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Thilak Naidu, the Karnataka wicketkeeper, has announced his retirement, three years after he played his final first-class match

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-2012Thilak Naidu, the Karnataka wicketkeeper, has announced his retirement, three years after he played his final first-class match. Naidu, 34, was a mainstay of the Karnataka side for a decade starting 1998-99 and was seen to be close to India selection around 2002-03.Naidu played 93 first-class matches, taking 220 catches and 18 stumpings. He was also an aggressive lower-order batsman, making 4386 run at 34.80, including eight first-class centuries. In his debut season, he helped Karnataka win the Ranji trophy, the last time the state has won the tournament. He lost his place in the side to CM Gautam three years ago.Naidu was felicitated at a ceremony at the Chinnaswamy Stadium which was attended by several of the greats of Karnataka cricket, including Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Roger Binny. He said he had no regrets over his career. “I played with pride and passion,” he said. “I enjoyed 16 years of my cricketing career, met a lot of wonderful people. As long as I played, I gave my best as a batsman and a wicketkeeper.”Dravid led the tributes to Naidu during the function. “He can hold his head high for what he has done for Karnataka cricket,” Dravid said. “Coming from an illustrious line of Karnataka keepers, he held the mantle ably. He was always egging on the bowlers, doing what he could to irritate the opposition, which made it entertaining for me at first slip.”Kumble, the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, also praised Naidu’s contributions. “Thirty-four is no age to retire, it is too young,” Kumble said. “Thilak was an exceptional player with a flamboyant style with the bat and with the gloves. He had one step in the Indian team, especially in the 2002-03 Challenger Trophy. He was very close but unfortunately he couldn’t make it.Kumble hoped Naidu would work to develop Karnataka cricket in the future. “You have a lot to contribute to Karnataka cricket, the association welcomes you with open arms.” Naidu said he was looking to work as a selector in the future.

A round-up of Sunday’s matches in the MiWAY T20 Challenge

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2012Faf du Plessis’ five-wicket haul was in vain as Titans fell short of Lions‘ 163 by 16 runs in Johannesburg. du Plessis bowled four batsmen on his way to 5 for 28 after Titans chose to field. Lions were 97 for 2 after 12 overs but du Plessis kept them to 163 for 7. Quinton de Kock and Neil McKenzie chipped in with forties while Jean Symes struck an unbeaten 32. Titans’ chase stuttered at the start and they were soon reduced to 70 for 5. Farhaan Behardien kept them going with 48 off 26 but Chris Morris led a successful defence with 4 for 24 as Titans were restricted to 147 for 9.Richard Levi cracked nine boundaries in his 61 as Cape Cobras easily completed their chase of 157 against Knights for the loss of only four wickets in Paarl. By the time Levi was dismissed for 61 off 32, Cobras were already on 97 in the tenth over. Dane Vilas and Justin Kemp finished the job with an unbroken 55-run stand as Cobras won in the 19th over. Knights’ innings of 156 for 7 was a collection of wasted starts as no batsman made more than 31. Obus Pienaar began with two sixes but fell for 22 off 11 to Brad Hogg. Hogg and Alistair Gray picked up two wickets each for Cobras.Dolphins suffered their fourth washout in a row as their game against Warriors was abandoned without a ball being bowled in East London.

Craig Kieswetter has warned Matt Prior he faces a fight to hang on to his gloves, declaring it is his ambition to become England’s first-choice wicketkeeper “in all forms of the game”

