Monday, January 29, 2018

England captain Brook dropped for disciplinary reasons

Harry Brook, the England U19 captain, was dropped for the final game of their ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup campaign after breaking a team rule.

An ICC media release initially confirmed that England had reported his omission was for "a disciplinary matter, but are yet to disclose the reason". Vice-captain Will Jacks was put in charge for England's seventh-place playoff against New Zealand in Queenstown.

England have privately intimated that Brook's single-match suspension arose from a relatively minor indiscretion and did not involve excessive drinking.

Speaking after England's victory over New Zealand in the seventh-place play-off, Under-19s coach Jon Lewis said: "Harry missed the match because he broke a team rule, so we decided to leave him out and deal with it internally. We'll let you know if anything happens after that.

"The team exists and the rules apply to everyone so the captain breaks the rule and he missed the game. One thing I would like to stress about this group of people is that they've been extremely well behaved here in New Zealand. They're a really good group of people. We take a lot of pride in our duty of care for the Under-19s as a support staff and we do put rules in place. If rules are broken then disciplinary action sometimes needs to be taken."

Brook, who broke into Yorkshire's 1st XI on several occasions last season, had enjoyed an excellent tournament with the bat, scoring 239 runs including two half-centuries and a century, averaging 119.5, although he made a duck in England's Super League quarter-final defeat - one of eight victims for Australia's long-haired legspinner Lloyd Pope as he shot to prominence in spectacular fashion. Defeat continued England's abysmal record in Under-19 tournaments.

The ECB had sought to impose a more disciplined atmosphere on the England Under-19 set-up in recent years, irrespective of wider concerns, partly because of a conclusion that England age-group sides matured less quickly, partly because of a legal duty of care with several players in the squad not yet 18. Players are expected to gain permission and sign-out for an evening away from the team hotel. They must stay in groups, observe an 11pm curfew, limit alcohol intake and avoid dangerous outdoor pursuits.

Nevertheless, Brook's omission on disciplinary grounds, however technical, continues a problematic winter for England. Their Ashes campaign, which ended in a 4-0 defeat against Australia was tarnished by off-the-field allegations about behaviour.



In the febrile atmosphere which originated from a police investigation into Ben Stokes' conduct outside a Bristol nightclub in September (Stokes was later charged with affray), England's behaviour in Australia has been under constant scrutiny.

Jonny Bairstow was widely ridiculed for a headbutt greeting to Australia's batsman Cameron Bancroft in a Perth nightclub at the start of the tour and, in the same bar, the England Lions batsman, Ben Duckett, was suspended from all remaining matches on the tour, fined the "maximum allowable amount" and given a final written warning about his conduct after pouring a drink over James Anderson.

Just as they restored equilibrium with a triumphant 4-1 win in the one-day series, England are again creating interest for the wrong reasons.

Monday, January 22, 2018

Root withdrawn from England T20s as IPL looms

Joe Root has been withdrawn from England's T20 squad to play in the inaugural tri-series against Australia and New Zealand next month, as he prepares to make his IPL bow after being entered in the auction that takes place in Bangalore on January 27 and 28.

Root, who had initially declined the opportunity to sit out the tournament after a draining winter of international cricket, including captaining England to a 4-0 defeat in the Ashes, will instead return home for a break before resuming his place in the squad for the ODI series against New Zealand that gets underway on February 25.

Root, who is an automatic pick for England across all three formats, admitted his unease at missing out on international duty, especially given that his stated intention is to make his first foray into the IPL in April and May, at a time when he could instead be taking a break.

The financial allure of the IPL is a significant factor in Root's choice. However, with England fully focussed on the 2019 World Cup, the opportunity for the team's integral members to broaden their experience by taking part in the world's foremost T20 league is now considered a vital part of their development, and Root's decision was made in consultation with the head coach, Trevor Bayliss.

"I hate missing games of cricket for England," Root said. "It is something that doesn't really sit well with me either. It was a long, hard decision that me and Trevor had to come to.

"You look at the amount of cricket that we have got coming up and the opportunity that the IPL brings and you almost have to look at it as more of an investment for my game and for all the England team moving forward.

"If being involved in that block of cricket, with everything that tournament brings, is going to add more to my game for the next four or five years then missing a few games here might be worthwhile."

Root has entered the IPL auction at the highest reserve price of £170,000, and could be one of a raft of prominent England players to be picked up by franchises for the first time this year.

However, he has never before played in an overseas league, and due to his England commitments, he has featured in just five T20 Blast matches since 2012. Part of his reasoning for wanting to remain a part of the England T20 squad was that he feared the shortest form of the game was evolving without him, but he admitted the monetary side of the IPL is a significant draw too.

"Of course, there is a money side to it, there is no point lying about it," he said. "That is obviously a benefit of playing in the IPL but that is not why I went into the auction. I really believe playing a block of Twenty20 cricket with that scrutiny, being under pressure for long periods of time against the world's players in that format would be a great opportunity to develop and learn my white-ball game.

