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India batsman KL Rahul attributed the success of his ODI hundred on debut to the failure of his Test debut in Australia, and the confidence he gained from the recent IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jun-2016When KL Rahul became the first Indian batsman to score a century on ODI debut, he achieved a double feat of sorts. He scored his unbeaten 100 against Zimbabwe as an opener, and a year and a half ago, he had scored his maiden Test hundred also as an opener, against Australia in Sydney. That knock of 110 in the first innings had followed two nervy innings in Melbourne, where he scored 3 and 1 on debut. Before his first ODI hundred, however, he was carrying with him heaps of confidence and plenty of runs.”Obviously with good performances in the last couple of months the confidence is there and I always knew I had the game and I had the skill-sets to be successful in all the three formats,” Rahul said. “It was just about getting opportunities, a few good games and the confidence in myself and the belief in me to go out there and know that I can perform well at any level in any format. So that happened in the last two months and I’m just carrying the same confidence into this series. I’ve just come from a good IPL and I carried the same momentum into this game, been watching the ball well.”Rahul attributed that confidence and self-belief to his “failure” on Test debut, ensuring he didn’t allow any such pressure to affect him in his first ODI.”Of course, I learnt a lot from my debut in Australia and the way I was myself there,” he said. “It was a great learning for me. I would not have been such a confident player or the player I am today if I had not gotten that kind of failure in my first Test. I’m very happy that I learnt a lesson from my Test debut and I came out here and gave myself time and I did exactly what I wanted to do. I didn’t let the moment or the pressure of my first match get over myself. I just gave myself time and remained calm. I was just looking to watch the ball and there was no other thought in my mind.”I used to maybe overthink at times as to how I’ll get runs in one-dayers or T20s. I’ve worked really hard on my basics. I had all the shots in the book but when the need be, those shots should come right, like the square cut I played today. And if I hit a boundary, there’s so much pressure off me and I can knock a few balls around and maybe play a couple of dot balls. Those are the only things and also how I’ve been playing in the last couple of months, a lot of good innings coming into this series so the confidence is there. I’m in the right space in my mind and think of watching the ball and letting my instincts take over and that’s the best place to be for a batsman.”More recently in the 2016 IPL, Rahul had been one of the key players in the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s line-up, with a tally of 397 runs at an average of 44.11, including four half-centuries. Only a few days ago, he had said valuable feedback from Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers had helped him improve his game in the shorter formats. On Saturday, he said the method behind scoring his hundred was to stick to the basics. Rahul opened with Karun Nair to chase 169, but on a pitch that was assisting the quicks, the batsmen were forced to take their time early in the innings.”My initial plan was to see the new ball off; we knew the wicket was doing a little bit,” Rahul said. “It was on the spongy side so I knew I had to play close to the body or wait for the balls that were short so I could capitalise. So I had a set plan and once I played the first 10 overs and I hit a few balls from the middle of the bat, I knew I was looking good.”I just kept it simple, the target was not too big so I just knocked the ball around and ran hard, and once the opportunity was there to hit boundaries, I hit boundaries. I enjoyed myself, enjoyed my innings and definitely a great relief for me to get a one-day hundred, firstly, but also to get it in your first ODI is very special for me.”Rahul would have not ended with a hundred on debut had he not struck a six to hit the winning runs. He was on 92 with India four runs away from their target before the 42nd over started. Rahul then moved to 94 and finished the match with a six over long-on.”There’s not much that went through, I didn’t want to be on 94 for a long time and let a lot of thoughts come in my mind,” he said. “I picked my spot, I knew if the bowler bowled there, I was going [after it] no matter what. Luckily for me the bowler bowled there and I connected well, I held my shape so it all went well for me.”

