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In its drive to fight age-fudging at the junior level the BCCI has asked all state associations to apply regulations more stringently while admitting players at the Under-19 level

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Jul-20163:04

Agarkar: BCCI and Associations must work together to prevent age-fudging

In its drive to fight age-fudging at the junior level the BCCI has asked all state associations to apply regulations more stringently while admitting players at the Under-19 level. Starting from the 2016-17 season, players who enter competitive cricket at the Under-19 level will need to submit at least three documents to attest their date of birth, while the age-verification programme [AVP] and the Tanner-Whitehouse 3 method [TW3] to test bone maturity will continue to be implemented at the Under-16 level.”There are some cricketers who enter at the Under-19 age-group level. Such players should submit at least three documents to support their date of birth if they are to be considered to participate in the Under-19 tournaments directly without having entered the BCCI circuit at the Under-16 level,” Ajay Shirke, the BCCI secretary, said in an e-mail to the state associations on July 1.The move came after the BCCI decided last month, during a working committee meeting, that players who have represented India in one Under-19 World Cup cannot take part in another edition of the tournament, even if they meet the age criteria to do so.Age-fudging has always been a controversial topic and was in the headlines last December after former India captain Rahul Dravid, in his MAK Pataudi Memorial lecture, said the “scourge of overage players” in junior cricket was no different to “fixing and corruption.”Despite its efforts, the BCCI has been largely unsuccessful in tackling age-fudging and players have faked birth certificates to gain entry into junior cricket. According to Shirke, it was the responsibility of the state associations to put an end to the problem of fake certificates. “You are requested to discourage cricketers who submit birth certificates issued just a few years before,” his email said. “As per the Government of India rules, the birth has to be registered within one year of the birth of the child.”In 2012 the BCCI decided to adopt the Tanner-Whitehouse 3 method [TW3], which determines the age of a child based on the growth of bones in the hand, especially the wrist. The margin of error in this method is six months. Prior to that the BCCI had relied on the Greulich & Pyle method [GP method] at a certified hospital, but the margin of error in this method could be up to two years. In 2012, the BCCI also introduced the age-verification programme [AVP], which is overseen by Dr Vece Paes, a former Olympic hockey player and one of the leading sports medicine specialists in the country.Shirke said that both methods will be used to ensure player eligibility at the Under-16 level. “Under-16 is the formal entry point for players participating in the BCCI Junior Tournaments and they have to undergo age verification process to be eligible. The age-verification process involves bone rating – TW3 method. Only those who pass the bone rating are eligible to play in the Under-16 tournaments.”

Mark Adair, the right-arm pacer, and Sean Terry, the top-order batsman, have earned call-ups to the Ireland squad to face Afghanistan in a five-match ODI series next month

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-2016The uncapped pair of Mark Adair, a right-arm seamer, and Sean Terry, the top-order batsman, have earned call-ups to the Ireland squad to face Afghanistan in a five-match ODI series next month.George Dockrell and Max Sorensen have been dropped while Boyd Rankin has Warwickshire commitments. Peter Chase, the seamer with one ODI cap, and allrounder Tyrone Kane have earned recalls.Adair, 20, has played only one first-class match in which he took a solitary wicket alongside four T20 games in which he has two wickets. Terry, the son of former England batsman Paul Terry, is relatively more experienced, with 11 first-class matches under his belt, in which he has scored 440 runs at 29.33 including five half-centuries. In eight List A games, Terry has 161 runs at 32.20.

Ireland squad

William Porterfield (capt), Mark Adair, John Anderson, Peter Chase, Ed Joyce, Tyrone Kane, Tim Murtagh, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, Stuart Poynter, Paul Stirling, Sean Terry, Gary Wilson.

