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Pakistan’s new T20I captain struck an emotive note ahead of his team’s tour to Australia

Danyal Rasool25-Oct-2019Newly appointed Pakistan T20 captain Babar Azam dismissed concerns that captaincy would add unwelcome pressure on his young shoulders, and said he was confident of being able to handle the challenge. On the eve of the team’s departure for Australia in what will be the first tour after the Sarfaraz Ahmed era, Babar said Pakistan wouldn’t play the kind of cricket they had in Lahore against Sri Lanka. The focus, he promised, would be on aggressive, positive cricket, which the 24-year old believed was his side’s best chance to overcome Australia.”People judged in three matches [against Sri Lanka] that my performance suffered because I was vice-captain,” Babar said. “That’s not how it works. In the game of cricket, you have ups and downs, and that was a poor series for us, no question. I give 120% for the team in every single match, and I don’t see why there would be any added pressure on me just because I’m captain. I’ll continue to play as I always have, and I’m sure the performances will come.”Moreover, I’m not just thinking I’ll be happy to play regardless of the results. I’m looking to get a performance out of my team, as well as my
individual performances. I look at current captains like Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli, and how well they manage their own form along with bringing results to the team. I’ll try to emulate them.”Babar also confirmed he would continue to open the batting in the T20Is, also adding that he wished to see a policy that allowed out-of-form players to get extended runs so as not to have the spectre of demotion hanging above their heads. It was a vote of confidence for Fakhar Zaman, who has had a difficult time of late, especially in the T20I format, where he last scored over 25 in an innings in July 2018.”There are players in our team who have continued to perform. I don’t think they should be kicked out of the side just because they haven’t been able to hit those heights for four or five games. We should back them. If you look at Fakhar Zaman’s innings in the T20 Cup against my side [he scored an unbeaten 82 off 54 to help KP beat Central Punjab by 7 wickets], you can see he’s beginning to return to form. You could see the improvement in Shadab [Khan]’s bowling, too.”These guys know better than anyone they haven’t been able to deliver at the level that’s expected of them, but you can see they are returning to form. Fakhar and I will open, and Imam-ul-Haq will be the back-up opener, and I’m sure he’ll be ready to take over when necessary.”On the day, however, Babar was more willing to strike an emotive tone rather than a pragmatic one. He began the press conference with a statement about how he first came to the Gaddafi Stadium 12 years ago as a ball-boy during South Africa’s tour of Pakistan in 2007, and how grateful he was to be sat there leading the side out to Australia as captain. Babar admitted there had been tears on the journey.”There have been many difficult times that reduced me to tears. My late coach – may god bless him – always used to say cricket is a game that makes you cry much more often than it lets you smile. A lot has happened in these 12 years, and I have learned many things along the way. But I’ve never given up, never lost hope or the belief my hard work would pay off.”Babar may well feel he’s entitled to a smile now. If recent history is any guide, opportunities to do so in Australia have been at a premium for
Pakistan.

It will be the women’s equivalent of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the outstanding male cricketer of the year

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2023New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is introducing the Debbie Hockley Medal at this year’s annual awards ceremony, to honour the outstanding female cricketer of the year. The medal will be the women’s equivalent of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the outstanding male cricketer of the year, and will be a regular feature at the NZC’s annual awards. This year’s awards will be held on March 23 in Auckland. Hockley herself will present the new award on the night.Hockley played 118 ODIs and 19 Tests for New Zealand from 1979 to 2000. She was regarded among the best batters across two decades in the 1980s and 1990s and is considered a pioneer of the women’s game. She is the only woman to win the New Zealand Cricketer-of-the-Year award, in 1998, 13 years before the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal was introduced.”I feel honoured, personally, of course – but also thrilled that the country’s outstanding women’s cricketer of the year will be recognised on an annual and ongoing basis,” Hockley said. “It’s been wonderful to watch the progress of the women’s game in New Zealand over the past five or six years and this is another very positive development.”Women’s cricket is going from strength to strength; the growth at all levels has been amazing.”I’m looking forward to presenting this award to the inaugural recipient in March.”Hockley was the fourth woman to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, in 2013, after Australia’s Belinda Clark and England’s Enid Bakewell and Rachael Heyhoe-Flint.Hockley held several records during her playing and captaincy days. She became the second-youngest captain in a woman’s Test at the age of 21, she is still the format’s fourth-highest run-scorer and the highest for New Zealand, she finished her Test career with an average of 52.04, scored the joint-second-most Test centuries (four), and scored ODI hundreds in consecutive innings, among a host of records.Hockley scored over 4000 ODI runs while averaging nearly 42, including four centuries. She was the first woman to cross 4000 ODI runs, and also the first to play 100 ODIs.She was the first woman to be elected NZC president.

