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Root’s double-wicket burst towards close plus Tongue’s two wickets meant all was not grim for England

Andrew McGlashan28-Jun-2023Steven Smith and Travis Head gave the opening-day honours to Australia at Lord’s, but the scorecard was not quite as bleak for England as appeared likely shortly before the close until Joe Root burgled a double-wicket over after what had been a largely uninspired performance from the home side.It may only have been day six of the series, but as Smith and Head were combining to add 118 in a bit over 20 overs for the fourth wicket, it felt as though Australia were taking a significant step towards having a stranglehold in the Ashes. A close-of-play total of 339 for 5 may yet end up proving decisive but England were clinging on.Head had played in what has become his trademark style as he flayed 77 from 73 balls, catching up with Smith who had a 43-run head start when he joined him at the crease. But having deposited Root down the ground he could not resist trying again and this time he was beaten convincingly, although Nathan Lyon will have noted the turn on offer.Two balls later Cameron Green played a very out-of-character hoick, miscuing Root to mid-off, and Australia’s good work was in danger of unravelling. However, Smith remained immovable and was closing in on Test century No. 32 on the ground where he was felled and concussed by Jofra Archer four years ago. As had been expected, there was not going to be two Tests in a row where he and Marnus Labuschagne did not contribute.David Warner, riding a little bit of luck along the way, had helped lay the early foundation under slate-grey skies which looked tailor-made for bowling although the surface itself was much less green than the days leading into the game. When he departed shortly after lunch, during a terrific over from the recalled Josh Tongue, England threatened to hit back but first Smith and Labuschagne, then Smith and Head shut them out before Root’s late incisions.David Warner already has crossed his tally of Ashes 2019•Getty Images

On an overcast morning where light drizzle and a pitch invasion by Just Stop Oil protesters, which required orange powder to be removed from the square, caused a couple of delays Ben Stokes was happy to insert Australia but England failed to take advantage of conditions. As at Edgbaston, catching – this time from the slip cordon – was one of the key reasons.Usman Khawaja, on 1, survived a low edge to first slip which just reached Root. Then a much more clear-cut chance escaped Ollie Pope at fourth from Warner off Stuart Broad when he had 20. Dismissal No. 16 went begging. Pope later spent much of the day off the field nursing a shoulder injury after diving to intercept a ball.Although Australia did not initially race away with the scoring – they were 39 for 0 after 17 overs – they had weathered the early window, albeit with a little bit of good fortune going their way. Warner had not been afraid to try the unconventional, twice stepping outside off stump to effectively sweep Broad, the first of which brought smiles between the batter and bowler.Warner, who passed his tally from the 2019 Ashes in three innings this time, scored more freely than Khawaja and it appeared the pair would take Australia to lunch without loss. However, Tongue, whose first three overs had cost 24 – including a hooked six by Warner to reach fifty – brought one back down the slope and Khawaja judged poorly as he left it alone.Josh Tongue cleaned up both Usman Khawaja and David Warner on either side of lunch•Getty Images

