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Smith has indicated that South Africa could make the appointment from left field and take a chance on someone with potential

Firdose Moonda17-Apr-2020Quinton de Kock will not be named South Africa’s Test captain even though there is no clear candidate for the position yet. That was confirmed by Graeme Smith, South Africa’s director of cricket, on Friday, who said the risk of overburdening de Kock has resulted in ruling him out of leadership role in all three formats.De Kock was appointed as the country’s white-ball captain in January and succeeded Faf du Plessis, who had been in charge since 2017. Du Plessis also stood down from the Test captaincy but remains available as a player. With South Africa not scheduled to play any Tests before a tour to West Indies in July-August, they have some time before deciding who will lead them in whites but are certain it will not be de Kock.”The one thing I can confirm is that Quinton will be our white-ball captain and he won’t be the Test captain going forward,” Smith said. “We want to keep Quinton fresh and playing well. I’ve always believed, having been in the job myself, that captaining all three formats is challenging. We’ve seen a number of nations trying to figure out what’s best and I think across three formats, it probably doesn’t work.”Among teams competing in the World Test Championship, only India and New Zealand have the same captain across all three formats and although South Africa had the same until this summer, they have also tried multiple captains. When Smith gave up the white-ball captaincy after the 2011 World Cup, AB de Villiers was appointed and during de Villiers’ tenure, he handed first the T20, then the Test and then the ODI reigns to du Plessis. In between, Johan Botha and Hashim Amla had stints as T20 and Test captain, respectively. When du Plessis took over across all formats, consistency was cited as the main reason – not to mention his obvious leadership qualities – but now both the calendar and their own circumstances have forced a change.While the Future Tours Programme has become fluid as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, South Africa were set for a fairly busy schedule over the next few months with a white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in June, a tour to West Indies as mentioned, possible white-ball games in Pakistan and a home-series against them, the T20 World Cup and a summer featuring Sri Lanka and Australia in 2020-21. Given that de Kock is also their premier wicket-keeper and has stated his desire to keep the gloves, and that he opens the batting in white-ball cricket, adding the Test captaincy to his load was decided as being too much.ALSO READ: Graeme Smith appointed South Africa’s director of cricket till March 2022“From a workload and mental capacity, we felt that to burden him with all three formats wouldn’t be beneficial for us. And with the style of personality and player that he is, we want to keep him as expressive as possible,” Smith said.But if not de Kock, then who?That’s the question Smith can’t answer just yet with South Africa’s current transition phase meaning that there is no obvious choice. “I can’t tell you who it is going to be. We are in a debate over it,” Smith said. “There’s no one person that you could pinpoint right now and say that’s the guy. There’s still a lot of players that are vying for selection and I think it is the challenge we sit with at the moment. There’s a lot of players on a similar level.”With the retirements of Vernon Philander, Hashim Amla, de Villiers, Dale Steyn (from red-ball cricket), Imran Tahir (from ODIs but not T20s) and JP Duminy in the last year, South Africa have lost a significant part of their senior core. The 2019-20 summer saw them field a total of 33 players across formats and hand out nine new Test caps. Of those, stand-out performers included Rassie van der Dussen and Anrich Nortje, with the former being mentioned as a potential Test captain given his ability to deal with pressure and a relatively consistent run. He was South Africa’s second-highest run-scorer at the 2019 World Cup, behind du Plessis, and fourth-highest in the Test summer after de Kock, Dean Elgar and du Plessis, and has stood out, which is what Smith is looking for. “The challenge for when we do play some cricket is to see who escalates themselves into really consistent performances and who steps up,” he said.But Smith also indicated South Africa could make the appointment from left field and take a chance on someone with potential. “We’ve got to understand the personalities, look at the people and maybe take a risk on someone potentially and back them,” he said. “Coming from a person who a risk was taken on, it is something we would consider.”Smith had played just eight Tests and was 22-years old when he took over from Shaun Pollock and went on to captain for 109 Tests for over 11 years. His own success could prompt South Africa to look for someone who is less secure of his spot in the team than a potential captain might be, which could put Temba Bavuma or Aiden Markram into the frame. Bavuma has experienced captaining the Lions franchise – who have won the first-class title for the past two seasons – but was dropped from the Test side this summer and then recalled after a career-best score of 180 and has massive public support. Markram, on the other hand, led the South Africa under-19 side to the 2014 age-group World Cup title and had been touted as the future senior men’s skipper. He spent most of the summer on the sidelines with a fractured finger, but scored two hundreds in six domestic limited-overs matches on his return and is likely to get his Test spot back.Cricket South Africa have not put a timeline on when they will announce the new Test captain. But with the country on lockdown until the end of April and cricket unlikely to resume for several months, they are in no hurry to hand out the captaincy armband.

