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Both teams begin the new season with rejuvenation on their minds, and both have been hurt by injuries to key fast bowlers

The Preview by Akshay Gopalakrishnan07-Apr-20184:35

KKR have enough opening options – Agarkar

Big picture

When Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore walk out on Sunday, both sides will be conspicuously lacking a familiar left-handed opener. Royal Challengers let go of Chris Gayle, perhaps their biggest match-winner ever, ahead of the January auction, and Knight Riders did the same with Gautam Gambhir, their captain for seven seasons in which they won two titles.If these events show us anything, it’s how unpredictable this league, and by extension the format, can be. Just in 2016, Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers captain, called out Sarfaraz Khan for his fielding and fitness. And yet, he was one of three players retained, alongside AB de Villiers and Kohli himself. This is a slightly different RCB line-up. After falling flat in 2017, when they finished last, they seem to have made amends with smart buys aimed at remedying their over-reliance on the top order. They will also be served well by domestic talents who have successfully transitioned to international cricket, such as Yuzvendra Chahal.Knight Riders have endured three seasons without a trophy, and have sought to address that by appointing a new captain in Dinesh Karthik, who is in the middle of a late career renaissance of sorts. Karthik, who has a wealth of leadership experience in domestic cricket, recently earned a recall to the Indian side and responded by playing probably the defining innings of his career: all signs of a man high on confidence and at peace with his game. Not a bad way to start.

In the news

Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the tournament with a tibial bone stress fracture in his right leg, and the Knight Riders coach Jacques Kallis has pinned his faith on Tom Curran, the bowling allrounder from England, to fill in ably. There were also doubts surrounding Chris Lynn and Andre Russell, who pulled out of the PSL due to injuries, and Sunil Narine, who was reported for a suspect action in the same tournament. But the Knight Riders management has assured fans that all three will be available for the opener.Nathan Coulter-Nile, who was Knight Riders’ second-highest wicket-taker last season, will miss the opportunity of taking on his former franchise. As he has continues to recover from a back stress fracture, Coulter-Nile has been withdrawn from the Royal Challengers squad and replaced by Corey Anderson.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The likely XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Chris Lynn, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Dinesh Karthik (capt, wk), 5 Nitish Rana, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Piyush Chawla, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Tom Curran, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Shivam Mavi/Kamlesh NagarkotiRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Brendon McCullum/Quinton de Kock, 2 Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Sarfaraz Khan, 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Navdeep Saini

Strategy punt

Dinesh Karthik would do well to unleash Piyush Chawla at the Royal Challengers line-up. De Villiers has an appalling record against the legspinner in IPL: 43 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 97.7, while being dismissed four times. McCullum fares even worse, averaging 8.00 and striking at 80 while also being dismissed four times in eight innings. That’s two of the opposition’s most dangerous batsmen.

Stats that matter

• Sixteen out of 26 matches at the Eden Gardens in T20Is and IPL since 2015 have been won by the chasing team: a strong case for bowling first.
• Sunil Narine has increasingly proven his utility as a batsman in recent years. His effectiveness shoots up significantly when he’s facing spin. Since IPL 2015, Narine has averaged 17.2 against pace and struck at 145.8. Against spin, the corresponding numbers are 29.5 and 226.9.
• Both teams are relatively evenly matched at the Eden Gardens. In their five most recent meetings at this venue, Knight Riders hold a marginal 3-2 edge. However, Knight Riders have won all their three matches batting first, while RCB have chased down totals for both their victories.
• While Dinesh Karthik is solid in the middle overs and a blazing finisher, he has trouble getting going in the Powerplay. Since the 2015 IPL, Karthik has batted 16 times in the first six overs and faced 63 deliveries for a strike rate of 92.1.
• If Knight Riders win on Sunday, they will tie Chennai Super Kings for 41 home victories – the second-highest among all IPL teams.

1:19

RCB: The perennial bridesmaids

Fantasy picks

• First, the obvious choices: Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. You’d have to be brave and perhaps foolish to leave either out.
• Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are coming off a bumper limited-overs tour of South Africa. They took 33 wickets between them in six matches and averaged 13.88 and 16.37 respectively. Royal Challengers struggled at the death in the last IPL, losing an average of three wickets per innings in the last five overs, and scoring at just 8.64 per over. Kuldeep was the most successful spinner at the death last year, taking seven wickets and conceding a boundary once every 6.67 deliveries.

