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Ashley Giles’ first game in charge of England’s ODI side ended in a convincing defeat against India A in Delhi in the first of two warm-up matches ahead of the one-day series

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2013
ScorecardAshley Giles’ first competitive match in charge of England’s one-day side ended in defeat•Getty Images

Ashley Giles’ first game in charge of England’s ODI side ended in a convincing defeat against India A in Delhi in the first of two warm-up matches ahead of the one-day series.Giles named Ian Bell, with whom he has had a close association at Warwickshire, to open the England innings with Alastair Cook standing down from the opening match with a heavy cold. The opportunity to open the innings introduced what could be perceived as a straight shoot-out for the role with Kevin Pietersen.Bell responded with 91 from 89 balls to strengthen the possibility that he will be Cook’s opening partner in the first ODI in Nagpur on Friday, with Pietersen batting at No. 3 in the absence of Jonathan Trott. Hgave chances on 21 and 35 and had they been taken England’s plight would have been considerably worse.Bell’s response was designed to hearten England’s new one-day coach during an otherwise dismal batting display on a cold, foggy day in which England collapsed to 72 for 6 in search of a target of 229 in 39 overs and eventually lost by 53 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method.In a match reduced to 39 overs because of bad light, England were up against it from the moment that the Tamil Nadu opening pair, Abhinav Mukund and M Vijay assembled a century opening stand.Mukund, known to England after playing for India in their Test defeats at Lord’s and Trent Bridge in 2011, famously once put on 462 with Vijay for Tamil Nadu in a Ranji Trophy match, only two runs away from the world record, but on this occasion 118 in 24 overs was enough to deflate England.James Tredwell, who can anticipate a leading role in the five-match ODI series in the absence of his fellow offspinner, Graeme Swann, then had Mukund stumped for 57. Samit Patel bowled Vijay for 76 from 75 balls but an unbeaten half-century from Maharashtra’s Kedar Jadhav, maintained the impetus.England’s prize scalp of Pietersen fell to Sreesanth, who was making a much-publicised reappearance after two toe operations which threatened to end his career and which confined him to a wheelchair for several months.As Bell battled on, England then lost five wickets in nine overs. Jalaj Saxena’s offbreaks soon accounted for Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler and Buttler’s Somerset team-mate, Craig Kieswetter, found no immediate release from a shaky year in an England shirt when he fell for a fifth-ball duck, medium-pacer Mohit Sharma having him caught at the wicket.Kieswetter’s ODI place is assured in the absence of his fellow wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow for personal reasons, but if England become fearful about the reliability of their batting order, Buttler could face competition for the final batting place from Joe Root.England switch from the Model Sports Complex to the Feroz Shah Kotla to face Delhi in the second warm-up game on Tuesday.

Pakistan capped off a fruitful year in cricket by completing a clean sweep against Bangladesh on a day that showcased the unpredictability of Test cricket

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran21-Dec-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Nasir Hossain made a career-best 79, but his dismissal set off a collapse that resulted in a Bangladesh loss•AFP

