All posts by n8rngtd.top

Covid disruption and points deduction conspire against eternal bridesmaids

Matt Roller02-Apr-2021When Somerset’s two captains and their brightest young talent flew to Pakistan in February, their ambitions for the PSL season were clear: to rub shoulders with some of the world’s top players, to experience high-pressure situations in a major competition, and to earn a few rupees while they were at it.Things did not go to plan. Lewis Gregory won the match award in his first game but then suffered a minor injury; Tom Banton was unceremoniously dropped by Quetta Gladiators after two single-digit scores; and Tom Abell couldn’t force his way into a strong Lahore Qalandars’ line-up. And then, as the tournament’s biosecure bubble burst, all three tested positive for Covid-19.”I guess we are all pretty fortunate,” Abell, the club’s red-ball captain, reflected at Somerset’s pre-season media day. “Lewis had a bit of a fever, but very mild, and I didn’t suffer any symptoms. We were all aware of the risks of going abroad and playing in these competitions but it was too good an opportunity to pass up.”We had 10 days [of self-isolation] in the hotel in Pakistan – which wasn’t ideal – then tested negative, and then had another 10 days back at home. It’s obviously a big relief to get back into pre-season here. There will certainly be no excuses – it’s just a question of getting the miles in our legs, but we’ll all have had plenty of preparation leading up to that first game.”It is just as well that they have recovered: if any side in the country can afford to start slowly in the County Championship, it is not Somerset. The pitch prepared for their title decider against Essex in 2019 earned them a points deduction, which has rolled over to the start of this season and been adjusted to fit the rejigged structure – heading into their game against Middlesex at Lord’s next week, their points tally stands at minus eight.Not that the deduction has dampened the enthusiasm around the club ahead of the new season. “We’re a very driven group of players,” Abell said. “We want to achieve, and we want to win. We feel like we’ve been very competitive over the last couple of years but we’re certainly not content with that. The energy around the club is as good as I’ve experienced and the competition within the squad is extreme.”In fact, that competition for places has been sufficiently fierce that three players have left the club in the last 12 months in search of more first-team opportunities: Dom Bess moved to Yorkshire, Jamie Overton to Surrey, and Nathan Gilchrist, a highly-rated young seamer, joined Kent. Marchant de Lange, signed as an overseas player for the full season, is a like-for-like Overton replacement, but the club will promote youngsters to plug any other gaps.”We want to ensure that we’re doing everything we possibly can to retain our players and keep them at the club,” Andy Hurry, the director of cricket, said. “I think we do become victims of our own success: it is a challenge for us because we’ve got significant competition for places. We’re competing for silverware and it’s important that we’re selecting sides that give us the best possible chance of winning games. As a consequence, we can’t always keep everybody happy.”Tom Banton endured a difficult time at the Pakistan Super League•AFP via Getty Images

As for other recruits, Babar Azam looks unlikely to return given the overlap between the T20 Blast and the window for the rescheduled PSL, but Hurry said that the club will “continue to explore” the possibility of bringing someone in for the competition.There has been a significant change off the field, too. Marcus Trescothick, the assistant coach last summer, has ended his long association with the club to take up a full-time role as England’s batting coach, with Jim Troughton – sacked by Warwickshire over the winter – filling the vacancy. Steve Kirby is also back as bowling coach after Stuart Barnes took up a role with Ireland.There are several young players hoping to make an impression. Tom Lammonby was the breakout star of last summer’s Bob Willis Trophy, making three hundreds as an opener, and is sure to be discussed as an England contender before long, while Lewis Goldsworthy and Will Smeed impressed in the Blast. In pre-season, 18-year-old Sonny Baker has caught the eye with some hooping inswingers, but will have to wait his turn given the number of seamers ahead of him in the queue.Banton’s early-season involvement is noteworthy. He made only two Somerset appearances last summer on account of his international commitments, but opted to play the early rounds of the Championship rather than entering the IPL auction and facing the prospect of more time on the bench. After his eye-catching 2019 season, Banton’s stock has fallen in the last 12 months as he has got to grips with life in bio-secure bubbles and failed to nail down an England place.Related