A shoulder injury has ruled out Mustafizur Rahman from the remainder of Sussex’s group phase matches in the Royal London One-Day Cup and NatWest T20 Blast

Mohammad Isam27-Jul-2016A shoulder injury has ruled out Mustafizur Rahman from the remainder of Sussex’s group phase matches in the Royal London One-Day Cup and NatWest T20 Blast.Mustafizur has a SLAP tear (an injury to the labrum, which is the cartilage around the socket of the shoulder joint) in his left shoulder. He had an MRI taken a couple of days ago, after he missed Sussex’s latest one-day game. The BCB has asked him to do more tests, and it is still undecided whether he will return to Dhaka within the week. BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said on Wednesday that the board will wait for another medical assessment before deciding on what he should do next.”He has to undergo another assessment today, after which we will be able to know whether he will stay back in the UK for further medical attention or if he will return to Bangladesh,” Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo.The Sussex county side said in a statement that, “the 20-year-old is suffering from a shoulder injury, and, under the direction of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, is due to have a scan this week to ascertain whether or not he will be fit enough to play in any knockout matches should Sussex qualify for the latter stages of either competition”.According to BCB’s media chairman Jalal Yunus, a fresh MRI can give an indication on the treatment process.
“He will need another MRI to understand the exact nature of his injury,” Yunus said. “There’s some extra fluid on his shoulder. The MRI will tell us what he should be doing thereafter – an injection or a surgery. We will hear the advice of the specialists in the UK and our doctors and physio.”Mustafizur, who arrived late in Sussex’s one-day and T20 campaigns, took four wickets in his first match for the county before going wicketless in his second outing. He was scheduled to play at least five more games in the group phase of both competitions.

Jack Leach finished with 6 for 42 as Somerset completed a 32-run Specsavers County Championship victory over Warwickshire on the third morning at Taunton

ECB Reporters Network08-Sep-2016
ScorecardJack Leach claimed six second-innings wickets to finish off Warwickshire at Taunton•Getty Images

Jack Leach finished with 6 for 42 as Somerset completed a 31-run Specsavers County Championship victory over Warwickshire on the third morning at Taunton.Resuming on 131 for 8, needing a further 53 to win, the visitors battled for 14 overs before being bowled out for 152, Rikki Clarke ending unbeaten on 55.Lewis Gregory was the other wicket-taker as Somerset took 19 points to keep alive their hopes of a maiden Championship title. Warwickshire had to be content with three points and are not yet out of relegation danger with only one game remaining.The first half hour saw Clarke and Chris Wright carefully build on their ninth-wicket stand against the spin of Leach and Roelof van der Merwe.Clarke reached his half-century off 138 balls, with eight fours and a six, and the pair had reduced the deficit to 37, with the stand worth 86, when an inspired piece of captaincy by Chris Rogers brought the breakthrough.He introduced Gregory from the River End and, with his fourth delivery, the seamer had Wright caught behind for 45.”I brought Lewis on because I felt the batsmen were getting into a rhythm against our spinners,” Rogers said. “I just had a bit of a feeling that a change of pace might cause problems.”Such decisions often come down to luck and it’s nice when they go your way. It makes you look like you know what you are doing!When Clarke took a single off Leach’s third ball of the 58th over, Somerset moved in for the kill, surrounding last man Josh Poysden with close fielders.The tail-ender got an inside edge and Marcus Trescothick ended the game with the 394th first class catch of his Somerset career, at leg-gully, breaking a club record set by Jack White, whose career ended in 1937.The wicket sparked jubilant celebrations on the pitch and the home side could celebrate an unlikely win after being bowled out for 95 on the first morning.”It wasn’t the sort of pitch I would want to spend my career batting on,” Rogers added. “Each ball behaved a bit differently and that creates questions in the minds of batsmen, which makes them tentative.”But our spinners are bowling well and I’d take the same sort of wicket in our final home game against Notts if it means winning the title!”However, Warwickshire’s captain, Ian Bell, was more critical of the surface that Somerset had laid on.”The pitch wasn’t dangerous in any way so there was no cause for complaint,” he said. “The ECB want wickets that turn, but I don’t think that sort of surface is great even for the development of spinners.”It may bring them more wickets, but they will then find themselves bowling on slow low tracks if they step up to international level.”As for Warwickshire’s prospects for the final throes of the season, Bell added: “It’s disappointing because we are now right in the mix at the wrong end of the table. The game summed up our Championship cricket this season because we were good in spells, but not consistent enough.”We have a big final at Lord’s to look forward to so we can’t afford to dwell on this defeat. But whatever happens we need to look at our four-day cricket because there have been problems stretching back to the end of last season.”