"With the two major tournaments in white-ball cricket around the corner that is what going there is all about, to gain experience in the short form and work with other players around the world who have had a huge amount of exposure to Twenty20 cricket, and see some different coaches."

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Stokes remains IPL drawcard, but questions abound

The news that Ben Stokes has been charged with affray, in the wake of his arrest in Bristol in September, has raised more questions than answers ahead of the IPL auction which takes place in Bengaluru on January 27-28, with the eight franchises seeking urgent clarity about his availability for this year's tournament.

Stokes made a box-office debut in the IPL last year, finishing as the Most Valuable Player after helping Rising Pune Supergiants to the final. Pune had fiercely bid for Stokes, paying him a record INR 14.5 crore (approx. US $2.16 million in 2017) and the Durham and England allrounder proved he was well worth the big money with consistent performances.

However, in the wake of the CPS verdict, there are no immediate guarantees that he will be back for a second season. "We need a level of certainty in case he is not available after he is bought at the auction," an owner of a franchise that has finished IPL runner-up more than once told ESPNcricinfo. "We need to know the degree of control IPL will have on his availability.

"We will seek to understand what happens now: what is the process? What will be happen if there is one eventuality or another?"

Assuming he is provided with a no-objection certificate (NOC) to play in the IPL - and Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, has already indicated that the board will not stand in his way - Stokes will be one of the 36 top players who will kick off the auction, having listed his base price at the maximum of INR 2 crore (USD 315,000). He is understood to be a target for most of the eight franchises, which are busy doing mock auction exercises with less than a fortnight to go until the event.

Clarity is also sought for a scenario in which Stokes is bought at the auction, but later has to withdraw from the tournament due to the trial. Currently, the IPL only allows replacements if a player is ruled out through injury, whereupon that replacement is paid on a pro-rata basis.

"If he is not available, will there be a replacement and what would it mean for the franchise?" said the owner. "What would availability mean in this case because there are extraneous circumstances?"


Ben Stokes is off to celebrate after dismissing Kane Williamson BCCI
The ECB is expected to convene in the next 48 hours to consider Stokes' England availability while sub judice. At present, there is no date fixed for the trial, which the authorities have already indicated could last for six months or more.

"We have to see what stance the ECB takes," a director from another prominent franchise said. "The charge has just come out, so it is too early to decide, but we are definitely bothered about the outcome of the trial.

"We need see the implications. They have said clearly it might go for six months. So assuming the trial extends beyond the IPL, as it is expected to, then there is a lot of uncertainty. Also you never know his mental state, you can't just come and play with freedom if the trial is in the backdrop."


Nevertheless, Stokes' aura has not diminished despite his absence from top-level cricket in the past three months, with few players capable of matching his world-class allround attributes. According to a chief executive officer at one of the franchises, which has a strong purse going into the auction, several teams are expected to "go all out" to secure his services, and it would not be a surprise if the player ended up as the most expensive buy for the second year running.

"The only question we want to know is about whether he is available full time or not," said the official.

However, some caveats remain for a player who will have been sidelined for the best part of six months by the time the 2018 IPL gets underway on April 4.

"You look for certainty on the cricketing front," the franchise owner said. "You will also look at what does it mean for his character. It will require now greater understanding of Ben Stokes as a team player. As a franchise we always look for players who will put the team before himself. Will he take this as a challenge and come out all guns blazing or will it affect him in any other way?"

Monday, January 8, 2018

Olivier, Ngidi added to South Africa squad for second Test

South Africa have added the fast bowling duo of Duanne Olivier and uncapped 21-year-old Lungi Ngidi to their squad for the second Test against India later this week. The changes came into place after Dale Steyn picked up a heel injury in the Cape Town Test that ruled him out of the series.

Olivier has played five Tests - all of them in 2017 - and Ngidi made his international debut in a T20I against Sri Lanka last year but is yet to play the other two formats at the international stage.

Olivier last played Tests in September-October against Bangladesh when he took five wickets in four innings before representing Knights in T20 and one-day cricket. He had made his Test debut against Sri Lanka a year ago in Johannesburg where he took five wickets in the match but has not been able to establish himself as a regular member of the side against strong competition. He also struggled with a knee injury this season, which kept him out of some domestic games.

Ngidi, on the other hand, has played three T20Is in which he has collected six wickets with an impressive economy rate of 5.50. He played all those matches against Sri Lanka last year in January, and took 4 for 19 in Johannesburg. He was part of the ODI squad but withdrew with an abdominal muscle injury. He was then part of the South African A side that toured England where he suffered a back injury. It took Ngidi four months to recover and he has only played one first-class match since comeback and took nine wickets for 83 in the game, signaling his readiness for more game-time.

Since then he has featured in domestic matches for Titans that featured his best T20 figures of 4 for 14 against Warriors in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge.

Both Olivier and Ngidi are currently playing in the domestic one-day cup and will compete with allrounders Chris Morris and Andile Phehlukwayo for one spot in the final XI, with conditions on the Highveld set to suit an attack of four seamers. However, with India's bowlers challenging South Africa, they may opt to include a seventh specialist batsman in the XI and all of Olivier, Ngidi, Morris or Phehlukwayo could be benched.

