Alastair Cook has backed Chris Woakes and Nick Compton to deliver in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Durham

George Dobell at Chester-le-Street26-May-2016Alastair Cook has backed Chris Woakes and Nick Compton to deliver in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Durham, but admitted that both players need a performance to retain their places beyond the series.Woakes comes into the team in place of the injured local hero Ben Stokes. But while Cook has confirmed that Woakes is likely, fitness permitting, to play in both the remaining Tests of the series, he also admitted that he had yet to settle in Test cricket.Woakes’ current Test record – he has taken eight wickets in six Tests at an average of 63.75 and he averages 21.50 with the bat – is modest. But, over the last two rounds of Championship matches, Woakes has taken career-best bowling figures of 9 for 36 against Durham and scored the ninth first-class century of his career against Nottinghamshire. Cook hopes, therefore, that he enters this Test with confidence soaring and insisted that he was highly rated by his colleagues.”He is another one of those guys we have not seen the best of in international cricket,” Cook said. “There is no doubt in my mind that facing him in the nets, seeing him bowl for Warwickshire or knowing his character that he has a lot going for him. He is really respected.”He just needs that performance to make him feel settled in the side and help him feel he belongs in international cricket. I have no doubt about that. I am really excited about him playing and he has the next couple of games with Ben out. He can make future selection really hard.”Cook admitted there had been a temptation to select Jake Ball, the in-form Nottinghamshire seamer who has taken 21 Championship wickets at a cost of 22.28 this season. But England enjoy the depth that fielding an extra allrounder gives them and feel that Woakes is a closer like-for-like replacement for Stokes.”We enjoy playing with this balance of the side,” Cook said. “We know Ben balances the side really well, but he could get injured [again] and obviously we need the competition in that all-rounder place.”Ben is going to be a big loss for us. But injuries are part and parcel of a side and we need to know we can play without him. Chris has that opportunity to fill the all-rounder role and Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow go up a spot in the batting, so it gives them more of an opportunity.”While Cook said Stokes’ operation had “gone well” he also cautioned against rushing him back into action and suggested it was too early to say whether he would be fit for the start of the Test series against Pakistan.Compton, meanwhile, has averaged 27.22 in the five Tests he has played since coming back into the side in South Africa. In that time, he has scored one half-century from nine innings with most recent six innings bringing 15, 26, 0, 19, 6 and 0. He admitted on Wednesday that he was playing for his international future.Cook agreed with that view, but offered encouragement over his ability to perform under pressure.”It’s quite refreshing he has come out and said it in one way,” Cook said. “You are always under pressure playing for England because of the competition for places. People want to take his place. That is the nature of the beast.”We know he is a good player,” he added. “There’s no doubt about that, you see his record in first-class cricket over the past five years, he is right up there in the run-scorer’s chart. He made an important 80-odd in South Africa in tough conditions, he battled hard and set up that win, and he scored two hundreds already so he can play at this level.”He knows, like all of us, he is a score away and he will need a score. But this is a good place to do that.”Cook also said that the team management had discussed batting Moeen at No. 6 in the hope of coaxing more out of his batting. In the end, though, they decided to keep Bairstow one place ahead of him, with both moving up one position.”We did discuss leaving Jonny at seven,” Cook said. “I just thought that was a bit complicated; a bit funky.”I imagine it is hard for Mo, a guy who has batted at the top of the order ,to bat lower down and I don’t think we have seen the best of Mo’s batting. It’s an area where we can unlock a bit more. He has played some brilliant innings for us, those partnerships with Stuart Broad against Australia were devastating against high-quality bowling. He is a brilliant cricketer and I think he will get better and better.”