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• Jack Brooks as hungry as ever, Somerset starving for Championship success

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“When you have a player of his quality coming back, that’s only going to give you a boost,” Abell said. “Bants is a big character in the dressing room and I know he’s excited to be back. He’s a phenomenal talent but he’s human as well and his attitude towards coming back to play red-ball cricket for us has been fantastic. I’m very confident we’ll see the best of him this year.”The biggest question still remains: how can a team that has finished second in the last three seasons go one better this time around? “We’re always looking to make small improvements but we have to trust what we’ve been doing as a group,” Abell said. “We’ve been there and thereabouts for a reason and we don’t want to change too much to chase that elusive Championship. The best thing we can do is start well and our full focus is on doing just that.”

Middlesex left Essex rooted at the bottom of the Clydesdale Bank40 Group A table as they carved out a nine wicket victory at Chelmsford.

19-Jul-2012
ScorecardMiddlesex left Essex rooted at the bottom of the Clydesdale Bank40 Group A table as they carved out a nine wicket victory at Chelmsford. After the home side totalled 146 for 7 in a clash reduced to 25 overs per side because of rain, Middlesex achieved success with 15 balls to spare.Their crushing triumph was inspired by Chris Rogers and Dawid Malan who gathered runs with embarrassing ease. They were cautious at the outset, scoring just 16 from the first five overs against David Masters and Graham Napier. But then they increased the tempo considerably as the 50 was raised in the 10th over and 100 in the 16th.The only early blemish came when Rogers offered a chance to a leaping Tom Westley at slip when he had made 16, but the Australian made good his escape to reach his half-century from 48 balls. He had moved to 64 with the aid of two sixes and six fours, before he holed out to Masters off Tymal Mills having taken his side to within 11 runs of their target.Malan finished unbeaten with 76 from 68 deliveries that included seven fours and two sixes and fittingly it was he who took Middlesex to their target with two boundaries in an over from left-arm fast bowler Mills.Apart from Mark Pettini, the Essex top-order struggled to make an impact in the face of tight bowling backed up by fine work in the field. It was one piece of great work in the deep that brought Pettini’s innings of 44 from 43 deliveries to an end. Rogers was responsible for that as he threw down the stumps from deep mid-wicket as the Essex captain for the day attempted a second run.Pettini, who was leading the side because James Foster was excused duty as his wife is due to give birth, scored his runs from 64 balls before he departed in the 14th over.It was another six overs before the 100 was raised but much needed impetus was provided late on by Adam Wheater and Jaik Mickleburgh. They put together 53 in five overs, Wheater smashing three sixes in making 33 from 19 balls before he was caught in the deep while Mickleburgh’s unbeaten 22 arrived in 15 balls.Toby Roland-Jones was the pick of the Middlesex bowlers with 3 for 25 from his permitted five overs, an effort that enabled the visitors to keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages in the competition.

He says giving some younger players chances hasn’t produced “consistent” results

Madushka Balasuriya03-Mar-2021Blooding young talent in the national side at the expense of consistent results has not proven to be a winning strategy, West Indies captain Kieron Pollard said on the eve of the first T20I against Sri Lanka. Pollard further said it was about time the team started winning matches on a regular basis.Since their T20 World Cup triumph in 2016, West Indies have won just 16 of their subsequent 50 T20Is, losing 30 of them. According to Pollard, the team needs to “get back into the habit of winning,” and bringing senior players back into the fold is one way in which they hope to achieve that.”You look at some of the younger guys that have gotten the opportunities when we started off around 2019, and it hasn’t really produced the results on a consistent basis,” Pollard said.Related