“Mark Adair has impressed me with his skills in the limited opportunities I have seen him, and the series is ideal to get him involved with our international programme,” John Bracewell, Ireland’s head coach, said.Bracewell added that Terry’s recent unbeaten double century against Scotland A boded well for him. “Naming 14 players – as opposed to 13 for the Sri Lanka series – gives us an opportunity to bring in batting cover and we believe that Sean Terry covers all the positions required,” he said. “He showed his qualities with his recent unbeaten 251 against Scotland A. Tyrone Kane gives us allrounder cover in the squad as we look to increase our depth in this area with the retirement of John Mooney.”Explaining the omission of Rankin, Bracewell said that it had been known that this series would potentially clash with his county duties and they had come to an agreement with Warwickshire.”When we re-signed Boyd back into the Ireland squad at the end of last year, the Afghanistan series was possible but unconfirmed. The likely series dates fell at a crucial time for Warwickshire, so we agreed he would not be available for the series if it was confirmed, but would be for all other major commitments in one of our busiest-ever years.”On balance, we felt a partially-available Boyd was better than not at all. He’ll be 32 next week and there is a lot of cricket coming up between now and the end of the summer. Both parties will continue to carefully monitor and manage his workload in his best interests and longevity in the game. Of course, succession planning is vital, so it’s an ideal opportunity for us to look at other options – Peter Chase is the logical replacement for Boyd and is currently bowling very well.”Regarding left-arm spinner Dockrell, who has played 52 ODIs but did not appear in the two matches against Sri Lanka, Bracewell said that Ireland’s spin stocks were reasonably healthy. “With Andy McBrine bowling so well at present and Paul Stirling an experienced back-up, we feel in the early stages of the series, an extra spinner is a luxury we don’t need. We will of course look at our spin options as the series progresses, and if necessary, strengthen that area.”Ireland will take on Afghanistan in the first ODI on July 10. All five matches are scheduled to take place at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast.

Hampshire’s bowlers held their nerve to complete a nine-run win over Sussex at Hove and keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup

ECB Reporters Network27-Jul-2016
ScorecardJimmy Adams’ 92 helped lay the platform for Hampshire•Getty Images

Hampshire’s bowlers held their nerve to complete a nine-run win over Sussex at Hove and keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup.Chasing 269 to win, a fifth wicket stand of 125 in 17.3 overs between Chris Nash and Ben Brown gave Sussex hope after they had been 109 for 4 from 29. But Brown was superbly caught by wicketkeeper Lewis McManus diving to his right after making a List A best of 62 from 56 balls midway through the 47th over.The 48th over began with 31 needed but Brad Wheal conceded just three runs from it and Sussex’s race was run when Chris Jordan, who had just driven the second ball of the 49th over for six over extra cover, was bowled off the next delivery by Ryan McLaren. Sussex required 17 from the final over but Wheal restricted them to seven runs as they finished on 259 for 6 with Nash undefeated on 68 from 74 balls.Hampshire had earlier been indebted to a stylish 92 from opener Jimmy Adams and some late-order hitting by South African allrounder McLaren after they had been put in under overcast skies with the floodlights on from the start.Adams scored his runs from 97 balls with ten fours, and a six off Harry Finch in the same over that he reached his half-century. The opener shared a second-wicket stand of 87 in 15.2 overs with Adam Wheater (42) who was superbly run out by Jordan’s throw on the run from extra cover with only one stump to aim at.Hampshire struggled for momentum for a while after Wheater’s dismissal. Adams was fourth out in the 34th over, one of three victims for left-armer George Garton who surprised Adams with a bouncer which he could only touch to wicket keeper Brown.Garton, fresh from taking four wickets for England Lions on Tuesday, bowled with good pace in three spells down the slope to finish with 3 for 40 and also pulled off a stunning catch at square leg to remove Tom Alsop.In the absence of Bangladesh left-armer Mustafizur Rahman, who is unlikely to play for the county again because of a shoulder injury, Jofra Archer impressed on his first List A appearance at Hove with 1 for 46, occasionally finding some steepling bounce on a good pitch. It needed some robust hitting from McLaren to get Hampshire to a competitive score. He made an unbeaten 46 from 39 balls from No.6 and those runs were to prove crucial.Sussex were 81 for 3 after 22 overs of their reply with Ed Joyce, Phil Salt and Finch all unable to capitalise on starts but their chase was given impetus by Luke Wright, who made 45 from 60 balls. The Sussex skipper looked in the mood until he drove a full toss from Wheal to mid-on and departed mortified by his misjudgement.Brown and Nash took responsibility but fell short and a fifth defeat out of six has left Sussex with virtually no chance of reaching the last eight.