Pakistan capped off a fruitful year in cricket by completing a clean sweep against Bangladesh in Mirpur on a drama-filled day that showcased the unpredictability of Test cricket.In the first session, Nasir Hossain and Mushfiqur Rahim batted sensibly, not especially worried about the runs which they were collecting, making the draw seem the likeliest result. In the second, a combination of kamikaze batting and smart spin bowling resulted in Bangladesh losing their final five wickets for 22 runs, leaving Pakistan the seemingly straightforward target of 103. It wasn’t though, as Pakistan faced a race against the fading light in the final session, and needed some intrepid batting to secure the victory in the gloom.There was a helping hand from the weather for Bangladesh early on, as the usual morning fog delayed the start by an hour and a half. Bangladesh’s batting has posted 250 in both innings of a Test only four times in the past seven years, and as play began the worry was the home side would fold on a fifth-day track, particularly against Pakistan’s versatile spin attack.Those fears were quelled in the morning as Nasir went on to his maiden half-century while Mushfiqur made his second important contribution with the bat as the pair put on a century stand. After lunch, though, Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal bamboozled the lower order to revive fading Pakistan hopes of a victory.It was Rehman who did the major damage after the interval. Nasir was hoodwinked by a straighter delivery that beat the bat and crashed into the stumps to end the partnership at 117. Bangladesh still had plenty of reasons to hope: the lead was already 80, Mushfiqur was set and nearing his half-century, the new batsman Elias Sunny had a first-class high score of 176, and the light usually fades well before the scheduled close of play.Those hopes pretty much evaporated after a wild stroke from Mushfiqur, who charged out and looked to send a Rehman delivery out of the ground, only managing to top edge it towards mid-off. How Mushfiqur can lecture his team-mates about batting responsibly after this shot remains to be seen.Bangladesh’s slide continued thanks to a moment of magic from Younis Khan at slip, which seemed even more spectacular given the number of simple chances that have been put down in the match. It extended Shahadat Hossain’s forgettable Test as he attempted a reckless swipe across the line, getting a thick edge which was seemingly flying well wide of first slip. Younis, though, threw himself to his right goalkeeper-style to snaffle it one-handed. Saeed Ajmal then captured the final two victims to take his tally for the year to 50.In contrast to the helter-skelter batting after lunch, Nasir and Mushfiqur had been level-headed in seeing off the bowling in the morning. Chances fell short, flew wide and soared over slip but Pakistan were unable to make the breakthrough, as both batsmen also played some powerful shots behind point. In the fourth over of the day, Nasir edged an attempted drive just past second slip, but that didn’t stop him from a vigorous upper cut over gully for four off the next delivery.Once the fast bowlers were seen off, Ajmal and Rehman dried up the runs with an accurate spell of bowling. A five-over stretch that yielded only one run was finally snapped by the inevitable big stroke, but Nasir managed to swat it wide of the diving midwicket fielder to pick up a boundary.Both Nasir and Mushfiqur showed a defensive technique that was mostly watertight, and Pakistan had to turn to their secondary spinners, Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali. A whip to midwicket for four off Ali brought up the hundred stand five minutes before lunch, and Bangladesh were looking forward to escaping with a draw before a depressingly familiar collapse followed.In this Test, Shakib Al Hasan already had the highest score and the best bowling figures by a Bangladeshi against Pakistan, but he could still have made his most important contribution during the chase. It was getting murky early in the afternoon, and the floodlights were on as early as 3pm – a series of tight overs could have been enough to conjure a face-saving draw. He bowled through the innings but it was a task too tough even for him.Pakistan had a stretch of 24 dot balls early on, and Taufeeq Umar was dismissed cheaply, but Mohammad Hafeez then took over, expertly pulling the barrage of short balls from the medium-pacers. With Azhar Ali working the singles, Pakistan galloped towards victory even as the light faded. Both Hafeez and Azhar were dismissed with the win in sight, but that only brought in the senior batsmen, Man-of-the-Series Younis Khan and captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who stylishly completed the victory with a six over long-off.

Only 2.1 overs were possible at the Colin Maiden Park, as rain played spoilsport in the encounter between hosts Auckland and Otago

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2010Only 2.1 overs were possible at the Colin Maiden Park, as rain played spoilsport in the encounter between hosts Auckland and Otago. The teams took two points each, enabling Auckland to continue their place at the top of the league with 18 points. Otago stay at the bottom.