The team that wins on Tuesday will be guaranteed of a spot in the final, but while West Indies will have a second chance against South Africa, Smith’s men face elimination if they lose

Brydon Coverdale20-Jun-2016

Match facts

Tuesday, June 21
Start time 1300 local (1700GMT)

Big picture

The wash-out between Australia and South Africa in Barbados on Sunday has left all three teams still in with a chance of reaching the tri-series final. Two round-robin games remain – West Indies against Australia on Tuesday and West Indies against South Africa on Friday. Should Jason Holder’s men defeat Australia on Tuesday, the final will be settled – West Indies would play South Africa, and Australia would go home.But if Steven Smith’s team prevails, Australia will be guaranteed of a place in the final and West Indies and South Africa would play off for the other spot on Friday. And despite South Africa’s two bonus points, it would be a straight shoot-out, because the tri-series rules state that number of wins takes precedence if teams are equal on points. A West Indian win on Friday would put them level with South Africa on points, but with one more win.The upshot is that this game is must-win for Australia, but not for West Indies. Like all three sides in this tournament, Australia have been up and down throughout. The likely presence of Mitchell Starc is a potential key – his workload has been managed throughout the series and Australia have only lost the matches in which he did not play. His ability to swing the white ball could well turn a chase – West Indies’ preferred option is always to bat second.

Form guide

Australia LWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LWLWL

In the spotlight

It has been a tough tour so far for Glenn Maxwell, who made 0 and 3 in the first two games before being dropped. Maxwell was recalled against South Africa in Bridgetown on Sunday. He is expected to retain his place and Australia need something from him, not only with the bat, but also in the field. Their fielding was sloppy in St Kitts, and Maxwell might be just the man to lift that with his sharp work.Nearly 16 years ago, Marlon Samuels first played Test cricket against Australia. He was still a teenager, and was viewed as a young man of great potential. Say what you will about Samuels’ career, one thing is undoubtedly true: he has rarely shown his best against Australia, averaging 21.06 against them across formats. But if the old cliché is true, that you’re only as good as your last innings, the Australians had better watch out, for Samuels plundered 92 against them to help West Indies to a win in St Kitts. It was Samuels’ highest score against Australia in any format.

Team news

In Sunday’s wash-out, Maxwell, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland came in for Travis Head, Adam Zampa and Nathan Coulter-Nile. Maxwell and Starc are likely to retain their places but Boland, with little cricket behind him, is expected to make way for this must-win clash. Australia’s selectors must decide whether to go for pace and bring Coulter-Nile back, or perhaps more likely, recall the impressive young legspinner Zampa, who was left out against South Africa only because of the wet conditions.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodThe West Indies selectors have dropped Jerome Taylor from the squad, forcing at least one change to their XI. Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel and offspinner Ashley Nurse both must be hoping for an ODI debut in this match. Including Nurse would leave Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite as the only pace options, so Gabriel would appear the more likely debutant.West Indies (possible) 1 Andre Fletcher, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Carlos Brathwaite, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Shannon Gabriel / Ashley Nurse

Pitch and conditions

The Kensington Oval surface is generally good for batting, but was a little tacky on Sunday, when there was rain around. The forecast for Tuesday does suggest that there is the possibility of rain again, although it looks more promising than Sunday’s weather.

Stats and trivia

• Denesh Ramdin needs 14 runs to reach 2000 in ODIs, and he would be the first West Indies wicketkeeper to reach that milestone
• Marlon Samuels needs 67 runs to reach 5000 in ODIs, and he would be the 10th West Indies batsman to reach that milestone
• Mitchell Starc needs five wickets to reach 100 in ODIs, and if he does so in his next three games he will be the quickest man in history to the milestone

Quotes

“It’s good to see guys under pressure, and this is a little bit more pressure than a normal one-day international, on Tuesday”

West Indies coach Phil Simmons lauded the side’s top order for driving their four-wicket win over Australia in the ODI tri-series match in Basseterre