West Indies Cricket Board’s chief executive Michael Muirhead will step down from his position after a four-year stint in the role

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Sep-2016West Indies Cricket Board’s chief executive Michael Muirhead will step down from his position after a four-year stint in the role. Muirhead’s contract was up for renewal on October 14, but he has opted to quit the WICB.Muirhead, who had replaced Ernest Hilaire the WICB CEO in 2012, said he had helped the board turn its finances around.”I came in at a time when the state of finances at the board were in deficit and in my brief tenure I have managed to turn around and will be leaving with a surplus,” Muirhead told ESPNcricinfo.With a banking and marketing background, Muirhead was focused on the numbers and the money element and worked in close association with WICB president Dave Cameron.Although Muirhead counts as having contributed to West Indies’ two World T20 wins, his tenure, along with Cameron’s, will be remembered for their run-ins with senior West Indies players over issues like the pay disputes and selection. A dispute related to payment structure between the players, the WICB and the West Indies Players’ Assocation resulted in the team pulling out of their tour of India in October 2014. The board faced a crisis before this year’s World T20 in India after the players appeared to collectively reject the contracts offered by the WICB due to what they perceived as “huge financial reductions”. Following West Indies’ title win, Darren Sammy and a few other senior players had criticised the WICB, and were reprimanded by the ICC after the tournament.Muirhead agreed the chasm between the board and the players has been always there, but the divide is steadily being bridged. He pointed out that when he entered the WICB, there was constant strife between the board and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).”When I came in it was extremely hostile between us and the players’ association. We were in court regularly,” he said. “There was judgement and arbitration against us. I think I played a more conciliatory role instead of being antagonistic to the point that we have not had petitions against us. Our legal fees have gone down significantly. And we have a good relationship with the union (WIPA).”Before the two-match T20I series against India in Florida, WIPA and the WICB hosted a symposium where players and administrators met in an effort to resolve longstanding disputes. “A lot of players were able to speak quite frankly. The lines of communication are now re-opened,” Muirhead said.

Eoin Morgan, and any other players still uncertain over whether to tour Bangladesh, have until Saturday to make up their minds, according to Andrew Strauss

Andrew McGlashan07-Sep-20162:20

Will Morgan travel to Bangladesh?

Eoin Morgan, and any other players still uncertain over whether to tour Bangladesh, have until Saturday to make up their minds with Andrew Strauss, the team director, saying there can be no guarantees given to anyone who relinquishes their place.Morgan has been among the players with the most reservations about the trip but Strauss, who had called for a full-strength squad to commit to the tour as soon as it was given the green light last week, reiterated that he would “absolutely” want both England’s captains to undertake the Test and ODI legs of the trip.
Alastair Cook has given private assurances that he will lead the Test side, but Morgan’s uncertainty seems set to linger into the weekend when England’s central- and incremental- contracted players gather for two days of end-of-season fitness assessments and appraisals.Over the course of those two days, Strauss will ask for a ‘yes or no’ over a player’s willingness to be available for the Bangladesh tour, with the squad now due to be named at the end of next week. The announcement has been pushed back to give players more time after the conclusion of the series against Pakistan.Though Strauss did not issue any ultimatums – the ECB’s stance continues to be that touring is an individual choice – he did acknowledge that being captain brings other responsibilities”Would I like both our captains to be on that tour? Absolutely, definitely,” Strauss said. “The captain has certain roles and responsibilities that are greater than just looking after themselves. He obviously has a duty to the team. But they’re still human beings – and I think that’s an important point to make. They have their own thoughts, concerns, issues and views on life – and we’ve got to understand that.”I can’t force anyone onto that plane. I cannot literally force people up the steps and say ‘you have to go to Bangladesh’. People have their own decisions to make.”Though Strauss insisted he was not delivering any ultimatums, Morgan may nevertheless wish to consider the subtext in his comments. Writing in the Daily Telegraph last week, Kevin Pietersen – who was faced with a similar situation during his time as England captain in India in 2008-09 – warned that Morgan would “have a red cross against his name” in ECB circles if he refused to make the trip.”When the going gets tough for him in the future, with the team losing, or a run of personal low scores, then he will find that the loyalty from his bosses will not be the same because he went against them,” Pietersen wrote. “That is just the way it is. In the end it will come back to haunt him.”Alex Hales, another player reported to be uncertain about the tour, has previously said how it is a difficult decision because you are forgoing your place in the side. This is especially true of someone such as Hales, who is struggling to cling to his Test berth, while there are an abundance of young players striving to get in the one-day side even if Hales has just become England’s individual record-holder in ODIs.”I think, at its most simple, the big consequence for not going is you are giving someone else an opportunity to step into your shoes and stake a claim for themselves,” Strauss said.”That’s just the same as if someone gets injured, you are out of possession of that spot in the team for a certain period of time, and if someone does really well then you can’t give any guarantees.”But that’s a choice people have to make themselves, and they have to weigh up all sorts of different things when they come to this decision. Everyone has a different attitude to risk, different thoughts about what their priorities in life are. That’s fine – that’s their decision.”Strauss stopped short of saying that a player’s decision on the Bangladesh tour would affect their position for the India leg, a situation more relevant to the Test team where the seven matches in Bangladesh and India are being seen in their entirety, but again encouraged them to take heed of the security assessment put together which got the tour approved.”I’m very assured by the report that Reg gave to me and translated to the players. But everyone will look at that and take their own observations,” Strauss said. “I’m still very hopeful that everyone gets on that plane because I believe the security plan we have in place mitigates the risk to an acceptable level.”I genuinely believe that and that is why I’m encouraging every player to use that incredibly detailed and experienced view point from Reg to make a judgement.”

