like that too!”Joining the new President on the MCC Committee, for a three-year period, will be Simon Dyson (for his first term), Mike Gatting (for his third term), Tim O’Gorman (for his fourth term) and David Faber (for his fourth term). All were elected by MCC’s membership. Stepping down from the Committee are Russell Cake, Dr Chinmay Gupte, Julian Vallance, Alec Stewart and Jonathan Wileman.Completing a day of change at MCC, Garri Jones will become Chairman of the newly-created Youth committee, which is responsible for encouraging participation, high standards and excellence in youth cricket. Members of the Youth Cricket committee include Clare Connor, David Graveney, Phillip Hodson and Andy Whittall.

South Africa added 88 for the last two wickets after Markram made 89

Firdose Moonda27-Dec-2024Corbin Bosch’s dream outing continued as he scored his maiden half-century off 46 balls and the highest score by a No.9 batter on debut in Tests as he built South Africa’s 90-run first-innings lead. Pakistan ate into most of that in their second innings but lost three wickets and remained two runs behind, leaving South Africa with their noses in front.The hosts, who need one more Test win to guarantee a place in the World Test Championship final, were at risk of squandering the opportunity to get ahead after collapsing from 178 for 4 to 213 for 8 but a 41-run stand between Bosch and Kagiso Rabada and a 47-run last-wicket partnership between Bosch and Dane Paterson gave them a healthy lead. They did not maximise the advantage immediately and Pakistan’s opening pair of Saim Ayub and Shan Masood put on 49 inside 11 overs before they lost 3 for 25 on a day that ebbed and flowed, more from entertainment than the quality of the cricket.Both sets of batters will look back in some anger at the way they were dismissed. South Africa’s middle order have questions over some ordinary shot selection while Pakistan, aside from their first innings collapse, now have to deal with signs of variable bounce as they look to build a target they can defend. Amongst those bigger picture narratives, was Bosch’s delight as he ended unbeaten on 81 and was given the new ball in the second innings in a match where he has had a Midas touch.Bosch came to the crease with South Africa on 191 for 7. Aiden Markram on 87 and Naseem Shah was in the middle of a marathon ten-over spell. Naseem had done the damage either side of lunch after he pulled his length back. That probed a well-set David Bedingham outside off and drew an edge off the back-foot drive to first slip, which sparked a collapse.Post lunch, Naseem resumed with the same determination. He had Kyle Verreynne caught in the slips off the 14th ball of the second session, playing a loose drive to a ball on fifth stump. Two overs later, he tested Marco Jansen with a tighter line and drew an edge but Ayub put it down at gully. It would not have mattered as Naseem had over-stepped. He did not have to wait too long to rectify his error. His next ball was back of a length and angling away, Jansen edged and was caught behind.Khurram Shahzad denied Aiden Markram a century•AFP/Getty Images

At that point, Markram might have been wondering if he was running out of partners. Bosch provided the answer with back to back boundaries off Khurram Shahzad and then two more off Naseem and South Africa settled. Markram faced 14 of the 30 balls that were bowled after Bosch got to the crease and added only three runs to his total before he was bounced out. Shahzad set him up with a couple of deliveries just back of a length, then one on a good length and then the snorter. Markram was not expecting it and edged to Mohammad Rizwan to fall 11 short of what would have been a second century this year.South Africa only led by two at that point and Pakistan had the opportunity to keep things fairly even but they were taken apart by Bosch for the second day running. He was aggressive on front and back foot and had a disciplined partner in Rabada, who pulled out one of the most eye-catching cover drives of the game.When Aamer Jamal was brought back on half an hour before tea, Rabada’s patience ran out. He swiped across the line and sent the ball aerially in the direction of the non-striker. Babar Azam took a good catch at short midwicket, looking into the sun to end what was becoming a frustrating partnership for Pakistan.Bosch would go on to get his milestone and reached fifty with a stunning cover drive. His is the second-fastest fifty by a South African on debut. Then Paterson swung and scored four off Jamal and six when he hit Abbas over long-off. Desperate to end the lower-order resistance, Naseem was brought back after a brief break and bowled four more overs but could not get the breakthrough. Instead it was the part-time spin of Ayub, the only spinner used in the match so far, that did the trick. Paterson tried to launch him out of the ground but skied it to mid-off where Shahzad ran circles before taking the catch.Kagiso Rabada ended Pakistan’s quick opening stand in the second innings•AFP/Getty Images

