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“You are not playing that much cricket to be injured again and again. You can’t play four matches on the trot”

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Apr-20237:14

Shastri: ‘Make sure you get fit and come once and for all’

Ravi Shastri feels the frequent and recurring injuries to senior Indian bowlers is “unreal”, “ridiculous” and “frustrating”.Shastri’s comments came while discussing the latest injury to Deepak Chahar, who bowled just one over before pulling out of Chennai Super Kings’ IPL match against Mumbai Indians after picking up a left hamstring injury.”Let’s put it this way: there are quite a few in the last three or four years who are permanent residents of the NCA,” Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time:Out show ahead of Super Kings’s home match against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday. “Soon, they’ll get a resident permit there to walk in any time they want, which is not a good thing at all. It’s unreal.”Related

• MS Dhoni on injury list with CSK 'operating on pretty thin resources'

• Deepak Chahar to undergo scans to determine extent of hamstring injury

• Deepak Chahar on returning from big injuries: 'Mentally it's very tough'

• Bumrah undergoes back surgery in New Zealand

This was the second time in the last five months Chahar has had to leave a game without finishing his four overs because of hamstring problems. In the second ODI against Bangladesh in Mirpur last December, Chahar pulled out after bowling three overs. He then returned to the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, his base for the majority of 2022 after he suffered a Grade 3 quadricep tear last February.A stiff back, which was diagnosed as a stress fracture, then delayed his comeback, frustrating both Chahar and the Indian team management, leading to Rohit Sharma saying that the team “can’t afford guys coming in here half-fit and representing the country”.Chahar is not the only Indian quick to have been sidelined for long periods because of recurring injuries: Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldip Sen, Mohsin Khan and Yash Dayal have all been out of action for varying stretches of late. Bumrah, in fact, attempted a comeback more than once after his back injury before eventually undergoing surgery recently.Shastri said that what bothered him the most was that most of these players’ workloads were not too big and despite being declared fit by the NCA medical team, they were still picking up injuries.”Make sure you get fit and come once and for all, because it’s damn frustrating”•BCCI

“Come on, you’re not playing that much cricket to be injured again and again,” Shastri said. “I mean, you can’t play four matches on the trot. What are you going to the NCA for? If you are going to come back and then three matches [later] you’re back there. So make sure you get fit and come once and for all because it’s damn frustrating. Not just for the team, the players, the BCCI, the captains of the various [IPL] franchises. It’s annoying, to say the least.”I can understand a serious injury, but every four games when someone touches his hamstring or someone touches his groin, you start thinking what are these guys… what are they training, what’s going on. And some of them don’t play any other cricket in the year. It’s just four overs [in the IPL], man, three hours. The game is over.”A day after the Mumbai Indians match, Super Kings said in a media statement that Chahar would undergo further scans before a call is taken on his participation in the remainder of the IPL.Chahar himself had said recently that it was never easy to come back from a major injury. In February, in a chat with PTI, he had declared himself “fully fit” and ready for the IPL. “I had two big injures. One was a stress fracture and one was a quad grade 3 tear. They are both very big injuries. You are out for months,” he had said. “Anyone who comes back after the injury, it takes time, especially for the fast bowlers.”

Wade and Zampa put up a fight, but Australia couldn’t overcome disadvantage of batting first in truncated game

Hemant Brar23-Sep-20223:21

Jaffer: ‘India won’t miss Jadeja the bowler in the World Cup’

Rohit Sharma smashed four fours and as many sixes in his unbeaten 20-ball 46 to help India overhaul Australia’s 90 for 5 in an eight-over contest in Nagpur. The win meant the series is now levelled 1-1 with the final T20I to be played in Hyderabad on Sunday.A wet patch in the outfield, thanks to Thursday’s rain, delayed the start by two and half hours. Even when the umpires decided to go ahead, they did so by saying “although the conditions are not perfect, they are safe to play”.India, bolstered by the return of Jasprit Bumrah, put Australia in after winning the toss. With each bowler allowed up to two overs, they didn’t need a sixth bowling option. So they decided to strengthen their batting, bringing in Rishabh Pant for Bhuvneshwar Kumar.Aaron Finch’s 15-ball 31 and Matthew Wade’s unbeaten 20-ball 43 took the visitors to a competitive total despite Axar Patel conceding only 13 from his two overs. India, however, had the advantage of knowing the target. While Adam Zampa threatened to derail their chase with three quick wickets, Rohit stayed calm to see his side through.Finch blazes away, Wade ensures strong finish
Hardik Pandya, bowling the first over of the innings, found some movement in the air. But as one would expect in a shortened game, Finch paid little attention to the conditions and scooped the second ball over the keeper’s head for four.In the second over, Cameron Green was run-out going for a quick single before Axar pinged Glenn Maxwell’s middle stump with an arm ball. The left-arm spinner would do the same to Tim David in his next over to keep Australia in check.Aaron Finch was knocked over by a searing yorker•Associated Press