Quotes

“Unfortunately Starc got injured but we have got a replacement in [Tom] Curran. We look forward to some exciting stuff from Tom who should stand up and play a big role in the absence of Mitchell.”

The Australia fast bowler will play his first Sheffield Shield match in nearly six years and says he wants to play with no restrictions and without having to worry about his fitness

Daniel Brettig06-Mar-20171:39

Playing Shield cricket one of my goals for the year – Cummins

Pat Cummins will officially return to contention for a place in Australia’s Ashes team for next summer when he plays his first Sheffield Shield match in almost six years, for New South Wales against South Australia at the SCG from Tuesday.Cummins made his state debut at 17 and his Test debut later that year, before a series of foot and back injuries prompted the national selectors and Cricket Australia’s medical staff to drastically alter their plans for him.Now 23, Cummins’ body is approaching a point of maturity that is hoped will reduce his risk of injuries, after the fashion of the incumbent Test bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. As such, he is now in line to play in the Shield for the Blues and possibly Australia A in South Africa later this year ahead of next summer’s home Ashes series.”There’s the Ashes, which is a goal for probably everyone playing Shield cricket this year at the moment,” Cummins told reporters in Sydney. “I think for me getting back into first-class cricket was the No.1 goal for the year and I’m absolutely pumped to be back. I think if I get through these games then hopefully next year I can start off the year just like any other cricketer.”Cummins’ bowling action has gone through numerous adjustments over time, while his range of skills and experiences have broadened to add to his capabilities this week. While Cummins always demonstrated exceptional intelligence for a fast bowler, as evidenced by his memorable display against South Africa at the Wanderers on his 2011 Test debut, it has taken time for his body to catch up to his mind.”Probably given the extra week that we waited after the T20s has just given me a chance to prepare for the game once I got back in the frame for playing Shield cricket,” Cummins said. “I just wanted to go in [to Shield cricket] with no restrictions and not have to think about my body really, so all good.”I feel like I’m a lot more consistent now than I probably was a couple of years ago, and I think that’s put down to a few things. I think having a long pre-season, I was able to just work on quite a consistent rhythm and tempo rather than trying to bowl 180kms every ball.”I think the beauty of red-ball cricket is the ball normally swings out here [in Sydney]. After some rain hopefully it might seam around a little bit so actually bowling within yourself that 5 or 10% can actually provide some better results. Pace is one tool a bowler uses, but it’s not the be-all and end-all.”NSW have also added the English wristspinner Mason Crane to their squad for the match after a series of stand-out performances in Sydney grade cricket. However, the same overcast and damp weather that may aid Cummins to swing the ball may work against Crane’s chances of a Shield debut as the second spinner behind Will Somerville’s off-breaks.The Blues need to win both their remaining matches outright to have a chance of making the Shield final, while their opponents South Australia are in second place and can solidify their own chances with victory at the SCG.

Having already claimed a 2-0 lead in the series, India will target a clean sweep in the final T20I against Australia on Sunday to counter the disappointment of the ODI series defeat

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale30-Jan-2016

Match facts

Sunday, January 31, 2016
Start time 1938 local (0838 GMT)4:08

Agarkar: India would like to keep the same team

Big Picture

Friday was a good day for India. In the afternoon, their women’s team wrapped up their first ever bilateral series win against Australia in any format, and in the evening their men completed a second T20 victory to ensure their first series win in Australia in any format since they won the 2007-08 tri-series. On Sunday, it could be clean-sweep time. It would be the perfect way for India to depart Australia after the disappointment of losing the ODI series. After the win in Melbourne, MS Dhoni played down the possibility that India might use the dead rubber in Sydney to experiment with their side ahead of a World T20, but Australia have no choice but to make changes.In a case of divided loyalties, Australia have sent several players to New Zealand to prepare for the ODI series that starts there on Wednesday. That means none of Steven Smith, David Warner, John Hastings, Kane Richardson or Matthew Wade will be available for Sunday’s T20. Just as significantly, they will be without their captain Aaron Finch, who injured his hamstring during the loss in Melbourne. The short-term question was who would captain the side, with Shane Watson confirmed as the answer on Saturday, but the long-term worry is whether Finch’s injury is serious enough to put him in any doubt for March’s World T20 in India.The Australians started this series with plenty of questions ahead of the World T20 in India, given that they had played only one T20 international last year. So far, they have found few answers. Chris Lynn has struggled against spin, which hardly augurs well for the Indian conditions, while Nathan Lyon has bowled only one over in this series for 15 runs. Shaun Tait also endured his least economical T20 international in Adelaide, hardly the comeback the selectors were hoping for. And now Finch’s injury adds another worry.

