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Captain warns that CPL doesn’t offer pathways for young players to develop

Andrew Miller21-Jan-2022Kieron Pollard, West Indies’ captain, has pleaded for patience as the region begins to rebuild its T20 fortunes in the wake of a disappointing World Cup campaign, and warned that the franchise nature of the Caribbean Premier League means that there is no longer a ready route for the next generation to arrive at international level with all the tools required for success.Speaking on the eve of the first T20I against England in Barbados, Pollard acknowledged that the team was at “Ground Zero” after their rock-bottom displays in the UAE, where a golden generation – epitomised by its two most long-serving stars, Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo – played together for the last time.West Indies come into this campaign off the back of a 2-1 defeat in last week’s ODI series against Ireland, while a new-look team – led by stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran – was beaten 3-0 by Pakistan in Karachi before Christmas. But Pollard called for the Caribbean public to accept that the rebuild could take some time, especially against an England team that routed them for 55 in their most recent encounter at the World Cup.”We need to improve the way we play, because our batting has definitely been a problem for us,” Pollard said. “The good thing is that we have some new faces in the group, guys looking to make a name for themselves in our international scene. It’s like we are starting from scratch, so we need to do the basics right. Play the situation of the game and analyse, assess, and make the right decisions, depending on what the team requires at that point in time.”Pollard’s own breakthrough in professional cricket came as a 19-year-old in the original Stanford 20/20 – the inter-island competition set up by the now-disgraced financier Allen Stanford, which Pollard’s Trinidad and Tobago team won in each of its two editions in 2006 and 2008.Now, however, that competition has been subsumed into the Caribbean Premier League, with a draft system for recruiting players and an expectation of success from the owners of the region’s various franchises. And while the money is welcome for the tournament’s established stars, Pollard warns that this causes problems for the Caribbean’s younger talents trying to make their way in the game.”We don’t have a T20 feeder system, where guys can get different match practice at different times,” Pollard said. “The CPL is results-oriented, with private owners who come in and want to win. Some guys might get to play, some guys might not, but we have to keep a bunch of guys together and give them experience. Chopping and changing, and dropping and bringing in, is not going to change our results, because these guys are actually learning on the job.Related

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“When you look at Indian cricket, when you look at the English system [the T20 Blast in addition to the Hundred], you look at the Big Bash, these have alternative T20 systems that some of the guys can come through. How many guys do we have that were made through the CPL only? When it was the Caribbean T20, there were a lot of guys coming through the system. I don’t know how we’re going to do it [in the future], but we need to find a way.”At the age of 34, Pollard is himself under pressure as a member of West Indies’ old guard, especially after making just 90 runs in five matches at the World Cup. But he is adamant his overall form still stands up to scrutiny, as he primes himself to begin the team’s post-World Cup rebuild.”Before the World Cup, there was no noise about the captaincy, but because of the campaign that transpired, it is necessary,” he said. “In each and every tournament that you have, whether it’s the World Cup or the Ashes, you expect casualties.”If I’m not the right person to lead, then so it, but cricket in the West Indies is not about Kieron Pollard. It’s about the holistic approach of getting better, and grooming the youngsters, to put them in positions where they can feel comfortable in international cricket.”I’ve never played cricket based on myself. I’ve always been based on the team and what is required at that point in time. I’m not just going to promote myself because I want to get a fifty, and I want to please the public, but if it is required, you can bet your bottom dollar, I’m going to put on that boxing glove and I am going to go there and fight for the team.”We have a rich bunch of talented young individuals. Nicholas [Pooran] has been promoted to No. 3 so that he can take more responsibility as well. We have a couple of new guys into the set-up. Each and every one of us has to play our role, and that’s the only way that the vehicle can move forward.”The stadium, the pitch, that’s our stage, we have to perform there,” Pollard added. “And the crowd is like the jury, and they want to judge. The public can go ahead. As it stands right now, going into the series, I’m going to give it my best. And let’s see what happens after that.”