After the interval, Tongue got the better of Warner during an over where he produced an inside edge that narrowly missed the stumps then sliced him in half with a delivery that went for four byes before bowling one a touch fuller to obliterate the middle and leg stumps. Warner, though, has done enough to ensure he gets the rest of the Ashes, and probably the Sydney farewell he has mapped out.Labuschagne, coming off 0 for 13 at Edgbaston, still did not appear quite at his best but did not have to front up to Broad early – he had faced 29 balls by the time Broad was brought on. Broad’s comeback over involved drama with Smith who began by taking consecutive boundaries and was then given caught behind but the DRS showed daylight between bat and ball.Labuschagne started to find his groove with three boundaries in an over off Broad and another brace off Stokes as the scoreboard rattled along. Then he, too, made use of the DRS when given lbw shouldering arms to Broad against one which nipped down the slope but was shown to be going over off stump. Two overs later, England used a review against Labuschagne, but the ball had been trapped off the inside edge.The partnership had just passed 100 shortly after tea when Ollie Robinson found Labuschagne’s outside edge to give England an opening. But they bowled poorly to Head and he was away to a flying start by dispatched two short, wide deliveries from Robinson through the off side.In the blink of an eye Head was at a run-a-ball and though the ball occasionally flew past his outside edge there was plenty crunched out of the middle – some of his timing through the leg side was exquisite. Smith, as he was during the World Test Championship final against India, was happy to ride in Head’s slip stream as his fifty came in 102 balls during which he became the second-fastest to 9000 Test runs.Tongue, the quickest of England’s attack, was briefly used for a short-pitched plan against Head with the field spread far and wide but he threaded the gap on the leg side to reach fifty from 48 balls. A repeat of the Gabba, where he scored a century in the final session of the day, was on the cards before the spirit of adventure brought his downfall. Smith and Alex Carey negotiated the closing stages, including two overs against the second new ball, but while Australia are not out of sight England are already playing catch up.

The debate was triggered after Chahal bowled Warner but the bails didn’t fall

Shashank Kishore12-May-20224:56

Do stumps with LED lights make bails redundant?

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar says bails are “redundant” in today’s cricket, and need to be done away with because “they add a lot of complications” to an already complex set of rules.The debate was triggered in the first place after Yuzvendra Chahal was denied an “obvious wicket” when he beat David Warner in the air and off the pitch to hit the wicket. However, while the stumps lit up, the bails didn’t fall, thus failing to fulfil a major requirement of the bowled law.Related

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It is widely believed bails were used in cricket in the pre-technology era to be sure the ball had hit the wicket. Manjrekar, and many other pundits, believe that given today’s technology, the bails can be done away with.The LED bails currently in use light up the moment they lose contact with the rest of the wicket, which is also used as the instance the wicket was broken for purposes of checking run-outs and stumpings. If the bails were to be done away with, it shouldn’t be too difficult to have wickets that light up the moment they are touched.”I’ve said this before as well, it’s redundant now with the LED stumps to have the bails on,” Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time: Out. “Today it would’ve been a wicket deserving for Chahal who bowled superbly. It was a terrible shot from Warner, and it didn’t get a wicket. Unless it’s adding an aesthetic value, they should just get rid of the bails because they’re completely redundant with LED technology.”9:00

Runorder from the archives (Jan 2021): Time to do away with the bails?

“[The bails were used] just to be sure the ball has hit the stumps they had these bails on top, because if the ball just kissed the stumps you won’t know if there weren’t any bails,” Manjrekar said. “And the bails were meant to fall off if the stumps were disturbed. But now that you have a sensor, you know the ball has hit the stumps, so why are the bails there?”Manjrekar has always been for technology playing a greater role in cricket. In 2013, he called for technology to monitor bowling actions live around the time the ICC had begun to clamp down on suspect actions. He cited more examples, like in the case of a stumping appeal where umpires are forced to check at what point the bails come off the groove while adjudicating. This he felt was adding layers of complexity to decision-making and retaining bails anymore was “defying common sense.””If you have the technology, don’t have the bails,” he said. “The other problem with bails is, when there is a stumping, you wait to it to light up and then you’re talking about whether both the bails are off the grooves and there’s just a lot of complication when you’re judging stumped or run out. Just keep it simple.”I know it won’t happen because we don’t like to change too many things. We tweak few other rules, but certain very obvious things aren’t done. Getting rid of bails may sound scandalous to lot of people but it defies common sense.”Piyush Chawla, the India legspinner, backed Manjrekar’s theory and hoped better sense would prevail. If the LED technology was available and it was trusted to give “clear evidence”, it should be taken.”When you have clear evidence, why not,” he asked :”That’s what I believe in. We clearly saw it hit the stump, but the bails didn’t fall off and he survived, and he was riding on luck, because there was a dropped catch and then this. Maybe if they got a wicket there, it was a different story altogether. There should be some rules where if the ball hit the stumps and the LED glows, it should be given out.”