Form guide

Australia: LLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: WWLLL

In the spotlight

T20 is not the format in which most observers would have expected Cameron Bancroft to make his international debut. A technically correct batsman, who the selectors view as a future Test opener, Bancroft is also a part-time wicketkeeper who took the gloves for Perth Scorchers in the BBL this summer and it is this role that has meant he can squeeze into the side in place of Matthew Wade. Whether Bancroft can score quickly enough to be an effective T20 international batsman remains to be seen.To watch Jasprit Bumrah‘s stiff-armed bowling from side-on during his delivery stride, you’d swear he was a clock and the time was a quarter to one. But Bumrah is certainly effective and has proven difficult for the Australian batsmen to get away during these T20s; he is the leading wicket taker from either side so far in the series with five dismissals at an average of 12.00. India have certainly found a candidate for their home World T20 campaign.

Team news

Usman Khawaja has joined the squad to cover for the injured Finch, though with Travis Head also in the squad there is no guarantee Khawaja will make his T20 international debut. Bancroft is in to replace Wade, who has gone to New Zealand. The absence of Hastings and Richardson means Tait may return.Australia (possible) 1 Shaun Marsh, 2 Shane Watson (capt), 3 Chris Lynn, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Usman Khawaja/Travis Head, 6 Cameron Bancroft (wk), 7 James Faulkner, 8 Andrew Tye, 9 Nathan Lyon/Cameron Boyce, 10 Scott Boland, 11 Shaun Tait.India have used the same XI in both wins so far, and could yet go through the series unchanged.India (possible) 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Ashish Nehra.

Pitch and conditions

Another good pitch is expected at the SCG, and the forecast is also good.

Stats and trivia

• Watson will become the ninth man to captain Australia in T20 internationals after Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Cameron White, George Bailey, Finch and Smith.
• Australia have already used 17 players in this series to India’s 11; it is possible the tally might finish up at 19 for Australia and 11 for India
• Australia last won a T20 international on November 9, 2014

Quotes

“We’re getting completely outplayed in all three departments at the moment – bat, ball and field.”

Sri Lanka overcame resistance from Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo to move to the top of the table in the tri-series but fell just short of earning a bonus point

The Report by Abhishek Purohit08-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKumar Sangakkara made West Indies pay for erratic bowling•Associated Press