George Bailey delivered a glowing appraisal of David Warner’s leadership following Australia’s two-wicket win in Dambulla, in which Bailey had led the chase

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Dambulla29-Aug-2016
George Bailey delivered a glowing appraisal of David Warner’s leadership following Australia’s two-wicket win in Dambulla, in which Bailey had led the chase. It was Warner’s first international in charge, and though his batting continued to ail him, his attack proved penetrative in the defining first half of the match.Australia’s seamers took two early wickets, and though Dinesh Chandimal and Tillakaratne Dilshan put up a 73-run second wicket stand, the middle and lower order could not muster substantial partnerships. Sri Lanka were all out for 226 in the 50th over.Bailey has plenty of experience as a leader, having captained Australia in 57 limited-overs matches. He said Warner was a good leader because, among other things, he typified the kind of cricket Australia wish to play.”I think Davey’s a natural leader,” Bailey said. “He’s always been a leader in terms of the way he plays the game. A lot of the things we talk about as a team – that Darren Lehmann has always talked about – driving the game, playing the game aggressively, and taking the game on, you’re talking about Davey Warner when you do that.”The conversations that I was privy to when he was talking to the bowlers, he was really clear and direct. He keeps things simple and they’re all pretty good things to have as a skipper. We were taking wickets, so that always keeps you happy as a captain. We took most of our catches, so it’s a nice welcome for him. I think he’s a really natural leader, I think it suits him.”Bailey was among those seen in regular conversation with Warner through Sri Lanka’s innings, along with Matthew Wade and Aaron Finch. Warner’s ideas, he said, were instrumental in keeping Sri Lanka to a score which Australia felt was very gettable on the Dambulla surface.”As much as anything, in my opinion, the on-field discussions are just so Davey can verbalise what’s going on his head,” Bailey said. “I know that the times I’ve captained, I’d much rather have too many ideas coming at me than when no one is coming up at all, because that’s normally the sign things aren’t going your way. I don’t think we’ll come out with anything too radical. It was more just letting Davey talk through what his plans were, and they were pretty much always on the money.”Australia’s chase had been floundering at 44 for 3 before Bailey took control of the innings. He put on 72 runs with Travis Head and a further 81 with Matthew Wade, on his way to 70 from 99 balls. In that knock, Bailey used the sweep and reverse sweep as liberally as any Australia batsman has done throughout the tour.”I’ve been practicing my sweep and reverse sweep,” he said. “You just need options here, don’t you? There are some clever bowlers in that team and you need to be able to mix things up and change the field a little bit when you need to.”I love the challenge of batting here. It’s very different to playing in England. It’s very different to playing at home. I find it a great thrill to be able to test yourself and to come up with new shots and to come up with different ways to combat the different things that are thrown at you.”Bailey has had a better year with the bat in 2016, than he has had in either of the two previous calendar years. He has hit 520 runs at an average of 37.14 since January, and has contributed in each of his innings this series.”I don’t know what to put it down to – maybe I’m just hitting my peak at the right age,” Bailey said of his improved output this year. “I just try to relax a bit more and enjoy it. I probably have a better balance off the field. I know what it feels like to be out of the team, or on the outer of the team. I know the worst-case scenario if I don’t score runs is I’m back to that feeling, so I’m just trying to make sure I enjoy every second I can.”

Lord’s has hosted many memorable encounters over the years, but Wednesday’s meeting between the counties and the ECB executive promises to rival the best of them for ferocity and, in its way, significance

