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Sachin Tendulkar, Yusuf Pathan, and S Badrinath had earlier tested positive for the virus

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2021Irfan Pathan has become the fourth player to test positive for Covid-19 from among those who played in the recently concluded Road Safety World Series, a T20 tournament that pitted former players from India, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, South Africa and Sri Lanka against each other.Related

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On Saturday, Sachin Tendulkar announced that he had tested positive for the virus, and his announcement was followed by similar ones from Irfan’s half-brother Yusuf Pathan, and S Badrinath.Irfan said he was showing no symptoms and had isolated himself at home, making the announcement of his positive test on Twitter, like Tendulkar, Yusuf, and Badrinath had.”I have tested positive for COVID-19 with no symptoms and have isolated myself and quarantined at home. I would request those who came in contact with me in recent past to please get themselves tested,” Irfan wrote. “Urging all to wear masks and maintain social distancing. Wishing you all good health.” The tournament took place in the Indian city of Raipur from March 7 to 21.Irfan was part of the Indian team alongside Tendulkar, Yusuf, and Badrinath, with India ending up triumphant the tournament.Irfan had announced his retirement from cricket in January 2020, bringing to an end a career that featured 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is, and included a winner’s medal in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, alongside several memorable Test and ODI triumphs too. He last played for India in the T20 World Cup in 2012, but continued to be a regular presence in the domestic circuit after that, and was a prominent feature in the IPL till 2016. Over the last three years, Irfan rose to become a sought-after commentator and Hindi cricket analyst in India. He also runs a cricket academy in Vadodara, which he co-founded with Yusuf.According to Johns Hopkins University, which has tracked the spread of the pandemic since it first hit in 2019, India is third on the list of countries with the most Covid-19 infections and fourth on the list of most deaths.

Mohammad Yousuf, meanwhile, has been roped in as batting coach for the home series against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2022Saqlain Mushtaq is set to continue as Pakistan’s head coach on an interim basis for another 12 months, while the PCB has also named former Australia quick Shaun Tait as fast-bowling coach for 12 months. Former Pakistan batter Mohammad Yousuf, meanwhile, has been roped in as batting coach for the Australia series which is scheduled to begin on March 4 in Rawalpindi.Saqlain, along with Abdul Razzaq, was appointed as interim coach following Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis’ exit in September last year.The PCB had given an advertisement for five coaching positions – national high performance, batting, bowling, power-hitting and fielding – in December last year and had set a deadline for application as late January.Tait is the only one to have taken up the position via this process for now; the other appointments were made on the basis of internal arrangements – instead of hiring new coaches based on the advertisement, the PCB promoted coaches from the high performance centre to the national set-up on an interim basis. ESPNcricinfo understands there were at least 12 applications for the various coaching roles overall but only the individuals who had applied for the role of bowling coach were shortlisted and interviewed, out of which Tait was finalised.Since Ramiz Raja’s appointment as the chairman of PCB, there have been many changes in the set-up starting with Misbah and Waqar leaving their roles ahead of home series against New Zealand. Saqlain, who was the head of international players’ development at the high performance centre in Lahore at that time, was promoted as head coach but his initial tenure ended with the Bangladesh tour in December.ESPNcricinfo understands that Saqlain had submitted his resignation following the tour but Ramiz persuaded him to continue in the role for another year, with at least eight assignments including the T20 World Cup and Asia Cup coming up. While Yousuf and Abdul Majeed (fielding coach) have been appointed just for the upcoming series, it is understood the PCB will make assessments during the Australia series before appointing anyone on a full-time basis.The position of power-hitting coach is yet to be filled.Pakistan’s support personnel: Mansoor Rana (manager), Saqlain Mushtaq (head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant to head coach), Mohammad Yousuf (batting coach), Shaun Tait (bowling coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saaiman (trainer/strength and conditioning coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach)

The hosts were struggling at 84 for 5 before a 139-run stand between Shahadat Hossain and Jaker Ali helped them to 252