Sri Lanka’s batsmen, led by Kumar Sangakkara, battled rain interruptions that stretched their innings of 41 overs over two days. Their bowlers seemed to have the match under control when they ran in to a red-hot Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo. That was when rain decided to even things out. A drizzle started, West Indies panicked, went for the D/L par score and lost Simmons. The drizzle stopped, the clouds disappeared and all life drained out of the West Indies chase as Sri Lanka slowed the game down.The chase had seemed to have already lost steam at 31 for 4 when West Indies’ batsmen carried on from where their bowlers had left, showing the same lack of discipline. Simmons , playing his first ODI since December, then took 16 deliveries to get off the mark, struggling against the offspin of Sachithra Senanayake. Even as the asking-rate galloped, though, the momentum suddenly shifted. Out of nowhere, Simmons began to smoke sixes and fours on the up. With Bravo starting to attack as well, West Indies were scoring at ten an over now.They were still slightly behind on the par score, though, and the drizzle and the dark skies made Simmons go after every ball. You could not blame Simmons for worrying about rain in an ODI that had stretched to two days because of it. With three balls left in the 32nd over and West Indies 14 runs behind, Simmons hit successive fours before an attempt to clear the field ended in deep point’s hands.Kieron Pollard walked into rain for the second time in less than a month. This time, he lasted just four balls, edging Lasith Malinga behind to register his third duck of the series in four innings. Darren Sammy was the final hope for West Indies but it was not easy to come in and start hitting on this pitch, even though it had eased out from the at times unplayable brute it was on day one. Sammy and Bravo holed out in successive overs but the last-wicket pair of Kemar Roach and Tino Best – which had taken West Indies to a tense victory over India in Jamaica – held their nerve again to deny Sri Lanka the bonus point that would have carried the visitors into the final.If only the West Indies top order had shown similar application. Instead, Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles and Marlon Samuels went after shortish deliveries early in their innings and paid the price. Sri Lanka’s bowlers got more out of the pitch than the home attack, some extra swing, seam and bounce making strokeplay difficult with the new balls.Patience was not something the West Indies top order was willing to show, despite knowing that Sri Lanka had been rendered a bowler short early in the chase. Nuwan Kulasekara’s spell lasted 11 deliveries when a Gayle push hit a finger on his left hand. A bleeding Kulasekara left the field. Two overs later, Gayle followed him. In the next over, Charles and Samuels followed.Patience was something Kumar Sangakkara had in plenty on day one, and on the reserve day, he capitalised on some wayward bowling to carry Sri Lanka to a challenging total. The pitch, bouncy and uneven on day one, eased out despite overnight and morning rain. Sangakkara prospered as Sri Lanka took 105 off the last ten overs. Sangakkara’s innings showed the way to deal with changing conditions. West Indies’ bowling, barring Sammy and Roach, was exactly the opposite.Having seen that the surface lacked the bite it had a day ago, they bowled short and wide to be taken apart at the death. Sangakkara was in a positive mood right from the start. He hadn’t hit a boundary in 33 deliveries on day one; the morning after, he was moving across in his crease, he was walking down the pitch, disturbing lengths and dispatching width.Angelo Mathews’ quick 30 gave the innings more momentum. Roach appeared to have brought West Indies back when he dismissed Mathews and Jeevan Mendis in the 35th over, but Sangakkara hit harder now, and West Indies wilted. Jason Holder, who had looked so threatening with his bounce a day ago, lost his line. The wayward Best, who had found little semblance of line, length or rhythm on both days, served up short ball after short ball, and was punished. West Indies’ wide count was as much as 24 in 41 overs, Tino Best responsible for more than half of those runs.It didn’t help that they had a part-time wicketkeeper, Charles, in the firing line of Best’s misdirected missiles. Thrice, Charles let a wide delivery fly to the boundary when a better keeper might have stopped it. The extra batsman in Simmons gave West Indies a chance, but would he have needed to take so much risk in the absence of all those extras?

India A gained the upper hand in the second unofficial Test against West Indies A in St Vincent, after their bowlers restricted the hosts to 212 for 8 on the opening day

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2012
Scorecard
Kraigg Brathwaite made a defiant, unbeaten 66•West Indies Cricket

India A gained the upper hand in the second unofficial Test against West Indies A in St Vincent, after their bowlers restricted the hosts to 212 for 8 on the opening day. India were in a good position to bowl West Indies out for under 200 but a lower-order resistance, and Kraigg Brathwaite, who batted out the day to finish on an unbeaten 66, ensured that didn’t happen.West Indies, who chose to bat, lost opener Justin Guillen early. Donovan Pagon followed soon, bowled by legspinner Rahul Sharma. But Brathwaite held firm and added 48 with Nkrumah Bonner for the third wicket. Unfortunately for West Indies, the middle-order batsmen, despite getting starts were unable to push on. Bonner fell for 25, Jonathan Carter was dismissed for 19 and Kyle Corbin departed for 13. When Devon Thomas was trapped in front by Rohit Sharma, West Indies were in trouble at 130 for 6.Brathwaite, however, was defiant and received good support from Jason Holder, who made 20 in a 34-run stand. Veerasammy Permaul did better, scoring a quick 36 before being cleaned up by Ashok Dinda. Permaul and Brathwaite took West Indies past 200, with the opener unbeaten at stumps, having faced 292 balls.For India, Shami Ahmed, Ashok Dinda and Rohit Sharma picked up two wickets each.