George Dobell13-Sep-2016Lord’s has hosted many memorable encounters over the years, but Wednesday’s meeting between the counties and the ECB executive promises to rival the best of them for ferocity and, in its way, significance.The chairmen and chief executives of all 18 counties and the MCC are meeting to discuss their options for the future shape of the domestic T20 competition in England and Wales. It is no exaggeration to state that the conclusions reached could amount to the most significant changes to the face of England cricket since the introduction of limited-overs cricket in 1963 or the birth of professional T20 cricket in 2003.On one side you have those who insist a new T20 tournament featuring eight city-based teams is essential if cricket is to recapture the interest of the general public. On the other, you have those who warn that such a move will marginalise several first-class counties and further decrease the visibility of the game in the market towns and small cities where it is still relevant.The issue of free-to-air broadcasting and the value of potential broadcast deals will also be relevant. Some counties are incredulous at the difference in value placed on the options by the ECB’s ‘independent’ broadcast analysts. Some insist that free-to-air is essential if the game is to return to relevance in the public consciousness.It seems unlikely the consensus the ECB executive seeks will be reached today. They were hoping to agree one of the five options they set before the counties a few weeks ago with a view taking it to the ECB board for approval in October. But, with counties still asking for more information about the details and several insistent that their members have to be consulted, not enough seem ready to commit.Indeed, as they consider the implications of a city-based tournament – and as their members learn of those implications – it seems support for a two division tournament featuring all 18 teams has grown once more. This was the original recommendation of the ECB working party charged with looking into options a year or two ago, but it was subsequently shelved after concerns that it might limit the opportunity for lucrative local derbies.But a suggestion made by Glamorgan could offer a solution. ESPNcricinfo understands that they have put forward a plan whereby the T20 season would start with a weekend of local derbies – double-headers if necessary – that do not have any connection with the competition. While it is not a perfect solution – the issue of who would host such games is one problem – it may be enough to convince the waverers.One of the primary concerns is the implication to all other cricket by trying to create a July window for the new T20 tournament. The counties are worried that either the Championship will be diluted by the absence of around 100 of the best players, or that it will not be played at all for a month.ESPNcricinfo understands a suggestion has been made about cutting the Championship season to as few as 10 games – featuring three divisions of six teams – to make space for the new T20 competition while even Mike Fordham, the man hired by the ECB to launch the new competition (he fulfilled a similar role with the IPL and the CPL) has warned against comparisons with the BBL. Research has shown a tournament based in eight Test-hosting cities in England and Wales would cover only 25% of the population compared to 65% in Australia cover by the six BBL-hosting cities.While NatWest Blast attendances have risen by more than 60% since the introduction of a predictable schedule (generally on Friday nights) three years ago, it is ironic that many of the potential hosts of the eight-team tournament have seen ticket sales stall in recent times.Hampshire’s have grown by just 1% in that time (and dropped in 2016) while Lancashire’s have grown by 3% and again shrunk in 2016. Yorkshire’s and Durham’s attendance figures also fell in 2016. It may well grate on those counties where attendances have increased sharply – Northants, Gloucestershire, Essex and Worcestershire, for example – to forgo their place in the premier T20 competition to those who have failed to seize the format’s potential as well.If the ECB executive force a vote – and it seems unlikely they will take such a chance – it is far from certain they will win. And if they lose, it may well be that the resignation of the ECB chief executive and, perhaps, its chairman are requested.

The Australia batsman admitted that the trend of the side’s middle-order collapses after a good start goes back to the 2015 Ashes tour