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“As a team we need to start winning cricket matches, win series. Because we can go down the line of saying ‘we need to blood this talent, blood this talent’, but some of you same guys will start talking about the results as well. So we have to strike that balance [between youth and experience], we have to start winning T20 matches, we’re the defending champions, and we have to get back into the habit of winning. And if that means getting a couple of senior guys in to start that process, so be it.”Recalls for Chris Gayle and Fidel Edwards, 41 and 39 respectively, raised more than a few eyebrows, but head coach Phil Simmons had earlier stated both players had earned their spots in the side by virtue of their strong performances in franchise cricket. Pollard echoed this view, adding that he views a blend of youth and experience as very much the way forward ahead of the T20 World Cup in India later this year.”These guys continue to perform despite their age. And one that thing that has been said throughout is that once you show that you can perform at the highest level, such as franchise cricket from the T20 point of view, the opportunity is still there.”The way to go forward is having that sort of mixture in the team, youth and experience. The youthful guys can learn from the experienced guys, and these are some of the things that have been missing. From 2016 till now can we safely say we have put forward our best T20 team to go to any series or anything like that?”With a hectic T20 schedule ahead in the coming months, Pollard also urged players in the domestic system to “stick your neck above the rest” to be selected.”We have to start somewhere and this is a starting point for us. We have 18 games plus a whole CPL tournament before the World Cup, so guys can get opportunities and we can see where we need to be come October.”[Fringe players must] continue to work hard and continue to churn out the numbers, and stick your neck above the rest.”But you have to continue to do it. If you have to pick between guys scoring 150-200 runs all the time, and there’s no one sticking out their head – I’m just talking in general, that figure is not relevant – scoring above that, then it just boils down to who you think is the best person at that point in time. And if the guys keep doing that then the opportunity will present itself.”Look at young Kevin Sinclair, he’s been economical in the couple of games he played in the Super 50 in the last couple of years for the emerging team, even this year as well in CPL. He gets an opportunity now. The opportunities are there, opportunities are going to come, things are being seen. You just have to be as consistent as possible, and not just walking around doing and saying things with a sense of entitlement.”In terms of the players that have missed out on the Sri Lanka tour, particularly Shimron Hetmyer – widely considered to be among the most talented batsmen in the West Indies set-up – Pollard refused to be drawn into the conversation, though he did say Hetmyer’s absence left a “big void”.”He knows exactly what he needs to do, he knows the reasons why he’s not here. And again we need to sometimes be open and honest and straightforward with each from different points of view, rather than just try to pamper certain situations all the way through. You’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t in certain aspects, but he has left a big, big void.”

“If the ball is clipping the stumps, it should be out – whether you like it or not you lose the review”

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-20215:41

Kohli: Soft signal a grey area with not enough clarity

Virat Kohli stopped short of saying that the contentious umpire’s call rule should be scrapped from the game, but did call for a relook at the rule because it creates “a lot of confusion”. The final decision on the matter lies with the ICC’s cricket committee, which recently deliberated on the matter, and has submitted its recommendations to the global body.According to Kohli, there should not be any debates on what percentage of the stumps the ball is hitting when a decision is reviewed.”Look, I have played a long time when then there was no DRS, right? If the umpire made a decision, whether the batsman liked it or not, it stayed like that; vice-versa if the umpire gave him not out and it was out it stayed like that whether it was marginal or not,” Kohli said on Monday at a media briefing in Pune ahead of the fist ODI against England. “According to me, umpire’s call right now is creating a lot of confusion. When you get bowled, as a batsman you don’t expect the ball to hit more than 50% of the stumps to consider yourself bowled. So when the ball is shown as clipping the stumps, the bails are going to fall.Related