The England learning disabilities team have arrived in Australia for a tri-nations tournament also involving South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and are aiming to settle a few scores

Sahil Dutta28-Nov-2009The England learning disabilities team have arrived in Australia for a tri-nations tournament also involving South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and are aiming to settle a few scores.It is the third time the event has been held, with South Africa hosting the inaugural series in 2005 and England the second in 2007. On both those occasions England have not reached the final but Ian Martin, the national manager, believes their time may have arrived.”We’re a much stronger outfit this time around because we’ve been able to throw a lot more resources behind the development of our talented players,” he told Cricinfo. “The head coach is an ECB level-four coach, and there are not many level four coaches in the country, so it’s fantastic to have this guy working with us. We’ve thrown a lot more resources into coaching expertise for developing this group of players. The squad is a much stronger unit now than it was in the previous two tournaments.”The event involves each side playing each other twice in 40-over contests and the two teams with the most points after their four games progress to the final. England play their opening fixture against the hosts, at the MCG, on December 3rd a dream fixture for any England cricketer and something that the team are eagerly anticipating. “The boys are absolutely looking forward to it, really excited and looking forward to the challenge,” Martin saidFor the senior players who have been involved with the national team for a few years this is their chance to exorcise a few ghosts and with new faces in the squad, the mood in the dressing room is positive ahead of the series.”Those who have been there since the outset in South Africa and the follow up in England feel they have a score to settle,” Martin said. “The addition of the new players as well has made them really confident. There’s a great atmosphere, they’re great fun to be around and we’re really looking forward to getting out there.”As with any contest involving England and Australia there is bound to be a bit of needle and Martin is not worried if his players are unpopular, sounding distinctly Australian, when he said his only concern is to win games.”There’s a social side to a degree, but at the end of the day it’s an England cricket tour, we’re going out there to win cricket matches. The social side can come after we’ve won the tournament.”Disabilities cricket in England has been given a boost since 2006, with the ECB playing a more active role in developing the game, something that Giles Clarke was keen to point out when the row about free-to-air Ashes erupted. But Martin suggested that the extra funds are felt more at county than England level.”In terms of fundraising for the national squad [the money from the Sky deal] has not made a difference because the ECB supported the national squad anyway,” he said. “But if you take the national County Championship for physical and learning difficulties, the British Association for Cricketers with Disabilities (BACD) used to have to fundraise to run that competition. What’s different now is that the ECB underwrite the competition in its entirety, so all the administrators have to do now is put on a quality competition.”It’s about having the ability to invest in it really. If you take the question of facilities it’s impossible to avoid the debate [about TV rights]. But the important thing is that with the support the ECB has provided, we’ve seen a 66% increase in participation at grass-roots level from last year and we hope to keep that trend going.”

Sterre Kalis fifty sets foundation for Birmingham side as The Blaze suffer first defeat of campaign

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay20-Jun-2025Warwickshire handed The Blaze their first defeat of the Women’s Vitality Blast campaign, by 25 runs, in a clash of two of the competition’s front-runners at Edgbaston.Warwickshire’s total of 172 for 6 was built upon strong contributions from their top three with Sterre Kalis hitting 54 (41 balls), Meg Austin 39 (30) and Davina Perrin 25 (18). Thereafter runs came less freely as Kathryn Bryce dismissed those three on the way to an excellent 4 for 21.The Blaze replied with a scrappy 147 for 8. Tammy Beaumont hit 44 off 29 but the rest of the powerful batting line-up misfired against the home side’s excellent and varied attack led by the pace of Em Arlott, with 3 for 33 and the spin of Millie Taylor (2 for 23).Warwickshire chose to bat and were given a strong foundation by openers Austin and Perrin who added 59 in 40 balls. Both then fell to the Bryce sisters – stumped by Sarah off Kathryn. In each case it was excellent glovework by the wicketkeeper as Perrin was lured down the pitch and Bryce (S) did well to take a ball that bounced, and then Austin missed an attempted cut and lifted her back foot just momentarily but long enough for Bryce to pounce.Kalis added another polished half-century to the one she lodged for Netherlands against USA in Utrecht eight days ago but the rest came and went fleetingly.Laura Harris tried to slog-sweep from outside off stump and skied Kirstie Gordon to midwicket. Pavely, Warwickshire’s match-winner two days earlier, lifted Grace Ballinger to long-on.Kathryn Bryce returned to have Kalis caught at mid-off and Nat Wraith pouched at extra cover as Warwickshire came in with a decent but by no means daunting total on a good batting pitch.The Blaze soon lost former Warwickshire batter, Marie Kelly, who pulled Issy Wong to deep square. Beaumont, who hit seven fours and a six, and Kathyn Bryce added 49 from 48 balls but then fell in successive overs, caught in the deep off Taylor and Georgia Davis respectively. When Heather Graham chipped Hannah Baker to midwicket, three wickets had fallen for 12 runs in 18 balls and the required rate had climbed above ten per over.As the equation came down to 64 from the last five overs, the Blaze needed a huge over but it never came. Georgia Elwiss sought six over midwicket off England pace bowler Arlott but was well-caught by Perrin just inside the rope. Ella Claridge lifted Taylor straight and Perrin was under that one too as Warwickshire’s diverse and disciplined attack extinguished the Blaze chase.