“We will do a transparent review of the whole season, starting from the England series”

Umar Farooq11-Jan-2021The PCB’s cricket committee will meet on Tuesday to review Pakistan’s 2020-21 season, including the team’s performance in the recent series against New Zealand. Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling Waqar Younis will both be debriefed on a tour where Pakistan lost the Tests 2-0 and T20Is 2-1.One of the key agendas in Tuesday’s meeting would be to assess the performances of Misbah and Younis, who have both been under scrutiny for the team’s poor results lately. Batting coach Younis Khan, however, has been exempted. While the PCB had indicated after the New Zealand tour that there may be a shake-up in the coaching staff, the board’s chief executive Wasim Khan only confirmed a “transparent review” was in order.Related

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“Committees will recommend whatever it is, good or bad, and after that Ehsan Mani will assess and take a final decision,” Wasim said. “At the moment, we can’t speculate and there should be a transparent evaluation of the performance. We will do the review of the whole season, starting from England series. There will be debate and there will be questions, but it doesn’t mean there will be definitely some changes.”Speculations are always there whenever we lose and new names (to replace the present) come up. It is disrespectful to Waqar and Misbah and nothing has changed as yet but their performances will be reviewed.”The committee had been formed in October 2018 to assist PCB chairman Ehsan Mani, but the responsibilities of the panel were limited to just recommendations. Saleem Yousaf, the new head of the committee, is the fourth incumbent in 26 months.The role of the committee broadly encompasses cricketing affairs, both domestically as well as internationally, but they aren’t allowed to interfere in day-to-day selection matters. While the committee has not been given any decision-making powers, they have been handed a wide remit. The committee meets three times a year; the upcoming meeting is the first of 2021.Ever since Misbah took charge of the team, the PCB has taken several bold decisions, such as removing Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain and dropping him from all three formats. Soon after, Azhar Ali was made the Test captain while Babar Azam was chosen to lead the team in the limited-overs formats. However, after the England series last year, Ali was also stripped off the captaincy, with the role handed to Azam.After another review last October, Misbah stepped down as Pakistan’s chief selector, but agreed to continue as head coach till 2022.When asked why the PCB hands three-year contracts to their coaches if the management is reviewed after every series, Wasim said, “There should be some continuity and security in contracts. We do give contracts in good faith and this cricket committee meeting will not necessarily recommend a change. This is purely a review and assessment of the cricket we have played so far.”The meeting will be chaired by Yousaf, while other members Umar Gul, Urooj Mumtaz and Wasim Akram will join via video. The PCB said the committee’s recommendations would be announced in due course.

Bangladesh’s 2019-20 season begins this Monday with a training camp for 35 cricketers and among them are a few highly promising youngsters

Mohammad Isam17-Aug-2019Bangladesh’s 2019-20 season begins this Monday with a training camp for 35 cricketers that includes Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Das among those who missed the Sri Lanka ODI series. In the absence of Tamim Iqbal, who was given a break recently, and the presence of several question marks over the fast bowling department, here is a list of rookies to watch out for.Mohammad Naim is one of the more promising among the newcomers. An elegent strokeplayer who doesn’t hold back, he was the second-highest scorer in the last Dhaka Premier League List-A competition and he impressed for Bangladesh A against Afghanistan A last month, concluding the one-day series with a match-winning 126.Yeasin Arafat is a six-foot tall pace bowler who has earned his second call-up to a seniors’ training camp in as many years. He has the best List-A figures in Bangladesh’s domestic history (8 for 40) and is among the few in Bangladesh who is known for getting extra bounce from the slow pitches.Saif Hassan was the top scorer in the Dhaka Premier League, with 814 runs at 62.61. Many age-group coaches have predicted this youngster to have a bright future and he has so far proved them right. The 20-year old has a strong front foot game and is excellent at leaving the ball.Aminul Islam is a talent who emerged out of BKSP, the country’s top sporting institute. He made 440 runs for them in the Dhaka Premier League, and was picked for Bangladesh A last month. The 19-year old is a batting allrounder who also bowls handy legspin, a style of bowling Bangladesh have been searching for a long time.Jahurul Islam played the last of his 24 international matches more than six years ago but he has done well recently in domestic cricket. The 32-year old is known as a batsman who has never quite achieved his potential, but in the absence of Tamim, he is among the two openers being seriously considered as a replacement.The full preliminary squad: Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Shafiul Islam, Farhad Reza, Taijul Islam, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun, Mosaddek Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abu Jayed, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Nayeem Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Imrul Kayes, Abu Hider, Jahirul Islam, Ariful Haque, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Yasir Ali, Saif Hasan, Nayeem Shaik, Shahidul Islam, Shafiqul Islam, Yasin Arafat, Aminul Islam.

