Category Uncategorized

Disciplinary panel rules that Taunton wicket displayed “excessive unevenness of bounce”

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2019Somerset will start the 2020 County Championship season on minus-12 points after a disciplinary panel ruled that the pitch prepared for their title decider against Essex at Taunton was ‘poor’.In a rain-affected game that Somerset had to win in order to overtake Essex, 21 wickets fell in 148 overs, of which 17 were to spin. A Cricket Discipline Committee (CDC) panel ruled that the pitch demonstrated “excessive unevenness of bounce” after meeting at Lord’s on Monday, thus giving it a ‘poor’ rating under the ECB’s pitch regulations.Somerset accepted the charge that the pitch was correctly rated poor, but denied that it was not the best-quality pitch they could have prepared. The panel struck down their objection, thus handing the club a 24-point deduction, though 12 of those have been suspended.Somerset have two weeks to appeal the decision. A club statement said that they would “await the full report from the Cricket Disciplinary Commission before considering our next course of action”.The club have pushed the bounds of the ECB’s regulations in recent seasons. In 2018, they escaped a penalty for their surface in a Championship match against Lancashire, which finished in two days and was found to have “demonstrated excessive turn”. But while the CDC did not penalise Somerset, they did warn that “the club should expect any proven breach of ECB’s pitch regulations in future to result in a points deduction”.Somerset recently appointed a new groundsman, following the departure of Simon Lee – whose final game in the role was the Essex fixture – to the Ageas Bowl. Coincidentally, they have appointed Scott Hawkins, who was deputy head groundsman at Chelmsford for several years, and more recently worked at La Manga in Spain.While Lee’s pitches came in for criticism from some quarters – Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, claimed the surface for a relegation clash against Somerset in 2017 was “doctored” and “a disgrace” – the club’s hierarchy thought highly of his ability to prepare a pitch to their specifications.Essex registered their frustrations with the pitch at the time. Head coach Anthony McGrath said the track had “turned from ball one and some deliveries have gone through the surface”, while captain Ryan ten Doeschate said he had “been stressing the severity of how bad that pitch is… they’ve really taken a risk here by producing this wicket, but I’m sure we would have done as well.”The decision raises the question as to what might have happened if Somerset had won the deciding game. They would have overtaken Essex, but not by more than 12 points, thus leaving open the possibility that the destination of the Championship would have been decided in a committee room at Lord’s, rather than on the field.It also confirms that Somerset’s off-field position is far from ideal going into 2020: they are currently without a chairman, a chief executive and a chief operating officer, though there have been recent contract extensions for Jack Leach and captain Tom Abell.

The offspinner believes India’s spin-friendly wickets mean that Australia’s batsmen stand no chance during their four-match Test series against India later this month

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2017Harbhajan Singh said Australia don’t stand a chance in the four-match Test series against India, especially if spin-friendly pitches are laid out. He also felt Australia’s inexperienced batsmen lacked the quality of their predecessors like Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist.”If Australia play well, India will win 3-0. That is Australia play well. Otherwise, 4-0,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying by the . “I don’t think the wickets [in India] are going to be that easy for them. If the ball starts spinning from the first ball, I don’t think they will survive for long.”Players like [Matthew] Hayden, Gilchrist, Ponting, [Damien] Martyn, [Michael] Clarke were all top-class batters. This team – apart from [David] Warner and [Steve] Smith – I don’t think they will be able to play the game they play in Australian conditions, here in India. It is going to be a tough series for them.”Australia’s spin attack is led by Nathan Lyon, who has 228 Test wickets, but the rest of the group – Steve O’Keefe (four Tests), Ashton Agar (two) and uncapped legspinner Mitchell Swepson – are thin on experience. While R Ashwin felt Australia’s spinners couldn’t be taken lightly, Harbhajan said they would find it difficult to bowl the right speeds on Indian pitches.”I don’t think they have the quality to do so. It is different bowling here and bowling there [Australia],” he added. “The speed [off the pitch] is different – they will have to adjust to that.”You don’t get that in Australia but here you get a lot of help, so from the first ball you need to bowl that correct speed. Not many spinners have done [that] in India for the last 15 years. Only [Monty] Panesar and [Graeme] Swann did it but nobody else.”Upon Australia’s arrival, Smith had said he would let individuals decide if they wanted to engage in verbal jousting with India on the field.”If they want to sledge, then they better be prepared for a lot of stuff from this Indian side,” he said. “This Indian team is not going to sit back and listen. All I can say is good luck to Australia if they want to play that way.”Harbhajan, who last played a Test in 2015, is India’s most successful offspinner. With 95 wickets from 18 Tests, including a breakout series in 2001 where he claimed 32 wickets to engineer India’s historic triumph, he was for a long time Australia’s bête noire.