Finch managed to hit Yuzvendra Chahal for a straight six in between Axar’s two overs but he had no answer to a searing yorker from Bumrah that flattened his leg stump. In fact, Finch ended up applauding the bowler after the dismissal.Wade took some time – he was 7 off 7 – before hitting Harshal Patel for two fours in the sixth over. But it was the final over that really lifted Australia as Harshal struggled to get his length right. Wade contributed 18 of the 19 runs scored off the last six balls, pulling two short ones over the leg-side boundary and carving a high full toss over deep cover.Rohit pulls it off for India
Chasing 91, Rohit and KL Rahul were quick off the blocks. Rohit pulled Josh Hazlewood for two sixes in the opening over and Rahul capped it with a flicked six of his own. In the next over, Rohit hooked Pat Cummins for another six, leaving India needing 62 from six overs.Zampa pegged them back by picking up three wickets – Rahul and Virat Kohli were bowled, and Suryakumar Yadav was lbw for a first-ball duck. But Rohit found back-to-back fours off Sean Abbott to keep the asking rate under control.Hardik fell for a run-a-ball 9 but Rohit steered the last ball of the seventh over, bowled by Cummins, behind point. With India requiring nine from the final over, Karthik slogged Daniel Sams behind square leg for six and then pulled a slower short ball between deep midwicket and deep square leg to seal the win.

Kiran Carlson, Chris Cooke add fifties as Cheltenham sees 432 runs, five wickets in the day

ECB Reporters NetworkBilly Root fell two short of a century as Glamorgan blitzed their way to maximum batting points on the second day of the LV= County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Cheltenham.Kiran Carlson (76), Root (98) and Chris Cooke (86 not out) smacked 41 fours and two sixes between them to help the visitors extend their first innings from an overnight 152 for 2 to 450 for 6 declared on the fast-scoring College Ground.Paul van Meekeren was the pick of a Gloucestershire attack, who found it hard to extract any help from the true batting surface. The Dutch seamer’s figures of 3 for 92 from 21 overs were reward for sustaining impressive pace on his first Championship appearance for the hosts.By the close, Gloucestershire had moved to 134 for 1 in their second innings, Chris Dent leading the way with 61 not out. With bad weather forecast tomorrow, the match already seems to be heading for a high-scoring draw.The day began well for the home side. With only a run added to the Glamorgan total, Colin Ingram edged the fourth ball of van Meekeren’s opening over to first slip where Ben Charlesworth took a waist-high catch.The lively van Meekeren struck again in the seventh over of the morning, squeezing a delivery through Sam Northeast’s defence to bowl him for 28. At 183 for 4, Glamorgan were in danger of undoing their first-day efforts with the bat.But Root had other ideas, getting off the mark with a sumptuous square driven four off van Meekeren. Soon Carlson was square cutting the same bowler for four before bringing the 200 up with a boundary through extra cover off Dom Goodman.It took the pair just 17 overs to complete a century stand, Carlson reaching a run-a-ball fifty with a lofted shot that almost saw him caught at mid-on off Josh Shaw. The partnership was worth 113 when he pulled van Meekeren to square leg where Dent took a smart low catch.Root also reached an entertaining half-century, off 63 balls, before lunch, which was taken at 311 for 5. Glamorgan had added 159 runs a session prolonged by ten minutes to help make up for overs lost to rain on day one.Cooke had also begun to enjoy himself on a pitch offering consistent bounce and a quick outfield providing full value for shots. He and Root put together a 50-stand in 69 balls before the second new ball was taken at 361 for five.On 29, Cooke appeared to survive a chance to Ollie Price at second slip off Tom Price, but it was a rare moment of alarm as he and Root progressed their partnership into three figures with a succession of well-timed strokes.Root had struck 14 fours and a six during a fluent innings when, on the verge of what would have been his eighth first-class ton, he edged left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar to Ollie Price at slip.Cooke had moved imperiously to fifty off 73 balls and was still there when a fifth batting point was secured, having taken his boundary count to 15 fours and a six. The declaration came immediately and by tea Gloucestershire had replied with 15 for no wicket.The final session saw runs continue to flow, this time for the home side. Dent and Charlesworth had put together an opening stand of 39 when the latter was bowled off an inside edge by leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson for 15.It was a first and last success of the day for the Glamorgan bowlers as Dent moved to a comfortable half-century off 113 balls, with seven fours, finding an equally assured partner in Ollie Price, who was unbeaten on 49 at stumps, having hit eight elegant boundaries.A decent sized Festival crowd, including a host of past players from around the counties attending a Professional Cricketers’ Association lunch, had witnessed 432 runs and only five wickets in the extended day’s play.