Aiden Markram’s second successive hundred and legspinner Shaun von Berg’s ten-wicket match-haul lifted the Titans to the top spot in the Sunfoil Series standings

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2016Aiden Markram’s second successive hundred and legspinner Shaun von Berg’s ten-wicket match-haul lifted the Titans to first place in the Sunfoil Series, as they defeated the Cape Cobras by an innings and 50 runs at Newlands in Cape Town.Cobras were reduced to 74 for 4 in the first innings after Titans captain Henry Davids put them in. Stiaan van Zyl (65), who was dropped from the South Africa Test squad for the tour of Australia, stitched together a 92-run partnership with Justin Ontong (45) to stabilise the innings. However, they lost 3 for 8 in a span of 8.1 overs, to be reduced to 174 for 7. The tail then managed to drag the score to 235, before von Berg took his fifth wicket to bowl them out.Markram lost his opening partner Heino Kuhn with only 33 on the board, but put on 122 for the second wicket with Grant Mokoena (59) and 75 for the fourth with Farhaan Behardien (79) as he secured the lead for his team, before falling for 139. Qaasim Adams’ 58-run partnership for the seventh wicket with David Wiese (31) took the Titans to 393 for 7 before a collapse resulted in them folding for 400. Dane Piedt and Rory Kleinveldt took three wickets each for the Cobras.In the second innings, only four Cobras batsmen managed to get into double figures. Van Zyl (32*) and Ontong (20) once again briefly rescued the innings with a 42-run sixth-wicket stand after coming together at 44 for 5. Von Berg, who had Ontong caught by Wiese for the second time in the match, completed his five-wicket haul shortly after. Henry Davids took the last two wickets as Cobras slumped to their third loss this season.A day-four fourth innings collapse of the Warriors, fashioned by pacer Hardus Viljoen, handed the Lions a 148-run victory in Johannesburg. Needing 288 to win on the final day, the Warriors were reduced from 34 for 0 to 34 for 3 in 11 balls.The Lions elected to bat, and Nicky van den Bergh’s 99 and Dwaine Pretorius’ 97 took them to 308; the pair added 180 in partnership, the only significant stand in the innings – no other partnerships touched 40 runs. Andrew Birch and Sisanda Magala shared seven wickets between them for the Warriors.In reply, the Warriors were wobbling at 24 for 2 with both their openers dismissed early before Lesiba Ngoepe put on 95 runs – the third batsman to be dismissed in the 90s in the game – in partnership with the middle-order to take his side closer to the Lions’ first innings score, before Pretorius rattled them further in returning 6 for 81. Birch, who came in to bat at No. 9, contributed 82 crucial runs to take his side from 201 for 7 to 356, a 48-run lead.A 98-run opening partnership for the Lions scratched out any advantage the Warriors had; openers Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen scored 48 and 51 respectively. At one-down, Dominic Hendricks scored his second fifty in as many games; his 61 along with Yaseen Valli’s 40 led the Lions to 335, before they declared early on day four.So the Warriors were chasing 288 and ran into Viljoen, who picked up three of the top-four batsmen in the side before coming back to polish off the innings. The Warriors captain Simon Harmer – who already had a match haul of six – top scored with 42 from No. 8 as the team slid to 139 all out.Robin Peterson starred with six wickets for the Knights, while Imran Tahir and Senuran Muthusamy took four each for the Dolphins, in a draw in Durban. The match had only 188.2 overs being bowled due to inclement weather, with day two completely washed out.The Knights put the Dolphins in to bat, and they started well, with openers Sarel Erwee and Imraan Khan putting on a 123-run stand. The duo scored 58 and 59 respectively, but with no one else scoring a half-century, the team was eventually dismissed for 311. Peterson took his first two wickets off consecutive deliveries before finishing with 6 for 83 off 21 overs.In response, the Knights lost both their openers on 36 in consecutive overs. But a 107-run partnership between South Africa international David Miller (60) and wicketkeeper Rudi Second took the team past 150. With no other batsman crossing 20, though, Tahir and Muthusamy enjoyed a lot of success as the Knights were all out for 221.The Dolphins came out to bat once again and they blocked their way to 12 runs off the nine overs they faced in the second innings.