South Africa started poorly with the ball in the second innings. Rabada and Bosch shared the new ball but both were too short and too wide in their opening spells. Ayub and Shan Masood played aggressively and raced to 41 in the first seven overs before Temba Bavuma brought on Paterson from Bosch’s end.His first two overs cost five runs and brought a semblance of pressure which was all Rabada needed to adjust back to his best. In his sixth over, he produced an absolute jaffa on a length and nipping away. Ayub couldn’t get behind the line of the ball as it curved to hit the top of offstump. Rabada finished a seven-over spell with figures of 1 for 31.Jansen took over from him and immediately looked a threat with the bounce he generated. Masood negotiated his first over but when Jansen found even more lift in the second, he hung his bat out and edged low to Tristan Stubbs at third slip. In Jansen’s next over, Kamran Ghulam, who scored 54 in the first innings, edged to Ryan Rickelton in the gully. That catch needed to be looked at a few more times but Rickelton appeared to have fingers under the ball and Ghulam’s short stay was over.Saud Shakeel benefitted from loose bowling towards the end of the day and struck two authoritative boundaries before bad light caused an early end to play.

Perry made 49 but Sixers are winless after three games while Heat are undefeated

AAP and ESPNCricinfo24-Oct-2023Georgia Voll and Grace Harris have helped Brisbane Heat continue their perfect start to the season with a third straight win, beating Sydney Sixers by three wickets in a tight run-chase at North Sydney Oval.Chasing an under-par target of 147, Harris whacked 39 from 19 and Voll made 39 off 38 before some lusty blows from captain Jess Jonassen (27 off 19) helped get the Heat home with an over to spare.Voll was named Player of the Match having earlier picked up the key wicket of Ellyse Perry with the ball, as well as taking two catches and affecting a run out.Sixers’ season is now in serious trouble, going 0-3 to start the year after defeats to Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder in the past week, on top of the long-term loss of Alyssa Healy to injury.Perry crunched 49 off 30 for Sixers and looked in good touch, while Chloe Tryon struck 42 from 33.But they were the only two to get going as Sixers were restricted to 146 for 8 batting first. Heat’s bowlers were exceptional with Nicola Hancock, Courtney Grace Sipple and Jonassen each claiming two wickets. Hancock and Sippel went at less than a run-a-ball for their combined eight overs conceding just 23 runs each, while Voll was also miserly in conceding just 17 from her three overs. She was fortunate to pick up Perry with a rank drag down that Perry smacked straight to deep square. But it was a critical moment in the match as Sixers went from 76 for 3 at halfway to post just 70 runs in the last 10 for the loss of five wickets.Harris got Heat away to another flyer in the chase smashing four fours and three sixes, which meant Voll, Mignon du Preez and Jonassen could control the chase thereafter, albeit late wickets kept things interesting until Mikayla Hinkley iced the game with a six.