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-20162:36

Top four have been asked to put their dancing shoes on – Simmons

West Indies coach Phil Simmons has credited the side’s top order for driving their four-wicket win over Australia in the ODI tri-series match in Basseterre. Marlon Samuels led the 266-run chase with an aggressive 92, after West Indies benefited from a brisk opening stand of 74 between Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher, and Darren Bravo’s 39 at No. 3.Charles and Fletcher took advantage of the short boundaries at Warner Park to collect six fours and three sixes in the first seven overs. Their swift partnership also allowed Samuels and Bravo to settle and forge an 82-run stand for the third wicket. Once Bravo was dismissed in the 31st over, Samuels opened up to attack the Australian bowlers and helped ensure a comfortable victory for West Indies.”The pressure has been put on the top four to make sure that they set up whatever we have to do at the bottom,” Simmons said. “We know how devastating we can be at the end of an innings with the players we have, so the top four have been asked to put their dancing shoes on and make sure that we are in a position where the latter part of the batting can do what they do, and they’ve done that today and they’ve seen us through.”The 87-ball 92 was Samuels’ second fifty across formats in 2016, after his match-winning 85 not out in the World T20 final against England in April. He had a poor tour of Australia in December-January – scoring only 35 runs in five innings of the three-Test series – and copped heavy criticism, and one of his critics was former Australia legspinner Shane Warne, with whom he had an infamous run-in during the Big Bash in 2013. After his Man-of-the-Match winning knock in the World T20 final, Samuels made a reference to those comments and dedicated his award to Warne. Simmons, however, believed Samuels had left those feelings at the World T20.”I think the fact that he has taken us to victory in the game will be enough for him. I don’t think he’s still worrying about what some people in Australia said,” he said. “I think he answered that in the World T20 final. I think he’s left that there. He’s just happy to score the runs and help the team win.”The West Indies coach stressed the importance of the experience that Samuels and Kieron Pollard brought to the their line-up. Charles and Fletcher have opened in only six ODIs so far and with a young captain in Jason Holder, Simmons believed Samuels and Pollard were important to the side.”In every team you can see there’s experience. You have to have experience all through the team,” he said. “Most of the teams in the world, you have young guys coming in, but only one or two [youngsters] and the rest of the team is experienced veterans, you would call them; after five years, you are a veteran. It’s great to have him, it’s great to have Pollard back because he’s experienced in limited-overs cricket, young Bravo is getting there. So it’s great to have that sort of experience especially where Jason is a young captain and Carlos [Brathwaite] is young.”Despite the victory, Simmons had an area of concern he wanted the side to address, specifically the importance of set batsmen carrying on and finishing the game.”Marlon and Bravo finishing off the game rather than somebody getting out. It’s a case where we have two guys who have put us in a position and they need to carry on. I think there can be a little bit of improvement,” he said. “We are always looking to improve our fielding, which I think today was as good as it has been. And I think we are looking to improve on where we bowl in the first 10 overs and things like that.”

Allrounder Salma Khatun will miss Bangladesh Women’s tour of Ireland next month, where they will play two ODIs and two T20s

Mohammad Isam28-Aug-2016

Bangladesh Women’s squad

Sanjida Islam, Fahima Khatun, Ayasha Rahman, Jahanara Alam, Farzana Hoque, Nahida Akter, Lata Mondol, Panna Ghosh, Rumana Ahmed, Khadija Tul Kubra, Nigar Sultana (wk), Suraiya Azmin, Ritu Moni, Jannatul Ferdous