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2011Craig Kieswetter has warned Matt Prior he faces a fight to hang on to his gloves, declaring it is his ambition to become England’s first-choice wicketkeeper “in all forms of the game”. Kieswetter showcased his ability at last year’s World Twenty20 in the West Indies, most notably smashing a match-winning 63 off 49 balls in a seven-wicket defeat of Australia in the final, but has since fallen out of contention for national honours.”In that World Twenty20 side most of us were probably in the best form of our careers, certainly I was,” he told . “In the final we just said, ‘We might as well try and win this properly.’ They [Australia] had four quicks so there was nowhere to hide. KP [Kevin Pietersen] and I thought, ‘We might as well have a crack.’ We were a bit lucky. But we played some rather good shots too.”Four months on from his swashbuckling efforts, Kieswetter found himself being dropped following a slump in form. And, although he backed the decision, he admits returning to county cricket with his tail between his legs was a hard pill to swallow.”It was really disappointing,” he said. “I was part of the side that won a World Cup. But realistically, when I look at the way I played back in England against Australia and Bangladesh, it was a warranted decision. International cricket is a cut-throat business. It was a tough year. Coming back to your county after being dropped is one of the hardest transitions a player has to go through. That showed in my performances for a while.”I’m lucky in that coming back to Somerset, they see the players as a family and if you’re struggling you don’t have to fight it yourself. Brian Rose, Andy Hurry and Marcus [Trescothick] were a massive help to me.”Naturally a very attacking batsman, Kieswetter has spent the last year rebuilding and, with seven first-class hundreds, an improving average and a hugely encouraging England Lions tour of the West Indies now behind him, he is ready to resume his challenge of becoming England’s main man behind the stumps.”It is my ambition to become England’s wicketkeeper in all forms of the game,” he said. “Obviously Matt Prior’s got the gloves at the moment but it’s my duty to push him as hard as possible.”Over the winter, I was fortunate enough to work really hard with Thorpey [former England batsman Graham Thorpe] at the ECB academy in Australia and then in the West Indies. I made a few improvements that seem to be paying off. There were a few technical points but it was more about being able to settle into the platform of four-day cricket; that mentality of being able to bat for a long time and make big scores.”Thorpe believes the youngster is a player with the brightest of futures, saying: “Craig is a genuinely talented player with lots of shots. You don’t want to kill that flair. But it’s about rounding out his game, being able to score all round the pitch. People remember him from the Twenty20, but I think there’s a lot more in him than that, as a player. He had a taste of it. I suppose he didn’t seem like a complete player – we never are – but for him it’s about converting those starts and really pushing on.”With England’s ODI and 20-over squads set to be announced this week, Kieswetter is eyeing a recall – though if he is selected it is likely to be as an opener.”Opening, you have to control yourself emotionally,” he said. “The adrenaline is pumping. All the great one-day opening batsman can rein that feeling in. I’ve spoken about it with Marcus, how you hit a boundary and there’s a massive cheer, and then another one and you just want more.”

England batsman Claire Taylor will be awarded an MBE next year, after she was named in the New Year Honours List

Cricinfo staff31-Dec-2009England batsman Claire Taylor will be awarded an MBE next year, after she was named in the New Year Honours List. The honour rounds off a successful year for Taylor, who was part of the England side that won both the Women’s World Cup and the Women’s World Twenty20. She was Player of the Tournament at both events and was named Women’s Player of the Year at the ICC Awards in Johannesburg.”Getting cricket-specific awards is great because it’s recognition within cricket,” Taylor, 34, was quoted as saying by the BBC. “But this is recognition in the wider community so this is special but in a completely different way.”Taylor’s international career has spanned ten years and she is currently the fifth-highest run-getter in ODIs and is among only ten batsmen to score over 1000 runs in Tests. She is also the joint record-holder for the most centuries in ODIs, and, in April, became the first woman to be named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year.Taylor will be unable to represent England in their upcoming tour of India due to work commitments but expects to return to action in May for the World Twenty20, which will be held in the Caribbean. Taylor said she hoped the profile of the women’s game in England would grow further and wanted the sport “to be an accepted sporting path for a girl, and for younger and older women as well”.She added: “The elite players need to keep pushing forward and keep pushing the boundary of the quality of the game that we play and to keep building that respect that there is for the game.”Other countries will get better and it’s not just a matter of throwing money at it, I don’t think that’s the answer at all.”It’s making sure that we play the right competitions and we have the right opportunities to play against international opposition.”Taylor read maths at Oxford, where, in addition to playing cricket, she captained the hockey team. She also represented England’s hockey team at U-17 and U-19 levels.