Left-armers, spinners run through SA after Livingstone, Curran cameos

Firdose Moonda22-Jul-2022Rain shortened match? Sure. 72 for 5 in the 12th over? No problem. Series on the line? That’s okay.After middling white-ball form at home this summer, England stormed back with a big win over a stunned South Africa, who were left on 6 for 4 in chase of 202. On a surface that promised runs but proved tricky to bat on in damp conditions, and even took some turn, South Africa were bowled out for their joint-lowest total against England and joint-second-lowest score overall, just three days after recording their highest score against England in the series-opener.In a match that was reduced to 29 overs-a-side after a two-hour and 45 minute delay, neither side’s batters found fluency but their bowlers could make use of variations and the spinners shone. They took eight wickets between them, with Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali’s five for 51 in 10.4 overs trumping Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi’s 3 for 68 in 12 overs. But it was England’s all left-arm pace attack that did the damage from which South Africa could not recover.Janneman Malan, whose strike rate of under 90 has put him under some scrutiny, tried to get off the mark off the sixth ball he faced – a full, straight delivery from Reece Topley that he tried to flick off his pads. He mistimed it to Sam Curran at mid-on instead. Four balls later, Rassie van der Dussen attempted a similar shot, off a ball that was angling down leg and feathered it through to Jos Buttler.David Willey beat Quinton de Kock’s edge in his first over, with a ball that just passed over off-stump and with pressure building, returned to remove de Kock with the first delivery of his second. Buttler deserves the credit for England’s field placement as he put Liam Livingstone at short cover and de Kock got a leading edge to him, as he tried to work Willey into the leg side.It was also their groundwork that removed the next batter – Aiden Markram – without facing a ball. Heinrich Klaasen hit Willey towards short fine leg and set off a single but Buttler gave chase and flicked the ball at the stumps to catch Markram short of his ground. At 6 for 4 after four overs, South Africa were all but spent but may have hoped David Miller could maximise his time at the crease to keep them in it. He hit back-to-back boundaries off Topley but that was as good as it got. Miller was bowled by a Curran cutter that crashed into his off-stump to leave South Africa 27 for 5.Klaasen and Dwaine Pretorius put on 39 for the sixth wicket but when Klaasen was stumped off Moeen, England were into the lower order and in sight of victory. They bowled South Africa out in the 21st over.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

England’s effort in the field more than made up for what-seemed a haphazard performance with the bat. They were bowled out with five balls remaining against a crafty South African attack after their top-order went too hard too early in an innings that was not ODI-length but not quite T20. In the end, they relied on cameos by Livingstone and Curran, who hit all but one of their team’s seven sixes, to set them up to top 200.Jason Roy was determined to swing his way through his innings and got three fours away before Anrich Nortje cramped him for room and he sent the ball to Pretorius at mid-wicket. Roy has gone five innings without fifty, since his century against Netherlands exactly a month ago.Roy dismissal brought Phil Salt to the crease, in his seventh ODI and in the absence of the now-retired Ben Strokes and he rubbed it in Lungi Ngidi’s wounds when he whipped Ngidi through fine leg, then edged him short of de Kock and then over a vacant slip area for four. Ngidi’s first spell cost 28 runs and revealed nothing about the questions he asked the England line-up with his slower ball. Instead, it’s Pretorius who got the answers.In his first over, Pretorius had Salt caught at mid-wicket by a diving Miller, a wicket which was confirmed on umpire’s review, and then struck twice in his second to leave England reeling. Joe Root skipped down the track and swiped at a Pretorius delivery, which he top-edged in front of and to the left of de Kock and, two balls later, Bairstow was bowled by a ball that pitched on off and wobbled back in to beat his flick and hit middle stump.Pretorius had three wickets for nine runs in his first two overs and almost claimed a fourth when Moeen edged him wide of a diving de Kock. With no slip in place, Moeen survived but not for too much longer. In the next over, he picked out Nortje on the deep square boundary off Maharaj to leave England on 72 for 5 before the final specialist, Shamsi, had got in on the action.For the second match in succession, Buttler tried to take Shamsi on and for the second time, he failed. Buttler advanced down the track and tried to hit Shamsi down the ground for six but got an outside edge to Pretorius at short third. And then England found their oomph. Curran first sent Maharaj and then Shamsi over their heads for six and Livingstone plundered 22 runs off the first four balls of Nortje’s third over. Livingstone sent 90mph deliveries off Nortje over square leg, mid-wicket and fine leg and then nicked him through third for four.When Livingstone hit Nortje to mid-wicket, England still had Curran, who had one more burst against Shamsi. In a display of power-hitting, Curran sent Shamsi down the ground for successive fours and a six before holing out to long-off to end an 18-ball 35.Pretorius finally picked up his fourth when Willey swung him to deep mid-wicket, the ball after hitting him over long-off for six. At the innings break, many may have thought that would be the best performance on the day. How wrong they were.