Allrounder says he has been coping with the condition for the last 15-16 years

Umar Farooq13-Feb-2022Chronic back pain has forced Shahid Afridi to end his Pakistan Super League season early. The 41-year old allrounder, who has been in rehab, said he only chose to take the field this year “for the fans” but the pain had become too much to bear.Sunday night’s game for Quetta Gladiators was effectively Afridi’s last game in the PSL. He picked up two wickets in the game, against Islamabad United in Lahore, and ran Azam Khan out with a direct hit. It was his 53rd outing in the PSL, where he has been four teams over the years, playing for Peshawar Zalmi, Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings before Gladiators.”I was trying to sign off on a good note; my lower-back injury has been there for 15-16 years, and I have been playing with it.. But now it has become so much that it has affected my groin, my knee and it goes down to extreme pain in my toes,” Afridi said in a social media message. “I tried to cope with it but can’t tolerate the pain anymore. After all, when you have good health, you have the world with you.”I will go back and undergo rehabilitation on my fitness. There is cricket coming up, like the KPL [Kashmir Premier League] and T10 league. So I will soon return in front of my fans again.”Afridi’s stint this season was a disrupted one. He picked up a back injury during a training session, and then tested positive for Covid-19, and missed Gladiators’ first few games. Then, back on the field, he was carted for 67 runs in his four overs by United, the most expensive four-over spell in PSL history.He appeared to have hit his groove last evening, again against United, but was visibly in pain, and didn’t come out to bat as Gladiators won by five wickets.Afridi last played international cricket more than five years ago, but continued to take part in the PSL ever since its inception. He led Zalmi in the first season and was part of the team that won the title the following year.

Australia brace for spin challenge as they make adjustments to their plans following India vs Pakistan fixture

Annesha Ghosh07-Mar-2022Beth Mooney has admitted that Australia are wary of the challenge Pakistan’s spinners might pose for them on Tuesday on the used Bay Oval surface, where on Sunday, India collapsed after a strong start. To counter a potential spin-dominant ploy from Pakistan, Australia have had to tweak their plans “a little bit, slightly”, Mooney said.”We obviously had the opportunity to play over here last year in a similar time, and we had three one-dayers at the Bay Oval here [against New Zealand] and played on the same wicket all three times,” Mooney said on match eve in Mount Maunganui. “And when we got to the third game, it had slowed up quite a lot. So using that intel that we had from last year when we played will become really handy for us as a batting unit and a bowling unit.Related

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“So we expect that Pakistan’s bowlers… their spinners especially bowl quite differently to ours in terms of pace through the air. So we had a session today, specifically on that as a top six, and hopefully we can use that to our advantage tomorrow.”Australia haven’t played Pakistan in ODIs since October 2018, and have only ever played 12 50-over games against them, winning each fixture. Mooney believes the lack of game time against Pakistan over the years could be a “blessing in disguise”, and said that watching the India vs Pakistan match, where spinners picked up five India wicket in the space of 12.1 overs, has helped Australia make adjustments to their plans.”We watched a little bit of the game yesterday just to see what they were doing in terms of the bowlers. Our bowling unit watched a little bit of their batting as well,” said Mooney. “So I think it’s almost a blessing in disguise at times when we come up against an unknown opponent of sorts and obviously we played them a few years ago now. So that’s very different about that group.”I thought they were outstanding with the ball yesterday and outstanding with the bat against India. So, yeah, it’s a different kind of challenge. But I think what we probably have focused on a little bit more in the last few months is worrying about what we can control and how we want to go about our game. So hopefully we can do that again tomorrow and adjust where we have to and adapt where we can.”Save for opener Alyssa Healy’s early dismissal, Australia, frontrunners for the title, showed no weaknesses with the bat in their high-scoring opening game against defending champions England. Rachael Haynes and Meg Lanning’s record 196-run second-wicket stand meant Australia’s middle-order got time to bat only after the 42nd over. Even then, No. 4 Mooney, who made 27 not out, and No. 5 Ellyse Perry dug in as Australia powered to 310 for 3.Mooney felt that despite the Pakistani spinners’ impressive performance against India, Australia would be able to replicate their batting dominance at Bay Oval, where the match will be played on the same strip that was used for the West Indies vs New Zealand and the India vs Pakistan games.”Something that we pride ourselves on as a batting group is making sure we’re always moving the game forward and accessing different areas of the ground obviously to get the fields that we want,” Mooney said. “So just seeing a little bit of that in the game yesterday will be really important for us heading into tomorrow.”In terms of team news, Ashleigh Gardner is serving a ten-day isolation in Christchurch after testing positive for Covid-19, and Heather Graham, who has played a solitary ODI, has been drafted in as a temporary replacement for Gardner. A Covid-19 replacement at the 2022 ODI World Cup can be temporary, in that once the player has recovered, she would be eligible to return to the squad in position of the travelling reserve that replaced her.