Her captaincy appointment had been expected and was ratified on Friday, with Tahlia McGrath named vice-captain

Andrew McGlashan08-Dec-2023Alyssa Healy wants to create a “new legacy” for Australia’s all-conquering women’s cricket team after officially replacing Meg Lanning as captain across all three formats.Wicketkeeper-batter Healy filled in for Lanning as captain for extended spells over the past two years, including this year’s Ashes. Now the 33-year-old, who had always been expected to earn the elevation, will step into the role full-time after Lanning’s shock international retirement last month.Allrounder Tahlia McGrath, who recently led Adelaide Strikers to back-to-back WBBL titles, has been named vice-captain.Healy, a matchwinner across her 255-game career, will lead Australia’s attempts to keep international cricket’s chasing pack at bay which will include defending the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh next September.”For me to be able to present to the powers that be about who I am and what I can bring as a leader and what I can hopefully help this side do in the next couple of big years with a couple of World Cups on the horizon was a really great experience for me,” Healy said. “And [it] probably just ratified things in my own head about, ‘Yep, this is exactly what I want to do’. And I want to help create a new legacy for this Australian team.”The legacy that Meg Lanning and Rachael Haynes had for a really long period of time and the success they had was outstanding, and I was a part of that, which is really cool. But it feels like we’re a little bit new. We’re a new side, we’ve got talent coming through. We’ve got older players coming in and out and it was sort of an opportunity to reset and refresh.”Healy’s reign will begin in earnest later this month after she declared herself a near-certain starter for the Test against India at the famous Wankhede Stadium on December 21. She missed the entire WBBL after badly hurting her finger while trying to break up a fight between her two dogs but has returned to training.Seeing the opportunity that lay ahead for her when Lanning retired helped clarify Healy’s career-goals, in terms of both building more success for this team and ensuring a successful future.”I’ve always been a little bit wishy-washy, and you guys in the media can probably attest to that,” she said. “I always play games about how long I’m going to play for, but in my own mind it sort of gave me an opportunity [to say] that, ‘Yep, this is what I want to achieve and this is where I’d like to take the group for a certain amount of time’. And I think we can achieve great things in that time, but more so set it up for the next 10 years to be really successful.”Alyssa Healy can now start to rubberstamp her imprint on the team•Getty Images