Both teams are coming off wins, but might have to tweak their XIs to accommodate the star players

Shashank Kishore26-Sep-20206:58

Should it be Buttler in place of Miller or Tom Curran?

Big picture

The Kings XI Punjab recovered superbly – a 97-run win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore – after their Super Over heartbreak against the Delhi Capitals. Now they move to Sharjah, the smallest of the three venues, to take on the Rajasthan Royals, who made 216 at that venue earlier this week for a 16-run win over the Chennai Super Kings. We could be in for another high-scoring game on Sunday.The Kings XI have so far held back Chris Gayle. Is there a case for them to unleash him in this game? No ground is too big for him, but in Sharjah, where even mis-hits carry over the rope, Gayle will be a big threat even though he isn’t the force he once was. The Kings XI management is happy with his form in the nets, but bringing him could mean altering their balance because both KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, the regular openers, have done exceedingly well in the first two games. Yet, it is a good selection headache to have. Nicholas Pooran may have to miss out in case Gayle comes in.The Royals will be boosted by the return of Jos Buttler, but there is a possibility he’ll bat in the middle order. Steven Smith played anchor from the top of the innings in the first game, and might want to continue doing that alongside rookie Yashasvi Jaiswal. With Sanju Samson likely to play one-drop, Buttler could slot in at No. 4 to give the middle order some solidity, with Robin Uthappa and Riyan Parag to follow. David Miller, who was run-out without facing a ball on his debut for the Royals last week, could be the unfortunate one to miss out.Having competed hard and won a high-scoring game at this venue should give the Royals a slight edge in this contest, but on their day, Kings XI can topple any side like they showed two nights ago against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Whatever happens, expect another 200 vs 200 contest.

In the news

• Buttler is available for selection after completing his extended quarantine. That means the Royals may have to decide between David Miller and Tom Curran for one overseas spot.
• The Kings XI have no injury concerns. Everyone is fit and available for selection.

Likely XIs

Rajasthan Royals: 1 Steven Smith (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Jos Buttler (wk), 5 Robin Uthappa, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 Shreyas Gopal, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Tom Curran, 10 Rahul Tewatia, 11 Jaydev UnadkatKings XI Punjab: 1 KL Rahul, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 Karun Nair, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Sarfaraz Khan, 7 Jimmy Neesham/Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 M Ashwin

Strategy punt

• The Kings XI have an opportunity to surprise the Royals by fielding Gayle. Apart from the dimensions of the ground, the Royals have two legspinners – Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Tewatia – and Jaydev Unadkat, the left-arm pacer. Gayle strikes at over 200 against bowlers with these skillsets since IPL 2018. This will also give more heft to an in-form Kings XI line-up.
• Jimmy Neesham didn’t bat, and bowled just two overs in the previous game, and if the top three fire, it’s unlikely he’ll get too many opportunities. While leaving him out may seem a tad harsh, strategy could dictate the inclusion of Mujeeb Ur Rahman in his place.

