ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami shine as India beat New Zealand by 45 runs in rain-curtailed warm-up game

May 29, 2017

London, May 29: Defending champions India hit all the right chords during their resounding 45-run victory against New Zealand via Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-curtailed warm-up game where skipper Virat Kohli came good after an impressive show from the bowlers.

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Comeback man Mohammed Shami (3/47 in 8 overs) along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/28 in 6.4 overs) shared bulk of the spoils to dismiss New Zealand for a meagre 189 in 38.4 overs.

In reply, India were 129 for 3 in 26 overs, when rain stopped play but they were comfortably ahead of the Black Caps as per Duckworth-Lewis par score of 84 after 26 overs.

Kohli started his English summer on a bright note hitting an unbeaten 52 off 55 balls while Mahendra Singh Dhoni also played some delightful strokes square off the wicket.

Shikhar Dhawan on his comeback got some quality time out there in the middle hitting 40 off 59 balls with the help of five boundaries, mostly square off the wicket.

Ajinkya Rahane (7), who is unlikely to find a place in the starting XI against Pakistan on June 4, did not do his case a world of good trying to hook a short-pitched delivery Tim Southee.

Dinesh Karthik (0) was given a chance as Kedar Jadhav is a certainty but he was all at sea against the swing.

But it was skipper Kohli, who did play a few uppsih shots but controlled an easy run-chase adding 68 runs for the second wicket with Dhawan.

More importantly, Kohli got a fair amount of game time which will keep in good stead.

There was a straight drive off Sdam Milne, a couple of cover drives off Tim Southee, an elegant pull-shot. There were a couple of uppish drives which could have gone into the hands of the fielder but Kohli looked positive.

Even Mahendra Singh Dhoni looked good during the brief stint at the crease. The two boundaries and a six were all square cuts. The six could have gone into Colin de Grandhomme's hands but he was a few yards inside the rope and missed the flight. The two boundaries were pure timing which generated a lot of power.

It was one such day where everything went in favour of India. Even though it's practice game but Kohli will gain a lot of confidence from the victory after a string of demoralizing defeats in the recently concluded Indian Premier League.

Opting to bat after the coin landed in his favour, Kane Williamson's side struggled to counter India's disciplined bowling effort led by the pace duo of Shami and Bhuvneshwar.

Former champions New Zealand's innings lasted 38.4 overs.

Playing in his first 50-over game for India since the 2015 World Cup semifinal, the 27-year-old Shami quickly got into the act and removed Martin Guptill in the third over, the extra bounce catching the batsman by surprise.

A 43-run partnership ensued between Luke Ronchi and Williamson, before Shami had the skipper caught at wide slip by a diving Ajinkya Rahane.

Shami struck again when he induced an edge from Neil Broom, reaping the benefits of some tight bowling, as the ball moved away slightly.

Bhuvneshwar bowled Corey Anderson, while Ravindra Jadeja sent back Ronchi, at a good time from the Indian perspective as the Kiwi looked set for more.

Bhuvneshwar wrapped up the Kiwi innings by taking the wickets of Tim Southee and Trent Boult.

Ronchi top-scored for New Zealand with a brisk 66 off 63 balls, an innings that was studded with six boundaries and two sixes.

However, the rest in the New Zealand top-half failed to get going as they found themselves at the receiving end of the Indian bowlers' swing and seam coupled with the right line and length.

Down the order, James Neesham contributed a handy, unbeaten 46 off 47 balls, hitting six boundaries in the process.

There were two wickets for Jadeja (2/8) while Umesh Yadav, who was introduce late into the attack, bowled four overs for 11 runs.

India are without Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma in this game. While Yuvraj is recovering from a viral fever, Rohit has been granted permission to attend a family wedding by the team management.

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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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News Network
May 10,2020

New Delhi, May 10: Former Australia captain Ian Chappell has proposed radical changes in the LBW laws, stating that a batsman should be given out leg before as long as the ball is hitting the stumps irrespective of the spot of its landing and impact.

Chappell also said captains should agree on one way of working up the ball which will encourage swing bowling, even as the ICC is considering the use of artificial substances to shine the ball instead of sweat and saliva in post-COVID-19 scenario.

"The new lbw law should simply say: 'Any delivery that strikes the pad without first hitting the bat and, in the umpire's opinion, would go on to hit the stumps is out regardless of whether or not a shot is attempted'," he wrote in a column for ESPNcricinfo.