Pakistan are set to host SL, tour Australia, and play Ireland home and away as well as feature in the Commonwealth and Asian Games

Umar Farooq28-Mar-2022The PCB has chalked out a year-long calendar for women’s cricket, comprising extensive international and domestic cricket including home series against Sri Lanka and Ireland and Pakistan’s participation in the Commonwealth and Asian Games this year. The board has also revived its Under-19 tournament after eight-and-a-half years.The Women’s PSL is not part of this year’s calendar, though ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB is working out the feasibility of the tournament and, under chairman Ramiz Raja, has ambitions of organising the event in March 2023.Related

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The series against Sri Lanka, which was postponed last year following a change of leadership in the PCB, is now scheduled to be played from May 18 to June 7, with the series falling under the ICC Women’s Championship cycle.Following this, Pakistan are set to tour Ireland in July for a triangular series that also includes Australia as the third team. This will be immediately followed by the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July-August.In September, Pakistan are due to travel to Hangzhou, China, for the 2022 Asian Games, before returning home for a three-ODI, three-T20I series against Ireland in October-November. The year is then set to end with the Women’s T20 Asia Cup, which is due to take place in December, though further details are still awaited.The Women’s T20 World Cup is set to be played in South Africa in February 2023, and Pakistan’s preparations for the event will conclude with a tour of Australia from January 4 to Feb 1, comprising three ODIs and three T20Is.Under-19 domestic tournament to serve as talent pathway
The year-long calendar – the first one the PCB has announced for women’s cricket – includes a blueprint for the domestic circuit as well.The national youth-level tournament was disbanded in 2013 due to a policy shift and a change of leadership in the PCB. Before that, there had been a national Under-17 event that took place from 2004 to 2008, which was replaced by a regional Under-19 tournament that was a regular event from 2009 to 2013. A Pakistan A team was formed thereafter, comprising players from the Under-19 circuit and those on the fringes of the senior national side.The PCB is reviving its Under-19 women’s domestic tournament after an eight-year gap•AFP via Getty Images

The pathway to the national team, however, had always been vague, with no solid link between the grassroots and the top 30-35 women players in the country. The investment in women’s cricket had narrowed down to two major tournaments, with three teams playing the National T20 and ODI Challenge Cups.Seeking to expand the talent pool in women’s cricket, the PCB has announced a new T20 tournament featuring six provincial Under-19 teams, which will take place in August 2022. The best players from this level could go on to feature in the senior domestic season.The senior season will begin with a two-phase T20 tournament in September-October. The first phase is a four-team event featuring the best players from the six provincial associations; the top performers from this phase will play alongside the best international players in the second phase of the championship, a three-team tournament.The women’s domestic season will conclude in April-May 2023 with a 50-overs tournament featuring four teams playing each other in a double-round-robin format.Pakistan exited the ongoing ODI World Cup campaign at the league stage, but managed to break their 18-match losing streak in the tournament. However, they lost six out of seven games to finish bottom of the table, their only win an upset of West Indies in a rain-hit contest. The last team Pakistan had beaten in a World Cup was also West Indies, back in 2009.”The past few weeks have brought to light the gulf between our side and the leading international teams,” Tania Mallick, the PCB’s head of women’s cricket, said. “To develop and strengthen our national side, it is imperative to have a strong and competitive domestic structure and provide more opportunities to the national side to play in challenging conditions so we continue to gauge where we stand.”We have put in a lot of thinking before penning down our upcoming season. I am grateful to all six Cricket Associations who have jumped on board and expressed their desire and willingness to develop women’s cricket at age group and senior rungs in their jurisdictions. Their help and support will unearth talent from all parts of the country and, with a strong system in place, I am sure we will be able to produce players who are capable of performing according to the contemporary demands and needs.”

Pakistani quicks star on compelling day of action at the Ageas Bowl

ECB Reporters Network06-May-2022
Mohammad Abbas celebrated his first LV= Insurance County Championship five-wicket haul of the season but Gloucestershire’s ripsnorting evening session snatched the momentum from Hampshire.Hampshire looked set for a first-innings lead in excess of 200 after Abbas ripped through the visitors with a textbook showcase of line and length bowling with 6 for 45. But Ajeet Singh Dale and Jared Warner added 55 for the last wicket to reduce the deficit to 163.And then Mohammad Amir continued the Pakistani bowling dominance with 3 for 22, with Ryan Higgins also pilfering a scalp, to leave Hampshire 28 for 4, with their lead 191.To start the day, Liam Dawson and Kyle Abbott had failed to reach the bonus point for 350 runs despite a spirited morning effort, with Graeme van Buuren pinning Abbott lbw and Dawson flailing to deep extra cover – Hampshire all out for 342.Abbas came into his own with an incredible seven-over spell of 4 for 16. Abbas’ second over was an Ageas Bowl classic. Marcus Harris left the first ball and pumped the second for three before the overseas signing found George Scott’s tentative outside-edge behind. James Bracey was shelled at third slip first ball, played and missed the second before he finally tickled behind – Abbas coming over, around and then over the wicket again, a plan hatched by Keith Barker during their meeting last year.Hampshire were now in the box seat and relentlessly hunted down further wickets. Miles Hammond was the next to feather Abbas to keeper Ben Brown before van Buuren was leg before on the cusp of lunch.Abbas’ spell initiated murmurs in the Hampshire dressing room that it had produced more heat than other efforts in recent weeks due to compatriots Amir and Naseem Shah watching on.Marcus Harris ended the procession to Abbas by loosely driving Abbott to second slip and Tom Lace had his off stump left lopsided by James Fuller.Ryan Higgins countered with an entertaining 46 in conjunction with Dom Goodman before taking on Felix Organ one too many times to top-edge to deep midwicket. Abbas then completed his five-wicket haul with a short ball into Goodman’s ribs, which was gloved through to Brown. Amir followed two balls later with a sharp edge to second slip – Abbas celebrating by running down to his friend and laying his hands on his shoulder in a consolidatory manner.The hosts debated whether to enforce the follow-on or not at the fall of that ninth wicket, only for Dale and Warner to put on 55 – the highest partnership of the innings. Dale, against his former county, laughed at his No.11 billing with a brisk 36. Organ eventually got Warner to push to short leg to bowl Gloucestershire out for 179.Gloucestershire’s glee was increased as, in 11 evening overs, Amir had Organ jabbing to the cordon second ball, before Ian Holland fell in the following over – caught behind attempting to leave Higgins.Abbott and Abbas were lbw in successive balls to Amir coming around the wicket, as Hampshire saw their openers and tail disappear in a little over 45 minutes of havoc.