Stats that matter

• Samson is two hits away from 100 sixes in the IPL, and Maxwell is nine away from the landmark.
• Buttler needs 97 more to get to 6000 T20 runs.
• Archer’s IPL best of 3 for 15 came against the Kings XI in IPL 2019.
• Kings XI’s opening pair has averaged 50.8, the best among all teams, since IPL 2019.

ALSO SEE: Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals live score 27 September 2020

Having become the first South African sportsperson to be criminally convicted for match-fixing, he faces a potential 15-year sentence

Liam Brickhill04-Nov-2018Former South Africa and Lions batsman Gulam Bodi has pleaded guilty to eight charges of corruption and begged for clemency in the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court. On Friday, Bodi became the first South African sportsperson to be criminally convicted for match-fixing and is facing a potential 15-year sentence.Bodi is being charged under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act of 2004, which makes match-fixing and spot-fixing in sport a crime in South Africa. The act was introduced after the Hansie Cronje match-fixing saga in 2000, and this is the first time it is being exercised.In 2016, Bodi was banned from taking part in any activities relating to cricket for 20 years by Cricket South Africa for his part in contriving to fix, or otherwise improperly influence aspects of the 2015 Ram Slam T20 tournament. Six other players – Alviro Petersen, Thami Tsolekile, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Jean Symes, Pumi Matshikwe and Ethy Mbhalati – were also implicated.CSA handed their evidence over to the South African police services, who launched their own investigation culminating in this case.”It has been a very tough few years,” Bodi told reporters outside the courtroom. “I’ve been banned for 20 years. That’s already a long sentence. So for me not to be able to do something I loved my entire life has been terribly hard. I haven’t really settled in the last three years. It’s been a constant battle.”Just recently I managed to get a job, and after three years of running around and struggling, things started slowly looking a bit better, and now this comes up. It’s completely shattered me.”They pulled me out of school when I was just 16 and put me in a cricket academy. I don’t even have an education background to fall back on, so it’s been a real battle. This is going to greatly affect my job and my family, because nobody wants to be associated with a criminal.”Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, Bodi’s legal representative, said his client acknowledged his wrongdoing and pleaded for the court’s mercy. The state and defence legal teams both asked for more time in order to prepare for a sentencing, and Magistrate Nicola Setshogoe agreed to a postponement, acknowledging that as a first-time offender Bodi had handed himself in and co-operated fully with authorities since being arrested in July.”Before this whole thing transpired, my client was offered a job at a cricket academy and had also been commenting with SuperSport,” Mnguni told . “The fact that the ban he received meant he couldn’t be involved with cricket took away any form of income he would be able to earn because in essence this man only knows cricket. He doesn’t have an academic background.”I’m hoping that when we bring forward all these issues to the court, in addition to the fact that he’s got three very young children and he’s got an elderly unemployed mother, whom he financially supports.”I feel for my client because I know he’s been through a lot. He’s made a mistake and I won’t say he’s been punished enough, but he has been punished and he suffered a lot going through this process, and he obviously feels very sorry for what he’s done and the harm he has caused to CSA and the damage that they suffered in the public for what he’s done.”Bodi will return to court on 28 January next year for sentencing.

In detailing the breakdown in their relationship from 1999, the legspinner also tagged his former captain “the most selfish player” he ever played with

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2018Shane Warne has reheated his old feud with Steve Waugh by revealing in a new book that he felt “totally let down” by Australia’s then captain when dropped from the playing XI in the fourth Test against West Indies in 1999. He also described his former Australia captain as “the most selfish player I ever played with, and was only worried about averaging 50”.Heading to the Caribbean, Waugh had just been appointed Test captain with Warne as vice-captain, and Australia had started the series by bowling out West Indies for 51 to win the first Test by 312 runs. However, Brian Lara made two of the finest centuries of his career, 213 in the second Test and 153 not out in the third, as West Indies stormed back. The home side were leading 2-1 heading into the final Test in Antigua, and Warne’s returns in the first three Tests were a poor two wickets at 134.00.