"Forget where the ball pitches and whether it strikes the pad outside the line or not; if it's going to hit the stumps, it's out."

The 76-year-old said the change in lbw law would attract expected criticism from the batsmen but it would make the game more fair.

"There will be screams of horror - particularly from pampered batsmen - but there are numerous positives this change would bring to the game. Most important is fairness.

"If a bowler is prepared to attack the stumps regularly, the batsman should only be able to protect his wicket with the bat. The pads are there to save the batsman from injury not dismissal.

"It would also force batsmen to seek an attacking method to combat a wristspinner pitching in the rough outside the right-hander's leg stump," said Chappell.

He cited Sachin Tendulkar's example on how he negotiated Shane Warne's round the wicket tactic during the 1997-98 Test series in India.

"Contrast Sachin Tendulkar's aggressive and successful approach to Shane Warne coming round the wicket in Chennai in 1997-98 with a batsman who kicks away deliveries pitching in the rough and turning in toward the stumps. Which would you rather watch?

"The current law encourages "pad play" to balls pitching outside leg while this change would force them to use their bat. The change would reward bowlers who attack the stumps and decrease the need for negative wide deliveries to a packed off-side field," he said.

Chappell said his proposed change to the lbw law would also cut down "frivolous" DRS challenges.

"This change to the lbw law would also simplify umpiring and result in fewer frivolous DRS challenges. Consequently, it would speed up a game that has slowed drastically in recent times.

"It would also make four-day Tests an even more viable proposition as mind-numbing huge first-innings totals would be virtually non-existent."

On the substitute of shining the ball without sweat and saliva, Chappell said international captains should find out a way of working up the ball.

"With ball-tampering always a hot topic, in the past I've suggested that administrators ask international captains to construct a list (i.e. the use of natural substances) detailing the things bowlers feel will help them to swing the ball.

"From this list, the administrators should deem one method to be legal with all others being punishable as illegal," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

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News Network
June 13,2020

New Delhi, Jun 13: Five centrally contracted Indian cricketers including Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul have been issued notices by National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for failing to disclose their whereabouts as the BCCI cited "password glitch" as the reason for delay.

The other players to have received the notice include women stars Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma, who are among the five cricketers in the 110 strong National Registered Testing Pool (NRTP). Speaking to PTI, NADA DG Navin Agarwal confirmed that BCCI has sent an official explanation for their five NRTP players' failure to submit whereabouts.

"There are two ways to fill up the whereabouts form in the ADAMS (Anti Doping Administration & Management Systems) software. Either athlete does it himself or association fills it up on his or her behalf," Agarwal said. "Now athletes in some discipline aren't educated enough or do not have access to internet and find themselves unable to handle the whereabouts clause of the ADAMS or upload the filled up

"They use assistance of their concerned federations. So federations have accepted responsibility of uploading their whereabouts," Agarwal said.

He said cricketers too at times find it tough to complete the process on their own. "Similarly in cricket also, although these people are well qualified and they can do it, perhaps they don't have the time for whatever reasons, so the federation concerned, the BCCI has taken upon itself the responsibility of uploading their whereabouts." So why didnt BCCI upload the the three-month whereabouts this time?

"Well they have given an explanation which appears to be reasonable but a decision will be taken. They have said that there has been a glitch with regards to password in ADAMS. Now they have said that issue has been resolved," Agarwal added. NADA DG added that "BCCI's explanation will be discussed as to whether it will be counted as one of three filing failures or not. It will be decided on the explanation given and how they (BCCI) proceed from here."

While country has been under lockdown, the rule to submit three months of whereabouts is mandatory. Three such failures to disclose leads to one Anti Doping Rule Violation (ADRV), which could lead up to two years of suspension upon hearing.

While BCCI has "officially gagged" its employees from talking to the media, it couldn't be ascertained that why as normal a glitch as a password error took days to resolve. A BCCI veteran, who has been privy to cricket operations, asked why the five cricketers were not told to upload the form themselves.

"This was lockdown period where they are not living out of suitcases. Some of the names have also engaged in multiple instagram chats and podcasts which their agents are managing," he said.

"If cricket operations team were having a glitch in fixing password, well the five cricketers could have been asked to do so and they would have done it individually with some guidance. "Probably NADA would be lenient this time but if it becomes an official warning, then who's responsible," he added.

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