Simon Katich, the Australia opening batsman, has broken his silence over not receiving a central contract, telling the that he has not been treated fairly

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2011Simon Katich, the Australia opening batsman, has broken his silence over not receiving a central contract, telling the that he has not been treated fairly. Katich believes he was judged solely on his performances in his last four Tests, which he played despite being injured, and not on his overall form since returning to the side in 2008.Since his comeback, Katich has made 2928 runs at 50.48 and has been not only Australia’s most reliable batsman but among the most bankable in the world. In that time only Alastair Cook has scored more runs.”Do I think I have been treated fairly? Not at all, not at all,” Katich said. “From my point of view I have had to play through injuries in the last four Test matches, two with a broken thumb and two with a torn achilles. I didn’t want to play Test cricket like that although I know that is what they have judged me on.”In India they kept telling me it was a bruised thumb and I could hardly hold the bat but they kept telling me it was bruised so I thought ‘Well I can’t not play Test cricket if it’s a bruise’.”Katich revealed that his recovery program began the night after the Adelaide Ashes Test ended. A fellow player offered him a beer at the airport but Katich turned him down, saying, “No thanks mate. Recovery starts now.”He has been undergoing rehabilitation since then and it was at the SCG on Tuesday that he received the phone call from Andrew Hilditch about being left out of the list of contracted players.”I was in the middle of a fitness test, saw the phone ringing and saw who it was and thought ‘Damn, I better answer this’,” Katich said. “I knew full well what it was, I didn’t want him to have the luxury of leaving a message, so I grabbed it. It’s funny, I have been treated like this before by them. I have been down this path a number of times.”I spoke my mind, I certainly didn’t hold back. There was no shirking the issue, but there was nothing said that was personal, it was just about the decision. I vented my spleen about the decision and explained why. There was no name-calling or anything like that.”Katich believes he still has much more to give Australia and that if he didn’t, there was no way he would have undergone such a rigorous rehabilitation program.”Put it this way I don’t think I would have wasted our physio and our fitness trainers’ time over the past six months or my time doing this rehab every second day for the sake of it. That is not how I operate. It’s not just my time, it is the staff’s time as well and I am always respectful of that.”Up to Tuesday I had done three weeks’ training ahead of the rest of the squad starting and I did that because I wanted to be ready and firing in Sri Lanka.”Katich is scheduled to hold a press conference on June 10 to announce his future plans.

The 2010 Champions League Twenty20 will see two groups of five teams each competing in a round robin format

Cricinfo staff29-Jun-2010

How the tournament works

The ten teams are divided into two groups of five each, who play a round-robin format
Group A: Chennai Super Kings, Victoria, Warriors, Wayamba, Central Districts
Group B: Mumbai Indians, Lions, South Australia, Royal Challengers Bangalore, winners of West Indies domestic Twenty20
The top two teams from each group then progress to the semi-finals.

The 2010 Champions League Twenty20 will see two groups of five teams each competing in a round-robin format, with the top two sides from each group going through to the semi finals.The set-up is a departure from the 2009 edition, which had four groups of three teams, with the two teams from each group advancing to another league stage which determined the semi-finalists. Despite the change, the tournament features the same number of matches – 23 – as last year. The matches have been evenly distributed across four venues, with each stadium hosting at least five games.The Mumbai Indians open the event on September 10th against the South African side Lions at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, which also hosts the final on September 26. Mumbai and Lions are part of Group B, along with South Australia, Royal Challengers Bangalore and a team from the West Indies that will be determined in late July.The teams drawn in Group A are the 2010 IPL champions Chennai Super Kings, Australia’s Big Bash champions Victoria, South Africa’s Pro Series champions Warriors, which is a combination of the Eastern Province and Border first-class teams, as well as Sri Lanka’s Wayamba, which represents the North Western Province, and New Zealand’s Central Districts.The 2009 champions, the New South Wales Blues, did not qualify for the 2010 Champions League.There are a number of players who are eligible to play for two teams: Jacques Kallis (Warriors, Bangalore), Mark Boucher (Warriors, Bangalore), Makhaya Ntini (Warriors, Chennai ), Kieron Pollard (South Australia, Mumbai), Dwayne Bravo (Victoria, Mumbai) and Cameron White (Victorian, Bangalore).New Zealand’s Ross Taylor is the first player to qualify with three teams – his home province Central Districts, and ‘away’ teams Victoria and Bangalore. Bravo and Kieron Pollard could join Taylor if T&T emerge as champions of West Indies’ domestic Twenty20 competition.If a player chooses to play for an ‘away’ team rather than his ‘home’ team (the team from the country he is eligible to represent in international cricket), the ‘away’ team must pay US$200,000 compensation to the ‘home’ team. No compensation is payable to an ‘away’ team if a player chooses to play for his ‘home’ team.That being the case, South Australia are already resigned to losing Pollard and are waiting to learn whether Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi will be available. Pollard and Afridi were key components in the Redbacks qualifying for the lucrative Twenty20 event, but they were not part of the state’s 20-man preliminary squad for the tournament.

