All posts by n8rngtd.top

Takes over from Brendon McCullum, after having led Madhya Pradesh to their maiden Ranji Trophy title earlier this year

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2022Chandrakant Pandit, the former India wicketkeeper, has been appointed as head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders. He takes over from Brendon McCullum, who quit after a three-year stint to take charge of England’s Test team.Pandit, who played five Tests and 36 ODIs for India between 1986 and 1992, is a highly regarded coach on the Indian domestic circuit. He won the Ranji Trophy, India’s premier first-class competition, with Mumbai in 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2015-16, but perhaps his biggest claim to fame is the success he has achieved with lower-profile teams: his triumph with an unfancied Madhya Pradesh team last season came after similar results with Vidarbha – he took them to their maiden Ranji title in 2017-18, and then helped them defend it 2018-19. Pandit was also director of cricket at Rajasthan when they defended their Ranji title – again, only their second ever – in 2011-12.Related

• Ryan ten Doeschate appointed KKR fielding coach for IPL 2023

• The 'Alex Ferguson of the Ranji Trophy' moulds MP into title-winners

Pandit’s signing with KKR is not expected to come in the way of his commitments with MP at least for the upcoming 2022-23 domestic season. An MPCA official confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he will continue to helm the team across formats.This will be Pandit’s maiden stint at an IPL franchise. He will be KKR’s first Indian head coach, and will team up with his one-time Mumbai protege Abhishek Nayar (assistant coach) and Bharat Arun (bowling coach).Pandit will also reunite with KKR captain Shreyas Iyer, whom he helped transition from the Under-19s to the senior Mumbai team. Iyer’s breakthrough Ranji season in 2015-16, during which he topped the tournament aggregates with 1321 runs including a match-winning century in the final against Saurashtra, came under Pandit. At the time, a young Iyer had spoken warmly about the lessons he had learned in discipline and patience from a tactician like Pandit.”We are very excited that Chandu is joining the Knight Riders family to lead us through the next phase of our journey,” Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement. “His deep commitment to what he does and his track record of success in domestic cricket is there for everyone to see. We are looking forward to his partnership with our skipper Shreyas Iyer which promises to be an exciting one.”Chandrakant Pandit has now won six Ranji Trophy titles as a coach•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Outside of his work at various domestic teams, Pandit has also been associated with the National Cricket Academy and the India Under-19s in the past. At the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, he was head coach of an India team that included players such as KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Harshal Patel, Mandeep Singh and Jaydev Unadkat, among others.During his time with MP, Pandit has worked closely with KKR allrounder Venkatesh Iyer. Following MP’s Ranji win, he detailed to ESPNcricinfo in an interview how he had worked on getting Venkatesh to move up the order to open, to telling effect.Pandit, known to have a taskmaster-like approach to coaching, has spoken in the past about how his methods may not necessarily work in an IPL set-up. In a recent chat with ESPNcricinfo, he had suggested that the paucity of time to work with players, the cut-throat nature of the tournament, and a result-oriented mindset, may not always work to his advantage.”I have heard from players and others who have been associated with the Knight Riders about the family culture as well as the tradition of success that has been created,” Pandit said in a statement. “I am excited about the quality of the support staff and the players who are part of the set-up, and I am looking forward to this opportunity with all humility and positive expectations.”KKR have won two IPL titles, in 2012 and 2014. Since then, the closest they came was when they reached the final in 2021, when they lost to Chennai Super Kings. This year, a slew of indifferent results in the first half of the season pushed them out of contention for the playoffs, and they eventually finished seventh on the ten-team table with six wins and eight losses.

