Archives for 2018

Steve Smith and David Warner will stand down as captain and vice-captain for rest of Australia´s third Test match against South Africa, Cricket Australia said Sunday as it investigates a ball-tampering scandal.

There have been growing calls for Smith to be sacked as captain after he admitted being the mastermind of a premeditated plan to change the condition of the ball on the third day of the Test in Newlands on Saturday.

“Following discussions with Steve Smith and David Warner they have agreed to stand down as captain and vice-captain respectively for the remainder of this Test match,” CA chief James Sutherland said in a statement. Sutherland said Tim Paine would step in as acting captain for the remainder of the Test.

“This Test match needs to proceed, and in the interim we will continue to investigate this matter with the urgency that it demands,” he added. “Both Steve and David will take to the field today under Tim’s captaincy.”

Sutherland earlier Sunday announced an investigation into the scandal, which has plunged Australian cricket into crisis and resulted in widespread condemnation at home, including from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

CA’s head of integrity Iain Roy and head of team performance Pat Howard were flying to South Africa to conduct the investigation. “All Australians, like us, want answers and we will keep you updated on our findings, as a matter of priority,” the CA head added.

Television footage had showed Smith’s teammate Cameron Bancroft, 25, taking a yellow object out of his pocket while fielding in the post-lunch session and appearing to rub it on the ball. He was later charged with attempting to change the condition of the ball. Smith, 28, has earlier said he would not quit as he felt he was still “the right person for the job”.

India spinner Harbhajan Singh today slammed the ICC for letting off Australian opener Cameron Bancroft with only a fine of 75 percent of his match fee and not a ban, despite his role in the ball tampering scandal in the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

Harbhajan recalled the 2001 South Africa Test where five Indians — Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Shiv Sunder Das and Deep Dasgupta, apart from him, were banned for at least a Test by match referee Mike Denness for various offences. He also referred to the 2008 Sydney Test against Australia, infamously described as Monkey gate, where he was banned for three Tests for an alleged racial slur against Andrew Symonds.

“wow @ICC wow. Great treatment nd FairPlay. No ban for Bancroft with all the evidence whereas 6 of us were banned for excessive appealing in South Africa 2001 without any evidence and Remember Sydney 2008? Not found guilty and banned for 3 matches.different people different rules,” he tweeted. Former England captain Michael Vaughan too was critical of ICC’s decision.

“1 Match Ban & 100 % March fee Fine for Smith #ffs … 75% match fee fine for Bancroft and some bloody Demerit points for Bancroft … Pathetic penalties for CHEATING … Surely this moment was the time to set a precedent … !!?? All the team should be penalised,” he wrote in his handle. Australia captain Smith was today handed a one-match suspension and fined 100 percent of his match fee after he owned up to a ball-tampering conspiracy in South Africa.

However, opener Bancroft was fined 75 percent of his match fee and handed three demerit points for breaching Level 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the third day’s play. The incident that led to the charges being laid took place during South Africa’s innings yesterday afternoon when Bancroft was seen on television holding a foreign object while rubbing the ball, before hiding the yellow object in his pocket, then inside his trousers.

His U-19 World Cup heroics still fresh in memory, top-order batsman Shubman Gill is now looking to walk Rahul Dravid’s talk and be mentally strong as he gets ready to play against the “big boys” in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

“We all talked to him. He had a word with all of us before we dispersed after the tournament. He had a one-on-one chat with everyone. He told us that from here on, there will be more mental preparation.

“When you go to the higher level, there is a difference and it is more in the mind. You have to prepare yourself mentally,” Gill told IANS in an interview at KKR’s team hotel here.

“It’s more of a mental game now. Dravid sir told us that everybody has skills, but it’s how you prepare yourself mentally to execute at the stage and at that particular time,” the 18-year old Punjab right-hander added.

Under Dravid’s tutelage, Gill and his teammates claimed a record fourth U-19 World Cup, beating Australia in the final by eight wickets.

All through the tournament, India were not only unbeaten but utterly dominant, winning three matches by 100 or more runs and two by 10 wickets.

“It was a great experience for all of us in the U-19 World Cup in New Zealand,” Gill reminisced.

“Our bowlers did a great job, both the medium pacers and the spinners. We got great exposure and because of that opportunities have opened up for all of us. People have started recognising us. We get motivated by that and our chances to doing well are enhanced,” he said.