Daniel Brettig in Perth04-Nov-2016David Warner admits that Australia’s batsmen have fallen into a debilitating pattern of middle-order batting collapses that are wasting decent starts, and also says he does not know how the problem will be rectified.Having made 97 in an opening stand of 158 with Shaun Marsh, Warner said he was demoralised by watching the loss of all Australia’s 10 wickets for 86, surrendering prime position in the WACA Test to South Africa despite the visiting team’s loss of Dale Steyn to a serious shoulder injury.The passage of play mirrored numerous innings on the recent tour of Sri Lanka despite vastly different conditions, and Warner said he could see the pattern stretching even further back, to the 2015 Ashes tour.”I feel there has been a trend as well in the last 12 and maybe 18 months that also follows on to when we were in England and we were playing there,” Warner said. “It’s tough to see as an opening batter sometimes when you get off to those starts as a top four and then you sort of fall away that easily.”It’s quite hard to take that when you’re in the change rooms. I can’t really remember, unless we go back to Hobart last year, where we really capitalised in that middle period. That’s something we’ve really got to work hard on, and at the moment I don’t really have the answers.”But we have to really knuckle down as a batting unit and try to build partnerships. We always talk about someone going on to get a big hundred in the top four, but it’s on everyone else in the middle as well to put their hand up and accept some responsibility to move forward as well and create that partnership.”The Australian middle order seems an area for particular concern, most notably the failings of the allrounder Mitchell Marsh and the wicketkeeper Peter Nevill. Both were put more or less on notice before this match by the selection chairman Rod Marsh, but neither could assert themselves on day two – Nevill admittedly on the wrong end of an apparently incorrect decision after making a start. Warner said Marsh needed to work out how he batted best.”You have to back yourself as a player, whether or not there’s mixed messages there, him as a player knows and understands the game,” Warner said. “He’s here at this level for a reason, he’s been chosen and selected in the team for a reason, that’s to score runs and take wickets. He has to work out what he has to do to score runs and take wickets for the team. Then for his sake he’ll gain a bit of momentum.”I’ve been at the other end, I go back to a game at Wellington where he came out and won us the game against New Zealand, he played his strokes and played beautifully. That’s the Mitch Marsh we know as well. I’m pretty sure for him as an individual I don’t think he’s clouded in any way.”Pondering the state of the game with Steyn ruled out and the pitch currently playing well but likely to deteriorate, Warner said the first session on day three would be vital, with early wickets a must.”We’ve seen here before once it’s a great batting surface as it is. If you get yourself in, make the most of it and capitalise I think anything’s chase-able,” Warner said. “They need to bat for two days if they can with two frontline bowlers, so we have to come out and bowl well. We’re going to have to work really hard in that first session.”They’ve still got two very, very good fast bowlers, and we’ve seen the wickets they’re capable of with the ball going both ways. We have to respect that. We can’t look too far forward. We’ve got to bowl well first tomorrow, then we’ve got to know that you get through that first period with the new ball they can only revert back to spin. We’ve got to really knuckle down and apply that pressure on their two frontline bowlers.”I’m disappointed for Dale, all the amp and the talk in this series, I know how pumped he would’ve been. I know he’s had this injury for a while, I just hope he can get back on the park.”

A round-up of the opening day of Group C matches in the final round of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2016Fourteen wickets fell at the Eden Gardens where Haryana reduced Tripura to 70 for 4 after getting bowled out for 231. After Tripura elected to field, their pace trio of Manisankar Murasingh (3 for 53), Sanjay Majumder (3 for 53) and Bunti Roy (2 for 44) shared eight wickets, while left-arm spinner Gurinder Singh took one. Haryana could have been sent packing for a much lower score had it not been for their lower order. Chaitanya Bishnoi, the No. 4, fell to Roy to leave Haryana 103 for 6, having made 52 of those runs himself. The recovery began with Rahul Tewatia’s 35 at No. 7. Joginder Sharma made 21 at No. 8, while Haryana’s last two, Harshal Patel and captain Mohit Sharma, chipped in with 26 and 39 not out respectively.Harshal took out Udiyan Bose and Samrat Singha in a new-ball burst to leave Tripura on 22 for 2. Bishal Ghosh was caught behind off Joginder for 36 before Tewatia removed Majumder for a duck on what turned out to be the last ball of the day. Wicketkeeper-batsman Smit Patel was not out on 26.Goa captain Sagun Kamat scored his third score in excess of hundred this season to take his team to 260 for 6 against Himachal Pradesh in Mumbai. Kamat dominated an opening stand of 47 with Sumiran Amonkar (18) before Snehal Kauthankar (43) joined him for a 70-run stand. It took a run-out to end Kamat’s resistance, but not before he had put on a further 95 for the third wicket with Darshan Misal. Kamat’s 104 off 170 balls was studded with 11 fours and two sixes. Goa squandered their strong position after Kamat’s dismissal, as they lost three more wickets for 31 runs. Misal was unbeaten on 68 at stumps.Hyderabad‘s new-ball duo of Ravi Kiran and Chama Milind took nine wickets between them to dismiss Andhra for 190 in Lucknow. In reply, Tanmay Agarwal and Akshath Reddy saw off seven overs as Hyderabad ended the day on 10 for no loss.Kiran took 4 for 33, while Milind took his maiden first-class five-wicket haul to finish with 5 for 28. The duo’s efforts meant Andhra lasted just 59 overs after they were asked to bat. That Andhra got close to 200 was down to half-centuries from Manyala Pranith (63) and Ashwin Hebbar (52), as their 91-run sixth-wicket partnership rescued the team from 80 for 5.Amandeep Khare struck his second first-class century, but Samiullah Beigh’s four-for reduced Chhattisgarh to 217 for 6 against Jammu & Kashmir in Gwalior. J&K elected to field and could only get 60 overs in as the entire first session was ruled out. Once play began, Beigh sent Chhattisgarh’s openers back for ducks in the first five overs. Khare then led the repair job, stitching together 84 for the third wicket with Anupam Toppo (40) and 120 for the fourth with Ashutosh Singh. Beigh troubled Chhattisgarh again by taking out Khare for 106, before sending back a third batsman – Avnish Dhaliwal – for a duck. Manoj Singh, the wicketkeeper, fell off the last ball of the penultimate over, but Ashutosh stayed unbeaten on 41, along with Ajay Mandal.Kerala pacer Athif Bin Ashraf took three early wickets on first-class debut to leave Services 103 for 4 on a 42-over day at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. Ashraf sent back Nakul Verma, Ravi Chauhan and Amit Pachhara for single digits to leave Services 22 for 3. That became 43 for 4 when Basil Thampi bowled Irfan Khan for 15. Anshul Gupta, the Services captain and opener, stayed not out on 52 and had Shamsher Yadav on 23 for company.