John Simpson, Joe Cracknell set up victory with 91-run stand in low-scoring affair

ECB Reporters Network19-Jun-2022Middlesex 143 for 3 (Simpson 46, Cracknell 43*) beat Kent 141 for 9 (Green 2-18) by seven wicketsJoe Cracknell and John Simpson put together a shrewd partnership of 91 as Middlesex snapped their six-match Vitality Blast losing streak, defeating South Group stragglers Kent Spitfires by seven wickets.Cracknell, with an unbeaten 43 from 37 balls, and Simpson (46 from 35) shared the only sizeable stand of a low-scoring game to set up Middlesex’s triumph with 15 deliveries to spare.Defending champions Kent, who languish at the foot of the table, limped to 141 for 9 after opting to bat, stifled during the middle overs by Middlesex’s spin trio of Chris Green, Thilan Walallawita and Luke Hollman.Although the Spitfires gained a glimmer of hope with two wickets in quick succession, the third-wicket pair batted sensibly to extinguish that and keep Middlesex’s faint hopes of qualification alive.Joe Denly, whose century had underpinned the Spitfires’ first success of the tournament when the sides met at Canterbury, lasted only 10 deliveries before he was caught behind swishing at Tom Helm.Opening partner Zak Crawley – returning to the side in between his England Test duties – soon followed, attempting to hook Martin Andersson and Simpson judged the skier perfectly.Questionable shot selection, combined with tidy bowling by the Middlesex spinners, meant wickets continued to fall regularly, although for a while it seemed Sam Billings might steer Kent out of trouble.The skipper survived a series of close calls – including two catches that fell fractionally short of the fielder and Andersson’s shy at the stumps as he changed his mind over an audacious single – to make 29.However, Billings perished reverse-sweeping Hollman into the hands of point and it wasn’t until the 17th over that Kent registered the only six of their innings as Jack Leaning clipped Jason Behrendorff into the Mound Stand.Despite Leaning’s effort of 20 from 14, the visitors’ total looked unlikely to be enough and Middlesex made a steady start in reply, with Stephen Eskinazi and Max Holden putting on 42 from 28.Eskinazi had just swung Fred Klaassen for his second six when he attempted to repeat the shot and top-edged to deep midwicket, but the captain’s departure appeared to reduce the flow of runs to a trickle.Spin duo George Linde and Qais Ahmad rattled through six consecutive post-powerplay overs, all of them without conceding a boundary as Cracknell and Simpson concentrated on avoiding risks and collecting singles.Once the seamers returned, Cracknell cast off the shackles, pulling Klaassen over the fence and then cutting him square for four more as Middlesex began to accelerate towards the target.Simpson swatted Klaassen for six to bring his side within four but, although the seamer took his revenge by trapping him leg before, Jack Davies squirted his first ball to the rope, sealing a rare victory.

Alex Davies, Jordan Clark and Joe Mennie all threatened match-winning hands, but all fell to Porter as the defending champions held on by 31 runs

