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The fast bowler is flying home to Barbados following the death of his grandmother and will rejoin the team in India after her funeral

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2018Kemar Roach will return to Barbados following the death of his grandmother and will rejoin West Indies’ squad in India after her funeral. This means the fast bowler is likely to miss West Indies’ two-day tour match against the Board President’s XI in Vadodara. The match begins on September 29, and is West Indies’ only warm-up match before their two-Test series against India, which begins in Rajkot on October 4.Roach, as a result, could go into the first Test without any recent long-format match practice; his last red-ball match was the first Test against Bangladesh in Antigua in the first week of July. He took five wickets in the first innings of that Test match, but also picked up a hamstring injury and was rested for the second Test in Jamaica.Since then, Roach’s only top-level cricket has been a pair of T20 games for Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League in August.The 30-year-old Roach is the most experienced of the five fast bowlers in West Indies’ squad, having played 48 Tests since his debut in 2009. Shannon Gabriel (37 Tests) and Jason Holder (34) are the two other senior quicks, with Keemo Paul having played just the one Test so far and Sherman Lewis – who replaced the injured Alzarri Joseph – yet to make his debut.

Cheteshwar Pujara’s 11th Test ton – the first for India in this series – ensured the hosts did not fall prey to outstanding bowling from Pat Cummins, who took four wickets

The Report by Daniel Brettig18-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:47

Manjrekar: No umpire error in Pujara review

Pat Cummins and Cheteshwar Pujara fought an absorbing duel for supremacy in Ranchi on a day when nothing came easily for either side. Australia sought to squeeze India’s first innings with tight bowling throughout and Cummins’ impact bursts, but by the close Pujara had inched the hosts to within 91 of their opponents’ tally.Nearly six years after his debut Test against South Africa in Johannesburg, Cummins bowled spells of the highest quality with both new and old ball, claiming the wickets of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and R Ashwin, the latter with a pair of prancing short deliveries. Josh Hazlewood supported him gamely, but admiration for Cummins’ work was mixed with concern for how his body will recover from these exertions given he was rushed into the team after just one Sheffield Shield match.Pujara’s innings demonstrated intense concentration and mirrored the rhythms of the day. He defended stoutly in the morning, attacked the second new ball to accelerate to his hundred in the afternoon, and then shut shop in the evening as he tried to soak up time and overs in the company of the lower order while gradually eating into Australia’s advantage.His most substantial support came from M Vijay, who helped build a strong platform aided by a strong dose of good fortune when both he and Pujara might have been out in the space of two balls from Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon, on a pitch that is starting to show the faintest traces of deterioration.O’Keefe appeared to strike Pujara in front of the stumps with the last ball of the 58th over, and the captain Steven Smith chose to review the not-out verdict. However, the appeal was declined though Ultra Edge evidence suggested the ball may have struck the pad before the bat by the smallest of margins.First ball of Lyon’s next over, Vijay was caught at short leg but the appeal was declined, and with no reviews left as a result of the previous delivery, the video evidence of an inside edge onto pad was unable to be accessed. That sequence frustrated the Australians and allowed Vijay and Pujara to lift the scoring rate considerably in the lead-up to the lunch interval. Their stand was worth 102 when Vijay advanced unsuccessfully to O’Keefe and was well stumped by Matthew Wade in the last over of the morning.Kohli walked onto the field after lunch for the first time since he suffered a shoulder injury on the first day when fielding, an ailment that has required plenty of treatment, scans and also a painkilling injection. He found little sympathy from Australia, who maintained their stranglehold on his run-making by keeping him tied down until Cummins took the second new ball.Glenn Maxwell dived to save a Pujara boundary – ironically in more or less the same spot where Kohli had been injured two days before – and the resulting three put India’s captain on strike, whereupon he drove at his first ball from Cummins and edged to an exultant Smith at second slip.Australia’s celebrations continued when Rahane edged a half-hearted attempt to upper cut Cummins through to Wade, but Pujara was able to go on to his century in some style with a cover-driven boundary. Karun Nair too made a positive start to his innings as India’s total passed 300. In all, 110 runs flowed during the session.Australia tightened their bowling once again on resumption, starving Pujara and Nair of the opportunity to capitalise on what should have been a tiring attack after tea. Hazlewood had found reverse swing at various junctures of the innings, and it was a sharply swerving ball that found a narrow gap between Nair’s bat and pad to send the off stump cartwheeling.Like Kohli, Ashwin has been unable to repeat his batting feats of this season against Australia, and he was to fall to another venomous short ball from Cummins that gently grazed the gloves as the batsman tried to drop his hands away from harm. This time the DRS did go the way of Australia, as Ultra Edge showed a spike as the ball passed the gloves. Ashwin evidently did not agree and walked off the field an angry man.The episode did not distract Pujara, who formed the start of a potentially useful stand with the wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha as the shadows lengthened and the day petered out. Smith oddly did not try Lyon in the closing overs, but walked off satisfied that a couple of quick wickets on the fourth morning could still open the match up for Australia.