Who gained, who lost, what are the indications – making sense of the latest BCCI central contracts

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Mar-2019Like last year, the 25-strong final list of BCCI-contracted male cricketers was prepared by the five-man national selection panel led by MSK Prasad. The selectors have opted to reward players who have taken significant strides over the last year and have been key performers consistently.

Who is the biggest gainer?

Rishabh Pant. He wasn’t part of the 26 contracted players in 2017-18, but has forced his way in, and all the way into the second bracket, following his exploits in international cricket since his Test debut in England last year.

The list of contracts

• Grade A+ (INR 7cr): Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah

• Grade A (INR 5cr): R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant

• Grade B (INR 3cr): KL Rahul, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya

• Grade C (INR 1cr): Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Hanuma Vihari, Khaleel Ahmed, Wriddhiman Saha

• IN: Rishabh Pant, Ambati Rayudu, Hanuma Vihari, Khaleel Ahmed

• OUT: Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel, Jayant Yadav, Axar Patel, Karun Nair, M Vijay

Picked in place of the injured Wriddhiman Saha, Pant cracked a century in his third Test on a debut tour of England. More recently, Pant made 159 against Australia during the New Year’s Test in Sydney, having taken 11 catches in the series opener in Adelaide, the most by an Indian wicketkeeper in Tests.Pant is currently auditioning for India’s World Cup squad. He is part of Grade A, which carries a retainer worth INR 5 crore. Pant aside, the category has R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav.

What are the other major changes

The A+ category, worth INR 7 crore, has just three players: Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma. Bhuvneshwar and Dhawan, both in the same bracket last time, have dropped to Grade A. The A bracket has 11 players compared to seven last year, with Ishant, Shami and Kuldeep Yadav moving up from Grade B.ESPNcricinfo understands Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar were not retained in the A+ category because they did not consistently feature in all three formats last season. Dhawan struggled for form in the Test format on the tours of South Africa and England and was eventually dropped for the Australia tour, with the selectors picking Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal as alternatives. Bhuvneshwar was injured at the start of the season, and although he was included in the Test squad for Australia, he did not play in the four-match series that India won 2-1.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Where did M Vijay go?

Out, for now. Having failed to make an impression on comeback, Vijay was left out after the second Test in Perth in December. He lost his Test spot to debutant Agarwal, who was incidentally a replacement for the injured Shaw. Earlier in 2018, Vijay was dropped after the second Test at Lord’s. Shaw struck a hundred on Test debut against West Indies, and followed it up with a half-century in his next outing.

Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal – have they made the cut?

No. The two of them, along with Vijay Shankar, haven’t been included. Shaw was part of the Test squad for the Australia tour, but had to return home after a freak injury while fielding during a tour match. Agarwal made two robust half-centuries in three Test innings in Melbourne and Sydney, after being called-in midway through the tour. Vijay, who clinched India a thrilling last-over victory with the ball in the Nagpur ODI against Australia earlier this week, has given healthy headaches to the selection panel, which has put him in the pool of 18-odd players shortlisted for the World Cup. But no contract for him yet.

What happens to Wriddhiman Saha?

Having missed a lot of cricket through 2018 because of injuries, Saha, who only started playing again a few weeks back, has been moved from Grade A to Grade C. There were some new entrants to C too: Ambati Rayudu, Hanuma Vihari and Khaleel Ahmed.

Who have fallen out of favour?