Mohammad Isam06-Dec-2022Mukesh Kumar’s six-wicket haul put India A in control of the first day of the second unofficial Test against Bangladesh A in Sylhet. The home side were bowled out for 252 with the Bengal seamer taking career-best figures of 6 for 40 in a bowling attack that also had Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini.A 139-run sixth-wicket stand between Shahadat Hossain and Jaker Ali rescued Bangladesh A from getting bowled out for a small total. Shahadat top scored with 80 with nine fours and two sixes, while Jaker made a more sedate 62 with six fours and a six. Earlier, Zakir Hasan, whose 173 had saved Bangladesh A from defeat in the first unofficial Test, scored 46 with nine boundaries.What would continue to worry the Bangladesh selectors is the form of Test regulars Mominul Haque (15) and Mahmudul Hasan Joy (12). Shadman Islam, too, fell cheaply for 4 when he became Umesh’s first wicket in the game.Mukesh’s initial burst of three wickets put Bangladesh A in a spot of bother. He removed Joy in the 15th over before captain Mohammad Mithun and Zakir also fell to his bowling as the home side slipped to 84 for 5. Mukesh later came on to dismiss Jaker, before taking the last two wickets.The two Yadavs, Umesh and Jayant, took two wickets for India A, too. At stumps, the visitors were 11 for no loss with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhimanyu Easwaran unbeaten on 8 and 3 respectively.

Wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali replaces him in the squad

Mohammad Isam16-Mar-2024Bangladesh have dropped Litton Das for the third ODI against Sri Lanka. He has been released from the squad on advice from the team management to play in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League.Bangladesh have replaced him with wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali, who scored an impressive 68 in the first T20I against Sri Lanka. He has 84 List A appearances and has racked up 1918 runs at an average of 34.87.It is the first time that Litton has lost his place since 2021 when he was dropped for a T20I series against Pakistan.Litton was out without scoring in the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka, and also failed to impress in the T20I series against them, registering scores of 0, 36 and 7 in the three matches.From the start of the 2023 ODI World Cup, Litton has scored just 313 runs in 14 ODIs at an average of 24.07. He has crossed the 50-run mark just twice in that time.”With the series now hanging in the balance, we believe Jaker Ali’s addition will provide the team with more options and flexibility in the middle order,” Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the chairman of the Bangladesh selection panel was quoted as saying in a BCB release. “Considering Litton’s recent performance in white-ball cricket, we opted for this change, mindful of the availability of two other capable openers within the squad.”Anamul Haque and Tanzid Hasan are the other two openers in the Bangladesh squad, and one of them will likely slot in alongside Soumya Sarkar, who impressed with a 66-ball 68 in the last match.Bangladesh squad for 3rd ODI: Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Anamul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman, Jaker Ali

Teenage batter following in footsteps of father Andrew, who spent his career at Lancs

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2024Rocky Flintoff, son of former England allrounder Andrew Flintoff, has signed his first professional contract with Lancashire at the age of 16.Flinfoff, who was earlier this week named in the England Under-19s squad to face Sri Lanka, joined the Lancashire academy last year. He has featured four times for the 2nd XI this season, hitting a half-century against Durham and a hundred against Warwickshire.Clips of him batting went viral on social media due to the similarity of his technique to that of his father.”I’m very happy and excited to have signed my first professional contract with Lancashire,” Rocky Flintoff said. “It’s something that I’ve been working towards since I started playing cricket, so to sign for my home county is a dream come true.”I’ve been with the club since I was 8 years old, so to have the opportunity to keep representing the Red Rose is a big honour. I have loved playing for the Second XI so far this season and I’m looking forward to continuing to work hard on all aspects of my game.”Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s director of cricket performance, said: “I would like to congratulate Rocky, his family and everybody who has been with him on his journey in cricket so far.”He has impressed the coaching staff with his performances and determined attitude for the Second XI already this season. He is a grounded individual and knows the work starts now for him to fulfil his potential in the years ahead.”Rocky will be away with the England U19s for the next couple of weeks, and we look forward to welcoming him into the professional squad after that.”Andrew Flintoff made his Lancashire debut in 1995 before going on to become one of England’s most-pivotal allrounders, playing more than 200 times across formats and famous for his role in helping to regain the Ashes in 2005, after 16 years in Australian hands.

