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A round-up of the Group A matches of the Vijay Hazare trophy held on February 26, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2017At the Feroz Shah Kotla, Amit Verma and Arun Karthik starred with half-centuries in Assam’s successful chase of 244 against Punjab. Pallavkumar Das dominated the early part of Assam’s chase with 48 off 49 balls, before they went from 75 for 1 to 90 for 3. Karthik, the captain, and Verma shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 92 off 107 balls. Sandeep Sharma ended the association with the wicket of Karthik for 63. He later had Verma caught for 65 with Assam one run away from the target, which they completed off the next ball. Sandeep Sharma took 3 for 52 for Punjab.When Punjab batted, Shubman Gill scored nearly half their runs – 121 out of 243 – to raise his maiden century in his second List A game. Gill’s fourth-wicket partnership of 141 with Gurkeerat Singh Mann (58) lifted them from 19 for 3 and formed the bulwark of Punjab’s total. Assam’s new-ball pair of Pritam Das and Arup Das took three wickets each.At the Palam Grounds, debutant Hitesh Kadam scythed through Haryana’s lower middle order to bowl Railways to a 71-run win. Haryana were reeling at 86 for 5 in pursuit of 253, before a half-century stand between Rahul Dagar (57) and Rahul Tewatia (33) had revived them when Kadam made his first strike. Soon, Haryana went from 138 for 5 to 142 for 8. Kadam took out Dagar for 57, before bowling Mohit Sharma to close out the game.Earlier, when Railways elected to bat, they were driven by a third-wicket stand of 102 between Pratham Singh (51) and Arindam Ghosh, who top-scored with 76. Railways were also helped by contributions from Mahesh Rawat (31), and Amit Mishra, whose seven-ball unbeaten 17, lifted them to 252 for 7.At the Karnail Singh Stadium, Vidarbha mounted a late fightback after electing to bat against Baroda, before successfully defending their total by 22 runs in a shortened game. Apoorv Wankhade (62*) and Akshay Karnewar (54*) struck half-centuries and stitched together an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 98 that took Vidarbha from 153 for 5 in the 36th over to finish on 251 in 45 overs. Wankhade’s knock came off 46 balls and included two fours and three sixes, while Karnewar struck at 180, with one four and five sixes. Before the duo got together, Faiz Fazal, the Vidarbha captain and their opening batsman, held the innings together with 58, although he used up 104 balls.Baroda’s chase was driven by a second-wicket stand of 66 between Aditya Waghmode (79) and Krunal Pandya (43). But the rest of the order failed to make an impression, and though Pinal Shah biffed 36 off 32 balls at No. 8, they fell well short of the target. Yash Thakur, playing his second List A game, took 3 for 64.

Zimbabwe could bring back their designated captain Elton Chigumbura along with Sikander Raza and Luke Jongwe in must-win third T20I

The Preview by Mohammad Isam19-Jan-2016

Match facts

January 20, 2015
Start time 1500 local (0900 GMT)Bangladesh are a step away from their second successive T20I series win over Zimbabwe•AFP

Big Picture

It is becoming increasingly difficult to predict playing XIs from both sides, who aren’t afraid to tinker with their combinations in their quest to narrow down on an ideal combination going into the World T20 in India.Both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have to play in the preliminary round, also featuring Oman, Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Scotland, Ireland and Netherlands, with the top two teams progressing. That means, both sides will want to throw the younger players into the deep end, to see how they acclimatise to the pressure. That Bangladesh are sitting pretty with a 2-0 lead means the time is ripe for them to unleash their bench strength. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, are still smarting from their series loss to Afghanistan in the UAE. Ordinary performances in the first two games means they are running out of time.They rested the designated captain Elton Chigumbura among three players in the last game. It remains to be seen if they are brought back in at a crunch time. That apart, they will also need impact players like Sikandar Raza and Luke Jongwe to come good if they are to challenge the hosts in conditions as subcontinental as they can get.With Bangladesh missing Mushfiqur Rahim due to a hamstring injury, even as Mustafizur Rahman and Al-Amin Hossain, their best seamers on show in the first two games, have been rested, Zimbabwe will hope to cash in on the relative inexperience of some of the Bangladesh players. Among them, Sabbir Rahman will be keenly followed after his impressive outing in the previous game that also earned him the Man-of-the-Match award.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)


Bangladesh: WWLWL
Zimbabwe: LLLLW

In the spotlight

With Mushfiqur out of the series, Nurul Hasan, who impressed in the Bangladesh Premier League, will now have a lot more focus on his batting as well. But his main job would be to keep things clean behind the stumps.Malcolm Waller did well in the last T20 series in Bangladesh and also had his moments in the BPL, but hasn’t really come up with a blinding knock in this series. Zimbabwe will look at him to provide a late flourish.