England spinner chooses to head north for new competition instead of stick with home county

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2024Durham have strengthened their women’s squad ahead of next year’s launch of the new county competition, by signing the England offspinning allrounder, Mady Villiers, on a three-year deal.Villiers has represented England on 20 occasions, most recently on their tour of Ireland where her death-over bowling all but snatched two victories from the jaws of defeat.In all, she has taken 221 white-ball wickets in her professional career, having already surpassed 2000 career runs with eight half-centuries, and she’s been an ever-present for Oval Invincibles in the Women’s Hundred, helping the side to claim consecutive titles in 2021 and 2022.Her move to Durham is a coup for the club, which is due to take over from the Headingley-based Northern Diamonds to become the North-East regional representatives in women’s domestic cricket, ahead of Yorkshire’s accession to Tier 1 in 2026.A product of the Essex pathway, Villiers has, however, opted against staying with her home county, who will also have Tier 1 status from 2025 as they take over from Sunrisers, who last week claimed victory in the final of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. She will now be playing under the captaincy of her England team-mate, Hollie Armitage.”I’m really excited to be joining Durham ahead of the 2025 season,” Villiers said. “I was so impressed with the vision that the club and coaching staff have, and I knew it was definitely something that I wanted to be a part of.”It’s an incredibly talented group of players and I have always loved playing with Hollie as captain, so I’m confident making the move up north is the right one for me.”Having played in Essex for my whole career it was going to take a lot for me to leave, and I think that speaks volumes on how I feel about Durham and the potential we have as a collective. I can’t wait to get going and see where this team can go over the next few years.”Director of Cricket, Marcus North said: “We are thrilled to announce Mady has agreed to join Durham on a three-year deal. Our squad is coming together nicely and to be able to recruit an England international in Mady is huge for us and the region.”Mady has shown what a top performer she has been domesticity for several years for Sunrisers and the Oval Invincibles and we are now excited for her journey to continue with us in the North East.”Hopefully her move to Durham will see her thrive in the county as she looks to add more England caps to her name and further excel with bat and ball.”

Glamorgan total overhauled with room to spare as opener helps break chase

ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2023Essex 177 for 6 (Khushi 61, McIlroy 4-36) beat Glamorgan 175 for 6 (Carlson 43, Harmer 2-43) by four wicketsFeroze Khushi sent off his audition to be Dan Lawrence’s successor as Essex made it four wins in a row by beating Glamorgan by four wickets in the Vitality Blast.Academy graduate Khushi crashed a 37-ball 61 as Essex comfortably chased down 175, despite losing three early wickets thanks to Jamie McIlroy’s four for 36. Khushi is in prime position to push for a regular first-team spot after Lawrence announced he was to join Surrey from next season and showed his promise with an innings that included four huge sixes.Paul Walter continued his fine form against Glamorgan with 43, before Matt Critchley and Daniel Sams saw off most the remaining runs with 24 balls to spare.Having been stuck in on a fresh pitch, Kiran Carlson got the visitors off to a flyer with 43 off 25 balls, which included a straight six off Sams and a swatted pull maximum off Sam Cook.Sam Northeast, who had earlier been meekly dropped, was the first of three catches for Walter at long-on – with Colin Ingram and Chris Cooke also picking out the tallest man on the field – as Glamorgan reached 55 for 1 in the powerplay.Glamorgan’s good start was dented by Ingram and Carlson falling in successive overs as Essex claimed control of the middle overs to have Glamorgan 122 for 4 after 15 – with Cooke falling to Harmer.Critchley lured Billy Root to swing to wide long-on but Timm van der Gugten smashed Harmer for two sixes in an 18 run over to push Glamorgan closer towards par. Van der Gugten was eventually run out in the final over after a brutal 14-ball 33 as Glamorgan ended up on 175 for 6 – with Sams and Critchley both boasting economical figures of 1 for 20 to keep the total narrowly in the Eagles’ favour.Essex take an aggressive approach to their batting – the results coming in two forms. On one side you have two wickets in the first over and three in the powerplay, leaving them 35 for 3: Robin Das slogged his first ball to deep square leg and Michael Pepper ramped the next ball behind. Jamie McIlroy couldn’t get a hat-trick but Josh Rymell chipped to mid-on in the left-armer’s following over.On the other, you had Khushi pinging three sixes in the first three overs as he moved to 33 off his first 11 balls, although he took fewer risks to reach his third half-century in 29 balls.Walter joined Khushi and the pair found a nice rhythm in a 80-run stand in 47 balls. Walter had scored 58 and 78 in his previous two innings against Glamorgan, he struck 42 before his fourth attempt at a six top-edged to short third.Khushi was sensationally caught and bowled by van der Gugten five balls later to leave 59 needed off 51 balls. But Sams and Critchley made sure the result wasn’t in danger, with the former boshing 41 off 16 – Essex scoring 57 off the last 24 balls they faced.