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“So, from basic cricket common sense, I don’t think that there should be any debates on that. If the ball is clipping the stumps, it should be out – whether you like it or not you lose the review. And that is how simple the game has to be: if it hits the stumps or it misses the stumps, it doesn’t matter how much it is hitting and those kind of things. Because it is creating a lot of confusion.”The umpire’s call is used in cases of the ball’s impact with pad and then the stumps, reliant on ball-tracking technology and as a concept is rooted, essentially, in the on-field umpire’s original decision retaining the benefit of doubt.According to the current ICC protocols, for “a Not Out decision to be overturned more than half the ball now has to be impacting the pad within a zone bordered by the outside of off and leg stumps (formerly the centre of off and leg stumps), and the ball needs to be hitting the stumps within a zone bordered by the outside of off and leg stumps and the bottom of the bails (formerly the centre of off and leg stumps, and the bottom of the bails)”.Ever since the ICC introduced the umpire’s call, a DRS tool that has been updated gradually, it has remained a tetchy topic and divided the cricketing fraternity. Recently the MCC said some members on its World Cricket Committee, comprising former international captains and match officials, echoed the exact sentiment expressed by Kohli, saying the umpire’s call was “confusing to the watching public, particularly when the same ball could either be Out or Not out depending on the on-field umpire’s original decision”.6:14

Does cricket need to rethink the soft-signal rule?

‘Soft signal, another grey area’
Kohli remained unconvinced about another hotly debated decision-making tool, the soft signal, which he said along with the umpire’s call was a “serious” issue the game’s lawmakers needed to tackle.The debate over the validity of an on-field umpire making a soft signal for a low catch in the outfield was reignited last week after Suryakumar Yadav was caught by Dawid Malan in the deep in the fourth T20I of the India vs England series.KN Ananthapadmanabhan, the on-field umpire, gave the soft signal as out even as Virender Sharma, the TV umpire, remained unconvinced. Although the rulebook gives the TV umpire the authority to overrule the soft signal, Sharma upheld his on-field colleague’s decision.After the match Kohli reacted strongly, saying he failed to understand why there was no “I don’t know” option the on-field umpire could use for cases where the evidence was not conclusive.On Monday Kohli felt controversial dismissals like Yadav’s also had the potential to trigger the spirit of cricket argument. “One more factor that needs to be considered is how the fielding team responds to a dismissal that is claimed is also somewhere you know defining soft signal as well,” he said. “Again, you have to question what the spirit of the game is and what those guidelines are. Because if things like that happen with the Indian cricket team overseas, then you are talking about a totally different conversation about spirit of the game, and so on and so forth.”Look, it is a serious, serious thing that needs to be considered because there is a lot at stake in future, there are big tournaments. And you don’t want some grey areas factors of the game which leave you with no clarity to be the defining factors of those big tournaments and big games.”

Lalit Modi and Sanjay Dixit, one-time bitter rivals in the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), have announced a truce and decided to stand united against the current state administration, headed by CP Joshi

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Feb-2012Lalit Modi and Sanjay Dixit, one-time bitter rivals in the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), have announced a truce and decided to stand united against the current state administration, headed by CP Joshi. Ousted IPL chairman Modi, who was defeated by Joshi – a minister in the federal government – in the 2009 RCA elections, announced his patch-up with Dixit via his Twitter account.
“RCA should only have people who will serve the game and [work for the] betterment of the game. There can be no compromise [on] that,” Modi wrote. “@Sanjay_Dixit has done that too. Others are there [in power now] because of our differences in the past. Not because they have done anything for the game.””When two persons with [a] passion for cricket combine, [the] sky is the limit,” Dixit wrote in reply to Modi’s positive tweet.Facing a common rival in Joshi has probably played its part in both Modi and Dixit joining forces. It was Joshi who suspended Dixit from his post of secretary, following a rift over the appointment of RCA officials last July. At the time, Modi had supported the move. “Dixit was ruining cricket in Rajasthan. Irregularities have become common in the RCA’s functioning,” Modi was quoted as saying by the . In response to that quote Dixit had tweeted: “Fugitives are not allowed in the RCA, whether through front door or back door”.But the bitterness of the past has seemingly now been replaced by a more accommodating attitude. Dixit told ESPNcricinfo, cryptically, that his past differences with Modi were “more of form than that of substance” and was reluctant to elaborate.The next RCA election is about fifteen months away and Dixit said that the patch-up was made keeping in mind the “long term” benefits. “He [Modi] was in power at the RCA, and I had two-and-a-half years [in charge]. We are the only two people who have done something for Rajasthan cricket,” he said. “Shri CP Joshi has no idea of cricket. So we have decided to bury our differences in the interest of Rajasthan cricket.”Dixit said that the current RCA setup, chaired by Joshi, had been keeping him from actively participating in the administration of cricket in the state. “I still am the honorary secretary [of the RCA] but because of some disputes, I am not getting [to play an] active part. [It’s] because of Dr CP Joshi’s style of functioning.”