Head coach Gary Stead says the players were “very disappointed” to have been denied a chance to play Afghanistan

Ekanth13-Sep-20245:26

Stead: This Test would have been useful for SL series

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has said that being denied the opportunity to get some game-time after a six-month gap in Test cricket is the “most disappointing part” after their one-off Test against Afghanistan was called off without a ball bowled.New Zealand had this match to familiarise themselves with the subcontinent conditions, with the series against Sri Lanka and India coming up. But persistent rain and outfield issues in Greater Noida reduced the first-ever Test between the two teams to a no-show.”The most disappointing part for us is that we lost the opportunity to be match-hardened and match-ready when we go into our Test match [against Sri Lanka] next week,” Stead said at the post-match press conference. “The guys are really disappointed. It was an opportunity to play Afghanistan. It doesn’t come around that often.Related

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“They have some unique bowlers – it’s always good to get your head around how you face them. The way they play is a little bit different to other countries. It’s always learning what you can do when you get in those match situations.”The one-off Test was not part of the World Test Championship. However, Stead said the team was left “frustrated”, as the format is “very, very dear to the team’s hearts”.”Even though it was fine for those two days, there were thunderstorms the nights before and the ground was just too soft and the umpires deemed that unfit to play on,” he said. “So that is sort of out of the players’ hands in a way as well.”But we were frustrated. We have come here to play cricket and play a Test match and as Jonathan [Trott, Afghanistan head coach] said, Test cricket, certainly to our group of players that is here, that’s very, very dear to their hearts and every Test you get to play in is a big one.”So regardless of whether it has World Test Championship points or not, that opportunity to get out there for five days, it looked a great surface. The whole block looked fantastic, so it would have been a great match of Test cricket.”New Zealand are not slated to play another Test against Afghanistan in the current Future Tours Programme cycle. Stead welcomed the prospect of playing more Tests against Afghanistan, heaping praise on their recent achievements in white-ball cricket, including a win against New Zealand in the group stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup.Persistent rain and outfield issues in Greater Noida led to the one-off Test being called off•AFP/Getty Images

“I don’t make the decisions around the Future Tours Programme and big tours,” Stead said. “But I said it right from the start of coming here, Afghanistan have knocked just about every top team in the world over now. So they’re certainly a force and becoming more and more of a force in world cricket. That’s something for the Afghanistan and New Zealand boards to get their heads around.”It was our first Test match against Afghanistan and we were really excited about that. They’ve been great competitors of ours over the last few World Cups. We’ve had some great games of cricket.”Stead said New Zealand were “desperate” to make the World Test Championship final. Five of their remaining eight Tests in the cycle will be in Asia, but he is confident of the side adapting to the conditions.”The World Test Championship is alive and well, and we’re currently in third place, and we want to make the finals again,” he said. “We’ve been there once in the past, and we are desperate to get there again. So every test match we play will be an important one.”The conditions that we face in Galle will be, I’m sure, different to Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai when we come back here again. So it’s still about adapting to the different surfaces where I’m learning from those. But also banking the knowledge you have created in the past even though it’s been a couple of [sessions of] trainings out there, we’d still bank on what we’ve learnt on those sort of pitches.”

