Category: Cricket

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday seemed resigned to his fate after a seven-wicket defeat to Rajasthan Royals (RR) that pushed his team to the brink of ouster, even as he admitted that “this season we weren’t really there”.

“It’s not always supposed to go your way. That’s why what we try is going back to the process and see if the process is wrong or maybe we weren’t able to execute. Result is always a by-product of the process. What it does is it helps you think in a positive way,” Dhoni said after the match.

“We play in front of millions of people so there is nothing to hide. The fact remains that if you’re busy with the process then the undue pressure of results doesn’t get into the dressing room. We’ve tried a few things. That’s one thing you don’t want to do; you don’t want to chop and change a lot, because what happens is after three-four-five games you’re not sure of anything,” he said.

Dhoni hinted that in the four matches left in the league phase, youngsters in the squad would get to play.

“You want to give guys a fair go then if they’re not performing then you switch and go to someone else and give them a run. Insecurity is something you don’t want to prevail in the dressing room. Fair enough, this season we weren’t really there,” he said.

“Also there were few chances to the youngsters. Maybe we didn’t see the kind of spark that they could’ve given us to say ‘okay, you know, push the experienced guys and make space for them’. But what this result has done is give those youngsters whatever is left in our league stages. They will get a chance and have no real pressure on them so they can go out and express themselves. And give us the option of looking at the other options in the batting line-up or where they’d like to bat.”

Also Read: ‘Couldn’t Do Ordinary Stuff With MS Dhoni Around’

Also Read: Dhoni among cricket’s greatest captains: Greg Chappel

Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik has been left out of the Pakistan squad for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against Zimbabwe beginning October 30.

Pakistan has not played ODIs since the home series against Sri Lanka 12 months ago. The three-match ODI series in Rawalpindi – to be played on October 30, November 1 and 3 – will be part of World Cup Super League from which the seven top-ranked sides, apart from hosts India, will qualify directly for the 2023 World Cup.

Malik, who was player of the final in National T20 Cup on Sunday evening, has made way for Abdullah Shafiq, while Rohail Nazir has been named as Mohammad Rizwan’s back-up wicketkeeper. Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was part of the squad for the England tour, has been encouraged to feature in the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, starting October 25, so that he rediscovers better form ahead of the New Zealand tour, stated Pakistan Cricket Board in a media release.

“Seniors like Shoaib Malik and Sarfaraz Ahmed have not been picked for this series, but I want to categorically state that their careers are not over by any means as performance remains the only criterion for selection,” Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq said.

Also Read: ‘Indo Pak Cricket Unlikely In Near Future’

“These are strategic decisions as Shoaib’s absence will provide players like Abdullah Shafiq, Haider Ali and Khushdil Shah better chances of featuring in the upcoming matches,” he added.

The probables will assemble in Lahore on October 21 for COVID-19 testing and after observing a five-day isolation period, during which they will play two 50-over matches at the Gaddafi Stadium, will travel to Rawalpindi on October 26.

The probables for three T20Is – to be played on November 7, 8 and 10 – will be shortlisted after the ODIs and players unlikely to feature in them will be advised to play in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy third round matches, which will commence from 6 November.

Pakistan probables for ODIs and T20Is: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafiq, Abid Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Musa Khan, Rohail Nazir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz and Zafar Gohar.

Also Read: Miandad lashes out at Imran for ruining cricket

While MS Dhoni was the regular wicketkeeper-batsman for the Indian team for many years, there was another wicketkeeper-batsman who was making the right strides with his impactful performances – Dinesh Karthik.

“I think throughout my career there’s one thing that’s for sure – it was the fact that there was a lot of pressure whenever I played games. Just the fact that I had to be a part of the side I had to be something, it had to be something special. I just couldn’t do ordinary stuff and be a part of the side because there was an enigma named MS Dhoni around,” said Karthik while speaking with Saurav Ghosal on ‘Finish Line’.

“So when you have a player like that around, you have to seize the moments with something special. At times I seized it and at times I did not hence life is not always going to be a bed of roses, at times as an individual you do have to run the tough race as well,” he added.

One such brilliant performance from Karthik came at the final of Nidahas Trophy 2018 against Bangladesh, where he hit a six off the final ball to take his team over the finish line.