The former India wicketkeeper had been in charge for two years in which the team did not win any trophies.

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2018Sameer Dighe has resigned as Mumbai coach due to personal reasons. The MCA’s Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) headed by former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar is likely to convene soon to discuss potential replacements ahead of the new season in September.Dighe, a former India wicketkeeper, was appointed on a one-year deal in 2017 as successor to Chandrakant Pandit, who led Mumbai to two successive Ranji Trophy finals. They won their last championship in February 2016.Mumbai endured a difficult 2017-18 domestic season, where they were were beaten in the quarterfinal of both the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, by Karnataka and Maharashtra respectively, while losing three of their four matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s.

Goud, Aravind take over as Karnataka’s coaches

Karnataka have appointed Yere Goud and S Aravind as the team’s batting and bowling coaches for the 2018-19 domestic season.Goud, a former Karnataka captain, was one of the most prolific run-getters in domestic cricket during a career that stretched from the 1994-95 season until his retirement in October 2012. He scored 7650 first-class runs at an average of 45.53, the bulk of them coming in the Ranji Trophy for Railways and Karnataka.Aravind was a key member of a highly successful Karnataka side that claimed back-to-back domestic trebles, winning the Ranji Trophy, the Irani Cup and the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2013-14 and 2014-15. He took 186 first-class wickets at 23.94, primarily bowling left-arm seam but also occasionally left-arm orthodox spin. His exploits in domestic cricket and in the IPL earned him one India cap – a T20I against South Africa in October 2015. Aravind announced his retirement from all forms of cricket at the end of Karnataka’s victorious campaign in the 2017-18 Vijay Hazare Trophy.

BCCI to continue with neutral curators for 2018-19 season

Encouraged by the positive feedback during the 2017-18 season, the BCCI is set to continue with neutral curators for the upcoming Ranji Trophy. This matter, and others, was discussed during the two-day Curators’ conclave in Mumbai last week.After trialling neutral venues in 2016-17, the BCCI reverted to the traditional ‘home and away’ concept last year with neutral curators to ensure state associations didn’t doctor pitches to suit their team’s strengths.Mumbai captain Aditya Tare, however, has a different view. “I would also not mind local curators preparing the pitch completely because that gives home advantage to the teams. Also it makes it a bit more challenging when you go away and play against your strengths.”In Test cricket also, you have the home team preparing pitches and the away side has to come and face challenging conditions. Why not have that in domestic cricket?”Meanwhile, the grounds and pitches committee is said to have been satisfied with the local curators’ level of preparedness towards maintaining surfaces during the course of the recently-concluded IPL season.The Cricket Association of Bengal won the Best Ground award in 2018. The Eden Gardens hosted nine IPL matches, including two playoffs that were originally slated for Pune.

