Disgraced Australia Steve Smith begins comeback in Global T20 Canada league

Agencies
June 30, 2018

King City, Jun 30: Steve Smith made his comeback from cricket exile on Thursday in front of a sparse crowd in a sleepy, rural town north of Toronto where the former Australia captain helped kick off the inaugural Global T20 Canada league.

Smith, playing for the Toronto Nationals, showed few signs of rust in his 41-ball innings of 61, which included eight fours and a six, before being stumped and leaving the field to a standing ovation.

"I didn`t feel as good as I would`ve liked but it`s nice to score runs when you`re not feeling good," Smith told reporters.

The match, played before a mostly docile crowd at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club about 50 km (31 miles) north of downtown Toronto, was far from the hallowed venues he was used to but Smith was just happy to be playing again.

It was Smith`s first match since he, vice-captain David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were banned by Cricket Australia in March for conspiring to scuff up the ball with sandpaper during the third test against South Africa. [nL8N1RA2WF]

Smith`s 12-month ban, however, does not extend to domestic tournaments outside Australia and so he was eligible to play in the six-team Canadian league.

The 29-year-old Australian, who apologised for the ball-tampering incident at a March news conference during which he broke down in tears, said the scandal was not on his mind during his first game back.

"Honestly when I am out in the middle everything else is a blur. Just concentrate on what I am doing and it`s almost like my haven I guess," said Smith.

"I`m not going to lie, its been a difficult time in my life, there`s no doubt about that.

"But I`ve accepted my punishment, I`ve accepted what I`ve gone through and I`m moving forward and part of my rehab is playing cricket as well and that`s what I love doing."

Clad in the two-tone blue of his Toronto team, Smith`s side won the toss and elected to bowl first.

He showed some early rust when he got under a ball hit by Vancouver`s Evin Lewis that was swirling away from him and was unable to take the catch.

Lewis top-scored with 96 for Vancouver in their 227 for four from 20 overs.

Smith, who was frequently practicing his batting strokes while in the field, came in at number three for Toronto and played and missed at his first ball before ultimately finding his groove.

When he was stumped by Vancouver wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton, Smith enjoyed a standing ovation from the crowd as he made his way back to the Toronto dressing room.

"It`s nice to hear people supporting you," said Smith.

"It`s great to have the support so I am thankful that everyone has been supportive since I`ve been here."

Toronto won the match by six wickets after former New Zealand international Anton Devcich anchored their chase to score 92 not out as they reached 231 for four in 19.2 overs.

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News Network
February 10,2020

Potchefstroom, Feb 10: India's under-19 cricket team manager Anil Patel says the ICC has taken a serious view of the aggressive celebrations by Bangladesh players after their World Cup triumph and will be reviewing the footage of the final game's "last few minutes".

Some Bangladeshi players got carried away while celebrating their historic three-wicket win over India in the final on Sunday. While their captain Akbar Ali apologised for the "unfortunate incident", his Indian counterpart Priyam Garg said their reaction was "dirty".

"We don't know what actually happened," Patel told 'ESPNCricinfo' on Sunday.

"Everybody was in a shock, absolutely, but we don't know what happened exactly. The ICC officials are going to watch the footage of the last few minutes and they are going to let us know," he said.

Even when the match was on, the Bangladesh players were overly aggressive while fielding and their lead pacer Shoriful Islam sledged the Indian batsmen after every delivery.

As soon as the match ended, it became tense with Bangladeshi players rushing to the ground and displaying aggressive body language. The two teams nearly came to blows before the situation was defused by the coaching staff and on-field officials.

Patel claimed that match referee Graeme Labrooy met him and expressed regret at what transpired on the field.

"The referee came to me. He was sorry about the incident. He clarified the ICC is going to take very seriously what has happened during the match and the last session. They are going to witness the footage and they will tell us in the morning (Monday)."

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News Network
February 17,2020

Hamilton, Feb 17: Mayank Agarwal found form on his birthday and Rishabh Pant mixed caution with his customary aggression as India’s warm-up fixture against New Zealand XI ended in a draw here on Sunday.

The match was called off an hour after lunch with India reaching 252 for four just 48 overs into their second innings.

Agarwal, who had gone through a wretched period since the second Test against Bangladesh, retired on 81 off 99 balls with 10 fours and three sixes to his name.

To the relief of the Indian team management, Pant played in his customary manner to reach 70 off 65 balls, but also showed discretion when the opposition bowlers were in the midst of a good spell. There were four sixes -- two each off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and off-spinner Henry Cooper.

While Sodhi was hit down the ground, Cooper was dispatched over extra cover on a couple of occasions. He didn’t curb his aggression, though, there were times when he was ready defend the spinners and also leave some of the deliveries.

Even though Pant is considered a better batsman than Wriddhiman Saha, the innings might have come too late in the day considering that the latter is a better keeper and possibly a more responsible batsman in pressure situations.

The biggest positive to have emerged from the New Zealand second innings is Agarwal’s poor run coming to an end. The Seddon Park track easing out was definitely a factor but Agarwal’s footwork was more assured as he played some glorious on-drives and pull-shots off fast bowlers.

Before this game, Agarwal had played 10 competitive games including first-class, ODIs and List A matches and couldn’t cross the 40-run mark in 11 completed innings. He even bagged a pair against New Zealand A in an unofficial Test match.

Once he had got his form back, he didn’t come out to bat after lunch giving Saha an opportunity to score an unbeaten 30, his runs coming mostly against non-regular bowlers.

The Agarwal-Pant pair added 100 runs in 14.3 overs and it also helped that part-timers like Cooper was introduced into the action.

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Agencies
January 14,2020

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