There was nerves, pride and joy for the Harris family at the Adelaide Oval as the 26-year old Marcus finally got to walk out and bat for Australia

Melinda Farrell in Adelaide07-Dec-20184:39

Langer family has always been close to us – Kim Harris

“Should get my old man in here. He’s doing more press than me.”Marcus Harris’ first press conference as an Australian Test cricketer began with a chirpy quip rather than a question and his father had indeed been a media favourite at Adelaide Oval. A debutant’s family is always of interest when they step into the limelight and both nerves and pride were evident as they watched Harris get off the mark in Test cricket with a tuck off his legs for three.The “old man” Kim beamed with delight. His wife Sue wiped away tears. Marcus, focused on the game, remained oblivious.”No I wasn’t aware of it,” Harris, junior, said after stumps. “Petey Handscomb came up to me and just said there was a really good picture when you got off the mark of your mum and family and all that so that was really good.”I’ve been aware of my old man in the media, he’s been doing more media than I have been. He loves talking so it suits him down to a tee. It’s really good for them to be able to come here and experience it with me. Cricket Australia have been brilliant, they’ve been really involved in everything we’ve been doing. I’m just excited, I know they’re excited for me but I’m also excited for them to be part of it as well.”

She would tell Marcus that he will get 20 Australian dollars for a hundred and on days that will happen my mother would hand him over the money. When he was 15, in a particular season, he hit 11 hundreds. My mother will tell him: “Marcus you are going to bankrupt me.”Kim Harris on the role his mother played to further Marcus’ love of cricket

Kim, a talented cricketer himself, considers the pair to be a “father-son team” who often discuss the finer points of batting at great length, so it’s no surprise that he has relished every aspect of being the proud dad to a Test cricketer.”First there was the baggy green presentation on Thursday,” Harris, senior, said. “And that is very big in Australian cricket and everybody dreams of that. The boys in Australia all dream of that. So to be there and see my son do that was special.”It took a few takes to actually go ‘where are we? We are standing on the Adelaide Oval and 456 is his Test number and no one can take that from him. And if we had the perfect outcome, it was to win the toss and India bat first so that he can ease his way into the game. So on Wednesday night I was discussing with a friend who has flown here from Somerset that our perfect day will be India nine down at close of play on day one as we didn’t want Marcus to bat for 10 minutes towards the end of the day and we got that. And then on the second day we thought, ‘what if India can bat for 10-15 minutes but we will take first ball and that is what happened. So that was good. I thought Marcus batted well and will certainly pass that to him tonight. He knows that. But I know he would have wanted more because you do all the hard work. You play the first 20 overs and you want to work it through.”1:28

Introducing Marcus Harris, Australia’s newest Test cricketer

Like many of the Australian batsmen, Harris was able to make a start but found conditions to be testing on a pitch that has proven to be troublesome for even his more experienced team-mates. Twenty-six off 57 reads as a modest start to his Test career but there is encouragement in the fact he didn’t look out of place in the national side. Harris was one of three left-handers to fall to the guile of R Ashwin, edging onto his pad and popping the ball up for M Vijay at silly mid-off.It was an innings that followed years of shared dreams and hard work by father and son.”I have wrecked a shoulder throwing buckets and buckets of balls at him. I know what his strengths and weaknesses are and he has got better and better over the years.”He has been under the radar of Australia cricket for a long time. He knows how to pick his time and which ball to pick to hit. He has shown that in the Big Bash. This is another level for him and I think he can handle that. I honestly believe that he can do it.”One member of the Harris family who was sadly absent for Harris’ debut was his late grandmother, affectionately known as Nanna Dot, with whom he was particularly close and gave him extra incentive to score runs from a young age.Marcus Harris walks out for his first Test innings•Getty Images”She lived with us when Marcus was little fellow,” Kim said. “Every Saturday morning she would tell Marcus that he will get 20 Australian dollars for a hundred and on days that will happen my mother would hand him over the money. When he was 15, in a particular season, he hit 11 hundreds. My mother will tell him: “Marcus you are going to bankrupt me.” Even when he became a first-class player for Western Australia and would make a hundred, she would put in $20 in a card and write ‘to my favourite grandson’, and put it on his bed. And Marcus would tell her that she didn’t need to put $20 now as he his earning now but she would say that ‘you got to keep it as that’s the deal’. Mum passed away three years ago but, yes, they were very close.”ALSO READ: How ‘mediocre’ Marcus Harris made it to ‘the brotherhood’Harris would no doubt love to bank a few hundreds for Australia but, no matter what lies ahead in his career, he is already living out his father’s dream.”You could say that,” Kim said. “Every dad would love to do that. But it’s his road. I am just glad that I am sitting in the back passages and knowing we are with him. I will support him all the way.”