Teams news

Although Imrul Kayes has remained in the squad, it is likely that newcomer Mosaddek Hossain will come in place of Mushfiqur, while three out of Taskin Ahmed, Muktar Ali, Mohammad Shahid and Abu Hider are likely to get a place in the XI. Bangladesh: (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Muktar Ali, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Abu HiderWith the series on the line, Zimbabwe could bring back their regular captain Chigumbura along with senior members Sikandar Raza and Luke Jongwe. Zimbabwe: (probable) 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Sikandar Raza, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 7 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Graeme Cremer, 10 Wellington Masakadza, 11 Taurai Muzarabani

Pitch and conditions

Favorable batting conditions are likely to continue. Both sides have started well with the bat, but haven’t been able to finish off the innings. The team batting second will have the advantage of dew, as it would allow the ball to slide onto the bat nicely, while making life difficult for the spinners.

Stats and trivia

• If Bangladesh hand debuts to three players, it will be the first time since December 2012, against West Indies. The uncapped players are Abu Hider, Mohammad Shahid, Mosaddek Hossain and Muktar Ali.
• In the previous game, Hamilton Masakadza became the first Zimbabwean to reach 3000 runs in T20s.

Quote

“Like we always do, we will try to win tomorrow. If we play our own game we will definitely win. We are not talking about a series win right now.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad gave themselves a lead over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the race for the final spot in the IPL playoffs with a comprehensive win over the troubled Rajasthan Royals

The Report by Sidharth Monga17-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
File photo: Amit Mishra took big middle-order wickets•BCCI

Sunrisers Hyderabad gave themselves a lead over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the race for the final spot in the IPL playoffs, with a comprehensive win over the troubled Rajasthan Royals, their sixth win out of seven home games. Both Sunrisers and Royal Challengers have a game left, but Sunrisers play the easier opposition in Kolkata Knight Riders. Royal Challengers go up against Chennai Super Kings in their last match.Royals, who have qualified for the playoffs but have also been rocked by an alleged spot-fixing scandal, began the game needing a big win to give themselves a chance of finishing in the top two. For a long time they looked like they could do so, thanks largely to James Faulkner’s second five-for of the season – both against Sunrisers – but they let Sunrisers back in followed by an indifferent batting display in the chase of 137.Royals will rue a seemingly innocuous moment in the sixth over. Sunrisers had gone against their winning formula of chasing at home and were in deep trouble when Biplab Samantray took two instinctive steps down the wicket and went back a little lazily. The ball had gone towards point, Ajinkya Rahane swooped in, and had actually run Samantray out. Except that nobody appealed.Had Rahane appealed, Sunrisers would have been reduced to 21 for 4. Instead Samantray – 8 off 12 then – went on to score his first IPL fifty, which took Sunrisers to a fighting total. With Darren Sammy, Samantray added 56 runs in 5.5 overs. Sammy scored 23 off 19. Sunrisers didn’t even manage a big push towards the end, because Faulkner came back to undo the rebuilding work, but Sunrisers’ bowlers have defended worse than 136.Their two big bowlers – Dale Steyn and Amit Mishra – set the tone of the defence. Steyn bowled fast, accurate and with swing, and conceded just four runs in his first two overs. Royals had surprisingly still opened with Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane because they needed a huge-win-or-nothing approach: they couldn’t have missed out on the playoffs but needed a win and a big net-run-rate boost to compete for the top two slots.The pressure exerted by Steyn was too much on the openers, and Mishra didn’t let up at all. He returned the joint-most economical figures of this season: 4-0-8-2. In between, Rahane and Shane Watson holed out, effectively ending the chase. Mumbai and Super Kings now finish in the top two, and Royals await either Sunrisers or Royal Challengers in the eliminator.

