Mitchell Starc disappointed by ICC's decision to rate Perth pitch as "average"

Agencies
December 24, 2018

Dec 24: Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has expressed his disappointment over the International Cricket Council's (ICC) decision to rate the Optus Stadium pitch as "average" after the side's 146-run win over India in the second Test at the Perth Stadium.

On Friday, ICC match referee Ranjan Madugalle rated the pitch for the second Test at Perth as "average", which is the lowest pass mark provided by the world's cricket governing body when they rate the pitch and outfield of Test grounds.

A few batsmen were hit in Perth, particularly during the second innings, and Starc said that it was just good aggressive Test cricket and such ratings make it the batters' game completely.

"Just as a cricketing fan, it was a bit disappointing to see Perth pitch being rated average. I thought it was a fantastic battle between bat and ball, which is what you want in Test cricket," Starc said ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

"For example, playing in MCG last year was pretty docile and the pitch didn't do anything. You want a contest between bat and ball so that's going to keep Test cricket alive and get people into the game like in Perth. It was a fantastic battle there and I thought it was a great pitch," Starc said on Sunday.

Starc agreed that cracks opened up on the last two days but flat tracks which increasingly made cricket a batsmen's game would then be devoid of any contest.

"Cracks did play a part but that's what happens when a wicket is wearing on days four and five. Cricket is turning out to be a batters' game if you keep making flat wickets always. You want exciting contest between bat and ball.

"When the ball is flying around and batsmen have to play, that's the game. Marcus Harris batted on after being hit and batsmen from both sides got hit on shoulders but carried on. It's good aggressive cricket and it brings people to the game," he added.

Earlier during the Adelaide Test, Starc was criticized for lazy body language, but he hit back at critics with 10 wickets in the series so far, successfully spearheading Australia's pace attack.

"I did swing the ball in Perth but also in Adelaide. That's something I have been working on with our bowling coach David Saker and it is going well. I hope to find some swing in Melbourne as well.

"Hopefully we have more grass on this pitch unlike last year. I am told it is supposed to be like the Sheffield Shield game here, so it should be a good one if so and unlike last year," he said.

The pacer said that the Australian attack is making a concentrated effort to get early wickets and the Indian openers being in poor form has certainly helped them.

He hoped to continue with similar tactics in the third Test as well, irrespective of who opens the batting for India.

"That's our plan ? we want to take early wickets and get stuck in that middle order with the new ball. That's still our plan going forward. We will see if they make any changes to the top order. We will still have the same plan ? try to put them under as much pressure as we can and bowl at that middle order as early as we can."

Starc made it clear that their gameplan won't change even if India tweak their top-order.

"We are not worried about what India are doing. For us, it's about taking early wickets. We are trying to get into that middle order as quickly as we can and use the newer hard ball. Try to put on as much pressure as we can and take early wickets. Fortunately, we have done that in the first two Tests and hopefully it continues this week as well," Starc said.

However, the left-arm speedster doesn't want to take Murali Vijay and KL Rahul lightly if they happen to get another chance for their past record in Australia.

"There is always pressure on anyone at any given time for both teams. We will just try to take early wickets and put that pressure back on them. Both Murali Vijay and KL Rahul have scored some big runs for India in Australia before, so you cannot take them lightly. For us it is about trying to keep their scores low and trying to get stuck in that middle order as early as we can," he added.

His pace-partners Pat Cummins agreed about this same mistake, and then talked about his duel with Virat Kohli in Perth.

Cummins said that there is very little room for error when bowling to the world's best batsman as a bowler can't try "anything funky".

"Of course, early wickets are great and if you get them, then we are still fresh. We have a new ball then and it helps a bit (against the middle order batsmen)," he said.

"Virat batted really well I thought. Like all really good batsmen he has certain strengths and if you bowl in those areas, he will simply put you away probably nine out of ten times. For us, its just about starting really well and not letting him get off to a flyer. We want to bowl with consistency and bowl plenty of good balls."

"Against him, you cannot try anything funky because he has such strengths. I am a happy with how we have bowled at him so far. He batted really well in first innings (at Perth), but we could have also had him a couple times as well," Cummins added.