When South Africa’s A squad embarks on tours of Zimbabwe and Australia, the transfer of knowledge between players will be as important as catching the national selectors’ eyes

Firdose Moonda06-Jul-2016When South Africa’s A squad embarks on tours of Zimbabwe and Australia, the transfer of knowledge between players will be as important as catching the national selectors’ eyes. The group is a made up of players with international experience and those on the fringes of higher honours, and captain Stephen Cook hopes they will spur each other on.”It’s a great squad, we’ve got a lovely balance,” Cook said at the team’s training camp in Pretoria. “These guys are all fantastic players in their own right, and I am sure we will all learn from one another.”An experienced leader in franchise cricket, Cook takes charge of the A side with an ambition to cement his own place in the Test team. He made his debut in the fourth Test against England in Centurion, South Africa’s last Test in the 2015-16 summer, and scored a century. Cook was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise bleak period for the side, and he will be one of the players they will rely on as they seek to re-start their climb up the rankings.Despite having been around for a long time – Cook has been playing in the domestic set-up for 16 years – he is still looking to develop, this time under Malibongwe Maketa, a coach he has not worked with before. Maketa, the Warriors coach, has been put in charge of the A side and Cook is interested in his insights. “It’s good to get fresh ideas, some fresh thinking from someone who coaches against you and analyses you in a different way to what your coach does,” he said. “Everyone can learn from each other and that makes for a healthy set-up.”The word health has not been associated with South African cricket over the last year, with severe criticism of the structures at both national and domestic level, so to hear someone use it is refreshing. Cook believes there is strong competition as players hope to break into the national side. “Guys here are putting up their hands to say, ‘Hey I want to make that Proteas side in whatever format is required,'” he said. “The guys are all up for it, they have all trained fantastically, our work ethic has been great.”One area where they cannot be faulted – and Cook singled it out – is conditioning, even in mid-winter. “Everyone is fit. In previous years, I have seen criticism levelled that the guys arrive unfit. This year, guys are all in tip-top shape and rearing to go which shows a good attitude,” he said. “That’s the most important thing. If you can control your attitude, that takes care of a lot of the performance.”A central figure in the fit-again stakes is Vernon Philander, who missed most of the previous season after tearing ankle ligaments during warm-ups ahead of AB de Villiers’ 100th Test against India in Bangalore. Philander made a comeback towards the end of the season and is now aiming to reclaim his place in the Test side to face New Zealand in August. He is also hoping to inspire the younger generation.”As much as it’s for me to get back, it’s also to share my knowledge with these guys out here,” Philander said. “As long as I can help the younger ones coming through as well, I think I’ve played my part in South African cricket.”Someone like Sisanda Magala, a fast-bowling allrounder from the Eastern Cape, could benefit from having Philander around. Magala was the second highest wicket-taker for Warriors in the first-class competition and 13th overall with 27 wickets at 27.00, and is making his debut for the A side. “I am very excited. It’s my first time going overseas and my first time playing for South Africa A, so there’s definitely lots of emotions going around,” Magala said. “I will try and be like a sponge and absorb as much as I can, learn from them, because they have been at this level for a long time.”Another hopeful is Cobras’ four-day captain, Omphile Ramela, who has emerged as a promising top-order batsman. At 28, Ramela, who finished ninth on the first-class run charts with 592 runs at 42.28, seems to be entering his prime, and sees the A tour as taking him a little closer to the South African side. “It’s a stepping stone. I am trying to get closer to playing for the Proteas,” Ramela said. “These tours are important. It’s important that we keep learning as players. I am still learning as a player, but I will be trying to help where I can.”South Africa play two four-day matches in Zimbabwe, two in Australia, and then a quadrangular 50-over tournament in Australia, in which Wayne Parnell will take over from Cook as captain.