Kolkata Knight Riders are as good as through to the playoffs after Sunil Narine inspired them to a win over Mumbai Indians

The Report by Abhishek Purohit16-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSachin Tendulkar was bamboozled by a Sunil Narine offbreak•AFP

It had all built up to that one moment. Gautam Gambhir, playing three spinners against the home side’s decision to stick to three fast bowlers at the Wankhede Stadium, had hoped at the toss that the pitch would turn later. Kolkata Knight Riders had just about recovered from a horror start to post a decent 140. Mumbai Indians had found run-scoring as difficult as Knight Riders had, but had lost only two wickets at the halfway stage.The last ball of the 11th over, Sunil Narine bowled a good length delivery to Sachin Tendulkar, who went for the cut. The ball spun in a mile and cannoned into off stump off bat and pad. Had both not come in the way, it would have taken out leg stump. With one of the game’s greats not being able to pick Narine, the rest of the Mumbai Indians line-up had little chance. He finished with 4 for 15; had Lasith Malinga not got six off a dropped catch on the straight boundary, Narine could have had 5 for 9.The 32-run margin was substantial in the end, and it was down to how swiftly Knight Riders barged in to the opening created by Tendulkar’s dismissal. The pressure was already on Mumbai Indians after Herschelle Gibbs had crawled to 13 off 24 deliveries, four of those runs being overthrows. When Tendulkar fell, the asking-rate had touched nine. Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard had hunted down a much stiffer target against Royal Challengers Bangalore a couple of day ago. It wasn’t to be today. Not on this pitch.The Wankhede crowd waited for their all-star line-up to fire. They waited for the big hits to come. In vain. With 58 needed off 28, Shakib Al Hasan lured Rayudu out with a wider one to give Brendon McCullum an easy stumping. Jacques Kallis, who had got a ripper from RP Singh first ball, had Pollard edging a slow bouncer to McCullum. Next ball, he trapped Dwayne Smith in front with a skiddy delivery which nipped in. Rohit Sharma was Mumbai Indians’ only hope now; Narine had him caught by a diving McCullum off a leading edge. The rest caved in.Smith’s fall had made it 96 for 6, exactly the same perilous position Knight Riders had found themselves in after being stunned early by an atrocious umpiring decision and a terrific ball from RP Singh. Their lower order and Yusuf Pathan rode on some fortune, though, to take 44 off the final 26 balls.Stroke-making was hard as the usual Wankhede bounce combined with the ball not coming on. The pitch did not have any role to play in the first dismissal, though; umpire Subroto Das had. He adjudged McCullum lbw though the batsman was at least two metres out of his crease to a ball that pitched outside leg and would have missed off. Knight Riders were to get another rough one later, when Tendulkar was caught plumb in front first ball by Shakib, only to be denied by umpire Billy Doctrove.RP Singh followed up the McCullum wicket by uprooting Kallis’ off stump with a ripper, getting a short of a length ball to swing in and zip through the gate. A stunned Knight Riders tamely allowed the home bowlers to build up the pressure.Even Gautam Gambhir, who has had a golden run this season, found it difficult to score, and could not capitalise on two let-offs. He was dropped by the wicketkeeper and by Tendulkar at third man, but was bowled on 27 as he missed a Pollard cutter.Knight Riders continued to struggle to time their shots, with Tiwary pottering to 17 off 27 deliveries at one stage. An inside edge off Pollard brought him four, and he hammered the next ball past mid-off for another. Harbhajan Singh and Malinga were hit down the ground for sixes.From 6 for 2 to 89 for 3 seemed a creditable recovery, given the pitch, but three wickets for seven runs nearly undid Tiwary’s efforts. Yusuf, caught off a RP Singh no-ball, could not do much to break his poor run, but along with the lower order, managed to get Knight Riders to 140.It hadn’t looked to be a challenging total at the break, it turned out to be a match-winning one, and all but took Knight Riders to the playoffs.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy struck a confident note ahead of the first Test against Pakistan and said that his team would look carry the winning momentum from the last two games of the ODI series against the visitors into the first Test