Allrounder Salma Khatun will miss Bangladesh Women’s tour of Ireland next month, where they will play two ODIs and two T20s. Salma injured her shoulder during training a couple of weeks ago and hasn’t sufficiently recovered.Apart from Salma, Sharmin Akhter and Shaila Sharmin have been dropped from the squad that played their last international assignment – the 2016 World T20 – with pace bowler Suraiya Azmin and allrounder Jannatul Ferdous being their replacements in the 14-member squad.They will play the T20s on September 5 and 6 while the two ODIs will be held on September 8 and 10. All four matches will be held at the Bready Cricket Club in Londonderry.Athar Ali Khan, the selector for women’s team and the tour manager, said that the team will miss the services of Salma but they have legspinners and a left-arm spinner to counter Ireland.”We will definitely miss the experience of Salma who is one of the leading players in the world,” Athar said. “She did join the camp but could not bowl and we thought it was in the best interest of the team that she was given time to recover as we have a long season ahead with the Asia Cup, World Cup qualifiers and hopefully the World Cup coming.”However, we still have a lot of variation in bowling, especially in the spin department. There are two legspinners (Fahima Khatun and Rumana Ahmed) and Nahida (Akter) is a wily left-arm spinner. Newcomer Jannatul Ferdous is a very exciting prospect who bowls offbreaks, can bat in the middle order and is a fine fielder. She has caught the eye.”Athar said that batting remains a worry but expects someone like Farzana to come good on tour. “The batting is a little bit of a worry as the openers Ayasha Rahman and Sanjida Islam have not been among the runs recently,” he said. “I am expecting Farzana Hoque who has been our best batter for a while to take the lead here and the others can bat around her.”We are a confident unit. Bangladesh is ranked above Ireland and our goal is to win the matches but the different conditions will be a challenge and we have to work really, really hard.”In the World T20 this year, Bangladesh lost all their group matches. Their last ODIs were in October 2015, when they lost both games to Pakistan. They have, so far, played two completed ODIs against Ireland, winning one. In the two teams’ T20I head-to-head, Bangladesh lead 2-1.

ESPNcricinfo previews the National Cricket League Tier 2 matches that begin on September 25, 2016

The Preview by Mohammad Isam24-Sep-2016

Tier-two teams

Rangpur Division, demoted from tier one

Big Picture
Rangpur Division, champions in 2014-15, were demoted from Tier-1 in the previous season. It was a drastic slide, and had a lot to do with the form of Liton Das, who had scored a lot of runs when they were champions. But he had a tough time in the domestic scene after failing in international cricket.However, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Sajidul Islam and Naeem Islam are good enough to pull the team out of the second tier. They also have allrounders Ariful Haque, Mahmudul Hasan and Tanveer Haider, and wicketkeeper-batsman Dhiman Ghosh, who was their top-scorer in the previous season. Alauddin Babu and Subashis Roy will be in charge of the pace bowling attack, while Sanjit Saha will be invigorated after being cleared by the BCB’s bowling action review committee.Key player
Liton Das needs to be back among the runs to have any chance of making it back into the Bangladesh side in the next 12 months. He showed good form in the latter stages of the Dhaka Premier League, but would need to do a lot more to get back his 2014-15 vibe.Below the radar
Left-arm quick Sajidul Islam has had limited opportunities at every level, despite possessing the ability to bring the ball back into both right and left-handed batsmen. He has had some success at the top level, but in domestic cricket, Sajidul suffers from the lack of pace-friendly pitches.

Rajshahi Division, second place

Big Picture
Five-time NCL champions Rajshahi Division need to put their act together to get themselves out of the second tier. After winning the title for the last time in 2011-12, their form has disintegrated in the last two years.They will once again rely on Jahurul Islam, Farhad Reza, Farhad Hossain and Junaid Siddique, with help from Saqlain Sajib, Muktar Ali and Delwar Hossain in the bowling department.It is a pity not to have Rajshahi in the top tier of Bangladesh’s first-class competition, but playing as a team will be high in their priority list this season, if they are to return to their best.Key player
Farhad Hossain has been Rajshahi’s top performer for a number of years and always finds a way to finish among the top ten scorers in the competition every season. He will need to have one of those seasons again.Below the radar
Nazmul Hossain Shanto played for Bangladesh Under-19s in the World Cup this year and for Abahani in the Dhaka Premier League. But this competition will give him ample time to score big runs.

Sylhet Division, third place

Big Picture
Sylhet Division have all their stalwarts to pull them out of Tier-2 this year. Rajin Saleh, Alok Kapali, Imtiaz Hossain and Enamul Haque jnr will have to bring their A-game to the NCL this season.They also have a number of youngsters like Abul Hasan, Abu Jayed and wicketkeeper Zakir Hasan to get them out of trouble from time to time. They are one of the least successful first-class teams in the country, but they have all the potential to make it to the next tier at the end of this season.Key player
Imtiaz Hossain has always been a heavy scorer. During this year’s Dhaka Premier League, his run-making, which translated into winning scores, caught everyone’s attention. He will have to keep Sylhet on firm ground throughout the tournament, and it will also help him progress as he heads into the last stretch of his career.Below the radar
Ebadot Hossain is a pace bowler who was discovered during a pace bowling hunt from earlier this year. He works for the Bangladesh navy, for whom he played volleyball for a number of years. But he has been identified as someone who can bowl fast with proper training, and staying with the NCL team would help him immensely.