The PSL game between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators will take place on schedule in Karachi on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2023The PSL is set to continue uninterrupted despite a major terror attack in Karachi on Friday. Both Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators, who will face-off at Karachi’s National Stadium on Saturday, will field full-strength sides for the game, the PCB said.Terrorists from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) launched an attack on the Karachi Police office near one of the city’s main thoroughfares, Shara-e-Faisal, on Friday evening. The combat lasted over three hours. All three terrorists were killed, as well as four others. It was the first major attack in Karachi in a number of years, though it came close on the heels of an attack on a mosque in Peshawar, on January 30.Gladiators were practicing at the National Stadium at that time of the attack, and were delayed getting back to their hotel. But the PCB said it remained confident in the security it has provided the teams.”The HBL PSL 8 will continue as planned after it has been established and confirmed that Friday’s incident was an isolated one, which was unrelated to cricket,” PCB head Najam Sethi said in a statement. “We have been working very closely with all stakeholders, including the local and foreign security experts, who have provided assurances and comfort that the event can proceed as there was no threat to cricket.”The PCB takes the safety and security of all those involved in the HBL PSL 8 very seriously. To ensure no stone is left unturned, Presidential-level security has been provided to the teams and officials. These unprecedented arrangements are similar to what were in place for international matches that have been highly praised and appreciated by the visiting teams and officials.”The PCB remains committed to providing complete safety and security to all the participants and, as always, will continue to work very closely with the security experts and law enforcing agencies to ensure the players and officials are comfortable and being well looked after so that they can enjoy their stay in Pakistan and continue to entertain the fans and followers with their cricketing skills and talent.”Pakistan has hosted an increasing number of teams in recent years for full tours. Over the last year, Australia, England and New Zealand have had successful tours, travelling to the country after a gap of nearly 20 years. That has meant all Full Members other than India, Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe have toured Pakistan over the last four years.The country has also hosted entire seasons of the PSL without incident, other than during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the second half of the 2020-21 season was played in the UAE. The UAE was Pakistan cricket’s home for nearly a decade earlier, after the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team in 2009 brought a halt to international cricket in the country.

Interim appointment expected in wake of Shane Warne’s death

Matt Roller28-Mar-2022Trevor Bayliss is set to be appointed as London Spirit’s men’s head coach in the Hundred, linking back up with Eoin Morgan after four successful years together with England’s white-ball sides.Bayliss, who was England’s coach during the white-ball revolution from 2015 to 2019 that saw them go from a group-stage World Cup exit to world champions, is understood to have been offered the job on an interim basis for the 2022 edition of the Hundred.The late Shane Warne, who died suddenly at the age of 52 earlier this month after a heart attack, was Spirit’s coach in the inaugural season of the Hundred. A state funeral for him will be held at the MCG on March 30, with the date for the Hundred’s draft pushed back to April 4 as a result.Related

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Spirit will make the first pick in the draft after finishing last in 2021, with David Warner – who was dropped as captain by Bayliss’ Sunrisers Hyderabad during last year’s IPL – among the overseas players who will be under consideration for selection.Bayliss has since left Sunrisers after two seasons as their head coach, most recently coaching Sydney Thunder to the knockout stages of Australia’s Big Bash League. He is also among the contenders to replace Justin Langer as Australia head coach.Morgan will continue to captain Spirit in 2022, with Glenn Maxwell, Mason Crane, Dan Lawrence, Adam Rossington, Ravi Bopara, Blake Cullen and Brad Wheal all retained from last year’s contract list and Zak Crawley and Mark Wood both available when their England Test commitments allow.The ECB is expected to confirm the news – initially reported by the – early next week. The draft will be held behind closed doors on April 4, with picks announced the following day.

Visitors master run-chase at Edgbaston with skipper’s 67* as she and Farrant share five wickets