On a tricky surface for strokeplay, Finch anchored the visitors before New Zealand’s batting folded

Andrew McGlashan05-Mar-2021A crucial innings from captain Aaron Finch on a tricky pitch, as he became Australia’s leading scorer in men’s T20Is, followed by a tight display in the field enabled them to take the series to a decider in Wellington on Sunday as the home side’s batting disappointed for the second game running.On a surface being used for the fourth time in three days (with two more matches to come), scoring was much tougher than when Australia put more than 200 on the board in the previous game. New Zealand had control for the majority of the time in the field – Ish Sodhi and Trent Boult taking five wickets between them – but Finch took full toll in the final over of the innings as Kyle Jamieson was plundered for 26.New Zealand were under pressure from the start of the chase and could not make a dent on the target in the powerplay. Australia’s three spinners – Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell – produced combined figures of 11-0-49-6.New Zealand’s bowlers hold swayThe signs were there early that scoring would not be as easy as in the previous match, when Mitchell Santner, who missed the third game under Covid-19 protocols, was introduced in the third over. He removed Matthew Wade third ball, continuing the wicketkeeper’s unconvincing series, and immediately got turn from the surface. He would bowl his four overs for just 16 including 13 dot deliveries, highlighting what New Zealand had missed on Wednesday.Boult and Sodhi did the damage to the middle order as Australia struggled to increase the tempo. Boult removed Maxwell just when he was threatening something destructive again and produced a terrific yorker to remove Agar, who had been promoted to provide a left-right combination. When Sodhi took his third wicket, removing Mitchell Marsh to a top-edged sweep, Australia were in trouble at 116 for 6 heading into the closing overs.Kane Richardson was the most successful Australia bowler on the day•Getty Images

Finch’s reward for going deepAt the start of the 18th over, Finch was 41 at a run-a-ball. He had been starved of strike for significant parts of the innings and the nature of the surface made strokeplay difficult. However, by hanging in, it meant that Australia had a set batsman for the closing overs. He went to a half-century off 47 deliveries and then it was the final over where he really made it count against the struggling Jamieson who has now conceded 175 runs in the series. The day after Kieron Pollard had taken six sixes off an over, Finch managed four – the first two over extra cover and then a brace over the leg side. A player who had been under scrutiny just a few days ago had made back-to-back crucial contributions.Powerplay squeezeFinch was quick to follow the spin playbook, handing the first over of New Zealand’s innings to Agar – fresh off his six-wicket haul in the third game – and he went for just a single to set the tone. Agar would end up bowling three of the powerplay overs, conceding just seven runs, and in that third over he removed the key figure of Martin Guptill, who tried to clear the off side but was superbly caught by Maxwell who showed some neat footwork to stay inside the rope. When Riley Meredith went for just two in the sixth over, New Zealand were stalled on 25 for 1 with Tim Seifert having used up 21 balls for 15.Pressure tellsHaving soaked up so many deliveries, Seifert had to play the Finch-type innings but his difficult stay was ended when he chopped on against Kane Richardson as the asking rate climbed over 10 an over. Williamson rarely does ugly at the crease, but was caught at point off the back of the bat as he attempted to sweep Maxwell whose offspin proved highly valuable. It quickly became a forgettable performance from the home side with Glenn Phillips and Devon Conway ending up at the same end in a mix-up. In a way, though, New Zealand’s defeat is a good thing because with the relaxation of Covid-19 alert levels tomorrow a crowd is now able to attend Wellington on Sunday. They have a decider to enjoy.

He tried to hit Mosaddek Hossain for six sixes in an over, but had to stop at three