Healy admitted the last 12 months had brought a degree of uncertainty with her filling in on a temporary basis for Lanning. Australia’s white-ball form has slipped this year with ODI and T20I series defeats against England while they also gave up a T20I to West Indies when Hayley Matthews played a spectacular innings at North Sydney Oval.”I think both Tahlia and I have probably felt like we’ve been warming the seat and I think that’s probably been really tricky for [coach] Shelley Nitschke as well who’s new into the role,” Healy said. “We were all just a little bit unsure about what was going happen and obviously we wanted Meg to come back and we wanted her to lead the side.”But it was filling in while we could and also probably living series to series which we identified that’s not probably doing us any favours. We actually need to look long term and work towards World Cups and work towards big series and tournaments.”She added that Lanning’s ability to carry the team “on her shoulders” is something she would aspire to do even if it meant slightly adjusting her mindset as a player.”That probably hasn’t always been the way that I’ve played my cricket and it’s probably not been the way that I’ve led either,” she said. “But if I can find some sort of middle ground in that regard and go, ‘You know what, it’s my time to go out there and win the game or play the innings or take the catch that wins it’, then I’m going to do that as a leader and hopefully show the others that we can do it.”The decision to appoint Healy and McGrath was ratified at a Cricket Australia board meeting on Friday.”Alyssa is an outstanding player and leader who has earned enormous respect both on and off the field,” CA general manager of high-performance and national teams Ben Oliver said.”Alyssa brings a wealth of experience to the role, and we have great confidence in her ability to successfully lead the Australian women’s team in tandem with Tahlia as vice-captain.”We are extremely fortunate to have a talented and experienced group of players who will provide great support to Alyssa and Tahlia as the team evolves and seeks to build on its outstanding performances.”McGrath, who looms as the heir apparent, relished the opportunity to support Healy.”Alyssa and I have played together for a long time, we know our respective leadership styles well and I look forward to helping her lead our group as we embark on a busy but exciting international schedule,” she said.

Having been promoted to No.4, Shadab stepped up with the bat to dominate NZ’s attack

Danyal Rasool08-Oct-2022
On a day where everything clicked into place for Pakistan, they swept aside New Zealand to cruise to a six-wicket win. A day after Bangladesh had been given short shrift, another near-flawless bowling performance against a rusty, stilted New Zealand batting-line-up saw the hosts restricted to 147 with Haris Rauf yet again the star. In response, Babar Azam steered Pakistan’s chase with an effortless, unbeaten 53-ball 79. Quickfire cameos from Shdab Khan and Haider Ali helped Pakistan seal the win with 10 balls to spare.New Zealand struggled to get going early on, with Devon Conway and Kane Williamson struggling for fluency during their 61-run partnership off 52 balls. The pacers cramped New Zealand for room during the fielding restrictions, while Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz kept things tight during the middle. A one-over blip, during which Mark Chapman hammered Nawaz for 22, threatened to see New Zealand claw back some ground they had lost, only for the visitors to hit back and ensure there would be no further shift in momentum. The last three overs saw 17 runs scored with five wickets lost, by which stage New Zealand were hobbling.Mohammad Rizwan couldn’t find the fluency that has been characteristic of his game for the past two years and was trapped in front by Tim Southee, before Blair Tickner sent Shan Masood back for a duck. Shadab was the wrecking ball through the middle order, complementing his captain especially well in a fluent, destructive partnership that also yielded 61 – though they took just 42 balls to get there. By then the required rate was effectively around a run-a-ball, where it stayed for the next few overs. Haider Ali and Babar smashed Tickner for 21 in the 18th over, and sealed a second successive win.Shadab’s promotion
The clamour to have Shadab bat higher up the order has occupied much social-media real estate in Pakistan, and its immediate vindication upon its deployment could potentially have ramifications for Pakistan through the next five weeks. It is in the top four that Shadab has boasted the highest average and strike rate for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League, and Pakistan’s tendency to slow down in the post-powerplay overs had led to baying calls to promote Shadab reaching a crescendo.On Saturday, Shadab showed why. Everything seemed to fall into place after Rizwan and Masood both fell towards the end of the powerplay. It prompted the allrounder’s first-ever promotion to No.4 with Pakistan, and in the absence of the high pace of Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne, it was a very fruitful match-up. Tickner was slashed through point first ball he faced, before Ish Sodhi’s first ball was hammered over cow corner and out of the stadium.In just six balls Sodhi bowled to Shadab, Shadab would plunder 19. In all, Shadab scored 34 off 22 balls to easy any pressure in a fairly small chase, allowing his team-mates to cruise along at a much more sedate pace. The option he gives Pakistan would appear to add another dimension to their batting, though how frequently they deem fit to ustilise it is very much an open question.Haris Rauf dented New Zealand at the death•Getty Images