When Karthik walked into bat at 133/5 with India needing 34 runs from the last two overs, the pressure was certainly on the Men in Blue. However, the wicketkeeper-batsman worked his magic and struck a six over extra cover on the final ball of the match to take India home in what turned out to be one of the most iconic moments for the team in T20I cricket.

Karthik also revealed about the emotions that were running in his head when the team needed 12 runs off the last over.

“There was nervousness when I had to think this is what I need to do. There were a lot of emotions going on inside me. But I think what did help me was the fact that I was prepared. So, I knew one thing, all I needed to do was do what I have done until now which is to get into a good position. Make sure I get a good base and then react to the ball, but there was one belief that I believed that I wasn’t going to hit a 4 (in the last ball when India needed five runs to win).

“I was going to go for a six, I was going to go for all or nothing. So, I was going for a six no matter what at that stage. I didn’t want a draw (tie). So, I think the preparation in terms of getting deep in the crease, setting myself up for a ball that could probably be a yorker again. But what helped me was I had practiced before to get into a good position and to make sure I went through with the ball. It was one of the toughest shots I played that evening over the covers,” he added.

Karthik, 35, has so far played 26 Tests, 94 ODIs and 32 T20Is for Team India.

Read Today’s ePaper

Also Read: Batting is a worry for CSK: Dhoni

Former champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) gave themselves a new lease of life on Monday with a convincing seven-wicket win over three-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK), a result that lifted them from the bottom of the Indian Premier League (IPL) points table to the fifth spot.

Before the game started on Monday, RR was lying at the bottom of the eight-team points table. After they won with 2.3 overs to spare, thanks to Jos Buttler’s 48-ball 70 not out, they climbed to the fifth spot with eight points from 10 matches. Steve Smith’s team is very much in the race to qualify for the playoffs.

The top four teams qualify for the playoffs after each team has played 14 matches each in the league phase.

CSK, on the other hand, have looked completely off-colour this season and the defeat at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium has pushed them to the bottom of the points table. CSK will now have to win all their remaining four matches retain chances to qualify for the playoffs.

Chasing CSK’s 125/5, RR finished at 126/3 in 17.3 overs.

Smith remained unbeaten (26 off 34 balls) while speedster Jofra Archer bowled a miserly spell of four overs, picking up the wicket of in-form Faf du Plessis and conceding just 20 runs.

Earlier, CSK won the toss and batted in a match that was captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 200th in the IPL; he thus became the first player to play 200 IPL matches.

Ravindra Jadeja top scored with 35 not out (off 30 balls) while Dhoni made 28 off 28 before being run out due to his own fault.

Jadeja and Dhoni added 53 runs in 7.4 overs as they struggled to get going. The two had joined hands at the fall of Ambati Rayudu’s wicket. CSK were struggling at 56/4 in 10 overs at the time.

Spinners Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Tewatia conceded just 32 runs in eight overs combined, picking up a wicket each.

Brief scores: CSK: 125/5 wkts in 20 overs (R Jadeja 35 not out, MS Dhoni 28, S Curran 22, S Gopal 1/14, R Tewatia 1/18, J Archer 1/20) lost to RR: 126/3 in 17.3 overs (J Buttler 70 not out, S Smith 26 not out, D Chahar 2/18) by seven wickets

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been left “disturbed and disappointed” after 12 persons, including nine players and three officials of the ongoing National T20 Cup in Rawalpindi, breached the bio-secure protocols in place for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though the PCB did not disclose the identity of the cricketers and officials who breached the protocols, Pakistani newspaper ‘Dawn’ said that the guilty included senior players like Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Fakhar Zaman, Yasir Shah, Khurram Manzoor, Sohail Khan, Anwar Ali, Imam-ul-Haq plus officials Abdul Razzaq, Basit Ali and Rashid Khan. The individuals had spent time outside the bubble area within the vicinity of the team hotel on Friday.

Issuing a warning, the PCB has stated that those breaching the bio-secure protocols in future will be sent packing from the tournament.

“The PCB is disturbed and disappointed that some senior players and officials have breached the bio-secure bubble during the National T20 Cup. In doing so, they have put at risk the integrity of the tournament and, health and safety of their colleagues,” said PCB Director – High Performance, Nadeem Khan as per a PCB media release.