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2021Oval Invincibles Women cranked up their Hundred challenge with a crunching eight-wicket victory over Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston.Invincibles captain Dane van Niekerk led from the front with bat and ball as her side recorded their third victory of the campaign.An excellent bowling performance by the Invincibles restricted the Phoenix to 129 for 9. Only Erin Burns, with 45 off 28 balls, found any fluency against a well-directed attack in which van Niekerk took 2 for 16 from 20 balls and Tash Farrant took 3 for 23 from 20, the latter claiming Player of the Match honours.The Invincibles then reached 133 for 2 with three balls to spare, powered by an opening stand of 90 between van Niekerk, who was unbeaten with 67 off 51 balls, and Georgia Adams, who scored 42 off 30.The Invincibles are right back on the front foot in the qualification race but the Phoenix are now under serious pressure. They have struggled to cope with the withdrawal of big-name players just before the tournament began but need to find some answers quickly after winning just one of five games.The Phoenix chose to bat but just one run came from the first nine balls from Alice Capsey and Farrant. Shafali Verma, who scored a run-a-ball 16, threatened briefly but fell to Eva Gray and Phoenix hopes took another jolt when skipper Amy Jones was stumped by Sarah Bryce off van Niekerk.Burns took the attack to the Invincibles and struck seven on the way to scoring 45 out of the next 59 runs but then attacked Danielle Gregory once too often and sent up a catch to Grace Gibbs. It was left to Issy Wong, Gwenan Davies and Kirstie Gordon to eke the total upwards with a combined 33 from 25 balls.The Invincibles’ reply was launched in impressive fashion by Adams and van Niekerk. The latter hit four of her first ten balls for four and when Adams hoisted Abtaha Maqsood to the long off boundary, the opening stand had passed 50 in 41 balls.Dropped catches added to the Phoenix woes and Adams was reprieved twice on the way to 42 with five fours and a six before she chipped Gordon to extra cover and a catch finally stuck.It was far too late to affect the result though, as van Niekerk passed 50 in 40 balls and her side eased home with greater comfort than three balls to spare suggests.

Bruce Oxenford wore a shield on his left arm while officiating the second Royal London ODI between England and Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.

Melinda Farrell at Edgbaston24-Jun-2016Bruce Oxenford may not leap to mind as the first choice to play Captain America in any upcoming Marvel films.But the Australian umpire could have been mistaken for an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, when he marched onto the field carrying one on his left arm to officiate the second Royal London ODI between England and Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.While Oxenford had worn the lollipop-shaped guard in April during the IPL match between Gujarat Lions and Royal Challengers Bangalore, and earlier at a World T20 warm-up match between Australia and the West Indies, this is the first time the protective device has appeared in an international match and represents another step towards greater protection for officials.The issue of umpire safety was thrust into the limelight in 2014 when an official died after being struck in the head by a ball during a league match in Israel.Earlier this year Australian John Ward became the first umpire to wear a helmet in an international match during the fourth ODI between Australia and India at Manuka Oval.The shield worn by Oxenford is made from polycarbonate, weighs one kilogram and is six millimetres thick. The version used at Edgbaston is the second incarnation of the device and it was tested in the nets before being cleared for use during the match.An ECB spokesman confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that, if a batsman struck the ball and it deflected off the shield and was subsequently caught, the batsman would be given out, in contrast to the situation for fielders wearing protective headgear. If the ball strikes the helmet before looping to a fielder, dead ball is called.

Kings XI Punjab’s full-time captain, Adam Gilchrist, has praised stand-in captain David Hussey for inspiring the team to three away wins in their last five matches

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2012Kings XI Punjab’s full-time captain, Adam Gilchrist, has praised stand-in captain David Hussey for inspiring the team to three away wins in their last five matches. Hussey took over from Gilchrist after he sustained a hamstring injury against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 18.Under Hussey, Kings XI have beaten Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore in away matches, and moved from seventh to fourth on the points table. Gilchrist said that he was impressed with Hussey’s captaincy during their four-wicket win against Royal Challengers on Wednesday.”Regardless of the little mix-ups at the end [three Kings XI batsmen were run out], the captaincy today was amazing. To manage his way through our bowling innings [without Ryan Harris who went off injured] was a terrific effort,” Gilchrist said. “You could feel the momentum just turn, and getting Chris [Gayle] out helped. To manage the team through that period was terrific leadership and then to come out and play the way he did [scoring 45] was again strong leadership.”On Wednesday, Kings XI’s bowlers did well to restrict Royal Challengers, who at one stage looked good to set a formidable target, to 158. Azhar Mahmood’s three-wicket spell and two tight overs by Hussey curbed the run rate. “Azhar has all-round capabilities,” Hussey said. “He has shown what he can do with the bat and ball. What people don’t see is that behind the scenes he teaches some young Indian bowlers how to bowl and how to play in different situations.”Hussey said that he was forced to bowl against Royal Challengers, after Ryan Harris sustained a calf injury. “The reason why I haven’t bowled much is because our bowlers have been fantastic in the tournament, led by Praveen Kumar and our spinners Bhargav [Bhatt] and [Piyush] Chawla, who is one of the best spinners in India,” he said. “Ryan Harris was unfortunate as he got hit with the ball. I had to find two or three overs, so Abhishek Nayar and I bowled.”Kings XI chased down 159, amid some late panic, with Hussey, Mahmood and Nayar being run-out. “Our game got tight tonight, we just wanted to close the game out as quickly as possible,” Hussey said. “I don’t think we should focus on the run-outs, but on the [previous] 12 or 13 overs of our batting. I thought Mandeep Singh and Nitin [Saini] played well and set the tone for our team. We came here for two points and that’s what we got.”Hussey also said that he hopes his side continues winning and reaches the next round. “I’ve played a lot of Twenty20 cricket, not only here but also in Australia and have learnt from some great players. I played at Kolkata under Sourav Ganguly [in 2008], and under Adam last year, so I’m enjoying my time here,” he said. “I have not mastered the Twenty20 format but I’m really enjoying the IPL. We are playing some good cricket and we hope we can make the semi-finals and shock a few teams.”