Anurag Thakur was not only removed as BCCI president by the Supreme Court on Monday, but he is also facing showcause notices relating to charges of contempt of court and perjury

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Jan-20172:46

‘No one is allowed to defy the Supreme Court’

Anurag Thakur was not only removed as BCCI president by a Supreme Court order on Monday, but he is also facing two showcause notices relating to charges of contempt of court and perjury. The court was severe on Thakur for having “obstructed and impeded” the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations approved by the court on July 18, 2016.From being one of the most powerful people in cricket as head of the BCCI, Thakur, 41, had his authority stripped off him, and his role with the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, where he has been president since 2000-01, is also uncertain because of the limitations on tenure imposed by the Lodha Committee.”Mr Thakur has by his actions and conduct rendered himself unfit for continuance as President of BCCI, for the following reasons,” the Supreme Court observed in its order on January 2. “Firstly, he has obstructed and impeded the implementation of the directions contained in the judgment and order of this Court dated 18 July 2016.”His own version is that he has been ‘rendered totally incapable and without any authority’ to compel the members to comply with the orders of this Court. This is indicative of his having washed his hands off a duty and obligation to ensure compliance.”Despite reminders from the Lodha Committee and directives from the court that it was binding upon the BCCI and state associations to implement the recommendations unconditionally, the board resisted them. Thakur, in an affidavit filed on December 3, said he could not force the state associations to adopt the recommendations.The court did not buy that argument. “We are prima facie of the view that Mr Thakur is liable to be proceeded with for contempt of court for having obstructed and impeded the orders of this Court.”The court, however, reserved its harshest words for Thakur on the issue relating to his asking the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar for a letter stating whether the appointment of an official from the Comptroller and Auditor General’s office on the Apex Council would amount to governmental interference. The ICC does not permit government interference in the functioning of its member boards. The court took exception to the fact that Thakur had tried to scuttle one of the recommendations after it had been approved by the court.In a previous hearing on December 15, the court had said there was enough evidence to lay a charge of perjury against Thakur.According to the court, Thakur had tried to “solicit” such a letter from Manohar during the ICC Governance Review Committee meeting held in Dubai on August 6 and 7, 2016. Thakur, the court said, was attempting to “thwart” the implementation of the recommendations. “An attempt was made to build up a record to indicate that implementing the orders of the Supreme Court of India would run the risk of endangering the status of BCCI as a member of ICC.”In an affidavit last December, Thakur had told the court he had asked Manohar, who was BCCI president between October 2015 and May 2016, if he thought having a CAG official on the Apex Council could “invoke an action of suspension” from the ICC. Thakur said he asked Manohar during the Dubai meeting whether he could issue a letter of clarification.The court asked the Lodha Committee to seek clarification from Manohar too. The ICC chairman told the committee in an email on November 2 that he had declined to offer Thakur any letter.”The conduct of the President of BCCI in seeking a letter from the President of ICC in August 2016, after the final judgment and Order of this Court, is nothing but an attempt on the part of the head of BCCI to evade complying, with the Order of this Court,” the order read. “We are constrained to note that there was absolutely no occasion for the President of BCCI to solicit any such clarification from the Chairperson of ICC in the teeth of the judgment that was delivered by this Court.”According to the court, it had “adequate” reasons to doubt the veracity of the sequence of events narrated by Thakur. To emphasise its point, the court highlighted the affidavit signed by Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI’s administration and game development manager, and presented to the court on October 7, 2016, in response to a status report of the Lodha Committee.Shetty’s affidavit had stated that Thakur never sought a letter from the ICC. But during a subsequent hearing, the BCCI submitted in court minutes of a working committee meeting held on August 22, which noted that Manohar had been asked for a letter.The court took a serious view of this variance. “Prima facie it would appear that these minutes had not seen the light of the day when the response by Mr Shetty to the status report of the Committee was filed, and have been fabricated subsequently to lend credence to the version of Mr Thakur. The statement that Mr Manohar was requested to clarify the position which he had taken as BCCI President is falsified by Mr Manohar’s disclosure that he was asked to give a letter in his capacity as ICC Chairman.”