Chittagong Division, last place

Big Picture
There are very few good things to be said about Chittagong Division who finished last among all eight teams in the two tiers. The last few years have been quite bad for the country’s second-most affluent division, which also boasts a BPL team and a league of its own.But apart from Mominul Haque, Tasamul Haque, Nazimuddin, Mahbubul Karim and a few others, the Chittagong side has a long way to go. Mohammad Saifuddin, Yasir Ali and Irfan Sukkur are young players who offer a lot of promise, but they need proper fitness and skill development to take them to the next level.Key player
Mominul Haque will once again be the only person of interest when Chittagong plays in the NCL. He is a Test regular, but the Bangladesh team management have left him out of the limited-overs teams for a long time now, and he has all the motivation to do well in the NCL.Below the radar
Mohammad Saifuddin impressed everyone in the Under-19 World Cup, but was reported for a suspected bowling action later and got injured in the Dhaka Premier League. The right-arm medium pacer has remodeled his action and will be looked at with some interest as he is also a capable batsman.

Group A: Abhinav’s ton and Punjab’s strong reply to UP highlights on day two of the fifth round of matches

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2016Abhinav Mukund’s 25th first-class century, and half-centuries from B Indrajith and Dinesh Karthik gave Tamil Nadu a 244-run first-innings lead over Baroda on the second day of their 2016-17 Ranji Trophy fixture in Raipur. Tamil Nadu’s bowlers had backed Abhinav’s decision to put Baroda in by knocking them over for 93 on the opening day. They ended the day on 79 for 1, with Abhinav on 40 and Indrajith not out on 18.Abhinav scored an even 100 off 165 balls, while Indrajith struck a more sedate 68, off 166 balls. The duo, who came together at 32 for 1, extended their partnership to 147. Karthik then struck a brisk 65, before new-ball bowler Munaf Patel wiped out the lower order in quick time to finish with 4 for 91 and wrap up Tamil Nadu’s innings for 337. Baroda made a more assured start to their second essay, ending the day on 44 for no loss, trailing by 200 runs.In Hyderabad, Punjab responded strongly after dismissing Uttar Pradesh for 335, finishing on 243 for 3. UP had ended the opening day on 300 for 6 with Kuldeep Yadav on 62 and Saurabh Kumar batting on 39. UP added 35 more for their last four wickets. Kuldeep was dismissed for 71 and Saurabh made 52. Sandeep Sharma took 5 for 85 for Punjab, while Shubek Gill, the right-arm medium pacer, took 3 for 57.Punjab were buoyed by their opening batsmen, Manan Vohra and Jiwanjot Singh, who both struck half-centuries and shared a 117-run partnership. Uday Kaul struck 33 and played second fiddle in a 96-run third-wicket stand with captain Yuvraj Singh, who was unbeaten on 72. Punjab are behind by 92 runs.It was a slow day at the SDNR Wadeyar Stadium in Mysore where only 177 runs were scored in 88.2 overs on the second day. Mumbai, who resumed on 244 for 5, put up 345 in their first innings, before reducing Railways to 76 for 3.Suryakumar Yadav, who began the day on 60, compiled 110 – his 11th first-class century. Legspinner Karn Sharma added two lower-order wickets to his tally to finish with 5 for 81. Railways’ top-three took their time and got off to starts, but none could stay on. Left-arm spinner Vijay Gohil took two wickets and Tushar Deshpande, the right-arm medium pacer, took one as Railways went into stumps trailing Mumbai by 269 runs.The Bengal-Gujarat match in Delhi, meanwhile, was called off due to smoggy conditions.