Alan Gardner at Chelmsford22-Apr-20182:57

Defending champions Essex off the mark

ScorecardThree times during this third and final day at Chelmsford, Lancashire began to seriously raise hopes of pulling off a chase for the ages. Three times Jamie Porter thundered in and found the ball to quell Essex fears. Alex Davies, Jordan Clark and Joe Mennie each scored valiant half-centuries but all three were victims of Porter’s indefatigable seam bowling, as the defending champions claimed victory in the sort of hard-fought, sun-drenched contest after which victory beer slips down like ice water.It can’t be long before they start serving pints of Porter porter at the Spinner’s Bar. The 24-year-old collected 9 for 80 to continue the form that saw him lead the Division One wicket-taker’s list in 2017, celebrating the dismissal in particular of Davies with a throaty roar. That left Lancashire 139 for 5 and although Clark took them to within 77 of victory with three wickets still standing, Porter speared a delivery into his pads to ease the tension.Still Lancashire kept coming, with zombie determination, as the Australia seamer Mennie clubbed his way to fifty, bringing the requirement down to 38 with the arrival of the second new ball. Eight deliveries was all it took for Porter to rattle the stumps and finally end Mennie’s resistance.”He digs in and has a crack,” was the assessment of Porter’s team-mate, another Australian, Peter Siddle. “That’s what you want from your main fast bowler. Coming off a big year last season, needed to come out here and start well, and he was tremendous. He tries hard and deserves every wicket he gets.”Lancashire have now lost two from two but certainly found some fibre to fortify their batting, after failing to reach 200 in three previous innings. They had been left with too much to do, stretched out of shape by the eighth-wicket stand of more than 100 between James Foster and Simon Harmer on the second evening. Keeping Harmer to just a single wicket in the fourth innings on a wearing pitch was little consolation.Davies could have been accused of giving his wicket away in the first innings, chipping tamely to mid-off having faced 17 balls, but he was the only member of Lancashire’s top order to demonstrate the required graft second time around. There was plenty of class on display, too. Porter was thrashed for three successive fours – two pulls and a drive – and Davies also played Harmer deftly, using his feet to cut the spinner with regularity.Lancashire had given themselves a solid platform, reaching lunch on 82 for 2 with Davies playing beautifully and the captain, Liam Livingstone, reining in his attacking instincts. Those Essex supporters sitting in the Tiptree jam stand could be forgiven for feeling a bit sticky around the collar, with the sun shining and the pitch having eased after 18 wickets fell on the opening day.There was also a suspicion that Essex were a little light on bowling beyond the frontline three of Porter, Harmer and Siddle, with the tall left-armer Paul Walter only in the side after Sam Cook fractured a finger in training the day before the game. Walter was unused during the morning session, but he needed only three ball to break the third-wicket stand: a bouncer and a gentle half-volley pushed for two was followed up by good-length ball that drew another drive and a thick edge from Livingstone.Walter made it two in as many overs when he won an lbw decision against Shivnarine Chanderpaul, not quite such an eternal presence at the crease these days, and the main scoreboard promptly broke down – something Chanderpaul refuses to do, although he has now collected scores of 11, 0, 8 and 1 this season.In the dark about the score, the muttering from the home fans increased as Davies coasted to his half-century and began to open up. He had laced 38 from 30 balls faced after lunch and was looking to be the pivotal figure of the chase, only for Porter to produce a thunderbolt of a yorker that knocked Davies off his feet and sent him back for a fine 71.Dane Vilas fell soon after, a second wicket for Siddle, who then produced a marvellous bit of fielding to leave Lancashire seven down. Having been denied an lbw appeal against Clark, Siddle hurtled across to his right and threw down the stumps with Tom Bailey a yard short having been sent back. Clark might have fallen on 19, but Varun Chopra was unable to hold a fast edge off Ravi Bopara.The morning began with Lancashire required to make the highest score of the match – and significantly more than they had managed in three previous innings this season – in order to inflict Essex’s first defeat since September 2016. The mantra at Essex over the last two seasons is that “no one gets through the new ball” and Porter ensured that held true when he flattened Haseeb Hameed’s off stump in the third over. It was a good enough strategy come the end of the day too.

Takes 3 for 12 to restrict England to 129 and scores 40 of those runs herself

Tristan Lavalette06-Feb-2022Ellyse Perry wound back the clock with a vintage all-round performance as Australia overcame a shaky chase to beat England by five wickets and secure an outright Ashes victory.After a superb performance in the field restricted England to a paltry 129, Australia lost regular wickets on a tricky Junction Oval pitch but were held together by a fluent Perry, who top-scored with 40 off 64 balls to complement her earlier three-wicket haul.Australia’s hopes of a quick chase nosedived with the early wickets of Rachael Haynes and Meg Lanning, who was bowled for a duck by seamer Kate Cross. No. 4 Perry, who made a golden duck in the first ODI, was unperturbed as she drove her first two balls for fours in a show of intent.Opener Alyssa Healy, however, couldn’t find her rhythm and scored just 13 off 33 balls before smashing Cross over cover for six. It failed to ignite her with Healy hitting quick Nat Sciver straight to mid-off as Australia wobbled at 49 for 3.A pumped-up Sciver, who opened the bowling in place of the injured Katherine Brunt, utilised the short ball in a bid to rattle Perry, but she was up for the challenge and so too against the spin of Sophie Ecclestone. Her adept footwork was a real treat to watch.With such a tame total to overhaul, Perry eyed being there at the end but was run out on a direct throw from Cross who had moments earlier injured her wrist after diving in the field.It raised England’s faint hopes but several lusty blows from Ashleigh Gardner sealed victory in the 36th over for Australia, who gained another psychological edge ahead of the World Cup where the teams meet on March 5.England had very little joy in the second ODI•Getty Images