Since they last won the title, Sydney Sixers have consistently reached the finals but stumbled short of the prize

Andrew McGlashan25-Jan-2025Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques has called for the club to take a hard look at why they have stumbled in finals over recent seasons after falling to crosstown rivals Sydney Thunder in the Challenger on Friday, but he refused to blame the absence of key players on Australia Test duty.Sixers had given themselves a double chance of reaching Monday’s final by finishing second in the regular season but lost to Hobart Hurricanes in the Qualifier before coming up short against Thunder at the SCG.It meant that since winning the second of back-to-back titles in the 2020-21 season, they have won just two out of nine matches in finals series.Related

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“Unfortunately we’ve saved our worst two performances for the last two games of the year,” he said. “We do have to have a look at how we’ve performed in finals the last three years because I don’t think our record is great now. We gave ourselves two chances this year because of how well we played throughout the year. We had two chances last year as well and two chances the year before.”I am proud that we’ve got a group that consistently puts us in a position to win the tournament and gives us the very best opportunity at the end of the league games to go on and win but unfortunately this year we weren’t good enough.”Henriques said the debrief on the season would start straightaway. After the final there is a ten-day trade window where out-of-contract players from other clubs can be signed. Sixers head into that period with ten on their list – the maximum permitted – leaving Jackson Bird, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Ben Manenti and Kurtis Patterson as those who are free agents.”It’s the high pressure nature of sport that you can’t always perform when you want to,” Henriques said. “Why we’ve been not able to play our best in these games is something we’re going to have to have a look at and definitely discuss for a while after the game because we’re not rushing off to anywhere. There’s a lot to learn from the last couple of days.”Some of the best learnings are in these situations because a lot of that group is going to be around again next year and hopefully we can put ourselves in a position next year to challenge again.”Steven Smith was available for three matches this season where he made a spectacular 121 not out followed by 52 but, along with Todd Murphy and Sean Abbott, left after the regular season for Australia’s training camp in Dubai ahead of the Sri Lanka tour.When Sixers won the first of the back-to-back titles in the 2019-2020 season, they had Smith, Nathan Lyon (who is now with Melbourne Renegades) and Josh Hazlewood (currently recovering from injury) available for the finals along with their regular key names.”It’s a really tough one,” Henriques said when asked about the overlapping schedules. “I think the pinnacle of cricket is playing international sport for your country and we’re very proud of the three guys that get selected. That’s obviously not including Starcy and Josh Hazlewood.”That’s a feather in our cap as a squad that they want to play cricket for our team and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I still feel like we’ve got players that can win us the match when they go away.”I said before the last game to the group, even though we only had 12 players, somehow it was still a headache to try and pick 11 because of what I believe to be the quality of this group and the quality of players that we have.”In the 2020-21 final, James Vince produced the match-winning hand of 95 against Perth Scorchers and has remained a regular with the club but left early for the ILT20, as did West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein. The other draft signing was young English legspinner Jafer Chohan who stood out when he came into the side, returning 2 for 28 and 2 for 22 the two finals, conceding just one boundary in each game.”He’s been really impressive,” Henriques said. “He sat patiently waiting for a game. I think through the four matches that he played, I couldn’t remember one bad ball, which, for a wristspinner, is just extraordinary. I think he’s got a big future ahead of him.”

Heather Knight, Sydney Thunder’s captain, is the most significant of the potential departures

AAP11-Nov-2023WBBL clubs are facing the prospect of being robbed of marquee English players for the competition’s final due to a scheduling clash.England named their squad for a looming multi-format series in India on Friday night, with nine WBBL players included ahead of the first T20 on December 7.The majority of those will be able to skip a team camp in Oman, but England officials have confirmed to AAP they will be expected in Mumbai by December 2. That is the same date as the WBBL final.Related

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AAP has been told that players will be able to remain in Australia through to the end of November, meaning they would be available for all games bar the final.Sydney Thunder captain Heather Knight headlines the list of potentially impacted players, along with Perth Scorchers pair Nat Sciver-Brunt and Amy Jones.Thunder quick Lauren Bell, Adelaide Strikers allrounder Danielle Gibson and Brisbane Heat batter Bess Heath are among other players who would be scheduled to return.Melbourne Stars would be the club most impacted with Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey and Sophia Dunkley all in England’s squad, but at this stage look unlikely to make finals.Clubs were aware of the possible scheduling clash when players were signed. Exemptions have been made in the past for players to stay on longer, and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that a similar push could be made in coming weeks for the English to feature in the final.The loss of Knight in particular would come as a significant blow to the Thunder. The club have been the feel-good story of this summer’s WBBL, going from winning one game last year to dropping just one of their opening eight this season.They are now the frontrunners to automatically qualify to host the final, after sitting at the top of the ladder at the halfway mark.Knight has been a pillar of Thunder’s top-order this season in capitalising on big starts from their openers, hitting 168 runs at an average of 42 and strike-rate above 140.Thunder coach Lisa Keightley does have strong links to the English setup, having previously coached the national side.Scorchers would also be desperate to hang onto their English pairing if they reach the final. Sciver-Brunt is one of the most dangerous players in the competition, and while she was only signed for part of the season, the 31-year-old is expected to play out the rest of the tournament until England calls.