The former India captain believes England should play two fast bowlers and three spinners, given their depth in batting

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-20161:11

Ganguly: Not the same Anderson as 2012

England have tried everything within their means to get their most successful Test bowler ever fit in time for a major part of the series in India, but former India captain Sourav Ganguly wouldn’t pick James Anderson in the playing XI even if he was available for selection.”I wouldn’t play him [Anderson] in India to be honest,” said Ganguly, who will be part of ESPNcricinfo Match Day, the analysis show that will be aired both on ESPNcricinfo and on the SONYESPN channel on every day of the five-Test series.”It’s not the same Anderson as 2012,” Ganguly said. “I saw him in the Test series in England recently. He has lost a bit of pace. And I think Stuart Broad and Steven Finn and Ben Stokes [will be more effective] because you will need a bit of pace in these conditions to get that ball to reverse. So I don’t know whether he will make the side when he comes back. Not in Vizag [Visakhapatnam] where the ball will turn square.”In a recent ODI in Visakhapatnam, legspinner Amit Mishra took five wickets to bowl New Zealand out for 79, which is a sign of the conditions that England can expect in the second Test. If everything goes right with Anderson’s rehab – he has not bowled since August because of a shoulder injury – he could be fit in time for that Test. However, Ganguly feels Anderson shouldn’t play the rest of the series either.”I don’t see him playing in the second Test,” Ganguly said. “And if I were the England captain, I would go in with two fast bowlers: [Stuart] Broad and Ben Stokes [along with Chris Woakes]. A bit of zip, a bit of pace, reverse. And play three spinners. Moeen Ali, Gareth Batty and another spinner. The advantage is, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes can get runs with the bat. It makes the batting a lot longer, and you still have three spinners for these conditions. That’s the way I will go, and I don’t think Jimmy Anderson bowling at 80 miles an hour will find a place in my side.”Doubts about Anderson’s fitness, in light of his integral role in the 2012 series, is part of a larger reason why Ganguly doesn’t expect England to win a Test in the five-match series. He knows England have a good record against India, and that they won the last series in India, but the teams have changed a lot since then, he said.”They have a great record in India to be honest,” Ganguly said. “In 2006 when they came it was 1-1, when they won in Mumbai. In 2012 they won the series 2-1. India going to England and losing 4-0 and then 3-1. So England have got a great record against India but whether this England team can get past India in a five-Test series, I am not sure. Because when you look at the side that played in 2012, the most important part was those two spinners: Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann. Both high-quality spinners, and both match-winners. And Jimmy Anderson at his best. The Jimmy Anderson of four years ago.”Also the India team wears a completely different look. “When they caught India in 2012, it was a side that had lost 4-0 in Australia,” Ganguly said. “A side whose confidence was pretty down. It was battered overseas for a long period of time. But England are now facing a side that is high on confidence. New captain. Results have come the team’s way. It’s going to be very, very tough for England. That’s what I believe. But in sport, anything can happen.”For anything to happen, it won’t be just any old thing, it will have to be “magical” if England are to compete. “England will have to play very, very well to get past India in this series,” Ganguly said. “Not just play very, very well, do something absolutely magical. Like Alastair Cook did last time in 2012. Three back-to-back Test hundreds. Kevin Pietersen played that unbelievable knock in Mumbai. Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott getting hundreds. Somebody or the other stood up for them. Whether they have that same quality in batting, I am not too sure.”1:28

‘This England side lacks firepower to beat India’