Having shown patience against some tight bowling in the morning, Sri Lanka enjoyed a flat surface and a tiring bowling attack to gain firm hold of the Harare Test against Zimbabwe

The Report by Nikhil Kalro30-Oct-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUpul Tharanga anchored Sri Lanka’s innings with an unbeaten 110•AFP

For a brief period on the second morning, Zimbabwe made run-scoring look strenuous. For the rest of the day, Sri Lanka’s batsmen enjoyed a placid Harare surface and a tiring bowling attack to pile on 537. Upul Tharanga, displaying admirable patience, reaped the most rewards on the second day to score to his second Test ton, an unbeaten 110.Tharanga milked the bowling for the majority of his innings, capitalising on anything short with cuts and dabs behind square on the off side. With legspinner Graeme Cremer blocking that option by bowling a fuller length, Tharanga chose to sweep, a lofted heave over midwicket bringing up his fifty. Once he was set, the drives came out and their timing was excellent.Tharanga was assisted by debutant Asela Gunaratne, who auditioned for a regular spot in the Test squad with 54 off 102 balls, compiled with a compact technique and an ability to manoeuvre the field. A tight channel just outside off didn’t work against him: he often opened the face to steer boundaries either side of gully.But, soon after becoming the 18th Sri Lankan batsman to score a fifty on his Test debut, Gunaratne misjudged the length of a short delivery from left-arm spinner Sean Williams. A leading edge off an attempted pull was taken at midwicket.Zimbabwe were sloppy in the field again: Peter Moor missed a stumping and dropped two more catches, in addition to his two spills on the first day. Tharanga was given a life when he checked a drive off Donald Tiripano, but Tino Mawoyo at cover could not hold on to a catch low to his left. It was a disheartening spell of play, especially considering how well Zimbabwe had bowled in the morning.Seamers Chris Mpofu and Mumba kept the ball well outside the off stump and asking overnight batsmen Tharanga and Dhananjaya de Silva to play away from their body if they wanted runs. The batsmen were content in seeing off their opening spell though and only occasionally wafted at the bowlers’ invitingly wide deliveries.In their recent Test series against New Zealand, Zimbabwe’s bowlers displayed competence in consistency but weren’t able to ‘bore’ batsmen for long enough. Newly-appointed coach Heath Streak may have already turned that around. Barring the sporadic overpitched delivery, the bowlers repeatedly hit the same lines and lengths which meant Zimbabwe conceded only 50 runs in the first 24 overs of the morning. And that led to De Silva, on 15 runs in 55 balls, to step out to Cremer. He failed to get to the pitch of the ball, went through with the stroke and ended up skewing a catch long-off.Zimbabwe had another good spell of play towards the end of the day. There were 23 overs to go for stumps but the batsmen – despite a massive deficit – were positive from the outset, shimmying down the track or sweeping hard even if they weren’t to the pitch of the ball, particularly against Rangana Herath. They finished the second day at 88 for 1, trailing by 449 runs.There wasn’t much turn for the spinners; most deliveries skidded on with the arm. One such delivery from Herath rapped opener Brian Chari on the pad in front of leg stump. Umpire Simon Fry raised the finger but it seemed the ball may have been sliding down with the angle. Sri Lanka could have added another wicket in the next over, with Suranga Lakmal inducing Hamilton Masakadza into an expansive drive. The resulting outside edge, though, was dropped by Dimuth Karunaratne at first slip. Masakadza, with 33 off 50 balls and Tino Mawoyo, with 41 off 74 balls and, took Zimbabwe to stumps.