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2011West Indies captain Darren Sammy struck a confident note ahead of the first Test against Pakistan and said that his team would look carry the winning momentum from the last two games of the ODI series against the visitors into the first Test.”We fought back really well to win the last two matches in the one-day format and we will take that momentum and belief into the Test matches,” Sammy said. “Test cricket is a different form of cricket, so we know we have to make the adjustment.”We will have more time, so we will look to be patient as we execute. It’s about occupying the crease and putting good totals on the board when we bat. When we bowl, it’s about being patient and trying to get the ball in the right areas and building the pressure on the Pakistanis.”Pakistan won the first three matches of the five-match ODI series to seal the series, but West Indies came back to win a rain-marred fourth ODI and then sealed a comprehensive 10-wicket win in the final game.”We believe we can win the series,” Sammy said. “We believe this because we have worked hard in the build-up to the series and we know we have the ability to perform on home turf and get the better of Pakistan. We saw an improved batting performance in the last two matches of the one-day series and everyone in the team is feeling confident and fully prepared.”We hope all the hard work we have been doing in the nets and the two-day warm-up match a few days ago, will be transferred into the middle. The way our bowling has been coming along in the last six months in one-day cricket and on the tour of Sri Lanka – we know we are capable of getting 20 wickets.”West Indies’ bowling will be strengthened by the return of fast bowler Fidel Edwards, who hasn’t played for his country in two years due to a serious back injury. Legspinner Devendra Bishoo, who was the leading wicket-taker in the five-match ODI series, with 11 wickets, is in line to make his Test debut.West Indies struggled with their batting in the first three games of the ODI series, but the inclusion of the experienced Shivnarine Chaderpaul and the form shown by Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo in the ODI series, could provide them with the much-needed stability.”I have strong confidence that whatever 11 is selected will go out and do the job for West Indies,” Sammy said. “The Test match pitch looks similar to the one we played on in the one-day match here, so I have faith our attack will deliver against what is a good Pakistan team.”

Northamptonshire have signed Juan Theron, the South Africa seamer, for the first five matches of their Twenty20 campaign

Cricinfo staff26-May-2010Northamptonshire have signed Juan Theron, the South Africa seamer, for the first five matches of their Twenty20 campaign.Theron, known as ‘Rusty’, is still awaiting visa clearance for his stint at Wantage Road but if he is successful will bring his death-bowling expertise to the county. After an impressive domestic season in South Africa Theron earned an IPL deal with King’s XI Punjab where he claimed the Man-of-the-Match award in his first game after sealing a Super Over victory against Chennai Super Kings.He was then part of South Africa’s World Twenty20 squad but didn’t play a match as the team went out in the Super Eights stage.”I am absolutely delighted to announce the signing of a world class talent such as Rusty, this will give us a great boost,” said head coach David Capel. “Rusty will be an excellent addition for our campaign and will be a vital part of our death bowling attack.”Northamptonshire had signed Virender Sehwag for the Twenty20, but his move was ended when the BCCI removed the No Objection Certificates for all their county-bound players. Elton Chigumbura, the Zimbabwe captain, is their other overseas player.

He says Pakistan “should play the game the way” it is being played by other teams around the world

Sidharth Monga16-Jun-20242:55

Flower: ‘Pakistan underperformed, they were panicking’

Imad Wasim came out of retirement for the T20 World Cup 2024 only to become part of “the lowest point” Pakistan cricket has hit during his career, but hopes that something good comes out of the reflections that follow because “you can’t get any lower than this”. Imad has called for a total reset in the way Pakistan play white-ball cricket, especially the mindset and approach because a side that “used to rule T20 cricket” has fallen behind the rest of the world.”I’m giving my personal opinion so don’t make these the headlines,” he said at a press conference a day before their last league game against Ireland in Lauderhill. “It’s all your mindset. What mindset do you want to play the game with? You either play fire with fire, or you play your way. I personally believe that you should play fire with fire. And even if you lose, you can sit down and say to yourself that on that day we were not good enough.”The problem is our team is so good, our players are so good, that we are good enough to play any kind of cricket. We haven’t tried that but the thing is you have to try that, you have to get rid of the fear of failure. In everything – batting, bowling, fielding, you have to get rid of fear of failure. Personnel change doesn’t change anything, just changing the mindset can change a lot of things. The same ball can be hit for a six, a four, a single, and that same ball can take a wicket and be a dot ball.Related