Coach Langer wants his team to “be prepared to bat for a long, long time”. That goal was on show in the tour game, which could define the Test XI

Alex Malcolm04-Oct-2018Time in the middle is one of cricket’s oldest adages.It is something Australia has struggled with on overseas tours in recent times. The value of time in the middle in the warm-up match against Pakistan A in Dubai will reveal itself in the first Test starting on Sunday.But Australia’s batting performance in its only innings ahead of the series was telling. Not one, but three Australian batsmen, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh and Travis Head, faced more than 200 balls in the innings.It is telling in that no Australian batsman has faced 200 balls or more in an innings any warm-up match in the last six overseas test tours dating back to 2015. Six times Australian players scored hundreds but were retired well before the 200-ball mark.Welcome to the Justin Langer era. Where hundreds weigh heavily in selection and batting for long periods is an expected minimum.Australian captain Tim Paine revealed ahead of the tour that Langer had told his batsmen to leave “their egos at home and be prepared to bat for a long, long time”.When Mitchell Marsh reached his century against Pakistan A on day three there was no thought of retiring him to give others a chance. He went on to make 162 from 298 balls, the longest innings of his entire first-class career.”My game plan today was to be really patient and play every ball on its merits and if it took me the whole day to get my hundred, so be it,” Marsh said at the close of day three. “It was really nice to spend that time in the middle.”Shaun Marsh faced 230 balls for his 94 while Travis Head remained unbeaten on 90 from 200 balls when Australia declared overnight on day three.Time in the middle could factor in Australia’s selection for the first Test. Matthew Renshaw was predicted to be a lock-in at the top of the order, given he is one of just three specialist batsmen in the touring party with previous Test match experience. But Renshaw did not bat in the practice match after he was struck on the head while fielding at short leg. He was substituted out of the game as a precaution but was running laps on day four.Langer revealed that he expects Renshaw to be fit to play but that might not be enough for him to be selected. “I think Matthew Renshaw will be physically fine,” he said. “The problem he’s got is that he hasn’t played much cricket. He went to the Australian A tour [of India] and got a hamstring strain and missed a fair bit of cricket on the Australian A tour. He’s come here and hasn’t played. He played the second Australia A game and didn’t spend much time in the middle.”Renshaw made 0 and 19 and faced a total of 45 balls in the second unofficial Test against India A in Bengaluru in early September. He played two matches for Australia A in limited-overs tri-series in India in August. That is the only cricket he has played since his prolific stint with Somerset was cut short in June due to a broken finger.Langer said 24-year-old Queenslander Marnus Labuschagne was firmly in the frame to make his debut after making 39 not out from 73 balls against Pakistan A.”In the history of Australian cricket a lot of people take their opportunity through injury and I thought Marnus fielded brilliantly, looked really good with the bat yesterday, bowled a few overs of leggies, so he’s certainly put a strong case forward for selection as well,” Langer said.There is no doubt Head and Aaron Finch will make their Test debuts on Sunday with Langer saying both men deserved their baggy green caps.Finch didn’t spend the hours at the crease that Head did, but hit 54 from 91 balls opening the batting for the first time in a four-day game for Australia. He has batted predominately in the middle order for Victoria in Sheffield Shield cricket. Finch spoke of adapting his game from his trademark limited-overs aggression.”It’s still about playing my natural game,” Finch said on day two. “There will be an opportunity to taper that slightly with the conditions and with the wicket.”You have to pick your moments and pick your bowlers, pick your balls and just to do it for as long as you can.”Australian egos have been under the microscope over the last six months, but early evidence suggests they have heeded Langer’s advice ahead of their first Test assignment under his stewardship.