Steve O’Keefe has been banned from this year’s domestic limited-overs competition by New South Wales and fined for the second time in eight months

Daniel Brettig07-Apr-2017Steve O’Keefe has been banned from this year’s domestic limited-overs competition by New South Wales and fined $20,000 by Cricket Australia for making highly offensive comments while intoxicated at the after-party following the Steve Waugh Medal presentation.In what was his second alcohol-related offence in the past nine months – he was fined $10,000 and handed an infringement notice by NSW Police for an incident at a Sydney pub last year after returning home injured from the Test tour of Sri Lanka – O’Keefe is believed to have made a string of offensive remarks after the awards ceremony, which was held at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney on Saturday night.Having performed so well for Australia on the recent tour of India, O’Keefe now finds himself on exceedingly thin ice with both his state and the national team. O’Keefe said he would seek specialist counselling in the wake of the episode.”At an official Cricket NSW function I became intoxicated and made highly inappropriate comments. There is no excuse for this and I take full responsibility and offer an unconditional apology,” O’Keefe said in a statement. “I accept the sanctions imposed by Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW and welcome the chance to receive specialist counselling.”I have a big challenge ahead and I am determined to meet it with actions, not just words. To all of the members of the cricket family I love and respect so much, again, apologies for letting you down.”Senior officials from both Cricket NSW and CA were furious at O’Keefe’s behaviour, particularly after he worked assiduously and well to prepare himself for the India tour, where he was among Australia’s most accomplished performers.”Stephen has not upheld the standards expected of a NSW and Australian cricketer in the aftermath of the India tour where he proudly represented his state and country,” NSW chief executive Andrew Jones said. “As this is his second recent offence we believe a strong penalty is appropriate. At Cricket NSW, we want all our people to achieve their potential on and off the field and Stephen needs to refocus himself on that task.”Pat Howard, the CA team performance manager, said the incident overshadowed what had been a most productive season for O’Keefe. “There is no time or place for unacceptable behaviour from any of our players in Australian Cricket, and we continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to this,” he said.”We’re extremely disappointed this situation occurred, particularly on the back of a previous incident, and it now overshadows Stephen’s on field performance on the recent tour of India.”

Temba Bavuma’s maiden Test hundred lit up Newlands as South Africa were able to declare on 627 for 7, just two runs behind England on first innings

The Report by David Hopps05-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn the troubled transformation of South Africa cricket Temba Bavuma inspired heady hopes of a bright and contented future with a zestful maiden Test hundred which brought a slumbering Cape Town Test sparking into life. A run-glut Test or not, the squeals of delight that greeted his breakthrough innings lit up Newlands. Temba Bavuma: depicted as a quota cricketer no longer.Twenty-four years after South Africa’s readmission to international cricket following the dismantling of apartheid, Bavuma became the first black African to hit a Test hundred for South Africa. It was a momentous moment.

Bavuma embraces role-model status

Temba Bavuma hopes his maiden Test century will pave the way for other black Africans to follow in his footsteps.

“When I made my debut for South Africa I became more aware and realised the significance of it all,” he said. “It wasn’t just about me making my debut, but being a role model and inspiration for other black African kids to aspire to. Achieving this milestone will strengthen that example.

“I looked today at the kids who were there for the KFC Mini cricket festival at lunch. Half of those kids come from Langa and half of them know my name. Whenever I go back to Langa I know I’m going to have those kids running around me. There is a greater significance, a lot of pressure, but it is international cricket.”

Bavuma received a rousing reception from the 16,000 fans at Newlands on reaching his hundred, and he admitted that achieving the feat in his home city was especially satisfying.

“I am born and bred in Cape Town, this is where I learnt my cricket, my passion grew here,” he said. “Being able to achieve this milestone at my favourite ground in the world makes it a bit more special.

“There is a lot of satisfaction, just getting that first hundred,” he explained. “I’ve been yearning for it, fighting for it, so getting that one under the belt makes me look forward to the future ones if they do come.”