Having retained the Ashes after a 27-run win in the opening ODI in Canberra, Australia now boast a commanding 10-4 lead in the multi-format series ahead of the final game on Tuesday. England needed to replicate the 2017 Ashes when they won the final two T20Is to square the series 8-all but a sluggish batting effort proved costly amid sunny Melbourne conditions.Seamers Perry and Tahlia McGrath claimed three wickets apiece while spinners Alana King and Jess Jonassen strangled England’s beleaguered batters after the powerplay. Australia maintained control through relentless bowling, spectacular catching and astute captaincy from Lanning as England tumbled after a bright start to be bowled out for 129 in the 46th over.Perry bounced back from a lacklustre performance in Canberra by removing opener Tammy Beaumont after wicketkeeper Healy held a brilliant outstretched catch in her right glove. It was Perry’s first ODI wicket since October 2019 but she briefly took a back seat to the spin duo of King and Jonassen, who combined for 2-21 during 11 overs in tandem.King, a Melbourne local supported by friends and family wearing ‘Alana Army’ t-shirts in the terraces, grabbed her first ODI wicket when she trapped opener Lauren Winfield-Hill to trigger another England collapse in this series.A miserly Jonassen picked up a frustrated Sciver then trapped England captain Heather Knight, who fell lbw for the third straight time in the series. Lanning, who could seemingly do no wrong with her bowling changes, took a blinder at first slip to dismiss Danni Wyatt as a red-hot Australia enjoyed a purple patch in the field.Australia’s efforts were made even more impressive without their two match-winners from the opening ODI after Beth Mooney rested and Darcie Brown missed due to general soreness. They will be aiming to finish the series on a high at the same venue on Tuesday and ensure England – like their male counterparts – leave Australia without tasting victory in the Ashes.

After yet another summer of domination, Australia face the prospect of 10 days in hard quarantine before the women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand.

AAP09-Feb-2022Australia are preparing for the worst as they face a mentally challenging quarantine period in New Zealand before the women’s ODI World Cup.Meg Lanning’s team are overwhelming favourites to reclaim the 50-over crown they dropped in England in 2017, having won 29 of their past 30 ODIs.But after almost two years of bubbles in the COVID-19 world, Australia will have to pick themselves up again for an expected 10-day hard isolation period.”It’s a challenge for players and staff to get your head around that,” Australia coach Matthew Mott said.”We’re also getting some different information about what it’s going to look like once we get over there, so to get some clarity on that will be great.”Our doctor Pip Inge has done an incredible job behind the scenes of finding out the facts but until we get over there we won’t really know for certain.”But that’s something we’ve been exceptional in dealing with whatever’s come our way and I think our players deserve a lot of credit for the way they approached the (Ashes) series.”We’re prepared for the worst and that looks like 10 days of quarantine, and whether we can get access to fresh air, access to training facilities, that’s all still a little bit up in the air.”We’ve prepared all players and staff for that not happening so anything we get back from that will be a positive.”Related

• Ellyse Perry regains No. 1 spot as ODI allrounder; Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone also rise

• Australia's takeaways: the summer of McGrath and enviable depth lays down challenge to the rest

Australia will enter the World Cup full of confidence and stacked with squad depth, after completing an undefeated Ashes campaign against England.They will face their arch-enemies again in their opening match of the tournament in Hamilton on March 5.But Mott will not be taking the defending champions lightly, after they won the last edition while Australia failed to qualify for the final.”I’d rather go in here having won these games but it doesn’t count for a lot in a World Cup, we’ve seen that before,” he said.”We certainly won’t underestimate them (England), they’ve got a little bit of time to reassess.”It’s a strong era of Australian cricket and the depth is getting stronger every year.”In a further boost for Australia, superstar allrounder Ellyse Perry is back in form after starting the Ashes down on her usual extremely high output.Tahlia McGrath is coming off a breakout summer, having claimed player of the series honours against India and England.Annabel Sutherland, who is still only 20, ripped through England with career-best figures of 4-31 in the third and final ODI on Tuesday.