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-20193:32

Sangakkara: Pant’s mistake a caution for all wicketkeepers

Nine centuries including a Test double, eight half-centuries, 201 fours and 66 sixes. Rohit Sharma is bossing international cricket in 2019, right on top of the run-scorers’ list for the year at the moment after his 43-ball 85 against Bangladesh in the second T20I, which levelled the series 1-1 with one match to go.India’s stand-in captain was feeling so confident on Thursday evening that thoughts of hitting offspinner Mosaddek Hossain for six sixes in an over did cross his mind, when he was batting on 58 off 30 balls, but he could not go beyond three.”That’s what I tried, I wanted to go for six in a row but when I missed the fourth one I decided to go for singles,” Sharma told Yuzvendra Chahal on bcci.tv after the game. “I knew that an offspinner was bowling, and the wet ball was not going to turn, so my plan was to stand still and hit the ball without stepping out.”Facing Hossain, who was bowling from around the wicket, Sharma dispatched the first ball over deep midwicket, the second over deep-backward square leg and the third over wide long-on, all off flat deliveries. But he couldn’t quite connect with the fourth, a fuller delivery, and only got an edge, breaking the sequence. After 21 runs off the over, India got to their target of 154 with eight wickets in hand and 26 balls remaining.”You don’t need just big muscles or power to hit sixes,” Rohit explained to Chahal. “You need timing and you need to hit it from the middle, your head should be still, your body needs to be in the right position. When you take care of these things on a good wicket, you will be able to hit sixes.”It’s already November, and Sharma now wants to finish his outstanding year on a high note.”It’s been a very good so far, just want to finish it off on a great note,” he told Star Sports at the post-match presentation. “We’ve got a few games coming up, one against Bangladesh and then there’s a whole West Indies series coming up as well. So yes, I’m quite looking forward to that, not to forget the two Test matches [against Bangladesh].”Rohit Sharma lofts one down the ground•BCCI

Sharma admitted that having started the second T20I behind in the series, India were under pressure to stay alive and they needed one batsman to play a long innings to chase down the total.”I always knew that Rajkot is a good track [for batting], it was good to win the toss, to have the score in front, and later on with the dew coming in, we knew it will be slightly difficult for bowlers in the end. We took advantage of that, had a great powerplay,” he said. “After that, it was just about carrying on and putting the pressure on the bowler.”It was important to start like this for the team – one batsman had to play a long innings. We’ve seen so many times that if a batsman goes on, his team usually wins. A bit disappointed because I got out at the wrong time, nevertheless I’m happy with my performance and the team’s performance as well because we were under pressure after losing the first game. It was important to win this game or we would have lost the series.”The win was set up by the bowlers, especially spinners Chahal and Washington Sundar, who returned a combined 8-0-53-3 to tie Bangladesh down to only 153 in batting-friendly conditions in Rajkot.”Both Washington and Chahal are pretty smart and understand their bowling really well,” Sharma said. “They’ve been playing a lot of domestic cricket and IPL as well. More importantly, they analyse, and they always have conversations with the bowling coach and the captain as to where they can improve.”Chahal, we have seen over the years, has bowled in difficult conditions and situations and somehow he has managed to get the team on top. And that has given him a lot of confidence moving forward. And same with Washy as well. Washington has been our new-ball bowler all this while, but today I wanted to change it a little bit and bowl him one over in the powerplay and have three overs at the back considering how big the ground was.”

Western Australia glided to their second win in as many domestic limited overs matches after restricting South Australia’s batsmen at the WACA Ground

Daniel Brettig22-Sep-2018Getty Images

Western Australia glided to their second win in as many domestic limited-overs matches after restricting South Australia’s batsmen at the WACA Ground. Over the river from the AFL preliminary final at a packed Perth Stadium, the Warriors were well served by the pacemen Nathan Coulter-Nile and Andrew Tye, who claimed three wickets apiece to keep the Redbacks off balance.A critical early blow was the recalled Coulter-Nile’s defeat of Jake Weatherald for a duck on the pull shot, after the left-hander’s dominant century to take SA to victory over New South Wales on Thursday. Tye’s victims included the Redbacks wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey (58), who fell just as he seemed likely to be setting the visitors on course for a handsome total. The rest of SA’s innings was a struggle, summed up by the fact that the bowling allrounder Cameron Valente was required to make 47 to push the Redbacks as far as 237 from their allotment of 50 overs.While Josh Philippe was out early in WA’s chase, the Warriors gloveman Josh Inglis (50) made a key contriburion to ensure the hosts cut down the target with plenty of wickets in hand. The WA captain Ashton Turner, Hilton Cartwright and the diminutive Jon Wells all notched scores in the 40s to ensure a WA victory, albeit not swiftly enough to claim a bonus point.