The BCCI is likely to propose a special committee, to be led by interim president Jagmohan Dalmiya, to review the daily affairs of the IPL

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Jul-2013With no one currently heading the IPL, an influential section of the BCCI is likely to propose a special committee, to be led by interim president Jagmohan Dalmiya, to look into and review the daily affairs of the league. After Rajiv Shukla resigned as chairman of the IPL, no replacement was appointed as the BCCI was busy sorting out the mess created by the alleged corruption scandals. The proposal is likely to come up for discussion at the BCCI working committee meeting to be held in Kolkata on Sunday.Although the IPL governing council, a BCCI sub-committee, still remains the body to look after the league, some board members feel there is room to accommodate a separate committee that could review the IPL. It is understood that Dalmiya has consulted Arun Jaitley, one of the the BCCI vice-presidents, on the matter and has got the nod. It is also learned that Dalmiya has spoken to a few former Indian cricketers, seeking their opinion about how best to run the IPL.Immediately after he took over as the interim BCCI president, Dalmiya had initiated “operation clean up” for the IPL, wherein he announced proposals to enforce a “stricter code of conduct” for players and match officials, as well as putting an end to the “sleaze” element in the form of entertainment and after-hours parties.Dalmiya took charge on June 2 after N Srinivasan “temporarily” stepped aside pending inquiry into allegations of corruption and spot-fixing during the sixth season of the IPL. Dalmiya recently attended the ICC annual conference as the Indian representative, even though Srinivasan participated in influential meetings such finance and commercial affairs via video conference.It is understood that Srinivasan will not attend Sunday’s meeting, which is also likely to discuss the tour itineraries for India’s tour of South Africa, and their scheduled visit to New Zealand early next year.It is also learned that the working committee will not discuss the findings of the two probe panels investigating the corruption scandals of IPL 2013. Ravi Sawani, the BCCI’s anti-corruption head, has not yet concluded his probe into the alleged spot-fixing by three Rajasthan Royals players. Although Sawani has finished speaking to Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan, he has yet to meet Ajit Chandila, who is still in judicial custody.The inquiry commission appointed by the BCCI, made up of two retired judges, has not yet finished its work. The commission was appointed to investigate charges against Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, respectively part of Chennai Super Kings and Royals, who according to Mumbai and Delhi Police, had admitted to betting during IPL matches.

Gloucestershire’s 296-run lead against Kent sets up the chance to win consecutive matches providing enough overs are possible on Sunday and their attack, shorn of David Payne, can squeeze out 10 wickets on a slowing surface.