Williamson and Conway struggle

Conway is New Zealand’s highest-ranked batter, and Williamson perhaps the most reliable, but in their first home game of the season, both looked off-colour. Williamson acknowledged his side’s performance had been “scrappy”, and the 61-run second-wicket stand between the two exemplified that. Pakistan in top form with the ball aren’t an ideal opponent for your first home game of the season, and perhaps that showed.Conway was able to find the odd four or six, but the dot balls interspersed between those boundaries only continued to add the pressure. It was perhaps telling that only after they fell did New Zealand enjoy their best passage of play with the bat, thanks to Chapman who briefly raised hopes of New Zealand posting a total in excess of 160.It contrasted heavily with the Babar-Shadab stand, which also saw 61 runs scored. But the ten fewer balls it took made all the difference – that was exactly the number of deliveries Pakistan had to spare when the target was chased down.An all-round bowling performance
Really, though, this game was about Pakistan with the ball. The old adage around bowlers winning tournaments bodes particularly well for Pakistan in this tri-series as two superb bowling performances see them sitting pretty at the top of the table. Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani and Mohammad Wasim each kept the hosts on a leash during the powerplay, and backed up by the spinners later on, there wasn’t a weak link to go after.Aside from that 22-run over, not once did New Zealand score 12 runs or more in any over, making it difficult to catch up to what the par score might have been. Rauf, Dahani, Wasim and Shadab’s 15 combined overs went for just 91, while even the one over Iftikhar bowled cost Pakistan only five. There was simply no place to hide.

‘I’m very confident we’ll get him back, and get him back as we’ve seen Jofra in the past,’ Giles says

Andrew Miller27-May-2021Ashley Giles, the ECB’s director of men’s cricket, says that England are prepared to play the long game when it comes to Jofra Archer’s fitness, after the bowler himself indicated in a newspaper column that he is prepared to write off the home summer in a bid to recover fully from his recent elbow operation.Writing in the Daily Mail on Thursday, Archer warned that if he didn’t get his rehabilitation right, he wouldn’t be able to play “any cricket … period”, after opting for surgery on his right elbow in the wake of his aborted return to action for Sussex in the County Championship earlier this month.And having stated that his personal goals were England’s twin peaks of the T20 World Cup, in October and November, closely followed by the Ashes in Australia in December and January, Archer warned that he would be “quite prepared” to miss the five-Test series against India, beginning at Trent Bridge on August 4, if it meant he would be better placed to prolong his career across all three formats.Asked if England were already planning for a summer without Archer in their ranks, Giles – speaking at the launch of IG as the new official partner of England Cricket – admitted that they would have to be “conservative” as he works his way back towards full fitness. However, he believed it was too soon to dismiss the prospect of him playing any part in the series.Ashley Giles, England men’s director of cricket, at Edgbaston•IG

“Not yet,” Giles said. “I’ve talked a lot about our objectives in the T20 World Cup and the Ashes and we need to make sure he is best prepared for that. If it went swimmingly, we may see him earlier but we’re not going to put any deadlines on it.””I’m very confident we’ll get him back, and get him back as we’ve seen Jofra in the past,” Giles added. “The surgery went well and if he recovers in the right amount of time, he’ll be relieved, almost, that the shackles are off and he can come back and do what he loves doing.”Aside from confirming that Archer had undergone a procedure and that he would be assessed in four weeks’ time, the ECB has released limited details about the exact nature of Archer’s elbow problem. Giles, however, was confident that the operation had gone “very well”, but reiterated that he was not qualified to comment on the medical aspects of his treatment.”All of these injuries carry a certain amount of risk, that’s why we look at all the conservative options first before you head into surgery,” Giles said. “But I’m very confident with the medical team we have and the surgery he’s had, which has gone very well, that Jof will be back and firing.”Any of us who’ve had surgeries of those sorts in the past, they definitely make you edgy and nervous. But we’re definitely confident he’ll be back and ready to go at some point later in the year.Related