Morne Morkel is savouring every moment back in international career after his serious back injury but believes his career is ‘nearly finished’

Firdose Moonda21-Jul-2017Morne Morkel could consider playing only one format of international cricket, and it may well be Tests, as he reaches the twilight of his career. At 32, Morkel considers his career “nearly finished” and will meet with CSA at the end of the ongoing tour to England to discuss his future.Unlike some of his senior team-mates such as AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, Morkel does not appear to be eyeing the 2019 World Cup as a swansong, despite recent reappearances in the one-day team. Asked how long he could realistically see himself playing international cricket for, Morkel did not provide a time-frame but hinted it may not be too much longer.”I don’t know. After this tour we’ll see. I’ll speak with Cricket South Africa and see where they see me featuring,” he said. “I love playing for this team. But it’s not rocket science that they probably want to start looking, in white-ball cricket, at the 2019 World Cup. Am I going to part of those plans? If I can be around to help the younger guys find their feet, so be it. I’ll do that. For me the main focus is this tour and then we’ll go back and see how we go.”After playing just two of South Africa’s six matches in the Caribbean triangular series in mid-2016, Morkel was sidelined from one-day cricket for 11 months, initially with a back injury and then because other players were being looked at. He returned on this tour and played in the final ODI of the three-match series against England at Lord’s and in all three Champions Trophy games but seems to think the selectors are looking to the future.”My conditioning’s been good over the years and I really look after my body,” he said. “Mentally and physically I feel strong. But the World Cup is two or three years down the line and those are decisions they need to make.”South Africa’s current one-day attack includes Kagiso Rabada, who is the spearhead, allrounders Chris Morris and Wayne Parnell and death-bowling specialist Andile Phehlukwayo. It could also have room for Lungi Ngidi, the young quick who debuted in the T20 series against Sri Lanka in January and was being considered for the Champions Trophy squad before he was injured. Rabada, Phehlukwayo and Ngidi are all under 23 and are set to play key roles in South Africa’s future and even though South Africa have struggled to replace Kyle Abbott in the XI, Morkel may not see himself as the ideal candidate.Morne Morkel claimed the vital wicket of Joe Root in England’s first innings at Trent Bridge•Getty Images

His focus since the back problem, which he feared would end his career, has largely been on Test cricket. After making a successful comeback in the series against New Zealand in March, Morkel opted not to return to the IPL in order to get himself ready for the England series. He has also decided not to go to the CPL so he can prepare for a home summer that includes 10 Tests and South Africa’s own T20 event, the Global League. Morkel has not been named as one of the marquee players attached to a franchise for that tournament but may yet add his name to the draft. He is not ruling out T20 leagues entirely, but said international cricket is his first priority.”If there’s a T20 league I can go and play in and improve my skills and put my name into the hat for other tournaments, then I need to make that opportunity count. But the Proteas and this environment come first. So I need to focus on that.”Morkel has taken on more of a leadership role in the Test side over the last six months, something several squad members have mentioned as noticeable especially in the absence of Dale Steyn. In India in late 2015, when Steyn sat on the sidelines with a groin problem, Morkel bowled reverse swinging spells which, even though they did not help South Africa win, asked questions of the opposition. In New Zealand in March, Morkel was the bowler getting his speeds over 140kph. He has even developed a penchant for pitching it up when needed and has become South Africa’s go-to man to create pressure.The numbers don’t always reveal Morkel’s worth but his experience is invaluable to a Test side that relies heavily on the strength of its attack. Having always wanted to be part of the pack, Morkel admitted he is enjoying contributing while he still can.”In 2003, I was playing league cricket for a club called Endon, a first division club, and we got a day off and I came to Trent Bridge. I sat in the stands here watching the boys play. To play a Test match here, that’s what dreams are made of,” Morkel said. “For me, every time I get the ball, it’s about really enjoying the moment. In the past I put myself under a lot of pressure, but I think those sort of days are gone. I know how quickly a career can change. And I’m not starting my career. My career’s nearly finished. So I am just enjoying the moment.”