Alex Winter at Canterbury21-Apr-2012
Scorecard
The Canterbury weather created a rather ugly third day that alienated many would-be spectators. Thus, Kent’s first Saturday of the season was played out to very few indeed at the St Lawrence Ground.Most of the audience drifted away shortly after lunch where only 15 minutes were possible before the first of two long rain breaks. When they came back for the longest session of the day, Gloucestershire took control as Alex Gidman and Hamish Marshall produced their first meaningful innings’ of the season.Gloucestershire’s 296-run lead sets up the chance to win consecutive matches providing enough overs are possible on Sunday and their attack, shorn of David Payne, can squeeze out 10 wickets on a slowing, flattening surface.The best knock was played by the captain, Gidman, who more than doubled his previous best this season with an 84-ball half-century. Gidman is unlike his younger brother Will, who made a gritty 56 in the first innings, in that his runs are never ground out. Alex has to find flow to his innings to make runs. And that is just what he managed against a rather flat Kent attack as James Tredwell ‘s off-spin wheeled away at the Pavilion End and the seamers rotated from the Nackington Road End.The problem was an inability to create any kind of pressure. One lofted drive from Marshall was enough to persuade Tredwell to place long off and on back, deep midwicket soon followed and Gloucestershire merrily knocked the ball around: scoring at almost five-an-over in the final hour of the day. The field spread in similar fashion for the seamers too.The rate accelerated from the patient progress of Richard Coughtrie’s two-hour 40 but it was important for him to make a solid score. He was clearly exceptionally disappointed with his dismissal – a top-edged sweep that Geraint Jones scampered towards square leg to take.Coughtrie’s departure allowed Marshall to find form – another player who gets runs quickly or not at all. His fifty in 64 balls was testament to that. He and Gidman added what may well be a match-winning stand of 94 in 22 overs.Only twice in the innings did Kent threaten. For two overs Matt Coles developed a head of steam and had Chris Dent poking around outside off stump; he finally nicked one through to Jones. On the second occasion, Mark Davies posed similar problems to Gidman but one loose ball drew Gidman’s best stroke – a straight drive for four – and from then on the visitors strolled it.And strolling to the ground was what many were still doing as Kent’s first innings ended inside the first hour. Tredwell chopped on and Jones edged behind to give Will Gidman 5 for 43. Matt Coles took a single to a diving James Fuller at mid-on and was run out and Charlie Shreck closed the innings, caught at short leg to Ed Young’s fifth ball of the day.The efficiency in which Gloucestershire cleaned up the tail typified their smart cricket for two-and-a-half days of this match. But their progress towards the close was also a warning sign about the calming of the wicket.”It’s now a very placid pitch,” Alex Gidman said. “Bowling them out will be very tough. The lads have worked really hard for three weeks now so we’ll probably err on the side of caution. We’re a bowler down too.”Payne’s side strain will keep him out of action for at least two weeks but even with three seamers and Young – who showed glimpses of being useful in the first innings – Gloucestershire are firm favourites with the weather perhaps their biggest obstacle.

Andrew Strauss has warned that England must learn the lessons of their 3-0 series whitewash at the hands of Pakistan or face more misery in Asian conditions

George Dobell in Dubai06-Feb-2012Andrew Strauss has warned that England must learn the lessons of their 3-0 series whitewash at the hands of Pakistan or face more misery in Asian conditions.England’s 71-run loss in the third Test in Dubai condemned them to a 3-0 defeat in their first series since officially becoming ranked the No. 1 Test team. It was also the first series whitewash England had suffered since the 5-0 Ashes loss of 2006-07 and only the seventh in their history. With a two-Test tour to Sri Lanka coming up next month and a tour of India before Christmas, Strauss knows England have to improve in these conditions if they are to retain any hope of remaining the top-ranked side.Strauss, England’s Test captain, admitted that his team would do some “soul searching” over the coming days but insisted they would conduct a full debrief before making any decisions over the future of certain players. The positions of Ian Bell (who averaged 8.5 in the series), Kevin Pietersen (11.16) and Eoin Morgan (13.66) are all likely to come under scrutiny after England succumbed to their first series defeat since they lost to the West Indies in early 2009 and the first since Andy Flower was appointed to the position of permanent coach.”We can’t ignore this result and just say it’s an aberration,” Strauss said. “That would not help us. This was an eye-opener and a wake-up call and with two more tours on the subcontinent coming up, things won’t get easier. We have to be up for this challenge.”We have to look at the reasons we lost. We have to look at our preparation, our training, our techniques and our temperament. It would be wrong for us to ignore these things, but we also need to remain true to what has worked well in the past.”No-one has a right to play for England forever. It would be patently wrong for us to think like that. But we also need to take time to let the dust settle. We need to look at what went wrong individually. Hopefully over the next week or two, things will become clearer.”I have great faith in our batsmen,” Strauss continued. “I think they are some of best be in world, but I am disappointed we haven’t coped better. I haven’t been involved in a series where so many batsmen have had a hard time. We all have some questions to answer and soul searching into how we can do things better. There was a consistent failure on our part. If you keep getting bowled out for 140 or 150 you’re not going to win many Test matches. We could and should have been better.”Andy Flower, the England coach, suggested the long lay-off his players had enjoyed before the series might have been a contributory factor to the result. Before this tour England had not played Test cricket since the series against India finished in August last year and no cricket at all since the limited-overs series in October.”Looking back now, I don’t think we were ready,” Flower said. “I shoulder that side of the blame because it was my decision to give them that time off. We won’t let that happen again.”We spent a couple of months out of the game and not doing a lot while Pakistan were beating Sri Lanka and working hard to beat Bangladesh and that hardened them up for this contest. Certainly during that rest time, our team and support staff were all being lauded and, while that was happening, Pakistan were working hard at their game and beating international opposition. Consequently one side was sharp and ready and one side wasn’t and we’ve got to do something about that.”Flower also expressed his faith in the batting line-up, but confessed he was surprised at how they had struggled in the series. “We do have a lot of faith in our players and that faith has been justified over a long period of time,” he said. “But we’ve obviously underperformed here badly. I’ve been surprised by how poorly we’ve batted.”We have to take the lessons that have been learned here and improve our skills and improve out method for the Sri Lanka tour. A number of our big players have underperformed in this series. It was the first time that so many of our established Test crickets were out of runs and not feeling as confident as they usually do and not as clear in their method as they usually are.”Ian Bell is one of a few England batsmen under pressure after a poor series•Getty Images