Cheteshwar Pujara has said he and Virat Kohli improved their understanding between the wickets after having a chat at lunch

Alagappan Muthu in Visakhapatnam17-Nov-2016Sometimes two wrongs do make things right. At least that was the case for Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli in Visakhapatnam. In the first session, soon after drinks, with India already two down, they gave England the chance to break their partnership not once but twice in a single over.First, Kohli nudged to the right of Joe Root at midwicket and called for a single that probably wasn’t on. Pujara, who isn’t the quickest across 22 yards, had to put in a big dive despite the throw being a bit wayward. A ball later, Kohli refused a second run after Pujara’s dab to point had been parried by the fielder Stuart Broad towards the man rushing in from sweeper cover. Having come halfway down the pitch, and losing his bat to add to the drama, Pujara was forced into another big dive to keep his wicket safe.On a first-day pitch that was offering very little help to the bowlers, with the team depending on them to fight back, a run-out might have had the same effect on India as… well, the three catches they dropped in the first session in Rajkot.”I think we didn’t judge the singles well, especially in the first session,” Pujara said at the end of the day’s play, after he had scored 119 and put on 226 with Kohli, who was not out on 151 at stumps. “But once there was a lunch time, we had a chat of how we want to go in the next session and if you look at the time between the lunch and tea sessions, we didn’t miss many singles and the way we were running between the wickets in the second session was much much better”Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli had a couple of mix-ups in the first session, before having a chat at lunch and improving their understanding between the wickets•Associated Press

Kohli and Pujara collected 118 runs off only 170 balls in the middle session. There were spells of play such as from the 43rd to the 53rd overs when they went at more than six an over. Even this period began with a mistake from an Indian batsman – Ben Stokes could have had Kohli caught at long leg – which was then followed by swift and effective corrective measures.”There was one error, where he [Kohli] didn’t control the pull shot well,” Pujara said. “But after that, I think the way he was batting and the way I was judging the bounce, we felt that if we continued rotating the strike, continue batting the way we’ve been batting, there wouldn’t be any trouble. It was just one shot where he didn’t control it well.”Kohli was circumspect against the short ball thereafter, and recorded his third 150-plus score in five months. Pujara made his third century in as many Tests and his 119 was vital in taking India to stumps at 317 for 4. A big first-innings total is likely to have considerable bearing on the outcome of the match with the pitch at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium likely to offer increasing assistance to spinners.”On day one in India, we mostly see that it’s always good for batting. Even if we see in the last Test match, Rajkot, day one it was really good to bat on, even day two was good to bat on in Rajkot,” Pujara said. “I don’t know how it will shape up starting from tomorrow but we are expecting it to turn a little more than what it did in Rajkot. So if we bat well, looking to put up a good total on the board and let’s see how it turns up on day three.”

Poor form coupled with the availability of KL Rahul, Karun Nair and Manish Pandey has led to Robin Uthappa’s exclusion from Karnataka’s 16-man squad for the Ranji Trophy quarter-final

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2016Robin Uthappa has been left out of Karnataka’s 16-man squad for the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Tamil Nadu, which starts on December 23 in Visakhapatnam. The team’s line-up will be boosted by the availability of KL Rahul, Karun Nair and Manish Pandey, all of whom are currently with the India Test squad in Chennai.

Karnataka squad for quarter-finals

Vinay Kumar (capt), KL Rahul, R Samarth, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair (vice-capt), Stuart Binny, CM Gautam (wk), Kaunain Abbas, Abhimanyu Mithun, S Aravind, K Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Pavan Deshpande, Abrar Kazi, David Mathias, Mayank Agarwal