Michael Klinger has said his South Australia side are well-prepared and expect to reach the latter stages of the Champions League Twenty20

Abhishek Purohit in Hyderabad24-Sep-2011The South Australia Redbacks were undecided on whether to have today’s media briefing in the lobby of the team hotel or in its business lounge. The lobby was an option if just one or two reporters arrived, having braved the train, bus, autorickshaw and civic strikes going on in Hyderabad over the demand for a separate state of Telangana. As it turned out, about seven or eight journalists were awaiting for what captain Michael Klinger had to say ahead of South Australia’s opening game against Warriors from South Africa.Having watched Warriors win a last-ball thriller yesterday against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Klinger knew what his side were up against. “Warriors are a very well-drilled unit and they have got a lot of good individuals,” he said. “They out-fielded Royal Challengers; that was the difference in the end. We have got to make sure that our fielding is right up there.”The dry weather in Hyderabad has allowed South Australia to train without worry since they arrived from wet Kolkata and they have put the time to good use. “We have had two-three net sessions and a practice game yesterday. So preparation-wise we could not have done anything more. We are ready to go now.”The two sides met in the semi-finals of the 2010 edition of the Champions League Twenty20 when South Australia were rocked by the left-arm seam of Lonwabo Tsotsobe to lose tamely. They have tried to prepare against that angle this time, getting one of their left-armers to play against them in the practice game.Such thoroughness under new coach Darren Berry brought South Australia a title after 15 barren years, when they won the KFC Big Bash tournament in February. Klinger said Berry had come in and made a difference right away. “We are a well-drilled and well-coached side. We have had some success in winning the Big Bash and that has given some hope to the squad. Berry is very structured in the way he coaches and the players have responded to that well.”The team has also answered well to Klinger’s captaincy, especially in the shortest format, after he shifted to South Australia from Victoria in 2008-09, a move that has “been sort of a new lease of life” for him.Klinger was on the fringes of the Victoria side for almost a decade before the change of teams turned around his career as a batsman, with the increased responsibility as a leader spurring him on.”When I moved to the Redbacks, we had a pretty young squad. Being a senior player has helped in terms of my leadership. I also knew that I had to stand up and perform as soon as possible to help the team get positive results. Plus, it’s also been about getting the opportunities. Earlier at Victoria I was in and out of the side depending on guys playing for Australia or not.”During his side’s run to the semi-finals last year, Klinger cut a calm figure on the field amid the frenzy of the Twenty20 format. It was a conscious effort to try and appear in control. “I think it is something a captain needs to bring. If he starts to get too emotional then the rest of the team will follow. So I try to be as calm as possible on the outside but it does not always mean I am calm on the inside.”In T20 cricket, you have to make split-second decisions. I think the most important thing is to be in constant communication with your bowlers as the field needs to change depending on what they are going to bowl. That’s something I try and do as often as possible as it gives them more confidence as well.”South Australia’s performance in 2010 was largely unexpected but it has brought increased hope this time. “Last year, we probably went under the radar a little bit. Teams didn’t expect us to go that far but we have got a side that plays well together and guys that play their roles well individually. If we can do that again, there is no reason why we cannot get to the final stages again.”It is a tough competition among the best teams in the world. I don’t think there is any easy game in both groups. Every game can go either way as we saw last night, so we have to make sure we are switched on every game.”