Misbah-ul-Haq, meanwhile, said the whitewashing of England has sent “a strong message that the Pakistan team are back in cricket.”Pakistan’s captain hailed his side’s “wonderful achievement” after leading them to victory in the third Test. It was the fifth time that Pakistan had achieved a whitewash in a series of three matches or more.Victory was especially sweet for Misbah given the context in which the series was played. The previous time these teams met, in 2010, the series was soured by allegations of corruption that subsequently led to three of the Pakistan team receiving jail sentences. The episode tarnished the reputation of Pakistan cricket and forced the side to rebuild with a new captain and several new players. Now, however, Misbah feels Pakistan cricket is in the news for the right reasons.”We showed that we are a power in the cricketing world again,” Misbah said. “Now is the time to give importance to the Pakistan team again. It is a wonderful thing for us. I can’t describe in words how important this series was for our team.”We just came out of such problems. But the way we have come out and the way we are progressing is wonderful. Everyone was ignoring us, but now they have to look at Pakistan cricket.”Pakistan, who were dismissed for just 99 on the first day of this game, also became the first team since 1907 to win a Test after being bowled out for under 100 in the first innings. Pakistan responded by limited England’s first innings lead to 42, before centuries from Azhar Ali and Younis Khan seized the initiative for the hosts.”Our bowlers did a wonderful job,” Misbah said. “They cut down the lead and we knew that, if we were only behind by 100 on the first innings, we were still in the game. Then Azhar Ali and Younis Khan batted wonderfully. Their batting was the main thing that brought us back into the game.”Having proved their potency in these conditions, Misbah agreed that his team would be defined by their success overseas. “That’s another challenge,” Misbah said, “but this team loves challenges. We have it in our mind. We are focused on proving ourselves outside Pakistan.”If you saw us in New Zealand, though, you would know we can do it. Conditions there were not easy for our team, but we performed well there and in the West Indies. We are looking forward to playing in South Africa and Australia and we will start our preparation now.”

Ashton Agar returned remarkable figures of 2 for 6, while Zak Crawley led the chase for the winners with a 56-ball 58

