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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Agencies
January 26,2020

Chennai, Jan 26: Former India cricketer Kapil Dev on Saturday said that it will be a big loss for the Indian side when MS Dhoni decides to hang up his boots.

"I think he has served the country so well and nobody has done it like him. Everyone has to retire sooner or later. He is not playing matches currently. So I don't know when he will come out one day and say -- I have had enough. I think it will be our loss because he is such a fabulous cricketer," Dev told reporters here.

In the recently released BCCI contracts list, Dhoni did not find a place for himself. The former World Cup winning captain Dev said that it is unfortunate that Dhoni was not included in the contract list.

"I feel sorry that they have not included him. 

Tendulkar, Gavaskar had to witness the same. It's not my job and I am not there to give the contract to anyone. It is the job of the cricket board. So, I don't know. You can ask this question to the cricket board. They will be able to answer this question," Dev said.

The 38-year-old Dhoni is currently enjoying some time away from the game. He last played competitive cricket during the 2019 World Cup.

Dhoni had to face criticism for his slow batting approach during India's matches in the tournament. 

Especially in the games against England and New Zealand (semi-final), he had to bear the brunt of netizens, who deemed him as the reason for the Men in Blue's loss.

BCCI released the list of central contract list of players for the period from October 2019 to September 2020.

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coastaldigest.com web desk
August 3,2020

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will not end its partnership with Chinese companies. Vivo, the Chinese smartphone maker, is the main sponsor of the new IPL season as well. Apart from Vivo, PayTM and Dream 11 will also be at the helm of the 13th edition of the IPL. The IPL governing council meeting on Sunday decided to retain the old sponsors.

As soon as the IPL GC announced the decision of retaining the sponsors, a huge number of fans took to Twitter to slam the board for the same. #BoycottIPL started trending as the users urged others to boycott the tournament for the Chinese connection.

Earlier, the demand for exclusion of Chinese companies from the IPL was strong in the wake of the India-China border dispute. But the BCCI cannot abruptly end its collaboration with them. Because of the signed contract itself. And in this age of declining economy, it is difficult to find new sponsors quickly.

The current BCCI contract with Vivo is for five years. Vivo has invested Rs 2,199 crore to become the main sponsor of the IPL. The contract was signed in 2017. However, the BCCI’s move is paving the way for new discussions as calls are mounting across the country to boycott Chinese companies.

The BCCI announced other important decisions besides retaining sponsors. The IPL will be held from September 19 to November 10. The Indian government has given permission to the BCCI to hold the IPL in the UAE. With this, all obstacles in the way of organizing the tournament were removed.

The IPL matches will be played at 7.30 pm Indian time (6 pm UAE time). Most matches are about one match a day. There are a total of ten ‘double headers’ (two matches a day) in the tournament. Franchisees are allowed to appoint as many replacements as they want in the new season in view of the new health situation. At the same time, the maximum number of players a franchise can accommodate is 24. The BCCI is also planning to host a women’s IPL tournament.

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News Network
January 27,2020

Los Angeles, Jan 27: Kobe Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. He was 41.

Bryant died in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. A different person familiar with the case confirmed that Bryant's 13-year-old daughter Gianna also was killed.

Both spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the crash had not been released publicly. The crash happened around 10 a.m. about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said it was a Sikorsky S-76 and it was not known what caused the crash. The LA County Sheriff's Department confirmed five dead in the crash, but had not released identities.

Bryant lived south of Los Angeles in coastal Orange County for much of his adult life, and he often used helicopters to save time and avoid Southern California's notorious traffic. Even as a player, he often traveled to practices and games by helicopter, and he kept up the practice after retirement as he attended to his business ventures.

The crash occurred several miles from Mamba Sports Academy, Bryant's basketball training complex in Thousand Oaks, California. Bryant, who had four daughters with his wife, Vanessa, dedicated himself to boosting women's sports in his retirement.

Colin Storm was in his living room in Calabasas when he heard ``what sounded like a low-flying airplane or helicopter.''

“It was very foggy so we couldn't see anything,'' he said. ``But then we heard some sputtering, and then a boom.''

A short time later the fog cleared a bit and Storm could see smoke rising from the hillside in front of his home.

Bryant retired in 2016 as the third-leading scorer in NBA history, finishing two decades with the Lakers as a prolific scorer with a sublime all-around game and a relentless competitive ethic. He held that spot in the league scoring ranks until Saturday night, when the Lakers' LeBron James passed him for third place during a game in Philadelphia, Bryant's hometown.

“Continuing to move the game forward (at)KingJames,'' Bryant wrote in his last tweet. “Much respect my brother.''

Bryant had one of the greatest careers in recent NBA history and became one of the game's most popular players as the face of the 16-time NBA champion Lakers franchise. He was the league MVP in 2008 and a two-time NBA scoring champion, and he earned 12 selections to the NBA's All-Defensive teams.

He teamed with Shaquille O'Neal in a combustible partnership to lead the Lakers to NBA titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He later teamed with Pau Gasol to win two more titles in 2009 and 2010.

Bryant retired in 2016 after scoring 60 points in his final NBA game.

Bryant looms large over the current generation of NBA players. After James passed Bryant on Saturday, he remembered listening to Bryant when the superstar came to speak at a childhood basketball camp.

“I remember one thing he said: If you want to be great at it, or want to be one of the greats, you've got to put the work in,'' James said. “There's no substitution for work.''

James later teamed up with Bryant on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team in Beijing.

“He had zero flaws offensively,'' James said. “Zero. You backed off of him, he could shoot the 3. You body him up a little bit, he could go around you. He could shoot from mid-range. He could post. He could make free throws. ... He was just immortal offensively because of his skill set and his work ethic.''

Bryant was a basketball superstar for his entire adult life. He entered the NBA draft straight out of high school in 1996 after a childhood spent partly in Italy, where his father, former NBA player Joe “Jellybean'' Bryant, played professionally.

The Lakers acquired the 17-year-old Bryant in a trade shortly after Charlotte drafted him, and he immediately became one of the most exciting and intriguing players in the sport alongside O'Neal, who had signed with the Lakers as a free agent. Bryant won the Slam Dunk Contest as an upstart rookie, and the Lakers gradually grew into a team that won three consecutive championships.

Bryant and Gasol formed the nucleus of another championship team in 2008, reaching three straight NBA Finals and eventually winning two more titles.

In 2003, Bryant was charged with attacking a 19-year-old employee at a Colorado resort. He had said the two had consensual sex. Prosecutors later dropped the felony sexual assault charge against Bryant at the request of the accuser.

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