“This is completely unacceptable to the PCB and following meetings with the concerned players and their team officials, it has been agreed there will be zero-tolerance for future breaches and those violating the protocols will be expelled from the ongoing and future tournaments,” he added.

Covid-19 tests were conducted on all the 12 individuals on an urgent basis, which all turned negative. The individuals picked up the costs of the tests, besides receiving warnings for their actions.

“I expect the players and officials to show responsibility as the world is watching and international cricket is standing at our doorsteps. Their irresponsible actions can put into jeopardy all the efforts of the PCB in organising and inviting sides during these challenging COVID-19 times,” Khan said.

Also Read: India’s domestic cricket season to begin in the new year

Also Read: ‘Indo Pak Cricket Unlikely In Near Future’

The 2020-21 Indian domestic cricket season has not been ruled out completely, but is set to be delayed by a few months due to COVID-19 pandemic and would only start in the New Year. The suggestion was tabled by players’ representative on the Indian cricket board’s Apex Council, Shantha Rangaswamy.

Usually, the domestic season lasts from October to April.

At the virtual meeting of the council of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the members discussed “a number of options” for the domestic season, but a final decision would depend on what stage the pandemic has reached at the time, i.e. around early next year.

The tournaments will have to comply with existing COVID protocols whenever they are scheduled in different states of the country.

The start of the domestic season would depend totally on factors such as how long the window would be, medical protocols vis-a-vis Covid, and permission from different state governments.

“The cricket operations department of the BCCI has prepared a number of options for different windows that might be available for domestic tournaments. These have been given to the office-bearers, and it will entirely depend on them — and, of course, the Covid-related medical protocols of the Central and the state governments, which have different local rules,” a source told IANS.

It is understood that if the domestic tournaments take place, in whatever timeframe period, the premier national championship for Ranji Trophy is unlikely to be played in the existing format – Elite Group A, B, and C, besides the Plate Group.

“But it is virtually impossible to create a bio-bubble for each of the 38 teams that compete in Ranji Trophy and in other tournaments,” said the source.

On Friday, Shantha Rangaswamy had told IANS that she was going to suggest at the meeting a February-to-September, or February-to-December, domestic season.

“I think age-group cricketers or women cricketers can lose interest and enthusiasm if they don’t get to play. So, I will suggest that they have the season from February till September, and could extend it till December, if required. Maybe, we can have this way for a couple of years; have tournaments at limited venues, and by creating a bio-bubble,” Rangaswamy, the female players’ representative on the council, told IANS.

There are, however, a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ in organising. The president of a state cricket association pointed out another possible hitch in staging Ranji Trophy and other national tournaments, like T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

“Even if the BCCI decides to hold matches within each of the five zones — which is an option being floated around — in cities that have more than one grounds, will there be enough rooms in hotels to accommodate so many teams while adhering to the Covid-19 protocols?” he asked.

Also Read: Sam Curran is our complete cricketer: Dhoni

Also Read: ‘Indo Pak Cricket Unlikely In Near Future’

Delhi Capitals (DC) fast bowler Anrich Nortje smashed the IPL speed records in a fiery opening spell against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday. His fastest delivery was timed 156.2 kmph that shattered an eight-year-old record of Dale Steyn (154.4 kmph).

The South African bowled DC’s third over, which was also his first of the day, and started off with a delivery that clocked 148.2 kmph. It was hit by Jos Buttler for a six. He then bowled two deliveries that were timed 152.3 kmph and 152.1 kmph, after which came his slowest ball of the over at 146.4 kmph.

Nortje, 26, then sent the fifth ball at a scarcely believable 156.2 kmph that shattered the record for the fastest ball of all time in the IPL, held by his illustrious compatriot Steyn. The veteran fast bowler had set the record while playing for Deccan Chargers in 2012. Buttler, however, ramped the delivery fine for a four.

Playing in his first IPL season, Nortje then bowled a 155.4 kmph delivery, which pushed Steyn’s 2012 ball to third on the list of all-time fastest balls in the tournament history. Buttler went for a more orthodox shot down the ground and the ball ended up flashing past him and hit the middle stump.