Morris represented South Africa 69 times across all formats, taking 94 international wickets in all

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2022South Africa allrounder Chris Morris has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. While declaring his decision to hang his boots after a 12-year career, the 34-year-old Morris also said that he would be taking up a coaching role with South African domestic side Titans.”Thanks to all who have played a part in my journey whether it be big or small…it’s been a fun ride!” Morris’ instagram caption read.Morris last represented South Africa during the 2019 ODI World Cup, a tournament where he was South Africa’s highest wicket-taker. He turned out for his country 69 times across the three formats, taking 94 wickets in all.A bowling allrounder who often sent the speedgun beyond 140kph, Morris was also a hard-hitting lower-order batter. Morris made his international debut in a T20I in December 2012, and an ODI debut followed next year, in June 2013. He had to wait for his Test debut though, finally earning the first of his four Test caps in January 2016.Morris’ all-round skills meant he was in high demand in T20 leagues earning high paychecks, particularly in IPL auctions. He had played only one T20I when Chennai Super Kings bid $US625,000 for him, more than 31 times his base price of $US20,000. In the IPL 2016 auction, Delhi Daredevils bought him for INR 7 crore (approx $US1.04 million). Then in the IPL 2020 auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore bid INR 10 crore for him (approx $US1.4 million).Finally, in the IPL 2021 auction, Rajasthan Royals broke the bank for him in bidding INR 16.25 crore for him (approx $US 2.24 million). The Royals bid in 2021 made Morris the most expensive player to go under the hammer in IPL auctions to date, although he wasn’t the highest paid player, with Virat Kohli being paid INR 17 crore by the Royal Challengers in IPLs 2018 to 2021.Morris’ Test career lasted only four matches, where he took 12 wickets at an average of 38.25. His Test debut against England also provided his highest Test score of 69.In ODIs, Morris played 42 matches and took 48 wickets at an average of 36.58 and an economy rate of 5.56. His batting average of 20.30 perhaps did not reflect his skills as a batter, but his strike-rate of 100.43 showed his abilities to be a gamechanger with the bat.However, Morris leaves his greatest legacy in the shortest format. He played 234 T20s, including 23 for South Africa between 2012 and 2019. In all T20s, he took 290 wickets at an average of 22.21 and economy of 7.78, while with the bat finished with a strike-rate of 150.04.Morris has played cricket all around the world, apart from his time spent with Nelson Mandela Bay Giants, North West, Lions and the Titans at home. In England, he played for Surrey and Hampshire, in West Indies for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Sydney Thunder in Australia.

“We don’t have a lot of technically-sound cricketers,” laments Bangladesh captain after thumping loss to West Indies

Mohammad Isam20-Jun-2022Mominul Haque is struggling. He has made nine consecutive single-digit scores in Test cricket, a run of form that has already prompted him to resign as Bangladesh captain, and could very well see him stepping even further back. Following the defeat to West Indies in the first Test in Antigua, Shakib Al Hasan said that if his predecessor needs some time away from cricket to get himself right again, he is more than welcome to do so.”It is tough for me to say, but I speak to him [Mominul] regularly and we will talk again,” Shakib said. “If he thinks he needs a break, it can happen. It is not ideal to take a decision just after a match. We have a break for two days. On our next day of training in St Lucia, we will think about what’s best for the team.”Mominul made 0 and 4 in this game, first edging Jayden Seales to second slip and then falling lbw to Kyle Mayers’ medium pace. What is most concerning is how the left-hander was beaten for pace against both bowlers.Related