Architect of 100-ball cricket will depart ECB role after 2023 competition

ESPNcricinfo staff23-May-2023Sanjay Patel is to leave his position as managing director of the Hundred following the conclusion of this year’s competition.Patel, the man behind the ECB’s introduction of 100-ball cricket, was previously chief sales and marketing officer before taking charge of the Hundred when it was unveiled as a concept in 2018.His departure comes at a time of uncertainty over the future of the competition, with newspaper reports in recent weeks suggesting the ECB could drop the format and refocus attention on its T20 offering.”I’d like to thank Sanjay for all his work and dedication at the ECB over many years, and wish him the very best for the future,” Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive officer, said.”There’s no doubt that the Hundred has been a success, helping cricket reach new audiences, bringing in important revenue and propelling the game forwards. It plays an important role in our game and I’m looking forward to a very long and successful future for the Hundred.”The Hundred has been controversial from the start, with the ECB accused of alienating cricket’s traditional fanbase in pursuit of new audiences. Its launch was pushed back a year to 2021 by the Covid-19 pandemic, while a recent report by Fanos Hira, Worcestershire’s chairman, suggested the competition had made a £9 million loss in its first two seasons.However, the return of cricket to free-to-air TV, via the BBC, and its role in giving the women’s game a higher profile have been credited with creating a more diverse appeal.Patel said: “I would like to thank Sky, the BBC, and all our commercial partners for their support.”I would also particularly like to thank my whole team for their hard work and dedication in launching the competition. I will always be grateful for their support and friendship. We have come a long way in a short space of time and it is down to their brilliance.”I will miss this job and the people immensely but once we’ve completed the third season of the Hundred I believe the time will be right for me to look for a new adventure.”

Trott praised the fitness of the team in the Chennai heat while Naveen-ul-Haq says he will remember the wins over England and Pakistan for the rest of his life

Deivarayan Muthu24-Oct-20236:01

Trott: ‘Winning inspires another generation’

Afghanistan’s victory over Pakistan in the World Cup game in Chennai is so monumental that it could inspire the next generation in the country to take up cricket, their head coach Jonathan Trott says.”I think it just shows the amount of talent in the side for the country again, as when we were fortunate enough to beat England,” Trott said at his post-match press conference. “It inspires another generation of players to pick up a cricket bat and a cricket ball, work on their fielding and their fitness. We see that the guys are very fit today and fielding for 50 overs and then Ibrahim [Zadran] batting for 35, close to 40 overs is a great, great credit to him.”Seamer Naveen-ul-Haq also toasted Afghanistan’s win – their first over Pakistan in eight attempts in ODI cricket – and hoped that it would bring joy and solace to their fans back home.Related

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“It does mean a lot to the people of our country back home,” Naveen said at the mixed-zone media interaction. “As you know, the situation back home…The earthquake also hit [in Herat] a few days ago. So, there’s not a lot of happiness in the country without cricket. So, at least we’ve given them some moments of happiness tonight.”Naveen also insisted that Afghanistan’s recent wins will not impact his decision to retire from ODI cricket after the ongoing World Cup. He continues to be a key player for Afghanistan – and various franchise teams – in T20 cricket.”No, no, no. Not at all. That’s my final decision I’ve made,” Naveen said. “Luckily, I will remember this World Cup for the rest of my life – beating Pakistan and beating England. I’m hoping for the best in the upcoming games.”Afghanistan registered their first ODI win against Pakistan in Chennai•ICC/Getty Images