The four-match series is currently levelled at 1-1 after India won the opening Test by 36 runs before Australia bounced back to clinch win  in Perth.

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News Network
February 5,2020

New Delhi, Feb 5: IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has denied any financial dealings with the controversial Rose Valley Group except for it being a sponsor of the side's official jerseys in 2012 and 2013.

KKR issued the clarification after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached Rose Valley's assets worth over Rs 70 crore on Monday. The attached assets include Rs 11.87 crore bank deposits of Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd, that owns KKR, in connection with a money laundering probe.

The franchise said it hopes for the matter to be resolved expeditiously.

"Rose Valley Hotels was one of KKR's IPL jersey sponsors for IPL seasons 2012 and 2013. Rose Valley had paid KKR an approx. amount of Rs 11.87 crore as sponsorship fees," KKR CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.

"KKR had no other dealings with the Rose Valley Group including Rose Valley’s micro finance business," he added.

The statement added that in July last year, KRSPL (Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd), received a "witness summon" from the ED in connection with an investigation relating to the Rose Valley Group, particularly its micro finance business.

"The ED continues the investigation of Rose Valley. KKR continues to cooperate with the authorities in all respects," Mysore said.

"As part of the investigative process, sometime in October 2019, the ED placed a lien on the said amount earlier paid by Rose Valley to KKR," he asserted.

The directors of KRSPL include Shah Rukh Khan's wife Gauri Khan, actor Juhi Chawla's husband Jay Mehta, Mysore and two others.

Mysore was questioned in this case by ED's Kolkata office in October last year.

Apart from KRSPL, the ED attached properties of two other entities -- Multiple Resorts Pvt. Ltd. and Kolkata's St Xavier's College on Monday.

The ED registered an FIR against the Rose Valley group, its chairman Gautam Kundu and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2014.

Kundu was arrested by the agency in Kolkata in 2015 and is in judicial custody at present.

The ED has filed multiple charge sheets in Kolkata and Bhubaneswar courts in this connection and total attachments are now worth Rs 4,750 crore.

The group has been charged by the ED and the CBI with "illegally and fraudulently collecting deposits from public with the intention to cheat them by falsely promising high returns on their investment", thereby perpetrating a ponzi-like fraud.

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News Network
April 5,2020

New Delhi, April 5: England batsman James Vince lashed out at people for not taking proper measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and said people are going out as if "everything is normal".

"Just seen the pictures of people out and about today as if everything is normal. What selfish people, surely by now they've realised this is serious. Well done to everyone who's doing their bit and staying in," Vince tweeted.

On March 13, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that Europe was now the 'epicentre' of the disease.

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus in the UK has exceeded 4,313 with at least 708 new deaths in the last 24 hours, the largest one-day rise since the start of the outbreak as confirmed by the Department of Health and Social Care.

The total number of cases in the UK as on Saturday is 41,903, a rise of 3,735 cases in the last 24 hours.

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News Network
May 18,2020

Karachi, May 18: Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan believes it is at least five years too early to compare Virat Kohli and Babar Azam as the Indian skipper has proven himself in "every kind of situation" and the latter has not.

"Virat Kohli is far more experienced than Babar. He has at least five years more experience of top cricket and he is at the peak of his career," said Younis, Pakistan's leading run-getter in Tests.

"Kohli has far more exposure than Babar and he has been in every kind of situation and proven himself. No one gets 70 international centuries like that and this are proof of his class and abilities. He has scored runs in every situation and all opposition."

Younis said said Babar still has a long way to go.

"Babar has been in top cricket for just around five years. He has got a very impressive batting average across all three formats and he is getting better by the day.

"You see him batting and you can see he has got the same qualities that Kohli had at the start of his career."

Besides amassing 70 international hundreds, 31-year-old Kohli averages more than 50 in all three formats. The India skipper has scored more than 20,000 runs while 25-year-old Babar has 6680 runs across formats though the Pakistan limited overs skipper has played significantly lesser number of games.

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