Vote for the player you think will get the top bid on December 18

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2018

The wicketkeeper-batsman, who hit the winning runs in the Under-19 World Cup final last year, has now given Saurashtra hope of progressing to the Ranji Trophy semi-finals as a pure batsman

Hemant Brar in Lucknow18-Jan-2019He is a wicketkeeper-batsman who hit the winning runs for India in a World Cup final. On Friday, he scored an unbeaten, although a bit sluggish, eighty. But no, we’re not talking about the man you are thinking of.This is about Harvik Desai, who scored the winning four in the Under-19 World Cup final in New Zealand last year. One year later in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow, he scored an unbeaten 83 off 208 balls for Saurashtra.Desai is primarily a wicketkeeper-batsman but Snell Patel has been doing pretty well for Saurashtra – today, too, he scored 72 – meaning there was no place for Desai in the side. However, an injury to Avi Barot, a regular Saurashtra opener, just before the start of the tournament threw up a vacant opening slot. Saurashtra coach Sitanshu Kotak took the gamble of playing Desai as a pure batsman and the 19-year-old didn’t disappoint.ALSO READ: Dharmendrasinh Jadeja finally escapes Ravindra’s shadowsMaking his debut against Chhattisgarh, the right-handed batsman scored 78 and 46. By the time, the group stages ended, he had 538 runs from eight games at 35.86, including five half-centuries.In the first innings of the quarter-final, Desai once again batted with authority but failed to convert yet another half-century into a hundred. And despite his 84, Saurashtra were bowled out for 208 in response to UP’s first-innings total of 385, and ended up conceding a big lead.The visitors, though, led by left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, restricted the hosts to 194 in the second innings. But Saurashtra’s task wasn’t easy. While with five-and-half sessions left in the game, a target of 372 didn’t look impossible to achieve, no team in Ranji Trophy has been successful chasing that many.Ankit Rajpoot triggered the horrors of the first innings by beating Desai’s outside edge with the first ball of the chase. But from there on, the teenager batted with caution. At the same time, he didn’t fail to convert bad balls into boundaries.Trying to repeat his first ball, Rajpoot ended up bowling too full. When it was straight, Desai flicked him through midwicket and when it was wide, it was driven through covers. Yash Dayal, the most successful UP bowler in the first innings, was guilty of providing too much room outside off, and Desai duly steered him past gully for four.Manjot Kalra and Harvik Desai celebrate India’s win•AFPUP then switched to Plan B. In the tenth over of the innings, Rajpoot switched to around the wicket and hit Desai on the thigh. A big appeal for lbw was denied as the ball would have sailed over the stumps. From the other end, Mavi was introduced and he started dishing out the short stuff. But Desai was decisive in his shot selection, either ducking and swaying, or pulling it away.The shot that stood out came in the 11th over of the innings. Mavi, who was Desai’s team-mate during the U-19 World Cup, bowled one short outside off. But, perhaps Desai had already played such deliveries during various net sessions. He went back and pulled it towards midwicket boundary for four. Mavi’s first six overs went for 34.But UP posed one more threat, in the form of Saurabh Kumar. The left-arm spinner had 50 wickets in nine games coming into this match, and was just three away from breaking Rajinder Hans’ record tally of 52 wickets for UP in a single Ranji season. In the first innings he went wicketless as the three pacers shared all the wickets. However, now UP were banking on him, especially after the opposition’s left-arm spinner picked up seven wickets in the match.Saurabh bowled a fourth-stump line with a dominant off-side field, but Desai had a plan for him as well. He consistently shuffled his front leg outside the line and swept him fine. Whenever he failed to make the connection, and when there was an lbw shout, the umpires deemed the impact was outside the line of off stump.Desai and Patel took the side to lunch without any damage. After the break, Desai brought up his fifty, off 126 balls.Mavi dismissed Patel from the other end when the team score was 132. Desai, who until then was batting with utmost care, also suffered a lapse in concentration. In the very next over, he pushed at a length ball from Saurabh but wicketkeeper Upendra Yadav grassed the chance. He was on 59 then.In the last session of the day, Saurabh switched to over the wicket in search of Desai’s wicket but bowled either too full or too short. Desai took full advantage of that and along with Vishvaraj Jadeja took the side to 187.At stumps, Desai was 17 short of what would be his maiden first-class hundred if reaches there tomorrow. And if he can help Saurashtra to victory – they still need 177 more – it would taste even sweeter.