The Delhi Capitals head coach says Pant could be “exceptionally dangerous” on the Australian pitches

PTI and ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2022Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes Rishabh Pant will be “exceptionally dangerous” on “fast and bouncy” Australian pitches during the upcoming T20 World Cup, where he could be best utilised as a “floater” as per match situation.Ponting has worked closely with Pant at Delhi Capitals and rates the Indian wicketkeeper-batter very highly.”He [Pant] is a wonderful player. He is just an outstanding young man, who has got the world at his feet. And he’ll be exceptionally dangerous for India, especially on the wickets we’ll provide in Australia…. good flat, fast, bouncy wickets. He’ll be one of the players to watch out [for] in the tournament [T20 World Cup] for sure,” Ponting said on ICC Review.For Ponting, Pant’s batting position should be flexible as per the Indian team’s requirements.”I reckon having him as a floater. I’ll probably have him listed at (No.) 5 in the [Indian] batting line-up.”But in certain situations, where it gets to a stage where there are seven-eight overs to go and they are one-two down, then I will look at sending him in and giving as much time as I possibly can. He is that dynamic and that explosive and that is certainly the way I would look at trying to use him,” Ponting said.In a press conference on the eve of the first T20I, Pant had been asked about the possibility of playing a floating role.”I think it depends. We will see the conditions,” he had said. “If we feel like we need a floating batting line-up, we will take it forward. I don’t think in these kinds of conditions we want a floating batting line-up. The kind of batting line-up we have, leftie-rightie is not a big deal for us because we play spinners day in and day out. So we will try not to do a lot but at the same time, if we need to, we will.”Pant managed to score just 340 runs from 14 IPL games in 2022 with an average of 30.91. And according to Ponting, Pant was frustrated with his performance in the IPL.”He probably didn’t have his best tournament. I know he was really frustrated with his IPL this year because he went into the tournament batting better than I’ve ever seen him bat before.”And even by his own admission, he said the same thing to me, halfway through the tournament that he didn’t feel he was getting results that he probably should have and that he probably deserved. And as I kept reinforcing that thing to him at the nets that that’s a T20 game. You make a little error of judgement on your 15th or 18th ball, and you are 35 not out at that stage and all of a sudden your game is over. That’s sort of how it felt for him and the team through that last tournament.”

Former England batter had been involved with men’s team selection since 2018

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2022The reorganisation of England men’s coaching and selection structures has continued with the ECB announcing the departure of James Taylor from his role as head scout.Taylor, the former England, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire batter, joined the ECB in 2018, working beneath national selector, Ed Smith. When Smith’s role was made redundant in 2021, Taylor moved into the scouting role, assisting head coach, Chris Silverwood, with selection.The arrival of Rob Key as England men’s managing director has already seen a number of changes, with separate head coaches appointed for red- and white-ball cricket, and the return to selection by a panel.Key is reportedly keen to bring back the national selector role, but is understood to be considering splitting the position by format, too. The Daily Mail last week linked former England batter Ian Bell with the job of Test selector.”James Taylor has been a great servant to English cricket both as a player and an excellent administrator over the past four years,” Key said. “He has a deep passion for the game and is attuned to the current demands of a modern cricketer, having played with and against most of the England set-up and pathway players.”Everyone at the ECB would like to thank James for his hard work and dedication and wish him well in the next chapter of his career.”