Varun Aaron, the India and Delhi Daredevils fast bowler, has almost recovered from the injury that has kept him out since December last year and is expected to be able to bowl in the IPL within a week

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2012Varun Aaron, the India and Delhi Daredevils fast bowler, has almost recovered from the injury that has kept him out since December last year and is expected to be able to bowl in the IPL within a week, according to franchise mentor TA Sekar.Aaron had to pull out of the Test squad for the Australia tour with a stress injury to his back. His last game was India’s second ODI against West Indies in Visakhapatnam in December 2011. He impressed with his pace and control before his short stint with the Indian team was ended by injury. Aaron has had a history of back trouble, having suffered two stress fractures soon after he made his Ranji Trophy debut for Jharkhand in the 2008-09 season.Sekar said that while Aaron was on the verge of regaining full fitness, Daredevils were not willing to take any chances with him. “He is getting very close to 100 percent fitness,” he said. “I think, in maybe a week, he should be ready to bowl in the IPL.””These fast bowler’s injuries, you cannot rush, because if it recurs, then he goes back by another two months. We are playing it very safe. He is almost ready to bowl, but we want him to be mentally [prepared], because he hasn’t played for a long time. Mentally also he should be match fit.”

With David Warner injured, Pucovski has firmed to open the batting for Australia in Adelaide

Andrew McGlashan04-Dec-2020A likely Test debut. Filling the shoes of David Warner. Forming a new opening partnership with Joe Burns. Tackling the pink ball. Facing Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and the rest of the India attack. While that may read like a daunting list, Will Pucovski is keeping it all perspective ahead of a fortnight that, barring some unlikely events, will see him open the batting for Australia at Adelaide Oval.”It’s still just another ball coming down at you,” was a common refrain from Pucovski as he spoke two days out from the Australia A match against the Indians at Drummoyne Oval.Until Warner injured his groin in the second ODI at the SCG last week, it was looking unlikely that Pucovski would debut at the start of the Test series despite back-to-back double hundreds in the Sheffield Shield. A host of names including the national selection Trevor Hohns, coach Justin Langer, captain Tim Paine and Warner himself had vouched for the incumbent Burns despite his lean start to the season.ALSO READ: Joe Burns rediscovers the fundamentals of opening ahead of David Warner’s absenceNow, however, with Warner seemingly scrubbed from at least the opening Test of the series with what is expected to be a four-week recovery, Pucovski is set to walk out alongside Burns to open Australia’s innings.Pucovski had not been paying any attention to talk of a “bat-off” between him and Burns in the Australia A match – instead, he is training at Junction Oval in Melbourne and enjoying some trips down the coast after the Shield hub finished – and the fact a Test debut is now far more realistic is not changing much.”Selection, injury and stuff like that is out of my control,” he said. “Obviously, you never want anyone to be injured, especially such a good player and as a group, we would love to be available for the first Test. If I play in Adelaide, I play; if Dave gets up and I don’t play, it’s just one of those things. Hope he gets better as fast as possible.””If you are in the 17-man [Test] squad you know you are pretty close either way. It’s not a huge difference, to be honest.”One of the reasons Pucovski was appearing unlikely to debut before Warner’s injury was the successful opening stand formed between the latter and Burns in which they have an average partnership of 50.55 across 27 innings.”Joe and I get along really well, which is obviously a good start,” Pucovski said. “We haven’t batted together heaps, but that’s cricket, you end up batting with people you don’t bat with very often – so long as you know how to bounce off each other, get each other going or know what each other requires that’s all that matters. We’ve had a few conversations, just about little things, to help each other through.”Depending on how the opening Test plays out, there is a chance that Australia’s openers will have to combat the most challenging period of a day-night Test during dusk as the lights take hold into the final session. Pucovski has played two day-night first-class matches, against England in 2017-18 and Pakistan last season, with scores of 4, 5 and 1 but is currently a player riding a wave of form and confidence.”It can be a bit different, but it’s pretty cool and pretty fun especially once it gets into that dusk evening time,” Pucovski said. “It’s one of those things growing up you never really thought would happen but that’s part of Test cricket now and it’s an unbelievable atmosphere.”I haven’t been playing in a Test with a crowd and the pink ball, but just watching, when Australia played New Zealand at Adelaide two or three years ago, I just happened to be in Adelaide and we went down for an hour or two and it was an incredible atmosphere.”Neither is Pucovski overthinking the step up in class when he faces the Indian attack. “Obviously they are very good bowlers, but I’ve faced a lot of very good bowling in first-class cricket. At the end of the day, I look at it as it’s just a ball coming down and you and I just have to do my best to react in the best way possible.”Overall, there was excitement in Pucovski’s voice about what lies ahead. “It’s pretty cool, you watch these blokes on TV dominating around the world and never think that could be me facing them one day,” he said. “But it could become a reality.”