There could have been a hundred for Markram, a ground record for Amla, a debut fifty for Hamza. None of these came to pass, and Pakistan came roaring back into the contest

Liam Brickhill at the Wanderers11-Jan-2019The first day at the Wanderers was supposed to be all about milestones. South Africa were blooding their 100th player since readmission in Zubayr Hamza, while at the other end of the spectrum Hashim Amla (Protea no. 60, who handed Hamza his cap) might have had one eye on becoming the leading Test run-scorer at this ground: at the start of play, he needed 117 runs to overtake Jacques Kallis’ monumental record at this ground.Aiden Markram will have had both eyes on the target of a fifth Test hundred when he sprinted through the first two sessions in a flurry of chanceless boundaries, but he too fell short, out for his third Test score in the 90s. Dean Elgar came into this match harbouring thoughts of scoring a Test win as captain to make up for the “chaotic” build-up and eventual defeat in his last stand-in performance against England in 2017. South Africa may yet win this game under Elgar’s leadership, but such a result looked a long way off when he left the field with an audible f-bomb after being caught behind for 5 this morning.It got a bit better after that, and things actually seemed to be going to plan for South Africa when Markram cracked 14 fours before lunch to bring up the team 100 on cruise control. In the midst of Markram’s 126-run second wicket stand with Amla, with Pakistan’s seamers having made a tepid start on a track that seemed to be playing flat and true, it appeared three milestones – Amla’s, Markram’s and Elgar’s – could follow according to the script, and that Hamza could ease past one, or perhaps even two, in his debut innings.Clearly, Pakistan hadn’t read it. Markram tickled one down the leg side to add another Test 90 to his 94 against India and his 97 against Bangladesh, putting him ahead of Virat Kohli in the Test 90s stakes, which is, one supposes, a sort of milestone too.Amla was out 76 short of surpassing Kallis’ mark at this ground, flashing Shadab Khan to slip, and Hamza’s rally alongside Theunis de Bruyn offered a brief, but suggestive, look at his qualities as a player. Hamza squeezed his first boundary past gully, smoked Shadab over midwicket for six to make light of any debut nerves, and showed that his hook was in good working order to the quicks. De Bruyn too exhibited a range of attacking strokes, looking especially silky through the covers, but he was out one run short of a steadying fifty, and Hamza nine short of joining this listAt the end of the day’s play, Markram was left reflecting on all the missed milestones, which played some part in South Africa slipping from 229 for 3 to 262 all out against the reverse-swinging ball.”We would have liked a batter to get to the three-figure mark,” Markram admitted. “I think it’s quite an important thing for us, and it’s something we really strive for. There were a couple of us who had the chance today and we didn’t make it count, which is a disappointing side of it, but it’s something we can try to rectify in the second innings.”Of course, one of the great things about Test matches are the second chances they afford, and the scope for both failure and redemption within the course of a single twisting, turning game. Markram may get his ton in the second dig, Amla the Wanderers record, Hamza a fifty (or more) on debut, and Elgar a Test win as captain. Don’t discount the chance that Vernon Philander might even get another crack at a Test hat-trick, after he had Shan Masood and Azhar Ali caught behind with successive deliveries before Imam-ul-Haq denied him late in the day.There were a couple of milestones off the pitch too. South African journalist and press-box stalwart Ken Borland celebrated his birthday today (49 not out, and in sight of that maiden fifty), while veteran Pakistani scribe Qamar Ahmed today began coverage of his 450th and final Test match before his retirement. That’s almost 20% of all the Test matches ever played, which is one heck of a landmark.