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“Every player is different. I think the thing that has been holding Jofra back is that he’s had two different injuries in that elbow and it stops him doing what he does incredibly well – which is bowl quick. That must be frustrating for him. But the most important thing is that we look after and care for his injury and him. So his well-being is very important.”Asked if the ECB would support the notion of Archer returning to his home island of Barbados during his rehabilitation process, Giles said that the board could be open to such a proposal if it fitted with the timeframes for his recovery.”The world is ever-changing and that’s something we have to consider,” he said. “If there was an opportunity to go back at some point [to Barbados], perhaps we should support it. But the most important thing for him and us is to make sure he has the right care and rehabilitation on that elbow.”IG are an Official Partner of England Cricket. For more information, visit IG.com/uk/england

West Indies’ coach is pleased with the fast bowler’s consistency during the ODI series against Ireland

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2020West Indies won the first two matches of their ODI series against Ireland in contrasting fashion, cruising to victory with 100 balls to spare in the first game, and sneaking home in a last-gasp, last-wicket, penultimate-ball finish in the second. Across those two wildly different performances, one thing remained a constant, literally: in both games, Alzarri Joseph finished with figures of 4 for 32.Joseph’s emergence as a middle-overs enforcer has been a pleasing development for West Indies in recent months. Since his return from a shoulder dislocation suffered during last year’s IPL, Joseph has taken the new ball only once in eight ODIs, with West Indies instead using his pace and height to unsettle teams and take wickets in the 11th-to-40th-over period.In those eight ODIs, Joseph has taken 14 wickets at an average of 25.21, an improvement from his average of 34.08 across his first 16 games. His economy rate, too, has dropped from 6.48 before his injury to 5.34 since his comeback.Ten of Joseph’s 14 wickets since his return have come in the middle overs, at an average of 25.50, and he’s maintained an economy rate of 4.81 in this phase of the innings.West Indies coach Phil Simmons is pleased with how Joseph has been going about his game.”Not just on the pitch, but the way he prepares and the way he talks about cricket and about bowling,” Simmons told CWI. “He seems to be maturing very quickly and it showed in the two games, in the way he bowled.”He picked out Joseph’s consistency as the most pleasing aspect of his bowling against Ireland. “I think he’s hit the areas he’s wanted to hit more often than the other bowlers in the team, and he’s come out with success.”Simmons was less impressed with West Indies’ top-order displays against Ireland. They lost five wickets while chasing 181 in the first ODI, and slipped to 148 for 7 in the second before the lower order came to their rescue in a chase of 238. Simmons felt the batsmen needed to go back to how they were approaching innings during the recent tour of India.”The batsmen need to go back to what we were doing in India and how we were putting scores together,” he said. “We were putting proper partnerships up at the top and creating a platform for the big hitters down at the bottom, and we need to make sure we do that in this coming game.”Simmons was, however, delighted with the lower order’s efforts in the second ODI, where Khary Pierre, Joseph and Sheldon Cottrell batted around Hayden Walsh, who made an unbeaten 46, to haul West Indies home.”I think it’s good to see them taking their time and batting and not coming in and looking to win the game with sixes, and they thought about how to get that 80 runs from the lower order,” Simmons said. “It was great for me to sit and watch and take heart in the fact that they understand what they need to do for this team too. It was great to see.”West Indies play their final ODI against Ireland on Sunday night in Grenada. They have retained the same squad of 14 that played the first two ODIs in Barbados.West Indies squad for third ODI: Kieron Pollard (capt), Sunil Ambris, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Keemo Paul, Khary Pierre, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh

The wicketkeeper, though, said that West Indies could have put up a better show in India if the seniors were available

Sreshth Shah in Chennai10-Nov-20181:39

Absence of seniors hurting West Indies – Ramdin

As a senior West Indian cricketer himself, Denesh Ramdin believes the absence of the other seniors – like Chris Gayle and Andre Russell – and regular opener Evin Lewis has contributed immensely to the mismatch between India and West Indies in the T20I series so far. The hosts have already wrapped up the three-match series, having taken a 2-0 lead in Lucknow.But Ramdin, speaking in Chennai on the eve of the final T20I, remained resolute in the belief that players cannot be forced to play for country over franchise, especially since the reasoning behind these players’ choices is to earn more money. Nevertheless, Ramdin felt that with the availability of the seniors, West Indies would have put up a much better show in India.”It’s all about putting food on your table,” Ramdin said. “The players are good enough to be taken by a team in another part of the world, then I can’t stop a player who’s out there to improve.”But yes, it’s difficult to build a team given the current scenario when you look at our World T20 players. They’re in demand all over the world, so yes, we’re suffering in that aspect. Our senior players did not turn up for the tour, and that’s one of the reasons why we’re 2-0 down in this series.”West Indies returned to India for the first time since their 2016 World T20 triumph, remembered for Carlos Brathwaite’s magnificent six-hitting off Ben Stokes to plunder 19 off the final over. With the first T20I having taken place at Eden Gardens last week – the very venue where they lifted the World T20 trophy in 2016 – Ramdin had expected his side to do better. But that didn’t happen and, following two heavy ODI defeats in the previous week, India’s bowling attack was too strong, according to Ramdin.”We’re disappointed. We’re the T20 champs, and we played our first game at Eden Gardens, where we were expecting to do well,” Ramdin said. “But we didn’t adapt as well as we should. We didn’t string any partnerships either. T20 banks on momentum and partnerships, and we couldn’t do that. A lot of T20 cricket is about momentum and we haven’t been able to build on it.”Summing up West Indies’ tour of India thus far, Ramdin said that Kuldeep Yadav’s left-arm wristspin – which has fetched him 24 wickets across formats – was the major difference between the two sides.”I think Kuldeep Yadav played a major part in the Test, ODIs and T20s,” Ramdin said. “Guys haven’t been able to pick him, and basically he was the trick in the middle overs and unfortunately we couldn’t push on.”With the imminent exit of current coach Stuart Law – who moves to Hampshire after West Indies’ tour of Bangladesh – there’s a thought that whatever West Indies have gained under Law could be dissolved once a new coach comes in. With the World Cup scheduled to begin in May next year, West Indies might not have much time to acclimatise with the new coach’s plans. But Ramdin felt that irrespective of the coach, it’s the basics that West Indies need to focus on.”We’re professional players, so we need to understand our game and then buy into the new coach’s plans,” Ramdin said. “Fifty-over cricket is simple in the sense that you need to get starts, build partnerships, score centuries, take wickets upfront and then in the middle overs.”That’s where India have blown us away – by taking wickets in the middle. Hopefully, in six months’ time when the World Cup is around the corner, we can deliver something special with the senior guys coming in.”Not everything has gone downhill, though, for West Indies on this tour. Bright spots include the success of youngsters like Shimron Hetmyer, Oshane Thomas and Kharry Pierre. Some of them have been products of the Caribbean Premier League, and Ramdin believed that, just like the IPL in India, West Indies cricket would only get stronger with robust competition in the CPL.”I’d like to use the Indian Premier League as an example,” he said. “Indian cricket is so strong in all formats because of the IPL, since young players come through the system.”So in five years, hopefully our cricket can take off to that next level, because we have some exciting T20 and 50-over cricketers. They’ve played just one CPL tournament, and have already been picked up by Bangladesh [Premier League], UAE T10 and so on. The future looks positive.”