• WI pounce on self-defeating Bangladesh's brittle batting

• Bangladesh's fielding is in decline and nobody knows why

Bangladesh have lost their first four wickets for less than 100 runs in all but two of these nine innings. Coupled with Najmul Hossain Shanto’s poor form and Mahmudul Hasan Joy blowing hot and cold, the visitors were blown away by West Indies in Antigua. So should they think about bringing in some new players for the next Test starting Friday?”You cannot guarantee that a lot of changes will be good for the team,” Shakib said. “But if you look at the numbers, we have lost four wickets for less than 100 runs in 12 out of the 16 innings. That is pretty worrying. Only a concerted team effort can get us out of here. I know we can get out of this. We have been here before, so I believe we can come out.”Bangladesh need more runs, especially in the first innings. They began the Antigua Test by losing six wickets in the first session. Bowled out for 103, there was really no way back for them.”We don’t have a lot of technically-sound cricketers,” Shakib, who made fifties in both innings, said. “Everyone has technical problems. But they have to find out ways to score runs, stay at the crease. It has to come from an individual level. But it (coaching) is not my area. It is for the coach to discuss. It will be difficult for me to coach and captain at the same time. It will help me if everyone sticks to their job.”I didn’t have a lot of expectations from this match, but I think we had the ability to do better. We missed that opportunity. We were behind from the first session, which meant we were always recovering in the game.”We couldn’t get our noses in front. That’s the regret. I am happy with the bowlers. We have to improve in our batting and catching. We have to score 100-150 more runs than what we did in the first Test. Most of the batters didn’t make runs in either innings. With our bowling attack, we could have fought harder with some more runs.”

Avon and Somerset Police have reissued their appeal for two witnesses to come forward in the wake of the incident in Bristol last month that led to Ben Stokes’ arrest

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-20171:20

Stokes promises to give his story

Avon and Somerset Police have reissued their appeal for two witnesses to come forward in the wake of the incident in Bristol last month that led to Ben Stokes’ arrest on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm.Stokes, 26, was last week withdrawn from England’s Ashes squad pending further police investigation into the events that took place outside Mbargo nightclub in the Clifton area of Bristol in the early hours of September 25.Video footage, released by The Sun, purported to show Stokes throwing punches at two men, one of whom appeared to be armed with a bottle. The kit supplier New Balance has since withdrawn its sponsorship of the player, which was believed to be worth approximately £200,000 per year.Stokes’ England team-mate, Alex Hales, who was present at the time of the incident, has also been made unavailable for selection by the ECB, although his lawyer last week said he would be “surprised” if he faced further action.Stokes last week issued a statement, through his agent Neil Fairbrother, in which he promised to give a full explanation of his actions “when the time is right”.It is understood Stokes has claimed, both to the police and to the ECB in their internal investigation, that he was coming to the aid of two men who had been subjected to homophobic abuse prior to the incident.And now, following a previous appeal on September 28 for two key witnesses to come forward, Somerset and Avon Police have reiterated their appeal in a follow-up post on their Twitter feed.The two men in question were seen leaving the nightclub at 2.19am, according to the police statement, and were walking in the direction of Queens Road with two other men.”One of the men is described as white, of slim build, 5ft 9in tall and aged in his early 20s. He had short dark brown hair, was clean shaven and wore a white T-shirt with a sleeveless jumper, jeans and trainers,” the statement continued.”The second man is also white, 5ft 9in tall and aged in his early 20s but is of a slightly larger build. He had short light brown hair, was also clean shaven and wore a long-sleeved round neck T-shirt, dark/black skinny jeans and trainers.”

Warwickshire have appointed Jim Troughton in a newly-created role of first team coach – but they are still waiting on the future of Ashley Giles