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“We compete with the world’s best teams. Their mindset has changed over time. We used to rule in T20 cricket. I think we have moved back a little now. Maybe our mindset [needs a change] – in all three areas. I won’t say any one area. If you change the mind of the player, you can achieve things beyond your limits. I always believe in this. You can talk a lot, but it is what it is – today, we are out of the tournament and whatever happens in the next World Cup, whoever plays, however they play, I think if we go with the right approach, the results will be better for us.”One reason for the fear of failure could be the personal attacks that follow. Imad was told about reports that he was played despite not being fully fit. He was asked if he felt the team, but in particular he and Mohammad Amir, both of whom came out of retirement, felt they have not repaid the trust put in them. He was also asked if his comeback was limited to this World Cup alone, and if he was going to go back into retirement after the Ireland game on Sunday.Despite there being a sense of “too soon” to these questions, Imad answered them calmly. He rubbished the allegations around lack of fitness, said he had not yet thought of his plans after the World Cup, and also pointed out cricket is a team game and is not won or lost by individuals. He reminded people that they were more disappointed than them, and that they should not be disrespected.Imad Wasim came out of retirement for the T20 World Cup 2024•Getty Images

“Me personally and our team, including me, are very disappointed and sad,” he said. “And the whole public is sad that we didn’t perform well and believes we are guilty. We are more disappointed than you are. This is our profession after all. But I would also like to say that we are human beings, we can make mistakes and we also get affected by these things.”Imad himself was a TV analyst when he had retired, and used to criticise his current team-mates. When asked to put that analyst hat on to review this performance, he suggested that that kind of dispassionate analysis was perhaps what was the need of the hour.”I have always talked about cricket [as an analyst],” Imad said. “I have never talked about players individually or body-shamed anyone or anything like that. Cricketers have to do their job and analyse the cricket. They have to tell you what is right and what is wrong without getting personal.”I think we should play the game the way world cricket is going. We should sort out the way we play the game, the way we should bring awareness, the way we should chase, the way we should approach the game…. We will sit and sort out our approach. Other teams also go out in early stages, but I don’t think Pakistan have exited this way. We are extremely disappointed.”But is it all about how you react after the fall? This is bad but who knows this could be big for Pakistan? We could revamp, revisit and start playing white-ball cricket the way it should be played.”

Power issues caused the cable car she was on ‘to drop a little bit and swing’

Valkerie Baynes23-Feb-20231:17

Moonda: Big crowd expected at Newlands for Women’s World Cup semi-final

England are targeting a calm performance in their Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final against South Africa on Friday, but opening batter Danni Wyatt’s nerves were frayed in the lead-up during an incident involving a cable car she was travelling in down Table Mountain.Wyatt revealed during a pre-match press conference in Cape Town on Thursday that a cable car she was travelling in while descending the peak on Wednesday afternoon “decided to drop a little bit and swung”.Related

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Members of the England Women’s team were queuing for the cable cars, which transport visitors up and down the 1,086m mountain, when they saw one stop on its way up, which Wyatt said had made her “nervous”. It was shortly after Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley had boarded a car to descend that the incident occurred, stemming from a technical problem with a hydraulic back-up motor used to operate the cars when power to the usual electric motor is cut during load shedding. South Africa has been increasingly hit by load shedding, where the power supply is rationed to different areas throughout the day and night because demand outweighs capacity.”Going back down yesterday, there were a few technical issues that made me very nervous before we boarded the cable car,” Wyatt said. “And then it decided to drop a little bit and swung. It was a very terrifying experience. I don’t think I’ll be going up that mountain again anytime soon.”Wyatt said it wasn’t her first visit to Table Mountain, having been there “about seven years ago” but the incident on her latest visit had put her off returning.Danni Wyatt: ‘I’m not going on that cable car ever again. It’s the load shedding, once the electricity goes, that’s it.’•ICC/Getty Images