As with the last series, Cook will have to set the tone. “He has had success in India so he will be confident when he comes to that series,” Ganguly said. “I thought he played well in Bangladesh on those tough pitches but he has got to fire. He has got to stand up for his team. Lead from the front. And people need to support him. The likes of Joe Root, who I think is an outstanding player. Ben Stokes, who I think will have a huge role in this series. These three have to fire for England consistently if they have to have some chance in the series.”The three superstars won’t be enough. Moeen Ali, who did well against India in England in 2014, will have to be at his best too. “He is definitely a threat for India,” Ganguly said. “The wickets will spin. His confidence against India will be high as a bowler. He has definitely become a better batsman than since that trip of 2014 when he was peppered with short deliveries from Ishant Sharma and the Indian bowlers. He has definitely become a better cricketer than then. He will be tested. He needs to get runs and get wickets as well, but do they have a Graeme Swann or Monty Panesar? I don’t think so.”The one advantage England have is they are not turning up blind. They played Test cricket in some testing conditions in Bangladesh just before this trip. It was so testing they didn’t even feel the need for a warm-up game in India. Ganguly doesn’t expect the conditions in India to be as extreme as Bangladesh, but sees it as good preparation for England.”Those wickets to be honest were absolute minefields,” Ganguly said. “Although the series was drawn 1-1, it can’t get worse than that for them in terms of the surface. And I saw the pitch in the last Test. It spun from everywhere. You just had to put the ball in the right place, and it did everything. In India they are going to encounter better pitches. That sort of pitch will be on day five of the Test. But when I saw the ball land on the first day of the Test in Bangladesh, it was actually like a day-five pitch.”They [England] haven’t played well in Bangladesh, but it will get them used to the conditions. I firmly believe when teams from the subcontinent go away or when it is the other way around, it is about getting used to the conditions as quickly as possible. I think it is going to help them in that aspect, but I still maintain [doubts] that whether they have that spark in this side to beat India in this series.”Ganguly will be joined on ESPNcricinfo Match Day by Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott, who were both part of the series-winning England team to India in 2012-13 in which Anderson played an important role.

Umpire Paul Reiffel will not stand for the remainder of the Mumbai Test after suffering concussion because of a blow to the back of the head on the opening day

Sidharth Monga in Mumbai08-Dec-2016Umpire Paul Reiffel will not stand for the remainder of the Mumbai Test after suffering concussion because of a blow to the back of the head on the opening day.Reiffel was helped off the field by England’s medical staff and went to hospital where tests cleared him of serious injury, but he was advised to rest. Marais Erasmus, who was the TV umpire, will continue in the on-field role for the rest of the match.*An ICC statement said: “Paul Reiffel underwent precautionary tests yesterday, which came back all clear. Paul, however, has been advised to rest, which is the normal course prescribed following a concussion. As such, he will not take any further part in the Mumbai Test and has been replaced by Marais Erasmus.”The accident took place in the 49th over of England’s innings, when Keaton Jennings worked R Ashwin past the square leg. From three-fourths of the way to the fence, Bhuvneshwar Kumar lobbed a throw back to Cheteshwar Pujara, who stood between Reiffel and the stumps. The throw didn’t have enough power, and Pujara seemed to warn Reiffel late, leaving him time only to duck. Had Reiffel stood upright the ball might have glanced the top of his head; but now it hit the sensitive area on the back of the head.The other umpire Bruce Oxenford, who wears an arm guard in limited-overs cricket, rushed to provide Reiffel shade with his hat and the England medical team looked after the 50-year-old umpire as he collapsed to the ground. Play was held up for 10 to 12 minutes shortly before the scheduled afternoon drinks break. Erasmus took Reiffel’s place on the field as he walked off for a medical examination.It helped that there was an understudy for the third umpire: C Shamshuddin, who has stood in ODIs, was at the ground as part of a programme to train local umpires on the DRS. Shamshuddin, who was better versed with DRS protocols than fourth umpire Nitin Menon, moved into the TV umpire’s seat.Reiffel is scheduled to be an on-field official during the final Test in Chennai.* December 9, 2.15pm IST: This story was updated with news of Paul Reiffel not returning for the Test

The India offspinner opened up a 37-point lead over the second-placed Rangana Herath in the ICC Test rankings among bowlers after taking 12 wickets against England

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2016R Ashwin, the India offspinner, opened up a 37-point lead over second-placed Rangana Herath after taking match figures of 12 for 167 in the Mumbai Test.Ashwin now has 904 points, the second best by an offspinner after Muttiah Muralitharan (920), and the fifth-best among spinners after Tony Lock (912), Derek Underwood (907) and Shane Warne (905).