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.”

The pitch, easy-paced throughout, had the final word as this Division Two match ended in a draw, though not before Ned Eckersley completed his second hundred of the match

ECB Reporters Network07-Aug-2016
ScorecardNed Eckersley completed a fantastic match•Getty Images

The pitch, easy-paced throughout, had the final word as this Division Two match ended in a draw, though not before Ned Eckersley completed his second hundred of the match – the second time in his career the Leicestershire batsman has scored a century in both innings of a Championship fixture.Leicestershire, who resumed on an apparently precarious 109 for 5, a lead of just 127, lost just one wicket during the morning session while increasing their lead to over 200.Things might have been different had Chesney Hughes, at first slip, been able to hold a chance given by Niall O’Brien in the opening over, the left-hander edging a Tony Palladino delivery to first slip. Hughes juggled the ball three times but was unable to hang on.O’Brien and Eckersley then batted without alarm, albeit scoring at just two runs an over, in extending their partnership past 50. O’Brien had not hit a boundary in 116 balls when shortly before lunch he went back to a cut a delivery from left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson and edged a catch behind.Clint McKay could not resist trying to loft Parkinson’s left-arm spin into the stands, missed and was bowled, but Ben Raine gave Eckersley solid support in adding 53 for the eighth wicket before losing his middle stump to Neil Broom’s occasional offspin.Eckersley, who hit 117 in the first innings, then went to his century off 170 balls, becoming the first Leicestershire batsman to achieve the feat since he himself did so against Worcestershire in 2013.The declaration came very late, leaving Derbyshire a target of 313 off 38 over, and when Raine bowled Billy Godleman without scoring, and Chesney Hughes got a leading edge off McKay and was caught at mid-on for 5, there were some wondering whether Leicestershire had been too pessimistic about the docility of the pitch.The more so when Ben Slater went leg before to a Charlie Shreck delivery that kept low and Broom was caught in the gully having edged a Shreck delivery onto his pad, leaving the visitors of 43 for 4.Throughout the game, however, once the new ball effect wore off batsmen found it relatively easy to survive, and Wayne Madsen and Shiv Thakor – not without the occasional alarm – saw their side through to the draw.
Parkinson, on his first class debut, bowled a remarkable 70.4 overs in the match, and finished with six wickets.

James Anderson has responded angrily to the suggestion that England have been involved in ball-tampering during the Champions Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jun-2013James Anderson has responded angrily to the suggestion that England have been involved in ball-tampering during the Champions Trophy.Bob Willis, the former England captain, sparked the controversy in his role as a TV commentator by saying there was no other reason for the umpires to change the ball as they did midway through Sri Lanka’s run chase at The Oval. Ashley Giles launched a strong defence yesterday and now Anderson has followed up in his newspaper column.”It’s very disappointing and frustrating that anyone, but especially a former England captain, should say these things, especially when we’re preparing for a massive game,” Anderson told the .”The fact is people can think what they like. We know the truth, I can state categorically that no one in the England team has ever tampered with a ball and we won’t allow comments made by someone like Bob Willis to worry us.England are always keen to try and get the ball to reverse swing, as they did against Australia in their opening match of the Champions Trophy, and Anderson is adamant it is all down to their own hard work and skill.”Reverse swing has been an issue in cricket for a while,” he added. “But just because one bowler or one team reverse a ball better than another on a given day doesn’t mean to say he or they have been tampering. It just means they’re more skilful.”I can assure you that if any of the England bowlers achieve it then it is within the letter of the laws. When we played Australia the square at Edgbaston was very dry and there were a lot of dry patches that got roughed up and resulted in scuffs on the ball.”At The Oval against Sri Lanka the other day there were nowhere near as many dry areas and that’s mainly why the ball didn’t reverse anywhere near as much.”