“I think that’ll be the last time,” she said. “I’m not going on that cable car ever again. It’s the load shedding, once the electricity goes, that’s it. Staying away from it. I’ll take the stairs.”Asked if she screamed, Wyatt replied: “Yes, I did. I think everyone did. Well, literally everyone. A lot of people were shaking.”Wahida Parker, managing director of the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company, said: “Table Mountain Cableway Company uses a hydraulic back-up motor during load shedding that replaces the electric motor that operates our cars and their movement. This motor experienced a technical problem on Wednesday, which caused our cars to get stuck on the line.”We adopted two approaches simultaneously to resolve the problem. Our technicians worked to find the fault so that we could get moving as soon as possible, while at the same time, we contacted the City of Cape Town to ask that the power to our area be restored so that we could bring our passengers down safely and quickly.”We pride ourselves on providing visitors with a positive and enjoyable experience, and what happened on Wednesday is not what we aim for. We sincerely regret the experience that passengers had who were stuck in our cars. We are happy to confirm that all the passengers safely reached the upper and lower stations.”

CSA wants players to prioritise immediate international and domestic commitments

Danyal Rasool08-Jan-2022South Africa will not issue NOCs to any centrally contracted players for the Pakistan Super League. Graeme Smith, Cricket South Africa’s Director of Cricket told ESPNcricinfo that the board had opted to prioritise CSA domestic competitions.”It is true that contracted members of the proteas team had their NOCs for the Pakistan Super League refused due to the Proteas international schedule and domestic competitions which must always be prioritised,” Smith said. “With an away tour to New Zealand and a home tour against Bangladesh, our contracted players have to be available for their national team duties first and foremost. The same applies with regard to our domestic franchise tournaments which will be starting up soon.”If and when opportunities in other international T20 tournaments arise and the timings and fixtures do not clash with our own, CSA will happily approve NOCs, as we have always done in the past.”CSA’s decision to bar centrally contracted South African cricketers doesn’t directly affect any players picked up in last month’s PSL draft; Marchant de Lange, Imran Tahir and Rilee Rossouw, the three South Africans part of PSL squads, are not centrally contracted by CSA.However, the replacement draft, due to be held before the start of the PSL, had been relying on the availability of South African cricketers, an option no longer available to the league. The PSL is understood to have been keen on using South African cricketers to bolster their squads, but those hopes have now been dashed.The replacement draft saw the PSL pick primarily local players, with Mohammad Huraira (Islamabad United) and Sahibzada Farhan (Karachi Kings) among the more significant recruits. Multan Sultans picked David Willey, Johnson Charles and Ben Dunk, while Quetta Gladiator’s big-name replacement signing saw Shimron Hetmyer drafted in.Replacement draft picksIslamabad United: Musa Khan, Zahir Khan, Muhammad Huraira
Karachi Kings: Sahibzada Farhan, Jorda Thompson, Muhammad Taha
Lahore Qalandars: Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Aqib Javed, Ben Dunk
Multan Sultans: David Willey, Rizwan Hussain, Johnson Charles and Dominic Drakes
Peshawar Zalmi: Mohammad UmerQuetta Gladiators: Ghulam Mudassar, Luke Wood, Will Smeed, Ali Imran, Shimron Hetmyer

Mark Wood also handed white-ball contract only after limited Test appearances in 2020