Joe Root, the Yorkshire batsman, hit an unbeaten hundred as England Lions cruised to a 10-wicket victory against the West Indians on the final day in Northampton

Andrew McGlashan13-May-2012
ScorecardJoe Root made the most of the easy runs on offer during the Lions chase•Getty Images

Joe Root, the Yorkshire batsman, hit an unbeaten hundred as England Lions cruised to a 10-wicket victory against the West Indians on the final day in Northampton. Root and Michael Carberry ensured the Lions knocked off their target of 197 with considerable ease with the visitors disappointingly going through the motions after showing much more spirit the previous day.The West Indians provided barely a threat with a depleted bowling attack after the last two wickets had been removed in the opening half an hour. Kemar Roach did not bowl during the Lions chase after taking a blow on his right hand while batting to add to the twisted ankle he picked up on the second day. Ravi Rampaul then left the field after an opening four-over spell while Fidel Edwards was not given much further work ahead of the first Test despite the visitors’ lack of cricket on tour.Whether there were serious concerns ahead of the Test remained to be seen, but if they do opt to play offspinner Shane Shillingford, one of the three quicks on show here will have to make way for Darren Sammy, who was rested.It meant the bowling was largely in the hands of the two spinners, Shillingford and Marlon Samuels, plus an appearance from the rarely seen medium pace of Darren Bravo who bowled for just the second time in his first-class career. Root and Carberry had few problems as they compiled their partnership at a steady pace in a match that had lost any semblance of intensity.The 21-year-old Root, who is often compared to Michael Vaughan, is in the early stages of his Lions career and remains a longer-term project in terms of international recognition. The attack he faced during this innings did not allow many judgements to be made, but neither did he let the opportunity of a lengthy stay in the middle pass him by, which will have been noted. He also made it a good day for Yorkshire following the earlier call-up for Jonny Bairstow to the squad for the first Test.Root’s hundred, like Kieran Powell’s yesterday, was just the second of his first-class career and came off 132 balls. He had skipped ahead of Carberry during the latter half of his innings against the comfortable bowling on offer with Shillingford conceding more than four an over.The Lions had not taken long to wrap up the West Indian second innings after being given a tough day in the field on Saturday with Powell making his stubborn century. However, the home side did add two more dropped catches to their tally during a below-par fielding display. Nick Compton spilled Roach at slip and Root put down Rampaul at short leg both off Matt Coles, but Coles wrapped up the innings to finish with hard-earned figures of 4 for 76.