Soft-spoken and very articulate for his age, Gill finished the World Cup as the “Player of the Series” after scoring 372 runs in five matches at a whopping average of 124 and a strike rate of 112.38.

Asked about his stellar show at the showpiece event, Gill again credited Dravid.

“We were fortunate that we worked with him (Dravid) and that helped not only me but all of us play the way we did. He shared all his experiences of going to New Zealand with us before the World Cup, during our preparations. He is such a legend,” he said.

At KKR, there is a shortage of top-order batsmen and Gill could come in handy with his penchant for big runs. Gill, who had a base price of Rs 20 lakh in the IPL auctions, was roped in for Rs 1.8 crore by KKR.

“It’s a great opportunity for all of us to… play at such a high level. I am really looking forward to it. Our preparations are going well and we will try to deliver our best,” said Gill, who is more about textbook shots than big bat swings.

Against arch-rivals Pakistan, Gill underlined his potential with a classy 94-ball 102. Comparisons with India skipper Virat Kohli have already started doing the rounds but Gill, whose favourite cricketer is Kohli, wants to take it easy.

“I look up to Virat Kohli. But at the moment, my only goal is to make my team win every time. Our chances of taking the next step will only be enhanced if we win the IPL. I always think of how I can help the team and how I can contribute.

“If I do well for KKR, I will automatically do well for myself,” said Gill, who made his first-class debut before the World Cup for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy in late 2017 with a half-century in the game and 129 in the next match.

Not wanting to think too much about breaking into the senior team, Gill signed off by saying he admires each and every member of Kohli’s side and it is their fielding and fitness that attracts him the most.

“This Indian team has changed the trend in terms of their fielding and fitness standards,” Gill said.

“Now the Indian team is one of the best fielding sides in the world. The way they carry themselves, their attitude on and off the field, all the guys, I really admire them.”

(IANS)

In-form Vidarbha middle-order batsman Apoorv Vijay Wankhade feels that his good showing in the Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup has helped him mature as a Twenty20 cricketer and that will hold him in good stead when he turns out for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season.

“I have always had a knack for T20. I enjoy the format and I can express myself. This season, I have done well in red-ball cricket. The Ranji Trophy season went well and I was among runs. I think my Ranji and Irani form has helped me mature as a T20 cricketer,” Wankhade told IANS in an interview here.

Wankhade not only helped Vidarbha clinch their maiden Ranji Trophy title this season, but also contributed with the bat scoring 296 useful runs in 10 innings. That included a timely century against Kerala to help them qualify for their maiden Ranji Trophy semi-final.

More recently in the Irani Cup, the 26-year old notched up a career-best unbeaten 157.

“Everyday before going to bed, I have it planned in my head what I want to do the next day. I think of the areas I need to work on, my fitness. I break down my training and want to improve after every session,” said Wankhade on his secret to keeping good form of late.

Wankhade was rewarded for his consistency in domestic cricket as KKR picked him in the IPL auction for his base price of Rs 20 lakh.

“I have been hitting the ball in the last three years. In the IPL, I won’t change my game. Like I play for my state, I will do the same for KKR as well,” a confident Wankhade said.

Wankhade scored 197 runs in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at an average of 49.25 in 2015-16 and remained unbeaten in 5 innings. In 2016-17, he finished three out of five matches.

Interestingly, his strike rate last year was 151.61 as compared to 122.36 in 2015-16. This year also he emerged the highest run scorer for Vidarbha in Raipur’s testing conditions.

Wankhade said he is looking forward to meeting big names like Mitchell Starc and Chris Lynn in the KKR squad and would aim to learn how they approach the game and handle pressure.

He added that skipper Dinesh Karthik’s recent pyrotechnics (29 off 8 balls) for India in the final of the Nidahas trophy T20 tri-series against Bangladesh has inspired the finisher in him.

“I am looking forward to meeting all of them. I have just watched them on television. I want to learn how they approach the game and handle pressure. I want to see their mindset and learn from it,” Wankhade said.

“Like DK, the way he finished the game for India against Bangladesh in the final, I want to get inside his head and know how he thinks during those final overs,” the M. S. Dhoni fan added.

Wankhade wants to keep working hard for a India call up.

“I am working hard and that’s why I got picked to play in the IPL from my state. Things will fall into place if I continue working hard and not think too much about the result,” he signed off.

(IANS)