There was meticulous preparation and an uncluttered mind – and only support from the man he replaced, best buddy KL Rahul

Shashank Kishore14-Jan-20193:16

Agarkar: Pant, Agarwal breakthrough stars for India

A small South Indian joint in a quiet corner of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium is the [meeting place] where five of Karnataka’s top players are chatting about life, bikes, Bengaluru’s weather, the city’s roads and, of course, cricket. At the centre of the discussion is Mayank Agarwal, India’s 295th Test cricketer.Agarwal is a cricket junkie. Minutes after arriving in Bangalore after a 14-hour flight from Australia following India’s historic series win, he was sitting with his personal coach R Muralidhar at a coffee shop at the airport, dissecting notes on what he did right and wrong during his two half-centuries, and what he needs to do going forward.Agarwal took a day off to spend time with family, and was back at the Karnataka nets, as the side prepares for the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals. To his team-mates, he is the same ‘Monkie’ who owes them a party. For Agarwal, that party will come the day Karnataka reclaim the Ranji Trophy crown.”It’s good to be back in this set up, carrying the confidence of being a Test cricketer and proving not to anyone else but yourself that you are good enough to rise to any challenge Test cricket throws at you,” Agarwal tells ESPNcricinfo as he steps aside from his mates for the interview. “It’s only when you’re in the middle, at a venue like the MCG, with 75,000 people looking down on you, where you’re all by yourself, taking guard, taking strike, I realised the actual nerves we as players often talk about after a big game.”Agarwal wasn’t part of the original Test squad for Australia. He had reason to wonder if he’ll have to put up another 2000-run season to be back in consideration again. Just not the time. With matches coming thick and fast, he was too busy to feel sorry for himself. Eventually, though, his phone rang and soon he was on a flight to join the Indian team.Mayank Agarwal goes aerial•Getty ImagesContrary to the perception that he was under-cooked going into Australia as a replacement for the injured Prithvi Shaw, Agarwal had four weeks of solid grind in New Zealand with the India A side.”We were playing a lot of games, so I really didn’t have the time to sit and brood over not being selected for the tour,” Agarwal says. “I was only focused on playing the upcoming game to the best of my ability. In my head, I’ve always been clear. Whether it’s a club game, Ranji Trophy game or an IPL game, the way I prepare mentally never changes. If a specific method works for me, there’s no reason for me to change it.”That is what Ravi (Shastri) sir also told me two days before the Boxing Day Test. He gave me the confidence that I didn’t have a reason to deviate from what had brought me success at the Ranji Trophy level. He told me ‘go and just do what you’ve been doing there’. Words like those quickly inject a lot of belief and makes things easy.”

By no means was it weird. In fact it was fitting that he was there when my moment came. Then in Sydney, we realised our dream of opening together for the country, which we spoke of as 16-year-oldsAgarwal on replacing KL Rahul and then batting with him