Along with Vijay, Axar Patel, Karun Nair, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel and Jayant Yadav – all part of Grade C last time – have been omitted. Among them, Nair and Jayant didn’t feature in a single international game during the contracted period.

What’s the update on Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul?

The two players, who were suspended by the CoA briefly for their alleged misconduct on a TV chat show, will continue to be part of Grade B (INR 3 crore). On Thursday, the CoA asked Justice DK Jain, newly-appointed BCCI ombudsman, to investigate the allegations against Pandya and Rahul.. As per the BCCI constitution, the ombudsman is the final authority to adjudicate on such issues. Pandya is not part of the ongoing ODI series against Australia because of a back injury, but his stock has gradually increased over the last 18 months with the management backing him to play in all three formats as the primary allrounder.

Ben Stokes’ trip to New Zealand sparked speculation that he could be involved in England’s Ashes campaign but that prospect is all but over

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2017Ben Stokes has concluded his spell with Canterbury and returned to the UK for Christmas. When Stokes flew to New Zealand last month, it sparked speculation that he could be involved in England’s Ashes campaign but, with the series lost and the CPS still determining whether to press charges against the allrounder for his part in a fight in September, that prospect is all but over.Canterbury said that Stokes was leaving for “family reasons” and that he would always be welcome to return. Stokes played in three Ford Trophy matches, with scores of 2, 34 and 0 to go with one wicket, as well as three Super Smash games, one of which saw him hammer 93 off 47 balls.”Ben has been great around the club, the team and the staff,” Canterbury CEO, Jez Curwin, said. “We can’t fault his attitude or his all-round contribution in his time with us and we are sorry that he couldn’t stay with us for longer but Ben knows that he will always find a welcome here should the opportunity arise for him to return.”Stokes travelled to New Zealand to spend time with family – he was born in Christchurch and his parents live there – as well as gain some playing time while the police investigation into his night out in Bristol continued. Stokes was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm and has not been considered for England selection since, although he was named in England’s one-day squad to face Australia next month.”I have thoroughly enjoyed training and playing with Canterbury,” Stokes said. “Everyone here has gone out of their way to make me feel at home. It’s a wonderful club and I couldn’t have asked for any more from my time here.”

Misbah-ul-Haq has hailed Pakistan’s bowlers for the effort they have put in to win matches on the slow and batting-friendly pitches they have often had to play on in the UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-20161:53

West Indies lose eight out of eight in UAE

Misbah-ul-Haq has hailed Pakistan’s bowlers for the effort they have put in to win matches on the slow and batting-friendly pitches they have often had to play on in the UAE. Pakistan’s 133-run win in the second Test against West Indies in Abu Dhabi was their eighth win in their last 11 Tests in their adopted home.

Pakistan name unchanged squad

Pakistan named an unchanged squad for the third Test against West Indies, starting October 30 in Sharjah. Pakistan had named a 14-man squad for the first Test, played under lights in Dubai, before adding Younis Khan for the second Test in Abu Dhabi, after he recovered from a bout of dengue. Pakistan won both Tests and lead the series 2-0.

“Thanks to almighty . It wasn’t easy,” Misbah said, after Pakistan sealed their tenth series win under his captaincy. “I mean, on wickets like that, getting 20 wickets is always a challenge, and I think the bowlers just lived up to the expectations.”They worked really hard, especially Yasir Shah [who had match figures of 10 for 210], and the fast bowlers also contributed well on this pitch, and I think that was a big achievement, getting 20 wickets on this pitch.”Pakistan have developed a reputation for playing dour, attritional cricket under Misbah, and he said it was a necessary template to follow given the conditions the team played most of its matches in.”I believe in, first, you just go there and assess the conditions and then, really, within your resources, [work out] how you’re going to conduct your gameplan,” Misbah said. “If you just stay in your limits and execute your plans according to your strengths, then no matter what the conditions are, you could be successful.”In the UAE especially, you cannot really change much about your planning, because [of the] slow pitches, and it’s really tough to get wickets here, and you have to grind oppositions sometimes. That’s simply the format you have to follow.”But when you’re playing in conditions like we did in England and we’re going to [in] New Zealand and Australia, obviously we need to change that. There the conditions are different. We’re looking forward [to the tours], and obviously we have to play that kind of cricket there to win.”The numbers support Misbah’s contention. Teams that have won Tests in the UAE in the last 10 years have, on average, bowled 186 overs per match. In the rest of the world, they have had to bowl only 156 overs on average. And though West Indies lost both in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, they batted for more than 200 overs in each match. They have only managed this two other times in 17 Tests since the start of 2015.Despite their record on the slow UAE pitches, Misbah said Pakistan would prefer playing on surfaces that offered a little more help for their spinners.Misbah-ul-Haq: “It’s really tough to get wickets [on slow pitches in the UAE], and you have to grind oppositions sometimes”•Getty Images