AAP08-Jan-2024Ricky Ponting has lashed the Sydney Showground pitch after Sydney Thunder’s low-scoring loss to Perth Scorchers on Monday, calling it “substandard” and wondering if Thunder should abandon the stadium for Canberra.Scorchers returned to the BBL’s top two with the seven-wicket win, chasing down Thunder’s 137 for 8 with five balls to spare. The result left Thunder needing results to fall in their favour to reach the finals, sitting in seventh place on the ladder with three games to play.But the major talking point remained the pitch, after Ashton Agar took 2 for 6 from four overs and Cooper Connolly 3 for 25 from his four. Thunder spinner Tanveer Sangha also went for just 14 from his four overs, and Chris Green got 1 for 22 from 3.1.Data from the Seven network showed an average spin of 3.9 degrees in Scorchers’ bowling innings, well in excess of the 2.2-degree average across the BBL.”We shouldn’t be seeing balls react like that in the BBL,” Ponting said in commentary. “That’s unplayable, you can’t hit that.”We shouldn’t be seeing balls react like that in the BBL. As far as I am concerned, this is substandard as far as BBL wickets are concerned.”Scorchers wicketkeeper Sam Whiteman also remarked that it “looked like Chennai”, with Agar’s figures the second-most economical in BBL history.The pitch has become a problem for Cricket Australia, given that the league is viewed as a gateway to the sport for youngsters. In one of the most populated and culturally-diverse regions of Australia, the run rate of 7.76 at the venue throughout the competition’s history is lower than at any other major BBL stadium.Only one score of over 160 has been made in the past two seasons, with spin and off-pace deliveries generally dominating. So slow did things move in the Thunder innings that they scored only 19 runs in a six-over period late in the innings in front of a crowd of 8672.Ponting went on to question if Thunder should move to Canberra permanently given the state of the Showground pitch, with the club already playing two games a season at Manuka Oval.Ashton Agar returned the second-most economical figures in the history of the BBL•Getty Images

“The Sydney Thunder have been a struggling team for the last few years,” Ponting said. “And how are you going to attract young players from around the team or overseas, if they’re going to be batting on a wicket like that?”The Thunder for years have talked about how much they love playing in Canberra, maybe that’s a solution. They have some good young players in this squad, but they might not have them forever if the wicket continues to be this way.”Agar, however, defended the groundstaff after play. “I don’t envy the groundsman, with conditions that were dished up. It poured down rain all day,” he said. “Obviously the Big Bash is an entertaining game, and you want to see high scores and balls flying over the fence. But there’s a lot to be learned from games like that. Things to be learned for guys who go overseas.”Alex Hales played a lone hand with the bat for Thunder, whacking three sixes over the leg side in his 72 from 55 balls. But he was also close to being the villain for Thunder, with three men run out at the other end while he batted.In reply, Zak Crawley hit 58 from 56 balls to help steer Scorchers home in the last over.

Two members of the incumbent panel, Chetan Sharma and Harvinder Singh, also interviewed on Tuesday

Shashank Kishore03-Jan-2023Ajay Ratra, Amay Khurasiya and S Sharath are among a number of former players who have been interviewed for a spot on India’s next senior men’s selection panel, ESPNcricinfo can confirm.They, along with two members of the incumbent panel, Chetan Sharma and Harvinder Singh, were interviewed on Tuesday by the BCCI-appointed Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). All the shortlisted candidates are understood to have made presentations to the panel, which is expected to submit its recommendations to the board this week. The other candidate in the fray from east zone is SS Das, the former India opener.Sharath, the former Tamil Nadu batter, has emerged as a strong contender to replace Sunil Joshi, who chose against re-applying, from South Zone. If Sharath gets the job, it will be an elevation from his current role as chairman of the junior men’s panel. Sharath’s committee picked the India squad that went on to win the Under-19 World Cup in February last year.From the east, it’s likely Das will replace his former India and Odisha team-mate Debasis Mohanty. Das played 23 Tests and four ODIs between 2000 and 2002, and 180 first-class games in all.The need for a new selector from East Zone would have come about even if the BCCI hadn’t invited applications for a new panel following India’s T20 World Cup campaign, since Mohanty has completed the maximum-stipulated cumulative five-year term across various cricket committees, having been part of both junior and senior panels.Similarly, the board would’ve had to anyway appoint a new selector from West Zone as the Chetan Sharma-led selection panel was reduced to four members in late 2021 after Abey Kuruvilla, the former Mumbai and India fast bowler, completed the maximum tenure of five years. While Kuruvilla moved on to the role of BCCI general manager (cricket development), the board did not appoint a replacement on the selection panel.On Monday, in perhaps the biggest hint yet that there may not be a new chairman after all, Chetan Sharma was part of the BCCI’s review meeting along with head coach Rahul Dravid, captain Rohit Sharma, NCA chief VVS Laxman and the board’s top-brass to discuss the roadmap to the home 50-over World Cup scheduled for later this year.However, the incumbent panel hasn’t been asked to report to various venues for the fourth round of Ranji Trophy matches, which started today. It had initially been handed an extension until the end of the year to pick the squads for the T20Is and ODIs against Sri Lanka, apart from being asked to track the third round of Ranji Trophy matches from December 27-30.The CAC conducting the interviews for the selection panel consists of former players Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape and Sulakshana Naik.