Once the initial welcome and the easing in was out of the way, Agarwal charted his specific training routines. He sat down with batting coach Sanjay Bangar for a one-on-one and then put to practice all that they set to achieve. Among the first things on Agarwal’s agenda was to not let Nathan Lyon dominate. This stemmed from the confidence that he could hold his own against Australia’s three big quicks; that he’ll have no trouble getting through the new-ball burst”Sanjay sir spoke to me at length about their fast bowlers, what they try and do, how they’ve been bowling and what I can do to counter that. Simultaneously, he also prepared a rough for me at practice and got people to bowl there. He would also tirelessly hurl balls at me. The focus was to get the best out of every session, and the results are a proof of that.”My plan was to look to attack and not let Lyon dominate, because he was bowling really well. We knew if we put the pressure back on him, that would help us eventually because that would increase the load on their fast bowlers. We also went through what he’d done to India’s batsmen previously. I wanted to be positive and take the attack to him. It worked well, I’d say. If you hang back and wait to play him out, he is too good a bowler, so you have to be a step ahead, so I was happy to have prepared in a specific way for him.”Mayank Agarwal defends off the back foot•Getty ImagesAnother aspect of Agarwal’s preparation was speaking with his peers about their experiences. It helped that the best man at his wedding, KL Rahul, was also in the dressing room. The two first met each other as 15-year-olds at an age-group camp and have been best friends ever since. They even opened the batting together for India at the Under-19 World Cup in 2010. Rahul was at the other end when Agarwal made his Ranji Trophy debut. The two have also batted together in the IPL.It had so far been a tradition to catch up for a meal whenever Rahul returned or was to depart for a tour. In Melbourne, it wasn’t just about the two being in the same dressing room, but about one replacing the other.”By no means was it weird. In fact it was fitting that he was there when my moment came,” Agarwal says. “It is a professional sport and it can happen that your friend replaces another, but there’s always been support and nothing else from his side. It was nice of him to calm me down and wish me well, we went out for a meal and he shared experiences of his Test debut, and how he felt while walking out of that tunnel at the MCG.

Glad I got to see Pujara in his real batting zone, it was great fun to spend time with him at the crease. Both of us don’t like to switch off while at the crease

“We sat for a good two-three hours at a restaurant and spoke cricket. I could take a lot out of what we spoke, there’s lots to learn about his batting. He is the kind who when he gets runs, gets them in heaps. I’ve followed a lot of his good habits to get the kind of runs I did in the previous season. So, I was actually very relaxed and ready for my moment when it finally came. Then in Sydney, we realised our dream of opening together for the country, which we spoke of as 16-year-olds. So it was a reflection of many sweet memories on the flight home. The biggest, of course, was holding that trophy aloft. Words can’t describe what we all went through that day in Sydney.”While meticulous preparation played a part in his solid initiation, Agarwal’s big takeaway was batting alongside Cheteshwar Pujara. The pair were engaged in a half-century stand in Melbourne and a century stand in Sydney. Agarwal referred to Pujara’s zone a number of times, explaining how at times watching him train and bat gave him the impression of watching someone “in love with batting to the core”.”The way he sticks to his strengths and has undivided attention towards the next ball is a big lesson for any young batsman,” Agarwal says. “He can grind attacks expertly, but the manner in which he makes the shift from defence to attack at the slightest signs of the bowlers switching off was amazing to see. Glad I got to see Pujara in his real batting zone, it was great fun to spend time with him at the crease. Both of us don’t like to switch off while at the crease, so we kept passing on information about how the wicket was behaving or what the bowlers were trying to do, what we should to do be a step ahead. It was a great learning experience.”

The Bangladesh players look like they are enjoying the mildness of everything here, even the seeming lack of buzz surrounding their campaign