“Our spinners are our strength and with Yasir being a world-class bowler, we expect to have turning and spinning wickets but this pitch had nothing for the bowlers,” he said. “Today it was fifth day and still was flat and didn’t do much but still our bowlers worked so hard to take 20 wickets and its a big achievement.”Yasir bowled 67.4 overs in the match and got through far more bowling than the left-arm orthodox spinners Zulfiqar Babar (43) and Mohammad Nawaz (14). Misbah said this was because there was little help in the pitch for fingerspinners.”In the first innings fast bowlers had to bowl more because at some stage there was a chance of reverse-swing and that’s why spinners weren’t utilitied much,” he said. “Yasir, being a wristspinner, was helpful but both the left-armers didnt bowl much because of the pitch condition.”Given the workloads the bowlers, Yasir in particular, got through, Misbah said it was natural that he didn’t enforce the follow-on despite having a first-innings lead of 228.”In every innings, you are fielding for over 100 overs, and I think bowling again with tired bodies will be tough,” he said. “You’ve got to give your bowlers some time as it’s tough for fast bowlers in such conditions to bowl and you can’t have Yasir Shah bowling 40 overs straight in two innings.”You might get this but then again for the next match you’ve got to have a complete new XI. So understanding the conditions, weather [is important] and chasing 150 runs in fifth day will be tough, and that is the reason I didn’t enforce the follow-on. Rather than pushing our bowlers, you bat and grind the opponent in full.”

Bangladesh have opted to retain the squad that played the Test series against South Africa for the upcoming first Test against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-20151:06

Full strength Bangladesh for raw Australia

Bangladesh have opted to retain the squad that played the Test series against South Africa for the upcoming first Test against Australia. The squad also includes left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, who has recovered from a bout of jaundice which he suffered last month.

Rubel doubtful for first Test

A calf muscle strain has put Rubel Hossain in doubt for the first Test against Australia, after suffering the injury on the first day of the three-day game for Bangladesh A against India A in Bangalore on Sunday.
Rubel couldn’t bowl throughout the second day’s play, and there was further bad news for pace bowler, Shafiul Islam, who sustained a hamstring injury. According to the BCB, both Rubel and Shafiul are to be assessed upon returning to Dhaka on September 30.
Rubel, who was named in the 14-man squad to face Australia in the first Test, played his last Test against Pakistan in Khulna, before being rested for the solitary Test against India and benched for the two Tests against South Africa.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has announced the squad despite the uncertainty surrounding the series. Last week, Cricket Australia chose to delay the team’s scheduled departure on September 28 due to increased security concerns. CA’s chief executive, James Sutherland, cited “recent advice from a range of Australian government sources” that identified potential security risks to Australian interests in Bangladesh.CA’s decision to proceed with the Test series will depend on the outcome of meetings between its security chief Sean Carroll and government and police officials in Bangladesh. It is learnt that security officials who met with Carroll assured fool-proof security for the team and the BCB is also quietly confident of sharing more detailed information that can help ease CA’s concerns.According to the current schedule, the first Test is scheduled between October 9 and 13 in Chittagong, while the second Test will be played in Mirpur from October 17. Australia are also scheduled to play a three-day tour match against the BCB XI in Fatullah before the start of the Test series.Bangladesh squad for the first Test: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Tamim Iqbal (vice-capt), Imrul Kayes, Jubair Hossain, Liton Das, Mahmudullah, Mohammad Shahid, Mominul Haque, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Taijul Islam