Former West Indies captain being convinced to remain in a mentorship role

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2022James Foster, previously assistant coach, has been elevated to the post of head coach by the Peshawar Zalmi management. ESPNcricinfo understands the franchise is in talks with Daren Sammy over the possibility of extending his role as mentor.Sammy has been one of the key figures for the franchise since PSL’s inception in 2016, and has been one of the more recognisable overseas faces for the league. He started as vice-captain and took over the leadership following Shahid Afridi’s resignation in 2017.He was an integral part of the team as a player until 2020 when the franchise made a mid-season shuffle by replacing him with Wahab Riaz as full-time captain. Sammy then had a two-year stint as head coach of the team in 2020 and 2021. For the record, Sammy is yet to officially retire from all cricket and hasn’t played any competitive form of the game since the CPL final in 2020.Meanwhile, Foster, the former England wicketkeeper, is a familiar name in T20 Leagues and is fast becoming a constant across leagues, having worked in the IPL, BBL, BPL and CPL. He was also consultant with Netherlands.It’s understood one of the reasons Zalmi were on the lookout for a head coach was because of Sammy’s other commitments as a broadcaster. However, they still are engaging with him to ensure his presence in a mentorship role.PSL champions of 2017, Zalmi have featured in the most number of PSL finals. They are the second-most successful PSL teams, behind Islamabad United, with 38 wins in 70 games.

Once again the Victoria openers were unbeaten, but it’s hard to see how a result can achieved

Daniel Brettig10-Nov-2020Will Pucovski resumed his batting domination of the Sheffield Shield but did so without much hope of putting Victoria in a position to win after Western Australia dragged their first innings late into day three at Karen Rolton Oval through a superb century from the wicketkeeper Josh Inglis.In the company of Marcus Harris, Pucovski strode to an unbeaten 32 to follow his first innings of 202, as the Victorian openers took their side to 0 for 61 and four runs behind WA overall.Scored impressively while shepherding the tail from No. 8, this was the Leeds-born Inglis’ second first-class century in four games, after he had gone five years without making one while demonstrated tidy glovework for WA in that time.He had arrived at the crease at a moment when Victoria seemed capable of taking control of the contest, with WA 6 for 272 at the fall of Shaun Marsh’s wicket for 135 and still 142 runs in deficit while facing the prospect of batting last against the sharp turn being generated by Jon Holland.Josh Inglis made his second century of the season•Getty Images

Marsh had received sturdy support from the nightwatchman Matt Kelly, who rather overstayed his welcome in the minds of the Victorians on his way to 31, but he had only added another 17 with D’Arcy Short when the WA captain was pinned lbw by Will Sutherland, skidding a ball through low from around the wicket.Sutherland would take the next wicket also, but not until Inglis and Short had added 92 as the wicketkeeper took the lead role with a tempo seldom far from a run a ball. The pace quickened further when Cameron Gannon joined Inglis, the ninth-wicket pair adding 85 in a mere 10 overs and vaulting WA into the lead.When Holland took a mark at deep fine leg to dismiss Gannon off Boland with the field extremely well spread, the game had gone from a very possible Victorian victory to a likely stalemate with one day remaining. Holland’s 4 for 115 contained plenty of handsome deliveries, while Sutherland and Boland also pushed through some effective spells for their captain Pete Handscomb. Simon Mackin was relatively economical, but Mitch Perry’s one wicket came at a cost of 4.5 runs an over.All that appears to be left is another chance for Pucovski to add to his Shield tally, which currently stands at 489 runs for once out.