Preview of the first ODI between West Indies and New Zealand in Kingston

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit04-Jul-2012

Match facts

Thursday, July 5
Start time 0930 (1430 GMT)
The spotlight is on stand-in New Zealand captain Kane Williamson•AFP

Big Picture

West Indies have long been at that level where mediocrity becomes so much of a routine that you lose track of how poor they have actually become. It has been more than four years since they have won an ODI series against Test-level opposition, apart from Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. That is 14 straight bilateral series. Recent performances and the current opposition give a faint glimmer of hope, though, that the woeful run could end.West Indies tied a hard-fought series with Australia at home in March. They were expected to be beaten, but they fought. Another factor in their favour is that their opponents, New Zealand, are fellow laggards. They are ranked seventh, a point ahead of West Indies in the ICC one-day rankings, and a gulf separates the two and sixth-ranked Pakistan. Since December 2008, New Zealand have won only one bilateral ODI series against top Test-level opposition. They have even suffered a 0-4 rout to Bangladesh.If the Twenty20s were a sign of things to come, New Zealand stand no chance. They were hammered in both games in Florida. The ODI format does afford a team the time to withstand shocks and come back. But on paper, things look loaded against New Zealand. They are coming off after a long break, the conditions certainly won’t suit them, West Indies are packed with power-hitters and New Zealand are without their injured captain Ross Taylor and other key players. Again, it’s time to ‘punch above their weight’.

Form guide

West Indies LLLWT (completed games, most recent first)
New Zealand LLLWW

Watch out for…

This is the best chance for Darren Sammy to record his first ODI series win over top opposition. All the talk during his captaincy has been about ‘team over individuals’, building for the future and encouraging youth. They need to start winning some as well.It will be a tough initiation to captaincy for Kane Williamson, the youngest to lead New Zealand, and of whom much is expected for many years to come. At the very least, this short leadership stint, till Taylor comes back, can only build his character. And offer New Zealand a glimpse into the long-term future.

Team news

West Indies have stuck to the same squad that lost the ODI series to England, minus Darren Bravo and Fidel Edwards. Again, the choice to be made will be which allrounder to leave out.West Indies: (possible) 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Dwayne Smith, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Tino Best, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Sunil NarineNew Zealand have added fast bowler Trent Boult to the squad for the one-dayers. He was already part of the Test squad but is yet to make his ODI debut. Jacob Oram missed the second Twenty20 on Sunday with a knee strain but is expected to be fit for the ODIs.New Zealand: (possible) 1 Rob Nicol, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Daniel Flynn, 5 Dean Brownlie, 6 Tom Latham/BJ Watling (wk), 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Doug Bracewell/Tarun Nethula 11 Kyle Mills

Stats and trivia

• The last time New Zealand toured the West Indies for a bilateral series was in 2002
• The last time Chris Gayle played for West Indies at Sabina Park, his home ground, was in June 2009
  

  Quotes

  “Without Brendon and Ross in the side we lose a bit of that experience. We’ve got quite a young batting line-up, but the guys are picked in this squad for a reason.”
  
  
  “We are looking for consistency. For the past few home series we have not started well and have played catch up.”

For the second week in succession Moeen Ali made a Clydesdale Bank 40 century
for Worcestershire and finished on the losing side as the Netherlands claimed
another county scalp with a two-wicket win at New Road

21-Aug-2011
ScorecardFor the second week in succession Moeen Ali made a Clydesdale Bank 40 century
for Worcestershire and finished on the losing side as the Netherlands claimed
another county scalp with a two-wicket win at New Road.Moeen made a dashing 117 – almost half of his team’s total of 239 for 8 –
but this was countered by an unbeaten 97 from South African wicketkeeper Wesley
Barresi as the Dutch passed the target with two balls to spare.A sixth consecutive home defeat in the competition keeps Worcestershire at the
foot of Group A, but for the Netherlands it was party time as they celebrated
their fifth victory. They have previously defeated Yorkshire twice as well as Derbyshire and Kent.A lesser side might have capitulated after a near disastrous first over in
which Eric Swarczynski and Michael Swart both drove catches back to
Worcestershire’s left-arm seamer Jack Shantry. Wilfred Diepeveen also went cheaply but Pretoria-born left hander Stephan Myburgh turned things round with a half-century from 45 balls.When he was run out by Shantry for 55, Peter Borren made a quick-fire 29 and
Barresi became increasingly destructive with 11 fours and three sixes in an
84-ball innings. He lost the strike at the end but Australian Mark Cleary chipped in with 16 and
Tim Gruijters turned the winning single to square leg.It was desperate luck for Moeen to go down again, after making 158 when
Worcestershire lost by 80 runs chasing Sussex’s record total of 399 for 4 six
days ago. A gifted left-hander with a wide range of shots, he was straight back into the
groove with a volley of boundaries against a modest Dutch attack.Ten fours took him to 50 from 44 balls, and after surviving a sharp chance
behind the wicket on 62, he had to rein back his aggression adding only two more
boundaries before completing his 100 from the 101st delivery he faced.Moeen finally drove a catch to cover as the Pakistan-born medium-pacer Mudassar
Bukhari completed a return of four for 41, his best in 69 List A matches in his
career. Another left-hander, James Cameron, was the only batsman to keep up with Moeen
as he made 42 from 52 balls during their third-wicket stand of 99 in 18 overs.Cameron was neatly taken at cover point to give the tall teenager Gruijters his
only wicket, but the Dutch continued to make progress as too many of the county
batsmen contributed to their own dismissals.