A round-up of Sunfoil Series matches

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2013Cape Cobras registered a thumping nine-wicket win over Titans in Benoni, to take their place at the top of the Sunfoil Series points table after nine matches. After their attack had combined to bowl out Titans for under 200 for the second time in three days, they were left chasing a mere 17 runs for victory. Opener Alistair Gray had to retire hurt after facing just one ball, but that had no impact on Cobras cruising to victory.Cobras bowlers’ efforts were built upon by Stiaan van Zyl, who struck a century from No. 3 as in their first innings. Justin Kemp, batting at No. 8, consolidated their position in the game with 73. That lifted Cobras to 373, with a first-innings lead of 179. By the time Titans drew even in the second innings, they had already lost seven wickets with Johann Louw and Beuran Hendricks – the most effective bowlers in the first innings, too – causing most of the damage. From then on, it was just a matter of time before Cobras closed out the game.In a game that followed a similar path, Dolphins beat Warriors by nine wickets in Durban. After choosing to bowl, Dolphins skittled out Warriors for 92 – that total took some rearguard effort in fact, as Warriors were at one stage 36 for 6. Left-arm pacer Mthokozisi Shezi caused most of Warriors’ trouble, taking a five-for. He was well supported by his partner with the new ball, Kyle Abbott, who took 3 for 19 in the innings.A series of cameos from the Dolphins batsmen then put them firmly on top, as they got to 245 with Khayelihle Zondo top scoring with 51. In Warriors’ second innings, Abbott came good once again, knocking over four top-order wickets as they were dismissed for 198. That left Dolphins with 46 to chase, and they did so in 12 overs at close to four an over.Lions were at No. 2 on the points table, after drawing their ninth-round game with Knights in Kimberley. Knights chose to bat, and based on a collective effort got to 348. While none of the line-up got to a hundred, the innings was built around Rilee Rossouw, who top scored with 80, and Werner Coetsee, who made 78 from No. 7. They then had Lions in a spot of bother, bowling them out for 219.However, the 129-run first-innings lead did not make too much of a difference, as Lions did not let any of the Knights batsmen score quickly enough for them to force a result, especially since rain came into the equation; Lions played out 42 overs in their second innings, for 108 for 2, as the match petered out into a draw.

Australia’s young fast bowling spearhead James Pattinson is out of the remainder of the Test series against India after scans revealed the early signs of stress fractures in the metatarsal bone of his left foot

Daniel Brettig06-Jan-2012Australia’s young fast-bowling spearhead James Pattinson is out of the remainder of the Test series against India after scans revealed the early signs of stress fractures in the metatarsal bone of his left foot.He has been replaced in the squad for the Perth Test by Mitchell Starc – the only change to the squad that was selected for Sydney. Ryan Harris is favoured to win a recall to the XI after making his own return to fitness.Pattinson bowled throughout the Sydney Test but complained of pain in his left foot towards the end of the match. Scans revealed the injury, which the team physio Alex Kountouris called an “early stage bone stress injury of the metatarsal bone of the left foot”.”He will be managed carefully over the next few weeks and will not be available for the remainder of the Test series,” Kountouris said.John Inverarity, the national selector, said his panel had already considered resting Pattinson for the WACA Test after he played four Tests in little more than a month since his debut against New Zealand in Brisbane.”The intention of the National Selection Panel was to rest James from the Perth Test match as this young man has played in four Test matches over a period of just five weeks,” Inverarity said. “This intention has become a necessity after post-match scans have revealed James’ foot injury.”Pattinson’s injury is a serious blow to Australia, given that in those four Tests he has taken 25 wickets at 18.12, while also impressing considerably with the bat. It also continues an unsettling run of injuries for young fast bowlers. Pat Cummins, who made an equally remarkable introduction against South Africa in Johannesburg in November, is missing the entirety of the home Test summer due to a heel injury.At the other end of the age scale is Harris, who would now appear certain to return to the XI for the Perth Test, after battling a hip problem and then building up his fitness for Test cricket with an intensive training regimen through December.Before Pattinson’s injury was known, Clarke said Harris’ recall as part of a pace quartet was a genuine option – he had also flirted with the idea before the Sydney match.”It is an option, there will certainly be at least four fast bowlers in our squad for Perth, and we’ll assess conditions once we get there,” Clarke said. “I’m hoping that wicket is similar to what we played on against England last summer, where it’s got a lot of pace and bounce and some sideways movement. If that’s the case there’s an option there [to play four quicks], but I always love to have a spinner in the team, and I continue to say that I think Nathan Lyon is doing a really good job for this team.”Clarke’s run as captain has been made far more agreeable by the presence of an effective pace attack, and he said the group’s collective ability to place pressure on India’s batsmen had been significant to the results so far.”We have [several] guys who can get a breakthrough, that’s one of the most pleasing things for a captain,” he said. “You can turn to any one of our bowlers to try and take a wicket, so that makes life easier for me. We’re able to build up pressure – at the moment, we’re bowling a lot of dot balls, bowling a lot of maidens, we’re restricting the scoring and I think that is what’s getting us wickets.”It’s not necessarily a one-off delivery that is getting somebody out. Against very good players you have to be able to build up pressure – if you think one-off balls are going to get six or seven of the best batsmen in the world out, you’re in for a rude shock. So you need the whole team and the whole bowling attack performing, and that’s what we’re doing at the moment.”