Mohammad Isam at The Oval01-Jun-2019Apart from seeing how the injured Tamim Iqbal did in the nets, Bangladesh’s training session on the day before their World Cup opener against South Africa was an unexciting affair. After going back to the hotel, some of them would have iftar in their rooms while others may go out for dinner. In a foreign land where cricket is not exactly a national obsession, the players enjoy a mildness of everything.That is usually not how Bangladesh does cricket. The hype, especially when they play at home, is suffocating. Everything becomes manic, a trigger for something bigger. from MS Dhoni-Mustafizur colliding mid-pitch or Shakib Al Hasan giving Ben Stokes the salute. Nothing can be swept under the carpet. Heck, there are no carpets. The Bangladesh team now operates on a crystal-clear floor where everything is seen clearly and heard loudly.The main stirrer of the pot is the BCB president himself. Nazmul Hassan is very hands-on. He often goes out and tells the media exactly how he feels about the team, from who should be in the XI and how they should be playing.That obviously gets picked up by the mainstream media. Then social media. And on and on it goes, spawning fake news. Recently, Imrul Kayes had to dispel rumors of his retirement after he was ignored from the World Cup squad.But the thing is, this time, even at home, there isn’t much of a buzz. Don’t get me wrong. People still plan to hold watching parties or go out to restaurants or outdoor screenings or just watch with family and friends. There is no drop in interest, but there is a pleasant drop in intensity.Mashrafe Mortaza makes sure everyone knows he is fit•BCBThe Bangladesh players spent 17 days in Ireland where they won a tri-series against the hosts and West Indies. But because it was in the shadow of the World Cup, the victory almost went unnoticed. It was their first trophy out of a multi-team tournament. It should have come with some fanfare – which was the case when they beat Pakistan and India and South Africa in the space of four months in 2015. But maybe the change in tone is not a bad thing.When asked about the lack of buzz around the Bangladesh team, the captain Mashrafe Mortaza said, “It depends whether the hype is necessary or unnecessary. Many people are boasting that we have already reached the semi-finals, or even won the World Cup. We are nowhere near favourites in the World Cup. South Africa are favourites tomorrow. Having said that, we will also try to give our best, up to our preparations and ability.”Some people create unnecessary hype. But those who analyse cricket, they keep us long way back but we are fighting against their opinion. These things go on ahead of the tournament. I think the players should focus on what has produced this expectation.”Mashrafe has been part of World Cup campaigns in 2003, 2007 and 2015. He watched the 2011 edition, co-hosted by Bangladesh, from the sidelines. And he believes the hype is more now.”I think there was less expectations last time. Your lot have also been talking it up. Maybe some of our players have started to believe in it. Sometimes it brings out the best in them, but I am wary that it might also create pressure. Players should be focused on their main job, and not what the talk is about.”We are treating this as another tournament, and our players have to understand that this game is another international match. We will feel more pressure if we take all the talks of expectations to the field.”Mashrafe is correct in saying that the No. 7-ranked team cannot be tipped to win the World Cup even before they play a single match. But that doesn’t really stop the team’s more radical fans from amping them up on Facebook and Twitter. And that is exactly why some in the know are happy the players don’t pay too much mind to all the noise that is around them.”I am not surprised but I am relieved that the players are not so active on social media,” Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby, a BCB director and well-known cricket administrator since the late 1970s, said. “Sometimes unnecessary activities can be counterproductive. It has never helped the players in any way. Perhaps it is a way to connect with your fans, so sticking to that is okay. The tournament has started couple of days ago but it is about to start for our team. So I don’t want to pre-empt anything.”Bobby also said that his colleagues should not be in the news so often. “I think for us, it is best to stay away from the media. I don’t know what purpose it serves,” he said. “We should leave the playing to the players, coaching staff, management and selectors.”And, according to Bobby, this low-key setting ahead of a very big match against South Africa, has been several years in the making. “In 1999, it was about participation, which was a matter of great elation for all of us. In 2011, we hosted the tournament which raised the expectations level. We also realised that we should make some headway in the field too”In 2019, it is no longer about only participation. We are seeking real achievements, so maybe we are a bit cautious about expressing ourselves. Which is why the ecstasy may be missing.”

GS Lakshmi on her playing career, her journey as a referee, and her dreams for the future

Annesha Ghosh14-May-2019 about what the distinction means to her and laid out her thoughts on her future.Who is GS Lakshmi?An outswing bowler for Railways, the most successful team in the women’s domestic circuit in India, GS Lakshmi shared a dressing room with the likes of Diana Edulji, the former India captain, and Hemlata Kala, the former India allrounder who’s currently the India women chief selector. Lakshmi never played for India, but was part of the national squad during India’s tour of England in 1999.Born in Rajahmundry in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Lakshmi grew up in the steel city of Jamshedpur (in present-day Jharkhand) where her father was posted. Due to “terribly poor marks” in her 10th board examinations, Lakshmi was denied direct admission at the Jamshedpur Women’s College, in 1986. Upon trialling at the college nets, at her father’s behest, the institution granted her admission under the sports quota, convinced she could be their frontline fast bowler.The most memorable phase in her careerOn her wedding day in 1991, Lakshmi received a call-up to the Rest of India team. “As a girl born in a Brahmin family, even if I wanted, I could by no means have gone and played just after my marriage,” Lakshmi recounts. After taking a sabbatical, Lakshmi resumed her cricket career and played a key role in South Central Railways winning the inter-Railways title for the first time. “That was one of the most memorable moments of my playing career.”