Adam Gilchrist and Aakash Chopra stressed the importance of work ethic and a shared vision within Twenty20 outfits for success in the shortest format

Cricinfo staff06-Apr-2010Adam Gilchrist, the Deccan Chargers captain, believes that success in the Twenty20 format – and especially in the multi-cultural IPL – depends heavily on the ability of every single player to believe in, and work towards the team’s cause.”Whatever the group, you need complete buy-in into the team,” Gilchrist said, speaking to Harsha Bhogle on Cricinfo’s Time Out talk show. “You need everyone on board and it only takes one chink in the armour who doesn’t take up the slack or maintain the standards that you as leader and the rest of the team want to be part of, to make it fall down.””That is something we were impressed with in the Chargers in the turnaround. We have had our ups and downs this year but I feel confident with the buy-in from our players and their believing in our culture. But once you are struggling, particularly if it is a high-profile player, where others may lead or follow, it makes it difficult,” Gilchrist said.Gilchrist was reacting to a point raised by former India opener Aakash Chopra, who also participated in the show. Chopra drew from his experience playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2009 edition of the IPL, to stress on the importance of work ethic in the Twenty20 format. While Gilchrist led Deccan Chargers to the title, Kolkata Knight Riders finished at the bottom of the table.”Talent has to be mixed with the work ethic and youngsters don’t have a problem absorbing work ethics if they work for people who are extremely successful at the international level,” Chopra said.”The problem starts where there is a bigger player who doesn’t adhere to those work ethics and that is where it is difficult for a leader to put things in perspectives. Coming from Kolkata I know how the system works there and John Buchanan had a rough time dealing with certain individuals,” Chopra said.Click here to access the talk show.

Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan captain, has called for several changes to increase the popularity of five-day cricket, including paying Test players significantly more

Cricinfo staff11-Mar-2010Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, has called for several changes to increase the popularity of five-day cricket, including paying Test players significantly more and not broadcasting the game in the city hosting the game until a large crowd turns up at the ground. Speaking on Cricinfo’s video show , Sangakkara also said every country should have an iconic series like the Ashes to draw spectators to the stadiums.There has been plenty of talk over the decline of Tests, but Sangakkara said it was premature to write the format’s obituary. “Everyone is talking about Test cricket dying. Maybe we are pre-empting its death and trying to kill it before its time,” he said. “When it comes to players, they value playing the five-day version a lot more than they do any other version.”With a lot more money on offer in lucrative Twenty20 leagues such as the IPL, he stated that salaries of Test specialists should be hiked substantially. “Paying a match fee for playing a Test match that is 10% more than for a Twenty20, or a one-day game or 50% more doesn’t cut it,” he said. “Test cricket should be given its premium position by paying a premium amount for players who play only Test cricket sometimes.”Test cricket is packing stadiums only in England and a handful of cities over the world, something which Sangakkara felt could change if there were changes in way television broadcasted the game. “Stop overkill of cricket on television. We can’t have 24-hour cricket channels and still expect people to come and watch it at the ground,” he said. “Not telecasting the match to a particular city until they have an acceptable crowd at the ground [as they do in Australia is the right thing to do].”The Ashes have been one series which have been extremely well attended, with many grounds being sold out in advance, which indicated the way forward for Tests, according to Sangakkara. “Have iconic Test series for every country, like the Ashes for England and Australia. Have one for India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – it draws the crowds to the grounds.”There have been plenty of exciting Test matches over the past few years, including the memorable South African victory in Australia, England hanging on to nail-biting draws in three Tests, and India retaining the No. 1 ranking after a win with nine deliveries to spare in Kolkata last month in the face of a Hashim Amla masterclass. Sangakkara said players must dish out exciting cricket to gets fans to show up. “We have to accept the fact that we play because we are watched, we are entertainers – we can call ourselves gladiators,” he said. “At the end of the day we entertain and we like to play in front of a crowd. To get the crowd we have to be responsible enough to play entertaining cricket.”He also spoke of his team’s ambitions to correct some of the blots in Sri Lanka’s Test record, such as their record against Australia and their performances on tours to India. “We want to win against Australia, we want to beat India in India. Those are the things we talk about as players, and these opportunities don’t come if we don’t play Test cricket,” he said. “If Test cricket is going to be relegated as the third format of the game, behind Twenty20 and one-day cricket, then I think it will be a very sad day for cricket.”