Rahul and Nair, who made 199 and 303 not out respectively in the final Test against England, will join the squad directly in Visakhapatnam along with Pandey. The 13 other players and the support staff will fly out on Tuesday, following the conclusion of a five-day training camp at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.”With the three batsmen back, selection was a tough process. We collectively decided to rest Robin since we couldn’t play him in the XI,” R Sudhakar Rao, KSCA’s chairman of selectors, said on Monday. “The newcomers have done well and it would have been unfair to drop them, so we have taken the decision keeping the future of Karnataka cricket in mind.”Uthappa, the side’s highest run-getter last season, has made 328 runs in 12 innings at 27.33 in 2016-17. His only century came against Assam in October. With no fifty-plus score in eight innings since, he was left out of Karnataka’s final league fixture against Maharashtra in Mohali.”There is nothing wrong with his batting, but sometimes numbers matter, especially when people are waiting to get a chance. It’s just the numbers,” head coach J Arunkumar said. “Last year, at the start of the season, he was trying out a few things. After a point, I told him to stop focussing on that and focus on making runs. Soon after that, he started making runs. Even this season, I was hoping something like that would happen.”We thought that one game before the knockout we should try somebody out just in case of an injury, or if somebody is not allowed to play because of national duty. We just wanted to try Pavan Deshpande and Arjun Hoysala to see if the guys belonged in that space and if they are confident enough.”We wanted to make sure we are going in prepared for the knockout stages. Otherwise Robin is batting really well. He’s getting off to great starts and he’s getting out to some odd balls. It’s sad that we have to rest a big player. We need big players like him, because they have been there and done that.”

The debutant said it was important for him to grab the chances he got, like he did in the third ODI when he made use of two reprieves to share in a match-winning stand for Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jan-2017Three balls into his ODI debut innings, with Australia chasing 264 against Pakistan in Perth, Peter Handscomb wafted at a fuller delivery from Junaid Khan in search of his first runs. He was caught at slip and began walking off until he heard the crowd cheering, and saw the replay of the bowler over-stepping on the big screen. Four overs later, off Junaid’s bowling again, a chance to point was put down with Handscomb on 10.The reprieves he got on his way to an important 82 in Australia’s win prompted him to joke about trying his luck elsewhere.”Yeah, 100%,” Handscomb said, when asked if this was the luckiest innings he played. “I think I need to buy a lottery ticket tonight and go from there.”In his debut Test in Adelaide, Handscomb narrowly missed edging a delivery from Vernon Philander before he had made a run, and went on to score 54. He then went on to make a fifty-plus score in each of his next three Tests, equaling an Australian record set by Herbie Collins in 1920-21.Handscomb was picked as Chris Lynn’s replacement on the back of those Test runs – “a good reward for a good summer,” according to coach Darren Lehmann – and he made it count, propping up one end of a 183-run partnership with captain Steven Smith to give Australia a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Handscomb stated how important it was for him to capitalize on the chances he had, given the conditions around his selection.”I’ve been working really hard to get everything going up to this point, so that when I do get the opportunity, I try and grab it with both hands,” he said. “Obviously, today was very lucky: initially being caught off a no-ball and then dropped at backward point, although it showed on the replays that that was a no-ball as well. I missed out on a free hit there, which was a bit disappointing. From there I was able to play my own game and go about it the way I normally do, which was good. Put my head down and bat with Steve and obviously, it’s awesome batting with him.Peter Handscomb admitted he needed to find ways to score quicker in ODI cricket•Getty Images

“There are quality players in the country and I am only in this position because a couple of them got injured. If they had been fitter, I wouldn’t have been here and this opportunity wouldn’t have occurred. So in that sense I have been really lucky as well but Australian cricket has got an amazing talent pool. If I keep getting an opportunity in the middle order in the one-day team then it will be great and I’ll do everything I can to make sure the team wins but if I don’t, I understand because there are quality players out there.”When asked if he felt he had something to prove given his domestic 50-over record, Handscomb said he was only focused on the role the team needed him to do. The batsman averages 32.75 in List A cricket, with 1212 runs in 52 matches and six fifties. He admitted, however, that he needed to find a way to score off more balls to keep up with the demands of the format.”I felt good throughout the entire summer and I knew that if I just came out today and tried to play the way the team wanted me to play, then that’s what I would do. And I wasn’t too worried about what had happened in previous years,” he said. “I understand my one-day record in domestic cricket isn’t great but to come out here and do everything the team needs was my only job today and it was great to be able to do it.”I guess I need to be able to find a way to score off more balls. In the longer format, you can let a lot go, you can wait until the ball is in your zone to hit whereas here you need to start fabricating a few shots and making a few things up, which I am working on and obviously trying to score quicker but I have to let my game develop in my own way to let that happen. And I watch guys like Steven Smith and David Warner and Glenn Maxwell who can get out there and score fast so I try and learn from them and see how they go about it.”