ICC top five rankings

• Test batsmen: 1. Steven Smith 2. Virat Kohli 3. Joe Root 4. Kane Williamson 5. Hashim Amla

• Test bowlers: 1. R Ashwin 2. Rangana Herath 3. Dale Steyn 4. James Anderson 5. Josh Hazlewood

• Test allrounders: 1. R Ashwin 2. Shakib Al Hasan 3 Ben Stokes 4. Ravindra Jadeja 5 Moeen Ali

Ashwin, who has scored 239 runs in six innings, including three half-centuries, in the ongoing Test series, also consolidated his position as the No.1 allrounder with 483 points, 78 ahead of the second-placed Shakib Al Hasan.Ashwin’s spin partner Ravindra Jadeja is ranked fourth in the allrounder’s list, just one point behind Ben Stokes’ 341. Jadeja’s six wickets in the Mumbai Test meant he rose to a career-best sixth in the bowlers’ list.India Test captain Virat Kohli, meanwhile, reached a career-best second rank among batsmen after his 235 in Mumbai. The knock earned him 53 points and an average of over 50 in Test cricket too. Australia captain Steven Smith occupies the top spot with 897 points, 11 ahead of Kohli.Kohli, who is also placed second in ODIs, and first in T20 internationals, has the chance to secure the top ranking in all three formats next year.India opener M Vijay and offspinning allrounder Jayant Yadav also moved up the batting rankings following their centuries in Mumbai. Vijay jumped up five places to 24th while Jayant vaulted to 56th from 87th.

An ECB delegation has spent time in Australia this month assessing the Big Bash League as they step up preparations for a high-powered tournament of their own

Will Macpherson in Melbourne12-Jan-2017An ECB delegation has spent time in Australia this month assessing the Big Bash League as they step up preparations for a high-powered tournament of their own.Anthony Everard, the league manager of the Big Bash, said the delegation, led by the ECB’s head of commercial partnerships, Mike Fordham, “asked all the right questions” when they met. Fordham was joined by Gordon Hollins, the ECB’s chief operating officer, as well as two county cricket chief executives, Somerset’s Guy Lavender and Nottinghamshire’s Lisa Pursehouse.The travelling contingent are representing the “T20 working group”, which was established in December and also contains Rob Calder, the ECB’s head of marketing, and Tom Johnson, the head of business support as well as the chief executive of the PCA, David Leatherdale.It is understood that they are not looking to file a formal report from the BBL, but are observing and researching the way Cricket Australia and the clubs have pulled off the highly successful competition.Anthony Everard, league manager of the Big Bash League•Getty Images

ECB delegations have become a regular feature of the Big Bash as the future of T20 in England remains undecided. “There is a mutual curiosity,” Everard told ESPNcricinfo. “We welcome the ECB, we spent the morning with them, and they asked all the right questions. There is common ground, but also apples and oranges.”The BBL model has effectively tapped its target market: anybody who had not been to a cricket match before. The ECB appreciates that due to a differing population spread and starting point (18 counties, rather than six states) they cannot simply replicate but they do seem increasingly determined to hold a comparable eight-team competition from 2020.Last year, ECB’s market research suggested that only 13% of fans at NatWest T20 Blast games were under 16, and that the average was between 48 and 49, prompting fears about where the next generation of fans would come from and strengthening determination that a shake-up was required.Progress on the project – which has received significant opposition from county members – is expected when the county chairmen and CEOs meet at the end of March.This is not the first time the ECB have visited the BBL – which is averaging 29,875 fans per match this season, as well as free-to-air TV ratings of more than 1m people per night – for inspiration for their own competition. Last year Sanjay Patel, the chief sales and marketing officer, travelled to Australia to assess the competition. Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, travelled to the USA in November to meet with Twitter, Facebook and other social networks to research how the competition’s media rights package could work.The ECB are not the only overseas board in town to pick the BBL’s brains. Damien O’Donohoe, the Caribbean Premier League’s chief executive, has also met with his Australian counterparts this week.