In the last five years, batting averages there have diminished as the game has progressed, with spinners having taken more than 100 wickets each on days three and four

Mohammad Isam16-Jun-2025Bangladesh batters are eager to cash in on the Galle pitch before it starts responding to spinners, according to captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. The visitors begin their Sri Lanka tour with the Galle Test starting on Tuesday, with recent performances putting both batting units under pressure.Shanto had scored his maiden Test century in the first game during Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2021 – he scored 163 in Pallekele, which remains his highest Test score. This time around, Bangladesh will be playing only their third Test in Galle, the last of which was back in 2017.In the last five years, batting averages in Galle have diminished as the game has progressed – from 45.64 on the first day to 35.61, 28.53, 28.31 and 20.65 in the subsequent days. Spinners have taken more than 100 wickets each on the third and fourth days of Tests in Galle during this period.Related

• Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh: New beginnings for both teams as WTC restarts in Galle

• Ebadot Hossain back in Bangladesh squad for SL Tests

• Shanto banks on away form, squad flexibility for fresh WTC

“I have some good memories in Kandy, but I want to take the opportunity in Galle,” Shanto said. “Playing spin may be challenging, but there’s also a lot of runs in the first two or three days in Galle. We want to take that opportunity. There will be challenges for the batters as spinners take a lot of wickets in this venue. We have to bat well. We are enjoying each other’s company despite all the challenges.”Shanto said he is pleased with the combination of players he has in the current Test squad, although Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who reportedly has a fever, remains a doubtful starter against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh will take a last-minute call on the playing XI after confirming whether Mehidy is available.”Mehidy is still under observation, but his health is improving. A lot depends on his availability,” Shanto said. “If he is in the team, we can go into the Test with a good combination. I don’t want to reveal where I am going to bat in the Test match. I don’t want my opponent to know. We still have a few things up in the air. Miraz is still not fully well.”I am happy with the Test squad. I think it is also quite positive that we all could agree on this combination. It is a balanced side with enough options for batting and bowling. We can pick the XI depending on the opposition and conditions. We also have to execute our plans by playing good cricket.”Earlier this year, Bangladesh levelled the Test series against Zimbabwe after defeat in the first Test•AFP/Getty Images

Bangladesh’s batting struggles are often attributed to the absence of their batting heavyweights, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan. While Tamim has retired from all formats, Shakib could be available just for ODIs. In Tamim’s absence, Bangladesh are yet to settle on an opening pair, while Shakib’s role as a batter hasn’t been totally replaced either. Shanto, though, is hopeful that the current Test players can do their jobs in Sri Lanka.”They are not in the team for the last two or three years; Shakib and Tamim served Bangladesh cricket for a long time,” Shanto said. “But we don’t want to think about the past. We have some experienced cricketers in the squad. They will do well here. I hope those in the team will take the team forward.”Bangladesh will be looking to bounce back after having won just two out of ten completed matches across formats so far this year. In February, they exited the Champions Trophy in the group stage, before going down to Zimbabwe in the Sylhet Test in April. Bangladesh then lost back-to-back T20I series against UAE and Pakistan in May-June. Shanto, however, said that the team will take inspiration from their drawn Test series against Zimbabwe, where they bounced back in Chattogram after the defeat in Sylhet.”We don’t want to think too much about the Zimbabwe series. We came back well in that series,” Shanto said. “It will motivate the team. We are playing in conditions that many of us have played in the past. We have to play good cricket, especially the batters.”We have good memories in Sri Lanka, which will be helpful but every series is a new beginning. The top order has to provide the team with a good start. We have a good squad here, so it will be a great opportunity to do something special here.”