“We’ve been able to keep ourselves in Test matches on the back of our bowling,” Coley says ahead of Test series in Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2025″It’s a new series, a new opportunity,” West Indies Test coach Andre Coley said ahead of the two-match series in Pakistan.The last series between the two sides, in Kingston in 2021, was drawn 1-1, but West Indies have not won a Test in Pakistan since November 1990. It’s also true that there haven’t been too many of these – only seven since that game – but the best West Indies have done since that 1990 series is a draw, in Multan in November 2006.As such, the series is part of the World Test Championship cycle, but doesn’t mean much for either team in terms of context: South Africa and Australia have qualified for the final, while Pakistan and West Indies bring up the rear, eighth and ninth respectively on the nine-team table. It’s also a chance for Coley to sign off on a positive note before Daren Sammy takes over.Related

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“Once you play a series or a match there’s an opportunity in itself,” Coley said at a press interaction on Tuesday. “It’s not about us creating history, it’s about using the learnings from 2024 and that consistency that was inserted for the last 12 months, being more set around the brand of cricket we want to play.”Different people in the squad who would have missed out on opportunities before can use this as an opportunity to do better and do it in conditions that could be different in some instances.”When you talk about Test cricket, it’s not only the opposition’s skill that provides tests, but the different conditions, different environments, and different game situations provide those tests. And that’s why you want to play at this level and in this format, to test yourself over four-five days. The game could change so rapidly.”The magical eight-run win, scripted by Shamar Joseph, against Australia in Brisbane in January was by far West Indies’ best result in Test cricket last year, but it was one of only two wins for them in the entire WTC cycle so far. And Coley pointed to the inconsistencies of the batters for the team not being able to build on the work by the bowlers.”Obviously, Jayden [Seales] back to full fitness, Shamar Joseph making his debut in 2024, Alzarri Joseph… Kemar Roach has been a standout in terms of his leadership, on and off the field, with his skill and mentorship. [Gudakesh] Motie and [Jomel] Warrican have been consistent when given an opportunity,” Coley said, counting off his main bowlers, of whom the two Josephs are not in Pakistan. Anderson Phillip is, and Kevin Sinclair is the third spinner.”We’ve seen a couple of innings where our batters have… Kavem Hodge scoring his first hundred, Alick Athanaze missing out on at least three; there have been instances where we have had significant partnerships from a batting perspective. But they haven’t really been very consistent and put ourselves in match-winning totals.”The standout has been that we’ve been able to keep ourselves in Test matches on the back of our bowling, and what the young bowlers have done. It’s time, going forward in 2025, that the batsmen now, having been given certain opportunities to test their skills, to learn and translate those into performances.”The first Test will be played in Karachi, from January 16, and the second in Multan, from January 24, with West Indies playing a three-day tour game in Islamabad from January 10 to get used to the conditions.

“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

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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.”

Late Porter wicket cements another forceful display from table-toppers

ECB Reporters Network20-Apr-2024Tom Westley kick-started his season with an innings that helped underpin Essex’s commanding position against Lancashire in the Vitality County Championship at Chelmsford.The Essex captain chalked up 1,130 runs last season but had contributed just 56 in four innings this time around. However, his fluent 81 from 138 balls signalled a personal return to form and helped Essex construct a 231 first-innings lead against ailing Lancashire. By close of play Lancashire had lost captain Keaton Jennings while crawling to 10-1 in 10 evening overs as they battled to avoid an innings defeat.In a throwback to earlier times, there was a Cook scoring runs near the top of the Essex order, though this was the unlikely figures of Sam rather than Sir Alastair. The nightwatchman hung around for nearly two and a half hours and 126 balls for a highest first-class score that marooned him one run short of a maiden fifty.Essex had overhauled Lancashire’s first-innings total inside 36 overs for the loss of the overnight wicket of Feroze Khushi, who had laid the foundations with a half-century at a strike-rate of 160. Elgar and Cook were more circumspect, though their impact was just as demoralising for the flagging fielding side as they put on 120 in 36 overs.Cook pulled George Balderson for one consummate boundary while Elgar also pulled Balderson to the ropes and followed next ball with an angled glide to third man for another of his 10 fours.Lancashire did not help themselves when just after he had brought up the century partnership in 187 balls, Cook was dropped at third slip by George Bell on 44. He went to lunch on 49 and was back in the pavilion promptly afterwards, caught first ball at slip misdriving outside off-stump against Balderson.Elgar passed 17,000 first-class career runs during his three-and-three-quarter-hour stay, but was eventually out caught behind when wafting at Will Williams on 79, his third 50-plus score in five innings for his new county.There was no let-up with Elgar’s departure. Westley and Jordan Cox settled into a steady rhythm, Westley characteristically strong off his legs and Cox helping on its way to the boundary a Lyon ball that drifted down legside.Their partnership was worth 57 when Cox dragged Jack Blatherwick tamely to short midwicket. Matt Critchley, centurion against Kent last week, came and went quickly, Lyon finding one to turn sharply and catch the angled bat on its way into slip’s hands.The introduction of Luke Wells’s spin just before tea resulted in a flurry of scoring, his only over in the spell conceding 17 runs. Westley whipped a delivery through the covers to reach his fifty and then Michael Pepper twice lofted over long-on for a combined total of 10 runs.Pepper treated Bailey and the new ball with similar distain, hooking a six to fine leg and then driving through midwicket along the ground. But he played down the wrong line to Williams in the next over and was caught in the slips for 30 from 31 balls.Noah Thain played attractively on his first-class debut for 24 from 50 balls before being undone by one that kept low from Balderson and disturbed his middle and off stumps. Four overs later, Westley was also the victim of another low delivery from Lyon that beat his mistimed swish and hit his protruding front pad.The innings was wrapped up in the space of eight balls when Wells trapped both Shane Snater and Simon Harmer.Lancashire’s reply faltered when Jennings, a century-maker against Hampshire last week, went for his second single-figure score in the match, lbw misjudging a delivery from Jamie Porter. Nightwatchman Williams might have gone first ball but Harmer put down a routine chance at second slip.