The Royals have a lot of questions to deal with, their captain’s poor form one of them

Shashank Kishore16-Oct-2020

Big picture

Who would have imagined that Virat Kohli vs Steven Smith would become a bit of a no-contest at the halfway mark of IPL 2020? Kohli started slowly, but has found his rhythm, and is making a difference. Smith, in comparison, has gone off the boil after a promising start, when he hit two half-centuries in winning causes. There’s more to the contest, of course: the Royal Challengers Bangalore are well-placed with five wins from eight games, and the Rajasthan Royals are struggling with three wins from eight games.The Royal Challengers are at the end of a hectic week. By Saturday, they would have played four games in eight days. Their previous outing – against the Kings XI Punjab – made headlines for their tactical mix-ups: the Royal Challengers sent in two left-handers – Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube – ahead of the in-form AB de Villiers to combat two legspinners on a slow surface. Kohli agreed the execution was off.Now, data goes beyond conventional logic. It shows de Villiers may have gotten out to a legspinner, as he has against bowlers of other varieties, but that is no reason to hold him back. If it was M Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi on Thursday, he will have Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Tewatia, or maybe even Mayank Markande, coming at him on Saturday. Since the start of 2019, de Villiers has averaged 52.5 against legspin while striking at 135.77. That alone is enough reason to ensure he gets enough time to set himself up, whether they bat first or chase.The Royals have questions over their batting order too. Do they continue opening with Ben Stokes? Or can they do with his insurance in the middle? What do they do with a misfiring Robin Uthappa? Do they bring in a youngster, at a crucial stage, or keep their faith in the veteran? How do they balance out their bowling to ensure Jofra Archer isn’t the lone man standing? There’s more. Like Sanju Samson’s dwindling returns. Saturday could either answer a few of these questions or throw up new ones.

In the news

• The Royals are not fretting over where they are on the points table. “We’ve been in this situation before and have come back from this, so we’re not panicking about this,” Jofra Archer said. “We know it can be done and I believe in this team to do it. There are wins out there and we just as a team need to go out there and get those wins.” Well, last time they played an afternoon game in Dubai, they pulled off a heist courtesy Riyan Parag and Tewatia.
• Mohammad Siraj had an off day in Sharjah. RCB have tactically strengthened their bowling by playing seven options at the smallest ground. In Dubai, it’s possible they could go back to Gurkeerat Singh. If they are willing to look beyond, they could even hand Shahbaz Ahmed a debut. The allrounder bowls Axar Patel-like left-arm spin apart from being an excellent lower-order batting option.

Previous meeting

The Royals huffed and puffed to 154 after Yuzvendra Chahal applied the brakes with a three-for. The Royal Challengers hardly broke a sweat as they cruised home by eight wickets, with Devdutt Padikkal and Kohli hitting half-centuries.AB de Villiers smacks one through the leg side•BCCI

Likely XIs

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Devdutt Padikkal, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Chris Morris, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Navdeep Saini, 10 Mohammad Siraj/Shahbaz Ahmed, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal Rajasthan Royals: 1 Jos Buttler (wk), 2 Ben Stokes, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Sanju Samson, 5 Robin Uthappa/Manan Vohra, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Shreyas Gopal/Mayank Markande, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Kartik Tyagi

Strategy punts

• Why fix something that isn’t broken? Kohli held Washington back for Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran, the two big-hitting left-handers, on Thursday and it backfired. At the first sign of attack, Washington was taken out of the attack. In all other games, he’s bowled superbly in the powerplay, conceding at just 4.5 runs an over. He’s also dismissed quality batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis. Kohli might want to go back to the tested formula, irrespective of whether Stokes opens or bats in the middle.
• Padikkal likes pace on the ball, but against spin, especially early on, he has tended to lose his shape at times while playing the big shots. Aaron Finch, meanwhile, has been out to spin five times this season, the most for a top-order batsman, while only averaging 16.8 against it. Perhaps there’s a case for the Royals to give the Royal Challengers a taste of their own medicine and getting their spinners bowl in the first six.