‘Baggy green worship made me want to puke’ – Warne

“All that worship of the baggy green – some of the guys went with it, like Lang [Justin Langer], Haydos [Matthew Hayden] and Gilly [Adam Gilchrist], but it wasn’t for me,” Warne wrote. “They loved it but, to be honest, they made me want to puke with it half the time. I mean, wearing it at Wimbledon! Who wears a green cricket cap to Wimbledon? It was just embarrassing! Mark Waugh felt the same. I don’t need a baggy green to prove what playing for Australia means to me or to the people who watch us.”

In an extract from his book published in , Warne describes the selection meeting before the final Test.”I was vice-captain and bowling pretty ordinary and Tugga [Waugh] opened the selection meeting between the two of us and Geoff Marsh, the coach, by saying, ‘Warney, I don’t think you should play this next Test.'”Silence. ‘Er, right,’ I said. ‘Why?’ ‘I don’t think you’re bowling very well, mate.’ ‘Yes… fair call,’ I admitted. ‘My shoulder [after surgery] is taking longer than I thought but it’s close now. The feel is slowly coming back and then the rhythm will come, mate. I’m not worried.'”Marsh agreed with Warne but Waugh stuck to his guns, which led to an impasse. Allan Border, a selector at the time who was was off duty but there in Antigua, was asked for his views. Warne writes that Border supported him, saying: “I back Warney every time. The situation is made for him. Anyway, we owe him. Think of what he’s done for Australian cricket. We need to show faith.”However, Warne wrote that Waugh once again asserted his authority as captain: “No, I appreciate your thoughts, AB, but Warney’s not playing. I’m going with my gut here. Sorry, guys.”Australia won the Test to square the series, but Warne felt let down. “Disappointed is not a strong enough word. When the crunch came Tugga didn’t support me, and I felt so totally let down by someone who I had supported big time and was also a good friend,” Warne wrote, adding that he didn’t handle his axing from the team that well. “I conducted myself badly, to be honest. I wasn’t that supportive of the team, which I regret.”Looking back, this was probably a combination of the shoulder issue still eating away at me and the pure anger bubbling inside at Steve’s lack of trust. During the first three Tests, at various times some of the bowlers came to me, grumbling about Tugga’s captaincy and field placements and stuff. I said I was backing him to the hilt and if they had a problem with the captain they should go see him direct. Perhaps because of this, I was deeply disappointed that he didn’t back me in return.”Getty Images

Immediately after the West Indies tour, Australia went to England for the 1999 World Cup, where, after starting slowly, they stormed to the title with both Waugh and Warne playing key roles. However, later in the year, when Australia went to Sri Lanka, Warne writes of another altercation before the second Test. In the first match, Waugh had collided with Jason Gillespie on the field, leaving both men with nasty injuries. However, Waugh was adamant he would play in the second Test, while Warne held the opposite view. “I was being a d******* and looking for a bit of revenge. He hadn’t backed me and now I wasn’t going to back him,” writes Warne of the argument, which he eventually lost when Marsh sided with Waugh.Warne says he “never found it easy” with Waugh after the West Indies and Sri Lanka tours, even though they had started off as good friends, with Waugh present at Warne’s wedding and even almost convincing the legspinner to play club cricket for Bankstown in Sydney, with a view to breaking into the New South Wales team.”He became a completely different person when he took over as captain… It wasn’t that he dropped me. I have no issue about being dropped if I’m not performing; if you don’t perform, out you go. But there was more to it than my performances – I think it was jealousy. He started to niggle away, telling me to look at my diet and spend more time on deciding what sort of person I wanted to be in my life, how to conduct myself – that sort of stuff. I said, ‘Mate – worry about yourself.'”