Renegades, with just one win from their six games so far, are lying bottom of the table

AAP02-Jan-2024Glenn Maxwell celebrated his 100th BBL game for Melbourne Stars with all-round excellence in their derby win over Melbourne Renegades.Everything went right for Player-of-the-Match Maxwell in Tuesday night’s rain-shortened game at the MCG as the Stars easily won by eight wickets. They have won their last four games for a 4-3 record, moving up to third place, while Renegades are last on 1-5.Stars are now 16-9 in Melbourne derbies, and the teams will meet again at Marvel Stadium on January 13.On Tuesday, Stars restricted Renegades to 97 for 7 from 14 overs and then cantered to 98 for 2 with two overs in hand.The Stars bowlers shared the wickets around•Getty Images

Maxwell, the first player to reach 100 games for Stars, won the toss and everything flowed for him from there. He managed the bowlers superbly, claimed 1 for 8 from his three overs, and took two catches. Maxwell then combined with opening batter Thomas Rogers, who top-scored with 42 not out, to close out the match with a typically entertaining knock. He scored 32 from 15 deliveries, including three successive sixes off Adam Zampa.”It was awesome to watch from the other end – box office,” Rogers told after the match.Renegades could not score a boundary from the fifth to the 11th overs in their innings after they were asked to bat following a lengthy rain delay. Adding to the Renegades’ woes, reported that batter Joe Clarke was out for the rest of the tournament with the quad injury he suffered in Friday’s win over Sydney Sixers. They also had to leave out the in-form Mujeeb Ur Rahman because of a contract dispute with the Afghanistan Cricket Board – it is unclear whether Mujeeb will play for Renegades again this season.Renegades started brightly enough, scoring 33 from their first 2.5 overs, but once Jordan Cox was dismissed for 9 they lost momentum quickly. No. 3 Jake Fraser-McGurk only made 14 from 19 balls before he skied a catch to Maxwell off Beau Webster’s bowling.Fellow opener Quinton de Kock top-scored with 23 from 16 balls before Maxwell dismissed him. Spinner Dan Lawrence claimed 2 for 8 from his two overs.

He will call curtains on a legendary career at the ground where it all began for him 21 years ago

Vithushan Ehantharajah11-May-202411:21

James Anderson ‘England’s greatest ever bowler’

James Anderson has announced he will retire from international cricket after England’s first Test of the summer at Lord’s, against West Indies, bringing the curtain down on a legendary career where it all began 21 years ago.Anderson, who turns 42 in July, made his Test debut at Lord’s in 2003 against Zimbabwe. He has gone on to take 700 wickets – the most by any pace bowler in Test history. His eventual tally of 188 caps will be the second most in Test history, with just Sachin Tendulkar ahead of him on 200.In a personal statement released on Instagram, Anderson confirmed he would represent England one last time, although speaking later to the BBC’s Tailenders podcast, he did not rule out the possibility of extending his playing career with Lancashire.”Hi everyone. Just a note to say that the first Test of the summer at Lord’s will be my last Test,” Anderson wrote on Instagram.”It’s been an incredible 20 years representing my country, playing the game I’ve loved since I was a kid. I’m going to miss walking out for England so much. But I know the time is right to step aside and let others realise their dreams just like I got to, because there is no greater feeling.””I couldn’t have done it without the love and support of Daniella, Lola, Ruby and my parents. A huge thank you to them. Also, thank you to the players and coaches who have made this the best job in the world.”I’m excited for the new challenges that lie ahead, as well as filling my days with even more golf.”Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the years, it’s always meant a lot, even if my face often doesn’t show it.”See you at the Test,”Go well”Jimmy x”Anderson had previously harboured ambitions to play England’s six Tests this summer against West Indies and Sri Lanka and even refused to rule out being around for the 2025-26 Ashes, by which point he would be 43. However, following a face-to-face meeting on the golf course with Test head coach Brendon McCullum in April, and further conversations involving managing director Rob Key, Anderson was informed the team needed to look beyond him this summer with a view to building to that tour of Australia.The news of that meeting, initially reported in on Friday, ultimately brought confirmation from Anderson 24 hours later. He was due to feature as part of the BBC’s live coverage of England Women’s first match of the summer against Pakistan at Edgbaston on Saturday but has subsequently pulled out.James Anderson is set to finish his career with 188 Tests to his name•Getty Images