Paul Collingwood has been told to go away and clear his mind before he regains his place in the one-day side, after being dropped for the opening match against Australia

Brydon Coverdale in Melbourne16-Jan-2011Paul Collingwood has been told to go away and clear his mind before he regains his place in England’s one-day side, after being dropped for the opening match against Australia in Melbourne. Collingwood has been a fixture of the ODI outfit for nearly a decade and has played at two World Cups, but despite being axed he appears almost certain to add a third to his resume, according to the captain Andrew Strauss.”It is a bit of a form thing,” Strauss said. “We feel that he’s been struggling with the bat for a while now. The best way for him to come back is to spend a bit of time out of the side and refresh his mind. He’s obviously a very important part of our one-day setup and will be going forward to the World Cup, but he’s not in great nick at the moment. It’s tough on him but it would have been tough on someone else to be left out as well.”Collingwood, 34, has retired from Test cricket, ending with a miserable series personally, as he made 83 runs in the five Tests at 13.83, but still an enormously satisfying one as his team won the Ashes away from home. He remains England’s Twenty20 captain but in the 50-over format, he faces a fight to win back his place, and it seems unlikely he’ll be in the mix until much later in the series.”It’s a seven-match series, so there are a lot of [selection] permutations,” Strauss said. “We’d like him to spend the next week or so just clearing his mind, and obviously doing some work in the nets, but primarily getting his mind clear and making sure he’s very clear on how he wants to play his game.”He’s not going to change his game, he’s going to play the same way. But sometimes you need a clear mind, and you don’t want to be thinking too much about the dismissals you’ve had recently, you just want to be able to go out and see the ball and hit the ball.”The form of Kevin Pietersen could make it even tougher for Collingwood to force his way back in, although it also provides him with some inspiration. Pietersen was dropped during the one-day series against Pakistan in September but in his first match back, proved he has plenty to offer the side, in compiling a classy 78 from 75 balls in the six-wicket loss at the MCG.”He showed his quality today,” Strauss said. “He’s able to clear the boundary, kept putting pressure on the opposition bowlers. He’s had a bit of a fallow period in one-day cricket but he showed his class today.”Pietersen’s efforts were not enough against an Australian side carried by a herculean 161 from Shane Watson, and it’s the second consecutive win for the hosts after they triumphed in the second Twenty20 in Melbourne on Friday. But there is plenty of time remaining for England to turn things around.”They’re one-nil up in the series now,” Strauss said, “but we’re still very confident that we can win this series.”