Bavuma had made only one half-century in seven Tests and most mentions of his name before the Test had encouraged the mistaken belief that his first name was Drop. But he danced around Newlands like a summer breeze, his bright-as-a-button innings refreshing onlookers who were beginning to tire of runs that in this Test had become as undervalued as the South African rand.Bavuma’s unbeaten 102, from 148 balls, replete with enterprising cuts and pulls, was a cheery topping on Hashim Amla’s slow-cooked special – the fourth double-century of his Test career. When Bavuma reached his hundred with a thick edge off Steven Finn and Amla pulled the plug soon afterwards, South Africa had batted for 211 overs and had cut the deficit to two runs. For the first time in South Africa both sides had made more than 600 on first innings.England reached 16 without loss by the close, and probably consigned the Test to oblivion in the process, but both batsmen had alarming brushes with short leg and Cook left a ball that missed off stump by a whisker. Two down would have caused the odd sleepless night.Had that been so, England would have only themselves to blame. Pristine pitch or not, they dropped nine catches in the innings: six on the fourth day. Many, it must be noted, were immensely difficult. It was also their ninth day of Test cricket in 11, the heat was searing, and as the overs mounted, they were understandably flagging. The law of averages, though, meant that some should have stuck.The one that will be most dwelt upon – however cruelly it may seem – will be Jonny Bairstow’s drop of Bavuma on 77, partly because Bairstow’s ponderous footwork threatens his future as a Test keeper, partly because Broad kicked the pitch in frustration, so bringing a huge lump out of it and attracting an unofficial warning from umpire Aleem Dar, one which he took gracelessly. It was the only time the pitch has shown signs of wear.When Amla’s steadfast resistance finally expired in the fourth over after lunch, his 201 represented the third-longest Test innings in South Africa, in terms of ball faced. Over nearly 12 hours he had glued together South African resolve, an understated captain responding indefatigably in a time of need. His concentration was admirable, his defensive technique impeccable, but in cricket when the situation is dead the game is dead and as long as Amla remained at the crease there seemed no chance of a positive result.Amla’s was one of three wickets to fall on the fourth afternoon as the third new ball brought England momentary release – Faf du Plessis and Quinton du Kock also dismissed within the space of 22 balls. Amla was the first of them, undone by Broad who coaxed just enough movement out of a placid surface to bowl him off an inside edge. Only Gary Kirsten and Michael Atherton had faced more deliveries in a Test in South Africa than his 477.Du Plessis, 81 not out at lunch, missed out on a hundred that he seemed to have been heading inexorably towards, James Anderson finding the edge from around the wicket and Ben Stokes retrieving an alert, low catch at third slip. There were good plans, too, for de Kock, who was given a strong leg-side field and a surfeit of short balls and who mis-hooked to square leg.Temba Bavuma played a sparkling innings for his maiden century•Getty Images

With South Africa still 180 behind, at 449 for 6, a positive result could not entirely be discounted – not by computer programmers anyway. England cranked up the aggression for an hour, indulging in more than a few verbals along the way and Anderson knowingly collected a second warning for running on the pitch. Go for broke and see what happens was the obvious message.Bavuma, jockey-sized in the style of James Taylor, stood up for the little man, later in his innings also dealing well with England’s attempts to stifle him with 7-2 off-side fields. He found a redoubtable ally in Chris Morris, who made 69 on Test debut in a stand of 167 before Joe Root, who had dropped several in the slips, held on at short extra.England had little glimpses of opportunity in the morning, most glaringly when Amla miscued Moeen down the ground on 197 and was fortunate that the ball dropped safely between the two straight fielders. A ball later, he soft-shoe shuffled a single through mid-on for his 200.Du Plessis’ most anxious moment came when he edged a full-length ball from Moeen past Anderson at slip. For the second time in the innings, the ball flew too rapidly past Anderson who was hunting an edge from a defensive push – a theory which, although events conspired against it, did possess a certain amount of logic. Root, helmeted because he was so unnaturally close, was to make the same miscalculation later when Morris edged Broad.This Test has passed through recognisable phases. It began with excitement, as Stokes and Bairstow batted at an astounding rate on a flat surface nevertheless offering decent pace and bounce. It became a challenge of concentration as Amla stiffened South African sinews in the face of England’s 629 for 6. And, on the fourth day, with that pace and bounce a distant memory, as long as Amla remained it became a process primarily of repetition, an endurance test for all but the most unyielding connoisseur.Old timers wallowed in memories of big scores of days gone by, England fans crept away to climb Table Mountain and there was a terrible temptation to switch TV channels and watch the Big Bash pack them in again in Adelaide. Even the Indian schoolboy who has scored 1009 not out in Mumbai must have been under greater threat.This was becoming the Test with no reason to live. Then came Bavuma to bring it alive once more.