Speaking to Tailenders, Anderson confirmed that his discussions with McCullum had come up as part of his annual appraisal, at the six-month mark of his one-year contract.”I feel like I have talked about it for ten years with every coach I have had, asking ‘how long you going to play for’,” Anderson said. “Looking ahead, could a 43-year-old me make the Ashes in 18 months time? I sort of came to the decision ‘probably not’. From my point of view it feels like a stretch at this point in my career, and from their point of view there are 15 or so Tests before the Ashes so it gives them time to get other guys Tests and experience before that Ashes series.”I feel good about it, I have had an amazing career. Stuff about retirement has been hanging around for years now, ever since I turned 30 and grown even more since I turned 40. I just feel really lucky that I have managed to get to this stage, still playing at this very high level.”Anderson reached the 700 Test-wicket mark earlier this year in the fifth and final Test of England’s tour of India. Though he has long been the lynchpin of the English attack, he bowled just 110 overs in seven innings in that series after a tough Ashes campaign last summer in which he took just five wickets at 85.40 in four Tests. Anderson is currently on a one-year central contract which expires at the end of the summer.Regarding his county career, however, Anderson admitted he was “not 100% set” on hanging up his boots, and could yet feature in the latter half of Lancashire’s Championship campaign.”There are games at the end of the season that I’m not ruling out at this moment,” he said. “That’s a conversation I’ve got to have with Lancashire and see what they want to do.”It is part of the thought process. I’m not 100% set on what I’m going to do next. That will be a conversation further down the line with Lancashire and see what they want to do, see if I’ve actually got the desire and willingness to do that as well. Again, that will be later in the year.”In a statement released by the ECB alongside Anderson’s, chair Richard Thompson said:”I don’t think we’ll ever see a bowler to match Jimmy again. It has been an honour as an England fan to watch him, and to marvel at his skill with the ball.”To still be bowling at the top of his game at 41 is remarkable, and he is a true inspiration and role model for peers and younger generations alike.”His final Test promises to be an emotional one, and having been there for his first Test in 2003, it will be an honour to watch his final one at Lord’s in July.”English cricket owes Jimmy Anderson a send-off like no other.”

“Anything can be resolved through proper dialogue,” Kumble tweets after images of the wrestlers being “manhandled” by police personnel emerge

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2023Anil Kumble and Robin Uthappa are among just a handful of cricketers who have expressed their anguish at prominent Indian wrestlers being “manhandled” by the police in Delhi, India’s national capital.Tweeting on Tuesday, two days after disturbing images of Vinesh Phogat, among other wrestlers, being dragged away from the site of their protest in central Delhi emerged, Kumble said, “Dismayed to hear about what transpired on the 28th of May with our wrestlers being manhandled. Anything can be resolved through proper dialogue. Hoping for a resolution at the earliest.”A day later, on Wednesday, Uthappa said he was “saddened” by the developments, and that he was “certain there is a better way to have this addressed in a peaceful manner”.Delhi Police acted against the wrestlers when they breached the security barriers and started to march towards the new parliament building, which was being inaugurated by Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, at the time. The protesters were pushed into buses and taken away, and police personnel cleared the protest site – not far from the parliament building not long after.Apart from Kumble and Uthappa, there was a message from Irfan Pathan, who tweeted “I’m so sad to see the visuals of our Athletes” on Sunday night itself. And from Manoj Tiwary, now a Member of the Legislative Assembly in West Bengal, who offered his support to the wrestlers.