Umar Gul, the Pakistan fast bowler, has rued what he has termed a lack of trust from the selectors for leaving him out of the squad for the ongoing tour of England

Umar Farooq30-Jun-2016Umar Gul, the Pakistan fast bowler, has rued what he has termed a lack of trust from the selectors for leaving him out of the squad for the ongoing tour of England. In a strongly worded interview with , he said a “double-standard policy” on fitness had led to his omission from the 2015 World Cup squad. His outburst has upset the selectors, but they have urged him to stay in contention by playing domestic cricket.Gul, 32, did not make either the final squad for the England tour or the list of players called up for a national training and skills camp in Abbottabad and Lahore. He has been in and out of the side since missing large parts of 2013 and 2014 with a knee injury and subsequent rehabilitation following surgery in Australia. He last played for Pakistan in the second T20I of their tour of New Zealand in January.”Look, I’m not saying that they should play me,” Gul said. “But at least treat my case on the same level as of others. Usually, it’s not in my nature to speak out my mind. But when people start rating me as a discard then it hurts a lot. I have had fair share of injuries during my long international career. Just tell which fast bowler doesn’t get injured? This is part and parcel of cricket.”However, some people [in the cricket board] make you a fool by jumping to the conclusion that so and so individual’s playing career at the international level is over. And what is more annoying is that when you confront them they’ll act as if nothing has happened and will try to be as supportive as they can but the same people will form different opinion behind your back.”Gul said he had met the selectors’ fitness requirements ahead of the 2015 World Cup, and was puzzled by his non-selection.”I was aghast when I found out that the parameter for fitness for the 2015 World Cup was set at 60 points. And yet I was not good enough to be considered [for selection] despite recording 62 points. Somebody in the PCB must be honest enough to explain this double-standard policy.”Now I realize that sometime just being fit is not enough to be inducted because the trust is not there. Being the senior-most fast bowler, there was no way they [selectors] could have sidelined me the way they did. They were not willing to trust me as a player. In the last season I had rediscovered my rhythm and felt extremely fit to reclaim my Pakistan spot, but the selectors still chose to ignore me.”Pakistan’s bowling attack seems to have come out of a long transition period, with Mohammad Amir’s reintegration lending it a settled look. Other fast bowlers have leapfrogged Gul and Junaid Khan in the pecking order, largely due to concerns over their fitness, with both troubled by recurring injuries. Gul’s decline can be seen in his place in Pakistan’s lists of centrally contracted players. He was a category A player in 2011 and 2012, and was included in category B in 2013 and 2014, despite missing much of their cricket with injury. He has not found a place in the contract list in 2015 and 2016.Inzamam ul Haq, Pakistan’s chief selector, was reluctant to comment on Gul’s outburst, but Tauseef Ahmed, a member of the selection panel, responded, saying the reasons for Gul’s non-selection were “not unfair”.”He shouldn’t be giving statement, rather focusing on his cricket and keep on performing,” Tauseef told ESPNcricinfo. “Cricket season has just started and he shouldn’t be disheartened as there are a lot of series ahead and it’s not just about Umar Gul but every player who didn’t make into the Test side.”You obviously can’t select everyone at once but we are completely aware about who is dropped and who is selected. Junaid Khan is the other bowler who was left out and he along with Umar was also in contention. But we have our reasons, which are not unfair, and the selected bunch was the best we could possibly pick according the the conditions and competition.”It’s not just about being senior; its about what is the capability of a player and where he can fit in. Cricket is being played format-wise now, and it’s not like we have discarded him forever. Bowlers who are selected are good enough and have experience. We will make sure everyone gets a fair chance and we have a lot of cricket ahead and we will continue to monitor the performances of players.”The problem is that we didn’t have much cricket in the recent past and most of our players are untested. So with a lot of cricket ahead we want to have as many players being tested out [as possible] and that is why we have brought new bowlers into the A team. Gul and Junaid might have missed out but they are still our asset and part of our country’s cricket. They should continue with their cricket and keep on performing in domestic cricket. One must talk with his performance in the ground and that should be a talking point. Journalists should be making noise for player rather than player himself.”