Western Australian becomes the fourth CA chairman in four years, taking over from interim chair Richard Freudenstein, following the resignations of David Peever and Earl Eddings

Alex Malcolm17-Feb-2022Cricket Australia has appointed Dr Lachlan Henderson as the new chairman of the board to take over permanently from interim chair Richard Freudenstein.CA announced on Thursday that Henderson had been unanimously elected by the board following interviews with a short-list of candidates. All state and territory chairs expressed their support for the appointment. Henderson is the current chief executive of Epworth HealthCare having worked in the healthcare industry for 30 years, but he has an extensive background in cricket and cricket administration.Henderson takes charge of the CA board at a tricky time. He has become the fourth chairman in four years after the resignations of both David Peever in 2018 and Earl Eddings last year. He takes over following Freudenstein’s brief stint as interim chairman during which time both Australia’s Test captain Tim Paine and coach Justin Langer resigned, with Cricket Australia playing a role in both resignations.Henderson grew up in Western Australia and played state junior cricket for WA as well as first grade in Perth for University Cricket Club. He was chairman of the WACA for two years in 2015-16, having been on the WACA board since 2013, before moving to Melbourne to take up his post with Epworth. He has been an independent director at CA since 2018.”It is a privilege and honour to be elected chair and serve our national sport,” Henderson said.”I’m really excited by the opportunities ahead. The CA board is relatively new, with seven of the nine members having been on the board for less than three and a half years, and the imminent appointment of a new independent director will bring further fresh ideas and perspectives to the board.Related

• Earl Eddings resigns as Cricket Australia chairman

• Justin Langer resigns as Australia coach after rejecting short-term extension

• David Peever quits as Cricket Australia chairman

“My love of cricket began as a kid growing up in Perth and the game has always been a big part of my life, as a player, through my involvement with WA Cricket, the board of Cricket Australia and now as the elected chair.”I’m looking forward to working closely with our states and territory cricket chairs and associations, the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), our players and our partners, on how we unite and work together to ensure cricket continues to thrive into the future as Australia’s favourite sport.”As chair, my aim is to ensure the integrity and growth of the game in Australia with strong governance embedded at Cricket Australia and reflected in all levels of cricket, from elite teams to community clubs.”Among my other main priorities will be a focus on a strong, sustainable financial future for the game and building on the growth in our participation rates, particularly among girls and women, and our multi-cultural communities.”Freudenstein, who will step down as interim chair immediately but will remain on the CA board, praised Henderson’s appointment.”Lachlan’s extensive cricket administrative experience and impressive business background, leadership qualities, financial experience and deep understanding of the game ensures that cricket has a new chair who will continue to build unity, trust and respect across all levels of our national sport,” Freudenstein said.”He brings a combination of fresh ideas, a clear plan and broad experience together with continuity to the position, having served as a CA director for the past three years.”The short-list of candidates for this role was outstanding but it was the unanimous opinion of the CA board that Lachlan was best suited to be our next chair.”CA will begin a search to find a new independent director to join the board.