Andrew Miller30-Sep-2020Ashley Giles, England’s director of men’s cricket, believes that Jonny Bairstow still has the hunger to regain his Test place, despite his exclusion from the ECB’s list of red-ball contracts for 2020-21.Bairstow, who turned 31 this week, has played just one Test match in the past 12 months, making scores of 1 and 9 against South Africa at Centurion after being called into the team as a late replacement for Ollie Pope, one of the men who has now taken his place on that contracts list.Bairstow had previously been omitted from England’s Test squad to tour New Zealand last November, after averaging 23.77 in a low-key Ashes series – a far cry from his form in the 2016 calendar year, when he amassed 1470 runs at 58.80 in 17 Tests.ALSO READ: Pope, Crawley, Sibley earn maiden Test contractsHe has instead been awarded a white-ball contract, having reaffirmed his status as one of the world’s premier limited-overs batsmen with a series of commanding displays this summer against Ireland, Pakistan and Australia, against whom he scored his tenth ODI hundred in the final match of the season at the Ageas Bowl.With Jos Buttler tightening his grip on the Test wicketkeeper’s role against Pakistan, and with a trio of young batsmen – Pope, Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley – earning their first Test contracts following their recent breakthrough performances, Bairstow’s route back to the Test side is not an easy one, but Giles backed him to fight for his place nonetheless.”He’s taken it as well as you could expect, because it’s hard news to hear, but I hope it leaves him very hungry to continue, and have a really important part to play in the future of English Test cricket,” Giles said. “It’s a knock for him I’m sure. Johnny’s played one Test match in the year, and we only have so many contracts that we can award.”It’s a tough call to make because Jonny has been very good servant for the team, but he remains a really important part of what we do. He’s a white-ball centrally contracted player and one of our most dangerous players in that format, and that hasn’t changed, but we’ll do everything we can to support him getting back into that Test team.Another notable absentee on the Test list is Mark Wood, who appeared to have confirmed his arrival in red-ball cricket when he was named player of the match twice in the space of three overseas Tests last year, following a pair of searingly quick displays in St Lucia and Johannesburg.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Despite his ability to bowl well in excess of 90mph – a trait which makes him one of their most precious assets in the lead-up to next winter’s Ashes tour – Wood featured in just three Tests all told in the past 12 months, including a solitary outing in England’s defeat against West Indies at the Ageas Bowl in July.And, given the financial constraints being imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic – ones which may yet require England’s players to take a pay cut this year – Giles admitted that there were others ahead of Wood in the pecking order for a contract right now.”He’d certainly be my plans and I’m sure he’s in the selectors’ plans,” Giles said. “The impact Mark Wood has is huge when he’s on the field, but in terms of that pecking order, Sam Curran for example, may be seen as someone who’s in and out of the team, but he’s played eight Test matches, and has also impacted every match when he takes the field.”Wood, like Bairstow, has been handed a white-ball contract, and as Giles noted, that will still enable the ECB to keep a close eye on his form and, most pertinently, his fitness, given the frequency of the injuries that have pockmarked his career.”He plays across formats, he’s still under our umbrella,” Giles said. “He’s a fully white-ball contracted player, so we look after him. And we understand his shock ability. When he’s on form and when he’s on the field we need to look after that, and having him available for an Ashes series is really important to us.”England’s winter itinerary remains up in the air, with no confirmation as yet of any plans for their tours of South Africa, Sri Lanka and India. But with Australia’s Big Bash set to take place in December and January, Giles said that Wood may well be free to play a part in that tournament, in spite of the injury risks.”We’ll treat every case as an individual,” he said. “Ultimately we are his employer and paymasters, but it will be a discussion and collaboration. We want to do what’s best for Mark Wood. It doesn’t make any sense him just sitting on the sidelines all the time when he’s fit, but we need to get that balance and workload right.”One continued area of concern for England is the absence of a contracted Test spinner, especially with tours of the subcontinent looming for England. Despite his recent dip in form, Moeen Ali has retained his white-ball contract, but there’s no place on either list for Jack Leach or Dom Bess, who who have been awarded incremental contracts instead.”It is an area that we still need to work on,” Giles said “Jack and Dom have played important roles for us, and Dom made really good progress this summer, but again there are only so many awards to be made. I hope we see one of those guys develop over this next 12 months again, because I’d love to be offering a full contract to one of our spinners, definitely.”England’s outstanding spinner of the past 12 months, albeit in white-ball cricket only, has been Adil Rashid, who appeared to be fully recovered from the shoulder injury that hampered his impact at the World Cup. He has not played Test cricket for England since the first Test in Barbados in January 2019, which was also his most recent first-class appearance, but Giles admitted England had not ruled out considering him for the challenge of beating India overseas.”Those conversations are always ongoing with the coach and selectors,” he said. “We need to give ourselves options. The challenge of winning in India is a big one – I don’t think anyone’s underestimating that – but the more variation we can have in our attack, the better.”We’re lucky with the impact Adil’s had on white-ball cricket particularly, but I hope he still has the desire, and I’m sure he still has the ability, to have an impact in red-ball cricket as well.”