The South Africa captain heaped praise on Kusal Perera, saying he was “just too good” for them

Liam Brickhill16-Feb-20194:50

‘We didn’t lose because of any mistakes we made’ – du Plessis

His team ended up on the losing side in one of the most dramatic finishes in recent memory, but after South Africa’s one-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in the first Test at Kingsmead, captain Faf du Plessis insisted: “This is what Test cricket should be.”ALSO READ: Five great knocks in one-wicket wins“It should show people, whether it’s three or four or five days, that it is still the number one format if you see games of cricket like this,” du Plessis said. “It’s incredible the amount of times the game goes to the opposition and then comes to you and goes back. It’s always that to and fro. It’s great to be part of an amazing Test match.”South Africa have won just one Test match in Durban in the last 10 years and after their unlikely one-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in the first Test, du Plessis also admitted: “We’ve got a terrible record here.”Du Plessis suggested that conditions might have a lot to do with that, and a pitch he described as “a piece of pudding” arguably benefited Sri Lanka more than it did the home side, offering sideways movement for most of the bowlers but precious little in the way of pace off the pitch.”The last conditions you want to play Sri Lanka on would be something like that,” he said. “It was a very slow wicket and perfectly set up for them to start their tour in South Africa. The spinner took a five-for, there were slow conditions, Duanne [Olivier] wasn’t as effective because the ball was stopping on a slow pitch.”But we still have to be a team that is adaptable and good enough to beat a team like Sri Lanka in our home conditions, even if we’re playing on a piece of pudding. We can’t point any fingers. We’ll look at the areas where we need to improve, and that’s more with the bat for me.”Du Plessis said that his team, having grown accustomed to gritting out runs on “more difficult surfaces” at home over the last two years, should have sensed an opportunity to build bigger innings in this match, but South Africa managed totals of only 235 and 259, with du Plessis top-scoring with his second-innings 90.”I’m disappointed with the runs that we scored in both innings and I think we were under par with both innings,” he said. “We’ve played on more difficult surfaces for the last two years and scored more runs so I thought there was an opportunity there. That’s more a controllable in this game where we could have been better.”Vishwa Fernando traps Faf du Plessis lbw•AFP

Their inadequacies with the bat aside, du Plessis was also at pains to emphasise the quality he saw in Kusal Perera’s innings. Perera shared a couple of match-defining stands, and none more so than the 78 runs he shared with No. 11 Vishwa Fernando. Du Plessis admitted that as the match drew to its thrilling conclusion, South Africa “tried everything and he was just too good for us.””I was out there thinking: try all the different tactics, try the spinner, try the seamers, try bringing the field up, try keeping the field out.
“He just manoeuvred beautifully with the whole tail and managed to get the strike. He probably faced 90% of the balls when you as the opposition are trying to bowl as many balls as you can at the No 11. When we got the chance to bowl at the No 11 he didn’t nick it. A few passed the edge. It’s very disappointing sitting here but I have to applaud him for a magnificent batting performance.”Du Plessis brushed off suggestions that his team had folded under pressure, highlighting the moments of luck that both Perera and Vishwa – who played and missed at umpteen deliveries – had during their stand.”I’m trying to think what we as a team could have possibly done better, but an innings like that is one that will be spoken about for years to come. He took the game on and similar to what Quinton [de Kock] does when he comes in towards the end, he takes a lot of risks. Some days it pays off and some days it doesn’t. To consistently hit the bowlers that we have over the fielders for six … all the risks paid off.”His consistency in taking risks and weighing up risks, when to do it, was incredible. To hit Kesh [Maharaj] over that long boundary in the middle of an over, he took a lot of risks. And it paid off. He deserves all the credit. We must focus on how good that innings was.”You’re bowling to one player the whole time and some days you just have to say ‘well played’. It wasn’t through our mistakes. It’s not like we dropped catches when the game was on the line. It was purely a super-human effort with the bat and when that happens in Test, T20 or ODI cricket then that’s got nothing to do with us and pressure. It’s got to do with how someone else plays.”