Afghanistan had also taken down defending champions England earlier in the tournament, but Trott urged his team to be more consistent in all disciplines if they’re to chalk up more such wins in the future.”I think it’s just a message of consistency and not being scared to say, listen, we need to improve in these areas, let’s make sure we do this,” Trott said. “And I’m under no illusion that there are areas that need improving, like any side though. So, if we improve at those slowly, I think our all-round package improves and you’ll be able to handle the pressure like we’ve done tonight.”I’m looking forward. I’m already sort of thinking about plans for Sri Lanka.”But for me as a coach, it’s fantastic to be able to sit here. The players deserve a lot of the credit. It’s not what I’m feeding them. It’s what they’re feeding themselves in practice and the way that they think about the game and the professionalism that’s building. The one thing I would say … they’re very fit. They’re working incredibly hard at their fitness and then in the gym, they’re not doing beach weights, they’re doing proper fitness work and we saw that today with Rahmat [Shah] being able to field for 50 overs and then bat for the amount of time that he did in that heat, so it’s a real credit to the players.”

The surface for the second Test in Galle appears substantially drier than the track used for the first match, which Australia won by a massive margin

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Feb-2025″The wicket was very good last time. I’m hoping it will turn more in this match.”When a Sri Lanka captain says this in Galle on the eve of a Test, there might be a dustbowl in the offing. What is clear is that the surface Sri Lanka and Australia are set to play the second Test on appears substantially drier than the track they played the first match on.Partly, this is down to bright conditions in the lead-up. Where the days before the first Test had been beset by rain, this pitch has more or less baked in ferocious heat since the first match ended, on Saturday.Related

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There is also the theory that producing pitches that only break up after days three and four offers too substantial an advantage to the side batting first. Sri Lanka want to avoid conceding another score in the realm of 654 for 6 declared, which deflated them in the first Test. They are seeking an advantage and have fallen back to what they tend to rely on in Galle: big turn.”Our strength is spin,” Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said. “If you look through the history in Galle, a lot of spinners have been among the wickets, and hopefully ours can be effective.”The problem for Sri Lanka is that Australia have learned to thrive in spinning conditions as well. Their bowlers might have had the better bowling conditions in the first Test, but they made the unusual move of strapping three frontline spinners to the plow, and between them, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy shared 17 wickets, dismissing Sri Lanka for 165 and 247.Australia have been outspoken about their having prepared for “extreme” surfaces as well as flatter ones, partly through their week-long training camp in Dubai. Steven Smith revealed ahead of this Test that it was India’s spin-blueprint in Asia that Australia had chosen to emulate, to some extent. Devising bowling strategy around three frontline spinners is not a challenge that many Australia captains have had to contend with, but on the evidence of the first Test, Smith has been relishing it.”Looks a very dry surface and I dare say it will take a reasonable amount of spin,” Smith said. “In these conditions, it’s great to have more than two options of guys who can take wickets and build pressure. If you look at India, who have done it so well, they’ve had R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and either Kuldeep Yadav or Jayant Yadav or Axar Patel – someone who bowls good spin – with them in their line-up.”In these conditions, it’s tiring for a spinner as well. It’s hot and humid out there, and you can get tired bowling spin as well as pace. If a batter looks comfortable against a bowler, you can take that bowler off and get someone else in. Even if a new bowler takes a wicket early in the spell, you can go back to the other guy, which is what India have done so well for a number of years. I just have a similar philosophy. “Australia’s batting against spin has also improved substantially, particularly since the 2016 tour of Sri Lanka, which they lost 3-0. Smith said many Australia batters’ exposure to big-spinning conditions – even through the T20 leagues in Asia – has helped raise their game.Ramesh Mendis has been recalled, and could slot into Sri Lanka’s XI straightaway•AFP/Getty Images

“Even in one-day tours you can get similar wickets in the nets to what you get out there,” Smith said. “Last time we played in Colombo in one-dayers, the ball was ragging all over the place. For guys that play IPL and things like that, and you can get nets there that can be extreme, you just learn on the go through those experiences. It’s almost been attack before defence and thinking proactively. I thought we did that magnificently in the first Test.”Because of how enormous the winning margin was in the first Test – an innings and 242 runs – Sri Lanka now find themselves having to prove that their own batting in spinning conditions is up to scratch. And that their own bowlers can be penetrative in helpful conditions. Early signs are that this game could be a classic low-scoring Galle shootout.”In the first Test, a lot of our batters got starts but didn’t carry on,” de Silva said. “During the match and afterwards, what we’d talked about was that someone has to make 150 or 200, because then others can bat around him, and we can get to a big score. That’s what Australia did. I’m expecting that will happen for us in this match.”