“Through my example, I want girls to realise that there’s a life after marriage, after childbirth, and retirement.”GS Lakshmi

How did she end up as a match referee?After retiring in 2004, Lakshmi moved to coaching, taking charge of South Central Railways until 2014. In 2008, the BCCI introduced female referees, albeit only in women’s domestic games, for the first time. Lakshmi was among the pioneering group of five female referees to make their debut that season, the other four being former India cricketers Rajani Venugopal (also Lakshmi’s best friend), Rajesh Nayyar, Nilima Jogalekar and Gargi Banerjee.In 2014, the BCCI conducted a first-of-its-kind qualification exam for 120 match referees. Lakshmi, along with the other four women referees, was shortlisted in a pool of 50, from where she qualified to stand in boys’ and men’s domestic games.Laksmi has since officiated in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy – where she issued her first ever Code-of-Conduct penalty in a game between UP and Bengal – and women’s domestic games across all categories, has overseen three women’s ODI matches and three women’s T20I matches, and was the match refreree in all four games at the recently concluded Women’s T20 Challenge.The challenge of being a female match referee”Prejudice about the cricketing acumen of women is the biggest and the only challenge,” Lakshmi says. “You could sense that apprehension among the boys and the male match officials. Something like, ” (She is a woman. Can she even do the job)?’ But after observing me in the first few games, and how I go about my job, all those doubts dissipated. I don’t think now when I walk out to officiate in men’s games, I don’t sense that “” (man-woman) kind of discrimination.”Lakshmi also says there are no special perks for being a female match official. “Whether you’re a man or a woman, doesn’t matter. It’s all about how well you’re doing your job. I have had nothing come easy to me just because I’m a female match referee.”What is her next ambition?”I want to officiate in the Women’s World Cup, both the ODI and T20I tournaments, especially in the final. Cricket, and more specifically women’s cricket, has got me to where I am today, so my heart is still with the women’s game. But having refereed in men’s games, too, I’d also love to officiate in a men’s multi-team tournament run by the ICC.”That’s not all. Lakshmi has a “bigger goal” too. “Through my example, I want girls to realise that there’s a life after marriage, after childbirth, and retirement. There are several opportunities for women to explore even after curtains come down on their playing career. If the passion remains alive, nothing can stop you from achieving your dreams.”

In a fairly short time, the opening pair has consistently notched up some remarkable numbers

Gaurav Sundararaman10-Jul-2019One of the key factors behind England’s batting revolution over the last few years has been their opening combination, especially since Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy started opening together. Rarely have both openers tried to outdo each other in terms of strike-rates and averages, and have consistently proven themselves crucial to England’s success. Here is a look at what makes them a force at the top of the order.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn a fairly short time, Bairstow and Roy have notched up some remarkable numbers. Among opening pairs who have added a minimum of 1000 runs, Roy and Bairstow have the highest average of 67.70. Only five other pairs have an average in excess of 51.The duo have also scored all these runs at a very quick rate. Among pairs that have made 1000 runs, Roy and Bairstow have been scoring at 7.11 runs per over – the quickest by a distance. Martin Guptill and Brendon Mccullum scored at 6.59 while Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag scored at 6.42. Roy and Bairstow have ten century partnerships and seven stands between 50 and 100. In this World Cup, the pair has opened five times. After failing in the first two innings, they followed it up with three consecutive century stands. Without Roy, England have struggled at the top: his replacement James Vince scored 26, 14 and 0 in three innings alongside Bairstow. With Roy at the top, England average 101 runs per wicket in the Powerplay and strike at over 6 runs per over. Without him, they average 30.8 runs per wicket and score at 4.6 runs per over.