George Dobell15-Dec-2016Warwickshire have appointed Jim Troughton in a newly-created role of first team coach – but they are still waiting on the future of Ashley Giles.Troughton, who led Warwickshire to the County Championship title as captain in 2012, was previously assistant coach and has been associated with the club since he was 11. He will oversee all first team issues and work with the club’s existing coaches Alan Richardson (bowling) and Tony Frost (batting and second team). He is well thought of by the players.While Warwickshire still hope to appoint Giles as their new director of cricket – he is very much their first choice – Lancashire remain reluctant to release him from the final year of his contract. Giles is currently contracted to Lancashire until the end of 2017, with the club insisting they had a verbal agreement for a longer deal. Conversations between the clubs continue.It was originally hoped by Warwickshire that Giles would be party to the appointment of the new first team coach but, with players now back in training, the club felt it was necessary to provide some stability.Injury forced Troughton to retire from playing prematurely in 2014, and he has since worked as assistant coach and recently completed his ECB Level 4 coaching qualification.”Jim is widely recognised as one of the finest leaders in the club’s history and the team made outstanding progress during his time as captain,” Neil Snowball, the Warwickshire CEO, said. “He has been a Bear since the age of 11 and so understands the unique culture of the club and has worked closely with our captain Ian Bell for many years as a player and coach. We are very confident that they will form a strong partnership to take the team forward.”Jim has continued to demonstrate his leadership qualities since moving into coaching and, in accepting this new role, he will take control of all matters relating to the senior men’s squad including preparations for the new season and our pre-season tour to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This is a key appointment for the club that has been made both with a focus on the 2017 season but also with an eye to the future and we look forward to Jim working closely with our new director of cricket once he has been appointed.”

They will also play West Indies for a bilateral series in December before the global event

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2021Warriors batter George van Heerden will lead the South Africa Under-19 side in the World Cup early next year in the Caribbean. They will also take part in a pre-World Cup bilateral tour against West Indies in December to prepare for the global event.The squad of 15 also features Titans batter Dewald Brevis, who had impressed recently in the CSA Provincial T20 Knockout competition, and Western Province’s Asakhe Tsaka, who finished with an economy rate of 6.42 in the tournament.van Heerden recently led the Under-19 squad in the CSA Provincial T20 Cup when they took on Easterns, North West and Dolphins.”The process of putting this group of players together is only the pinnacle of the work that started as far back as three years ago when some of these players were exposed to the CSA Talent Acceleration Programme (TAP) for the first time,” South Africa Under-19s convenor of selectors, Patrick Moroney said.”All these players played in the CSA Cubs week hosted in January earlier this year. Covid has played a big part in things being different, especially taking into account the schools cricket programme where schools play each other on a week-to-week basis that could not take place because of Covid. But taking all into account I believe that we have managed to select a team that will be competitive at the World Cup in the West Indies.”Head coach Shukri Conrad said: “We have a lot of exciting players in our group, and I am certain they will be well-led by George van Heerden.”I want us to have the courage of our convictions. Have the courage to play the way we have practised, to follow the philosophy that we have set out and, hopefully, we can adapt, depending on what conditions are prevalent in the West Indies, both on the tour and the World Cup.”The World Cup is the priority, but we also have a series to the West Indies that we’d like to win. It is also great preparation for the boys. I would like to see our boys continue the work; we still have a little bit of work to do before we get there and once there, to go out and have the courage to play the way we want to play.”Ultimately, I believe if we do that enough, then we will be victorious. We are certainly not going there as a side who wants to just compete, or a side just thrilled to be there, we want to not only give a good account of ourselves but also get into the play-off stages and win tournaments.”That’s a long way away, but if we follow the building blocks, we will be alright.”Squad for World Cup: George van Heerden (capt), Liam Alder, Matthew Boast, Dewald Brevis, Michael Copeland, Ethan Cunningham, Valentine Kitime, Kwena Maphaka, Gerhard Maree, Aphiwe Mnyanda, Andile Simelane, Jade Smith, Kaden Solomons, Joshua Stephenson, Asakhe Tshaka. Travelling reserves:
Hardus Coetzer, Ronan Hermann, Caleb Seleka.Squad for West Indies bilateral tour: George van Heerden (capt), Liam Alder, Matthew Boast, Dewald Brevis, Michael Copeland, Ethan Cunningham, Valentine Kitime, Kwena Maphaka, Gerhard Maree, Aphiwe Mnyanda, Andile Simelane, Jade Smith, Kaden Solomons, Joshua Stephenson, Asakhe Tshaka.