The second Test starts on January 13 in Centurion.

Squad for second Test: Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock (wk), AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Duanne Olivier, Lungi Ngidi

Monday, January 1, 2018

Scorchers regain top spot with Klinger's 83

Perth Scorchers 4 for 170 (Klinger 83, Turner 45, Sams 2-25) beat Sydney Sixers 4 for 167 (Silk 45, Willey 2-30) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Michael Klinger's composure ensured Perth Scorchers broke fresh ground with the highest successful chase in their history, to consign the Sydney Sixers to a fourth consecutive defeat and vault over Adelaide Strikers to the top of the Big Bash League table. The hosts had appeared to be in considerable trouble when they staggered to 2 for 35 after the Powerplay following the Sixers' total of 167, but Klinger refused to panic, and took the Scorchers home with help from Ashton Turner and a cameo from the debutant Tim David.

The Sixers made a decent fist of their innings after being sent in, as the makeshift opener Peter Nevill, Jordan Silk and Sam Billings were particularly effective. But there was grim news for Steve O'Keefe when he suffered a suspected serious leg injury in the field, robbing the captain Johan Botha of one of his most economical options. The Sixers are now on the brink of an early elimination from the tournament.


Michael Klinger flicks into the leg side Getty Images
Accidental opener

Daniel Hughes has accompanied Jason Roy to the middle in both the Sixers' matches so far, but a muscle strain in the warm-ups meant that the left-hander was ruled out and replaced at the top by Peter Nevill. Not a noted power hitter, Nevill instead likes to use the pace on the ball, and another swift WACA surface gave him his chance.

Helpful, too, was Jhye Richardson, who offered up some generous width early in his spell, including one no ball that Nevill cut cleanly to the backward point boundary. The subsequent free hit was fuller and sliced through the same region to the boundary. Altogether, Nevill would get five fours in an innings that covered not only for Hughes but also for Roy's exit to a contentious lbw decision - the ball appeared to have pitched outside leg stump before rapping his front leg.

Even contributions

The Scorchers pride themselves on possessing a mean bowling and fielding unit, one that is very capable of taking wickets through economy, but also through penetration. This night, however, the Sixers were able to gain a foothold in the match by establishing partnerships throughout their innings. Once Nic Maddinson followed Nevill back to the pavilion for another handy score, Silk and Billings were able to pull together a stand of 56 in 39 deliveries, before Silk and Ben Dwarshuis hustled 30 more off the final 13 balls of the innings.

A curious subplot of the Scorchers' approach was the captain Adam Voges' choice to bowl himself alongside James Muirhead to split the duties of the hosts' fifth bowler. Muirhead has been on a rocky journey since representing Australia in 2014, and started this season in the St Kilda second-grade team in Melbourne Premier cricket. Muirhead, however, bowled well in his two overs at the WACA Ground but a hamstring strain forced Voges to bowl the remaining two. The Sixers captain conceded 23 off those 12 balls, but Muirhead can expect a full four-over stint next time out.

Injury upsets Sixers

To say O'Keefe has an benighted record with injury would be to understate his misfortune over the years, never more so than the hamstring strain he suffered midway through the Kandy Test against Sri Lanka in 2016 when he had looked like Australia's most dangerous bowler. He had bowled three tidy overs for 20 runs in Perth when he slipped at short fine leg, felt a "crack" and immediately sought treatment in the dressing rooms, never to return. A fracture is suspected.

The injury gave the Sixers captain Botha a difficult choice in terms of finding the extra over, and his choice of a like-for-like option in the shape of Maddinson's occasional left-arm spinners was to be punished for 14 runs by Turner and Klinger. Botha himself elected to only bowl one over for the night, as Klinger steadily carried the game away from the visitors.

Klinger comes through


It had been a matter of serious doubt whether Klinger would play any part at all for the Scorchers this season after finding out that his wife, Cindy, had been diagnosed with cancer. But he has so far been available for all fixtures and demonstrated a rare level of composure and skill to guide the Scorchers' chase of a larger total than what they have commonly needed to.

Starting steadily, Klinger rolled into gear with a pair of boundaries through the off side from the bowling of Dwarshuis in the fourth over of the chase, but did not panic as the Scorchers managed only a modest 2 for 35 from the Powerplay. Showcasing the skills built over nearly 20 years in first-class ranks, he scored freely around the ground, and with a hat-trick of boundaries from Sean Abbott in the 18th over, Klinger appeared to have settled the matter.

Though Klinger was to be dismissed in the penultimate over - when trying to hoist Daniel Sams into the crowd beyond wide long-on - Klinger was able to watch as Voges and the debutant David eked out the winning runs - none more vital than David's straight six from Sams' final delivery when 15 runs were still required from seven. When Abbott started the final over with five wides, the Scorchers were all but home, and the Sixers all but out of contention. Voges then finished it off with a top-edged six over Nevill to move back to first.