Though the final Test of the series is a dead rubber, both India and England have something to gain

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu15-Dec-2016

Match facts

December 16-20, 2016
Start time 9.30 local (0400GMT)

Big Picture

England might feel like the guy sighing in relief when he hears the bar keep yelling “last call”. They’ve tried hard to keep up in unfamiliar surroundings, lost players to a schedule that packed five Tests into six weeks, given up their hold on the Anthony de Mello Trophy, and can’t be faulted if they are left with nothing more than the desire to go home. Counting the series in Bangladesh, they’ve been on tour since early October. With one win, four losses, debate over the quality of their captain, suggestions they have fielded lopsided XIs, injuries – James Anderson’s soreness being the latest – irritation from the coach over their tactics, and later at the media’s antics, this was one awful bender.India, on the other hand, may feel kinship towards those who go “boo” when told the pub is shutting down for the night. Virat Kohli is in such form he could start playing trick shots to each ball. R Ashwin can’t help but pick up wickets. The batting line-up stretches to No. 9. The bowlers are relentless. All of that has been amplified by home conditions. In Chennai, they stand a chance at equalling the most Tests they’ve ever won in a series – four, against Australia in 2013 – even a draw would take them to 18 matches without a defeat. No Indian team has reached such heights in 84 years of Test history.There is one more protagonist in play: the city. It was only at the start of this week that Chennai was laid waste by cyclone Vardah.

Form guide

India WWWDW (completed matches, most recent first)
England LLLDLStuart Broad is back in contention after his foot injury in Visakhapatnam•AFP

In the spotlight

Karun Nair has not had the kindest introduction to Test cricket. He has had to hang around on the fringes since the Sri Lanka tour last year, and his extended run in the XI may well be the result of Ajinkya Rahane – who spent a lot longer waiting for his first gig – and Rohit Sharma’s injuries. Scores of 4 and 13 – not to mention dropping a catch in the fourth over in Mumbai and then watching the reprieved Keaton Jennings make a century – indicate he has not made the most of his opportunity. He’ll be eager to set that right should he get another go in Chennai.Since his century in Rajkot, Moeen Ali has not made the kind of contributions that befit his talent. His strokes appear effortless, which look nice when the ball flies off the middle and particularly ugly when it is mistimed. His showing more care at the start of the innings might not be too bad an idea. He’s the kind of player who goes the extra yard as well. Took on a vicious workload in Mumbai, bowling 53 overs and then had to bat at No. 4. Can he sign off on a high?