A day after it was announced that Intikhab Alam will not be accompanying the Pakistan side that takes on England in two Twenty20 internationals in Dubai, speculation over the fate of the coach intensifies

Osman Samiuddin09-Feb-2010A day after it was announced that Intikhab Alam will not be accompanying the Pakistan side that takes on England in two Twenty20 internationals in Dubai, speculation over the fate of the coach intensifies.The PCB is refusing to say that Intikhab’s tenure has come to an end after Pakistan’s disastrous tour of Australia, where they failed to win a single game, but Ijaz Ahmed – the Under-19 coach – will be with the senior side in Dubai as a batting and fielding coach. The contribution of Intikhab, appointed in October 2008 to replace Geoff Lawson, in the Australian whitewash has come in for much criticism and increasingly it looks as if his time has come.Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, who himself has been under fire from many quarters, admitted in a recent TV interview that the board was looking abroad for coaching options – a startling revelation in itself, given that Intikhab’s services have not officially been terminated. And now, at least one report says that Greg Chappell, Australian great and former coach of India, is being lined up as a replacement.Senior officials – other than Butt – are more tight-lipped about Intikhab’s future, under whom Pakistan have won the World Twenty20, but not a single ODI or Test series. “One of the considerations to look at will be this after the evaluation committee has done its work,” Wasim Bari, PCB’s chief operating officer, told Cricinfo. Bari heads, in effect, a six-man inquiry committee tasked to look into and analyse the reasons for Pakistan’s defeats. Wasim Akram is also a member of the committee.”We will look at how to solve weak areas in our cricket, but with relevant cricket and business solutions,” Bari said. “If there is a leadership problem, we will provide a leadership solution. If there is a coaching problem, we will provide a coaching solution.”Bari waved aside reports about Chappell, though he did leave open the possibility that Pakistan may look abroad again, having decided after sacking Lawson that they would go local. “The coach, whoever he is, should be the best man for the job,” Bari said. “It doesn’t matter whether he is Pakistani or from abroad. We might be looking at ten names for the job but if Intikhab is the best man for it we will keep him. It has to be the best man.”Cricinfo understands that nothing formal has yet occurred between the PCB and Chappell. Should the position become vacant, others in the running for the post are likely to also include the current assistant coach Aaqib Javed and Ijaz.Lawson, despite the experience which saw him being removed 16 months ago, is still a keen Pakistan supporter and follower and embraced the country in his time here. It is believed he would still be keen for the post, though it is difficult to see it happen under the administration that sacked him. Julien Fountain has already expressed his willingness to work with Pakistan as a fielding coach – and other, broader roles.

Lancashire have said they are investigating the incident at Old Trafford

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2025Lancashire have said they are investigating after an incident in which a fan attending the fourth Test between England and India at Old Trafford was asked to cover up the Pakistan shirt they were wearing.The fan, named in Pakistani media as Farooq Nazar, posted a video on social media documenting the request, initially from a member of the security staff at the ground, that he cover the shirt, a replica of Pakistan’s traditional green limited-overs kit.The security guard, who identifies himself as working for Lancashire, says: “I’ve been asked by control if you can cover that shirt up, please.” Later on, a steward can be heard saying the shirt “might be considered nationalistic”.Related

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In the video, Nazar can be seen becoming increasingly agitated amid repeated requests to cover up. Eventually, he is approached by a police officer, who asks to continue the conversation away from the stands. According to reports, Nazar then opted to leave the ground rather than hide his shirt.Political relations between India and Pakistan, frosty for years, have been at their most tense this year, following a brief military skirmish between the two countries in May. Those tensions have filtered into relations between the BCCI and PCB; the two sides have not played a bilateral series since 2012-13 and no Test cricket since 2007-08. Their participation in ICC events hosted by either country has also recently become problematic, with a neutral venue added in to stage their games as part of a hybrid solution to the issue.It is unclear on which day of the Test, which ended in a draw as India batted their way through five sessions, the incident took place but Lancashire confirmed they were looking into it.”We are aware of the incident referenced and are taking steps to understand the facts and context surrounding the matter fully,” a Lancashire spokesperson said.In recent years, Lancashire have openly spoken of building their links with India. The Hundred team based at the ground, Manchester Originals, are set to become 70% owned by Sanjiv Goenka’s RPSG group, which runs Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, while Lancashire’s chief executive, Daniel Gidney, has suggested giving the BCCI a stake in the 100-ball tournament.