Arul Suppiah, the Somerset allrounder, has been forced to retire at the age of 29 due to worsening knee injuries

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2013Arul Suppiah, the Somerset allrounder, who holds the world record for Twenty20 bowling figures, has been forced to retire at the age of 29 due to worsening knee injuries.Suppiah, a top-order batsman and left-arm spinner, was born in Malaysia and educated at Millford School before making his Somerset debut in 2002. In 2009 he scored 1000 Championship runs for the first time as he established himself as a regular member of a strong top order that included Marcus Trescothick, Nick Compton and James Hildreth.However, his most notable achievement was securing world-record bowling figures in T20s when he took 6 for 5 against Glamorgan, at Cardiff, in 2011.Suppiah has suffered from serious injuries in both knees that have led to a rapid deterioration in recent months, to the extent that he has been strongly advised to take an immediate retirement from the game. He is currently in the middle of his benefit season.”I am devastated to have to retire from the game that I have always loved,” he said. “This is the hardest decision of my life, especially having played for Somerset for so long. After consultation with the specialist, I realise I have no choice but to retire.”I have so many happy memories of my time at Somerset and would like to thank everybody from [the] players, staff and members who have supported me during my playing career. Somerset will always be my county and from the other side of the boundary ropes I shall continue to support the lads in every way I can.”Guy Lavender, the Somerset chief executive, added: “Arul might not have been born in the county but he is thought of as a real local. He has given so much to cricket in Somerset, and it is a great shame that he has to retire in these circumstances.”Not only is he an exceptional cricketer, he is a superb chap, and I am certain that the next phase of his career will be as successful as the first. I am sure that all Somerset members and cricket lovers will continue to support his remaining benefit year events.”Arul will be greatly missed by all the players and staff and we would like to thank him on behalf of all the members for everything that he has done for Somerset and wish him every success for the future.”

Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal has said the six-match Twenty20 tour of Europe has helped the team develop the habit of winning, despite the two losses to Scotland and Netherlands

Mohammad Isam30-Jul-2012Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal has said the six-match Twenty20 tour of Europe has helped the team develop the habit of winning, despite the two losses to Scotland and Netherlands. Tamim was the only batsman to score in excess of 200 runs, including two half-centuries. He said he was happy to see progress on an individual and collective level.”The tour had more positives than negatives,” Tamim told ESPNcricinfo. “We won the first game against Ireland easily but in the next two we fought back from dire situations. I think the game in which [Mahmudullah] Riyad bowled well in the last over was a difficult win. We never thought we were in it but we fought till the end.”Leaving aside the Scotland game (which the hosts won by 34 runs), I thought we showed a lot of positive signs. We wanted to get into the habit of winning, so I think the tour has given us that. All in all, there were improvements but there’s still a long way to go.”After sweeping the series 3-0 against Ireland, Bangladesh had a wake-up call when the Scotland batsman Richie Berrington hammered a 57-ball century. The Bangladesh batsmen faltered and lost the one-off game.Tamim’s unbeaten 69 in the next game, against Netherlands, helped them to an easy win but the tour ended in a disappointing note after they were defeated in a last-ball finish against the same opponents.”Personally, I feel happy after the tour,” Tamim said. “I thought it was a decent effort in conditions which I wouldn’t call ideal for Twenty20 cricket.”The mixed results caused some bizarre movements in the ICC Twenty20 rankings. Bangladesh jumped to No. 4 after winning 3-0 against Ireland. However, one loss to Scotland brought them back to No. 9, which didn’t change despite beating Netherlands the next day and losing the day after.”We felt good when we became the No. 4 team in Twenty20s, but when we lost to Scotland and became No. 9, we obviously didn’t feel that good,” said Tamim. “It wasn’t important to be honest and it wasn’t really our goal during the series. But going up the rankings is definitely a goal for the future.”The players will take a break, but Tamim and four others are set to play the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) Twenty20 competition, which begins on August 11. Tamim believes the whole team stands to benefit and not just the contracted players.”It will be great for the five players but since we’ll be playing the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September, it’ll definitely help us as a team because the captain [Mushfiqur Rahim] is also one of the five players,” he said.