Team news

India might play successive Tests with the same XI for the first time under Kohli, unless they take the call to play Ishant Sharma, who has rejoined the squad after his wedding last week.India (probable) 1 KL Rahul, 2 M Vijay, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Karun Nair, 6 R Ashwin, 7 Parthiv Patel (wk), 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Jayant Yadav, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Ishant SharmaEngland will likely hand a debut to left-arm spinning allrounder Liam Dawson. They are also waiting on Stuart Broad’s fitness – he injured his foot in Visakhapatnam and has not played since. He underwent a fitness Test on Wednesday and was scheduled for another on the eve of the Test.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Keaton Jennings, 3 Joe Root, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler, 8 Liam Dawson, 9 Stuart Broad/Chris Woakes, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Jake Ball

Pitch and conditions

Can the behaviour of a pitch that has been through a cyclone and had to be dried by hot coals be predicted? Clearly there was concern over the amount of moisture there was in it. So the ball could seam around. It is Chennai though, the hometown of R Ashwin, so there will be plenty of spin. The rains have subsided, and it was sunny again on the eve of the Test before becoming a bit cloudy in the evening. Considering the work that has been put in by a dedicated groundstaff to make sure the match happens, the first ball could carry more far more meaning than the last.

Stats and trivia

• England have played eight Tests in Chennai, winning three and losing four. India, meanwhile, have won 13 out of 31 matches at the venue.
• Kohli has 640 runs from four Tests in this series, 135 more in Chennai would give him the record for most runs by an Indian in a series, beating Sunil Gavaskar’s tally of 774 against West Indies in 1971.
• Ashwin has 27 wickets so far, with nine more he could record the best haul by an Indian bowler in a Test series. BS Chandrashekar took 35 against England in 1972.
• Alastair Cook needs two more runs to become the 10th batsman in Test history to 11000 runs.

Quotes

“This will be my 140th game and I’ve never played a in a game when we haven’t had nets before. But sometimes you do have to remember what happened in the cyclone, when people unfortunately lost their lives. So a net session the day before doesn’t seem quite as important after what people have gone through.”
“I don’t think we are looking at a collective series as 4-0. For us every game is separate from the other and the intensity and the motivation to win a Test match remains the same, whether we have won the series or haven’t won the series, or it’s drawn.”

England are hopeful that left-armer David Willey will be able to play some part in the T20 series against India after scans did not reveal significant damage to his left shoulder

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2017England are hopeful that left-armer David Willey will be able to play some part in the T20 series against India after scans did not reveal significant damage to his left shoulder.Willey was only able to bowl two overs in the final ODI in Kolkata before leaving the field although England’s remaining bowlers successfully covered for his absence to secure a five-run victory.He remained behind in Kolkata for scans when the rest of the squad travelled to Kanpur ahead of the start of the three-match T20 series on Thursday, but England later confirmed he would rejoin the party and have further assessment from the medical staff during the week.”A scan didn’t show up significant damage to his left shoulder. He could still feature in the IT20 series,” England Cricket posted on Twitter. “He will travel to Kanpur tomorrow for a further assessment with ECB medical staff.”England’s pace attack for the T20s could have a different look to the one on show for the ODIs with Sussex team-mates Tymal Mills and Chris Jordan having flown in for the final leg of the tour following the stints at the BBL in Australia.Bowlers from both sides came in for significant punishment during the one-dayers which saw a record tally for a three-match series of 2090 runs – Ravindra Jadeja was the only one to concede less than six-an-over – although Jake Ball, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes held their nerve impressively to close out the final match.Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, said he was “a little bit disappointed” in some of the bowling but was not overly concerned about the attack ahead of the Champions Trophy. England have a three-match series in West Indies, two games against Ireland at home then another three against South Africa before the tournament.Stuart Broad’s name has been regularly brought up as a possible recall, while there will be plenty of focus on how Mark Wood goes as he continues his rehabilitation from further ankle surgery at the England fast bowling camp in South Africa then the North v South one-day matches in the UAE in March. Steven Finn, who has not played an ODI since September 2015, could also stake a claim with success early season.”All of those blokes, I’m sure, will be looked at in the early part of the season,” Bayliss told Sky Sports. “I’m not necessarily concerned. We’ve seen them bowl very well before this. Throughout this series we’ve probably been a little bit on the short side.”When we get home in that Champions Trophy it will be about putting balls in the right area. I’m a little bit disappointed in the last three games but we’ve seen these guys bowl well before and fully expect them to come back from this.”