The opening overs of the RR innings, who were chasing a target of 162, featured an engrossing contest in which openers Ben Stokes and Buttler got their team off to a quick start. Buttler had scored 22 of nine balls while Stokes made 15 off as many when Nortje provided DC the breakthrough.

Nortje then pushed Steyn down to fourth by starting the fifth over with a full delivery that clocked 154.74 kmph.

South African Kagiso Rabada, who was in the XI along with Nortje on Wednesday, had come closest to breaking Steyn’s record in the 2019 season when he sent in a delivery that clocked 154.23 kmph.

Also Read: Capitals Regain Top Slot With A 13 Run Win Over Royals

Glenn Maxwell was ‘shattered after he failed to take King XI Punjab over the line during their IPL 2020 match.

Kings XI needed 14 runs off the last over with Maxwell at the crease on Saturday. The Australian batsman hit a boundary and got a couple on the first three balls of the final over bowled by Sunil Narine.

The West Indian spinner, who was warned over his suspect action after the match, brought the equation down to six runs to tie off the last ball. Maxwell’s hit over cover on the last delivery could have gone for six but landed just inside the rope and crossed the boundary for four.

“Shattered,” Maxwell wrote on Twitter. The Australian ended not out on 10 off five balls with two boundaries.

A match-winning six could have helped Maxwell’s case. He has been struggling to get going and has endured a string of low scores. His highest in seven innings of IPL 2020 is 13 not out that he scored against Rajasthan Royals.

Even with the ball he hasn’t done anything, failing to get even one wicket.

Kings XI Punjab skipper blamed the middle-order for not rising to the occasion. “Mayank and I started off well, but if you lose wickets in clusters, at the end, it’s hard to get over the line,” said Rahul at the end of the match.

Also Read: KXIP skipper has no answers for the team’s losing streak

Also Read: Batting is a worry for CSK: Dhoni

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) captain KL Rahul said that he had no answers after the team succumbed to their fifth consecutive loss of this year’s IPL. Chasing a target of 165 set by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Saturday, KXIP were cruising for much of the chase before losing their way in the last three overs falling two runs short of KKR’s total of 164/6.

“We got close, started well and… honestly, I have no answers. We just need to keep coming harder in the next seven games,” said Rahul after the match.

“We bowled really well. This was a fresh strip so we didn’t know what were good lines and lengths but the bowlers adapted early and bowled well. This is what we have been asking them to do, try and swing the ball early and get wickets in the powerplay. It is the only way we can stop teams from scoring 180-plus. They were brave at the death too.”

Rahul said that the team lost the match because of the number of wickets that fell in the death overs. KXIP were 136/1 at the start of the 17th over, needing 29 to win from 24 balls and they ended the game on 162/5.

“Don’t think we were satisfied at any stage in the chase. You are satisfied only when you win the game. We started really well. Mayank did well and the partnership was crucial. Towards the end if we keep wickets, it’s hard to get over the line,” he said.

Also Read: Batting is a worry for CSK: Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni saw his team sink to their fifth defeat of the ongoing IPL season on Saturday with a 37-run loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Chasing a target of 170, CSK could only manage 132/8 at the end of their 20 overs.

“Too many holes in the ship and when you try to plug one, there is water flowing from another. We need to get our act together. Everything needs to work in the same game to get a result. Once we get a result in our favour, it will be slightly different for us,” Dhoni said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

While CSK did well to restrict RCB to 169/4, their batsmen could hardly get going. And Dhoni admitted that batting has been a problem for the three-time champions this season.

During the RCB innings, however, Dhoni said that the team ended up giving too many runs in the last four overs.

“I think the last four overs when we were bowling (didn’t go to plan), before that the bowlers had done a good job. We needed to close it nicely. Batting has been a bit of worry and today also it was evident. We need to do something about it,” he said.

“It is almost the same thing that is happening, maybe the individuals are different but I think we are better off playing the other way round – play the big shots and even if you get out it is fine because we can’t leave too many after the 15th or 16th over, that just puts too much pressure on the lower order batsmen.

“Our batting has lacked a bit of power from the 6th over onwards, individuals get tentative and no matter how much confidence you are giving them, ultimately they have to have their own plan as to how to play,” he said.

CSK are up against SunRisers Hyderabad next on Tuesday.

Also Read: Dhoni among cricket’s greatest captains: Greg Chappel