Rahul Dravid may have played 150 Tests in a career spanning 15 years, but admits he still feels the pressure to contribute to the team

Sriram Veera in Kingston18-Jun-2011Rahul Dravid may have played 150 Tests in a career spanning 15 years, but admits he still feels the pressure to contribute to the team. The Tests in West Indies will be Dravid’s first series since the trip to South Africa in December-January and he said it had been a challenge to maintain intensity during the down time.”I am relaxed, but there is always a pressure to go and score runs, irrespective of who you are,” Dravid said after his first training session at Sabina Park. “You want to make a contribution, but you know that there is a lot [that] you have accomplished, a lot that you have already done, which cannot be taken away from you. So I do relax more with regard to that part of the game.”But when I go into a game, I am still nervous. That never changes, whether I am playing my first game or my 151st game. The reason that I continue playing is because I love the contest and love the vibes. I am still enjoying the game.”Dravid is not part of India’s limited-overs set up anymore and said that, while it was challenge to maintain focus during the gaps between Tests, he was well-prepared for the upcoming series. “It has been five-six months that we played a Test match,” he said. “There has been a bit of IPL in between. It’s a challenge to keep it going but the good thing from my point of view is that we have got seven Test matches in a row now (three in West Indies and four in England), once we start on June 20.”That was at the back of my mind as I was preparing for this series and England. It will be good to get some runs early on and hopefully carry the form in the seven games.”Dravid averages 70 in the Caribbean, with 1260 runs from 14 Tests, and has scored two centuries and ten half-centuries. This is his fourth tour of the West Indies. He averages 55.60 with three half-centuries in three Tests at Sabina Park, the venue of the first match. The previous time he played here, Dravid top scored for India in both innings (81 and 68) of a low-scoring game to help them win the Test and the series.Rahul Dravid: “I am still enjoying the game”•Gallo Images

“I have very pleasant memories of the ground, especially after what we achieved here when we came here last time,” Dravid said. “When we got here, anything could have happened on a low-scoring wicket, anything. We were the better team in the series, but on a difficult wicket like that you could so easily lose. I will definitely say that it was one of my better innings that I [have] played in terms of the quality.”Dravid said it had been his childhood ambition to play in the West Indies. “After hearing so much about playing in the West Indies, as a young kid, [I was] looking forward to coming here. My ambition has never changed.”I grew up to my dad turning the radio on and hearing commentary about Gavaskar scoring hundreds here [against] the fast bowlers, and dreamed about playing here. You want to come here and play in front of passionate crowds. Even when you are walking on the street they seem to know so much about your scores. I know that the grounds are not that full for Test matches but I still hope that there will be a good atmosphere.”There are quite a few young players in the Indian squad and Dravid said he is looking forward to passing on his experience and helping in the transition phase. “I am hoping that over the next seven Test matches, there will be opportunity to share those experiences, especially with some of the young batsmen coming up.”I know that in the next couple of years there will be times young batsmen will come through and that’s the way it should be. They are getting a lot of exposure in the one-day game, Twenty20 and the IPL. A lot of them are more experienced [compared to] when I, Sourav Ganguly or VVS Laxman came into the team. Hopefully when they make it to the team they can have the long careers that we have had. You know that the team is going to be in good health if three or four [of these] guys can establish themselves and score runs consistently. So it will be interesting to see which of these guys can perform for India.”