Finding it difficult to understand parameters of team selection: Harbhajan

Agencies
October 2, 2018

New Delhi, Oct 2: Senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh Tuesday said that he is finding it "difficult to understand" the parameters used by the MSK Prasad-led selection committee for picking the national squad.

After spending time on the bench for six consecutive Test matches against Afghanistan and England, the selectors dropped Karun Nair for the West Indies Test series.

"This is a mystery that needs to be solved. How can a person sitting on the bench for three months become so bad that he is not good enough to remain in the squad," Harbhajan questioned the selection committee's decision during an interaction with PTI.

"Trust me, I am at pains to understand the thinking of this selection committee and the parameters that they are using for selecting national squads," said the man who has over 700 international wickets across formats.

The 'Turbanator' cannot but feel for the young Nair, who remains the only Indian, apart from Virender Sehwag, to have a triple hundred in Test cricket.

"I find different set of rules for different players. There are some who are given a long rope to succeed while for select others they don't even get one chance to fail. That is not fair," Harbhajan said.

Harbhajan then put forth a hypothetical question.

"What if Hanuma Vihari fails in two Test matches against West Indies? Though I would never wish something like that for any player. I wish him (Vihari) all the very best.

"(In case Vihari is not able to deliver) so you will go back to Nair but will he be battle ready with confidence for Australia tour? " 

India's third highest wicket-taker then asked a probing question as to whether the team management is on the same page with the selection committee.

"If team management did not play Karun for five Tests, then it means that he couldn't inspire confidence in them.

"Well, my question is whether the selectors were able to convince the captain while naming Karun for England series? If not did they seriously consider the name that team management had in mind," he questioned.

For someone who played international cricket for 18 years, Harbhajan knows very well how poor selection policy can affect the morale and team performance.

"Hope all concerned with team selection undergo course correction before they decide on the Australia tour," he signed off.

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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
March 4,2020

Mar 4: The BCCI has decided to implement strict cost cutting measures with the notable decision being IPL 2020 champions' prize money will be halved as compared to 2019. In a circular sent to all IPL franchises, the BCCI has notified that instead of a whopping Rs 20 crore, the IPL champion team will now receive Rs 10 crore only. "The financial rewards have been reworked as a part of the cost cutting measures. The champions will get Rs 10 crore instead of Rs 20 crore. The runners-up will get Rs 6.25 crore from earlier Rs 12.5 crore," a BCCI notification, in possession of news agency, read.

The two losing qualifiers will now get Rs 4.375 crore each.

"The franchises are all in good health. They also have multiple ways like sponsorships to bolster their income. Hence the decision on prize money taken," a senior BCCI source said.

However, a state association hosting IPL games will get Rs 1 crore each with franchises and BCCI contributing Rs 50 lakh each.

It has also been learnt that mid-level BCCI employees won't be allowed to avail business class flights like earlier times for flying to the Asian countries (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE) where the flying time is less than eight hours.

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News Network
April 7,2020

London, Apr 7: Bowling coach Waqar Younis feels that it was the absence of pacers Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir which saw Pakistan getting whitewashed during Australia tour last year.

Amir and Riaz had quit the red-ball format ahead of the matches against Australia in 2019.

"Just before the Australia series, they ditched us and we had the only choice to pick youngsters.

We were the new management and decided to go on with taking in the younger lot and groom them. ESPNcricinfo quoted Younis as saying.

Pakistan was not able to win a single match in Australia as they got defeated both in T20Is and Test series.

"It's not like we have lost a lot, but yes they left us at the wrong time. But anyway, we don't have any grudge against them," Younis added.

"We cannot control players' choice on what they want to play, but then there should be a mechanism so we all are on board. "It's not like I am saying we could have won in Australia but we could have done better than what we have done," he opined.

Amir gave up the red ball format in July in order to manage his workload and extend his white-ball career for Pakistan as well as in T20 leagues around the world, while Riaz took an "indefinite break" from Test cricket in September last year.

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