Stats and trivia

• RCB haven’t lost a game when they have picked up a wicket in the powerplay this season.
• After the first ten balls, de Villiers’ strike rate zooms from 122 to 224, and he finds the boundary once in three balls.
• Shreyas Gopal has struggled this IPL, but now he’s up against his favourite team. He has taken 13 wickets against the Royal Challengers, almost double of what he has taken against any other team. He also concedes at less than six an over against them. He even has a hat-trick against them.
• Halfway into the tournament, Archer is the only bowler to bowl 100 dot balls. This is more than 50% of the balls he has bowled, the highest for anyone.

Darren Lehmann’s position as coach is not in danger, but the team’s style of play away from home will be reviewed after England reclaimed the Ashes, the Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has said

Brydon Coverdale09-Aug-2015Darren Lehmann’s position as coach is not in danger, but the team’s style of play away from home will be reviewed after England reclaimed the Ashes, the Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has said. Less than a fortnight ago the Investec Ashes series was tied 1-1, and the swiftness of the defeat has been startling: at both Edgbaston and Trent Bridge, the Australians barely took the match into the third day.It has left Australia’s players, coaches and administrators red-faced, and has precipitated the retirement of captain Michael Clarke, with further generational change among the playing group likely. However, speaking in Melbourne on the morning after the Trent Bridge loss, Sutherland gave an emphatic “yes” when asked if Lehmann’s job was safe.But the way the Australians have lost the past two Tests – over-aggressive and technically deficient batting combined with impatient bowling – will leave Lehmann with a significant task ahead of him. He has often spoken of aggressive play being the Australian way, but in swinging and seaming conditions against quality bowling, it has backfired spectacularly, as it has in the past on spinning surfaces.”We’ll sit down and review that, and the cricket experts will review that and no doubt others,” Sutherland said. “That’s an opportunity for reflection on style of play, and all of that. We all understand that it’s not easy playing away, but it’s something that we’ve clearly got to get better at. We have the highest aspirations for the Australian cricket team.”Under Clarke’s captaincy, Australia have enjoyed some spectacular triumphs at home but have lost two Ashes series in England, and have been crushed by India in India and by Pakistan in the UAE. Their only away series wins have been in South Africa, where the conditions are similar to home, and Sri Lanka and the West Indies.”There is a lot of talk about performances away, but [almost] no one wins away,” Sutherland said. “In international cricket it’s only the very best teams in the world that win away. South Africa have probably been the best at it in recent times, and it’s no coincidence that they’re on top. We need to get better at it.”It’s not something that we’re not aware of. Right now as I speak, we’ve got our Under-19 team in England playing in UK conditions, we’ve got our Australia A team in India playing in subcontinental conditions. It’s something we’re very aware of and we’re working hard on, and it’s not something that happens overnight.”Sutherland also endorsed Steven Smith as the successor to Clarke as captain, but said the decision on who would be Smith’s deputy was less obvious. Australia’s next Test series is in Bangladesh in October, and the selection panel will need to assess the state of the playing group and, potentially, decide on the futures of some squad members before a vice-captain is recommended.”Steven’s ready for this challenge,” Sutherland said. “But as anyone will tell you who has been a Test cricket captain, it’s not an easy job, it’s not an easy transition. No one is ready made to just walk in and make a great success of it. But we still have every confidence in Steven. The decision hasn’t been made but he’s clearly the heir apparent and we will provide him with all the support in time.”Sutherland paid tribute to the retiring Clarke, who despite leaving the game in defeat, guided Australia back to No.1 in the Test rankings on their tour of South Africa early last year. He said the work Clarke put in off the field, including the way he overcame a chronic back injury, were indicative of Clarke’s approach to the game.”I think he’ll be remembered for his courage and the way he played the game,” Sutherland said. “I don’t think I can think of an Australian cricketer who has worked harder to put his best effort on the field, day after day, week after week.”I think Michael is an aggressive and positive cricketer, and he carries that through in the way he has led his team. He led Australia back to No.1 in Test cricket. I’m not sure that any of us will ever forget that series in South Africa where Australia went to No.1, knocked off South Africa on their home turf.”He played such a pivotal role in that last Test in Cape Town when he had a broken shoulder and made a great hundred. He’s a strong and aggressive leader and I think that came out in the way the players responded to his leadership.”